We all love a hero. From sports legends like Bo Jackson to movie characters, we're drawn to stories of strength and victory. But every earthly hero eventually reveals their flaws or fades away.

This Christmas season, we're reminded that Israel was waiting in darkness for a different kind of hero—a Mighty God. Not just a human king, but a divine warrior who would fight for them. Isaiah prophesied something extraordinary: the coming Messiah would be both fully human (from David's lineage) and fully divine (Mighty God).

Here's the beautiful truth: Jesus won, and He's working for your good. Right now, between His first and second coming, He sits at the Father's right hand advocating for you. While the enemy accuses and tries to make you tap out—especially during the holidays when everything feels amplified—Jesus is pleading your case.

You might feel alone in the darkness right now. Maybe you're overwhelmed by circumstances, regrets, or losses. But just like the young warrior in the forest who discovered his father had been watching over him all night, you're not alone. Your Mighty God is there, ready to defend you.

In this sermon, discover how hope in Christ transforms our present reality by bringing glimpses of a promised future. Focusing on Isaiah 9:6-7, the speaker highlights Jesus as our "Wonderful Counselor," offering divine guidance amidst life's challenges. Explore the powerful historical context of King Ahaz's fear-driven decisions and contrast it with the faith of Hezekiah, leading to miraculous divine intervention.

Learn how Jesus' teachings emphasize love and heart-level obedience, urging us to trust His supernatural wisdom and presence in our daily lives. As we enter the Advent season, be inspired to invite Jesus into every aspect of your life, reflecting His love and light to those around you. Join us for this compelling message of faith, transformation, and hope.

Courtenay Bowser explored how God meets us in our suffering and transforms us through it. We looked at what it means to truly know the God of hope—not just when life is comfortable, but especially when everything feels like it's falling apart. Her message reminded us that Jesus doesn't stand at a distance judging our pain or disappointment; instead, He gets down in the dirt with us, weeps with us, and holds us through every storm. We learned that suffering, when walked through hand-in-hand with Jesus, doesn't just help us survive—it transforms us into something more beautiful, more powerful, and more intimately connected to Him.

At the heart of this message lies a profound truth that challenges us to our core: we are forgiven so that we might forgive. Drawing from the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, we're reminded that forgiveness isn't just a nice spiritual concept—it's the very foundation of the kingdom breaking into our world. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he emphasized one particular element above all others by immediately circling back to it: the connection between receiving God's forgiveness and extending forgiveness to others.

We've all had those moments where God calls us to do something we really don't want to do. Maybe it's as simple as being kind to that annoying neighbor, or as weighty as forgiving someone who deeply hurt us. But here's the truth we explored this morning: God doesn't call us to obedience because He's controlling – He calls us to obedience because He's loving.

Joseph's story reminds us that transformation isn't instant. He went from being an arrogant, entitled younger brother to the second-in-command of Egypt. But more importantly, his heart changed. When his brothers who betrayed him stood before him decades later, he didn't destroy them. He wept. He forgave. He blessed them.

The choices we make in obedience don't just affect us – they ripple out to everyone around us. When we walk in disobedience, others feel the fallout. But when we choose to follow God's call, even when it's hard, the blessings multiply beyond what we can imagine.

This message invites us into a profound exploration of how God's unconditional love transforms us—not through our striving, but through His grace. Drawing from the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, we're reminded that Jesus didn't demand change before offering relationship; instead, He offered relationship that produced change. The tax collector didn't climb down from that tree because he had made himself worthy, but because Jesus saw something in him that others couldn't see. This is the heart of the gospel: we are laid bare, judged, and then—miraculously—accepted and approved because of Christ's work on the cross. The challenge before us is twofold: first, we must accept this truth about ourselves, replacing the negative soundtracks in our minds with the reality of our identity as image-bearers, temples of the Holy Spirit, and a royal priesthood. Second, we must become agents of this same transformation for others, calling out the 'Dulcinea' in people who only see themselves as 'Aldonza.' When we truly grasp that God's kindness leads to repentance—not our performance earning His love—everything changes. We stop crawling and start flying, empowered by grace to live as the people God created us to be.