Have you ever been in a situation that really raises your anxiety? Maybe you were about to take a test or your crazy family is coming in for the holiday or you just got some bad news? Jesus had just given his disciples some bad news. He was going to be with them only a…
Today we continue the season of Advent, which is an ancient tradition of the church that helps to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Our Advent theme this year is “Magnificat” which means to magnify or highly praise the Lord and is what we commonly call the song Jesus’ mother, Mary, sang in Luke 1. Today…
Today we continue our season of Advent to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Our theme this year is “Let There Be Light!” All throughout Scripture God is said to be light and to radiate light and to shine light, overcoming the darkness in our world and in our hearts. Because Christ has already come to…
Today we continue the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for Christmas. In the Advent season, we keep in mind both “advents,” both “visits” of Christ, the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come. Because Christ has already come once, the white Christ candle will remain lit the entire Advent season, and…
Today we continue our season of Advent and light the second candle, the Candle of Peace. Our Advent theme this year is “A Stained Glass Baby Book.” Many of our mothers kept a baby book with details and highlights from our first few years of life. In our Advent season, we will walk through some…
Today we continue our season of Advent, which is the season of preparation for Christmas. Our theme this year is “The Rescue.” Although the light of Christ is shining in the world today, the world is still a very dark place and will get darker according to the Bible as we near the end of…
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,’” (Luke 2:13-14, KJV). This awesome event happened right after the angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds near Bethlehem that Jesus the Christ…
This week we continue our season of Advent, which is the Christian season of preparation for Christmas. Our theme this year is “Jesus Is the Answer.” This week we focus
One of the shows that I’ve really loved over the years is Wild America with Marty Stouffer. I love the beauty and the drama that is highlighted in basically my own back yard. One of my favorite scenes is captured below. Watch it as an illustration of what I’m about to say, and then read on. If we observe nature today, it…
This week we continue the season of Advent by lighting the 2nd candle, the purple candle of peace. Our 2011 Advent theme is “How Long, O Lord?” and each week we’ll be looking at a passage of Scripture that focuses on the Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our text this week comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: Now as to the…