Mendham Hills

Are You Haunted By What is to Come? Well, it's the final Sunday before Christmas Eve and as we all begin to look forward to that most special of nights, it is also time to turn our attention to the fourth ghost of Christmas - The Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. Scrooge asks that ghost a particularly poignant question: "Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they the shadows of things that may be, only? Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, can the ends change?" And there you have it - the reason for Christmas, the point of the incarnation! All men are on a certain course. Our lives have a trajectory - can it be changed? Christmas reminds us that the answer is still YES!

The message of Christmas, embodied in the helpless Christ child born in a manger, was subversive and unnerving to the powers of the day. So much so that King Herod, fearing for his own kingdom, considered infanticide a right response. Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, retells the same subversive message - Christmas still has the power to upend the kingdoms of man. This Sunday, we look at our present, this Christmas, and we ask the question, "Has anything really changed?" Jesus is still threatening kingdoms two thousand years later - sometimes even our own. Opening our eyes to the Ghost of Christmas Present, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Ebeneezer wasn't always a scrooge. Sure, that was his last name, but it wasn't always his personality. He wasn't born greedy, selfish, and miserable. Yet, the circumstances he was born into and the choices he made in is life, the ghosts of his past, haunted him. The truth is that all of us have this in common with Scrooge; we all wrestle with the ghosts of our past. Regrets - we've all had a few, none of which we want to mention. The story of Christmas is not only about the birth of the One who would change our future, it is the truth of the One who can heal our past. Regrets turned to Redemption - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Jacob Marley had it all: wealth, fame, renown, and respect. All the things that make for a life well-lived, and then he died. He was gone and so was everything he had lived for. As we kick off our new Christmas series, "The Four Ghosts of Christmas," based on Charles Dickens' famous "A Christmas Carol," we look at business warnings from Marley's ghost. He told Scrooge, "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business." This Christmas, the question is, what's yours?

This Sunday, we finish up our "The Reason for God" series with maybe the most difficult question of all: "How could a loving God send people to an eternal Hell?" Even within Christian circles, this topic has been much debated over the last few years. If this is a tough question for those of us who are committed to Jesus, imagine how hard it is for folks outside of the church to fathom. Yet, the question is important, and even more so is getting the answer right. So this week, we take a look at the question, the answer, and what it means for us as a church.

Ready for the next tough question about Christianity? "What gives you the right to tell me how to live my life?" It's a great question. After all, shouldn't each of us get to decide for ourselves how to live, and what is right and wrong? You have heard it said, "Just because it is right for you, doesn't mean it is right for me." In a culture founded on individual freedoms, how can Christianity and all of its rules make any sense? This Sunday, a new understanding of the basics as we try to comprehend - "What's with all the rules, anyway?"

As we kick-off a new church year at Mendham Hills, we will study Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. This brand new study together is called "Thrive" - you were not meant to merely exist, you were meant to Thrive!

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" -Epicrus Have you ever struggled with this question? Why does an all-powerful, good God allow evil, pain, and suffering to exist? You're not the only one. Join us this week as we continue our series, The Reason for God.

We've almost all done it. At some time or another, we've all sat down and put together a resume'. You know the drill…highlight your successes, accentuate your strengths, and disguise your weaknesses. In the corporate world of our day, much of our lives are given over to building up our resumes. Yet, the Scriptures seem to indicate that it is just this kind of resume building that leads us away from lives of meaning and passion, and into false confidences and fear. To THRIVE in a world gone mad, one needs to be building the right resume. Come find out what your should look like this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Perhaps nothing keeps us from living the kind of abundant life Jesus desires for us more than fear. Anxiety and worry are like cancers to our soul, they literally paralyze us and often lead us down very wrong paths. Jesus was aware of this - that is why the one statement He made more than any other was "do not be afraid". So how about you, what are you afraid of and just importantly what is it holding you back from? This week in our series Thrive together we look at how to overcome one of our greatest adversaries and live a life without fear.

In week 3 of our series, THRIVE, we continue to reflect on how to find joy in a world gone mad. Our country is founded on three principles: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We often hear parents say, "I just want him/her to be happy." Yet, happiness always seems to elude us. Every time we get what we think will bring us happiness, somehow it always escapes us. What if the pursuit of happiness is really the problem after all? What if there was something more meaningful than happiness, and in its pursuit, you actually wound up with joy? This Sunday, the beauty of a life poured out - a meaningful life!

Does your experience in following Jesus not match up with what you felt like was promised and preached? The church over the last years has turned the promises of the Bible into something akin to a Christmas wish list. What happens when your experiences don't seem to match the promises? Sure, you were probably told you would share in the victory of Jesus in this life, but did anyone bring up sharing in his pain? The Bible not only talks about suffering; the truth is, it promises suffering. Have you felt it? This Sunday, in Week 2 of our "Thrive" series, we look at thriving through suffering.

As we kick-off a new church year at Mendham Hills, we will study Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. This brand new study together is called "Thrive" - you were not meant to merely exist, you were meant to Thrive!

Have you ever noticed how skeptical and suspicious people are? Can you blame them? It seems like every day there is a new scandal about a politician's abuse of power, an actor hiding a secret life, or someone in authority breaking a promise. It's hard to have faith and trust someone who is consistently untrustworthy. But does that same cynical attitude ever affect your faith? This week, we look at the "One" who is always faithful and who will take away our suspicions and skepticism and replace it with faith.

If you're not - if you struggle with the idea that goodness is the essence of His nature - you will also struggle with manifesting the spiritual fruit of "goodness". This Sunday, we'll explore what the Scripture teaches about goodness and why we get tripped up so often.

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." In a world and nation where people seem to be ever-increasingly consumed with themselves, is kindness and idea and characteristic of the past? This week, we continue our series, "Seeds of Change." Join us as we look at the little known (and hard to pronounce) Mephibosheth, and what the story of his life can teach us about the kindness of God.

"Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is 'timing.' It waits on the right time to act, for the right principles, and in the right way." -Fulton J. Sheen In a society that demands speed, we want everything fast, including justice. We want others to get what they deserve quickly, especially if we are the ones who have been wronged. Thankfully, God isn't like you and me. This week, we look at God's patience, long-suffering and long nose, as we continue our series, "Seeds of Change."

In John 14:27, Jesus tells us, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you." Anybody know where that gift is? When you read the headlines, it sure seems hard to find. But peace IS a fruit of the Spirit and millions of believers ARE finding this dynamic fruit of the Spirit is growing in their lives. Christ-followers are finding deep, life-changing peace even in the worst of times, the saddest of occasions, the most dangerous of places, and the most stressful of situations. So where can you find this fruit of the Spirit this summer? It's closer than you think.

This Fourth of July weekend, as we celebrate our freedom, here is a thought for you: "Everybody wants a revolution, but nobody is willing to die." In order for revolution to come, in order for there to be change on a grand scale, it usually requires the death of something else. This holiday weekend, as we seek change for ourselves and our lives and our destinies, what needs to die and what needs to be born? Did you know that one seed of change underpins an entire heart revolution? This Sunday we fire the first shot of our revolution!

This Sunday we launch our Summer series "Seeds of Change." With that in mind, it might be time for some pre-service self-examination. What is it that you would like to change? Which areas of your life need some growth or transformation? Maybe you have become cynical about your ability to change, or worse, given up hope. Tired of trying to be different and failing? This Sunday we kickoff our summer of change right in the middle of our changing sanctuary. Don't miss your summer take-home assignment, available this Sunday at MHCC!