WINTER 2025 - HAPPINESS IS

The Beatitudes

January 5 – March 4, 2025

January 5, 2025:  Flourishing Together:  Rooted in Christ

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

This text serves as the core passage for this year-long study of what it means to be Rooted in Christ. In this passage, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God. It is only through a dynamic relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit that we can attain the spiritual depth needed to flourish as Christians. The good news is that God has made it possible! We can engage with God in this personal relationship, and He will reveal the mystery of His wisdom to us!

Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

January 12, 2025:  Rev. Oza Jones, BGCT Director of Evangelism

Guest Preacher

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Psalm 1

January 19, 2025:  Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Psalm 68:3-6

Modern theologians often distinguish between happiness and joy. Joy is normally understood to be the abiding reality available to Christians regardless of circumstances. Happiness is often portrayed as more dependent on circumstances and refers to an emotional state. However, the textual evidence in the Scripture seems to indicate there is a great deal of overlap in how the writers of the Bible portray happiness and joy. In other words, these two English terms are viable translations of a number of both Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) words. They are in the same semantic domain and have some synonymous connections. I will introduce the concept of connecting these two terms in this sermon as I draw from a number of texts in both the Old and New Testaments.

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

Flourishing Together: Launch Weekend --- January 24-26, 2025

In October 2021, Baylor University and Harvard University announced the launching of the Global Flourishing Study. The research team is comprised of some 45 scholars/researchers who are guiding the longitudinal studies of over 200,000 people across 22 countries. This work is to take place initially over the next 5 years. It is the most comprehensive undertaking of its time in social science history.

Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion and the Human Flourishing Program of Harvard University have now joined with the Abundant Life Flourishing Program of Regent University to study and promote flourishing in the church in the 21st century.  This is a wonderfully new outgrowth of the Global Flourishing Study.

The work of this group will focus on three levels: Individual Christians, Congregations, and Communities Surrounding Congregations. They intend to research the factors that lead to the facilitation of flourishing Christians. Collectively, these Christians living in community with each other will result (or already has resulted) in flourishing congregations. Then, these flourishing congregations will have an impact on the surrounding, greater community and contribute to its overall flourishing.

On this pivotal weekend, we will begin a three-year journey as a church with a church-wide retreat. We will focus on the introduction of the concept of human flourishing to our congregation. We will provide an overview of the Six Domains currently being utilized by the Global Flourishing Study.

January 26, 2025:  Flourishing in Purity

Matthew 5:8

One of the Six Domains in the Global Flourishing Study is Happiness and Life Satisfaction. Sociologists have long identified the desire for happiness and life satisfaction as universal among human beings. We will continue our exploration we began last Sunday on the topic of happiness as we launch a study of the Beatitudes. We will begin with the fundamental declaration from Jesus – “Happy are the pure in heart!”

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Matthew 5:1-12

February 2, 2025:  Flourishing in Poverty

Matthew 5:3-5

In today’s message, we will connect the first three Beatitudes—poverty in spirit, mourning, and meekness. All of these have something to do with the acknowledgment of God’s resources in the midst of inadequacy, loss, or the bridling of our aggressive tendencies. These three pronouncements from Jesus remind us of our dependence on His presence and power to enable us to flourish in the real-life challenges of the human experience.

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Luke 6:17-26

February 9, 2025:  Flourishing in Pursuit

Matthew 5:6

Jesus continues to describe a flourishing Kingdom citizen with His declaration that we demonstrate (or discover) happiness through pursuing His Kingdom’s interests. As followers of Jesus, we have to deal with our selfish desires that lead to selfish pursuits aimed at selfish ends. Overcoming those temptations towards self-centeredness is necessary if we are going to discover true happiness. The pursuit of righteousness is a life-long journey and it promises a greater reward than we could ever imagine!

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Matthew 6:25-34

February 16, 2025:  Flourishing in Pity

Matthew 5:7

The English word “merciful” translates the adjectival form of eleos in Greek. According to the Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, eleos is “the outward manifestation of pity.” While there is a distinction between “mercy” and “pity” --- there are textual connections throughout the Bible in both Hebrew and Greek. Today we will explore how God can work through our compassion towards us to extend mercy. This outward expression of love and concern for others is characteristic of a happy and blessed person in God’s Kingdom.

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

February 23, 2025:  Flourishing in Peacemaking

Matthew 5:9

We live in a society marked by rancor, polarization, and separation. Ours is a loud culture! We find evidence of the relational brokenness on every level imaginable. Families, neighborhoods, school boards, houses of legislature, Christian denominations, and so many others are places of division, anger, and accusatory language. We need people of peace who can help broker peace in these spaces across our society. This text challenges us to evaluate how God might use us to be voices of reconciliation in the face of so much division in our world. Jesus says this much-needed expression of Kingdom life is characteristic of God’s children!

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

March 2, 2025:  Flourishing in Persecution

Matthew 5:10-12

Unfortunately, our world has not always favorably received God’s people or God’s message. This remains true today. Obviously, many of the original disciples of Jesus faced serious persecution from both Romans and Jews. In fact, for over 250 years after the time of Christ, believers were often persecuted for their faith. Today there are places where serious persecution is a reality for Christians. For those of us in the West, the opposition we face may not rise to the level faced by those in the broader Christian family, we still often deal with the opposing forces of evil. Jesus promises us that our Father is paying attention and His care for us reaches into eternity.

 Flourishing Together Weekly Reading: James 1:1-18

All four Gospel accounts tell the real story of Jesus Christ. Each Gospel writer has a particular perspective on the life of Jesus. Matthew paints an unforgettable portrait of the Kingship of Jesus in his Gospel. The Real Story is that Jesus Christ is The King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He was the most purposeful human being who has ever lived!

As King, Jesus established the Kingdom of God on earth. He invited the people of His day, and He now invites all of us to live as citizens of this new Kingdom. The work of redemption accomplished by King Jesus renders it possible for human beings to be delivered from the powers of a sin-filled earthly kingdom and join the Kingdom of God in order to live purposefully into His will. 

God, through Jesus, has made it possible for us to live life as He intends. This is at the heart of human flourishing!

Our Lenten/Easter Season will be given to a study of Matthew’s unique account of the life, witness, example, death, resurrection, and commission of Jesus Christ. Matthew opens His Gospel with a declaration that Jesus is born a King. He will close the story with the account of the death of Jesus, the King of the Jews. He will finally declare that the King—Jesus Christ lives! Jesus, the King has established His Kingdom on earth. He issues an invitation for all to follow to live in His Kingdom now and forever. This is The Real Story!

