EFMC SUNDAYS

This sermon invites listeners to look at the familiar Christmas story and the gospel with “fresh eyes,” like seeing an old fork as a new “dinglehopper,” by focusing on Paul’s introduction in Romans 1 and the true meaning of the gospel as good news, not good advice. It emphasizes that Christianity is centered on what God has already done in Jesus Christ—through his life, death, and resurrection—rather than on human effort or moral improvement. Paul proclaims that both Jews and Gentiles are called to belong to Jesus, receiving a new status as God’s loved and holy people through faith. Righteousness, the sermon explains, is not something we achieve but a title given to believers because of Christ’s righteousness, with obedience flowing naturally from faith as allegiance and loyalty to King Jesus. Ultimately, the message points from the manger to the cross, declaring that Jesus has changed God’s regard toward humanity, justifying believers by faith, assuring salvation, and calling all people to believe, belong, and live transformed lives in response to this joyful good news.

Pastor Peter Hough, guest preacher Pastor, The Alton Mission Luke 1:46b-55

Matthew 3:1-12 This sermon explores the deep longing and anticipation of Advent by connecting Israel’s centuries-long cry for deliverance with John the Baptist’s prophetic announcement that the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near in the person of Jesus. While Israel had drifted far from God—trading true devotion for religious posturing, political power, and spiritual insincerity—John calls them to genuine repentance: a heartfelt change of mind that leads to a transformed life empowered by the Holy Spirit. The sermon challenges modern believers to examine where we too may resemble the Pharisees and Sadducees, using God’s name without honoring His heart, and invites us to embrace Advent as a season of honest confession, renewed dependence on God, and anticipation of Christ’s return.

This sermon steps into Mark 5 and the story of a man living among the tombs—isolated, out of control, and beyond human help. His life is what it looks like when sin and spiritual bondage run their full course: cut off from people, surrounded by death, and no longer ruling his desires, but ruled by them. We’ll connect that picture to how sexual sin works in our lives and marriages today: it starts small, feels manageable, but slowly steals our peace, hardens our hearts, and rewrites who we believe we are. But the center of this message is not the man’s brokenness; it is Jesus’ mercy. We’ll see how Christ crosses into “unclean” territory, confronts what no one else can tame, exposes the powers bent on destruction, and frees this man completely—clothed, in his right mind, and sent home with a testimony. From there, we’ll talk about what real freedom looks like for us: naming the desires that have been running the show, surrendering them to Christ instead of managing them in the dark, and learning to walk in a new identity as people He has set free and sent out to tell what He has done. The message invites us to be honest about our own “tombs,” to surrender what we can’t fix on our own, and to receive the same freeing, restoring grace that then sends us out to tell others what the Lord has done for us.

Pastor Chris Smith Colossians 3:5-17 This sermon, *The ABC’s of LGB*, addresses how the church should hold to its historic, biblical conviction that sexual intimacy belongs only within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, while also acknowledging the deeply damaging perception that Christians are unloving or hostile toward LGBTQ people. After reviewing key Scriptures, church teaching, and cultural data, the message emphasizes that homosexual behavior—like many other sins—is a symptom of humanity’s fallen state, not a uniquely weighted offense. The heart of the sermon calls believers to respond not with contempt but with Christlike compassion, humility, and hospitality, recognizing the image of God in every person and our need for salvation. Highlighting Colossians 3, Pastor Chris urges the church to create genuine community, offer belonging, and walk with LGB neighbors in love and truth, trusting the Holy Spirit to transform lives. Ultimately, the church’s mission is to welcome, disciple, and love people as Jesus did, so that all may encounter the new life He offers.