Author: carlock

This Sunday we continue our 7 Deadly Sins series with the sin of pride. We will look at the story of Belshazzar, the king of Babylon who saw the writing on the wall and suffered the effects of pride. Pride is often considered the most dangerous of the 7 deadly sins because it can be the sin from which all others arise. And we will see the problem with pride is more than just an inflated ego. Pride is so dangerous because we fail to recognize the degree to which God has given us the things we have. I hope you will join us for Palm Sunday. And for those who like to plan ahead, our worship songs will be “There is None Like You” and “Draw Me Close.”

This Sunday in our Seven Deadly Sins series we will examine the sin of greed.  We typically think of greed as an all-consuming desire for wealth.  But greed has more lasting effects than our desire for more.  Greed is a deadly sin because of its effects on our ability to trust God.  Greed suggests that we can keep ourselves safe from any trouble that may come, and we come to trust in our own power.  Join us this Sunday as we examine Jesus’ teaching on greed and learn how to overcome the anxiety that underlies this deadly sin.  Our worship songs will be “Better is One Day” and “There Is a Redeemer.”

As we continue our series “The Seven Deadly Sins,” this Sunday we will be looking at the sin of sloth.  Although we don’t often use the word, sloth refers to tendency to fail to take action, our willingness to stay where we are rather than do the work to move forward.  We will examine two parables of Jesus which address the sin of sloth and its effects on our spiritual lives, effects which significantly inhibit our ability to love God and love our neighbor.  Our worship songs this week are “Come, Now Is the Time to Worship” and “Above All.”  I hope you will join us.

We continue our Lenten series, “The Seven Deadly Sins,” this Sunday with the sin of envy.  It is easy to think of envy as just a desire for what someone else has.  But envy has much deeper effects.  When we envy another, it affects our ability to have a relationship with them, to care about them.  But envy does not just affect our ability to love others, it affects our ability to love ourselves and to appreciate the love of God.  Join us this Sunday as we examine the sin of envy as it impacted the life of Saul and explore how to find true satisfaction in God’s love for us.  For those of you who like to look at our worship songs in advance, we will be singing “Draw Me Close” and “There is None Like You.”

This Sunday we continue our Lenten sermon series, “The Seven Deadly Sins.” This week we will examine the sin of lust. We typically think of lust in terms of a desire for someone else, a desire which causes us to forget about the repercussions of our actions and fill our desires. And lust can mean exactly that. But lust represents a deeper problem within ourselves than just an all-consuming desire for another person. It relates to our desire to escape our current situation if only for a moment often without considering the consequences. We will examine lust in the context of the story of Samson, a man for whom lust had disastrous consequences. For those who would like to familiarize themselves with the songs we will be singing on Sunday, they will be “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and “Lord, Be Glorified.” I hope to see you at 10:00 on Sunday for our worship service and at 9:00 for our social hour.

This Sunday we begin our Lenten series, “The Seven Deadly Sins,” with the sin of gluttony. When we hear the world gluttony, we typically think of overeating. But we can be gluttons for much more than food. And in our gluttony, we place our trust in what gives us immediate satisfaction rather than in God’s goodness and sufficiency. I hope you will join us Sunday for our worship service at 10 as we explore the sin of gluttony in a broader sense. And don’t forget about our Ash Wednesday service from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Wednesday. You are welcome to come any time during these two hours as we begin our Lenten journey together.

Lent begins on Valentine’s Day this year. Lent is the forty day period prior to Easter in which we are reminded of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness after his baptism as he prepared for ministry. In preparation for Lent, this Sunday we will examine the “wilderness experiences” found in the Bible. And we will consider how our own wilderness experiences can be opportunities to be drawn closer to God. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our Ash Wednesday service on February 14 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. or from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. These will be self-guided services in which you may come any time during these one hour periods and progress through stations which will prepare you for our Lenten journey together. I look forward to a very meaningful 40 days as we prepare for Easter together.

This Sunday we conclude our “Unexpected Heroes” series with the story of Gideon.  Gideon was called to action by God at a time when the people of Israel were being oppressed.  And while Gideon ultimately followed God’s leading, he felt a lot of fear and trepidation along the way.  Fear is often a big reason why today we still fail to follow God’s leading in our lives.  Join us this Sunday we learn from Gideon how to overcome that fear through God’s provision.

We have just two weeks left in our “Unexpected Heroes” sermon series.  This Sunday, we will take a look at the life of Esther.  In the short book of the Bible written of her life, Esther moves from being an orphan to a queen in the Persian empire.  Besides telling the dramatic story of how Esther saved her people from destruction, there is another unique aspect about the book of Esther which tells us much about how God acts in our lives.  I hope you will join us this Sunday for our social hour at 9:00 and our worship service at 10:00.

We continue our series “Unlikely Heroes” this Sunday with the story of David.  David became king of Israel despite humble beginnings.  A central trait of David was his passion, which manifested itself in both positive and negative ways.  While described as a man after God’s heart, he was also a man who made significant mistakes.  Join us this Sunday as we consider how to channel our passion for God.  We will also be blessed with special music by Katelynn Clement.  We hope to see you for our social hour at 9:00 and our worship service at 10:00.