Feb 26, 2017
The Fellowship of the Mat
Series: (All)
"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1 (ESV)  Today our hearts are filled with the joy of the LORD as we come close to God in adoring and intimate worship, knowing that God also comes close to us (James 4:8) to bless us with His presence, forgiveness, peace, comfort, and encouragement!
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  • Feb 26, 2017The Fellowship of the Mat
    Feb 26, 2017
    The Fellowship of the Mat
    Series: (All)
    "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1 (ESV)  Today our hearts are filled with the joy of the LORD as we come close to God in adoring and intimate worship, knowing that God also comes close to us (James 4:8) to bless us with His presence, forgiveness, peace, comfort, and encouragement!
  • Jan 22, 2017Who Turned Off the Lights
    Jan 22, 2017
    Who Turned Off the Lights
    Series: (All)
    The journey of a disciple of Jesus may take many directions. As one of the first men called to discipleship by the Lord, Peter found that his world was turned around and changed forever. And yet, in following the Lord, he found a peace that passed all understanding. In the final words of his second epistle, he wrote to his Christian flock, “Therefore, beloved . . . be . . . at peace” (2 Peter 3:14). The people of God are peaceable people through whom the Spirit works, fashioning them as peacemakers and peace-bringers to a world in need of the peace that is in Christ alone.
     
  • Jan 1, 2017Faith vs. Fear
    Jan 1, 2017
    Faith vs. Fear
    Series: (All)
    slide7
    …let us  put aside our self-centered fears and paranoia and embrace the fear of the Lord.  We face the reality of a new year, an unknown future with faith, accompanied by our Lord, Savior and brother. He does not abandon us. The shadows of life are illuminated by the Light—Immanuel, God with us!
  • Dec 25, 2016What Was Seen at Bethlehem
    Dec 25, 2016
    What Was Seen at Bethlehem
    Series: (All)
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    Jesus is God, Creator, Lord of the universe, and yet also man. What a mystery, and what a testimony! Imagine being there in Bethlehem, and seeing the infant Jesus with your own eyes. What would you have seen? And how would you testify to others about what you had seen? The Apostle Luke says that the angels testified that the Savior had been born (Luke 2:11). The Apostle John testifies that the Christ was full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We receive the testimony, and by the Holy Spirit we are able to believe it. May our lives be transformed by this Truth – the Son of God has come to us!
  • Dec 24, 2016God’s Christmas Gift to You
    Dec 24, 2016
    God’s Christmas Gift to You
    Series: (All)
    Welcome!  We’re glad you’re here.  May peace from the Prince of Peace be yours.  The first Christmas Eve was a time of new beginnings for the world, so much so that our calendar (B.C. and A.D.) is based on the event we celebrate tonight!  The created world, once new and perfect, had fallen into darkness and sin after Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  At the birth of Jesus – perfect man and perfect God – a bright light began to shine in that world that had been darkened by sin.  In His light we have life, peace and joy.  Truly, the Christ Child is God’s greatest gift to the world!
  • Nov 14, 2016God at Work in Faithful Warriors
    Nov 14, 2016
    God at Work in Faithful Warriors
    Series: (All)
    slide1
    Even in battle, God goes with and before his people.  He gives audacious courage to a young shepherd boy facing a war-hardened giant.  He gives unequaled faith to a humble centurion.  And God guides America's greatest generation to victory in an epic struggle between good and evil.
  • Aug 21, 2016In Christ Alone
    Aug 21, 2016
    In Christ Alone
    Series: (All)
    We gather weekly to celebrate  and grow more deeply in our understanding of what Christ has done for us and how He continues to care for us. Through our baptism, we are marked as a child of God, secured by Jesus in His forgiveness and grace. We stand together in Christ, a community of faith, as we daily, humbly speak and share His love with others.
  • Aug 14, 2016Jesus Sees Us All – Inside Out
    Aug 14, 2016
    Jesus Sees Us All – Inside Out
    Series: (All)
    Less than a month before His crucifixion Jesus spoke this parable about two people:  A Tax collector and a Pharisee!   One enters the Kingdom of God humbly and is exalted the other comes exalted and is humbled.   As we look at these two men who do we identify with?  If you are like me, we might see a little bit of both of the attitudes displayed by these two men within ourselves.  Sometimes we feel pretty satisfied with how we live our lives and then there are times when we feel depressed and dissatisfied with our behavior and actions.  This parable gives us a glimpse into all of our hearts, hearts that only Jesus truly and fully knows and understands.  We can pour out our heart to Him!
  • Jun 26, 2016Raising Spirit Awareness
    Jun 26, 2016
    Raising Spirit Awareness
    Series: (All)
    As Lutheran Christians, we confess a Trinitarian belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  This means that we believe that while we have only one God, that same God has revealed Himself to us in three persons.  The ancient creeds of the Church express this understanding as best as can be done in human words.  While the Holy Spirit is always spoken of "last" in those creeds, He is by no means less  Godly.  In fact, we recognize the Holy Spirit's enduring and powerful work among us today even in our Catechism: “The Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”  (Martin Luther).  How can we move from viewing the Holy Spirit as a mysterious "blur" and "ghostly presence hovering in the background" (Gordon Fee), to seeing Him as the powerful and active person of the Godhead that He is?
  • Jun 19, 2016Praying for Patience
    Jun 19, 2016
    Praying for Patience
    Series: (All)
    Have you ever prayed for "patience?"  You might want to reconsider that - when you think about how God is going to make you patient.  It is unlikely that God will just change your demeanor overnight (though, He certainly could).  Rather, He will likely teach you patience by making you WAIT!  What better way to grow in integrity than to be faced with the opportunity for dishonesty and yet experience telling the truth?  What better way to grow in determination than to overcome failure?  So, if God needs to teach you patience, He will give you opportunities to wait on Him.  As you do, you will learn to trust Him more.  And as you trust Him, you will learn that He desires to grant you all good things.  
  • Jun 12, 2016Praying for Wisdom
    Jun 12, 2016
    Praying for Wisdom
    Series: (All)
    Slide5
    Young King Solomon, when asked by God what he wanted, prayed to receive wisdom (1 Kings 3).  Do you pray for wisdom?  What does that mean to you?  It has been said that wisdom is "knowledge applied."  It is true that humans are capable of amassing knowledge, and yet still remaining unwise.  Such is the case of the unbelieving heart.  Often what is perceived as worldly knowledge is wrongly applied and then deemed to be opposed to what is spiritually wise.  So how is the believing person to reconcile the wisdom of God, which is seen as foolishness to the world?
     
