Category Archives: Spiritual Disciplines

Songs for Sunday, December 14, 2025 @ Christ Community Church (Advent Week 3)

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming — and that’s reason to rejoice!

As we move deeper into the Advent season, this week joy is our focus. This joy was first announced by the angels on the night of Jesus’s birth as “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). From the beginning, Christmas joy has never been about circumstances — it has always been about the Savior.

The book of Hebrews helps us see just how deep that joy runs. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 to fix our eyes on Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Advent joy is rooted in the finished work of Jesus — the King who came, suffered, and now reigns. It’s a joy that is stead and secure because it rests on what Jesus has already accomplished.

Earlier today, our pastor, John Goldwater, shared his excitement about preaching this Sunday and encouraged us to read Hebrews 10:1-18 to prepare our hearts. That passage reminds us that Jesus is the true and final sacrifice — the King whose once-for-all offering truly cleanses us and brings us near to God. So, let’s read it and meditate on it, preparing our hearts to gather and worship JESUS:

1For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
5Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’”
8Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
15But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

This sort of preparation gets at the heart of these “Songs for Sunday” posts. We share them to help Christ Community folks prepare — to read the Scriptures ahead of time, to become familiar with the songs we’ll sing, and to come ready to worship together. Lord willing, we’ll gather as a people prepared — full of joy, fixed on Christ, and eager to make much of Jesus the King, the One who has come and who is coming again!

We’d love for you to gather with us this Sunday at Christ Community as we sing, read God’s Word, hear God’s Word opened in preaching, and rejoice together in Jesus.

Won’t you come?

Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:

  • Advent Reading | Joy —

The candle of joy reminds us of the angels’ announcement of “good news of great joy” at Jesus’s birth (Luke 2:10), and we see in Hebrews that the fullness of that joy is found in Jesus. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 to fix our eyes on Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”, and who is now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God”. The joy of Christmas is rooted in the finished work of Jesus, the God who saves.
In a world of temporary happiness and shifting circumstances, the joy found in Jesus is steady and secure. His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection inspire and instill a joy that no situation can take away. As this candle shines, let us turn our eyes from things that fade and fix our eyes on Jesus and find joy in His salvation.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

NT260 | Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission

This phase will have us reading about Jesus’s life in the gospel of Luke, the formation of the Church in Acts, and walk through the theology found in Paul’s letters that the Church needs to know about and live out the eternal life given by grace through faith in Jesus.

Below, you’ll find brief synopses of each book in this phase to help you understand the scope of the book and most importantly, how it fits into the full Story of the Bible.

When you click on each day’s link, you will find a link to audio, a summary of the chapter, a key verse from the chapter, and opportunities for reflection and outreach.

We’re moving into Paul’s epistles, which we’ll go through chronologically rather than in the order they appear in our Bibles.

2 Corinthians

Paul writes 2 Corinthians after a painful season with the church in Corinth. Some had challenged his integrity and authority, and the church was divided. When Titus brought news that many had repented, Paul responded with this deeply personal letter (2 Corinthians 7:5–16). He defends his ministry not by boasting in strength but by pointing to his suffering and God’s comfort: “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” meets us in affliction so we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3–7). Paul explains that his trials don’t disprove his calling—they display Christ’s life in a fragile jar of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7–12, 12:9–10).

The letter moves through pastoral appeals and rich teaching. Paul announces the glory of the new covenant, where the Spirit gives life and transforms believers into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:6, 17–18). He proclaims reconciliation: in Christ, God makes us new and entrusts to us the message of reconciliation—“be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). He urges holiness and wholehearted devotion to the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1), calls the church to forgive and restore the repentant (2 Corinthians 2:5–8), and encourages generous giving for the saints in need (2 Corinthians 8–9). In the closing chapters, he confronts false apostles and “boasts” in his weaknesses so that Christ’s power might be seen (2 Corinthians 11:23–30, 12:9).

In the story of salvation, 2 Corinthians shows how God’s strength shines through human weakness. The crucified and risen Christ brings a new creation, writes His law on our hearts by the Spirit, and sends us as ambassadors of His grace (2 Corinthians 3:3, 5:17–20). Until we stand before Christ’s judgment seat, we live by faith—not by sight—seeking to please Him, comfort His people, and spread the aroma of His gospel in the world (2 Corinthians 5:7–10, 2:14–17).

