First Champaign-urbana

It’s the night before Christmas… and everyone is stirring, driving, wrapping, and cooking. Sounds sort of hectic right? While we know there is a lot to do as we prepare for Christmas Day, we would love for you to find time to slow down and reflect on the peace Jesus has prepared for us.

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!” Perhaps you’ve already sung this carol during this Advent season. But did you know that Joy to the World was not written as a Christmas song, rather a hymn to be praised year-round? For week three of Prepare Him Room, we unpack how the joy we celebrate during the Christmas season should not be seasonal, but a life-long goal.

Hope is a big word during the Advent season. We are reminded of the hope we see in the world through the benevolence of others. In other ways, we might lose a little hope because of how people act and respond during Christmas. Either way, hope is alive and all around us. In week two of Prepare Him Room, we are reminded of why hope was central to Jesus’ arrival on earth.

There’s a lot to love about the Christmas season: the music, the trees and lights, the hot chocolate, time with family, and much more. While we tend to love these things to varying degrees, there does exist a greater love for us. Listen in as we kick off our advent teaching series, Prepare Him Room, as we discover how God’s love impacts us all.

If we believe in Jesus, our mission should be to help other people believe in Jesus. But what does that look like when the people you're trying to reach, hate Jesus and everything He stands for? On Sunday, Vince Antonucci will help us learn why this can work. Vince is familiar with Champaign-Urbana because he attended law school at the University of Illinois. While there, Vince decided to try to prove that the Bible wasn't true. He ultimately failed that pursuit, and now his life is dedicated to teaching people about Jesus. Vince, his wife, Jen, and their two children now live in Las Vegas. They started Verve, a church for people who work on and live around the Vegas Strip—a church for those who don't like church. What was their primary way of reaching those lost?

Guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy are all little emotion monsters that rear their heads at the most unforeseen moments. Most of us would agree these emotions only get us into more trouble and we would rather express them less often. So is there a way to get it all under control and have a healthier heart? As we wrap up Enemies of the Heart, we will look at the habits we can put into practice to fight against the emotions that try to destroy us.

“Treat the source, not the symptom,” is a fairly common phrase in the medical field. It basically means to fix the actual issue, not just the symptoms. What if we applied the same truth to our lives and hearts? Instead of looking at the side effects, we opened up our hearts to see what the source of the problem might be. In week two of Enemies of the Heart, we will have a little open-heart surgery into the four emotional enemies in us all.

Ever have one of those, “where did that come from?!?!,” moments? Maybe you slipped and said a w*®d in front of the kids or found yourself negatively attacking another? Either way we have all been there and have found it can happen fast. Could it be, in those moments, there is something deeper going on inside our hearts? While your physical heart may be fine, all of our spiritual hearts need work. In week one of Enemies of the Heart we discover where and why our hearts get bogged down.

Losing stuff is the worst, isn’t it? Whether it’s your keys, wallet, or glasses, the burden grows with time until they eventually show up. But what if what you lost was something of greater value - and! - you didn’t know if it would ever show up again? Imagine the ecstatic joy of being reunited and reconciled! As we wrap up our series in the Parables, we close the book by discussing Jesus’ short story about The Lost Son.

Who is your neighbor? You might answer this question with the people who live close to you, or you might respond with something more general. Now, what if your life depended on your neighbor? Would you feel confident in your chances of survival? Join us this week as we look deeper into Jesus’ short story of The Good Samaritan.

Getting picked last in the schoolyard for a game of dodgeball is never fun. But, if you think about it, at least you still got to play! Whether you are picked first or last, getting into the game is what matters most. In week two of Parables, we will see how the generosity of one impacted the first and the last equally - all of this in Jesus’ short story of The Laborers In the Vineyard.

Just curious—did you like group projects throughout school? Well, it depends, right?!?! There’s always the one who does most of the work, others who do their fair share...and then the slacker who merely shows up for the grade. But, most of us begrudge the system that allows one to benefit from the work of another. We will see how this (should) unfold in week one of Parables, we will look at Jesus’ story of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Take a second to think about how much different life would be without technology. One helpful tool we have today is access to GPS. All you need to do is know where you are headed, plug in the address, and then directions take care of themselves. The same might be said for navigating life as a disciple. Knowing the destination allows us to live with a different purpose. Join us for week 3 of Different as we wrap up this series of how our beliefs and actions display the difference we are called to live for.

Have you ever played Simon Says? Do you know what tends to trip people up the quickest about this game? It’s when the leader’s words don't match their actions. Perhaps many of us agree that someone’s belief and words ought to match their actions—that someone’s truth is best defined in how they act, not just what they say. In week 2 of Different we discuss how the next step to standing out in life is acting on the Truth we’ve been given through Jesus.

What is truth? Well, it depends on who you ask… While truth may look different for some compared to others, most would agree that what we believe in ought to influence how we act and live. As the church, we know we are called to be different from our world so God can work through us. That difference starts with the truth we believe. In week 1 of the series, Different, where we will see the first step to standing out in life begins with clinging to a truth different from the world.

Everyone is looking for something that works for them, fixes their life, or copes their pain. In a world not looking for Jesus, we must be intentional about taking Jesus to them—and it starts by having Jesus with us wherever we go. A “GOing” church extends beyond a building or an event. It must become a movement of people. It is time for the church to covertly infiltrate the fabric of our community and rise up where God is already at work.

Following Jesus is not easy—and He never said it would be! Jesus evoked many responses from people listening to His teachings, and He often stepped on their toes as He called them to surrender everything in their life to follow Him. However, many of us look to pick and choose what areas (schedules, priorities, relationships, finances, and so forth) of our life we surrender to following Jesus. In week 3 of All In we look to see what it truly means to live fully surrendered to Jesus.

Research tells us we are more “connected” than ever, while levels of loneliness continue to skyrocket. We tend to have lots of comradery in our life—but little genuine community pushing us to grow. From exercise to sports to work teams, we have people all around us to help us grow and learn in new ways. So, why should it be any different in the church? In week 2 of All In, we will learn we grow best in community as we allow God to speak to us through prayer, Scripture and the people around us.

Studies show people are attending church less and less, and the majority of those who do are only attending. We live in a culture where the regular commitment to come to the worship gathering is secondary to what we want to make happen weekly—help people surrender to Jesus. We must remember when we gather together to celebrate Jesus, we refocus on what His Spirit is doing in us - and that is when those far from God “come and see” that the Lord is good. Welcome to week 1 of All In, where we dive into the value of gathering weekly to celebrate Jesus.

The book of Daniel has a common theme of when God shows up, rescue happens. When we look at different circumstances that challenge our faith, do we trust the fact that we have been rescued because of what Jesus did on the cross for us? Out of the book of Daniel, it is clear that God calls us to be fearless and faithful rather than fearful and faithless.