March 5, 2025: Thy Kingdom Come

Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:5-15

We will begin the Lenten/Easter Season in prayer. We will use the insights from the Lord’s Prayer to prepare our hearts for our Lenten journey. Jesus taught His followers how to pray. This model prayer connects us to the life God intends us to live. We will begin the Lenten/Easter Season with a time of reflection, repentance, and renewal.

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 6:5-15

March 9, 2025: Born a King!

Matthew 1:1-17

One of the key themes of Matthew’s Gospel is his presentation of Jesus Christ as King. Matthew bridges the gap between the Old and New Testament with his riveting account of the life, teachings, witness, example, sacrifice, and Kingship of the Lord Jesus. His unique genealogy sets the stage for his account of The Real Story.

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 1:18-2:23

March 16, 2025: A Servant King

Matthew 3:13-17

The Lenten/Easter journey is just that—a journey. Jesus offers us the example to follow again and again in the Gospel accounts. In this text, Jesus submits Himself in humility to be baptized by the prophet John the Baptist. From a theological perspective, there is much to digest from this event that connects to our understanding of salvation history. However, from a personal perspective, this expression of humility offers us much to ponder as we give consideration to how we will be prepared for a life of service in the new Kingdom.

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 3

March 23, 2025: Heavenly Construction Instructions

Matthew 7:24-29

As citizens of the new Kingdom, our lives are to reflect our new identity, our new sense of purpose, our new priorities, and our new mission. This begins with us allowing God to guide us in how we construct our very lives. Our foundation for Kingdom living is the truth we have discovered in Christ. As followers of Jesus, our lives are built upon His values, His principles, His revelation, His priorities, and His truth!

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 4

March 30, 2025: Transformed for Life in the Kingdom

Matthew 13:1-9

The Real Story includes the power of God at work in the individual lives of the followers of Jesus. Jesus used this famous Parable of the Sower to help His followers understand the power of the Gospel to transform them to be able to live as Kingdom citizens. As sinners, we do not naturally desire the “things” of the Kingdom of God. However, if we are receptive to God’s work within us (i.e. we are “good soil”) then we can be transformed and become productive members of the Kingdom. This productive life is a flourishing life!

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 13

April 6, 2025: The Messiah’s Church

Matthew 16:13-20

The Real Story includes a plan put in place by Jesus Himself. While He was on a trip to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus shared His plan with His disciples. Whiles there was a time limit on His earthly ministry, He prepared His followers for life on earth after His ascension. In our text today, Jesus shares His intention to establish His Church on earth. The Church will be the instrument through which He will accomplish Kingdom purposes. His followers will serve through the Church and thus, God’s plan will be on display for all to see. The Church is a crucial part of The Real Story!

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 16

HOLY WEEK 2024

Matthew has painted a portrait of the King in his compelling Gospel account. Jesus is introduced on the first page of the Gospel as the Messiah, the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham. He then provides a comprehensive record of the teachings and the example of Jesus Christ. His focus is the establishment of the Kingdom of God and subsequent life in that Kingdom. He connects the life of Jesus with the revelation of God found in the Old Testament. 

Matthew also introduces tension in the narrative when he notes that Jesus plans to travel to Jerusalem and offer up His life (Matthew 16:21ff). As the story unfolds, the drama builds, and Matthew’s readers become fully aware that the death of Jesus is going to be intentionally a part of The Real Story (Matthew 17:22-23). We now come to that part of story as we begin our annual Holy Week journey.

April 13, 2025: Jesus the Nazarene

Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. Jesus gave specific instructions to His disciples to prepare for His entry in Jerusalem. Matthew draws upon prophecy from both Isaiah Zechariah as he shares this powerful story. Jesus was born a King and now enters Jerusalem hailed as the Son of David! When people began to ask in Jerusalem about His identity, some simply responded that He was Jesus the Nazarene. After all these years ----- and for eternity ---- we all stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene!

Palm Sunday Reading: Matthew21:1-11

Holy Monday: Matthew 21:12-19

Jesus entered the Temple on Monday in Jerusalem. His actions would signal the end of the Temple Era in the life of God’s people. As many theologians have pointed out, He didn’t so much “cleanse” the Temple as He rendered it useless. His death on the cross signaled the end of the need for the sacrificial system. He was about to offer up His life as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. Take time today to reflect upon the death of our Savior and Lord.

Holy Tuesday: Matthew 22:34-40

While He was in Jerusalem on Tuesday of Holy Week, the Sadducees and the Pharisees began to challenge Jesus on various points of the Law in order to find some reason to condemn Him and His teachings. In our passage today, one of the experts in the Law asked Jesus to provide His understanding of God’s greatest command. Jesus answered with one of His most famous statements. He took two very famous passages from the Old Testament Law to inform all of His followers as to the very foundation of the Law itself. We are to love God and love one another! Today, take some time to express your love for God and others in some tangible ways.

Holy Wednesday: Matthew 24

New Testament scholars tend to agree that we don’t have any clear information regarding the activities and teachings of Jesus on Wednesday of Holy Week. However, the famous Olivet Discourse will serve as our text for today. Jesus was seated at the Mount of Olives when He delivered this very famous teaching. He weaves together both the immediate future of Jerusalem as well as the events connected to His return at the end of time. As you read this very challenging text today, reflect upon the sovereign Hand of God in history. We believe God prepared the world for the birth of His Son. We also believe He prepared the world for the ministry and mission of His church. We also believe He is preparing the world for the return of His Son!

Maundy Thursday: Matthew 26:17-46

We now come to the final night of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He is gathered with His disciples in Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover. The symbolism of this season is not lost on Jesus. The Jews would be feasting and celebrating the incredible story of the Exodus during this time in Jerusalem. Jesus was about to be offered up as the Lamb of God to provide deliverance for sinners from the powers of darkness and evil. This is the New Exodus! The Lord’s Supper will take the place of the Passover Meal for the followers of Jesus. We continue to commemorate His sacrifice for us each time we partake of the elements of the Lord’s Supper. Today is a time of reflection and an expression of thanksgiving.

Good Friday: Matthew 27:11-66

Matthew opens His Gospel account with the declaration that Jesus was born a King. He will now share the story that Jesus will die as King of the Jews. Today, we join hands and hearts with followers of Jesus across the world as we consider the cost of our salvation------the very death of our Lord. Now we wait.

Silent Saturday

Today, we wait in silence.

April 20, 2025: He is Not Here, He Has Risen!

Easter Sunday Matthew 28:1-15

Praise God! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Matthew’s Gospel opens with a genealogy that includes the names of various women. He now closes His Gospel with the first appearance of the resurrected Lord reserved for women! They become the first evangelists of the resurrection. The disciples receive the testimony. Jesus is alive! Forever! Everything has changed!