Romans

Paul wrote Romans around A.D. 57 while he was in Corinth, near the end of his third missionary journey (Romans 16:1–2, 23; Acts 20:2–3). He addressed the letter to believers in Rome—a church he had not yet visited but deeply desired to see (Romans 1:10–13). The Roman church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, and tensions had developed over how God’s law, faith, and daily Christian living fit together (Romans 14:1–15:7). Paul wrote to explain the gospel clearly, to unite the church around that gospel, and to prepare them to partner with him in future mission work, especially his planned journey to Spain (Romans 15:22–24).

At the heart of Romans is the gospel—the good news that God’s righteousness is revealed through Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16–17). Paul shows that all people, without exception, are sinners in need of salvation—both Jews under the law and Gentiles without it (Romans 1:18–3:20). No one is made right with God by works; instead, sinners are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone (Romans 3:21–26, 4:16). Using Abraham as an example, Paul explains that God’s promise has always been received by faith, not earned by obedience (Romans 4:1–5, 23–25). Jesus’s death and resurrection stand at the very center of God’s saving plan (Romans 5:6–11).

Romans also explains what the gospel accomplishes in the life of the believer. Those who are united to Christ are no longer slaves to sin but are given new life through the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:4–14, 8:1–11). Believers now live with peace with God, assurance of salvation, and a certain hope of future glory—even in suffering (Romans 5:1–5, 8:18–39). Paul addresses the difficult question of Israel’s place in God’s plan, showing that God is faithful to His promises and sovereign in salvation, working all things according to His mercy and wisdom (Romans 9–11).

In the story of salvation, Romans shows how God’s Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Jesus and how the gospel creates one new people—Jew and Gentile together—united by faith (Genesis 12:3, Romans 15:8–13). This gospel does not merely save; it transforms. Because of God’s mercy, believers are called to live holy lives marked by humility, love, service, and hope (Romans 12:1–2, 13:8–10). Romans helps us understand both what the gospel is and how to live it out, all for the glory of God among the nations (Romans 11:33–36, 15:5–6).

  • December 20 — Romans 1
  • December 21 — Romans 2
  • December 22 — Romans 3
  • December 23 — Romans 4
  • December 24 — Romans 5
  • December 25 — Romans 6
  • December 26 — Romans 7
  • December 27 — Romans 8
  • December 28 — Romans 9
  • December 29 — Romans 10
  • December 30 — Romans 11
  • December 31 — Romans 12
  • January 1 — Romans 13
  • January 2 — Romans 14
  • January 3 — Romans 15
  • January 4 — Romans 16

Continue reading in our NT260 plan with the fourth part of Phase 2 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

2 Corinthians 5 on 12/11 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for 2 Corinthians 5 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul looks honestly at life, death, and eternity. Our bodies are like fragile “tents” that will one day be taken down, but believers have the sure promise of a permanent, resurrection “building from God” that is eternal and secure (vv. 1–4). Because God has given us the Spirit as a guarantee, we can be confident—even as we groan in weakness now—that to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord (vv. 5–8). This future hope shapes our present purpose: whether we are here or with Him, our aim is to please Christ, knowing that we will all appear before His judgment seat to receive what is due for what we have done, whether good or evil (vv. 9–10).

This leads straight into Paul’s description of the gospel and our mission. The “fear of the Lord” and the love of Christ together drive him to serve and persuade others (vv. 11, 14). Because Christ died and was raised, those who belong to Him no longer live for themselves but for Him (vv. 14–15). In Christ, we are a new creation—the old has passed away and the new has come (v. 17). God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and entrusted to us the ministry and message of reconciliation, so that we now serve as ambassadors for Christ, pleading with the world: “Be reconciled to God” (vv. 18–20). At the heart of this message is the staggering truth that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (v. 21).

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you feel the “groaning” of life in your earthly tent right now (vv. 2–4)? Bring that place honestly to Jesus, and ask Him to help you live today with two things in view: the aim of pleasing Him (v. 9) and the privilege of representing Him as His reconciled, new-creation ambassador (vv. 17–20).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Initiate one gospel-shaped conversation this week—share with someone (briefly and in your own words) what it means that God is reconciling sinners to Himself through Christ, and use 2 Corinthians 5:21 as the verse that anchors what you say.

Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

2 Corinthians 4 on 12/10 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for 2 Corinthians 4 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul explains why he does not lose heart in ministry: God has given him the mercy of serving the new covenant, so he refuses to twist or dilute God’s Word to please people, but sets the truth out plainly before God and others (vv. 1–2). If the gospel seems “veiled,” it is because unbelievers are blinded by “the god of this world” and cannot see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (vv. 3–4). Paul doesn’t preach himself, but “Jesus Christ as Lord,” and himself as the Corinthians’ servant for Jesus’ sake (v. 5). The same God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in believers’ hearts to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (v. 6).

This glorious gospel is a treasure carried in “jars of clay”—weak, ordinary people—so that it is clear the power belongs to God and not to us (v. 7). Paul is “afflicted … but not crushed,” “perplexed, but not driven to despair,” continually carrying in his body the death of Jesus so that Jesus’ life may also be seen in him (vv. 8–11). He believes and therefore speaks, knowing that the God who raised Jesus will also raise him and present him with the Corinthians (vv. 13–14). So he still does not lose heart: even though his “outer self” is wasting away, his “inner self” is being renewed every day (v. 16). Present troubles are “light” and “momentary” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” God is preparing, so believers fix their eyes not on what is seen and temporary, but on what is unseen and eternal (vv. 17–18).

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you most feel like a “jar of clay” right now—fragile, tired, or limited (vv. 7–9, 16)? Instead of seeing those weaknesses as proof that God is far away, ask Him to help you see them as places where His resurrection power can shine through, teaching you to look beyond what is seen today to the unseen glory He is preparing (vv. 14, 17–18).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Share a brief word of hope with someone who is discouraged—maybe a text, call, or quick conversation—reminding them that present troubles are “momentary” compared to the eternal glory in Christ, and include 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 to point them to what is unseen and lasting.

Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

2 Corinthians 3 on 12/9 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for 2 Corinthians 3 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul pushes back against the idea that he needs letters of recommendation by pointing to the Corinthians themselves—their changed lives are his “letter,” written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God on human hearts (vv. 1–3). His confidence in ministry doesn’t come from his own ability but from God, who has made him a minister of the new covenant, “not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (vv. 4–6). The old covenant, written on stone, was a real “ministry of death” and “condemnation” because it showed God’s holy standard without giving the power to obey, yet even it came with glory on Moses’ shining face (vv. 7–9). If that fading glory was real, Paul says, how much greater is the glory of the new covenant, which brings righteousness and is permanent (vv. 9–11).

Because this new covenant is so glorious, Paul speaks with boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so Israel wouldn’t see that the glory was fading (vv. 12–13). To this day, many in Israel still read Moses with a “veil” over their hearts, unable to see how the law points to Christ—but when one turns to the Lord, that veil is removed (vv. 14–16). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom—freedom from condemnation, from a hard heart, and from trying to earn righteousness by the law (v. 17). Now all believers, with unveiled faces, behold the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” by the Spirit (v. 18). The Christian life is not self-improvement; it is the Spirit slowly making us look more like Jesus as we keep looking to Him.

🌀 Reflection:
Are you living like someone who still has a veil over your heart—trying to be “good enough” by your own effort—or like someone set free by the Spirit to trust Christ and be changed from the inside out (vv. 6, 14–18)? Bring your failures and self-reliance to the Lord today and ask Him to help you behold His glory in Christ, trusting the Spirit to do the slow, deep work of transformation.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage a fellow believer who is discouraged about their growth. Remind them that transformation is a process—“from one degree of glory to another”—and share 2 Corinthians 3:18 with them, pointing them back to Jesus and the Spirit’s ongoing work.

Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

2 Corinthians 2 on 12/8 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for 2 Corinthians 2 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul explains why he chose not to make another painful visit to Corinth—he didn’t want to come only to cause them sorrow again, but wanted his next visit to be marked by mutual joy (vv. 1–3). Instead, he wrote a “severe” letter with many tears, not to crush them, but to show how deeply he loved them and to call them to repentance (v. 4, 7:8–9). True love sometimes wounds in order to heal, and Paul wants them to see even his hard words as an expression of Christlike care.

