Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

God Is With Us (Lyle Mook)

This morning, Pastor Emeritus Lyle Mook invites us to consider the implications of the Incarnation - a word that describes the way that Jesus was a living, breathing person just as much as He is fully and completely God. In Jesus, the ultimate saving power that belongs to God alone comes to us as a gift. It is because of the incredible generosity and grace of God that we are able to become children of God by faith! But it is equally profound that the God show us this grace by understanding and experiencing firsthand the vulnerability and suffering that we experience.

When Rebuilding Doesn’t Work (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia and Steven Byler)

In our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, we're wrapping up the first half of story today, as Pastor Cheryl co-preaches with Steven Byler. As we prepare for the turn into the New Testament, we are reminded all that we've talked about in the Old Testament.
This week also marks the first week of Advent, where we remember the coming of Christ, and his promised return! The 400-years of silence provided opportunity after opportunity for the people to forget about the God who loved them (and his promises), but somehow in the waiting, God was still setting the scene for the arrival of the one who would change everything.

God’s Kingdom and His Will (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

We're continuing our year-long look at the whole story of scripture as we arrive at our focus on the Temple in the Old Testament. Leaders like Ezra, Nehemiah and Zechariah were around during the time where the temple was rebuilt (remember: it had been destroyed when Israel was exiled), and scripture recounts the shared work of restoring what had been destroyed. But, as Pastor Cheryl highlights for us today, there may have been some hopes in the restoration that weren't exactly rooted in the promises that God had made to his people. What, then, can we learn from this rebuilding about how to understand God's hopes and plans? (Hint ... Jesus tried to help us when he started talking about the kingdom of God.)

Hopeless to Resurrection (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

As we continue our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, Pastor Cheryl helps us focus on the Exile - the period where God's presence had left the temple that Solomon has constructed, and the nation of Israel was scattered. During this period, it looked as though the promises of God had come to their end. But, we must remember that this isn't the end of the story! in the same way that Ezekiel saw the Valley of Dry Bones - through eyes of faith - Pastor Cheryl invites us to see how God continues to do the restorative, resurrecting work through the Spirit in our lives today that mirrors the miracle of the bones in the valley.

Listen to the Prophets (Lyle Mook)

As we continue our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, Lyle Mook helps us understand the role and nature of prophets in the Old Testament -- individuals like Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah. For Israel, their job was to speak God's heart on God's behalf. But, they all pointed to something (or someone!) greater that was to come!

Divided Kingdom, Divided Heart (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

As we continue our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, we come to the era where Israel was divided into 2 kingdoms - the Northern Kingdom (representing ten of the tribes of Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (representing the remaining two, which God declared would be the "remnant" he would keep for himself in order to remain faithful to his promises). As scripture recalls how the people fared under each king, we read about how the people more-often-than-not did evil in the eyes of the Lord. In today's sermon, Pastor Cheryl helps us understand what was at the root of their disobedience, and invites us to consider how we might be falling for the same trap today.

The King We Want and the King We Reject (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

With this sermon, we launch into the next part of our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, as our focus shifts away from the law that was given to God’s people at Sinai. When the people of Israel demand a king (like all of the nations around them), God chooses to allows it, recognizing something about their motives. And so, through the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon, we see what happens as Israel places their hope of salvation from their enemies into the hands of an earthly king. (And, we see a bit about how these stories ultimately point us to a very different King …)

The Law: People of the Book (Lyle Mook)

This morning, as we continue our year-long look at the whole story of scripture, Lyle Mook invites us to be "People of the Word" who recognize and understand the importance of allowing the scriptures to form us. With that encouragement, though, comes an important reminder about the role of the law: it cannot in itself make us good. And so, we must instead allow the scripture to point us to the One who is truly good.

Sinai: It’s All In a Name (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

If God were trying to get your attention, what would it take for you to notice? For Moses, God got his attention through a mysterious burning bush. And once God had his attention, what did God show to Moses? Even before he called Moses to the miraculous work of deliverance that would lead God's people through the Red Sea, God wanted Moses to know who he was: the God if his father and forefathers. As Pastor Cheryl continues our year-long series about the whole story of scripture, she invites us to look at the things in our lives that may be drawing our attention away from what God wants to show us.

Abraham and Isaac: Where Loyalties are Tested (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

Time and time again, God shows that he is faithful. And because He is faithful, we are able to believe in the promises that He makes. But, it is important to remember that God's promises are always part of His covenant -- that He will be their God. In our story today from Genesis 22, God asks for Abraham's trust by commanding Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac. And as the story plays out, we come to learn that God was testing Abraham's loyalty to him (and, we come to learn that God is the one who provides for what he requires). In today's message, Pastor Cheryl encourages us to identify our own loyalties to try to understand where we may be placing our trust in something other than God.