Lenten Season Weekly Reading: Matthew 28 

According to the research team engaged in the historic Global Flourishing Study, one of the key domains to be measured regarding human flourishing is Character and Virtue. I’m grateful the researchers have acknowledged the connection between a person’s inner character development and its outward manifestation through behavior to well-being. Virtue (outward manifestation) is an expression of character. Both of these realities need to be considered in any true examination of human flourishing.

Tyler VanderWeele, the Director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University is convinced that character analysis is essential to researching the complexities of human flourishing:

. . . we believe that one of the strengths of the flourishing literature has been its attention to the importance of character in a flourishing life, following the lead of millennia of philosophical and religious wisdom from many traditions. Character and virtue are central to our own flourishing assessment, and we would go so far as to argue that even goods such as happiness or a sense of purpose in life only contribute to your flourishing if you are virtuous. For instance, it is arguably worse for a murderer or mad tyrant to feel very happy or deeply purposeful amid his crimes than if he felt properly ashamed of himself or adrift in life.

 -Brendan Case & Tyler J. VanderWeele, “What Does Character Have to Do with Human Flourishing?” Common Good, February 19, 2024  https://commongoodmag.com/what-does-human-character-have-to-do-with-human-flourishing/

Presumably, as a result of VanderWeele’s research in particular, and many other scholars in general, the domain of Character and Virtue is included in the massive Global Flourishing Study. The Flourishing Measure includes two questions that ask all participants to answer in the self-evaluation process. These questions serve to establish a baseline for the more in-depth set of questions that address this domain in the study itself.

As a Christian, the inclusion of an analysis of character and virtue in determining the status of individual flourishing just makes sense. It is theologically sound to include this particular category. The transformation of the character of an individual and the resulting expression of Christian virtues in everyday life are both connected to our belief in spiritual formation and discipleship.

FIRST CENTURY CONTEXT

The New Testament has much to offer regarding the development of Christian character and the ensuing expression of Christian virtues. With the first century as the context for the crafting of the New Testament, we must take into consideration the complex theological, cultural, philosophical, and political milieu in which it arose. This consideration is important since this is the period in which the single most significant human being lived (Jesus) and the one institution He established (the church) was birthed and received Apostolic instruction.

What was happening in the first century that facilitates a better understanding of the Christian perspective on character and virtue? This is not the place for an exhaustive answer to that question, however, I would like to offer a succinct, cursory response that will help us in our study this Spring.

Principally, for the sake of our conversation and exploration, there are just a few considerations I would offer regarding the first century milieu that serves as the backdrop to both the earthly ministry of Jesus and the composition of the New Testament. Further, we also have to give some consideration to our own cultural, theological, philosophical, and political context as we study together.

Regarding the first century, let me just provide a brief overview of three essential contextual considerations in seeking to understand the New Testament’s treatment of character and virtuous living:

1.  Eschatological Considerations: The New Testament is a compilation of the life and teachings of Jesus (the Gospels), the proclamation of Jesus through the church (Acts), and the explanation of Christian theology (Epistles). All of this material is contextualized by an overarching eschatological perspective. The consistent witness of the New Testament continues the eschatological perspective of Old Testament theology. In other words, history is meaningful and purposeful. History has a beginning in God and an end in His mind. Jonathan Pennington offers a helpful explanation of this truth in his book, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing:

Specifically, Jesus and the authors of the New Testament see themselves as part of the grand story of God’s creation and redeeming work in the world, a world that had a beginning and will have an end, or at least a renewed beginning. The foundational orientation to this story occurs in Genesis 1-11, where we learn that God, who is the sole creator of all that is, has set his especial love upon humanity as the apex of his creation. The tension of the story is that humanity fails in both its love for him and love for one another, resulting in a darkening of mind and heart and ultimately death, rather than flourishing life. God then sets in motion the mysterious, arduous, and long-term plan for the reversal of this state beginning with Abraham and flowing through his descendants.

 -Jonathan T. Pennington, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, p. 25

In fact, I would press this truth a bit further. Jesus Christ established the Kingdom of God on earth. At the center of His teachings in the Gospel accounts are truths about the Kingdom of God. Another way to say this is that the life, teachings, example, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has inaugurated the “Age to Come” as a present reality. In simple terms, Biblical theology divides time into two distinct Ages: This Present Evil Age and The Age to Come (Galatians 1:4; Matthew 12:32).

Obviously, the Kingdom of God has been established but has not yet been consummated. So, we live in the “now and the not yet.” Sometimes this view is referred to as Inaugurated Eschatology. The Age to Come has been initiated and it overlaps with, intersects with, The Present Evil Age. As Christians, we have been uniquely designed for both ages. But the principal conviction for Christians is that God has designed us ultimately to live in the Age to Come. His transforming work within us through the power of His Holy Spirit is preparing us for our eternal existence in His new Kingdom. Consequently, the development of character and ensuing virtuous living are actually connected to this eschatological reality. God is at work in us to restore us to becoming fully human!

N. T. Wright offers the following helpful explanation of this truth in this excerpt from his book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters:

Paul sees that in Jesus Christ the long-awaited age to come has already begun. And that is where Christians must consciously choose to live . . . Yes, the present age continues on its weary way as well, so that the two overlap. Like waves on the ocean shore, God’s new age has come thundering in through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the present age acts as a powerful undertow, preventing the incoming waves from having their full force. The undertow of the continuing present age does its best to persuade those who through faith and baptism are already part of the age to come that in fact nothing much has changed, and they should simply continue as they were, living the same life that everyone else is living. “The way the world is” is a powerful, insidious force, and it takes all the energy of new creation, not least of faith and hope, to remind oneself that the age to come really is already here, with all its new possibilities and prospects.

 -N. T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters, p. 152

2.  Second-Temple Jewish Wisdom Literature: The Wisdom literature of both First Temple and Second Temple reflects the perspective I have shared in the first point. In other words, God’s revelation to His people was given to guide them to live in the light of His redeeming purpose. We find in the Psalms, Proverbs, ethical teachings of the prophets, and the admonitions from Apocalyptic (“apocalypse” means “revelation) of Judaism a consistent perspective that true wisdom is found only in a relationship with the only true God. Consequently, the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of the Lord, the justice of the Lord --- all of these are connected to true wisdom.

Further, this wisdom is connected to an eschatological hope that God will restore the “shalom” of His creation. Working for justice, searching for meaning, engaging in ethical behavior-----all of these are expressions of true wisdom that is found only in the life that is connected to Yahweh (the only true God). And the wisdom literature of Judaism is not a set of philosophical reflections and ideological dictums. Rather, the wisdom is connected to real life, relationships within families, ethical business dealings, moral behaviors, and such. True wisdom leads to peace and fulfillment in the everyday of life for real people who are engaged in real life.