He then turns to the man who had caused grief in the church and likely opposed Paul publicly (vv. 5–6). Discipline from “the majority” had done its work; now it was time to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love so that the brother would not be swallowed up by excessive sorrow (vv. 7–8). Paul reminds them that refusing to forgive gives Satan an opportunity to divide and devour the church (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul describes how even in his anxiety in Troas over not finding Titus, God still leads him in “triumphal procession” in Christ and uses him to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (vv. 12–14). The gospel is like an aroma—life to those who receive it and death to those who reject it (vv. 15–16). Knowing how weighty this is, Paul insists he is no peddler of God’s word, but speaks with sincerity, “as commissioned by God, in the sight of God in Christ” (v. 17).

🌀 Reflection:
Where have you been more ready to punish than to restore? Ask the Lord to show you if there’s someone you’re holding at a distance even though they’ve repented. God comforted you in your sin and sorrow; His grace now calls you to reflect that same forgiving, restoring heart to others (vv. 6–8)

💬 Mission Challenge:
Extend concrete grace this week. Reach out to someone who has failed or who feels on the outside—send a text, make a call, or have a face-to-face conversation that communicates forgiveness, comfort, and renewed love in Christ (vv. 7–8, 10–11).

Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

2 Corinthians 1 on 12/7 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for 2 Corinthians 1 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul opens this letter by praising “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (v. 3). He explains that God meets him in his sufferings so that he can then comfort others with the same comfort he has received (vv. 4–5). Paul’s hardships are not a sign that God has abandoned him; instead, they become a channel of grace for the church. As he suffers for Christ and is comforted by Christ, the Corinthians share both in the sufferings and in the comfort, and their endurance is strengthened (vv. 6–7).

Paul then tells them about a severe trial he faced in Asia, where he was “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (v. 8). God allowed him to feel like he had received a “sentence of death” so that he would not rely on himself but on “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). God delivered him, and Paul is confident He will continue to deliver, especially as the Corinthians help through their prayers (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul begins to defend his integrity: his conscience is clear that he has behaved toward them with holiness and sincerity from God, not with worldly wisdom (vv. 12–14). His change of travel plans was not because he is fickle, but because he wanted to spare them and act in line with God’s faithfulness (vv. 15–18).

To anchor this, Paul reminds them that all of God’s promises are “Yes” in Jesus (vv. 19–20). God is the One who establishes them in Christ, has anointed them, has put His seal on them, and has given His Spirit in their hearts as a guarantee of what is to come (vv. 21–22). That means their future with Him is secure, even when circumstances are hard. Finally, Paul calls God as his witness that he delayed his visit “to spare you,” because he does not want to lord it over their faith but to work with them for their joy, since they stand firm by faith (vv. 23–24). This is the heart of a true pastor: willing to suffer, eager to be misunderstood if needed, so that Christ’s people might be comforted, strengthened, and helped to stand.

🌀 Reflection:
Where have you felt “burdened beyond your strength” lately (v. 8)? Bring that specific place of weakness to the Lord and ask Him to use it to loosen your grip on self-reliance and deepen your trust in “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). Then ask Him to show you one way He might use your story of His comfort to encourage someone else who is hurting.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Reach out today to someone you know who is walking through a hard season. Let them know you are praying for them, share a verse from this chapter (such as vv. 3–4 or 10), and ask how you can keep praying specifically—be a living channel of the comfort you have received.

Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.

Songs for Sunday, December 7, 2025 @ Christ Community Church (Advent Week 2)

Tomorrow is the Lord’s day, and I’m excited! I’m also grateful for another week in this Advent season, remembering Jesus’s first coming and longing with hope for His return!

Last week, we lit the candle of hope and remembered that our confidence in Jesus isn’t vague, wishful thinking — it’s anchored in the character of our faithful God (Hebrews 10:23). This week, we move to the second candle: peace. And just like hope, the peace we find in Advent isn’t shallow or sentimental. It’s not the temporary ease the world (falsely) offers. It’s a deep, steady peace secured by Jesus Himself (John 14:27).

