Christ Community Chapel - Hudson Campus

This week we started our new sermon series in The 10 Commandments. We know that might seem weird since our new theme is Love Matters Most, but we also know that the entire Bible, cover to cover, rightly understood about love. We started by learning from Exodus 20:1-3, where the Israelites are commanded to have no other gods besides the Lord. Pastor Joe taught us that when God is at the center of our lives, we are then free to love others and God.

When Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and love our neighbor as ourself… that is a whole lot of love! But let’s be real, it can’t come from ourselves. It is from God through Jesus that we are filled with love beyond measure, and that love means a few things. First, we can know that the bad things that happen to us will be used for good. Second, we know that we can never lose the gift of God’s love. And third, we know that we have hope for the future because the best things are yet to come!

This week, Pastor Zach shared a powerful message about God’s love from Romans 5:6-9. We learned that God’s love for us is not mathematical. He does not love in the way we do, keeping track of who owes us something or who isn’t worth our time. Instead, God loves us at our worst by sending his best, Jesus Christ. Use the link below to learn more!

Joe Coffey | This weekend we continued our series by learning about John 3:16, the most famous verse in the Bible. Whether it's through a sign at a football game or Sunday school as a kid, we've probably all heard this verse. But this weekend Pastor Joe taught us that it's more than just a comforting verse about how much God adores us. In reality, it is a rescue operation. And in reality, God's love should fill you with awe, fear, and wonder.

Joe Coffey | This weekend we kicked off Love Matters Most— our new theme that will carry us through September. From the beginning, people were created and called to love God and love others no matter the cost. But in a culture that often feels more divisive than unified, radical love is no easy task. In 2020, we want this church to be full of people that are marked by love—love for God and love for one another. Our year together will focus on loving others in a way that makes a difference wherever you are, and in a way that continues to make Jesus famous and transform lives. Will you join us?

Join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ our King on Christmas Eve. Christmas is an excellent time to spend time with family, think about the past, and give presents that make our loved ones feel known. But as Christians, we know the most important gift of Christmas is the free gift of Jesus, the one who gave up his heavenly dwelling to live among man and make God known to us. And the best part? It is truly a free gift. Jesus paid the price through his death on a cross, for we could never earn salvation by our own efforts. Jesus has come to make God known to us. And so we celebrate—glory to God in the highest! We are not alone in our weary world; in Jesus we have hope.

This weekend we continued our series by learning how shepherds out in a field heard of the birth of Jesus from a multitude of angels. God chose to use shepherds to spread the word of his son’s birth as they went back to their towns and told everyone what they saw. They couldn’t help but tell others of God’s magnificent glory. If like the shepherds, you’ve been radically changed by God, have you told others of the joy you now have? Go out and proclaim his glory! Or maybe this Christmas you’re still looking for that joy. We invite you to be like the shepherds and look to God. Come and celebrate the birth of Jesus with us!

The grandness and power of God can make him feel distant in a way that we'll never really know what he's thinking. What if we had the chance to stop guessing what God is like? In Christ, we do have that chance. Christmas reminds us not only of how Christ came to live with us but also that God is fully revealed, and fully knowable through Christ if we only make the choice to consider him. 

It's easy to miss the power of Christmas because it's such a familiar, sentimental story. But we want to make sure you don't miss the white-hot core of the holiday. This weekend, Pastor Joe encouraged us to remember that Christmas means the God of the universe came in human flesh as a baby to restore and renew all things that are decaying and being destroyed now. And that is our reason to celebrate!

Christmas time can easily become cluttered with festive music, movies, and traditions-- but what if we also looked at it as a rescue mission? This week Pastor Joe taught us that if you've ever been lost, you've probably asked yourself three things: Does anyone know I'm lost? Does anyone care that I'm lost? And, will anyone come for me? When we think of Christmas, we can think of Jesus on a rescue mission, coming as God in flesh to rescue each one of us. As you go about your normal Christmas traditions, know that you're never too far gone for Jesus to save you. We follow a God who leaves the 99 to rescue one lost sheep.