3.  Greek/Roman Philosophy and Ethics: One other consideration that I will briefly summarize is the philosophical context of the Greco-Roman world of the first century. More specifically, the Greek philosophical reflections on character and virtue were influential forces in the intellectual atmosphere of first-century Israel. Germane to our conversation, the Middle East in the first century had been influenced by the attempt of Greek philosophers to understand human happiness.

From a Christian perspective, the Greek philosophical approach to ethics was too narrow and too singularly externally focused. To be fair, the key question for Greek philosophy was, “What makes people happy?” Aristotle represents this tradition well. He was interested in human flourishing or happiness. He used the Greek term, eudaimonia to refer to human flourishing. This was the telos (Greek for “goal” or “end”) for all human beings.

For Aristotle, the practicing of the cardinal virtues (courage, justice, prudence, and temperance) would gradually lead to the state of eudaimonia -- flourishing. However, Aristotle does not actually account for human sinfulness, and thus, he does not factor in the role of redemption and inner transformation in his writings. With that said, there is much evidence that his teachings had permeated the intellectual spaces of first-century Judaism.

CHRISTIAN VIEW OF CHARACTER AND VIRTUE

Now that we have set the New Testament in its context, what do we learn about character and virtue from a holistic study of the New Testament? Obviously, I’m not providing an exhaustive answer to this question. However, I can offer a succinct summary. So ---- first, we discover that the Christian understanding of character development and virtuous living is more comprehensive and holistic than what was taught by Greek philosophers. Once more, let’s turn to N. T. Wright for a helpful explanation:

What the New Testament writers are urging, following Jesus himself, is therefore quite like Aristotle’s argument in some ways, but in a significantly different mode. The comparison is somewhat like that between a three-dimensional model sitting beside a two-dimensional one—a cube beside a square, say, or a sphere beside a circle: Jesus and his followers are offering the three-dimensional model toward which Aristotle’s two-dimensional model one points. When you get the sphere, you get the circle thrown in, as it were, but it now means something rather different.

 -N. T. Wright, After You Believe, p. 35

In the New Testament, character development is directly linked to the process of spiritual formation that occurs in the life of a committed follower of Jesus who is living in community with fellow believers in the journey of what we know as the Christian life. Here is how I would describe the process of character development for a Christian:

Jesus Christ desires to absolutely, completely, and holistically redeem every part of you, transform you by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you and through His redeemed community, to conform you to His image.

Once a person is born again, God’s Spirit begins a work within them that He will carry on until completion! But the individual believer cooperates with the Spirit in this process. There is an inner transformation that occurs over time where the believer is being shaped and formed into the image of Christ Himself.

As the character of a believer is being formed, it has a healing effect on the individual. God’s restorative work brings about holistic change, and the ensuing result is a person who is flourishing! Tyler VanderWeele makes this point in his newest work, A Theology of Health:

Healing can come about through growth in character. Good character is itself constitutive of the wholeness of the person . . . A growth in character helps orient the whole of our lives to what is most meaningful and gives us purpose as we better pursue the good of ourselves and of others and as we pursue God . . . Growth in character can be facilitated by our own efforts, by the formation of good habits and continually seeking what is good. However, growth in character is perhaps more profoundly facilitated by the work of the Spirit, by the life of the Church and participation in community, the receiving of the sacraments, and the experience of forgiveness and love. These things enable us to experience what is good and to better to pursue it.

 -Tyler VanderWeele, A Theology of Health: Wholeness and Human Flourishing, pp. 245-246

So, character formation, from a Christian perspective, is a holistic work of the Spirit of God within the inner life of a redeemed follower of Jesus who is engaged in purposeful and missional living in the Kingdom of God.

Virtuous living is both an outgrowth of and a contributor to character development. On the one hand, engaging in virtuous living, as a Christian, contributes to the development of inner character. On the other hand, the inner transformation of the believer leads to virtuous living. It is a both-and.

In the New Testament, we are confronted with a clarion call to live a virtuous life. The expression of Christian virtues like—faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude—form the foundation of virtuous living. There are many virtues that emerge from these core expressions.

As Spirit-filled Christians who are experiencing the inner transforming work of God in our lives, we are called to live ethical lives that reflect and reinforce that transformative work. For example, we are to bear each other’s burdens, forgive offenses, refuse to gossip, tell the truth in love, reject discriminatory behavior, pursue righteousness, love our neighbors as ourselves, share our resources, pray for each other, practice honesty in our business dealings, and clothe ourselves with humility, kindness, gentleness, and compassion—to name a few!

As we engage in the journey of character development and virtuous living, we are giving expression to our belief that we are already living in The Age to Come! Certainly remain in This Present Evil Age, but the eschatological reality is that we are already citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are seeking to experience God’s will on earth just as it is in Heaven. Our destiny is certain. By faith, we live our lives in the light of the resurrection of Jesus and our future resurrection! While we await His return, we are being uniquely outfitted to live fully into our future reality in the New Heaven and the New Earth. 

God is at work within us to make us complete in Him (Matthew 5:48). Praise God!

April 27, 2025:  

New Age Wisdom

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

This sermon launches the entire series. This text is serving as a foundational passage for our entire year together. We will focus on the acknowledgment of Paul that the Gospel is not an expression of the wisdom “of this age.” God is at work in us to reveal a deeper wisdom, a deeper reality, a deeper expression of truth ---- that can only be revealed by Him. In fact, it is a mystery. In other words, only by revelation will we understand all we need to know about following Jesus. And—God has more planned for us in The Age to Come (that has already begun) than we could ever imagine! He is already at work within us to fit us for life in His Kingdom.

Weekly Reading:  Colossians 1:1-23

May 4, 2025:  

Put Your Mind To It!

College Grad Sunday  

Romans 12:1-2

Today we will honor our college graduates in both worship services. We will bless these students and congratulate them on this accomplishment. The sermon will be an examination of a foundational passage with respect to character and virtue. Paul declares that our minds must be renewed if we are going to develop an inner Christian character and if we are going to live virtuous lives. We cannot rely on our natural pathways of thinking. Our reasoning has to be redeemed and engaged if we are going to reflect God’s glory in our world.

 Weekly Reading:  Colossians 1:24-2:15

May 11, 2025:  

Love is the Greatest!

Mother’s Day  

Colossians 3:1-17

Today will be a special day in the life of our church. We will honor our Mothers! We will have parents who will dedicate themselves and their babies to the Lord. It will be a sweet time for our church family. In this sermon, we will launch a 3-week examination of Colossians 3:1-17. This passage is one of the most complete calls to virtuous living in the entire New Testament. We will take the time today to explore Paul’s challenge to Christians to give attention to love.At the center of all Christian virtues is love. The Bible has so much to say about love! Love is the foundational virtue for Christians.

