Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

Where Would We Be Without Jesus (Ken Bell)

Inviting us to remember much of our Old Testament focus from the fall, Ken Bell invites us to consider the portions of the Bible that would lose their truest meaning were it not for Jesus. In the same vein, we are invited to consider what it means for us to live in the midst of God's ongoing work - and to be active participants in his mission.

God With Us, Here and Now - Christmas Eve (Pastor Cheryl)

As we celebrate Christmas, Pastor Cheryl encourages us to see the contrast in the reward-bases systems of culture and the gracious gift that Jesus Christ offers - himself. In exploring the nativity through the lens of what it redefines for us, we find the way to embody mercy, justice, and sacrificial love in our daily lives.

God on the Move (Ryan Lospaluto)

In modern times, we often have a hard time waiting for the next episode of a show to premiere, or in traffic that's delaying us from getting where we want to go. But, for Israel, as they waited for the messiah, this period of waiting lasted for generations! The people who had heard the promises of God spoken directly from the prophets had long passed away. And yet, the wise men arrived to worship Jesus at his birth having anticipated that God would still deliver on his promises. In this morning's sermon, part of our Advent series, Ryan Lospaluto shares about a vision given to the prophet Ezekiel, inviting us to consider the ways that God remains with us in our waiting.

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 …)