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Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
December Sermons 2025
12- 24- Good News
Luke 2: 1-7 Luke 2:8-20
12-28- We Have Seen His Star
Matthew 2:1-6 Matthew 2:7-12
January Sermons 2026
1-4 - The Sacrifice
Numbers 29: 1-2 1 Corinthians 10:13
1-11 - The Delusion
Ezekiel 14: 6-9 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1-18 - The Hardening of the Heart
Ezekiel 11: 17-21 Matthew 13:15
1-25 - The Power of the Holy Spirit
Isaiah 44: 1-3 Galatians 5: 16-17
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on When Life is Hard
LIFE IS HARD. Children wander. Diagnoses come. Relationships end. People die. Hearts break. Tears fall. LIFE IS HARD.
We see it in the account of Jesus’ birth. Mary, who was very pregnant, and Joseph made the three-day, 60-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Ladies, do you think she rode a donkey? Probably not. She either walked or rode in an oxcart pulled by a donkey or her husband. The first fifty miles were downhill, but the last ten weren’t—climbing over 4000 feet from the Dead Sea up to the town of Bethlehem. The trip was exhausting.
We know from Sunday school that there was no room for them. Jesus was born into a cold and cruel world that didn’t have room for Him—so a stable sufficed. When Jesus was born:
“She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:6b)
Mary and Joseph were part of the conquered and subject people of the Roman Empire. They traveled to Bethlehem to register to pay more taxes—which paid for Roman protection, cities, temples, and roads—while the Roman Empire imposed its way of life on all they conquered. Add to that their financial status—living at or below the poverty line—and knowing they'd have to pay a tax (determined by the tax collector) the moment they were counted or be sold into slavery. It’s hard to dream when you’re oppressed and poor. It’s hard to dream when you’re oppressed. Mary and Joseph knew LIFE IS HARD.
In the midst of hardship, God gave the world his indescribable gift—born through the faithful obedience of Mary and Joseph.
Some of you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders—you know LIFE IS HARD. If that describes you, let me remind you Jesus came for real people—just like you—with hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, challenges and opportunities, successes, and failures.
Be encouraged. Because as they acted in faith, God showed His favor on Mary and Joseph. He provided what they needed, protected them from threats, and promised them they were involved in something bigger than they ever imagined.
That’s the testimony of people of faith and obedience like Mary and Joseph: LIFE IS HARD, but GOD IS GOOD. When we choose to lean into Jesus and embrace faith, God's love does miraculous things.
LIFE IS HARD, but GOD IS GOOD, my friends!