from the Christmas Candlelight Service, December 21, 2025 For the past month, we've explored miracle births in Scripture: Abraham and Sarah's Isaac, Manoah's Samson, Hannah's Samuel, and Zechariah and Elizabeth's John the Baptist. Tonight, we arrive at the culmination of them all: Jesus. What's in a Name? Names carry profound meaning. The name we know as "Jesus" comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua, or Joshua, meaning "the Lord delivers." Just as Joshua brought Israel into the prom

Every baby is a miracle, a gift from God. But some stories make it undeniable that God had His hand directly involved. Today, we're looking at one of those stories, a reminder that the same God responsible for all the miracle births in Scripture is still at work in our lives today. What's in a Name? His name was John, which means "God is gracious." Every time someone called his name, they were reminded of the God they served. Every time they yelled at him (because let's be ho

I love the holiday season. Halloween through New Year's is just about my favorite time of year. But it's being ruined. People are taking these holidays and completely trampling over their intended purpose. You might think I'm about to bash the consumeristic society, the greedy mega-corporations, or the materialistic masses who would rather trample over people to get a video game system than observe a day of Thanksgiving and gratitude. You may think that Capitalism or the free

From our Miracle Babies series exploring God's promises wrapped in blankets The Five Finger Game Let's start with a game. Put a finger down if: You've ever felt ignored by everyone, including God You've been hurt by dysfunctional family relationships You've desperately wanted something that never worked out You've tried making a deal with God You've had to give up something precious to you If you have no fingers left, you're in good company. That's exactly what Hannah experie

Part of the "Miracle Babies" series We're continuing our journey through miraculous births in the Bible, and today we're looking at a baby born to a woman who wasn't supposed to have children. Unlike Sarah from last week, this woman isn't even named in Scripture—but I think there's a powerful reason for that beyond simple oversight. The Cycle of Darkness The story of Samson's birth takes place during one of Israel's darkest periods. The book of Judges records a repeating cycl