Written in 1744 by Charles Wesley, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus was penned during a time of great social inequity and yet a spiritual hunger that resulted in a great revival through him and his brother John. The hymn was written from Haggai 2:7, “I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Our Christmas series “Long Expected Jesus,” looks at Jesus from the lens of our Prophet, Priest, Shepherd, King, and Savior. It captures both the longing and the joy of Christmas!
In one sense, the whole Bible is apocalyptic! It is God's revelation of Himself and His Big Story! As we live through "apocalyptic" times, we need to know where we are in the Story, how can we thrive in it, and why we shouldn't be anxious about it.
This is a forced diversion from our Matthew series but we are taking the challenge head-on. As we are unable to meet in person, Pastor Paul explains how we are to respond in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. This is our first video series so gather the family and join us in worship!
Matthew became the most important of all Gospel texts for first- and second-century Christians because it contains all the elements important to the early church. In this series, we are picking up where we left off in chapter 9 and going on through chapter 13. We'll be covering the importance of getting Jesus' identity right, his healing miracles, discipleship, and several parables. This series will take us through the first half of 2020.
As we remember God’s promises fulfilled at Christmas, we are reminded of just how intensely the incarnation of Christ shook the world. The meaning of Christmas goes miles deeper than family traditions, pretty lights, and a chance to refresh your depleted stockpile of socks. Christmas means revolution. Christmas means miracle. Christmas means that God has come for us.
In this letter, John combats false teaching with absolutes: truth and lies, light and darkness, love and hate, sin and righteousness, Christ and antichrist. He shows the church how to tell if they are children of God and how to tell if a teacher is trying to deceive them.
This is a letter written from a wise and loving father to a troubled church. John writes to older men (“fathers”), young men, and children, but he addresses all of them as his “little children”—a term of endearment that a loving father would use for his child.
