Waynesburg Christian Church

Christmas Eve Service, Waynesburg Christian Church

How are you doing with joy these days? Joy is one of the themes of the first Advent of Christ. When Mary (pregnant with Jesus) comes to visit Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist) the Scriptures tell us that John “leaped with joy” in the womb of Elizabeth (Luke 1:44). The angel’s word to the shepherds was, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Christmas is a reason for joy – but joy isn’t just found in the warmth of family gatherings and joy isn’t just found in the gift that you have been hoping for - Christmas tells us that joy is found in a Person... He’s in the manger... He’s been promised... He’s Heaven come to Earth to be with us... in Him is fullness of joy! Your Christmas get together may not go perfectly... maybe you won’t receive that gift you’ve been hoping for... but rest assured, joy can be yours this Christmas!

Can you think of a time when someone did not keep a promise that they made to you? Can you think of a time when you didn’t keep a promise that you made? If you will reflect on these two questions, then it probably causes some emotions to rise up in you... This little thought exercise can point to the importance of promises, the importance of follow through, and the importance of faithfulness. Years ago, down the street from an overcrowded inn, a baby was born and placed in a manger – in that moment God was keeping His promise! In that moment God was showing that He is faithful! If you can pause long enough to gaze upon that moment – to take in that moment – then you may begin to understand that God has come and that He has come FOR YOU! This promise makes for a very, merry Christmas!

Matthew 2 reads like an action movie.  A group of Magi (they aren’t from around here) show up in Jerusalem to bring gifts and pay homage to the new king... Herod, the guy in charge at the time, doesn’t take kindly to this news.  Plots are hatched.  Herod gives orders to do the unthinkable.  The baby Jesus essentially has a price on His head.  An angel warns Joseph.  Jesus lives.  This is not a scene from a snow globe!  Matthew insists that we see in Jesus, even when things are darkest, the promises of God fulfilled.  In this world there is pain.  In this world there is trouble.  In Matthew 2 we see that Jesus, our Immanuel, really is God-with-us - entering a world of violence and injustice to give us hope! 

The word advent means – “coming.” So during the Christmas season – the season of Advent – it is appropriate to look back at first coming of Christ, and to look forward to His second coming. Though the word “advent” is mostly lost to more modern language, Advent is what our hearts really long for – what are hearts are really made for - for God to come... for God to show up. We long for God to show up in the hard things and joyous things, the planned for things and the unexpected things, the mundane things and the extraordinary things. Advent reminds us that deep under the surface and out of our sight, God is working – He always has been, and He always will be! God’s goodness and glory await His children, and one day He will come again!

Following Jesus comes with the promise of one day going to our true and perfect home – a place the Bible refers to as heaven. Along the road home there are many twists and turns and ups and downs. How do we continue to find hope on the way home? Join us today we conclude our sermon series, “A New You.”

Just as newborn children are welcomed into a family, individuals that come to Jesus are born again into a new family as well. And just as those newborns need a supportive and nourishing community to thrive, so do followers of Jesus! Peter uses a few word pictures to describe this new community and helps us see how we can live into it. Today we continue our sermon series, “A New You.” God is good!

The poet Muriel Rukeyser once said, “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” Stories are how we make sense of the world and our place in it. So, here’s the big question... Is there a story that is big enough to build your life on - a story that gives your life ultimate meaning and purpose?

“Our world has more and more information, but less and less wisdom. More data; less clarity. More stimulation; less synthesis. More distraction; less stillness. More pontificating; less pondering. More opinion; less research. More speaking; less listening. More to look at; less to see. More amusements; less joy. There is more, but we are less. And we all feel it.” - Brett McCracken, The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World In an era of unlimited access to information we need uncommon wisdom from the Lord.

When we encounter Jesus - when we respond to him in faith it is truly life-changing! But there is a big question that follows... It can take a few different forms: What’s next? Now what? In light of what Jesus has done, how now should I live my life? In our new sermon series, “New You” we will seek to answer these questions and reflect on the new hopes, new priorities, and new wisdom made available to us in Christ! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Imagine if you were to plant yourself in a busy market near the temple in Jerusalem during the times of the early church.... stop and think what it would be like to interview the citizens of Jerusalem and ask them, “Who do you think that people two thousand years from now will remember from your generation?” My guess is, many of those citizens of the Roman Empire would answer, “Caesar.” You may follow up with “But what about this group of people known as Christians. Don’t you think that anyone will remember them or their leaders?” The random citizen of Jerusalem at that time could probably never fathom that Christianity would outlast the Roman empire and that people would be naming their children, Peter and John and Mary and naming their pets Caesar... How did we get here?

The disciples were having an argument about status and who among them was the “greatest”... so they asked Jesus... “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” His answer probably took them by surprise... it may surprise you too.

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with sorrow over past mistakes? Are you ever troubled by dark memories and deep regret? Some find themselves tied to their past like a circus elephant attached to a stake – chained by its memory. How does the Lord speak to that?

Sometimes our lack of faith is really a lack of trust. The original lie spoken in the garden was in effect, “God is withholding good from you.” We are tempted to believe the same lie and take things into our own hands. Jesus has a word for us - a priority for us that would send us down a different path, and the ripple effects have the potential to change everything. How will we respond?

In churches all over the world on Sunday, people will be asked to consider the cross of Christ. The cross shows the extreme length to which God’s love has gone for us. Gazing at the foot of the cross we are asked to consider the power and possibilities within that love. This is a force that has changed the world and could still change the world if the followers of Jesus are ready to live into God’s love and live out God’s love.

Life is a journey... on the journey there will be many voices competing for your attention. On the journey there will be many different roads to take. How do you choose? “What matters most?” is a great clarifying question because it automatically silences many voices and negates many off-ramps. In our new sermon series, we will examine some places where Jesus defined priorities for those who would follow Him. As individuals and as a church we are in a new season of challenges and opportunities. Where do we go? Where do we focus our attention and efforts? Let’s focus on what Jesus said matters most and follow wherever that road takes us!

We all receive a legacy. We all leave a legacy. What are you going to do with what you have received? What are you going to leave?

When you marry someone, you are yoked to their well-being. When your spouse is good, then you are good. When they suffer, then you suffer too. There are many wonderful, beautiful days when the yoke is easy. There will also be some tough days when the yoke is hard. Marriage brings us face to face with our own weaknesses and our need for strength from beyond ourselves. Strength is available to us and our marriages in Jesus!