He is Risen!In 2019 we were all struck by the spectacle of the fire that destroyed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The world seemed to be in anguish over the destruction of an 860-year-old building. Why were we so caught up in ...

Palm Sunday It's not what they expected - April 13 2025Pastor Eric Spady - Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem to begin the final week of his ministry life. What the crowd wanted and what Jesus did want not ...

Do you know who Jesus is?In Matthew 21, the religious leaders of the day didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and they questioned his authority, challenging,“By what authority are you doing these things, and ...

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful concepts in the Bible.In Matthew 18, the apostle Peter asks Jesus for some guidance with regards to forgiving a brother who seems to have offended him frequently.Within the church family, th...

“When I get to Heaven I shall see three wonders there. The first will be to see many people there whom I did not expect to see, the second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see, and the third and greatest wonder of all...

The Unexpected Kingdom. Part of the "Stories Jesus Told' Series. March 16 2025 

The Parable of the Talents is one in a set of parables focused on the return of Jesus. Jesus was preparing his followers for his departure and the formation of the Church.  This parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven. What does the ...

From time to time, Jesus would address a small group of people when he was teaching. This parable in Luke 18 was one of those occasions. We read in verse 9, “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteo...

We live in an age when people avoid the inevitability of death. We don’t like to talk about death. When someone dies, often their body is quickly cremated, and those who are grieving try to move on as quickly as possible, avoiding pondering on ...

If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that there are people that we would not be concerned about being outside of the grace of God. We all have a line.This is part of our fallen human nature. During the time that Jesus ...

 Sunday February 9 2025Matthew 13:1-9The Parable of the SowerPastor Athol Barnes 

Once upon a time…We all love a good story, don’t we?Jesus was the greatest storyteller when he walked with his disciples. He taught many things in what we call parables, which are simple stories that reveal a deeper meaning...

September 11, 2001. A horrific attack shook the world, affecting countless lives. It was traumatic for the survivors and those who lost loved ones. It was a doorway that everyone had to go through.Only the Lord knows the doorways of grie...

As we stand on the brink of a new year, I want to spend the next two weeks focusing on the prospect of changes that we all will be facing in the coming year.Changes can be likened to doorways. Sometimes doors open to us, and we have the ...

Imagine you were tasked with the greatest announcement in all of History. Imagine that God put you in charge of making the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. How would you go about it?Today you might launch a mass ...

What is God inviting you to believe?Last week we talked about what it means to believe in Jesus for salvation. To illustrate my point, I professed that I believed the chair could hold me, but if I didn’t act on that belief by stepping on...

What does the word “believe” mean? The dictionary answers, “To consider to be true or honest, to accept the word or evidence of someone or something.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe)No Work Needed

 No one is immune to suffering, but Christians have the hope of glory to look forward to in and through their suffering. If you are experiencing extended periods of hardship, you might struggle to hope in that future glory, but the promise...

By God’s design, the local church is to be led by elders. Other names for that role are pastor, shepherd, or overseer (see Acts 20:28). In 1 Peter 5:1-5, Peter provides instructions and exhortation to the elders of the church; we can all learn ...

In the year 304, Emperor Diocletian declared that he had destroyed the Christian church. Today over two billion people identify as Christians, and few people remember the emperor.Over 200 years before Diocletian’s Great Persecution, Pete...

Healthy community is a goal for every church, but cultivating it is challenging. Even the first century church that the Apostle Peter wrote to in 1 Peter had to be encouraged to work towards a healthy community. Watch and Pray

Everyone goes through suffering; no one is exempt. As Christians, we can be assured that God uses every moment of our suffering for a greater purpose. In Chapter 4, Peter encourages the believers to endure suffering because there is...

Over the last few decades there has been a lot of discussion about the separation of church and state. While I don’t believe a pastor should direct the congregation to vote for a specific candidate, I also don’t think that the church should sta...