New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

Happy New Year!

Is resolution making (and keeping) a part of your New Year’s routine? Many are frustrated by how rarely resolutions stick.  Today, we will look at both the reason change is important and the needed

foundation for changes that will last.

We find woven into the Christmas story some very mysterious characters, the Magi.  Who they are, where they were from, and exactly how they knew to come, are not very clear. Yet, these outsiders in search of the “new born king of the Jews” play an important role in the story and leave us an inescapable message to hold onto this new year. 

The Shepherds play a critical role in the Christmas story. Unlike the innkeeper who had no room, they respond to the Angel’s announcement of the birth of Jesus by putting everything else aside. They had

been doing their thing, minding their own business, just getting through the night, when the routine was interrupted and they were changed. How about you? How do you respond when expectations/ routines are disrupted? When God seeks our attention, can we learn to be attentive to His voice?

When Mary and Joseph arrived at a crowded and busy Bethlehem to register for the census, they found no room available for them to give birth to the baby Jesus (Luke 2:7). As we approach Christmas, we also find our lives/world are full and busy, with little room for the gifts of Christmas offered to us.  So, what is Christmas at its core?   What should be our most important take-away?  What are we invited to make room for that will truly change the world for us? It is simply Jesus.

When Mary and Joseph arrived at a crowded and busy Bethlehem to register for the census, they found no room available for them to give birth to the baby Jesus (Luke 2:7). As we approach Christmas, we also find our lives/world are full and busy, with little room for the gifts of Christmas offered to us. In the “Song of Mary” we see how the joy of God’s gift and His presence can transcend our difficult circumstances, giving us new

confidence to live more fully for Him.

When Mary and Joseph arrived at a crowded and busy Bethlehem to register for the census, they found no room available for them to give birth to the baby Jesus (Luke 2:7). As we approach Christmas, we also find our lives/world are full and busy, with little room for the gifts of Christmas offered to us. This week let’s press the pause button on the growing pre–Christmas pressure.  Returning to the 1st chapter of Luke, let us discover the path to peace in the midst of chaos.

When Mary and Joseph arrived at a crowded and busy Bethlehem to register for the census, they found no room available for them to give birth to the baby Jesus (Luke 2:7). As we approach Christmas, we also find our lives/world are full and busy, with little room for the gifts of Christmas offered to us. Over the course of this next 4 weeks, we’ll seek to better “make room” for Him and all He has to offer us. Today we begin with

the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth as they struggled with and found blessing in the unexpected.

Welcome Chaplain David & Alia Martinez!

Chaplain Martinez has been ministering with the Merced County Jail Ministry since 2023. He shares“One of the Blessings is to see first hand the transformation of the men as they turn to Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill their lives”.

Merced County Jail Ministry

“Transforming Lives from Jail to Jesus”

The world is dark, and our present circumstances can be hard, so how can we

shine like stars in the night sky? As we wrap up the letter to the Philippians today (and conclude the series), Paul reveals the “secret ingredient” for a life that exudes the light of Jesus shining through us.

There are a couple of facts that are unavoidable: #1 Life is filled with uncertainties and #2 uncertainty can cause anxiety. The world’s response to anxiety is to pursue certainty, but because of fact #1, those attempts will ultimately fail. Paul offers a different path in the fourth chapter of Philippians, one that will in fact lead to peace.