THE PEACEMAKER HAS COME

We’re all longing for peace. But, if we’re honest, peace is not our normal experience. According to the story of Scripture, the whole history of mankind has been one of trying and failing to be at peace with God, with each other, and with ourselves. But at Christmas, God himself comes to us from heaven in order to bring true and lasting peace on earth. Charles Spurgeon sums up the story of the world and declares the wonder of Christmas by saying, "There had been no peace on earth since Adam fell. But, now, when the new-born King made His appearance, the swaddling-band with which He was wrapped up was the white flag of peace. That manger was the place where the treaty was signed, whereby warfare should be stopped between man's conscience and himself, and between man's conscience and his God." Our search for peace ends when we find it in the person of Jesus Christ. The promise of Christmas becomes ours when we welcome the Peacemaker into our lives (Lk 2:14).

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

BY SINGING LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR

This past Sunday evening, we hosted our first ever Carols in the Park, and what a joy it was! Church members and neighbors gathered together in French Park for a night of singing well-loved songs, enjoying warm drinks and sweet treats, and celebrating the holiday season. We had fun, made new friends, deepened existing relationships, welcomed our neighbors to join us at church on Christmas Eve, and worshiped Jesus Christ - the One who was born to bring us into his joy forevermore!

Thank you to all who served us by singing in the choir, bringing cookies and drinks, and setting up the event! Relive the celebration by scrolling through some photos from the night.

LET THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINE UPON YOU

Getting dressed in the dark is not a good way to be well prepared for the day. It leaves us prone to pick up dirty old clothes and put them back on again, place our shirt on backwards, or piece together an outfit that doesn’t match at all! The same is true of our lives in Christ. As we strive to put off the old self and put on the new, we need to get dressed with the lights on. Shining the light of God’s truth upon the actions and attitudes we clothe ourselves in so that we turn away from the “unfruitful works of darkness,” and walk in all the goodness, freedom, and no-strings-attached joy of Christ’s light. The Savior is eager to drive away the shadows that remain within our hearts, cause us to be a people who shine forth his beauty to a watching world, and make us more and more, today, the people we’ll be on that Great Day, when we step into the fullness of his light, see him as he is, and are seen by him with any trace or stain of sin.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

HELP US SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER

It’s the best time of year! What better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than by singing loud for all to hear. 

This Sunday, 12/17, from 7pm-8pm, we’re making plans to gather together in French Park to sing carols, spread Christmas cheer, and invite our neighbors to share in the celebration with us. We’ll serve up some hot chocolate, enjoy sweet treats, and extend an invitation for our neighbors to join us at church on Christmas Eve.

Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Invite our French Park neighbors, your family and friends to a night of Carols in the Park, and come sing with us! You can share the digital invite linked here.

2. Along with extending an invitation, consider ways you’d like to get involved, either with setup, being part of the choir, or bring a couple dozen cookies. Sign up below to get involved

SIGN UP HERE

AND PUT ON WHAT BUILDS UP

Paul turns from the general principles of putting off the old and putting on the new and provides specific aspects of the old life we need to do away with in Ephesians 4:25-31. But, far from this passage being a list of “don’ts” there is much for us to do as well. Because as we live the new life, we’re not just saying “no” to the old and broken but saying “yes” to the new and following Jesus into a better, blessed, and more beautiful kind of life together. A new life governed by love that does away with all the words and deeds that are incompatible with how God has spoken and acted toward us in Christ (4:32-5:2).

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WHAT DOES THE NEW LIFE LOOK LIKE?

Beginning in Ephesians 4:17, Paul begins laying out what it looks like to live lives worthy of our calling (4:1). He begins by contrasting the believer's way of life apart from Christ (4:17-19) with our new life in Christ (4:20-24). Likening it to a change of clothes: putting off the old-sin stained garments, and putting on our new set of clothes in Christ. Something which happens decisively at our conversion but continues on throughout our entire lives. Continuously tossing the sin-stained rags back into the coffin-hamper, and putting on our new identity in Christ. And everyday, as we exercise our faith in Christ and get freshly dressed in him, the Lord will continue to make us more and more like Christ - renewing our minds, re-orienting our desires, and restoring his image in us. We used to go all out getting dressed up in the old clothes. Should we not work just as hard to put on the new?

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

ways to get involved

It’s the best time of year! What better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than by singing loud for all to hear. 

On 12/17 at 7pm we’re making plans to gather together in French Park to sing carols, spread Christmas cheer, and invite our neighbors to share in the celebration with us. We’ll serve up some hot chocolate, enjoy sweet treats, and extend an invitation for our neighbors to join us at church on Christmas Eve.

Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Invite our French Park neighbors, your family and friends to a night of Carols in the Park, and come sing with us! You can share the digital invite linked here.

2. Along with extending an invitation, consider ways you’d like to get involved, either with setup, being part of the choir, or bring a couple dozen cookies. Sign up below to get involved

SIGN UP HERE

AS THE CHURCH, WE ARE ONE. BUT WE ARE NOT THE SAME.

There is blessed unity but not boring uniformity among us. Because the way the Risen Christ has purposed to maintain, strengthen, and protect our unity is through our diversity. Ephesians 4:7-16 teaches us that all the different, varied, and numerous gifts of grace that we’ve been given serve the singular goal of helping our church grow toward maturity. Each of us has received a gift so that ALL of us can play our part in the growth of the church (v.7). These gifts have come to us as the spoils of victory that Jesus won through everything that took place from his death upon the cross to his ascension into heaven. In what might strike us as an unexpected detour in this passage, Paul draws our attention to the nature and wonder of Christ's victory in vv.8-10, so that we'd be assured of Christ's unstoppable purposes for his people in vv.11-16. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

UNITY AND ITS BLESSING IN THE CHURCH

The unity of the church is not just the absence of conflict, an atmosphere of niceness, or a concept in our heads that is disconnected from our hearts. Psalm 133 tells us that it is "good and pleasant" when we live together in unity (133:1). We should be affected by this. We should be filled with joy. This psalm takes us deeper into understanding and appreciating what this joy is like. It leads us to consider what might be keeping us from enjoying all God has for us in our life together. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

SING CAROLS WITH US IN FRENCH PARK

It’s the best time of year! What better way to spread the joy of Jesus and celebrate the birth of Christ than by singing for all to hear. 

This December we’re making plans to gather together in French Park to sing carols, spread Christmas cheer, and invite our neighbors to share in the celebration with us. We’ll serve up some hot chocolate, enjoy sweet treats, and extend an invitation for our neighbors to join us at church on Christmas Eve.

SEE YOU ON December 17TH at 7pm