For this sermon, I brought my daughter Hope, who is only 2 months old, to the pulpit. I had asked her if she wanted to help Daddy with his sermon, and she gave me a big smile. (Of course, if you ask Hope anything at the right time of day, she gives a big smile).
The point was to illustrate visually the wonder I feel at Christmastime when I look at my baby girl and I think how God the Son humbled himself to become not only a man, but to be born as a baby, tiny, fragile, and completely dependent.
But the glory of God is revealed in the humility of the Son to become human for our sake. May God bless you as you listen.
Download this episode (right click and save)
First Baptist Church is a loving community of believers in Jesus Christ. Our history goes back for about a century of serving Jesus in our community. We have exciting ministries for people of all ages, including youth and children. You can keep up with us here for sermons, podcasts, blogs, and events.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Light Into Darkness
This is the new sermon upload for last Sunday.**
One of the enduring images of Christmas is the star, shining in the dark night--it is a symbol of hope. We all enjoy, when we put the last touches on our Christmas tree, to shut off the lights in the room and admire the glow of the lights on the tree. We wait until dark to turn on the Christmas lights adorning our house. Why? Because we neeed the darkness to appreciate the light.
The Christmas gifts we appreciate most are the gifts we are desperate to receive--especially when those gifts exceed expectations. So for us to gain a true appreciation this Christmas of the gift of Jesus (the "light"), we must first come to grips with the darkness of the world into which Jesus was born.
**We had a couple of sound issues with this recording. First of all, due to my own silly error, the first part of the sermon was not recorded (missing maybe 2 minutes). Second, there was some volume issues that I had to do some editing to resolve, so the background noise is worse at times.
Download this episode (right click and save)
One of the enduring images of Christmas is the star, shining in the dark night--it is a symbol of hope. We all enjoy, when we put the last touches on our Christmas tree, to shut off the lights in the room and admire the glow of the lights on the tree. We wait until dark to turn on the Christmas lights adorning our house. Why? Because we neeed the darkness to appreciate the light.
The Christmas gifts we appreciate most are the gifts we are desperate to receive--especially when those gifts exceed expectations. So for us to gain a true appreciation this Christmas of the gift of Jesus (the "light"), we must first come to grips with the darkness of the world into which Jesus was born.
**We had a couple of sound issues with this recording. First of all, due to my own silly error, the first part of the sermon was not recorded (missing maybe 2 minutes). Second, there was some volume issues that I had to do some editing to resolve, so the background noise is worse at times.
Download this episode (right click and save)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Join us Christmas Eve (Friday, December 24th) at 5:30 p.m. for a candlelight service. The service will be about a half hour long, with traditional carols and readings to focus our minds on the miraculuous coming of Jesus Christ. Everyone from the community is welcome.
This is a great opportunity to bring out-of-town relatives or to invite your neighbors!
He Was In the Beginning
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:1-4
Jesus revealed to the world that his story did not begin with his birth. It began in eternity past, as the eternal Son of God. Man did not know God as the Trinity until Jesus revealed his identity as God's Son. This truth revealed important aspects of the nature of God and the work of Christ.
This is the sermon from Sunday morning, December 12th.
Download this episode (right click and save)This is the sermon from Sunday morning, December 12th.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Jesus and Paul
Christians talk themselves into a lot of corners. I think when you stare at the Bible and study it and begin asking questions you've never asked before, it is, more often than not, a very good thing. That is exactly what each of us should be doing.
A problem, though, arises when you come to a certain conclusion that creates difficulty and then stick with that conclusion, assuming the difficulty is in the Scripture and not your understanding. This article I read today was a great example.
A problem, though, arises when you come to a certain conclusion that creates difficulty and then stick with that conclusion, assuming the difficulty is in the Scripture and not your understanding. This article I read today was a great example.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
A Personal Question
This is the first in a series of messages on Jesus that will last 20+ weeks. This message focuses on the question we will be considering for the next few months: "What about you? Who do you say that Jesus is?" We begin the process of answering that question by examining who he is not...
Download this episode (right click and save)
Download this episode (right click and save)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Happy St. Nicholas Day!
December 6th is St. Nicholas Day. The tradition of Santa Claus began with the practice of giving gifts in St. Nicholas's honor on the eve of his feast day (the night of Dec. 5th). There were many different forms of traditions and legends associated with St. Nicholas that led to his morph into the American Santa Claus.
It is interesting to look at the history of St. Nicholas as this Christmas season begins, because the journey of his persona and memory from the historical Nicholas to Jolly Ol' St. Nick to Santa Claus mirrors the changing face of Christmas itself. St. Nicholas was focused on the poor, while "Santa Claus" most benefits the rich. St. Nicholas was a staunch defender of the deity of Jesus Christ and went to prison under Roman persecution and faced down strong pressure from a group of heretics led by Arius once Christianity was legal in the Empire--we congratulate ourselves for answering someone saying "Happy Holidays" with "Merry Christmas."
The Real Saint Nicholas (a historian's account from Christianity Today)
St. Nicholas Center (lots of great stories and resources--many for children)
Families often wonder what to do with "Santa Claus" once the children are old enough to stop believing. It may be worthwhile to take a look at the real "St. Nick" and teach about both his generous spirit and his unwavering commitment to Jesus.
It is interesting to look at the history of St. Nicholas as this Christmas season begins, because the journey of his persona and memory from the historical Nicholas to Jolly Ol' St. Nick to Santa Claus mirrors the changing face of Christmas itself. St. Nicholas was focused on the poor, while "Santa Claus" most benefits the rich. St. Nicholas was a staunch defender of the deity of Jesus Christ and went to prison under Roman persecution and faced down strong pressure from a group of heretics led by Arius once Christianity was legal in the Empire--we congratulate ourselves for answering someone saying "Happy Holidays" with "Merry Christmas."
The Real Saint Nicholas (a historian's account from Christianity Today)
St. Nicholas Center (lots of great stories and resources--many for children)
Families often wonder what to do with "Santa Claus" once the children are old enough to stop believing. It may be worthwhile to take a look at the real "St. Nick" and teach about both his generous spirit and his unwavering commitment to Jesus.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Christmas "Open House" with the Pastor - Sat., Dec. 11th
Please join Liz and Stephen (and Joseph and Hope) at their home on Saturday, December 11 for hot chocolate, goodies, and a time of getting to know one another better.
The "open house" will be at the parsonage (132 South 5th); we will be expecting you any time between 1 and 7 p.m. It is a come-and-go thing, as is convenient to you.
You will be our guests... please don't bring anything but yourselves!
The "open house" will be at the parsonage (132 South 5th); we will be expecting you any time between 1 and 7 p.m. It is a come-and-go thing, as is convenient to you.
You will be our guests... please don't bring anything but yourselves!
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