We light this second candle to remind us that true peace came to us through the humility of Jesus. Hebrews tells us that the eternal Son took on flesh and blood “so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15). He didn’t stand at a distance. He entered our weakness, stepped into our struggles, and became like us “in every respect” so that He could be a merciful and faithful High Priest — able to reconcile us to God and bring lasting peace (Hebrews 2:17).

The peace that Jesus brings isn’t weak or merely sentimental. It is the victory-won peace that came “by the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Hebrews tells us He destroyed” the one who has the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) — and He did it not by mounting a worldly assault but by humbling Himself (Philippians 2:6-8). The world wins peace by force (unpeacefully), but Jesus wins peace by laying His life down. His strength is not seen in crushing armies or empires but in crushing sin, Satan, and death through His own suffering and resurrection. And because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), His peace means we no longer fear death at all — He has already passed through it and triumphed over it for us. It’s the beautiful paradox of salvation: the humility of Christ is stronger than all the strength of the world, and His finished work is more than enough (Philippians 2:9-11).

Bethlehem shows us this and more. In Bethlehem, we see that God came near — not in power but humility, not with fanfare but quiet mercy (Micah 5:2, Luke 2:7). And the same Jesus who put on flesh and dwelt among us in the manger in Bethlehem now reigns in glory (Philippians 2:9-11). Because He lived, suffered, died, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), we can draw near to His throne of grace with confidence, sure that we can and will receive the mercy and help we need in every moment (Hebrews 4:14-16). As this candle of peace shines, we rest in the peace Jesus secured for us, and we pray that His peace would shine through our lives into a world that needs Him desperately (Matthew 5:9).

But Advent isn’t some mere set of religious exercises inviting us to remember theological ideas — it invites us to come to the One who is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). If you find yourself anxious, restless, or burdened, hear the good news: Jesus came near to save people just like us, and “He is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). He welcomes you. So, come to Him. Bring your fears, your wounds, your weariness. His peace is real, and His mercy is sure (1 Peter 5:7).

Tomorrow at Christ Community, we also have the joy of celebrating the peace and salvation of Jesus through baptism — a visible picture of the gospel and a reminder of what Jesus has done for us. When someone goes beneath the water and rises out of it, we’re seeing Romans 6:4 lived out before our eyes: “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Baptism tells the story of Advent’s promise fulfilled — Jesus came to save sinners (Matthew 1:21), to make us new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and to bring us into His peace forever (John 16:33).

This is also why we take the time to share these “Songs for Sunday” posts each week (or at least as often as we can). We want to help you prepare your heart for corporate worship—that time each week when we come together as a church family to sing, pray, and hear God’s Word—to let the Scriptures and songs we’ll share this week begin settling in your soul before Sunday ever arrives. When we come ready, familiar with the Word and expectant to sing, our hearts are strengthened and our worship deepens (Colossians 3:16).

Take a few moments to read through the passages and listen to the songs we’ll be singing. Let them draw your thoughts and hearts to Jesus — our merciful High Priest, our Prince of Peace, and our soon-coming King.

We would love to invite you to gather with us as we sing and John opens God’s Word and points us to Jesus.

Everyone is welcome!

Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:

  • Advent Reading | Peace —

The second candle reminds us that true peace came to us through the humility of Jesus Christ. Hebrews tells us that the eternal Son took on flesh and blood so that He might break the power of death and free us from fear (Hebrews 2:14–15). He was made like us “in every respect,” entering our weakness and our struggles, so that He could become a merciful and faithful High Priest—able to reconcile us to God and bring us lasting peace (Hebrews 2:17).

Bethlehem shows us that God came near—not in power, but in humility; not with fanfare, but in quiet mercy. Because Jesus came, lived, suffered, and rose again, we can now draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, finding the mercy and help we need in every moment (Hebrews 4:14–16). As this candle of peace shines, let us rest in the peace Christ secured for us and pray that His peace would shine through our lives into a world that desperately needs Him.

14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Songs for Sunday, November 30, 2025 @ Christ Community Church (Advent Week 1)

Sunday’s coming, and I’m excited — really, it’s the season that has me excited this week, thinking back on Jesus’s first coming and longing for His return.

