This Week We hope you have had a blessed celebration of the birth of Jesus. May his coming fill your life with hope, peace, joy, and love. Thursday worship is suspended until January 9, but join us on Sunday morning at 8 or 10:30 to continue the celebration of our Savior’s birth and to prepare…

This Week Jesus’ family tree: Bathsheba The story of David and Bathsheba is probably one of the best-known stories of all time, but not because it’s such a good example for anyone to follow. Still, when you think of it, if God was going to take on a human body through a human mother, what…

This Week No such thing as chance One of the women in Jesus’ family tree is Ruth. Her life would seem to be a series of misfortunes and lucky breaks. But no way. The Lord God was at work through her, her mother-in-law, and her husband Boaz to accomplish his plan to send his Son…

This Week A biblical tale of espionage Drama. Political spies. Seamy and seedy locations. Life-threatening danger. Chase scenes. Does all that sound like a John le Carré or Ian Fleming novel? Nope. It’s all part of the story of one of five women Matthew names in the family tree of Jesus: Rahab. Gather with the saints…

This Week The genealogy of Jesus The Gospel of Matthew starts by tracing Jesus’ family tree back to Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. Today, most of these names mean little to us, but the last one is, as they say, the reason for the season and the reason for all the hope we…

This Week You need a friend when . . . Isn’t it amazing how a minor disagreement can grow into something bigger than you would have thought possible? And maybe even hurt more people than you would have thought possible? Maybe you’ve met someone who said about a friend or a spouse, “I don’t know…

This Week You need a friend when . . . “Why can’t we all just get along?” You’ve heard that or even said it. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could? Because of the world we live in and the condition of human nature, it won’t always happen. You will be attacked by sickness, Satan,…

This Week When you need a friend Public health journals are filled with studies demonstrating the importance of friendships for a person’s well-being. A recent survey (The American Perspectives Survey) finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal…

This Week Back to the Word again Our celebration of the Reformation this weekend is less about lauding Martin Luther and company and more about maintaining God’s Word as is. We thank God for preserving his message of free salvation by grace through faith. The “re-” in “reformation” tells us that we are doing something…

This Week What came out of the ark When circumstances force you to rearrange your budget, you still only have so many dollars. When you take a stand in hopes of some kind of a reset, you are still only one person. Ultimately, you don’t have much control, and you’re usually going to be working…