Pastor Tim Richards will begins a 4-week Advent series called "Consider the Star." This week's sermon is entitled "Christmas for Pagans".

SERMON QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever been someplace where you had a really good view of the Milky Way? Where were you and what was it like?

2. Does it surprise you that God orchestrated the universe in such a way that the Magi from the East were able to determine Christ had been born by studying the stars? What does that tell you about God’s bigger plan of salvation?

3. Read Numbers 24:15-17. What about Balaam’s prophecy do you think caused later Rabbi’s to believe it was about a future Messiah and not just a message for the immediate conflict between Israel and Moab?

4. Have you ever known someone who came to faith in Jesus in a very unconventional way? How did it happen? What does it tell you about God’s love for people?

Pastor Tim Richards completes the series "Long Journey Home", focusing this week on "Life in the Promised Land".

SERMON QUESTIONS: 1. Joshua 21:43-45 is a description of Israel settled in the promised land. What images come to mind when you hear the term “Promised Land”?

2. In what ways do you think Israel’s experience in the Promised Land does or does not compare to our idea of heaven?

3. It appears that life in the Promised Land is not always free of conflict – at least not for now. In your own journey, what have been some conflicts you have faced? How did you find victory?

4. Thinking back over the journey we have been on these past 12 weeks, are there any lessons or new understandings from Isreal’s journey that have stood out to you? Why?

Pastor Tim Richards will continue the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on Caleb.

SERMON QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever met someone who struck you as incredibly impressive? What made them seem special?

2. Read Numbers 13:1-2, 6, 25-30. How many impressive traits can you detect in Caleb from this account?

3. Read Deuteronomy 1:36 and Joshua 14:7-14. What character trait of Caleb is repeatedly emphasized? What are the implications of that trait?

4. Read Matthew 16:24-25. How does the teaching of Jesus connect with the character of Caleb? What does it mean in your own life to develop that kind of character?

Pastor Lance Lewis continues the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on Jericho.

SERMON QUESTIONS

1. Have you seen areas where contentment has crept into your life? How do we prevent that from happening to us spiritually?

2. Put yourself in Joshua's sandals. How would you have approached the challenge of Jericho? What reservations might you have? How have you experienced the power of God in your own life?

3. How has God gotten you ready for the next season of your life?

4. Do you have a personal Jericho in your life right now? How can we fight that battle on our knees in prayer?

Pastor Tim Richards continues the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on Joshua.

SERMON QUESTIONS: 1. Was there a dream or goal you had as a youth that you worked toward? What was it and what did you do?

2. Read Numbers 11:28, Exodus 24:12-13 and 33:7-11. Pay special attention to what is said about Joshua. What do you learn about him from these passages? How do you think this impacted and prepared him for God’s calling to lead?

3. Read Joshua 5:13-15. Who do you think was the mysterious commander of the Lord’s army? Why?

4. Why do you think God ordained an encounter like this with Joshua right before Joshua went into battle? What lessons can we learn from this?

Pastor Tim Richards will continue the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on Kadesh Barnea.

Sermon Notes:

1. Have you made any big geographical moves? How did you prepare for the move? What excited or intimidated you about the move?

2. Read Deuteronomy 1:22 & 28. What was the difference between what the spies were supposed to do vs what they actually did?

3. Read Deuteronomy 1:26, 34-35 & 41-44. Why wasn’t God pleased when the people went to battle like he had told them to?

4. Has there been or is there a place in your life you could identify as a Kadesh Barnea – a place where God has asked you to do something that was beyond your ability without his help? How did you respond? What did you learn?

This Sunday, Pastor Lance Lewis will continue the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on the Golden Calf.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

1. In your opinion, what makes an idol?

2. What do you think about Calvin's quote that “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory?”

3. Which of the surface idols do you/have you struggled with? What about the deeper idols in our hearts?

4. What do you think of the remedies to idolatry? Which stand out to you and why?

This Sunday, Pastor Tim Richards continues the series "Long Journey Home: Navigating the Wilderness", focusing this week on Amalek.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

1. Has there ever been something you assumed to be true only to find out later it wasn’t what you thought? If so, what was it, and what changed your mind?

2. Carefully read the account of Israel’s battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16) What do you think was the significance of Moses holding his staff overhead during the battle?

3. Why do you think Moses specifically made a record of his own tiredness and the help he received from Aaron & Hur?

4. What lessons does this story have for us? Do you agree with Pastor Tim’s interpretation? Why or why not?