Midnight Clear - Advent Series 2019

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” is one of the most beloved Christmas hymns ever composed. It was written by pastor Edmund Sears in 1849 who found himself deeply saddened by the sin and the strife that the world was facing. He felt as though people couldn’t even see the joy of Christmas and the fulfilment of the scriptures because they were so blinded by all of the ugliness of humanity. Sadly, as much as things change, they oftentimes seem very much the same. We still find ourselves looking at the world around us asking ourselves, “Does anyone get it? Do I even get it? Do I fully understand what is happening or what we are celebrating this Advent season?”

This year we are using the theme “Midnight Clear” to guide us throughout our Advent preparation. There is a sense in which the world in silent stillness lays, waiting for the promised Messiah – and yet in the midst of that, the darkness seems to still cover the land. We are trapped somewhere between the darkness of humanity and the joy that comes in the morning. I hope you will join us as we venture through the long dark night into the joyous celebration of the birth of our Savior. As we journey throughout the Old Testament, the Prophets, and the Gospels we will hear the story of how Jesus saves us from the dark night of our soul. Midnight Clear is a perfect way to look at our Advent time together – that even in the midnight hour, when the light is all but faded, we can still see clearly the hope that we have in the birth of Jesus Christ. Join us each Sunday as we look at a different aspect of Midnight Clear. If you can’t please join us on our Facebook Live feed or catch up online. However you chose to be involved, we pray you have a blessed Christmas, filled with the hope and the joy of Christ.

Blessings,
Pastor Matt





12/1/2019            The Lord is Our Shepherd          Psalm 23

12/8/2019            Light of the World                     Isaiah 2:2-7; John 8:12

12/22/2019          Live As Children of the Light      Ephesians 5:1-2; 8-14

November 2019

    11/03/2019      Out of the Depths                   Psalm 130

     11/10/2019      To Dwell With the Lord            Psalm 15 

    11/17/2019      Will God Save You?                 Psalm 

    11/24/2019      Whom Shall I Fear?                Psalm 27

Building to Last

10/13/2019        Build Up by Tearing Down                   Deuteronomy 12:1-12

10/20/2019        Count the Cost                                   Luke 14: 25-35

10/27/2019        Build As the World Tears Down      Leviticus 27:30; Luke 12:34

Discipleship Series

In our new sermon series we will be exploring the book of I Timothy and lo oking at it through the lens of “Discipleship.” The word “disciple” may conjure up many ideas in your mind: some good and some not so good. However, a disciple is simply someone who sits under another person for the sole purpose of learning and imitating his life. In I Timothy we learn about a young man named Timothy who sat under Paul’s teaching and as he learned to pastor the church in Ephesus. As we go through the text for the next six weeks we’ll look at how we might become more faithful followers of Christ as we sit under his teaching. My main goal throughout our time together is to encourage us to read scripture, learn to understand scripture and then begin to live that scripture out in our lives. As we involve ourselves in that process of DISCIPLESHIP, our thoughts, words, and actions will begin to more closely reflect the Savior that we follow. I hope you will join us in this exciting journey over the next six weeks.

Pastor Matt

08/25/2019       The Need for Discipleship                     1 Timothy 1:1-2

09/01/2019       The Disciple's Prayer                             1 Timothy 2:1-7

09/08/2019       The Importance of Church                    1 Timothy 3:14-16

09/18/2019       Discipleship Training                             1 Timothy 4

09/22/2019       The Church Family                               1 Timothy 5:1-16

09/29/2019       Slavery and Discipleship                       1 Timothy 6:1-12

Heritage Series

 Do people ever ask you, “Just what does your church believe as Presbyterians?” Let’s be honest, maybe you even ask yourself that same question. Few are the people these days that come to a church because of a certain theology. Most times we attend a church based on certain ministries they offer. Maybe the location or service times attract us. Maybe you wind up at a church because someone invited you and you loved it, but you are a little unsure what it is that this church believes.

Presbyterians have a very long history, one that dates back to the Reformation in the 16^th century. Our particular church has a long history as well, being chartered in 1890. And with such a long history it’s important for us, at different times, to look back and make sure that we understand who we are and why we believe what we believe. In this preaching series we will be looking at many of the things that make us distinct. The easiest way to describe us might be to say that we are a Reformed…Evangelical…Presbyterian Church. Each of those is a distinct marker for us. Our goal over the next few months will be to help us as a church understand our heritage – who we are and what it is that we believe. We will look at many of the great doctrines of the Reformed Faith as well as the practices that make us distinctly Presbyterian.

We hope you will join us for this journey and that you will be encouraged in your faith even as you grow deeper in your understanding of God’s great work in our church. If you miss a sermon you can find it on our Facebook page and on the “Sermons” page of this website.

Blessings,

Matt Mitchell

Pastor

01/27/2019         Evangelical, Reformed & Presbyterian

02/03/2019         Sola Scriptura                                       2 Timothy 3:12-17

02/10/2019         Sola Fide                                              Galatians 2: 15-21

02/17/2019         Sola Gratia                                          Ephesians 2:1-10

02/24/2019         Sola Christus                                       Colossians 1:15-23

04/28/2019         Biblical Elders                                      1 Timothy 3:1-7

05/12/2019        Communion                                          Matthew 26:17-30

05/19/2019        Deacons                                               1 Timothy 3: 8-13

05/26/2019        Baptisms                                            Genesis 17:1-14

06/02/2019        God - Jason Mendoza                           Genesis 1

06/09/2019        The Essentials- Jesus                           Matthew 26      

06/23/2019        The Essentials: Salvation                      Romans 10:5-13

06/30/2019        The Essentials - The Church                  1 Corinthians 1

07/07/2019        The Essentials - Jesus' Return              Mark 13:26-37

07/21/2019        TULIP - Total Depravity                       John 3:1-21

07/28/2019        TULIP - Unconditional Election             Ephesians 1:1-14

08/04/2019        TULIP - Limited Antonement                John 17:1-26

08/11/2019        TULIP - Irresistible Grace                    John 6:35-44

08/18/2019        TULIP - Perseverance of the Saints     Phillippians 1:1-11

The "I AM" Series

03/10/2019         I Am the True Vine                             John 15: 1-5

03/17/2019         The Way, the Truth, and the Life         John 14: 1-6

03/24/2019         I Am: The Light of the World             John 8:12-20

03/31/2019         I Am: The Gate                                John 10: 1-10

04/07/2019         I Am: The Good Shepherd                John 10: 11-21

04/14/2019         I Am: The Bread of Life                    John 6:25-40

Welcome, Jason Mendoza!

We at FPC, are proud to welcome our new  Director of Family Ministries, Jason Mendoza,  to our church family.  This sermon is his first in this position with us, and we could not be more blessed to hear his faith in action.  

01/20/2019               Becoming The Family of God           Acts 2:42-47

January 19, 2019

01/13/2019        Here I Am - Send Someone Else     Exodus 3