Posts

I Didn’t Expect that Response

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Christmas isn’t over. Christmas is actually a church season, not just a single day. This Sunday we read from John 1:10-14 about how we too often respond negatively to God’s light in the world. As the Christmas season nears an end, let us choose to cultivate a habit of saying yes to God’s surprising work in our life.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, January 3, 2021.

Want to listen to the sermon on the go? Our sermons are available on your favorite podcasting app. Listen to this sermon from our audio podcast page.

I Didn’t Expect Him to be Faithful

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When things are difficult, there is a temptation to abandon ship. In a year of isolation, we look to Christmas for the reminder of God’s presence in our midst. Even more, God calls on us to be faithful to God and to each other, companions on our shared spiritual journey. This week, we learn from the Gospel of Matthew about faithfulness as we read about how Joseph chose to remain faithful in the face of unexpected news.

This is our fourth week in our series, An Unexpected Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 20, 2020.

Want to listen to the sermon on the go? Our sermons are available on your favorite podcasting app. Listen to this sermon from our audio podcast page.

I Didn’t Expect to Sing that Song

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We too often read the Bible in a monotone manner, missing the dynamics of the story. We miss the painful low moments of grief. We miss the jubilant shouts of praise. This week, we are learning from the poetic and musical responses to the original Christmas story. People respond differently to Christmas, both in the past and today. What is it to embrace the unexpected movement of God with language that elevates into music?

This is our third week in our series, An Unexpected Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 13, 2020.

Want to listen to the sermon on the go? Our sermons are available on your favorite podcasting app. Listen to this sermon from our audio podcast page.

I Didn’t Expect to Celebrate My Family Secrets

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In Matthew’s first chapter of the gospel, he shares the family story of Jesus. It’s a long family story with highs and lows. While we often want to hide our family secrets, Matthew unveils them before we even meet Jesus. Join us for our second week of our series, An Unexpected Christmas!

Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

Want to listen to the sermon on the go? Our sermons are available on your favorite podcasting app. Listen to this sermon from our audio podcast page.

I Didn’t Expect That Prayer Answered

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In Advent, we anticipate light emerging in the darkness. We admit that there are prayers that we don’t trust will ever become realized. Reading from Luke 1:5-20, we are invited to encounter unexpected answered prayers. Join us for the first week of our sermon series, An Unexpected Christmas.

Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin.

Want to listen to the sermon on the go? Our sermons are available on your favorite podcasting app. Listen to this sermon from our audio podcast page.

Events

Christmas Eve Service

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We invite you to celebrate Christmas with us from the comfort of your home. Our Christmas Eve service will be pre-recorded for the safety of our community and to enable some special opportunities.

On Christmas Eve, join us online at 6pm for our Christmas Eve service filled with singing, scripture, and reflection. We have some special musical moments planned for our Christmas Eve service that we’re especially excited for. You’ll want to join us on time for Christmas Eve as some of our special surprises will be scattered throughout the service.

Visit our worship online page on Christmas Eve for updated links to the service on Facebook and YouTube.

For those who don’t have internet service, please reach out to the church office to receive a DVD of both services in advance so that you can worship with us at the same time as though worshiping online.