Some call this the holiday season, referencing the ever growing plethora of holidays ranging from late November to early January. Others call it the Christmas season, stemming from their clear desire to make sure folks know that Jesus is the reason for the season. The older I get, the more I think of the season leading up to the celebration of Jesus’s birth at Christmas as Advent.

The Church has called this season Advent for centuries (stemming from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arriving”), meditating on the coming and arrival of Jesus. And that’s the heartbeat of these weeks leading up to Christmas: Jesus has come, and He will come again.

Advent has a way of slowing us down just enough to remember what matters most. It invites us to look back with gratitude and forward with expectation — back to God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, back to when God kept His promise and sent His Son, and forward to the day when the very same Jesus will come again in glory.

In recent years, we’ve marked these weeks with the lighting of candles to help us focus on Jesus’s past and future advents. The first one — the candle of hope — reminds us that the hope with have in Jesus isn’t some vague wish but an expectation anchored in God’s faithfulness and eternal nature.

All of our readings this year will be based out of the book of Hebrews that we’ve been studying together this year. Hebrews tells us that God confirmed His promise with an oath “so that we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18). The hope He gives is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) because it doesn’t rest on us at all but entirely on God’s strength and faithfulness.

As we ponder on the hope we have in Jesus in this Advent season, we are reminded that God keeps His promises. Every prophecy, every shadow, every longing of the Old Testament finds “yes and amen” in the first coming of Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). And because God proved Himself faithful in that first coming, we can trust Him with every promise whose fulfillment still lays ahead.

Earlier, I remarked about the differences in the way some people refer to the season; a lot of that is driven by sentimentality. The hope we celebrate in Advent isn’t sentimental. It’s not rooted in changing seasons or circumstances but in the unchanging character of our promise-keeping God. Because He sent His Son just as He promised for millennia, we can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

This is the good, gospel news Advent holds out to weary people: Emmanuel (God with us) has come. And Emmanuel will come again. The One who fulfilled every word of prophecy in HIs first coming will do the same at His return. That’s why our hearts can sing with confidence the longing woven into “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel…shall come again with us to dwell!”

What began in Bethlehem will end in glory. The God who came near has promised to come again and make all things new. And in these early weeks of Advent at Christ Community, as we worship, pray, and sing together, we do so with the steady, joyful hope that the King who came once will surely come again — because He who promised is faithful.

Since this is true — and it is — we need to understand that Advent isn’t just a season to observe but a season pointing to the Savior we can come to ourselves. The same Jesus who came once in humility and will come again in glory invites you now to draw near to Him in faith.

If you are weary, come to Him.

If you feel the weight of sin or sorrow, come to Him.

If you’re longing for something more solid than the shifting foundations of this world, come to Him.

The anchor of hope that Hebrews tells about is not an idea but a Person, and His name is Jesus. He’s strong enough, faithful enough, and near enough to hold you fast. I want to invite you to seek Him this Advent season. Bring your questions, your needs, your joys, your burdens. He’s a truer hope than anything this world can offer, and He delights to meet His people when they come to Him.

And I also want to invite you to gather with us this Sunday at Christ Community. There’s something uniquely beautiful about joining our voices together, singing the hope of the gospel, praying with expectation, and sitting under John’s faithful preaching when He opens the Scriptures and points us to Jesus — our living hope, our faithful High Priest, our soon-coming King.

So, come.

Come behold the One who came for us, who is with us, and who will come again for His people.

Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:

  • Advent Reading | Hope —

Lighting the first candle of Advent reminds us that our hope is not a vague wish or a fragile feeling—it is anchored in the unchanging promises of God. Hebrews tells us that God “guaranteed” His promise with an oath so that we might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us (Hebrews 6:17–18). This hope is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” firm because it rests on who God is and what He has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

Advent reminds us that God kept His promises in sending His Son. Everything He foretold in Scripture—every shadow, every prophecy, every longing—was fulfilled in Christ. Because God proved Himself faithful in Christ’s first coming, we can trust Him with every promise still ahead. As we enter this season, let us cling to the confession of our hope without wavering, for “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

17So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Thankful: Learning to Number Our Days — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. 13 Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands![1]

Psalm 90

Greetings Sojourners!

