At Christmas, we usually focus on the story of Mary’s miraculous baby. But there is another miraculous birth story as well – that of Mary’s elderly relative Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. Pastor Ryan talks about how the two of them came together for mutual support in this tumultuous time.
Once Jesus was born and the good news was announced, life went back to normal. People had to wait 30 more years to find out what Jesus’ birth meant. Before that, people had waited hundreds of years for him to come. Now, we have waited almost 2000 years for Jesus to come again, and we are still waiting. What is all that waiting for?
Advent is a season of waiting for Jesus to come. Not to come as a baby, because He already did that. We are reminded to wait and be ready for when He comes again.
Here is the video David made to illustrate the concept of biblical justice.
“God’s Justice” NIV Bible that David refers to in his sermon.
The closing congregational prayer, written by Pastor Rene Padilla:
Our compassionate Father, we thank you for the indescribable gift you have given us through your Son, Jesus Christ, through whom, by his undeserved love, you have given us all things. Fill us with your love and deliver us from the materialism that surrounds us in the money-dominated consumer society in which we live. Make us faithful stewards of your creation and empower us to receive material possessions as gifts of your undeserved love, gifts not to be accumulated for our own benefit, but to be shared with others specially with the excluded ones. Give us a true hunger and thirst for justice. Now, guide our eyes to see the plight of those who suffer basic human needs by the power of your Spirit, and allow us to bear witness to the new creation you have begun through Jesus Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
Jesus identifies himself with the poor in the scripture reading from Matthew below. Guest preacher Murray Hack explores why he does this, why we should minister to the poor around us, and what doing so can teach us about the greatness of our salvation.
“Ministry to the Poor and the Connection to Global Missions” by Pastor Murray Hack
It’s a crushing, despairing feeling to know we have done something to hurt another person. And so freeing to know that God forgives us. But we also really want to know that the person we hurt has forgiven us. Similarly, if someone has hurt us, they need to know our forgiveness. Giving that forgiveness is part of our honest worship of God.
“The Freedom of Forgiveness” by Pastor Ryan Emmons
What gets in the way of us feeling satisfied with our lives? What does Proverbs have to say about how to live a satisfied life, and how can we get there?
Proverbs 27:17 talks about friends sharpening each other the way an iron sword can be used to sharpen another iron sword. Pastor Ryan breaks down what this means and he we can be a “sharpening” friend to others.
Argyle Road Baptist Church 