New City Church

Showing up is the most important part! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME series with a message about the Magi.Matthew 2:1-2After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”The picture that the Bible paints of the birth of Jesus included a cast of unexpected characters. The nativity scene has a meaning that is worth considering.1) There are no exceptions to God’s exceptional love.Who belongs here at the birth of the Messiah? God invites the most unlikely characters to celebrate his gift of love and life. 2) There is no star that isn’t speaking.The star in the night sky spoke to the Magi in a language they understood. Every good gift that God gives to us is meant to draw our hearts to love and adore the Giver of that gift.3) There is no seed that won’t one day bear fruit.500 years before the birth of Christ, Daniel was named the chief of Babylon’s wise men. The Magi could well have been expecting a king because of the seeds Daniel planted centuries earlier.4) There is no sacrifice that is insignificant.The gifts that the Magi brought were more than expressions of gratitude. They made it possible for the family to escape Herod’s grasp and later return to Nazareth. 2 Corinthians 9:11You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.You have been invited to worship in the presence of Jesus! Merry Christmas!

Luke 1:28-29The angel said to Mary, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 1) Christmas is an answer to the cry of every human heart.Mary thought deeply about what the angelic announcement meant. Even though she had questions, she continued to trust God’s plan.2) Christmas is God’s light breaking in our darkness.There is a simple but significant shift that takes place when God’s goodness and power become the foundation of our decision-making, priorities, hopes and longings. Isaiah 9:2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.Is there any darkness where God’s light won’t reach? Is there any life that his love can’t reach?3) Christmas is a gift to be received.At Christmas God drew near to a people who were beaten down, to a family that was in crisis, to a woman who was powerless. If he did that, the Gospel says, would he not come to you or me, or even the people we dislike and dismiss? Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?

Are you expecting? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME series with a message about Simeon.Luke 2:34-35Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”Simeon is a picture of hopeful expectation, waiting to see God’s rescue and light for all people. What can we learn from his example?1) When you are expecting, it shows.When a woman is expecting, everything about her life and behavior begins to change. The greater the expectation, the more obvious the signs. 2) When you are expecting, it can get uncomfortable.Simeon’s prophetic words about Christ are not all easy to swallow. This child’s claim to authority would expose the hearts of many.3) When you are expecting, something better is coming.All of the discomfort and pain of waiting gives way to the joy of hope’s fulfillment. Romans 8:22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.The groaning that God’s people experience is not a groaning that leads to death, but that will inevitably give way to life and joy!

What does Christmas mean to you? This weekend Pastor Devin Gough kicked off the Christmas season at New City with a message and every family received a custom Advent Kit!Luke 1:12-13When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but what about the Christmas moments that we don’t want to post? The Bible says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were both righteous and disappointed. Their hope to have a child had long since been extinguished.1) God revives hope in the silence.God appeared to Zechariah in the ordinary course of his duties. After so many years of silence, hope was still not lost. The prayers that you have retired still remain on God’s desk!2) God revives hope in the impossible.Be careful not to measure your hope against your circumstances. What you consider to be a limitation might just be God’s launching pad!3) God revives hope for something greater.The angel connects Zechariah’s personal miracle to God’s redemptive plan for the whole world. God is able to bless you in your need, and to make you a blessing!Do you need God to revive your hope this season? The gift of God in this season is the unexpected, undeserved hope that Jesus still brings to everyone who trusts Him!

We do available, God does amazing! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres concluded our DARE TO DREAM series and our church committed to walk in faith and generosity.Acts 3:4-6Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”The very first miracle after the upper-room outpouring was to bless a man who could never have reached the upper room. If Peter and John had never left the building, the lame man would never have received his healing!1) The dream is not for a church building, but for changed lives.The man in the story was close to a magnificent church building, but he remained unchanged. Our dream is not to host church activities, but for multitudes to experience the life-changing grace of God in Christ.2) God gives his people vision for something better.Peter and John were equipped to see something better for the lame man than just begging for help. They knew that Jesus could heal the man, because they had seen him do it with others.3) Your obedience is an answer to someone else’s prayers.In one moment of obedience, Peter and John became the answer to countless days and nights of prayer and searching. God is already preparing us to be an answer to someone else’s prayers.When we are thinking days and dollars, God is thinking nations and generations. That is why we give with faith and generosity, trusting that this is only the beginning of a blessing that will last for generations!