Pastor Eric Schroeder - New Year's Eve - Thursday, December 31, 2020

Text: 1 Peter 1:22-25

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As the story goes, a general returns from a long campaign to celebrate the victory with a parade through the capital city. As the sights of home replace the visions of war, and as the shouts of praise seek to erase the cries of the battlefield, there is a part of him that doesn’t want to forget. As horrifying as it might be to dwell on the staggering loss of life that so recently occurred, he doesn’t want to dishonor the memory of those who fought so bravely and weren’t so fortunate as he to make it home alive. But there is another reason, too. He knows that if there is a next time—and in war there is always a next time—victory is not guaranteed, nor is survival. And so, even as the throngs of people hail him as a conquering hero, assigning him an almost godlike status, he is listening closely to the words being whispered into his ear, by the slave he has ordered to stand right behind him, repeating these words over and over again: “Remember…you are only a man.” 

Pastor Joel Leyrer - New Year's Day - Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Text: Hebrews 13:8

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Dear Friends in Christ, “So, what’s new?” All of us have been on receiving end of this common conversation opener. How do you respond to it? My guess is one of two ways. If there is something truly noteworthy that has taken place in the not-too-distant past or some family milestone that was reached or is being planned for the near future, you’ll mention that.

Pastor Kyle Bitter - New Year's Eve - Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Text: Luke 13:6-9

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Was 2019 a good year or a bad year? The weeks leading up to New Year’s usually seem to be filled with discussion about that question, and as a result you see articles listing the top ten greatest moments in sports, the top ten news stories, and all kinds of similar things looking back and giving opportunity to review the blessings and challenges of the past year. So how was 2019? I suppose that depends on which issues you are most interested in. If you look at things from an economic perspective, it seems that by most measurable numbers 2019 was a pretty good year for most Americans. If you look at things from a political perspective, on the other hand, one might conclude that 2019 was not so great as the partisan bickering and strife seemed to somehow reach still greater levels of discord than in the past! If you like sports, I suppose it depends on how your team of choice did. Was 2019 a good year or a bad year?   

Pastor Eric Schroeder

Text: Numbers 6:22-27

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These words sound familiar.  You have heard these words before (or words awfully close to them) more times than we can count.  We can call them the Aaronic Benediction (named after Moses’ brother Aaron, who is mentioned here) or the priestly blessing (since Aaron was the first in a long line of Jewish High Priests that would come from his line).  Most of the time, we just call it “the blessing.”  Quite often, they are the last spoken words we hear before our worship services end. 

Pastor Kyle Bitter

Text: Isaiah 51:1-6

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Over the last couple of weeks, Time Magazine has been publishing their annual series of “Top 10” lists about 2018 – both good things and bad things.  Among the lists are the top 10 movies, the top 10 sports moments, the top 10 technology gadgets, the top 10 crises, the top 10 dictionary word lookups, and many more.  It’s an annual way of trying to capture a snapshot of the most significant moments in American culture over the past year.  What if you were to do the same thing with your life in 2018?  What kinds of things would make the top 10 highlights of 2018?  Maybe you graduated from school or got promoted at work.  Maybe a child was born.  Maybe you celebrated a milestone birthday or anniversary.  Maybe you formed a new friendship, moved to a new place, or maybe 2018 wasn’t necessarily a year of major milestones, but a year of new memories in the same place with many of the same people.  No matter what it was, 2018 is One More Year of celebration and thanksgiving to God, and that’s why we have gathered here tonight.