The third verse of "Silent Night" continues to marvel at the birth of the Savior of the world:Silent night! Holy night!Son of God, love's pure lightRadiant beams from thy holy face,With the dawn of redeeming grace,Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!This song verse starts with the bold declaration that Jesus is the son of God, which was an incredibly controversial statement during ...  Read More

If you remember from Part 1, this beautiful carol—when sung in Latin—forms a backward acrostic that spells the phrase “ERO CRAS,” meaning “Tomorrow, I come.” That short line captures the answer to the longing that runs through the whole hymn. Each verse names Christ with a different title, and each title unfolds a facet of who He is—and why His coming matters.5. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”And ranso...  Read More

The second verse of "Silent Night" marvels at the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world:Silent night, holy nightShepherds quake at the sightGlories stream from heaven afarHeavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia!Christ the Savior is bornLuke 2:8-14 tells us of the shepherds who were told the good news of Jesus' birth:"8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over t...  Read More

Let’s continue working through these stanzas. 5. “O Come, Thou Day Spiring, come and cheer,”Our spirits by Thine Advent here;Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,And death’s dark shadows put to flight. The word “Oriens” means “rising” and often refers to the “morning star,” the bright star that appears just before the sun rises. After the darkness of a long night, the appearance of the morning star...  Read More

"Silent Night" is a well-loved and favorite Christmas hymn. It was written by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The church's organ was broken that night, so the song was sung to guitar. From there, the song spread across Europe, and during a Christmas truce in 1914 during World War 1, soldiers from bot...  Read More

Mild he lays his glory by,born that man no more may die,born to raise us the sons of earth,born to give them second birth.“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Phil 2:5-7I doubt I could r...  Read More

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!Hail the Sun of Righteousness!Light and life to all he brings,risen with healing in his wings.All glory and honor to Jesus Christ! He was born into the flesh by the very power of God most High, given to be the Prince of Peace! Praise Him for this divine act of mercy and redemption!The hymn pulls from Malachi 4 where the prophet speaks of the coming day of the L...  Read More

veiled in flesh the Godhead see;hail th'incarnate Deity,pleased with man as man to dwell,Jesus, our Immanuel.“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14The incredible mystery of Christmas is that the creator of the universe stepped down into His creation, taking on the fullness of humanity w...  Read More

My aunt died last week. Her name was Carol.She had lived with a brain tumor for twenty-three years, and after all that time she finally went to her Savior’s side the day before Thanksgiving. We held her funeral yesterday. Snow fell softly over Northern Virginia—gentle, quiet, beautiful. I kept thinking how much she would have loved seeing God’s artistry on such full display.Throughout the day I fo...  Read More

late in time behold him come,offspring of the Virgin's womb:No Jesus wasn’t late for His appointment. He wasn’t procrastinating in heaven thinking he’d get around to it eventually.The song refers to an idea we find in the book of Galatians. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might ...  Read More

Christ, by highest heaven adored,Christ, the everlasting Lord,And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6bThe child awaited was to be someone eternal, everlasting in His person and His kingdom. Isaiah foretold that it would be the zeal of the LORD (Yahweh) of hosts who would accomplish this. (Isa. 9:7). Jesus who was given the name ...  Read More

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,join the triumph of the skies;with th'angelic hosts proclaim,"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"Joyful! This is the spirit of acknowledging the birth of Christ the king! The invitation of the hymn to the nations! To rise joyfully and join the chorus of the angels!We know that at the name of Jesus one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord,...  Read More

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,God and sinners reconciled!The question ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden has been; can the sinner be made right with God? Yes, the answer in Jesus Christ is ‘Yes’! The great multitude of angels called forth to the hillside all those years ago:“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14Peace had come to earth. A ...  Read More

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is Hark! The Herald Angel Sing, originally written by Charles Wesley as "A Hymn for Christmas Day" it was adapted by George Whitfield and others to become what we know today. This advent I'd like to lead us through a few days (eight to be precise) of meditating on this classic Christmas hymn. Let's dive right in!Hark! The Herald Angel sing,“Glory to the newborn K...  Read More

My favorite Christmas hymn is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I absolutely love it. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful songs we sing at any point in the year. The melody and lyrics work together to produce a haunting, yearning ache that perfectly captures the longing at the heart of Advent. And its history is among the oldest in the Christian liturgy—rich with depth, Scripture, and even a “hidden message” woven into the ancient text. Over the next four weeks, leading up to Christmas Eve, I want to walk with you through this hymn’s background and its profound theological meaning.  Read More

       It goes without saying, we all face disappointment. Sometimes it's just small things, like your favorite sports team losing or the grocery store being out of your favorite ice cream. But other times we get hit hard in our personal lives. Relationships go bad, our job, finances, school, our and our family's health, all of those things can go south quite fast, and you're left wondering what h...  Read More

Title: The Severity of Sin and God's Justice: Lessons from Achan's TransgressionSermon Summary: This sermon explores the gravity of sin and its consequences through the story of Achan in Joshua 7. It emphasizes that sin is worse than we often think, always has consequences, and deserves judgment. The pastor highlights God's justice and mercy, the importance of confession and repentance, and the ul...  Read More

Everyone has an opinion on immigration. Even if you don't, you'll hear about the topic debated non-stop through the news and social media. As Christians, there's only one opinion that really matters, and that's God's opinion. So what does the Bible say about it?  Read More

Title: The Battle of Jericho: Obedience, Resistance, and Surrender to God's PlanSermon Summary: This sermon explores the battle of Jericho as recorded in Joshua 6, highlighting three key responses to God's commands: resistance (Jericho), obedience (Israel), and surrender (Rahab). The pastor emphasizes that all things are ultimately devoted to the Lord, either through destruction or through life. T...  Read More

Title: Are You on the Lord's Side? The Encounter with the CommanderSermon Summary: This sermon explores Joshua's encounter with the commander of the Lord's army before the battle of Jericho. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's presence, submitting to His authority, and demonstrating faith through obedience. The pastor draws parallels between Joshua's experience and the Christian life...  Read More

Everyday it seems we hear news of some great new evil or tragedy. Shootings, murders, natural disasters, insane policies and proposals that run counter to everything that is good or wise. The list is very long, and seems to grow longer each day. It can be overwhelming and leave you feeling defeated. It can make you want to tune out, drop out, and wait for the end... but that's not God's plan for u...  Read More

Title: God's Radical Mercy: Rahab's Faith and the Conquest of CanaanSermon Summary: This sermon explores the story of Rahab in Joshua 2, emphasizing God's boundless mercy and justice. It addresses skeptics' concerns about the conquest of Canaan while highlighting God's faithfulness to His promises and His perfect justice. The sermon underscores the importance of siding with God, regardless of one'...  Read More

Title: Be Strong and Courageous: God's Faithfulness in JoshuaSermon Summary: This sermon introduces a new series on the book of Joshua, emphasizing God's faithfulness to His promises and the call for believers to be strong and courageous. The pastor highlights the historical context of Joshua's leadership following Moses and draws parallels to the Christian life today. He stresses the importance o...  Read More

Title: Knowing God's Truth: Confidence in ChristSermon Summary: This sermon explores the importance of having confidence in Christ and knowing key truths as believers. Pastor Reed Bradley examines the closing passages of 1 John, emphasizing that true humility comes from trusting God's word rather than doubting it. He outlines five essential truths that believers should know with certainty, includi...  Read More