There are two birth narratives in the four Gospels. Joseph is the focus of the narrative recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Mary, the mother of Jesus is the primary character in the narrative in the Gospel of Luke. This message explores Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26 – 38 and Mary’s role in the birth of our Savior. She is a compelling feminine voice, a woman of faith testifying of the purposes, presence and power of God. She was favored by God, fruitful for God and focused on God.

The Gospel writer Mark is not alone in his portrayal of the pivotal role that John the Baptist plays as the forerunner of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist stood at the intersection of the Old and New Covenant; a true man of conviction that God had shaped and molded in the classical prophetic tradition. The truth about the coming Messiah concealed in the Old Testament prophecies would be revealed through John's ministry and through the life, death and resurrection of the One John bore witness to. This message inspires us during this Advent Season to do what John did – stand for the Truth, stand with the Truth and stand by the Truth!

During Advent, the nativity narratives in the Gospels remind us that God came into this broken world in the person of Jesus Christ. This “Messianic Migration” culminates in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3, verses 20 – 21 where Jesus stands at the door and knocks. The symbolism is an urgent summons to the Church, every child of God and the world to “let Him in!”

While preaching at the Ninety-Seventh Anniversary Celebration of New Salem Baptist Church in Decatur, IL, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield draws insights from 1 Peter 2:9-10, exploring the theme What Makes the Church So Special! The church, empowered to engage the world, possesses a unique status, vital mission, and invaluable blessing because Jesus lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again. Before returning to heaven, He entrusted the church to share the Gospel with all nations, promising His continual presence throughout this journey.

British Prime Minister and prominent leader during World War II, Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.” He could have very well been gleaning truth from a passage that King Solomon wrote centuries earlier that is recorded in Proverbs Chapter Eleven, verse twenty-five. That verse and this sermon addresses the question, “What do we gain when we give?”

In Psalm 12, David feels isolated and marginalized as a man of faith amid a rising tide of wickedness in his world. The challenges he faced highlight a harsh reality that echoes across generations and speaks to our own era. Societies face dire consequences when the faithful falter. From a spiritual and moral perspective, the dangers of such a collapse are more severe and far-reaching than a nuclear Iran, a global pandemic, or another economic recession. What unfolds when godly men and women disappear from marriages, families, churches, communities, and nations? This message dives deep into that pressing and urgent question.

Exodus, Chapter 13, verses 19-22 is one of many biblical passages that expresses truth about God’s presence. Further exploration of these verses reveal that geographically and experientially, a passage can be a road, a path, a course, that takes us from one place to another in life just like the one the Israelites embarked on as they left Egypt for the Promised Land. God is present in that kind of passage as well. This message helps us celebrate and understand more about how God’s people experience God’s presence.

In Chapter 11, verse one of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the biblical writer uses the merchant who stocks and sends ships out to sea as a metaphor for the life of faith. Faith is not afraid! It lives boldly, broadly, blindly and bountifully.