CBC Weekly Word

Rev. Tom is filling in for Pastor Bret this week with a fasten-your-seatbelts kind of sermon on "Culture Wars." Our society is fraught with tension and turmoil today - what are we as Christians called to do in the midst of it?

Do you have a heart problem? No, not a physical heart problem but a spiritual heart problem? Join us as we learn of the issues a “hardened heart” can cause and of the extent to which God will go to soften the heart of those aligned against Him.

Suppose you had an opportunity to talk with God. Would you ask questions? Would you tell Him what you thought He’d gotten wrong? Would you make suggestions? This week we look at just such a conversation between Moses and God and discover both how gracious God is, as well as learn of one thing that makes God angry.

We know that God's timing is always best, but how long are we willing to wait for God? An hour? A day? A month? How about 400 years? Join us as we begin a new sermon series on the book of Exodus and discover how God is often at work in our lives long before we realize it.

Mother's Day is the annual holiday set aside to deliberately express our love and gratitude to our moms, something few of us do often enough. But what are we grateful for? This weekend we will look at just 3 of the most basic and important things moms give to us using Moses's mother as our role model.

Predestination. A big word that we don't use very often and only slightly comprehend. Even as Christians the meaning varies significantly depending on one's understanding of a few critical scripture passages. This weekend we will take a closer look at the concept of predestination, recognizing that a deeper understanding of this theological principle ultimately provides us a deeper understanding of God Himself.

Are you a groaner? ALL of us groan at least occasionally. In fact, even the earth groans! So how do we handle those "groan-able" days? If we can't completely avoid them (and we can't), what are we to do? Join us as the apostle Paul reveals to us how we can persevere, despite the groans, and maintain a life of peace and contentment in the midst of life's challenges.

This weekend we conclude the Gospel of John sermon series with one final thought that - while not new - reminds us of a bedrock truth related to our relationship with God. That foundation principle is "Restoration!" Join us as we discover how Jesus made sure the lingering questions involving Peter get resolved, and how this truth still speaks hope to God's people these many years later.

When we think of the empty tomb on Easter we first think of Jesus. However, we also think of the others present that day like Peter and John. But what about Mary Magdalene? She was there throughout the passion story (crucifixion/burial/resurrection) but is often overlooked. Join us as we look at Mary's involvement in the Easter story and how her experience can - and should - help guide our lives as well.

In just one week we will celebrate the joyous and miraculous resurrection of Jesus. However, before the resurrection there was the crucifixion and the man who ultimately decided whether Jesus lived or died was the Roman Precept, Pontius Pilate. Surprisingly Pilate did NOT believe Jesus deserved death or even punishment. So why did he sentence Jesus to death on a cross? Join us as we look at why Pilate would make such a decision and what it teaches us about the influence we sometimes give others over our lives.

“Unity!” An easy word to say but such a difficult concept to live. And yet, it was important enough that it was the focus of Jesus’ final prayer before His arrest and crucifixion. Join us this week as we look at the concept of unity and discover why it’s so important to the lives of God’s people and His church.

The Holy Spirt is a part of Trinity, but often He seems relegated to a distant third place in our view of the Godhead. Join us this weekend as we look at the Holy Spirit - who He is, what are His roles, and how He is essential to our lives as individual Christians and as the Church.

Jesus tells us that if we ask for anything in His name we will receive it. Yet there are many things we pray for that do not come to fruition. Why not? This weekend we'll be looking at this bold declaration of Christ and discover what it really means to "pray in Jesus' name."

God’s Word says a lot about love - including the importance of loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:36-39). So what could be left for Jesus to discuss when issuing a “new command” related to love? Join us as we discover the new standard Jesus calls the apostles to follow and how our living this out enables others to know we are Christ’s disciples.

Darkness and Light:- few symbolic depictions are more telling than this comparison. In the light things are visible & warm. In the darkness things are hidden & cold. Join us this week as we discover how God utilizes this natural dichotomy to illustrate the differences between what is godly and what is evil, and are reminded of His desire that we join Him in the Light!