Weekly Reading:  Colossians 2:16-23

May 18, 2025:    

Designer Fashions

High School Grad Sunday  

Colossians 3:1-17

Today we will honor our High School Graduates! This is a truly special time for us. This is a rite of passage in our culture. Our church has long celebrated when our students graduate from High School. In the sermon today, we will explore Paul’s challenge to “put to death” all the disastrous and damaging behaviors listed in this text. We will seek to understand how to “clothe ourselves” with the virtues listed in this text. We will discover these “clothes” have been fashioned by our Designer to outfit us for life in His Kingdom.

 Weekly Reading:  Colossians 3:1-17

May 25, 2025:  

Walk This Way . . . Together!

Colossians 3:1-17

Life in the Kingdom of God is meant to be lived in community. The virtues listed in Colossians 3 are relational in nature. In other words, the practicing of virtuous living takes place in the context of community. We are to treat each other according to the ethic set forth by the New Testament. Virtuous living emerges from a redeemed Christian character. Our character is also shaped by our decision to live fully into a virtuous life. When we do so, we live in such a way that is beneficial to others. This is a blessed life. This is actually what is known as . . . flourishing!

 Weekly Reading:  Colossians 3:18-4:18

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

-Psalm 1

For the summer, we will explore the Human Flourishing Domain, Meaning and Purpose through a Biblical lens as we reflect theologically about God’s invitation to live meaningful and purposeful lives.

June 1, 2025:  Creation Testifies!

     Psalm 19:1-6

Everything starts with God! Any conversation about Meaning and Purpose has to begin with the Christian understanding of the nature of God. God is the Subject of the first sentence of the Bible. Everything begins with Him! The story of creation is a story of intentionality. Everything that exists in creation owes its existence to Him. He created it all out of nothing. Creation has a purposeful and meaningful existence because it was purposefully and meaningfully created by our purposeful God. Fundamental to our understanding of Meaning and Purpose is our belief in our Creator!

Weekly Reading:  Genesis 1-2

June 8, 2025:  Humanity’s Glory

     Psalm 8

God’s glory is on display throughout His creation. However, God has reserved a special place in His creative design for human beings. We have been created in His image and uniquely designed to reflect His glory. In fact, He has crowned us with His glory. Human beings can live purposefully and meaningfully because of God’s original design and intent. He has created us to live purposefully into His will as we reflect His glory on earth. 

Weekly Reading:  Genesis 1-2

June 15, 2025:  Flourishing Foundation: Love God!

 Father’s Day  Matthew 22:34-40

At the core of a meaningful and purposeful life is our relationship to God. God has invited us (commanded us, actually) to love Him. In fact, Jesus boldly proclaimed this as the greatest command in all of the Law. Fundamentally, we are to love God! God has designed us with the capacity and ability to love Him. We are His image-bearers! Our love for God nurtures the spiritual root system of our lives. God is love!

Weekly Reading:  1 John 4:7-21

June 22, 2025:  Flourishing Formation: Seek God’s Kingdom!

     Matthew 6:25-34

The pathway to Meaning and Purpose is the journey of Christian formation. As we respond to the love of God experienced through our relationship with Him, we commit ourselves to seek His Kingdom first in our lives. We surrender our will to His will. We must resist the temptation to always seek “our kingdom’s” interests first. Humanity always struggles with seeking its own glory. We are designed to glorify God by seeking His Kingdom first!

 Weekly Reading:  2 Corinthians 3:7-18

June 29, 2025:    Flourishing Fruitfulness: Love Others!

     Matthew 22:34-40

At the core of the Christian’s journey towards Meaning and Purpose is our love for God. Jesus commands us to love God first. However, Jesus also challenges us to love others. Living a purposeful and meaningful life includes engagement with others in ways that are beneficial to them. Giving consideration to how God uses us to love others is vital to experiencing His purpose in our lives. A blessed person is not one who just absorbs the blessing of God selfishly. Blessed people . . . bless people!

Weekly Reading:  Psalm 1

July 6, 2025:  Please God!

     Psalm 95:1-7

God has designed human beings with the unique capacity to worship Him. When God’s people worship Him, He is pleased! If we are going to discover our purpose for existence, the journey must include a commitment to worshiping God. We can discover meaning in life as we please God! Worship keeps us grounded in reality. Worship keeps us connected to our Creator. Worship offers us the discipline of glorifying God. Worshiping God brings us into the presence of God regularly and consistently. Worship is a means to spiritual growth and vitality. Also, we thank God today that we live in a nation that practices religious freedom and allows people to worship freely. We remember our brothers and sisters across the world today who live and worship in the face of persecution.

Weekly Reading:  Psalm 99

July 13, 2025:  Belonging to God’s Family

     Romans 12:3-5

According to God’s design, each human being is born into a family. Obviously, a human infant is completely helpless and in need of a family in order to survive. It should not surprise us that God has also designed us to fit into a spiritual family when we are born again! The Church is our family. It is insufficient to simply believe the right things about God, we also need to belong to God’s family. We were never intended to “go it alone” in this world. Belonging to God’s family provides the community we need so that we can thrive as believers. Churches are not perfect; however they are earthly expressions of God’s plan for us to live purposefully together in His Kingdom.

Weekly Reading:  Acts 2

July 20, 2025:  Getting Into Shape!

     2 Peter 1:3-4

As human beings, we are susceptible to the powerful shaping forces of This Present Evil Age (Galatians 1:4), but God makes it possible to resist them and live godly lives. He created us in His image. Yet, we all know that this image has been damaged or marred by sin and disobedience. Through God’s redemptive work in our lives, His image can be restored in us, and we can truly reflect His glory in this world. He has made it possible for us to participate in His divine nature and overcome the forces of darkness at work all around us. Jesus shows us how to live this way. God’s desire is to shape us to be like Jesus!

Weekly Reading:  Ephesians 4:17-5:2

July 27, 2025:  Disciples on Mission

     Matthew 28:16-20

The life, ministry, teachings, example, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and future return of Jesus Christ has truly changed everything! We can no longer live as if it all did not happen. In fact, it all did happen! We live in the light of God’s fullest revelation of Himself --- namely, Jesus Christ. Now, we have an assignment. We are to be His disciples. That means, we embrace His mission. We are to be invested in a lifetime of service and commitment. We are to join Him in making other disciples. Our calling to ministry as Christians enables us to strengthen and serve our fellow Christians. Our response to the Great Commission offers us an opportunity to take this message beyond our churches and into the broader world. We really don’t have an option here. This is our mandate from our Risen Lord. Let’s do it!

