As Jesus begins his ministry here in Luke 4, He reads a brief passage from Isaiah 61 about the coming Messiah, before telling the crowd that “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21). Matt discusses the importance of Isaiah 61 as a whole chapter, and the messages of salvation, forgiveness, and redemption that are contained in the chapter.

In this week’s sermon, we read about Jesus staying behind in Jerusalem as a twelve-year-old boy to talk to the teachers in the Temple. Johnny discusses the importance of this year in Jesus’ life, the significance of his ability to debate with the religious leaders in the temple, and how this connects to our need to grow in our faith.

In this first Sunday of Christmas, we hear about the second set of witnesses to Jesus: the older saints, Simeon and Anna. Dean talks about how the story of these two being included in Lukes gospel continues to show how God highlights those we might not notice, and marvels at the amount of time it would have taken Simeon and Anna to attune so closely to God’s Spirit that they would recognize Jesus.

In our Christmas Eve service, we read from Luke 2 about Jesus’ coming to the world. Johnny talks about the hardships of the journey to Bethlehem, the contrast of Caesar Augustus and Mary, and the glory of God, come to bring good news to shepherds.

In this brief sermon, Dean narrates a story from the perspective on Zechariah about Luke 1, where he meets the angel Gabriel, he and Elizabeth have a son in their old age, and Mary comes to tell them of her child, who will be the Messiah.

In the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy, we hear about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth from Juan Esteban in Spanish, with translation by Rod Nuñez. Juan Esteban talks about the two parts of the passage, the surprise of joy and the surprise of praise, and how we can integrate this joy and praise into our modern lives.

As we continue through the Gospel of Luke, we hear about the Annunciation of Mary by the angel Gabriel. Dean tells us the story and compares it to Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah, which was covered in last week’s sermon. He then gives context to better understand the implications of Mary’s calling, and how well Mary demonstrates discipleship in the passage.

In our first Sunday of the Advent season, we begin our study of The Gospel of Luke. Dean introduces us to Luke and shows us the picture that Luke paints of Jesus’ life through his Gospel, tells us the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and shows us the importance of remaining faithful to God even through our own barrenness.

As we continue in the All In campaign, we walk through the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. Johnny talks about the character of the Lawyer, the nuances of how Jesus responds to the questions, and the value and importance of presence in the ancient world and in today’s culture.

To Learn more about the All In campaign, click here.

Continuing our new series on CCV’s visions and values, Johnny looks at what it means for the church to be externally focused as Jesus was. Rather than only letting those who were considered clean enough to teach be near him, Jesus actively sought out those whom the Pharisees had totally given up on, and importantly, they sought him out too! As a church, we should work to demonstrate the kind of loving character that attracts those who feel like the religious-types in their lives have given up on them.

Christmas is meant to be a magical time. Snow, presents, time with your family. As an adult though, the pressure to make every Christmas perfect is exhausting. What’s meant to be magical is stressful. It’s exhausting. This exhaustion and stress is a much better picture of what the first Christmas was really like for Mary and Joseph. It was a time of fear and anxiety. Herod wanted to kill their baby. Joseph thought he had to figure out a way to quietly separate from his fiance. Into this stress and anxiety is when Jesus is born. God became human during a time of stress and fear, when the powerless were up against the powerful and fleeing for their lives. And though Jesus appeared powerless throughout his whole life, it’s his kingdom, not the kingdom of the Romans, that is still standing today. The kingdom of the gentle, self-sacrificial servant outlived Herod by thousands of years and counting.

This episode contains today’s sermon and all the lessons and carols from the service!

God has always worked in surprising ways. It’s why, even though it was prophecied through the scriptures, Jesus’ life and death caught people off guard. Surprises have been around since the beginning, when God put order into chaos, gave a 99-year-old man and a barren woman a son, and gave a rebellious nation a king. Who God chooses to use is surprising. David was a shepherd, Joseph and Mary were nobodies, and Bethlehem was a nowhere town. God uses the people amid the chaos of the world to speak his order into it, and Jesus wants to bring order into the chaos of your life.

What is our hope as Christians? Matt Hemsley walks through the historical perspective and understanding of a Jewish audience hearing Jesus’s words, “Thy Kingdom Come”. Our present hope in Jesus as King, His kingdom here on earth and His return to be King over all.

Dean Miller preaches on formation of prayers and the God of the heavens with us.

Does life matter? Do I matter? The birth of Christ on Christmas invites us to look in the manger and to see the God who loves us and made us and who says to us–yes.