Cheryl Stewart

I’m a sap when it comes to Christmas music. One of my favorite CDs is an Amy Grant Christmas album. I don’t know why, but I enjoy some of the more melancholy tunes—like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Maybe it taps into the melancholy side of my personality. But when I think about it, many of those tunes are full of longing—longing for a better future, for a better life. But the world’s basis for that hope is really hope in hope. Even in some of the more positive, secular Christmas tunes like “A Christmas to Remember,” the hope of Christmas seems to center around the traditions of this season—the lights, the sounds, time with friends and family. But those secular tunes are in stark contrast to Christian Christmas music and carols. As believers, we have a hope that is certain because our hope is anchored in Christ and His faithfulness to fulfill His promises. But what are those promises that give us lasting hope? Join us this Saturday, December 12th, as we hear part 2 in our Christmas series on The Hope of Christmas!

The final sermon in our series on I Corinthians.

I became a Christian in the early 70’s during the charismatic Jesus movement. In some ways those times were exciting —seeing and hearing about God working in supernatural ways. But those days were also confusing times, particularly when it came to the spiritual gifts of tongues, prophecy, and healing. In retrospect, there tended to be an overemphasis on those gifts without balanced Biblical teaching. Unfortunately, this unhealthy preoccupation and practice resulted in division and church splits. Today, we seem to have the opposite problem. Thankfully we don’t see as much tension and division regarding these gifts. But perhaps it is because we have relegated these gifts to either the first century and/or to only certain church denominations. So how should these gifts like tongues and prophecy operate today? What is their purpose? Can anyone speak in tongues and/or prophesy? How were they meant to operate in a church? And how can we maintain a Biblical balance as we exercise these gifts? Join us this Saturday as we address these issues

In I Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul is going to make the case that it has everything to do with it. But this is not just any kind of love we're talking about; it is God's agape love. In the New Testament, "agape love" refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God (which extends to the love of one's fellow man). How should that be playing out in our lives today? Join us this Saturday at 5 pm to find out as we hear part 14 in our series on I Corinthians.

Routines can be helpful. I have a morning routine: I get up, shave, wash my face, brush my teeth, get dressed, and then go downstairs to make my oatmeal in the microwave (btw– I am not a fan of oatmeal, but I eat because Ollie tells me it’s good for my health!). But the downside of routines is that we can go through them without thinking about them. I remember when I was on staff at VCG, I was in such a habit of driving to the church that it felt like I was on autopilot. In fact, one day I was running errands in a different direction, only to find I myself headed to the church. I made the correction but a few minutes later, I find myself driving again to the church! Unfortunately, when it comes to celebrating the Lord’s Supper, we can do the same thing. We can go through communion on autopilot without really thinking about why we do it. So why do we celebrate communion? And how should we approach this God-ordained practice? Let talk about it this Saturday afternoon as we hear Part 13 in our series on I Corinthians!

Idols in Disguise Years ago when Ollie and I were single, we went on a summer missions project to Thailand. Most of the Thai people were either Buddhists, animists, or a combination of both. So it was very common to see spirit houses in people’s yards. These structures looked similar to elaborate birdhouses perched on a pole. Each one had a flat area to place flowers and/or fruit as offerings to the spirits in return for either the favor and protection of some or the appeasement of others. In addition, Buddhist temples were also very common. Many of them housed mammoth statues of Buddha where the Thai would do homage and pray to him. I remember thinking how unusual it was to see people worshiping idols. It seemed so strange and foreign. We don’t think idolatry is all that common here in America. But the reality is that idolatry is practiced here just as regularly as in Thailand; it just looks much different. Our idolatry is much more subtle, but just as dangerous. So what does that idolatry look like & what should we do about it? Join us for Part 12 in our series on I Corinthians.

Special Message from guest speaker Dr. David Seiver

Part 11 in our study of I Corinthians. Today we are looking at I Corinthians 9.

I Corinthians 8