Standing at the threshold of a new year, we find ourselves drawn to an unexpected place in Scripture—the book of Revelation, specifically Christ's message to the church in Philadelphia. In Week 1 of our new series, Doors, we encounter a powerful image that speaks directly to our hopes and anxieties: an open door. This isn't just any door, but one held by the resurrected Christ who declares Himself as holy and true, the one who holds the key of David. What unfolds is a profound teaching on divine providence—the truth that God is intimately involved in the direction of our lives, that He has prepared works for us in advance, and that He opens and closes doors according to His perfect will. The passage challenges the secular worldview we've absorbed, reminding us that we're not products of random chance but God's handiwork, created with purpose and destiny. Yet the most demanding aspect of this message isn't about learning techniques to force doors open, but about preparing our character for the opportunities God will bring. The believers in Philadelphia were commended not for their strength or favorable circumstances, but for keeping God's word, remaining loyal to Christ's name, and enduring patiently. As we look ahead with anticipation and perhaps some anxiety about closed doors and uncertain futures, we're called to focus first on Jesus, to cultivate obedience, loyalty, and patient endurance. The promise is clear: what Christ opens, no one can shut, and He knows exactly where we are, how hard we've worked, and how tired we feel.

This powerful message from Matthew 16 challenges us to reconsider what we've been given as the church. When Jesus declared to Peter, 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom,' He wasn't simply handing out symbolic trinkets—He was entrusting His people with genuine authority to unlock the gates of hell and advance His kingdom on earth. The sermon confronts two dangerous extremes we've fallen into throughout history: first, making the church too big by conflating it with worldly power, and second, making it too small by retreating into pietism and surrendering the public square. The truth is that Christ's authority extends over all things—in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones and powers and rulers and authorities. We're called to be more than key collectors who attend services, listen to sermons, and accumulate spiritual knowledge. We're meant to be kingdom operators who use the keys we've been given—the gospel, worship, prayer, discipleship—to storm the gates of hell in every sphere of life. Whether in our marriages, businesses, schools, or governments, we serve as ambassadors of the King whose blood has purchased every inch of this earth. The challenge before us is clear: will we understand our authority and embrace our responsibility to make disciples who obey everything Christ commanded, bringing His reconciling power to a world locked in darkness?

What if the greatest miracle God ever performed wasn't creation or resurrection, but simply helping us understand who He truly is and how deeply He loves us? This week of Down To Earth, Pastor Jack takes us to the heart of Christmas—not just as a celebration of a baby in a manger, but as the ultimate revelation of God Himself. We're confronted with the most controversial yet transformative truth in all of Scripture: 'The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.' This isn't just poetic language; it's the scandalous claim that the eternal, invisible God actually moved into our neighborhood. John insists that we have seen God's glory—not from a distance but up close and personal. Where Moses had to hide in a cleft of rock and could only see the trailing edge of God's glory, we get to see the fullness of that glory in Jesus Christ. The beauty of this revelation is that God's glory isn't just power and majesty—it's goodness, mercy, and compassion. Jesus showed us God's glory by attending peasant weddings, touching lepers, eating with sinners, and forgiving the condemned. He didn't pitch His tent outside the camp like in Moses' day; He moved right into our messy, broken lives. This Christmas message reminds us that we serve a God who doesn't just observe us from heaven but enters our pain, our struggles, and our everyday moments. And from His fullness, we receive grace upon grace upon grace—it never runs out, no matter how many times we dip into it.

What if the greatest miracle of Christmas isn't just that God came to earth, but that He made it possible for us to be completely reborn? In Week 3 of Down To Earth, Pastor Jack reads us John's prologue and takes us beyond the familiar nativity story into the profound reality of the Incarnation—the Word becoming flesh and moving into our neighborhood. We're invited to examine two universal realities that demand our attention: the existence and nature of the universe itself, and the deep complexity of human nature. He reminds us that every atom, every strand of DNA with its three billion letters, every sunrise and sunset happens because Someone spoke it into being. But here's where it gets personal: that same creative Word came down to offer us something we desperately need but cannot manufacture ourselves—a new birth. Not through human effort or willpower, but through the miraculous work of the cross and the Holy Spirit. We're challenged to be honest about why we resist this light. Is it really intellectual objections, or is it that we love our darkness because it allows us to hide? The good news proclaimed here is that no matter how old we are, no matter what's in our background, the possibility of being born again remains. The darkness has not overcome the light, and it never will. This Advent season, we're called to move beyond mere belief to full reception—to open our hearts to the One who holds all things together and offers to make us completely new.