It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these, but as I am learning, I’m glad to get to do what I get to do when I get to do it. 2025 has been a year of learning for me. I was not glad to be in this class, so to speak, back in the health struggles of June and the months of recuperation, but now, as of today, I can honestly say that I am thankful.

The reason I think about the experiences of the past six months as a class is attributed to my pastor, John Goldwater. On a particularly low evening in the hospital, I FaceTimed him to ask for prayer and receive counsel. I was supposed to be where he was, on a mission trip with Christ Community’s youth group in New Mexico; at the very least, I was just not supposed to be where I was, laid up in a hospital bed with the weight of a mysterious illness and not being able to walk or really even use my arms and hands. My spirits were low, and my attitude was bordering on poor. John gave the pastoral counsel I needed. He reminded me that while I wasn’t on the mission I had planned to be, I was still on mission – the mission God had given me. That hit hard. Then, he told me with his characteristic wit: even though I didn’t sign up for this class, make sure I learned whatever the Lord would have me learn the first time because I sure didn’t want to have to take it again.

That perspective helped me immensely. Even though whatever was wrong had all of the doctors puzzled and befuddled, God Almighty was not puzzled nor was He out of control. I was no less His in those weeks of pain, struggle, and fear. He was no less sovereign. His plan was not thwarted by medical mystery even if that plan seemed shrouded from my perspective.

Some of the things I learned can be summed up quickly:

  • When we read in Scripture that the Lord is our help in trouble and the true source of strength for those who are saved – those who are His, this is more than a theological truth; it is a genuine truth meant to be lived out.
  • Marriage is a picture of the gospel. This picture is not fully illustrated through the good and easy times. I have never been served or cared for like Candice did for me in the hospital and since. Her love shown to me is a picture of how the Church should love Christ.
  • I am thankful to get to do ministry, but I am not necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I know God called me to be where he wants me to be and that He has given me what I need to be equipped to do what He has called me to do. He is who is necessary. Christ Community kept right on going, the praise team did not miss a beat, my Sunday School small group kept right on studying the Word, and every single thing I was involved in prior to June kept right on going because the work of the Lord is powered by His Spirit and not contingent upon my involvement. I’m glad to be back, but it’s such a relief to be reminded my place in all of this, more importantly the Lord’s primacy.
  • Finally, and I am still learning this, the Lord is teaching me to number my days – which is the subject of our Bible study from Psalm 90 (specifically verse 12) today.

The Context of Psalm 90 – A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God

The attribution of this psalm makes it stand out – “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God”. This marks him by his relationship with the Lord and helps this psalm invite us to listen in to this prayer, and understand the context being the experiences of a man who walked closely with the Lord and carrying the weight of leading God’s people. Since most Bible scholars date this psalm late in the wilderness years, this prayer hits different when this “Man of God” is leading the people at a time when the older generation who had left Egypt were dying off as a consequence of their sin. This was a period marked by God’s judgment on sin. That sets a rather somber tone.

Moses begins Psalm 90 by lifting our eyes to the eternal God who has been the “dwelling place” of His people in every generation, then and forevermore. Before the mountains were formed, before Creation, God has been God and nothing will or can change that truth. In fact, the eternal nature of God is the basis of this psalm and a powerful part of the contrast with our temporal nature. God is God always and forever. Man returns to dust, our years passing quickly and the strongest and longest lives being brief in comparison to eternity. Sometimes we talk about this as a natural part of life because that’s part of our human experience, but the context here is tied to sin and the curse given in Eden when God declared that humanity would return to the dust (Genesis 3:19). Moses had lived and led long enough to have experienced this up close and personal.

But Psalm 90 isn’t simply a reflection on humanity and time but is instead a community lament, a prayer offered by Moses on behalf of God’s people as they faced affliction and death, asking God to show compassion, turn from His anger, and renew their joy. Psalm 90 traces a pattern: God’s eternal nature (vv. 1-2), man’s mortality (vv. 3-6), God’s righteous anger toward sin (vv. 7-12), and a plea for God to bless His people with steadfast love, purpose, and lasting fruit (vv. 13-17). And woven into the prayer is the reality of time – days, years, generations – because Moses wants the people to recognize that God’s mercy and guidance gives their lives enduring value.

