Sermons & Worship from January 2022

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-18; Psalm 40:1-3; Matthew 4:1-11 This account of the wilderness experience of Jesus is different from any other account in the Gospels. It is different because Jesus was the only one who was present except for the adversary. It occurs straightaway after His baptism by John the Baptizer and immediately after the heavens had been opened to him and he heard the voice of God saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Alone,…

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:8-11; Psalm 29:1-2 (Psalms Now); Mark 1:4-11 For each one of us there are those “ah ha” moments that happen, those events that happen, those insights that come to us, those decisions that we make, that have the possibility of changing the direction of our lives forever. We have an epiphany; we make a great discovery about ourselves or about our goals in life. Maybe it was about where you are going to live. Maybe it was…

Scripture: Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; Psalm 92:1-4; Philippians 1:27-29 Justice, justice! Where there is no justice there is no peace. Where there is no justice, the people perish. Generation after generation after generation finds individuals whom God calls out to speak words of truth to the generation in which they live. Those who bring the message of the displeasure of God about how the people or the society is acting are often martyred for their unpopular message. We might just…

Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-9; Psalm 19:1-4; Matthew 2:1-12 January 6 is the observance of the Day of Epiphany, the Day of Discovery, on the Christian calendar when the Magi came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. Today we celebrate with the rest of the Christian Church on the Sunday closest to that date. Matthew recorded the events of that visit for all who would read his Gospel writing, but the prophet Isaiah foretold what would happen some 600 years earlier. Matthew validated…