Sermon By Pastor Corky Calhoun

Unashamed: Finding Courage
Last Sunday we set our vision for 2019 as a year of being dedicated to living Unashamed. Unashamed of Jesus, Unashamed of our faith, and Unashamed of sharing him with others. I think in order for us to live a spiritual life that is not ashamed of Jesus, it will require great courage. This seems odd in a country where being a follower of Jesus will not generally cost you your life or have you jailed. Sadly, in American Christianity we are super image conscious and want to be seen going with the flow. The problem with this is that from its inception Christianity was counter-cultural, it was intended to go against the flow. The big problem in the American church as I see it is that there are people who claim the name but can't commit to being fully in the game. The truth is none of us will ever be courageous if our convictions are based on people's perception of us instead of playing to an audience of one. I don't meet anyone who couldn't use a little more courage, so join us Sunday as we encourage one another in becoming Unashamed!

Sermon by Pastor Corky Calhoun
For the last 14 years we have chosen a word or phrase to guide us collectively as one body throughout the year. Last year our word was "Prayer" and we established the historic sanctuary as a house of prayer and will carry this weekly community discipline forward in the coming year. Without fail this year's vision is a word that God has put on my heart and reinforced through times of prayer and fasting. The scriptures tell us "where there is no vision the people perish." A lack of vision leads to spiritual wandering and wandering leads to apathy. I feel like the last thing any of us need to be doing is retreating in our walk with God. I am super excited about this year's word for us. It will simultaneously define the relationship we have with Jesus, and measure our obedience to his commands and God's word. We also will be giving out a 2019 devotional guide to all who come Sunday to begin your year. We are especially excited about this year's devotional as it was written and published in house. So, join us Sunday as we begin 2019 by pouring a solid foundation for which we can stand tall for our faith in the coming year. Happy New Year Georgianna.

Sermon by Dr. David Campbell

Church, we live in a nation and a world that is parched. People just seem to be dried out from the heat of loneliness, financial woes, family strife, relational / family of origin tensions and an increasing number of people who struggle with addictions. Why is it that during the holidays those problems seem to be intensified?

For many of us the holidays are filled with joy and celebration but clearly this is not the case for everyone. There's probably no greater opportunity than this time of year to pour living water into people who are thirsty. Pastor Corky frequently speaks about "Living Water." The water he challenges us each week to pour into others.

Have you ever wondered what this living water is and where it comes from? Do you think that if we better understood where this water comes from we might become better at pouring it into others? What is the outcome of drinking this water?

No surprise, Jesus answers all these questions for us. It is my desire on this visit to pour living water into you! I want you to come for worship, take a deep breath, rest and bless me with the opportunity to pour God's word over you and into you. I want to give you an opportunity during this season of joy, peace, and hope to draw water from the Well of Salvation.

Pastor Corky is going to return in one week. He will waste no time setting your sights on 2019. He will challenge you to continue to pour living water into your family, your church, your community, and the places in the world where we serve. So it is my desire for you on this day to have you drink from the Well of Salvation but only as
preparation for pouring yourself into 2019.
Merry Christmas Georgianna and I look forward to praying a
blessed New Year overview in person.

Christmas Day sermon by Lay Leader Kelly Butz

Sermon by Youth Pastor Nathan Walter

During this time of year, we are supposed to reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it means to us. I know that gets lost most of the time in everything else that Christmas has come to mean, but even when we do reflect on this amazing gift, this new covenant with God, it is difficult to grasp what it meant at the time. When we sing songs like "O Holy Night" or "Silent Night" we tend to get an image of peace. Peace is often paired with quiet, and I think that we have come to believe that silence is synonymous with peace. But in Israel, there had been many quiet nights before the birth of Jesus that provided no peace. God had been silent for 400 years. No prophets to proclaim, no word from the Lord. And it is into this desperate silence that Jesus is born. This Sunday, we will look into why God was silent and what Jesus came to do about it.

