Last week we spoke of taking up our Cross and following him. Today we see that the burden is easy. Is this a contradiction? Only one way to know. Enter into our service.

We are calling this The Year of the Cross here at Urbana Yoke Parish. After all the things that have redirected our focus over the past few years, we feel it is time to see the Cross in our every day lives.

We know the world seeks to make Jesus suffer. The world is evil and is led by the evil one. But what of the believer. Do we cause suffering for the very One who gave all for us? It would seem so.

One of our most holy and sacred acts is our action of the Lord's Supper, or Communion. But, is it a habit, or does it really mean something within our spirits?

Most Christians, even good church goers, stay on the outside of Christian service. All of that love He has given us.....when do we start to give back? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

So easy to fall into despair. Winter won't let go, virus won't let go, personal problems, deaths...it is all around us and affects our very core. But the Lord despaired, too. He knows the feeling and He is there for us right now.

We think of the suffering of Jesus as happening in the last week, starting immediately after the Triumphal Entry. But His suffering was so much more. He went through all the suffering we do, only worse, so that we would have that example.

Ask the typical person about their grandchildren or their favorite sports team or what their children are up to or about their new vehicle or last Fall's trip and you have a conversation. But ask the typical Christian about the Lord and you get stammers and starts or maybe a mention of their church and the conversation soon ends. We are to let our faith shine and lead others.

John 3:14-15 says---And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. LOOK AND LIVE!

We love the idea of Jesus standing at the door and waiting to come in. We have all seen the picture of Jesus quietly knocking at the door. It makes us feel all warm. But there are a lot of things involved other than  the one verse. The Open Door.

We are, right now, a week away from Resurrection Sunday. This is the most holy and sacred time of the year. Passover began on Saturday evening of March 27, 2021 and ends on Resurrection Day. What an incredible time as we look toward the death, burial and Resurrection of our blessed Savior! But first there are some things to attend to.......

With this service we recall the suffering of Jesus Christ as He completed the sacrifice we needed to one day walk with Him. Come join us.

Back in the 1850s a group of believers, new settlers in the young, young state of Indiana, bought some land for a cemetery and a small log church. That small endeavor became our current congregation. The cemetery is still there and we use it as such. This morning we had our Sonrise service there. What a joy. Join us.

Resurrection Sunday! He is alive! He is risen! We rejoice in His power over death. But, who is He to you?

The church as a whole, all over the world, has strayed from the Lord's direction. A revival is badly needed. IMPORTANT---On this Video we had problems with the camera. We only got about ten minutes of the sermon, but the rest is there. So sorry.

Peter was a broken man there on the rocky beach by the Sea of Galilee when the Lord asked him if he loved Him. Jesus was ready to lift his burden and use Peter in a mighty way. The optics on our camera are giving us trouble and everything is pretty bleached, but the message is all there in song and the spoken word. We will be getting a new camera but it will still be the same old Gospel message!

We are promised that the Lord will return. So many no longer believe. In fact, to most people throughout the world, Jesus is largely myth. Some of it was true, but most of it was made up. EXCEPT.....The Bible has never been proven wrong and, just because someone does not believe something, does not make that something false. It just makes the non-believer wrong. Jesus is coming again! Are you ready?

Sometimes the work seems hard because of the circumstance, but the work is there and He will show the way.

A rainy day in Northeast Indiana. A perfect day to be grumpy and agitated. But the Lord promised us showers of blessings and we rejoice in those blessings! The rain today is just a sweet reminder. And, today is Mothers' Day, one of the greatest of our blessings. So, settle back and allow the Lord to bring about the blessing!

All of life can get to where it is a chore. Never seems to let up and never seems to lead anywhere. Clear your mind! Enjoy your Lord! Celebrate your salvation! You have a strength you have never thought about. The joy of the Lord is your strength!!!

In the Book of James, James, who was the Lord's brother, urged us to seek joy. He was not talking joy in material things or in family and friend things, but a deeper and more intense joy., a joy that could carry us through trials. Do you have joy?

It is Memorial Day Weekend. The unofficial beginning of summer. We remember the fallen, the heroes who gave their lives for this country. But there is another group we quickly forget. They are not heroes. They are more in the other direction. Folks behind bars. Criminals. What about them? Do we honor God when we forget? This is KAIROS.

There is only one way to heaven. Jesus said that He was the Way, the Truth and the Light. No man comes to the Father except by Jesus. He died for us. If we confess our sins and believe in Him we are saved. No other way! But once we are saved, we are one in His Spirit. That is His amazing love!

Don't you love a mystery? Mystery is spoken of many times in the Bible. It is a Book of mystery and exciting answers. But here, today, we look at a mystery. This mystery changes everything.

Father's Day!!! A day Dad gets to call his own!!! Fun! Fun! Fun!. Except, the responsibilities do not stop, the concern doesn't end. But the Godly father has an edge. He walks with the Lord and has insight into the job. Happy Father's Day.

