Pastor Prince

Can we ever change?  Are we fated to always be as we are, with no chance of development in faith and character? We can. But it isn't easy.  The scriptures have great examples, and in our "Comeback" worship unit, we're going to see what we can learn from them. Jacob is our first example.  He was always trying to gain an advantage over someone.  Even before birth.  He struggled in his mother's womb with his brother Esau to see who would be born first, gaining their father's birthright and blessing!  (Genesis 25:24-28).   Esau emerged first, but right behind him was Jacob, holding on to his heel.  That's where he got his name.  Jacob means "he grabs your heel."  It had a double meaning because in those days, a person who grabbed your heel was someone who tried to take advantage of you, to trip you up!  Jacob lived up to his name. First, he took advantage of his brother and got his birthright (Gen. 25:29-34).  Then, he and his moth

What are you afraid of?  Each of us has our own set of fears!  The scriptures talk about fear often.  One of those times involved a prophecy about the Messiah. In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz and all his officials are terrified!  Two nations were marching against them, and they were more than capable of destroying them. In that time, a message for Ahaz came to the prophet Isaiah.  The message was that he wasn't to be afraid.  God was going to deal with the nations marching against him. Isaiah said God wanted Ahaz to name a sign that his words were true.  When Ahaz refused, the prophet said the Lord would choose a sign himself.  A young woman would become pregnant and bear a son.  She would name the son Immanuel, which means "God with us."  Before that son grew to know right from wrong, the kings and nations Ahaz feared would be only a memory! Centuries later, Matthew 1 records that a young man was upset and fearful.  His name was Joseph.  He was betrothed to a

Christmas is supposed to be a happy time!  At least that what our cultural Christmas says!  It's supposed to be all about silver bells, shopping, and stuffing our bellies with goodies! But for many people, it isn't! For them, it's a time of sorrow.  They're grieving.  Some grieve the loss of loved ones.  Others grieve the loss of work, or the loss of community, or the breakup of a marriage, or alienation from friends or family.  Still others grieve the violence and injustice in our world. We seem to be light years away from peace on earth! But one of the great themes of the scriptural presentation of Jesus' birth is joy in sorrow. Isaiah 35 records a message God sent his sorrowful people.  They were in exile in Babylonia.  They were sorrowful because they were away from their homeland in a strange place with no hope of returning home. But in Isaiah 35, the prophet says God is going to bring them home in a joyful procession through the wilderness.  Joy a

Is there anything worse than feeling hopeless?  That things are bad and are going to be worse? That was the way many Israelites felt in Isaiah's time.  The army of the fierce Assyrian Empire was on their doorstep, ready to conquer them at any time.  Their leaders were weak and inept. Isaiah 11:1ff records that in that hopeless time, the Lord gave a message to the prophet.  The message was that a new branch would grow out of trunk of King David's tree.  God would endow that king with his Spirit, giving him the power to rule wisely and justly.  In this king's time, God would transform humanity, changing people from the inside out.  They would change because they would experience God in their hearts! Luke 1:26ff records that in an equally hopeless time, the angel Gabriel went to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.  He told her that she would bear a son through God's Spirit. This son would sit on David's throne and rule over a kingdom t