Weekly Reading:  Acts 1:1-11

AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)

We will take these 5 weeks to facilitate a deep understanding of health.  We will attempt to develop a deeper appreciation of the beauty of God’s design of human beings and His intent for us to live as healthy creatures. He has uniquely created us in His Image. This series will be a time to theologically reflect upon His imprint on our bodies, our emotions, our minds, our hearts---and our will. One of the Domains in the Global Flourishing Study is Mental and Physical Health. This series will be aimed at helping all of us have a better understanding of healthy and flourishing.

August 3, 2025:  What Happened?

     Genesis 3

It all started so incredibly, indescribably, miraculously well! God created human beings after His image and placed them in paradise! They were perfectly innocent. They were in harmony with God, His purpose, His creation, and His place for them in the universe. That is the story of Genesis 1-2. It is a beautiful story. However, the events of Genesis 3 changed everything. We will take the time to connect this story to the ramifications that have been experienced in the human experience ever since the fateful decisions made in the Garden of Eden. The brokenness of our world is underneath and expressed through the individual experiences of brokenness in humanity. Illness and disease are the results of Fall of Man.

 Weekly Reading:  Philippians 1:1-11

August 10, 2025:  Life is Harder than You Expected!

     Job 5:7

Life is difficult! On the one hand, life is precious, miraculous, and filled with so much blessing. However, life is also demanding, challenging, exhausting, bruising, and can be relentlessly difficult. In fact, it is just harder than you expected! Today we will examine how traumatic experiences can shape us as human beings. We will embrace the reality of the difficulties that we may experience in life that can derail us.

 Weekly Reading:  Philippians 1:12-30

August 17, 2025:  God Cares!

     Romans 8:31-39

At the very foundation of our theology is our belief in God! Our God is the God of creation. He is the God of redemption. He is the God of hope and healing. He is the God of restoration. Fundamental to our journey in life is our belief in Him. And – the good news, no, the great news is He cares! He cares for you!

 Weekly Reading:  Philippians 2

August 24, 2025:  You Can’t Control Everything, But You Can Control Some Things!

     Matthew 11:28-30

We cannot control everything! Our health can be threatened by so many factors. For example, we can’t control the effects of aging; if we live long enough, we will get old! We can’t control the actions of other people. Victims of abuse cannot control what has happened around them that result in harmful behavior. However, we can control how we choose to respond to whatever happens to us. Today we will discuss how Jesus helps us manage our way through life.

 Weekly Reading:  Philippians 3

August 31, 2025:  Keep Living!

     Colossians 2:6-7

There will be times when we may wonder – “How can I get through this?” We will question our ability to cope and manage. Life can just be so overwhelming. However, we have the option to just keep living! We can determine that we are not going to drown in our grief, pain, hurt, or despair. We can place our roots deeply in our life with Jesus. He can enable us to . . . keep living!

 Weekly Reading:  Philippians 4

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Genesis 2:18

September 7, 2025:    

God’s Plan

Genesis 2:18-25

In the beginning . . . God! How fitting that God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible! In the first 35 verses, His name appears 35 times! This story is truly about God. God had a plan for His creation, and it included a special role for human beings. These creatures were created in His image and destined for His glory. He created both male and female humans. He blessed them. He joined them together and assigned them the task of shepherding His creation in community with one another and with Him. Beautiful.

 Weekly Reading:  Genesis 2:4-25

September 14, 2025:  

What Happened?

Genesis 3

We studied this very text in our previous series on mental health. However, we need to examine this key passage again in the context of our discussion about the value of relationships. God has existed in eternity in community with Himself. He uniquely designed human beings to live in community as well. As we read last week, the first “not good” in the Bible is the statement from God that “It is not good for man to be alone.” Genesis 2 ends with such hope and potential. Genesis 3 has a very different ending. Today, we will address the effect of sinfulness on the relational realities of human beings now living in a broken and fallen world.

 Weekly Reading:  Genesis 3

September 21, 2025:  

Home is Where . . . It All Begins!

Deuteronomy 6:1-12 

God designed human beings to begin our journey on planet earth in the context of a family. Each human is born into a family. A newborn baby is completely dependent on nurturing adults in order to simply survive, much less thrive. It is in that setting (a family) that so much happens to all of us. Everything begins at home. We learn how to live life in the context of a family setting. These crucial relationships are so important for us to experience health and a wholesome experience of reality. These core relationships continue to be foundational to the human experience.

 Weekly Reading:  2 Timothy 1:3-5

September 28, 2025:  

Why Can’t We Be Friends!

1 Samuel 18-20

Not only are we born into the context of a family, but we also mature as humans through a complex process that includes an intricate web of relationships. We live in community with friends. These friendships are vital to our health and well-being. In our culture today, loneliness has reached epidemic proportions. So many people have chosen to isolate themselves from true friendships. God’s desire for us is to live in healthy relationships with true friends who enrich our lives and vice versa.

 Weekly Reading:  Proverbs 27

October 5, 2025:      

Your Spiritual Family

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Just as we are born into human families, we are born again into a spiritual family. The church is our spiritual home! God has designed us to live with one another as fellow believers in Christian community. Christians have been spiritually gifted by God to both live in community with other followers of Jesus as well as contribute to the overall health of the family. We live out our giftedness in the context of relationships in the Church.

 Weekly Reading:  1 Corinthians 12:1-11

October 12, 2025:  

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Matthew 5:13-16

The relational web that contextualizes our lives extends beyond family, friends, and church. We also belong to broader communities. We are a vital part of neighborhoods, organizations, schools, civic realities, and the like. God redeems us so that we might be useful in His Kingdom endeavors. We have a wonderful opportunity through these networks, acquaintances, and broader circles to bring the hope of the Gospel to a broken world.

 Weekly Reading:  Ephesians 4:17-5:2

October 19, 2025:  

Working 9 to 5!

Proverbs 6:1-19

For many of us, we spend a great deal of our waking hours at work. We forge both official and unofficial relationships at work. We have the opportunity to invest ourselves in meaningful endeavors that provide for our families, offer meaningful contributions to our society, and serve as a blessing in the lives of others. All of these realities contribute to a sense of fulfillment and purpose to us as the people of God on assignment in His creation.

 Weekly Reading:  Proverbs 12

October 26, 2025:  

I Want to Know What Love Is!

1 Corinthians 13

Love is the key! Love is the answer! Love makes the world go around. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. We talk about love, sing about love, write stories and poems about love ---- we love . . . love! At the heart of relational health is a true understanding of love. The good news is that God is love! God shows us how to love. God empowers us to love. God can love others through us. This week, we will explore the value of love in all of our relational contexts.

