PRAY
December 22, 2024
In this special devotional message, Executive Pastor Matt Piland invites us to step out of the frantic “blur” of the Christmas season and into a deliberate moment of preparation. We often find ourselves stressed and frustrated by the hustle and bustle, promising to be done early but instead feeling spiritually depleted. Pastor Matt suggests that we feel this way because we fail to do two essential things: Pause and Prepare.
Using a simple yet profound four-part acronym—P.R.A.Y.—this message serves as a guided experience to slow down scattered minds and recenter our senses on the presence of Emmanuel, “God With Us.” By walking through the story of Zechariah and the birth of John the Baptist, we are reminded that our primary job this season isn’t just to prepare our homes, but to prepare our hearts to meet Jesus. Discover how to move from a holiday of hurry to a holy week of surrender, concluding with a powerful time of communion and remembrance.
More From This Series
New Beginnings
December 8, 2024
In this opening message of the Christmas season titled “New Beginnings,” Lead Pastor Jason Britt celebrates the grand opening of the new 316 Campus while diving into the spiritual significance of “newness.” We are naturally drawn to new things—from the smell of a new car to the exhilaration of a new relationship—because we are biologically and spiritually wired for them. However, Pastor Jason reminds us that our God is not the God of the “status quo,” but the God of constant and continual newness. While the world looks back at the “Old Bethlehem,” we look to the New Beginning found in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
If you feel stuck in the “wash, rinse, repeat” cycle of religion, or if you are carrying the weight of a past you can’t seem to shake, this message is a powerful invitation to hit the reset button. Discover how the incarnation of Jesus turns an unapproachable God into an accessible Savior, and learn how to declare the “old” in your life dead and done so you can fully embrace the mission God has for your future.
Somebody, Nobody
December 15, 2024
In the second message of our Christmas at Bethlehem series, Pastor Jason Britt unpacks the “why” behind the Christmas story by diving into the significance of the Incarnation. While our natural instinct is to spend our lives trying to be a “Somebody”—seeking recognition, fame, and status—Jesus, the ultimate “Somebody,” chose to become a “Nobody.” By looking at the “Hymn of Christ” in Philippians 2, we discover that a true new beginning starts with a shift in our thinking.
Pastor Jason challenges us to be intentional about letting the “mind of Christ” dwell in us. This isn’t about natural instinct; it’s about a conscious choice to move from self-interest to selfless sacrifice. Whether it’s choosing to rejoice in others’ success rather than giving in to envy, or being unoffendable in a culture of outrage, we are called to empty ourselves out for the glory of God and the good of others, just as Jesus did for us.