Happy New Year! I pray that 2026 will be your best year yet! I give thanks to God for each of you and am excited to see how God will work in each of our lives in this new year.
This Sunday we will share in the Communion of our Lord. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are religious people and can easily drift into doing things in the Christian life as an empty religious activity in place of why we should be doing it. Communion is an ordinance that we participate in that can definitely become an empty religious practice if we lose sight of why we share in communion. This Sunday we will look at what are likely the oldest words of the New Testament, an oral tradition that is recorded in 1 Corintians 11, which preserves the practice of communion for the church from the very beginnings of the church. In this familiar passage we will see a stern warning from the Apostle Paul, followed by clear directives of why and how we should participate in communion.
Communion serves as a reset for us in the Christian journey. Join us for this first Sunday of 2026 to make a reset in our spiritual lives that will invite God to do something great in our lives this year.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day in whatever way you have celebrated the birth of our Savior. While Christmas is over with, on the Church Calendar, Epiphany is the conclusion to the season of Advent and Christmas with a reflection on the visit of the wisemen to the Holy Family. Epiphany is important because it recognizes that the Advent of Christ was for people of all races and cultures, not just for the people of Israel. Epiphany tells us that Christ came for us and is our savior. It’s appropriate that we celebrate Epiphany on the last Sunday of the year as it definitely points us to a new beginning in life because of Christ.
Epiphany should also be a reminder to us that Christ came for all people groups and cultures around the world. Throughout the history of the church, Christians, local churches and Christian denominations can begin to believe that the Advent of Jesus is best understood in their own culture and traditions. We tend to believe that other cultures only muddy the waters of why Jesus came and for those cultures to really get who Jesus is they should first become like us, adopting our culture and traditions. Epiphany demonstrates that is not the case. What that means for us as Christians, as local churches and as denominations, is that we will better understand the full implications of the Advent of Jesus when we see it in light of cultural diversity. I have found that every time I encounter Christianity in a new culture, I understand the Gospel in a fuller way. As you come to Church this Sunday will you pray, “God, please open my eyes to understanding the Advent of Christ as a Gift for all people groups and cultures.” I pray you will make a new beginning just like those first wisemen did in the birth narrative.

During the age of enlightenment, the common belief was that the world was becoming more peaceful and would continue to do so until humankind had reached a utopian kind of peace. They believed the world would gradually become more civil and that there would be no need for armies, that justice would be equal for all and no human need would be unmet. Then came the Bolshevik Revolution, followed by WWI, the Great Depression and then WWII. By the midpoint of the 20th Century very few people were holding on to the notion of worldwide peace. Today we live in a world with 2 major wars, mass migrations because of geo-political unrest, a renewed uneasiness about the future and a skewed justice for the most vulnerable in our world. Will there ever be Peace on Earth?

One of the main themes of Advent is the promise of peace – so why is there no peace on earth? That is a fair question. This Sunday we will see from Scripture how that promise of world peace will come to pass in the future. We will also see how that promise of eternal peace is one the individual can embrace personally that will give them peace in spite of the unpeaceful world we live in. And you guessed it – the Advent of Jesus is the key to the fulfilment of both kinds of peace. Join me this Sunday as we consider the Gift of Peace that comes with the Advent of Christ.

Quote from my message this Sunday – “If you want eternal Peace in your life, focus more on the next life not the next election.”

The joyous Christian – some people think that to be a joyous Christian you should have no problems. Do you remember the song “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King movie? Our oldest daughter Katie was about 8 years old when that movie came out so trust me – I remember that song very well. Some of the main lyrics define the phrase Hakuna Matata: “It means no worries, for the rest of your days . . . It’s our problem free philosophy.” It seems that some people adopt that same philosophy about the Advent of Jesus: that because Jesus came, I should have no more problems and therefore I have joy. But the point of Advent is that we can experience Joy no matter the circumstances.
The shepherds were the first people to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth. It was described to them as news of “Great Joy.” Shepherds were not typically joyful people in the ancient near east: they were isolated from others and because of their occupation didn’t get included in many social events. However, the shepherds were invited to share in the joy of Christ’s birth; and you are as well. Will you choose the gift of joy this Advent? Join me for the third Sunday of Advent –

I will only be preaching at BC this Sunday. Campus Church will be devoted to the Kids Christmas Program.

I know that Valentine’s Day is the annual holiday devoted to love, but have you ever noticed how much love is emphasized during the Christmas season? Love is definitely a word prominently displayed on Christmas decorations. It is one of our Advent Themes and it is the subject of countless Hallmark Christmas Movies. Not to take anything away from Valentine’s Day, but Christmas is the season of love – God’s love to us.
This Sunday we will look into the non-traditional Christmas passage of 1 John 4 where the doctrine of love is on full display. In our text we will clearly see the Advent of Jesus as an act of love from God to us. The interesting thing we will see in this passage is that the love we receive from God is designed to be shared through us to others. If we want to live with the assurance that we have received the love of God, we need to be willing to be a conduit of His love to others . . . in the same way God showed love to us. Join me this Sunday as we Share in the Gift of God’s Love.