A number of years ago country singer Clint Black recorded a great song about love entitled "Something that We Do." While saying "I love you" is important, we also need to support our words with actions. This week we will discover how we can tangibly demonstrate our love for God by following wonderful examples given us by Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

This weekend the eyes of our nation will be turned towards the big game, Super Bowl LVII. Yet, surprisingly, there are some significant similarities between playing football and being a disciple of Jesus. Join us as we discover these similarities and how they can help us in our lives as followers of Christ.

Have you ever wondered why God delays answering your prayers? Well, you are in good company. This weekend we'll look at the story of Jesus' delayed response to Mary and Martha's appeal to Jesus to heal their brother, and how this delay revealed that God had something even better in store.

Ever wish you had more wisdom? The bible has multiple books that are referred to as "wisdom literature", and Rev. Tom is going to walk us through one of those books today!

In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"  Even today people still ask, "Who is Jesus?"  This weekend we will be addressing this very question "Who IS Jesus" and discover that the same answer that was for those in the first century is true today.

Wouldn't be nice if we could be told something, or taught something, or shown something one time and then the lesson or truth never had to be shared again? Nice yes, but not a reality for most of us. This week we continue our annual review of the foundational principles that guide us as a congregation. Whether you are new to Calvary Baptist or have attended for many years, this is a sermon you need to hear as we persevere in our quest to be the discipling church God has called us to be.

A new year means a new beginning in many areas of our life, but there are some things we need to carry over from previous years. This week we are revisiting our Calvary Baptist Vision Statement as a reminder of the unique call God has placed upon our lives as those He has led to connect with Calvary Baptist Church.

New Year's resolutions. Some folks think they're great, others, not so much. As true followers of Christ, however, there must be a fundamental change in us if we are to serve Christ. Join us as Rev. Tom walks us through how to become new in Christ in 2023!

Everyone wishes for the perfect Christmas but truthfully, who has ever actually experienced the perfect Christmas? Not to worry - even the very first Christmas wasn't perfect, but just maybe that was part of God's plan! Join us for our Christmas Day service as we are reminded of the one thing - the only thing - that needs to be perfect... Jesus!

Christmas is a season of many things - hope, peace, love - but it's also a season of joy!  And not just any kind of joy, but the "Joy of the Lord." Join us as we look at an incident in the life of Jeremiah that reminds us that unlike happiness, joy is independent of life's circumstances, and that Joy of the Lord can be experienced despite life's circumstances because it is rooted solely in our relationship with God.

For a lot of folks when we hear the word "Christmas" a variety of thoughts come to mind - brightly decorated trees and homes, buying/getting gifts, a jolly guy in a big red suit. But do you ever think of Christmas in terms of a "love story?" This week we will look at Christmas from a perspective rarely noticed by the world, but which best describes God's reason for sending His one and only son on that first Christmas day long ago.

We put our trust in many things today: our finances, our looks and health, our leaders, our economy, etc., but inevitably these all fall short. In the end, the only One we can put our trust in is God. This week we begin the season of advent by being reminded of the ultimate and eternal hope that God revealed through His Son.

We know that we’re suppose to thank God for the blessings we enjoy, but what specifically are those blessings? Join us as we think outside-the-box on what we can be grateful for during this season of gratitude and appreciation towards God.

Have you ever been searching for a misplaced item, only to find it in a place where you had already looked? Join us this weekend as we discover that the thing we've been earnestly searching for has always been right in front of us.

What is truth? It’s a question we’ve been wrestling with since the time of Jesus and Pontus Pilate (John 18:38a). Yet, along with the question, we’ve also been given the answer (John 8:31-32). Join us as we look at the importance of truth in an age when we cannot even agree that authentic truth exists.