  • Jun 5, 2016What Gives Us True Happiness and Joy?
    Jun 5, 2016
    What Gives Us True Happiness and Joy?
    Series: (All)
    Slide1
    There are a lot of things in life that can suck the joy out of us and leave us discouraged - health, finances, relationships, and politics to mention a few.  We can have joy in our life when we are connected to Jesus.
     
  • Dec 27, 2015Tell Everyone What He Has Done
    Dec 27, 2015
    Tell Everyone What He Has Done
    Series: (All)
    Jesus Hope Christmas Program
    Shortly after Jesus birth, He was brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph for a rite of purification and presentation.  Simeon was a devout Jew who was present at the time.  In keeping with the Lord's promise, he made a proclamation about who Jesus was - the Savior for Gentiles and Jews alike!   People are desperately in need to hear what Christ has done for you.  Won’t you, like Simeon, tell everyone what God has done?
  • Nov 29, 2015Counterfeit gods
    Nov 29, 2015
    Counterfeit gods
    Series: (All)
    GivingThe idol of success cannot be just expelled, it must be replaced. The human heart’s desire for a particular valuable object may be conquered, but its need to have some such object is unconquerable. Only when we see what Jesus, our great Suffering Servant, has done for us will we finally understand that we must not fear, love and trust anything more than God.  What breaks the power of any idol over us is not a redoubled effort to try harder, but a deepening understanding of how complete Christ's Lordship over us is.
  • Apr 5, 2015Living the Victory!
    Apr 5, 2015
    Living the Victory!
    Series: (All)
    Victory550Of all the things in life, one is number one. Of all the teachings in the Bible, one is primary. Of all the things in the world, one is prime. The apostle Paul names what this is in His letter to the Corinthians. He calls it “of first importance” when he says: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The Gospel of Jesus, our Savior, is what is of first importance. This Easter, we celebrate that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is of first importance. Knowledge of this one thing changes our perspective on everything else. What could be more important to know?