In Week 2 of Down To Earth, Pastor Derrick takes us deep into John chapter 1, verse 5, where we encounter a profound truth: the light shines in darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend or overcome it. We're reminded that from the very beginning of creation, God's first spoken words were 'Let there be light,' establishing that light has always been God's answer to darkness. There's a stunning parallel between Genesis and John, showing us that the same God who spoke creation into existence is the one who stepped into our world as Emmanuel. We're confronted with the reality of spiritual blindness—a condition not of the eyes but of the heart, where people can hear the gospel, read Scripture, and observe God's works yet fail to see their true value. The message powerfully illustrates this through the Apostle Paul's own transformation from Saul, the persecutor, to Paul, the apostle. What makes this particularly relevant to our lives today is the recognition that spiritual blindness isn't just about individual struggles; it's a systemic darkness that has infiltrated education, government, and culture itself. Yet here's the hope: God's light doesn't just shine around us—it shines in us first, transforming our nature, then ahead of us, directing our path, and finally through us, making us beacons in a dark world. This isn't a call to hide our faith behind church walls but to let the light that changed us illuminate every corner of our lives, our workplaces, our communities, and our families.

Welcome to our first week of our Advent series, "Down To Earth". Post Thanksgiving sickness got ahold of Pastor Jack, so Pastor Ben Walls stands in and takes us deep into the opening verses of John's Gospel, where we encounter one of the most profound truths in Scripture: Jesus is the Word made flesh. We're reminded that Jesus wasn't just a teacher or prophet, but God Himself who stepped into human history to become the living picture of the Father. Before Christ, humanity lived in spiritual darkness, striving to keep commandments they could never perfectly fulfill. But when the Light came into the world, everything changed. Now, through the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we don't just hear about Jesus—we carry Him with us everywhere we go. This indwelling presence transforms us from the inside out, whispering guidance when we're about to speak words that tear down rather than build up, giving us strength to choose righteousness over temptation. The grace we've received isn't something we earned or deserved; it's God's unmerited favor freely given to all who believe. We have the right to become children of God simply by receiving Him, and that relationship calls us to represent Jesus authentically in a world that desperately needs to see His light shining through us.

Our last week of Legacy takes us deep into 2 Corinthians 9, where we discover that generosity isn't just about money—it's about mastering a spiritual principle that transforms every area of our lives. The ancient wisdom Paul shares with the Corinthian church reveals a profound truth: we reap what we sow, not just in farming, but in our finances, relationships, and spiritual growth. When we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly; when we sow generously, we reap generously. What makes this teaching so powerful is that it challenges us to let God be our financial advisor, to make decisions not from guilt or compulsion, but from cheerful, confident hearts that trust in God's abundant provision. We're reminded that everything from the seed to the bread comes from God—our ability to earn, to give, and to bless others all flows from His hand. The message calls us to reject the scarcity mentality of a world that hoards and fears, and instead embrace a kingdom culture where wisdom, gratitude, and eternal priorities guide how we use money as a tool for righteousness. The harvest we're building isn't just financial—it's souls saved, lives changed, and a legacy that will echo through generations.

In week four of Legacy, Pastor Jack takes us deep into Matthew 12:43-45. The parable warns us that it's not enough to simply clean house—to remove evil or demons from our lives. What matters most is what fills that space afterward. An empty heart, no matter how swept and orderly, becomes an invitation for something worse to move in. Jesus uses this imagery to illustrate a critical truth: we are designed to worship, and if we refuse to fill our hearts with the true God, we will inevitably fill them with false gods and destructive ideologies. This isn't just about individual spiritual health; it's about entire generations and nations. When a culture removes God from its foundations—from education, science, government, and public life—it doesn't become neutral or secular. Instead, it becomes occupied by new religions dressed in different clothes: materialism, moral relativism, sexual chaos, and political tyranny. The good news is that the Kingdom of God has come, and our King is stronger than any force of darkness. We're called not just to personal piety but to boldly bring the gospel's transforming power into every sphere of life, reclaiming ground for Christ and building a legacy of faith that will bless generations to come.

