What does it look like to truly honor the Lord? In this message from 1 Samuel 1:3–20, we are reminded that honoring God begins in the heart and flows out through faithful worship. Elkanah’s consistent commitment to worship and Hannah’s honest, wholehearted prayer show us that worship is not about performance or emotion, but about love, desire, and devotion to God.

This sermon explores four key aspects of faithful worship: making worship a priority, engaging in authentic worship with both heart and mind, allowing worship to transform us over time, and preparing ourselves intentionally to meet with God. Worship is not about what we get from God, but what we give to Him, our praise, our attention, and our lives.

As God calls His people to be a consecrated people who honor Him, this message challenges us to come prepared, expectant, and hungry to encounter the Lord through worship.

Are you approaching worship with priority, preparation, and expectation?

As we begin a new year, this message invites us to think beyond resolutions and toward something deeper: dedication. Rooted in 1 Samuel 1, Pastor Kory walks us through Hannah’s prayer and shows how honoring the Lord starts with surrender, not self effort.

In a culture shaped by autonomy and doing what feels right in our own eyes, God calls His people to a different way of living. Hannah’s story reminds us that true dedication begins by acknowledging our struggles, boldly asking God for what is good, and then offering everything back to Him with open hands.

This sermon launches the Honor the Lord series and challenges us to reflect on who truly has authority over our lives, our families, our time, and our resources. As we step into a new year, the question is not what we want to resolve, but who we are willing to trust.

What would it look like for you and your household to fully dedicate this year to the Lord?

As we stand at the edge of a new year, Pastor Art Bastes reminds us that we are not stepping into the future alone. In Facing the Challenge of ’26, we are anchored in the promise of Emmanuel, God with us. Drawing from Joshua 1 through 3, this message calls us to move forward with confidence, not because the path is easy, but because God’s presence goes with us.

Israel faced a new season filled with uncertainty, leadership transition, and overwhelming obstacles. Yet God called them to take the step in obedience, claim His promises, and expect Him to do great things. Just as God went before Joshua and the people into the Promised Land, He goes before us into the challenges, decisions, and unknowns of a new year.

Whether you are facing fear, unanswered questions, or seemingly impossible circumstances, this message is a reminder that God’s presence is our greatest assurance. When we trust Him, step forward in faith, and expect Him to work, He proves Himself faithful again and again.

What step of faith is God asking you to take as you move into the new year?

Christmas Sunday reminds us that the heart of the season is love. In this special tag team message, Pastors Kory and Darren lead us through the Christmas story to reveal the depth of God’s love shown in Jesus Christ. Christmas is not just about activities, traditions, or gifts. It is about God making His home with us out of love.

Through Luke 2 and Romans 5:8, we see that God demonstrated His love by coming to us, living with us, and ultimately dying for us while we were still sinners. Jesus entered our broken world to bridge the gap between humanity and a holy God. This love is not earned, deserved, or conditional. It is grace filled, sacrificial, and transformative.

The message closes with a call to live out our identity in Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are chosen by God, made holy, and deeply loved. When we truly understand how much God loves us, it changes how we live, how we love others, and how we step into the Christmas season with humility, compassion, and joy.

Do you truly believe that you are chosen by God and dearly loved?

Christmas joy can easily get crowded out by busyness, distractions, and pressure, but the joy God offers is deeper and lasting. In Acts 16, we see how Paul and Silas carried joy even in prison, praying and worshiping God despite their circumstances. Their joy was rooted not in comfort or freedom, but in faith and trust in Jesus.

Pastor Kory reminds us that joy is often tested when our focus is pulled away from God. The enemy works subtly through busyness, materialism, and distraction, but prayer and worship keep our hearts aligned with the Lord. As Paul and Silas remained faithful, their joy became a powerful witness that led to salvation for the jailer and his household.

True joy is found in believing in Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Him, our lives are transformed, chains are broken, and joy overflows. This Advent, God invites us to awaken to the joy that comes from salvation, devotion to prayer and worship, and a life centered on Jesus.

Is your joy rooted in circumstances, or in your faith in Christ?

Peace is in short supply in our world, but Advent reminds us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul shows us that God’s peace is not based on circumstances but flows from rejoicing in the Lord, trusting His nearness, and bringing every anxiety to Him in prayer with thanksgiving.

In this message, Pastor Kory explains how God’s peace transcends understanding, guards our hearts and minds, and stands watch over us like a soldier. When we fix our hearts and minds on Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live with gentleness, freedom from anxiety, and confidence in God’s control.

Are you holding onto anxiety, or releasing it to the Prince of Peace?

Hope can feel hard to come by these days. We move from Thanksgiving straight into Christmas at full speed, yet our hearts are often tired, distracted, or weighed down. In Colossians 1:25 to 29, Paul reminds us of a truth that can steady us in every season. The mystery once hidden has now been revealed. Christ lives in us. He is our hope of glory.

In this message, Pastor Darren shows how Advent calls us to slow our pace and remember the hope that is already ours. True biblical hope is not wishful thinking or blind optimism. It is a confident expectation rooted in the character, promises, and presence of Jesus. When Christ abides in us, he transforms how we see our struggles, how we endure hardship, and how we move forward in faith.

Is your hope anchored in circumstances that shift every day, or in the Christ who holds all things together?

Thankfulness is not meant to be a once a year tradition. It is a daily posture shaped by the peace, word, and work of Christ. In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul shows us what a truly thankful life looks like. When the peace of Christ rules in our hearts, He becomes the one who makes the final call over our fears, anxieties, and circumstances. When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, it reshapes our attitudes, our worship, our relationships, and the way we see God’s blessings.

In this message, guest speaker Pastor Scott Shimada from JEMS shares how a grateful life flows from allowing God to lead, guide, and shape everything we do. Thankfulness grows as we let Christ’s peace calm our hearts, let His word fill our minds, and let His presence direct our actions. A thankful life is not perfect or problem free. It is a life rooted in trust that God is good, God is present, and God is at work.

Is your gratitude tied to your circumstances, or to the God who never changes?

Baptism is more than a symbol. It is a declaration of faith, an act of obedience, and a testimony of transformation. In John 15:18–21 and 26–27, Jesus reminds His followers that they no longer belong to the world but to Him. Through baptism, believers identify with a new way of life and community, obey the Lord’s command, and publicly proclaim that they have been made new in Christ.

In this message, Pastor Kory teaches that baptism represents dying to the old self, being raised to new life, and living as a witness for Jesus. It is both a celebration of salvation and a calling to walk daily in faith, obedience, and joy.

Have you experienced the new life that comes from knowing Christ?

What does it mean to live with a joy that never fades? In John 15:11 and 16:20–24, Jesus promises His disciples a joy that cannot be taken away, a joy that is complete, overflowing, and grounded not in circumstances but in the goodness of God.

In this message, Pastor Kory reminds us that Christian joy is deeper than happiness. It is a steady confidence in God’s goodness that transforms our outlook even in hardship. When we eliminate grumbling and choose to contemplate God’s blessings, we discover that joy is not something we manufacture but something that flows from abiding in Christ.

Is your joy dependent on circumstances or rooted in the goodness of God?