The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2019 - Lighting the Candle of Love

In the sermon given on Sunday, December 22, 2019, I took a bit of a different approach and consideration on the 'Love' of Christ.  This was a sermon that received a great deal of positive accolades afterward. It was a sermon that brought the love of God into our modern circumstances... well, at least it attempted to.

Please take a listen and God bless you... also...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Love,
Roy

Matthew 1:18-25 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

John 3:16-17 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Christmas Service and the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Once again, I apologize for not getting the videos of the sermons up on a perfectly timely manner.  I've attached three videos this week, the first is of Creath performing for us here at Woodlawn Christian on Christmas morning, the second is the video of my sermon from Christmas morning, and the third is the final sermon in Advent given on December 18th.

We are closing fast on the final day of 2016, and we look ahead to what the new year has in store for us with a good deal of excitement and anticipation.  2017 has such great potential and it's honestly up to us to make sure and to allow it to live up to it's fullest.  Let us be prayerfully engaged with not only our Church, and our community, but to also be fully engaged with our own lives.  Let us seek to find ways to improve ourselves, no matter if that may be taking a class of some form, starting an exercise program, improving our diets, resolving to read more books, or just resolving to read the Bible each day.  The greatest investment we have is ourselves and the more valuable we can make ourselves the more valuable our involvement can be in our Church, our community, our world, and our families lives.

I love the simple saying "do something today that your future self will thank you for".  It's a simple saying but a wonderful one none-the-less, make yourself just a tiny bit better today than you were yesterday... and remember to... be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,

Pastor Roy

Creath Karlen, playing "Coventry Carol" at Woodlawn Christian on Christmas Morning.

Sermon given by Pastor Roy Karlen, Christmas Morning 2016, The Prologue of John.

Sermon given on December 18th, 2016.  The Fourth Sunday of Advent "Love".