Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  In the World You WILL Have Tribulation! Mark 13:1-13 Introduction :   After our 4-week advent series, and now on the brink of starting a new year, I think it fits to return to our series in Mark, specifically chapter 13, where Jesus alludes to His second coming, and to the tribulation that we will experience in the world. Earlier in this Gospel, Jesus had told his hearers to count the cost of following Him (8:31-35). There was no cover up, no hiding of the hardship that would come with discipleship. He said “ If anyone would be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me .” Here, in the Olivet discourse, He once again warns His disciples that perilous times were coming, that in the world they would have tribulation ( cf. Jn 16:33).   The New Testament tells us that things will become difficult in the “last days.” In the last letter that the Apostle Paul wrote, he said in 2 Timothy 3:2-5, But understand this, that in the last days there will come times

 [This week, the fouth Sunday of Advent, we will have an abbreviated message celebrating the love of God revealed in the incarnation, SN]. Christmas: The Love of God Incarnate! I John 4:9-11 Introduction:  This month we’ve taken a look at Christmas from the perspective of the themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and now this week we’ll consider, “The Love of God… Incarnate!” “ I love Christmas,” many will say, “especially when the boss gives a nice bonus... Oh, and the parties and presents are nice too !” That is not what we have in mind as we celebrate Advent. Love for our families is certainly something we should cherish, but even that is not the most fundamental connection between love and Christmas. It is not even primarily about our love for God, but rather God’s revelation of His love for us in sending his Son for us.  The song says, “Love was when, God became a man.” Many Scriptures point to “The Advent of Love.” Matthew and Luke give us the most detail about the circumstances

  JOY to the World! Luke 2:8-12 Introduction: As I was growing up, we had a lot of different kinds of Christmas trees over the years. Some were quite memorable. For a couple of years it was aluminum, with a little color-wheel that turned changing the colors of the tree. We thought that was the greatest thing we had ever seen. Somewhere along the way my parents decided maybe the tree should be made of wood. Buying one was out of the question. Why would you? We lived in the country and could go out in the woods and find one. I remember cutting down a tree and bringing it home. At one point we had an entrance room in our house with a sixteen-foot-high ceiling. For several of those years we had trees that used most of that, 12-15 feet tall! Decorating those was fun. We had a staircase that went up to a second story balcony. My brothers and I would hang off of railing like a bunch of monkeys trying to hang lights and ornaments and tinsel (of course!).          Those memories mean some

  Christmas Brought Hope – Christmas Brings Hope! I Corinthians 5:7b; Luke 2:8-11 Introduction : Advent is a time of looking back at hope fulfilled, Waiting, hoping, watching… For four-hundred years the people clung to the words of the prophets, promising that God would send a Rescuer, a Deliverer, a Savior. Then, in the events that led to the birth of Jesus, the silence was broken and hope was realized. Christmas brought Hope !   The Word was made flesh ! It also brings hope, stirring in us the blessed hope of His return . A familiar scene in the Christmas story is the announce-ment to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke. We read the story in Luke 2:8-11… 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.   9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.   10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great j