God Sees Leah Last time we were together we talked about Read that just to get our bearings 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive. 32 Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction;…

Introduction: The Best-Laid Plans Good morning. Welcome to the first Sunday of a new year, 2026. This morning, we are starting a brand new sermon series called Philippians: The Pursuit of Joy . We are going to spend the next several weeks walking through the Book of Philippians, a letter the Apostle…

Welcome Tonight, y’all are invited to rest your weary hearts and rejoice. The waiting is over. The promise is fulfilled. Christ the Lord is born! Let’s pray that the light of His coming fills every dark and tired place in us tonight. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping…

Introduction: The Love That Found Us There’s a reason the last candle we light before Christmas is the candle of Love . Because love is the center of it all — it is the heartbeat of Christmas and the foundation of our salvation. In a weary, wounded world, love often feels conditional. We love those who…

God Sees Leah We just finished the story of Lavan, the uncle, swindling his nephew, Yaaqov, the trickster. The trickster gets tricked in a way that mirrors his own trickstering Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Another example of how the numbering doesn’t always match up with the narrative, but that’s ok. And these…

Introduction This third week of Advent we light the pink candle, the candle of Joy . In the middle of the Advent journey, we pause to remember that joy is not simply a feeling dependent on circumstances—it is a steadfast, soul-deep response to who God is. Even when life feels bleak, even when our hopes…

Deception in the House of Lavan Last week we talked about that amazing dream. Do you wish you had dreams like that? He did say he was terrified. We're not gonna forget about the dream though, 'cause it's gonna come up again as we move forward. he goes from Bethel, which is up in the northern hill country.…

Introduction – When Life Feels Like a Storm Have you ever noticed how life can shift from calm to chaos in a matter of moments? One phone call, one diagnosis, one loss—and suddenly the waves rise, and the winds roar. You thought you were sailing peacefully along, but then a storm hits that you never…

Introduction Today is Thanksgiving Sunday—a time when we pause to remember God’s blessings and to express our gratitude to Him. But gratitude isn’t just a seasonal emotion; it’s a spiritual posture. True thanksgiving flows from recognizing who God is , not just what He gives. Psalm 100 is one of the…

Jacob’s Exile We just finished act one, the first main part of the Yaaqov story. Where we had lots of deceit. Now we are going to follow the deceiver into exile and see where it leads him. The first thing that happens to Yaaqov in his exile is he ends up alone in a field, so he falls asleep, as one does…

Looking Back at the Journey Today we come to the end of Ecclesiastes. Over the past weeks, we’ve walked with Qoheleth—the Teacher—on his quest for meaning. And what a journey it’s been. We began with the declaration: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (1:2). Life under the sun is fleeting, elusive,…

Parting of the Brothers Let's take our third and final step into this first part of the Yaaqov story. You can feel the tension has built to a climactic point here. The double deception. Now Jacob appears to be walking away with the blessing, the deceptive plan that he and his mother worked. But it's…

Introduction Life is short. That’s a truth we can’t escape. If you’re young, life feels long—like you’ve got all the time in the world. If you’re older, you know how fast the years go by. One day you’re full of energy and possibility, and then suddenly you’re looking back wondering where it all went.…

Isaac Blesses Jacob So Yaaqov just walked into the tent with the tasty food that my father loves. 18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.” And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit…

Rebekah’s Plan to Deceive Isaac We just finished walking through This story, and it was the story of how the son of Avraham imitates the deception of his father, Avraham, in deceiving foreign kings, and potentially bringing curse and disaster on the nations instead of blessing. And so remember, in our…

Yitskhaq’s Conflict With Abimelech 15 Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and…

Introduction Ephesians 6:18-20 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the…

Isaac Deceives Abimelech The literary design of this unit has been carefully crafted to invite the reader into a meditation on how the children repeat the story of their parents, and how God’s choice of this family means that God’s justice and mercy will also repeat through the generations. 1 There was…

Introduction Life is full of risk. Every decision you make involves some level of uncertainty. The job you take, the investments you make, the people you trust, the ministry you step into—all of it has a cost. Some of us are risk-takers by nature. Others want to avoid risk at all costs. But here in Ecclesiastes…