Everyone loves a good story! This is especially true if the story is factual and includes a lesson that can be learned. Join us this weekend as we hear the stories behind some our favorite hymns of the faith and discover how we, too, have our own faith story to be told.

We've all heard of the song "Amazing Grace", but do we truly appreciate just how amazing God's grace really is? Join us this week as we see how Jesus not only taught about grace, but lived it out in an extraordinary way.

We know about God the Father, and about God the Son, but what about God the Holy Spirit? In the lives of too many Christians we have either been uninformed or misinformed when it comes to the person and roles of the Spirit. Join us this weekend as we look at how Jesus uses an old practice (the Feast of the Tabernacles) to introduce a new moving by the Holy Spirit that awaits Jesus's followers.

Almost everyone who leaves this life wants to leave a part of themselves here on earth, a legacy. Yet little of what this world values (wealth, power, titles, etc.) lasts beyond our lives. So how can we ensure that our legacy survives? Join us as we address this question and discover how our legacy can have earthly and eternal foundations.

You've probably heard Jesus' words "I am the bread of life." What exactly does this mean? And why has it caused such confusion for so many? Join us this week as Pastor Bret guides us through this portion of scripture to provide some clarity on this important topic.

How do we hear the voice of God? When does God speak to us? Join us this week as Pastor Tod talks about how we can best hear God's voice in our lives.

Join us this week as, using the story of the disable man at the Pool of Bethesda, we wrestle with the question of "How does God choose whom He will bless?"

Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle only to find at the end there’s a piece missing? It doesn’t matter if the puzzle is 20 or 2,500 pieces, if one is missing, it just feels incomplete. Join us this weekend as we discover how we can become complete, as well as identify some of the things in this life that, rather than complete us, only leave a hole in our lives.

Have you ever had an occasion when you wish you could just start over? Maybe you wish you could start the day over, or the relationship over, or perhaps you wish you could start your entire life over. Join us this weekend as we talk about being “born again” and discover how we actually can start life anew with Jesus.

If you were like most kids, the favorite part of dinner was dessert. Dinner could be delicious, but your focus was on what came after dinner because you knew the best was yet to come! Join us this weekend as we talk about what follows this earthly existence and how we can find strength and encouragement in this life knowing what awaits us in heaven.

So who was Jesus? We don't have any photos of him or audio recordings or video clips, so how can we know who Jesus truly was and is? One of the most powerful ways is to examine how God describes Himself through the writings of the Apostle John. Join us this week as we begin a new sermon series on John's Gospel and focus on discovering the identity of this One who came to save the world from its sins.

Ever fly a kite? How do you know it will fly? Join us this week as Pastor Clay shares about faith; what it is, why it is important, and how we always need to be growing in our faith.

People search for many things in their lives - health, wealth, significance. However one of the most elusive yet sought after elements is "peace of mind." This week join us as we discover, through the life of Moses, how we can experience that sense of inner-peace, even when the circumstances of life seem to be conspiring against us.

Life is messy! Each of us has gotten caught up in the messiness on occasion. Join us this week as we look at the lives of Samson & Joseph and see that God can - and will - help us through (and even how to minimize the messiness of) life's challenges.

Listen as Pastor Bret shows us where scripture guides us and can help us find our way out of loneliness.

Join us as we examine how to apply the command to love our neighbor as ourselves when it's difficult to love ourselves.

Ever struggle with depression? You're not alone! Join us as we explore an event in the life of Elijah that can give us important insights into what God says about how to handle depression.

Only two verses consisting of five sentences, and yet God had a reason for including something about Jabez in the Bible. Join us as we discover, through these brief comments, how we can fulfill the unspoken desire of almost everyone which is to be "above average."

Feel like a failure? Well hopefully not today, but the odds are pretty good that you have sometime in your life. This weekend we are looking at how the God of hope helps us in those moments or seasons of despair and reminds us that failure is something we do, not someone we are.

Happy Father's Day! Join us as we celebrate Dads and see what God has to say about dads and to dads!