The gift of gold points to Christ as King. The gift of frankincense points to His divinity and priestly work. So what does the gift of myrrh point to? It points to the cross. The gift of myrrh points to Christ as Savior! In the Gospel of Luke, he recorded the shepherd’s faithful response to the good news that Christ the Savior had been born. We too…

In John 1:1-18, the apostle John bore witness of Jesus as the Son of God who came into the world that we might believe in Him and become children of God. The Magi’s gift of frankincense points to Christ’s divinity. We can believe John’s witness that Jesus is the Son of God.Av Jonathan Combs

In John 1:1-18, the apostle John bore witness of Jesus as the Son of God who came into the world that we might believe in Him and become children of God. The Magi’s gift of frankincense points to Christ’s divinity. We can believe John’s witness that Jesus is the Son of God.Av Gary Combs

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Don’t you feel the tension? Don’t you feel the pressure to spend more money than you have in order to give your kids (spouse, grandkids…) everything on their list? You want everyone to be happy and you want to be happy, so you spend, spend, spend… And the more you spend, the less it feels like Christmas. O…

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Don’t you feel the tension? Don’t you feel the pressure to spend more money than you have in order to give your kids (spouse, grandkids…) everything on their list? You want everyone to be happy and you want to be happy, so you spend, spend, spend… And the more you spend, the less it feels like Christmas. O…

So you probably feasted this week and enjoyed family, but did you do this with thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God? We have tendency to separate the physical from the spiritual and we would do well this morning morning to reconnect Thanksgiving to our Lord. Perhaps today, you feel like you have much to be grateful for. How might you turn that i…

So you probably feasted this week and enjoyed family, but did you do this with thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God? We have tendency to separate the physical from the spiritual and we would do well this morning morning to reconnect Thanksgiving to our Lord. Perhaps today, you feel like you have much to be grateful for. How might you turn that i…

Do you understand the great possession offered to in Christ Jesus? Perhaps you once did. But you’ve been feeling disheartened? Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone in the church and you’ve lost sight of the prize you have in Christ. Maybe you’ve wondered if staying faithful is worth the struggle. The early readers of Hebrews faced those same doubts. S…

Do you understand the great possession offered to in Christ Jesus? Perhaps you once did. But you’ve been feeling disheartened? Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone in the church and you’ve lost sight of the prize you have in Christ. Maybe you’ve wondered if staying faithful is worth the struggle. The early readers of Hebrews faced those same doubts. S…

How have you responded to Christ’s claim to be not only the greatest way, but the only way to come to God? To come to the Father? Many in our world today struggle with this claim. They try to reach God, or their idea of God, through human means, through religion or rule-following or some other way. But they all fall short. Others believe that Chris…

How have you responded to Christ’s claim to be not only the greatest way, but the only way to come to God? To come to the Father? Many in our world today struggle with this claim. They try to reach God, or their idea of God, through human means, through religion or rule-following or some other way. But they all fall short. Others believe that Chris…

Many people struggle with feelings of guilt. They can’t believe that God would forgiven all their sins in Christ Jesus. They struggle with shame over past sins. Others have received forgiveness and the joy that goes with it, but they struggle with perfectionism, thinking that God will love them more if they perform some great work for Him, or follo…

Many people struggle with feelings of guilt. They can’t believe that God would forgiven all their sins in Christ Jesus. They struggle with shame over past sins. Others have received forgiveness and the joy that goes with it, but they struggle with perfectionism, thinking that God will love them more if they perform some great work for Him, or follo…

Are you put off by all the talk of blood and sacrifice that you see in the Bible? Does the idea of Christ’s crucifixion offend you and cause you to turn your eyes away? As one person said to me, “I just don’t get all the talk about blood and cross-carrying. I’m looking for a more positive spirituality.” Or perhaps you have heard the message of Chri…

Do you feel like a VIP with God? Or do you struggle with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy? Maybe feelings of shame and guilt linger from your past and you’ve never been able to experience complete cleansing and forgiveness? Maybe you’re feeling a disconnect with God today? You’re going through a season of spiritual dryness? In fact, instead of…

Do you feel like a VIP with God? Or do you struggle with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy? Maybe feelings of shame and guilt linger from your past and you’ve never been able to experience complete cleansing and forgiveness? Maybe you’re feeling a disconnect with God today? You’re going through a season of spiritual dryness? In fact, instead of…

Everything in life seems to eventually become obsolete. Everything eventually gets old, runs down, stops working… everything loses its new car smell. Don’t wish some things would last? We all long for something better, something more permanent, something we can always depend on and trust. That’s what the New Covenant in Christ offers. It will never…

Everything in life seems to eventually become obsolete. Everything eventually gets old, runs down, stops working… everything loses its new car smell. Don’t wish some things would last? We all long for something better, something more permanent, something we can always depend on and trust. That’s what the New Covenant in Christ offers. It will never…

