Why is it important that we know how to understand why we believe what we believe about the Bible? Many people already have a preconceived notion of who you are and what you believe based on negative personal experiences and previous interactions with other Christians. We have a label whether it’s true or not. Peter reminds us that it is important to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but to do this with gentleness and respect. Join us tonight as we continue our series on the Bible and take a closer look at the importance of how we understand it.

For many of us, there are times in our life when we find ourselves drawn to pick up the Bible, wondering if the living God can communicate with us through it. But then we hesitate to actually start reading it, and it sits on a shelf waiting for us. When we finally do start reading the Bible, we sometimes find ourselves thinking: It's beautiful, but it's also boring; It's simple, but also confusing; It's God-filled and yet so obviously human; It's life-changing, and frustrating. It's all of this at the same time! So, in this series, we're going to try to make it a little easier to read and experience the Bible's life-changing message!

As we celebrate the New Year we tend to look back to last year with thankfulness and look ahead to next year with hopefulness. We know a “New Year” will bring change - each year does! We don’t know what this year will bring, but we do know this: Our methods may change and evolve, but our mission remains the same. We are called to share the life-changing love of Christ with those who desperately need it. Our mission is to Love God, Love People, and Live Changed!

The Nativity story is filled with wonder and mystery, and that mystery is amplified by unexpected visitors bearing gifts! Who were these strange and wealthy foreigners? Tonight we will ponder how the Magi story can peak with power to us! How can the amazing journey they took impact our imaginations and enrich our faith?

We've all experienced seasons of silence. But when we share our experiences and observe the life of Jesus as a community, we come to see how the life-changing love of this baby, born in a manger, comes to shine a light on our world and in our hearts and shows us who God is!

In this week’s text, Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant! Joseph has a big decision to make. His family would have advised him to quietly divorce Mary, and according to the laws of the time that’s what he should have done. But God was at work in a different way. God showed Joseph what the future could be, and now Joseph would have to choose between what his community would want for him, and what God has called him to.

Even in the wilderness, there is peace, but we can’t always feel it. In the silent night seasons of life, we can find peace in knowing that Jesus came to be our rescue.

We long for joy every single day of the year. The kind of joy that still lingers when there's no light, when the gifts of the world have stopped, and the music just sounds like noise. God gave us an unexpected joy that fills empty spaces and is easy to find if we're willing to look.

Waiting can be one of the hardest things we experience. If we're honest, waiting for something of significance to happen can feel lonely. It hurts to wait for a response only to get silence in return. Zechariah and Elizabeth live through what can only be described as a truly silent night. Little did they know that their waiting and the fulfillment of God’s promises would show us God’s timing is worth waiting for, and that gives us hope.