Mill Creek Church

Every Christmas is a celebration of light. Every Christmas is full of decorations adorned with light. But light is more than just a decoration. Light is needed in order to sustain life. Though you might have run from the light, maybe ignoring it, trying to extinguish it, every Christmas we are reminded that light has come! And that light is for you!

Living in darkness is never enjoyable for long, light is necessary in order for life to happen. When we engage with the light that is offered through Jesus, we can begin to find some answers to life's biggest questions. What is right? What is real? Jesus declares that he is the light of the world and if we follow him, we will never have to stumble in darkness again.

What will your story be in relation to the light of the world? Do you want to build your kingdom or participate in God’s kingdom? Do you want to cling to what you can’t keep or surrender what wasn’t yours to begin with? Do you want your way or his way? There is good news: the darkness has not put out the light of life in you.

The Christmas season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many people, it’s complicated. It’s a time of the year that surfaces tensions in relationships, unmet expectations, and the pain of absent loved ones. What do you do when the magic and wonder of the Christmas season feels out of reach? How do you reconnect with the reason for the season?

Where are you going? It's not an uncommon question in life but how well do we really know the answer? Over the years, we've seen God take us on quite a journey at Mill Creek and we are thankful for his grace through it. But we are also confident about the next steps because we know that He promises a straight path if we follow Him!

It's hard to be a thankful person when I think that everything that I have is deserved. Do I really deserve all the rights and privileges that are afforded to me? How much are things that are out of my control and how many times have I deserved something that didn't happen to me? When I discover the gift of God's grace I find that instead of giving me what I deserve, God gives me what I need. That's something I can be thankful for!

Every year at Mill Creek we try to live out some very specific words of Scripture - to be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share. One Sunday we like to give it all away. It sounds good, but what's the real motivation? Why is this such an important thing for us to do and not just once a year, but every day?

Everyone wants a good life. A significant life. A fulfilled life. The problem is we can't find what we want in this world. In a letter to a young pastor, Paul shares the reason is there is more to life than just this life. We find the answers we are looking for when we realize how God wants us to use the resources of our lives.

How we view ourselves determines how we live, parent, spend, save, give and achieve. The tension throughout Scripture is we don't often see ourselves the way God does. In a letter to a young pastor, Paul challenges Timothy to help people see themselves the proper way. Its the only way we can truly find contentment.

We all know what its like to live around or with someone who can't seem to find contentment or satisfaction. But the secret to being content? According to one of the writers of the NT, it all starts with Jesus. And once we realize Jesus is all we have, we will discover he's all we need!

We work really hard at staying as healthy as possible. Eating right, exercise, vaccinations, flu shots, vitamins. But there is a disease that affects all of us and its hard to beat. In fact, one of the early followers of Jesus says there is a secret to the cure. You won't just find it anywhere but if you are tired of living restless, weary and stressed out, it's worth the journey to discover.

Jesus described God as a good father who loves to give his children good gifts. All we have to do is ask. But do we really understand what that means? Do we ask God for all that he has available for us?

Organizations and business and churches can often mission drift when they lose focus of the values and principles that were most important to them. As individuals, we can drift as well, especially spiritually. One day, Jesus isn't in our life where he once was. How does this spiritual drift happen and how can we get back to him? Chris shares some words addressed to a church on the danger of spiritual drift and the remedy to get Jesus back to center.

What is the church supposed to be about? Ask that question to 10 people and get 10 different answers. At Mill Creek, we try to understand who we are by understanding what Jesus called the Church to be. To keep us from drifting off mission, its good to ask the question, why are we here? Are we doing what God has called us to do? Are we staying on mission?

Even though we might never have to make the big, world-changing dramatic decision that takes a lot of courage, we still have choices we make everyday. It's in those single expressions of courage that we can find the tipping point to God doing something extraordinary in our lives.

Often times in our closest relationships, we see our friends and family make difficult choices that we know can cause pain and hurt. Do we say anything? When do we intervene? Confrontation is not something anyone wants to do but when we love someone deeply, maybe something we should do.

We love the story of the underdog, the little guy who takes on the big corporation or the team full of all stars. The story of David and Goliath is one we've all heard, whether we are church people or not. But how practical is the famous story of the giant killer? We all face giants and as we dig deeper, we find some great truths for our lives.

Being a person of faith does not mean we will be exempt from difficulties and trials. In fact, the first followers of Jesus knew that sometimes trials were an opportunity for faith to grow and strengthen. Genuine faith has to go through the fire to be all it can be so when faith comes under fire, will we pass the test?

Taking a step of courage and faith can involve a great deal of risk. Depending on how we grew up and our attitudes towards risk, we might be unwilling to be courageous. But holding back could keep us from experiencing God's plan and the real life we are called to. Sometimes courage is risky but is the tipping point to something extraordinary!

The virtue of courage is celebrated often in our world. It's found in someone who gives up personal comfort to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. Courage can also be displayed every day in our choices and relationships. But before we can be strong and courageous we have to overcome fear.