Posts from 2025 (Page 4)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This is the week that changed the world. No, I’m not referring to any particular event you might have come across in the news over the last several days. This is “Holy Week,” the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the King of Israel, died for the sins of the world, and which reached its climax with his glorious resurrection on the…

Dear Faith Community Church Family, Palm Sunday is this Sunday! We may have already heard from the text on the triumphal entry, but it is always good to remember that our Lord rode into Jerusalem as the king of not only Zion but also the whole earth. Our text for Palm Sunday will be Mark 12:35-40, when Jesus confounds the scribes by teaching that He, being David’s…

Dear Faith Community Church Family, For many Christians, the spiritual life is something reserved for Sunday morning. They get up, go to church, listen to a sermon, maybe talk with a few other people about the events of their week, then it’s back to their “real life.” To reduce the Christian life to attending a church service is to entirely misunderstand the…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Our Prayer Dinner this past Sunday encouraged all who attended as we prayed for our world, our community, and even local church needs. Thank you to all who served by preparing food or setting out utensils and thank you to Lawrence and Simple for leading us in prayer. Thank the Lord that He is making us more and more into a church of kingdom…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, As I look back over the past two and half years since we began our Called to Flourish vision, it is amazing to see the ways the Lord has challenged us and grown us in the vital area of Kingdom Prayer. We are a church committed to praying that the Lord would grow his kingdom in our neighborhoods and community and would use us to do so. Over these…

Dear Faith Community Church Family, This Sunday we continue our series Follow Me with Mark 11:27-12:12, where Jesus is questioned on His authority and responds with the parable of the tenants, condemning many of the Jewish leaders for rejecting the heir of the throne of God. The Lord reminds us not to reject Him as the cornerstone but marvel that the One rejected by the…

Dear Faith Community Church Family, The Lenten season is a season of preparation. During Advent we prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus Christ our Savior; during Lent we prepare our hearts for the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over sin and death. This evening we begin our Lenten journey with a Lenten prayer service at 6:30pm. This is a service of prayer and…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Palm Sunday is coming early this year! Our text this Sunday, Mark 11:1-11, recounts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem when He rode on a donkey into the city of David as onlookers laid down palms and shouted “Hosanna!” to the king. Remember that our king advanced on the domain of darkness so that He could claim victory over…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, One of the focus areas of our church’s three-year vision Called to Flourish is leadership development. God’s continuing provision for our congregation was evident in the ordination of two elders and two deacons in January. I’m excited to announce that at today’s Chicago Metro Presbytery gathering the Teaching and Ruling Elders of the CMP…

Dear Brothers and Sisters: Pastor Rhett will return to the pulpit this week to preach Mark 10:32-45 to us. James and John, sometimes referred to as the “sons of thunder” for their boldness, draw out from Jesus a central teaching on the Christian life. In Jesus’ kingdom, the king became a servant, so those who vie for power must seek to serve those around…

Dear Brothers and Sisters: One distinguishing mark of the letters of the Apostle Paul is his opening thanksgiving and prayer. In most of his letters he includes one, or both, of these elements in order to encourage and challenge the church to whom he is writing. The book of Colossians is no exception. He begins his thanksgiving in Colossians with these words: “We always…

Dear Faith Family, Pastor Rhett will preach to us from Mark 10:17-31, the passage known as the “Rich Young Ruler” to many of us. Interestingly, each of the three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that record this story describe the young man in slightly different terms. In Mark’s telling, he is only a “rich young man.” The reward for those in…

Dear Faith Family, We will return to our “Follow Me” series with Mark 10:1-16 this Sunday. In this passage, the Lord Jesus reminds both the Pharisees and the disciples of God’s designs from creation. On the one hand, the Lord desires that marriages ought to last, and on the other, He desires that we come to Him like needy children, as we are but…

Dear Faith Family, This past Sunday Pastor Rhett preached on our identity as servants of Jesus Christ. We are called to believe in Jesus, pursue righteousness, and flee sin. Pastor Rhett will continue our study of Mark this coming Sunday. Please join us in person, or if you cannot attend please worship with us on the livestream by clicking on this…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, We look forward to Pastor Rhett’s preaching Mark 9:30-50 this coming Sunday as we continue our series in Mark. After the Transfiguration, Jesus is heading to the cross and teaches His disciples bit by bit what true discipleship looks like. Common gurus of both His day and ours may tell us that power lies in greatness and triumph, but true…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy New Year! We give thanks that our Lord, in His faithfulness, has brought us through another year, and we long for the day when Jesus will come back to restore all things. As we look to pick up our Mark series again this Sunday with Mark 9:14-29, the Lord in His providence is reminding us of how dependent we are on Him. Many of us may make…