As Mary takes in the message from the angel, she journeys to visit her relative Elizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, both Elizabeth and the baby in her womb, rejoice to see Mary - the mother of their Savior. Come worship that expected Savior with us this Sunday.
This week, as we hear of the second miraculous pregnancy in Luke, chapter 1, we also see another common theme of Scripture repeated - where God uses someone unexpected to carry out His will and carry out His plan. The angel Gabriel returns with another message - this one for an obscure young woman in a remote village. And in the most miraculous pregnancy yet, the virgin Mary is told she will carry the long-promised King in her womb.
This Sunday, as we begin the season of Advent, we'll be looking at the first of two miraculous pregnancies in Luke, chapter 1. As God often does, he uses two very unlikely parents to bring forth a very important birth - the birth of the Elijah-like prophet promised in the Old Testament. Come and hear about the Voice that was to come to prepare the way for the Messiah.
As we get to the 5th chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul gives a glaring example of the spiritual immaturity and pride of the church in Corinth. There was ongoing, open, unrepentant sin in their midst, and instead of being grieved by it, they were proud of it. Through Paul's response, we are reminded that confronting sin in a believer is an act of love. However, the greatest act of love occurred when Christ confronted our sin for us at the cross.
Paul concludes his instructions about unity in the church. Pride is at the root for those who are causing division in the church. Pride can make us blind to reality. For the Corinthians it blinded their judgement about who is the source of truth, all good things, and salvation. When we consider God’s ways, our eyes are open to see ourselves, God, and others rightly. Let him who boasts boast in the LORD.
As we move on in Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, he diagnoses the root problem of why there is jealousy and division within the church. They are spiritually immature. They are living in the flesh. And, they are trying to build the church with the wrong "materials". In this text, we are reminded to not only build on the sure foundation of Christ, but also to continue to build with God's truth, rather than man's.
As Paul continues to proclaim Christ and him crucified, he makes it clear that this was God's plan before the ages, not a last second course correction. He also makes it clear that it is not human rhetoric or persuasion that will cause someone to believe, but rather a revealing by the power of the Holy Spirit. Join us as we are reminded of the eternal wisdom of the cross. (AUDIO ONLY)
This Sunday we continue in the first chapter of 1 Corinthians and see the reason for the disunity in that early church. Rather than trusting in and depending on Christ crucified, the Corinthian believers were instead turning to human wisdom and human power. In this section, Paul gives a reminder to them - and a warning to us - to keep our eyes on the cross and to keep our preaching about Christ crucified.
God wants Christians to be united, but divisions often arise when we neglect what unites us. The Corinthian church took great pride in which teacher they followed. But to be a Christian is to be united with Christ, and since Christ cannot be divided, fellowship with Christ unites Christians with one another. Divisions are not only pointless, but can put us in jeopardy of being separated from Christ. Our identity in Christ leads to true unity.
This Sunday we conclude our B.L.E.S.S. series by looking at the final "S" - Story. We will be looking at the healing of another blind beggar, a man who gets to tell his simple but amazing story several times. Come be reminded that we all have a story to tell. And it is a story that ultimately points to another story - the greatest story ever told!
