Watermark Bible Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

A Kingdom Torn In Two

Muhammed Ali was said, “I had the world and it wasn’t nothing.” Well, before he said that there was another man who had the world and he came to the same conclusion. This Sunday by studying Solomon’s life we’ll see the secret to a life of fulfilment, some traps that lead to emptiness, and how it all fits in God’s grand narrative.

Happy New Year! As we begin this new year together I pray it is a year of much growth. That all of us grow in our relationships with God and others. We grow in knowledge and wisdom. We grow in skills and abilities. 2025 is a year with much promise and I’m convinced one of the primary disciplines that will spur growth is by faithfully gathering together. With that, I hope to see you this Sunday as we jump back into our Long Story Short sermon series and we’re picking up with the 2nd half of David’s life.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and the anticipation of Christmas Future brings you joy everyday for year to come. We experienced many highlights together in 2024. One of those was hearing Andrew Fry preach. Several of you asked me, “when can we hear him preach again?” Well, this Sunday will be the day. Andrew will bring a message that launches us into 2025.

As amazing as the adventure Ebeneezer Scrooge experienced with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future was the adventure God has for His people is even greater. As we anticipate this Christmas morning on Wednesday, it reminds us of our greater anticipation – the 2nd advent. What a Christmas that will be. I hope you get a sense of that Sunday morning as we wrap up our series with a message on Christmas Future.

What do you want for Christmas? It’s funny how that answer changes the older we get. When we’re young maybe we have a list that we’re prepared to share. As we get older, the answer becomes a little more difficult. Maybe the things we want most aren’t things you can buy at store. We’ll see that as we continue our Christmastime series, Christmas: Past, Present, Future. Join us for a look at Christmas Present this week.

Have you ever seen a child who wanted a gift so bad and then they received it? Their reactions are priceless. It makes giving the gift worth every penny. This Sunday we’ll continue our series, Christmas: Past, Present, Future, with a look at Christmas Past. We’ll be reminded again of the value of the gift and where it points us. Our hearts should swell with joy like a child on Christmas morning.

Perhaps the best-known Christmas play is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In it Ebeneezer Scrooge is transformed by a glimpse of the past, the present, and the future. Part of the genius of that play is how the story invites us to consider our own lives. It carries this reminder that at Christmas we do remember the incarnation of Christ in the past, but Christmas doesn’t end there. The incarnation of Christ impacts every moment of our present and encourages us with great anticipation towards our future. In our Christmastime series, Christmas: Past, Present, and Future, we will look at various Scriptures and be amazed with how the wonder of Christmas effects everything.

Have you ever felt forgotten, snubbed, neglected, ignored? Sure you have; we’ve all been there. Even the best among us has experienced times like that. We’ll see that this week as we continue our series Long Story Short.

Have you ever looked at what someone else had and really wanted it? We’ve all been there. Sometimes we get it and it’s great, but other times it doesn’t live up to our expectations. Sometimes we crave things that aren’t truly good for us. This Sunday in our series, Long Story Short, we’ll see that Israel wanted to be just like everyone else. God gave her the desire of heart, but it would come at cost.