Sermon by Community Care Pastor Janice Shepard

Over 2000 years ago, the Holy King of heaven stepped down from His throne and was born of a young virgin into a world of sin and darkness. And Isaiah's prophecy, centuries before, came to pass.
Spiritual darkness that covered the earth was rolled away: "The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."
And with the incarnation of Christ, God becomes known to man.
And we sing, "O Holy Night."
Yet our human comprehension of God's holiness is insufficient at best.
Throughout all of Scripture we hear God calling His people to holiness, yet today this great doctrine has all but evaporated from sight.
Join us Sunday as we contemplate our Holy God and our
call to be holy, as He is holy.

Sermon by Elder Tony Smith
I once had a pastor friend that said: "If the enemy is unable to get to you through traditional means, he will make you busy." No other time do we see this more than the weeks leading up to Christmas. With Christmas parties, shopping, traveling and cooking... It's easy to lose sight of the foundational truths of Christmas. That Jesus Christ came into this world to set the captives free and that one day He'll come again. How free do you feel this Christmas? Are you ready for Him to come again? This Sunday, we'll be unpacking an untraditional passage for Advent. We'll be going through Daniel 5 - The Writing on the Wall. We'll be using this passage to challenge ourselves to draw in near to Him this Christmas. It's my prayer, that we don't miss the "writing on the wall." That we come to realize that Jesus is the only gift we need this Christmas. See you Sunday!

Sermon by Corky Calhoun
Maybe it's just me, but it seems the way that the church and
most Christians do Christmas makes a statement that the
way God did it must have been wrong. l like we rearrange the manger, we focus more on gift bearing wise men than humble shepherds. It feels like to me that American Christmas is just
manger manipulation. I worry sometimes that Jesus has become just another church prop at Christmas. The word Christmas (Christ-Mas) is Latin for "More Christ". Do our Christmas's have more Christ or is it more of some other "C" words, like consumerism, commercialism and chaos! In order for Christ to become more, certainly it means something has got to become less. This is the heart behind "Simple Christmas" a way of celebrating Jesus that cuts through all the clutter and keeps Jesus in the center of it all. I have said for years the only benefit of Advent is that it would force us to pre-decide the kind of Christmas we desire. Join us this Sunday as we begin our season of preparation for God's grand celebration!

Sermon by Nathan Walter Youth Pastor

Throughout the Bible, there are many stories of God's grand designs and the people who played a part in them. Abraham was given the task to move from where he was comfortable to a land that God had prepared for him. It may have seemed like a huge assignment at the time, but God would do infinitely more with it than Abraham could have imagined. Like Abraham, God has called us each by name into His great plan for not only our lives, but the entire human race. Where are we on that journey? Have we followed Jesus all the way or have we stopped along the path? This week, we will study Abraham's journey to Canaan and look at the promises that God made not only to Abraham but to each one of us.

Sermon by Lay Leader Kelly Butz
Intimacy. We have taken it upon ourselves as Americans to redefine intimacy and we have created it to be something that God never intended. So, how would you define intimacy? If you had a 3x5 note card and you could write down the definition, what would you write? Would it be influenced by Hollywood and how they have sexualized our culture? Would you define intimacy using feelings? Would you make it about proximity and how close or distant you are from someone? Would trust be a factor in whether or not you are intimate with someone? We would have lots of different answers that define one word that is very near and dear to God, our intimate relationship with Him! Just so you know, it is impossible to hide from God. We try, but He knows our thoughts and our words before they are even spoken. We are fully known by God! Often times we treat him as a stranger so that we can avoid being vulnerable before him. Prayer is the only way we can become intimate with God. Prayer is the one way we can build a trusted relationship with Him. It is all about surrendering ourselves and bending our knee in prayer. So come this Sunday and draw near to God. Surrender your hearts and step into true intimacy with the God of the universe. The one true God who created each one of us uniquely to have a deep and intimate relationship with Him. See you Sunday!