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  • Hope is Here

Before the first Christmas, many were looking with hope for the coming of the Messiah. Today, that Hope is here! We don’t have to wait for it any longer because it was realized in the birth of Jesus - the Hope of the world! Join us this Christmas season as we discover how we can experience a hope that touches our everyday lives. Hope really is Here!

Messages

  • Hope is Here - Part 1: Hope for the Neighborhood

    Christmas is a time of anticipation. Children anticipate that toy they have longed for. We anticipate a specific gift, sometimes just hoping it’s money and not a sweater. Then there are many of us who anticipate special moments around the table with family and friends. Anticipation is a part of what makes Christmas wonderful. The older word Advent focuses our anticipation on what Christmas originally was all about. Advent means “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the coming of the Messiah.” That was the hope many were looking for before that first Christmas. Today, that hope is here and we can actually experience it. We don’t have to wait for it! Join us this Christmas season as we discover how we don’t have to wait for hope any longer, we can have a hope that touches our everyday life. Hope really is Here! We can live in that hope because it is here!


  • Hope is Here - Part 2: Hope for the Discouraged

    Hope really is here in the person of Jesus! We don’t have to wait for it!  But (you knew there was one) often when the expression of hope (Jesus) is not what we expected, after time we are left discouraged, heartbroken, and yes, even skeptical. This is the place we find Elizabeth (Jesus' mother Mary's cousin) and Zechariah as they process their lives with a delayed realization of hope. Luke described the couple this way:

    Zechariah and Elizabeth were both good people who pleased God. They did everything the Lord commanded, always following his instructions completely. Luke 1:6 ERV

    At first glance it doesn't add up that "good people who pleased God" waited almost a lifetime for a response from God. God is quiet, yet Elizabeth and Zechariah don't quit on Him. It is remarkable that God's lack of a response doesn't seem to affect their response to Him.

    Join us as we unpack how we can experience a Hope that is Here that touches our everyday life, even when being discouraged could become the flavor of our life.


  • Hope is Here - Part 3: Hope for the Fearful

    Hope is Here in the person of Jesus! Does the reality of that statement create an awe that takes your breath away? For many of us, the unconvinced or the convinced, not much creates a state of awe in us.  

    Actually, we live in a culture that has basically stripped all of our awe away. The awful gets our attention, but not the awesome. Just think of the news that has caught or even captivated your attention. Solomon wrote:

    The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Yahweh (one of the many Hebrew words for God). To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding. Proverbs 9:10 TPT

    Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a moment to decide whether the news of Gabriel was awful or awesome. She decided awesome and responded:

    “I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” And at this the angel left her. Luke 1:38 Phillips 

    What would it take for our awes to be more on the side of awesome rather than awful? We will try to unpack that idea in this message, as we learn what it means to live out of the reality that Hope Is Here, especially for the fearful!


  • Hope is Here - Part 4: Hope for the Forgotten

    Join us on Christmas Eve for part four of our series, Hope for the Forgotten.


  • Hope is Here - Part 5: Hope for the Troubled

    Join us as we wrap up our Christmas series with part 5: Hope for the Troubled.