Pastor Zach defined obedience is trust in action. We saw that our chief issue with God isn’t our performance — it is whether or not we trust God. Trust can be hard, but we know that Jesus already earned God’s trust for us by living, dying, rising from the dead. When we look to Jesus, we can cast our doubts aside and trust that his Word is true. We can then live out that reality in our own lives, live obediently to his Word and making Jesus famous by showing others how God shows up for us. 

Joe Coffey | This week, Pastor Joe taught us how hospitality is a Surprisingly Simple Way to Make Jesus Famous. Through hospitality, we practice seeing people the way others don't, caring for them the way others won't, and sacrificing for them so they can feel known and loved. It can be as simple as playing with the little girl on the playground that others make fun of. Our acts of hospitality mirror the work Jesus did for us, and are practical ways to make his name known.

Zach Weihrauch | This week, Pastor Zach taught us how generosity is a Surprisingly Simple Way to Make Jesus Famous. We learned that because God has shown his love for us by laying down Jesus' life for our behalf, we can trust him to take care of us. God looks out for our security and satisfaction so we don't half to. When we're able to lay those things down, we're able to truly be generous and take care of others. As we find intentional ways to care for others, we can show them God's love and make Jesus famous.

Joe Coffey | Forgiveness is in no way easy, but it’s simple because every day we are given opportunities to offer someone forgiveness. And when we realize how much Jesus has forgiven us, we can no longer hold on to the hurt that has been done to us. Our only choice is to pay the debt ourself, and move forward. Tune in as Pastor Joe teaches on why the story Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) leads us to patience, pity, and release.

Mike Holwerda | This week we learned about how Jesus is greater than any other trend or teaching. Pastor Mike Holwerda showed us how other popular teachings might seem fair, but in reality, they just give us a checklist that we could never keep in order to please God or obtain happiness. We need someone greater, so we look to Jesus. Jesus provided a way for us to be treated with grace, something the world cannot offer us. He checked off every box on the list and laid his life down so that we can receive grace for our past, present, and future sins. If we believe in Jesus, we receive his grace now and forever.

Joe Coffey | The Bible shares stories about many different heroes who had unwavering faith in God—from Abraham to Moses to Rahab and countless others. All of their stories have one thing in common. They acted out of faith because they were sure of the promise to come, the promise of a Savior. The whole Bible points to the hero we have in Jesus, the one who defeated evil and now seated on his throne. This week we learn that Jesus is greater than any hero we can imagine and we can act in faith just like the stories in the Old Testament because we know our hero has already won.

Joe Coffey | This week Pastor Joe taught us why Jesus' death on the cross was greater than any other sacrifice that has been made. His sacrifice tells us how broken we are, how much he loves us, but also how we can receive healing for the things we've done to others and the things done to us. No one can heal us like Jesus. He came to earth, both fully God and fully man, to rescue us and make his name known. We can always look to the cross as a constant reminder of the sacrifice made for us and God's deep love for us. 

Joe Coffey | In the Old Testament, we see high priests making sacrifices for the sins of the people and themselves. It was the system God set up to cleanse the souls of his people. The problem with high priests is that they were still human, meaning they still sinned and would eventually pass away. But then in the New Testament, we see Jesus, our holy, unstained, perfect high priest who will reign forever. He represents us to God, washing us of the filth that clings so closely to our souls, and gives us his righteousness. This exchange means we can boldly approach God, removing our insecurities and giving us courage as we face trials. In Jesus, we have our greater high priest.

Joe Coffey | This week we learned that as humans, we inherently struggle to rest our body and soul. It is difficult to not constantly question, “Am I good enough?” or “Have I done enough?”. Rest doesn’t come naturally because we have a hard time believing that God has and will continue to provide everything we could ever need. But then we look to see Jesus, the one who can sympathize with our weaknesses. The one who has endured more than we could every imagine, and tells us we are his. It is with confidence that we can look to Jesus and receive mercy, finding rest for our weary souls.

Joe Coffey | This week, Pastor Joe taught us why Jesus is greater than Moses. We learned that Jesus is both an apostle and a high priest, making a way to God for us. And nobody, not even Moses, can do what Jesus did by dying on a cross as our sacrificial lamb.