We will not be afraid

What are you afraid of? That was the question put before our youth at one of their meetings. Now the question is placed before the congregation. What are you afraid of? And when you are afraid, where do you find your comfort? Join us this Sunday morning as Ken de Boer brings the message titled, "We will not be afraid."

You make me sick.

That's about the worst thing someone could say to you: You make me sick. So when we hear Jesus saying something like that to a church, we can be sure that he's not kidding around. The church in Laodicea had settled into a smug self-sufficiency, and Jesus saves his harshest warning for them (Rev 3:16). When we consider ourselves quite capable of managing our own lives, Jesus gets pushed out the door. He's knocking - let him back in and share a meal with him. This Sunday we share such a meal as we celebrate the Lord's Supper together. Sunday, Jan 25 10 am.

Check the label

If you want to make sure your stuff doesn't get lost or stolen, you put your name on it - address and phone number are a good idea too. In times of discouragement and out-right persecution, God's children may find themselves lost. Jesus makes sure that we will get home safely, and he does so by putting God's name on us, along with our address and a phone number to call. That's the promise of Rev 3:7-13. Join us this Sunday, Jan 18 at 10:00 a.m. Oh, and the men's choir will be singing, "We Shall Overcome" - should be a great service!

Deadly complacency

Too often we have no one to blame other than ourselves for our problems. When the church of Jesus Christ becomes ineffectual and irrelevant, in many cases it is because of our own complacency. To the church in Sardis, Jesus says, "Wake up!" He gives the same warning to us. Join us this Sunday at 10:00 -- but don't expect a comfortable pew...

Life's Not Fair

Let's start 2009 out with a little reality check: Life is not fair! Too bad, eh? Well, not really. If we all got what we deserved, we would be in big trouble. This Sunday we look at Jesus' parable of the two debtors (Luke 7) where Jesus says, "I have something to tell you..." Sunday, Jan 4, 10 a.m. Guests always welcome.

The Epilogue

We recognize some stories immediately by their opening lines. Fairy tales, for examples, start with, "Once upon a time" and we recognize "In the beginning..." as the opening line of the Bible. But even at the end of a good book, we often look for the epilogue to tie up any loose ends. Revelation 22:10-20 is the Bible's epilogue. Here we find the assurance that we can enter 2009 with confidence, whether the year brings us "the best of times" or "the worst of times." Jesus is coming soon! Join us on New Year's Eve at 7:30 to end the year in worship and thanksgiving.

Love that's not blind

I had a penpal once. But I wasn't much of a penpal. I never took the time to share anything of myself, nor did I care a lot about my penpal. The relationship lacked knowledge and therefore, lacked love. Paul's prayer for the church in Philippi is that their love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight. Paul knew that love that is blind is no love at all. This Sunday we'll read Paul's prayer as God's prayer for us for 2009.