What has happened to the Spiritual giants who used to put forth the Word with boldness and power? When Billy Graham died three years ago, Christians said, "There will never be another like him." To me, the question should be, "Who will be the next giant of the faith?" In many ways, religion in this country is retreating. It should be surging forward.

Hamburgers. Hotdogs. Apple pie. Baseball! Fireworks. All in the name of freedom. We don't normally think of Jesus in terms of freedom, but with Him we have our greatest freedoms. Rejoice!

Do you worry?

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? 

Do you go through life trying to do it on your own?

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

Jeremiah 29:1

Lamentations 3:25

Scripture:  1 Samuel 17:1-16, 32-51, 55-56

Are you winsome?  Do your actions and words make people wonder who your Father is?

Special Guest Soloist:  Taylor Fitch

Do you have peace in your life? Are you trusting the Lord in everything or only when a crisis arises? Do you have the best the Lord has for you? Do you really trust and obey?

"Can a man enter into his mother's womb and be born again?" Nicodemus' question had confusion and maybe some scorn in it. Jesus wasn't playing the polite word game people played when they talked. But a powerful and world changing conversation was now engaged. Born of the Spirit!

We often talk of walking with the Lord, but what about walking in the Spirit? We cannot walk with the Lord until we first learn to walk in the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we will never know the joy of the Lord lifting us up to new heights. Let's take a Spiritual walk right now.

I know of a pastor who bills himself as the 'laughter pastor.' I like to laugh, and I like our people to laugh, but there is serious work to be done. If we live with the Spirit, He will give us the tools and the ability to do this serious work.

The Jewish people always mixed music and song in with their worship,m and at some times their only expression of worship was their music. Today wen have The Master's Own (what a great name) bringing our worship. Sit back and enjoy.

Most of the Apostle Paul's writing had to do with how we live our Christian lives. But he also looked to glory at times and when he did, he was looking forward to that home going. Are you?

We do not often think of the 'Lord's Prayer' as a call for power, but it is just so. The 'Lord's Prayer' is a model prayer. We are not told to repeat it (in the King James language), but we are to told to pray in that manner. We are to incorporate the elements of the model prayer into our own prayer time. This section today is about power.

We thank God for His provision, but the Bible indicates we are to ask for it, as well. God is so good!

The biggest problem in the world, whether it be the religious world or the secular world, is that humanity seeks to co-opt the world and all that is on it and the world and all the power it possesses and the world and all the glory it offers and tries and make it our own. How arrogant. Today we look at that situation.

Have we drifted off course? Our relationship with the Lord requires constant and steady care. We don't just go out and plant a garden in the Spring and then go back and start harvesting our garden at ripening time with no care or nurturing given. So it is with our relationship with God.

Life is filled with sadness and grief and uncertainty. Even today during prayer time we were told of two different things that grieved our souls. But the Lord does not just leave us out there. He is ready to calm the storm. Today we learn of a tragety that is turned around to victory.

The Scripture today in both the reading and the sermon Scripture seems, at a causal reading, somewhat harsh or even gross. But that is because the hearers could not grasp the meaning because they could not sense the Lord's message. When we are with the Lord we can understand His plan and meaning. is with us

There are reoccurring themes in Scripture. One of those themes has to do with doors. From the doors to the huts that the Jewish slaves live while they were in Egypt to the stunning, glorious doors, or gates, we will see in New Jerusalem. What do those doors mean to us and for us?

So much of what we believe about the Lord comes from what others say. We have become conditioned by quick devotions, people posting a favorite verse on Facebook and hurried sermons and Bible studies to read a verse or two and then the devotion and then someone's concept of what it all means. The answer, as they say, is in the Bible, but you have to actually read it for yourself. Salvation is one of those things that has become clouded. Clear the clouds!

What do we expect of God when it comes to blessings? Is God like Santa Claus in our minds? If we are good He will bless us? There is more to it than that. W should treat others, even our enemies, as God treats us. That is where blessings begin.

There is so much to be thankful for! In Psalm 65 we see a farmer giving God all glory and thanks, and yet their methods of farming were back breaking. That person who blames God for things somehow forgets how great He really is. To all of you out there, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What do you think of when you hear the name King Herod the Great? We all seem to have the image of an evil man. But, who was he really? What man was this?

They are not named nor are they numbered. They appear in just a very few verses. They show up, shake up Jerusalem and then they leave. But my, oh my, what a legacy they leave behind in their wake.

What did the Lord bring for us as gifts?

Third Sunday of Advent. Celebrations are everywhere. But in everything, we must remember why we are doing all these things. As tragic as the storms were this past weekend in the South, it does serve to drive home to us the importance of our faith even in the holiday season. When this video runs through, scroll down to to the next one for, THE REST OF THE STORY!

Christmas is all about music. We have the silly little songs that kids sing, but then we have the songs that deal with the Birth of the Savior.  This morning it is the Birth of Jesus we will sing about.

^{Isaiah 9:6} For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The question sounds simple, but it not as simple as it sounds. Do you go to church or do you do church? As Christians we need to determine where the Lord wants us.