We live in world filled with guarantees, lifetime warrantees, insurances, promises and so on. Our culture knows full well that we the consumer are looking for things that last, things that have been guaranteed to succeed for us. We have lots of guarantees in this life, but lots of broken ones too. Many of us are painfully living through many unfulf…

We live in world filled with guarantees, lifetime warrantees, insurances, promises and so on. Our culture knows full well that we the consumer are looking for things that last, things that have been guaranteed to succeed for us. We have lots of guarantees in this life, but lots of broken ones too. Many of us are painfully living through many unfulf…

Why does this passage about a mysterious figure named, Melchizedek, and an ancient priesthood matter to us today? While we may not be struggling to reconcile temple worship with our faith in Christ, we face a similar challenge: Where do we turn to find true connection with God? In our world, people are looking everywhere for meaning, security, and …

Why does this passage about a mysterious figure named, Melchizedek, and an ancient priesthood matter to us today? While we may not be struggling to reconcile temple worship with our faith in Christ, we face a similar challenge: Where do we turn to find true connection with God? In our world, people are looking everywhere for meaning, security, and …

We live in a world that often feels unstable, where uncertainty looms large, and the promises that people make to us often come up empty. Unkept political promises, unfulfilled contracts, broken wedding vows… who can we trust? It’s hard not to lose hope. Yet, as followers of Christ, we are called to live with confident hope, a hope that is grounded…

We live in a world that often feels unstable, where uncertainty looms large, and the promises that people make to us often come up empty. Unkept political promises, unfulfilled contracts, broken wedding vows… who can we trust? It’s hard not to lose hope. Yet, as followers of Christ, we are called to live with confident hope, a hope that is grounded…

From the time of our birth, parents and doctors begin to measure our physical growth. Educators measure our intellectual growth. Banks and credit agencies measure our financial growth. They all have goals for where we should be in order to be considered healthy or to graduate or to qualify for a loan. But what about spiritual growth? Does God have …

From the time of our birth, parents and doctors begin to measure our physical growth. Educators measure our intellectual growth. Banks and credit agencies measure our financial growth. They all have goals for where we should be in order to be considered healthy or to graduate or to qualify for a loan. But what about spiritual growth? Does God have …

When you visit another country or even another part of our country, you’ll notice several unique features to their community, to their culture. What they believe, whether they are relational, friendly or not, what kind of food they eat and of course what language or dialect they speak. A shared language is one of the key marks of any community. The…

When you visit another country or even another part of our country, you’ll notice several unique features to their community, to their culture. What they believe, whether they are relational, friendly or not, what kind of food they eat and of course what language or dialect they speak. A shared language is one of the key marks of any community. The…

There’s something about shared food, a shared meal that leads to real community. The same was true of the first century church. In the book of Acts, Luke described the “real community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” They were a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus. We can exper…

There’s something about shared food, a shared meal that leads to real community. The same was true of the first century church. In the book of Acts, Luke described the “real community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” They were a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus. We can exper…

People today are starving for true and lasting relationships. Yet, Americans are struggling with loneliness more than ever. To attempt to cure our loneliness, we’ve turned to social media. But a 2023 study in the National Library of Medicine concluded this: “This study found that more time spent on social media was associated with higher levels of …

People today are starving for true and lasting relationships. Yet, Americans are struggling with loneliness more than ever. To attempt to cure our loneliness, we’ve turned to social media. But a 2023 study in the National Library of Medicine concluded this: “This study found that more time spent on social media was associated with higher levels of …

While communities based around politics, sports, BBQ and regional accents may help us find people to associate with as friends, they fall far short of the real community that God has in mind for us. How do we move from these “pseudo-communities” to real community? In the book of Acts, Luke described the “true community” of the first century church.…

While communities based around politics, sports, BBQ and regional accents may help us find people to associate with as friends, they fall far short of the real community that God has in mind for us. How do we move from these “pseudo-communities” to real community? In the book of Acts, Luke described the “true community” of the first century church.…

Grandparenting and parenting are two different roles that require different approaches. It can be confusing because grandparents are still their grown children’s parents, but they are not their grandchildren’s parents. Moving from a direct role to a support role, from the decision maker to the influencer, from being in charge, to being an encourage…

Grandparenting and parenting are two different roles that require different approaches. It can be confusing because grandparents are still their grown children’s parents, but they are not their grandchildren’s parents. Moving from a direct role to a support role, from the decision maker to the influencer, from being in charge, to being an encourage…

Sometimes attempts at matchmaking makes singles uncomfortable. Our couples groups and family gatherings make them feel left out. Our questions that imply they are less than whole as a single, make them feel inadequate or like an odd man out. But the truth is there is nothing “odd” about being single. Elijah, John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus lived …

Sometimes attempts at matchmaking makes singles uncomfortable. Our couples groups and family gatherings make them feel left out. Our questions that imply they are less than whole as a single, make them feel inadequate or like an odd man out. But the truth is there is nothing “odd” about being single. Elijah, John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus lived …