In Luke 1:26-38, we have one of the most remarkable stories in scripture. The angel Gabriel comes to Mary with a startling announcement. She will be the mother of her Savior. Unlike the skepticism of Zechariah, Mary asks “how will these things be?” A question we wrestle with as we ponder the nature of our Savior as fully God and fully man. But in the answer, scripture points us to one of the most precious truths of our faith. Because Mary asked this question, we, along with our forefathers can go to scripture and ask, “How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?” Join us as we examine Luke 1:26-38 and consider this question and why it is central to our faith.
12/03/2023 | “Breaking the Silence” | Luke 1:1-25
God’s silence is unsettling. In it we impute our worst fears and harshest assessments. So, Luke begins with a broken silence. Jesus, the Word in flesh, is born to speak God’s love into a 400-year silence. God is not deaf, dead, absent, unconcerned, or idle. Join us this Lord’s Day, as we begin a short series of lessons from Luke’s Gospel in Luke 1:5-25 and consider the power of the gospel to break the silence of God in our lives.
11/26/2023 | “Reflexing” | Exodus 35-40
The Christian life is a reflex to the grace of God. Grace and gratitude shape all of life. Colossians reminds us, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him… abounding in thanksgiving.” How are your reflexes? Join us as we examine the people’s response to God’s grace in Exodus 35-40 and how it unfolds in faithful giving, faithful serving, and faithful following.
11/19/2023 | “The God of Second Chances” | Exodus 34:1-35
We hear “God is a God of second chances.” So we think his mercy is a divine do-over. A hard reset from bad choices. But God’s mercy & forgiveness are not ‘do-overs.’ Or mere second chances. Redemption goes much deeper. It is costly. And transformational. Join us as we examine Exodus 34 and consider ‘the how, the what, and the why’ of redemption.
11/12/2023 | “Getting Right” | Exodus 33
Getting right with God is not easy. Our works, regrets, shame, and tears are insufficient. Only God’s grace is sufficient. Only his kindness leads to repentance. The sin of the Golden Calf seemed irrecoverable. But God’s grace was not finished. Join us as we examine the people’s response to God’s judgement in Exodus 33 and consider what it means to get right with God.
11/05/2023 | “Wait for It” | Exodus 32
Are you impatient with God? With his action or inaction? His timing? With his words or silence? Uncertain of God’s goodness? Have you moved on to others for direction, provision, or satisfaction? Have you stopped ‘waiting on the Lord?’ Join us as we examine the story of the golden calf and consider the dangers of failing to wait upon the Lord.
10/29/2023 | “Gifts and Graces” | Exodus 31:1-18
What are your spiritual gifts? Are you using them for God’s glory and the Church’s good? All believers have indispensable gifts. A church has no spare parts. Every gift is crucial. What is yours? Are you using it? Join us as we examine Exodus 31 and consider the gifts and graces God gives as he calls us to live life together in Christ.
10/22/2023 | “Pleasing Aroma” | Exodus 30
How does your prayer life smell to God? The Tabernacle’s altar of incense pictures prayer as a pleasing aroma to God. He delights in its smell. And we should delight in it too. Yet no privilege is more neglected than the saint’s fervent, effectual prayer. Join us as we examine Exodus 30 and consider what the altar of incense teaches us about prayer.
10/15/2023 | “Pattern Recognition” | Exodus 29:1-46
The Christian life is a priestly life. The pattern of the Old Testament priesthood is neither irrelevant nor obsolete. But provides a remarkable picture of our life of fellowship, worship, communion and faith as we follow Christ, our great High Priest. Join us as we examine Exodus 29 and consider how the priest’s ordination shows us how we are to live our lives as a kingdom of priests.
Response Time
Response time is everything. It is the metric that drives our modern world. When response times are not getting shorter, our patience is. Hospitals tout real time wait times on interstate billboards. Customer service call-centers give us our depth in queue and call back options up front. When both lines are wrapped around Chick-Fil-A, we still expect no more than 47 seconds from order time to food delivery. And our decisions about technology often hinge on megapixels and milliseconds. Even our social media accounts report our response times in answering questions or responding to posts.
Response time is everything. A slow response time is anathema. Patience used to be a virtue, but now it is extinct. We expect responses and we expect them to be timely, if not immediate. Failure to respond and respond quickly is deemed a total failure. While this is characteristic of our fast-food age, it is probably less a modern trait than we might believe. Even in the past when responses have been methodical, deliberate, and slow, responses were always expected.
And as with everything, spiritual truths are reflected in our experiences. The birth of Christ is a remarkable intrusion into the lives of people. His presence demands a response. Mary and Joseph’s plans and lives are turned upside down. Sages are roused from their contemplations to make a perilous journey. The vigilance of the shepherds was redirected away from their sheep. And the townsfolk in sleepy Bethlehem are wakened from their sleep by strange tales of a strange baby. Unlike our Nativity sets, these characters were not caricatures. And their place in the drama is less about their casting and more about their response.
When Christ intrudes into the world, He demands a response. Mary treasured and pondered. Shepherds returned glorifying and praising God. The townsfolk simply marveled. Those in the Gospels who refuse to receive him, who plan to follow Him one of these days, who wash their hands of him, who marvel at him, but refuse to ‘come and worship’ are always condemned. Everyone’s response to Jesus is different, but indifference is not an option. Some ignore, some resist, some deny, some hate, while some believe and follow. Your present and your future are utterly dependent upon your response to Jesus.
The shepherds believed and followed. When the angel told them “today is born in the city of David as Savior who is Christ the Lord,” the good news demanded a response. They went in haste and discovered everything God had promised them. What is your response to the good news? The opening of the Gospel of John lays this out for us.
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:11-13
Response time is everything. It is time for your response. What is your response to the good news that “today is born in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord?” Join us as we examine Luke 2:15-20 and consider our own response to Jesus. We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship. Get directions here or contact us for more info. Or join us on Facebook Live @PottsvilleARP or YouTube.
Pottsville Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church 