The gospel of John emphasizes the eternal origin of Jesus as well as the divine side of Jesus. Describing Him as Shepherd shows Him as gentle and very strong with the ability to care for a lamb or defend the flock from attacks. John recognized Jesus not only as a man and teacher, but also…
Jesus had begun his ministry and went about preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. People followed him and wanted him to stay in their village. He reminded his disciples that he was sent to them to reach as many people as possible and to heal and cast out demons. He was sent to…
Rev. Gary Kennedy shares a story from the book of Acts about Cornelius who was described by many as a good man. He prayed, he gave gifts to the poor. He was visited by an angel and told to call for Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, to come give him a message…
The worship service opened with a a procession of wise men bringing gifts for the baby. Rev. Gary Kennedy asked, “What gift do YOU bring to Jesus?” The wise men (Magi) had followed a star that moved across the sky to lead them to the King of the Jews. They probably thought they were heading…
Instead of selecting a few verses as a focus, Rev. Lois Hedden has shared an entire passage of scripture in Luke 2:22-40. Simeon had been waiting a very long time for the Messiah. He had been promised he would not die before seeing the Messiah. Simeon recognized Jesus as the Messiah when Mary and Joseph…
The Kennedy family invited us into worship with the lighting of all the candles in the Advent wreath. We were reminded the first candle represents Waiting on the Lord with faithful endurance. The second candle reminded us to Watch for God’s presence in hopeful expectation. The third candle reminded us tp Prepare for the Lord’s…
Mark shares in his gospel the words of Isaiah encouraging preparation for the coming of the Lord. “‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” We often look around and see the…
Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. We watch and wonder what is next in a time of change in our society. We watch with open eyes for what God has in store for us in the days ahead. There have been multiple ebbs and flows in the celebration of Christmas including a time…