OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Light. It makes what is unseen clearly visible.  Light from the sun warms us.  It makes things things grow.  It even provides us with energy to power devices and homes.
 
No wonder Jesus used light to describe himself when he said, "I am the Light of the World." (John 8:12)  Jesus reveals to us what God is really like.  He makes it possible for us to see God as our Savior, and to know how true it is that our sins have been forgiven.  He enables us to see what is beyond the shadow of the grave for all who trust in him- eternal life in heaven.  He opens our eyes to see what life is all about, now that we trust in him:  That the pressure is off to find ultimate fulfillment in what this troubled world can give me, and fulfillment for my never-satisfied sinful heart in mere physical or material things; that having found the peace and hope and joy I seek in Jesus, I can find my fulfillment in serving others and him.  He warms us with the certainty of God's love, seen so clearly at the cross where he dies for our sins. It is Jesus that enables us to grow in faith.  It is Jesus who empowers us to live a life of true purpose and meaning as God's children.
 
In our church, we celebrate different seasons or times in the church year.  We just finished celebrating the Christmas season, which comforted us with the joyful knowledge that God kept his promise to send fallen mankind a Savior in Jesus Christ.  We are now in the Epiphany season.  This season comforts us with the message that Jesus is the Light we all need.  We no longer have to live in the dark, ignorant of important things like who God is or what he thinks of us or why we are here, or where we are going.  We no longer have to live out in the cold, unsure of God's love or salvation for us.  The warmth of God's love is shining on us in Jesus.  We no longer have to live lives where we shrivel like dying fruitless plants without nourishment. Strengthened by God's truth and love in Jesus, we can thrive and bear fruit in a life that is lived the way God intended we live it- for his glory.
 
So arise and shine. Your light has come!

 

                                                                                                           

JOIN US FOR WORSHIP:

Sunday: 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

TODAY'S GRACE MOMENT
1-26-12  
Heroes
Joseph is my hero. The Holy Spirit brought about a virgin pregnancy in his fiancée, but God allowed Joseph a miserable stretch of time in ignorance during which he must have assumed that his dear Mary had been unfaithful to him. How bitter it is for a man to think that another man's baby is growing within the woman he loves.
 
At just the right time, God sent an angel messenger to bring Joseph into the plan. Even though the details were unbelievable, Joseph believed. "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife" (Matthew 1:24).
 
I love this man. He stuck with Mary and endured the looks and comments of the Nazareth peanut gallery. He put his career on hold to take the family to Bethlehem for the Roman tax registration. When Herod's death threats made Bethlehem unsafe, he took the little family to Egypt to lie low until Herod's death. He cheerfully accepted his role as stepfather.
 
He himself, not Mary, was of the royal bloodline of the kings of Judah, and he gave to his stepson the right to be called the Son of David, the last and greatest King of the house of Judah.