This context makes v. 12 the hinge on which the whole psalm turns: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” This isn’t about counting birthdays or marking the passage of time. Moses here is asking God to help us weigh our days – to see how few they are, how quickly they pass, and how desperately we need God to guide us if we want to use the time we are given well. This is how a lament can turn to hope by vv. 13-17 when Moses asks God to “return” to His people with compassion, to satisfy them each morning with His unfailing love, to replace their long years of affliction with joy, and to let their work matter and endure – that the Lord will establish their work in light of His eternal purposes.

This is the world Psalm 90 speaks into – a world where our days are short, our strength is limited, and our lives are fragile but God Himself is eternal, faithful, compassionate, and near. To number our days is not morbid but wise. It’s a call to live intentionally following Christ, seeking His mercy, and resting in Him, the God who has been His people’s dwelling place in every generation.

Learning to Number My Days

As I sat with Psalm 90 in these months of recovery, Moses’s prayer didn’t feel like some poetry from an ancient text but the vocabulary Jesus was teaching me in my own heart. The context of the psalm helped me see something beautiful. Moses was leading a people who were painfully aware that life was short, that sin was serious, and that every day they were given was God’s mercy. That’s heavy! Yet in that heaviness, Moses didn’t get stuck in lament but asked God to teach His people how to live wisely, joyfully, and purposefully in the time they’ve been given.

That’s where this really hit me.

Yes, I felt sorry for myself. Yes, I was scared. Rehab was hard. Learning how to walk again was as scary as it was difficult. Every step I took was pain for months. I thought I nothing would ever return to normal. Hospital bills and insurance conversations brought anxiety. Having everyone in my life treat me like a box that says “Fragile! Handle with care!” was frustrating at times, and knowing that I needed their help was a constant weight of guilt and, if I’m honest, shame at times. But I found that with every new step, every new growth, every little gain brought thankfulness – thankfulness to God for carrying me through and sustaining.

When you’ve experienced the reality that life is fragile and our bodies fail us, you begin to understand that every day is a gift. Numbering my days isn’t about counting how many I’ve accumulated over the decades but asking God to shape all the ones He chooses to give me as He wills and works for His glory and my good!

That brings me to the final part of Moses’s prayer in Psalm 90. After asking the Lord to teach them to number their days, he asks God for His compassion, steadfast love, joy, and favor to fill those days (vv. 13-17). Wisdom isn’t just knowing intellectually that life is short; wisdom is knowing that a short life held by God is a life full of meaning.

So, when I ask the Lord to teach me to number my days, I’m really asking Him to do what He promised in those last verses of Psalm 90 – to satisfy me with His steadfast love every morning, to give joy that outlasts and outshines every affliction, and to establish the work of my hands – the work He has called me to – so that nothing done for His glory is wasted. That kind of wisdom doesn’t lead to despair; it leads to gratitude. I wish I could say that I have this wisdom locked down. I don’t. But my heart is moved to give thanks to my God – not for perfect circumstances but for His faithfulness carrying me through this season of life, and thanking Him for the gift of today.

Wrapping Up

As I look back on this year, I can testify that Jesus is faithful. He’s been teaching me to number my days – not by making me afraid of losing them but by making me grateful for each one He gives. Today, Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful to the God who has been and is my refuge. I’m thankful for Candice who has loved me with Christ-like love. I’m thankful for Keri and Xander reminding me daily that God’s kindness is real. I’m thankful for my family serving me and doing what I couldn’t (and can’t) because they love me with no thought to whether it’s deserved – just giving. I’m thankful for a faith family at Christ Community (and the Foundry Church) who carried on faithfully because the work belongs to the Lord, not me. And I’m thankful for the simple grace of waking up this morning with enough strength provided to live today for the glory of God.

Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” That’s my prayer – not to have more and more days but to have days filled with the steadfast love of the Lord. And for as many days as He chooses to give, I want to live in gratitude to Him, with purpose, and with the wisdom that comes from knowing all my days are in His hands.

So, today, I’m giving thanks – not merely because it’s Thanksgiving, not for the comfort of recovery – but for the God who walks with me through every valley, sustains me in all my weakness, and teaches me to live the life He’s given. He’s my dwelling place. How about you?

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 90:1–17.