 Weekly Reading:  1 John 3:11-24

As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 10:7

In 1903, Jack London’s Call of the Wild was published, and it has never been out of print since! It famously tells the story of the hero dog, Buck and his incredible adventures in the Yukon. As I have led churches for the past 40 years in the grand missional endeavor known as the Great Commission, I have noted how we often have truncated the call of God and reduced the mission to individual witness and church planting. 

While both individual witness and church planting are both vital to God’s plan for reaching this world for Christ, there is more to our mission. We have been “called to the wild” so to speak. We are to live out our faith in the public arena. We are not to be afraid of engaging in public witness in public spaces (in the wild). 

Our missiology must have a public aspect to it if we are to live fully into God’s plan of redemption and restoration. Greg Okesson has challenged us to give consideration to how a public missiology can result in community flourishing in his seminal work, A Public Missiology: How Local Churches Witness to a Complex World. Here is a brief word from Ekesson, “I define public missiology as congregational witness that moves back and forth across all ‘spaces’ of public life in order to weave a thickness of the persons of the Trinity for the flourishing of all of life.” We will explore this call and how we can connect to it as we engage in our annual Engagement emphasis.

We know we are all called to “go” into our specific spheres of influence and serve as ambassadors for Christ. As we go, we have a powerful and life-giving message to share. It is the same message He gave His disciples in the first century. We are to go and “proclaim” the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven is available here and now! Repent! Believe the Gospel! There is life and hope when anyone receives this message.

ENGAGEMENT 2025: Call to the Wild

November 2 – 29, 2025

As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 10:7

November 2, 2025:    The Wide, Wild World

 Celebration of The Lord’s Supper  Acts 1:6-8

This Sunday marks the beginning of our annual emphasis on Engagement. Our Engagement Team has been planning for this special service for months. We will highlight the challenge of taking the Gospel to the world and introduce the exciting shifts in missional strategy that are contextualizing our efforts to fulfill Christ’s command.

 Weekly Reading:  Acts 1

November 9, 2025:    The Growing Church

Acts 2:42-47

In Matthew 16, Jesus proclaimed that He was going to build His church! After His resurrection, He instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 records the miraculous events of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was given, and the church was birthed. That first church continues to offer us insight and wisdom regarding how we are to engage in ministry to this day.

 Weekly Reading:  Acts 2

November 16, 2025:    The Engaged Church

Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3

Throughout the history of Christianity, God has used churches to carry forth the message of the Gospel to the world. He has empowered and gifted local churches for this task. There have been many eras in the missional/engagement journey of the church. The Church at Antioch continues to be an inspiration to us as we seek to live out God’s call on our church.

 Weekly Reading:  Acts 4

November 23, 2025:    Guest Preacher: Cindy Wiles

Cindy Wiles is the wife of our Senior Pastor. She is also an experienced missional leader who has led mission efforts in numerous nations across the world. She is the Executive Director of Restore Hope, one of our Foundational Partners in our engagement strategy. Cindy is on the Board of Directors for Global Gates as well as the Team Leader for our church’s mission efforts in West Africa.

 Weekly Reading:  Acts 11:19-30

Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

Matthew 2:2

Welcome to Advent 2025! We will celebrate the hope of Christmas as we end a calendar year and launch a new liturgical year together. Our theme is still Flourishing Together! We have gathered around this theme all year long. Hopefully, our shared journey has deepened our roots in Christ.

As we bring the year to a conclusion, we will allow Matthew to be our guide for the Advent Season. His Gospel is thoroughly Jewish in orientation. He gives particular attention to the fulfillment of prophecy as he shares his account of the life of Jesus Christ.

For centuries, scholars have sought to discern the basic structure of the Gospel of Matthew. It is a lengthy book, and it is helpful to try to get some sense of Matthew’s organizational focus as he shares his version of the greatest story ever told. A brief overview of the options posed by scholars may help us contextualize our Advent journey through Matthew.

The simplest explanation regarding a possible structure of Matthew’s Gospel hinges on his use of the statement, “from that time Jesus began . . .” (Matthew 4:17; 16:21). If you use that formula, then the structure looks like this:

1.  The Person of the Messiah – Matthew 1:1-4:16

2.  The Proclamation of the Messiah – Matthew 4:17-16:20

3.  The Passion of the Messiah – Matthew 16:21-28:20

I actually like this structure! However, it is too simplistic and does not really give credibility to the complexity of Matthew’s thought. He is not always concerned with chronology as he shares his account.

Another option is to use the 5 Major Discourses of the Gospel as the core structure of Matthew. In other words, there is a poetic sense to Matthew’s use of narrative and discourse as he organizes his material around these major sermons from Jesus. Many scholars have utilized some version of this structure.

This particular approach gives credibility to the Jewish perspective of Matthew. Just as the Old Covenant is given definition by the 5 Books of the Law, the New Covenant is revealed through the 5 Major Discourses.

This is the approach taken by Michael Wilkins in The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew (2004). Wilkins assigns new names to the traditionally accepted major discourses in this fashion:

 Kingdom Life Disciples (Sermon on the Mount) – Matthew 5-7

 Mission-Driven Disciples (Missionary Discourse) – Matthew 10

 Clandestine-Kingdom Disciples (Parabolic Discourse) – Matthew 13

 Community-Based Disciples (Community Discourse) – Matthew 18

 Expectant-Sojourner Disciples (Olivet Discourse) – Matthew 24-25

I like Wilkins’s emphasis on disciples and discipleship. He bases this on the Great Commission given by Jesus to the church – make disciples! These various sermons highlight different aspects of discipleship and proved information as to how disciples are to live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

I don’t think there is any question that Matthew intended these discourses to be an expression of the New Covenant and that they somehow correspond to the Five Books of the Law. They are not necessarily one-to-one expressions of the law, but the symbolism is easily recognizable. 

Another intriguing way to structure the Gospel of Matthew is connected to the 10 quotations from Isaiah used by Matthew as he focuses on the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies in the Person and Work of Jesus. British scholar, James Patrick has written about this potential organizational structure for understanding Matthew: 

1)  1:1-2:23  –  ‘The virgin shall bear a son’  [Mt 1:23 = Isa 9:6]
2)  3:1-4:11  –  ‘The way of the Lord in the wilderness’  [Mt 3:3 = Isa 40:3]
3)  4:12-7:29  –  ‘A great light in Galilee’  [Mt 4:15-16 = Isa 9:1-2]
4)  8:1-10:42  –  ‘He carried away our diseases’  [Mt 8:17 = Isa 53:4]
5)  11:1-12:45  –  ‘Bruised reeds & Gentile judgement’  [Mt 12:17-21 = Isa 42:1-4]
6)  12:46-13:58  –  ‘Hearing and understanding’  [Mt 13:14-15 = Isa 6:9-10]
7)  14:1-16:12  –  ‘Teaching the traditions of men’  [Mt 15:8-9 = Isa 29:13]
8)  16:13-21:11  –  ‘The King coming to Zion, gentle’  [Mt 21:5 = Isa 62:11 & Zec 9:9]
9)  21:12-25:46  –  ‘House of prayer’ or ‘robbers’ den’  [Mt 21:13 = Isa 56:7 & Jer 7:11]
10)  26:1-28:20  –  ‘Shepherd and sheep’ (& Galilee)  [Mt 26:31 = Zec 13:7 & Isa 53:4-6]

 -James Patrick’s Blog, March 7, 2009

MAIN EMPHASIS OF MATTHEW

Regardless of how one chooses to organize the structure of Matthew’s Gospel, there is unanimity regarding the central message of Matthew:

Jesus is King!