What if the most powerful force for cultural transformation isn't found in political movements or social revolutions, but in something as simple as yeast in bread dough? This exploration of Matthew 13:33 reveals a stunning truth: the kingdom of God operates like yeast—small, seemingly insignificant, yet absolutely unstoppable once it's introduced into the culture around us. We're reminded that ideas have power, that beliefs shape civilizations, and that the gospel we carry within us is more potent than any ideology the world can manufacture. The imagery is both homey and revolutionary: just as a woman mixing yeast into sixty pounds of flour begins an inevitable process that will transform the entire batch, so too does the gospel work its way through families, communities, and nations. We're challenged to recognize that we aren't called to hide from culture or fearfully protect ourselves from contamination, but rather to confidently enter the mix as carriers of Christ's transforming presence. The call is clear: think big but act small—invite a neighbor to dinner, start a co-op, serve on one board, counsel one person. These seemingly small acts, when infused with kingdom prayer and gospel truth, become the starter for generational transformation. We're not just maintaining a religious subculture; we're baking the character of Christ into every sphere of society, trusting that what seems hidden now will one day be fully revealed.

In Week 2 of Legacy, Pastor Jack invites us into a profound understanding of the Kingdom of God through Jesus' parable in Luke 19. We discover that the gospel is far more expansive than personal salvation alone—it encompasses God's redemptive plan for all of creation. The parable reveals three crucial truths: the culture we're called to develop, the expectations we must manage, and the responsibility we bear as kingdom citizens. We learn that from the very beginning, God declared His creation 'very good' and commissioned humanity to cultivate and develop it. Though sin brought a curse that affected families, work, and all of creation, Jesus came as the seed of redemption to reverse that curse. The nobleman in the parable represents Christ, who has been made King but whose return is delayed, leaving us in an 'already but not yet' reality. During this time, we live in a world that actively resists His rule, yet we've been entrusted with the King's resources to expand His influence. The sobering lesson from the servants teaches us that whatever we don't invest for God is wasted—protection of assets isn't the kingdom mission. We're called to take ground, redeem culture, and build a legacy that will outlast us. This isn't about maintaining buildings or preserving comfort; it's about winning souls, blessing cities, and advancing God's will on earth as it is in heaven. The question we face isn't whether we'll fail in our attempts, but whether we'll fail by never attempting at all.

In week 1 of our Fall Giving Campaign series "Legacy", Pastor Jack confronts us with a fundamental truth drawn from Galatians 6:7-9: we reap what we sow, not just in our individual lives but in the culture we create together. In this sermon we explore how every decision we make today—whether we sow to our flesh or to the Spirit—shapes who we'll become five years from now. We're reminded that culture itself is never neutral; it's either oriented toward God or toward idolatry. The apostle Paul's vivid contrast between the acts of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit becomes a mirror for examining not only our personal character but the trajectory of our entire society. Just as farmers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, don't create a wheat field when they harvest it but when they plant it, we're creating our future—and our children's future—right now through seemingly small choices. If our faith only matters on Sunday mornings, it's become completely irrelevant to the world around us. We're invited to think generationally, to break up unplowed ground in our hearts, and to commit to the long obedience of transforming our communities through the seed of God's Word planted in well-cultivated soil.

In our journey of faith, we often face challenges that test our resolve. In our final week of Elect Exiles, Pastor Mike reminds us of three crucial elements for finishing strong in our faith: release, resistance, and restoration. We're called to cast all our cares upon God, acknowledging His deep love for us. This act of release isn't just about letting go of a few worries, but about entrusting every aspect of our lives to Him. As we navigate this world, we must also be alert and sober-minded, resisting the enemy who seeks to devour us. This spiritual battle requires us to stand firm in our faith, drawing strength from the global community of believers who face similar trials. Finally, we're promised restoration by the God of all grace. Though we may suffer for a while, He Himself will make us strong, firm, and steadfast. This message encourages us to persevere, reminding us that our current struggles are temporary in light of the eternal glory that awaits us in Christ.