There you have it! Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy that ties Jesus to the lineage of King David. His birth narrative clearly expresses the divine nature of the Messiah (namely the Virgin Birth of Jesus). He also includes the story of the Magi visiting in search of the King of the Jews. As the story unfolds, Matthew shares how Jesus established the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and how He describes His expectations of life in the new Kingdom.

The word “kingdom” appears 56 times in Matthew and the phrase “kingdom of heaven” occurs 32 times!

The Gospel of Matthew is first and foremost about King Jesus!!!

With that said, here is my sense of how we will make our way through Advent 2025. We will begin with an acknowledgement of the influence of Isaiah in the Messianic theology of Matthew (and in the theology of the early Christians) as we explore the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 11. Then we will proceed to celebrate our King! We will even use KING as an acrostic of sorts:

November 30:  Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

There are at least 10 quotations from Isaiah in Matthew. Isaiah 11 is not directly quoted by Matthew, but the theology of this prophecy is undoubtedly woven in the imagination of the early church.

K --- December 7:  Born The King, Ne’er a Prince!

 So, we begin our celebration of the King!

I ---- December 14:  Identity Gift

 We have found a new identity as citizens of the New Kingdom!

N --- December 21:  Now and Not Yet!

 The Kingdom of Heaven is here now – but there is more to come!

G --- December 28:  Go Now!

As citizens of the New Kingdom, we have been sent to the harvest!

So, here we go!

Let’s pray that God will use this Advent Season to shape us as disciples for life in the New Kingdom. We will journey together through the ancient prophecies of Isaiah and be drawn into the expectancy of Israel in anticipation of a new King. We will travel both back and forward in time as we navigate from our time to Isaiah’s time to the birth of The King in Bethlehem. We will hear the voice of our King as He challenges us to learn how to live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. We will embrace our calling to be sent by Him to the fertile fields of our day to share the good news of the Kingdom.

Let’s join our hearts together as we enjoy and embrace a new Christmas Season: a season of hope, love, joy, and peace. Let’s join the Wise Men and Women of the ages and bring ourselves before the King to worship Him!

Merry Christmas!

ADVENT 2025: The King!

November 30 – December 31, 2025

Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

Matthew 2:2

November 30, 2025:    Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus!

 First Sunday of Advent  Isaiah 11

 In 1744, Charles Wesley wrote the lyrics to this now popular Advent Hymn. At the time, Wesley was preaching across England with his more famous brother, John. Charles captured the essence of prophetic pronouncements like Isaiah 11 in this majestic and simple hymn. Isaiah foresaw a day when a new King would arise and bring unity to Israel and would draw the nations to the new King as well. We begin the Advent Season with an acknowledgment of the hope offered in the Promised One.

 Weekly Reading:  Isaiah 9:2-7

December 7, 2025:    Born The King, Ne’er a Prince!

 Second Sunday of Advent  Matthew 2:1-12  

After the death of Solomon, Israel divided into 2 nations: Israel (also Ephraim) and Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. – and only Judah remained. Judah was conquered in 586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar and thousands of Jews were exiled to Babylon. The “Exile” was a season of mourning and self-evaluation for the people of God. When they returned to Jerusalem, they no longer had a king or a real nation to speak of. The Exile altered their identity and intensified their hope for a new king, a Son of David, who would rescue them from all oppressors. Matthew’s birth narrative captures the essence of the fulfillment of this hope. Jesus was born The King!

 Weekly Reading:  Matthew 1

December 14, 2025:    Identity Gift

 Third Sunday of Advent  Matthew 16:21-28

The original Disciples had so much to learn. They were familiar with the meaning of citizenship in a kingdom. They were all a part of the Kingdom of Imperial Rome. They knew the history of Israel and knew full well about the power of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. They understood the expressions of power that caused those great kingdoms to succeed. However, Jesus was calling them (and is now calling us!) to life in a different kind of kingdom ----- the Kingdom of Heaven. His followers are citizens of this new kingdom, namely a dynamic and spiritual kingdom. He offered them a new identity, a new type of citizenship in this kingdom. Their lives (and ours) would never be the same!

 Weekly Reading:  Matthew 5:1-12

December 14, 2025  The King - A Family Christmas Celebration

 Sunday Evening Worship Ministry Celebration

December 21, 2025:    Now and Not Yet!

 Fourth Sunday of Advent  Matthew 4

The birth, life, ministry, teachings, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus all mark the beginning of a new era! The Kingdom of Heaven was established on earth through Jesus—through His presence, His proclamation, and His practices. The Kingdom of Heaven is very different from any earthly kingdom. The launching of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth marks the shift in time from This Present Evil Age to The Age to Come!  We now live in the tension of both the Now and the Not Yet. God’s Kingdom has arrived—but it is yet to be fully consummated. And yet, it continues to advance in this old world through the presence, the proclamation, and the practices of His people.

 Weekly Reading:  Matthew 2

December 24, 2025  Immanuel, God is With Us!

 Christmas Eve  Matthew 1:18-25

The birth of The King signaled the beginning of the Messianic Era! Matthew calls attention to the fulfillment of prophecies as he recounts the story of Jesus. From His genealogical record (Matthew 1) to His miraculous birth (Matthew 1-2) to His connection to John the Baptist (Matthew 3) to His ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4) ---- throughout the entire Gospel, Matthew proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, the Promised One, the fulfillment of the ages, the Christ, the Son of Abraham, the Son of King David, the Son of God!

December 28, 2025:    Go Now!

 Matthew 9:35-38  

Jesus is truly The King. He has established the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He has called us to live as citizens in this new Kingdom. We are to be salt and light in God’s world. We are to be used by Him to season and bring savor to our communities and neighborhoods. We are to embody the light that pushes back the darkness. We are to bring light to the darkness of our world so that others may find their way to this Kingdom. He has prepared the way before us. The harvest is ready to be reaped. As His workers, He is sending us into the fertile fields. What are we waiting for? Go Now!

 Weekly Reading:  Matthew 28