Judgment and repentance are themes during Advent. Even so, the third Sunday in Advent is Gaudette Sunday, or the Sunday for rejoicing. As we continue to anticipate the coming of the birth of Jesus, we pause to be reminded of the joy he brings. This week, Fr. Ben Williams marks this midpoint of Advent to remind us that joy is on the other side of repentance.

Clutter in the house. Clutter in the yard. Clutter on the desk. Clutter everywhere. Just like our environments, our hearts can become cluttered, leaving little room for Jesus. This week, Fr. Ben Williams admonishes us prepare room for Christ during the Advent season by clearing the clutter of sin, anxiety, and triviality.

What is the season of Advent? Why do we spend a month preparing for Christmas? The church calendar gives us ways of participating in the life of Christ together. Advent is a season of preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth by reflecting on our great need for a savior. Although Jesus’ first advent (his birth) has passed, we also look forward to his return, or second advent. This Sunday, Fr. Ben Williams explores the ominous, yet hopeful passages of Scripture assigned for the first of four Advent Sundays. Rather than fear the judgment that comes with Christ’s return, we can actively wait by growing in love and holiness.

Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbors? Aren’t we supposed to serve others? These questions arise when we see Martha serving the Lord and her guests only to be told that her sister, Marry, is doing the right thing by sitting at Jesus’ feet. This week, we wrap up our Hi, Neighbor, series with the end of Luke 10 and the story of Mary and Martha. Join Fr. Ben Williams as we are reminded that we simply join God in the work he is already doing. The work of mission still persists, but not at the expense of sitting at the feet of Jesus.

What does it mean to be sent by Jesus to prepare the way? How does the local church participate in Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations? It all starts in the neighborhood. This week, we continue our series titled, “Hi, Neighbor,” where we’ve been exploring what it means to love our neighbors…literally. Fr. Ben Williams looks at the first “mission trip,” when he sent 72 disciples out to preach the kingdom of God. As we settle into a new neighborhood, where it can feel a bit foreign, we are reminded that Jesus sends us out to labor in the harvest as lambs among wolves.

When asked by a lawyer testing him how to receive eternal life, Jesus tells him to do what the Law tells him to do. It wasn’t enough to simply know the law, it has to be obeyed. This week, Fr. Ben Williams continues a sermon series titled, Hi, Neighbor. As we look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan a second time, we see that being a neighbor to others means meeting practical needs, sharing the gospel, and doing it all at our own expense. Join us as we look at Jesus as the ultimate example of what it means to be a neighbor to others.

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? What is love, anyway? This week, Fr. Ben Williams begins a 4-week sermon series called, Hi Neighbor. Now that Mission Saint James has moved to a new neighborhood, we’ll be looking at what it means to be a neighbor. This week, we look at the parable of the Good Samaritan and ask what it means to be a neighbor.

What does humility look like and why is it so important to the Christian life? This week, we wrap up our series in the Book of James and discover the key to double-mindedness. James tells us to submit ourselves to God, to resist the devil, and humble ourselves. In this final installment, Fr. Ben Williams looks at James’ three examples of humility with a special focus on judging other Christians. Humility requires all Christians to see themselves and one another as sinners saved by grace, thereby leaving no room for judgment.

Where do quarreling and infighting come from? Why do so many people feed off of anger and discord? James tells us that this comes from our devotion to our passions. When we are selfish and angry, no good fruit is produced. The Church, of all places, should be different, yet we hear of discord in churches frequently. This week, Fr. Ben Williams compares the selfish and prideful heart to a stagnant pool of water. Unless we receive God’s grace that flows down like a clear mountain waterfall, we will continue to sow seeds of discord, not only throughout the world, but throughout the Church as well. Join us for the third of four sermons on the Book of St. James.

What do we say about God when we treat others based on appearances? How does our partiality obscure God’s glory? This week, we explore these questions as we continue our 4-part series on the Book of James. Join Fr. Ben Williams and Mission Saint James for this important study on how we are to live our lives while “holding on to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory.”

What does Christian maturity look like? Why is it that we often feel like we should be further along our journey with Jesus than we are? This week, Fr. Ben Williams begins a four part series on the Book of James, which is greatly concerned with Christian maturity. St. James reminds Christians who we are and where we have come from. Just as we resemble our earthly fathers, so our actions should reflect the heart of our heavenly Father. Wherever you are on your journey with Jesus, St. James tells us to persevere.

We all want to live rich lives. We long to reach the end of our days satisfies with a life worth living. Jesus came to offer us something so much more. In our final sermon on John 6, Fr. Ben Williams encourages us to not only live a life worth living, but also a life worth dying for.

Have you ever been so busy that you didn’t have time for a lunch break? Our lives can be so full of concern for our temporal life that we can neglect the eternal life God offers us through his Son, Jesus. This week, Fr. Ben Williams continues our series in John 6 where Jesus declares that he is the Bread of Life. Unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood, he says, we have no life in us.

King Solomon said that “the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing” (Ecc. 1:8). Why is it that our contentment in our temporal lives are so difficult to attain? This week, Fr. Ben Williams continues our series in John 6 where Jesus tells us that the Father draws human beings to his Son. The satisfaction we seek in this life is truly met in “the bread that comes down from heaven,” who is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Join us for this message, Drawn to the Bread of Life.

How do we maintain our wonder and awe for the Living God? How do we keep our eyes on Jesus when our earthly lives pull our gaze toward temporal reality? This week, Fr. Ben Williams continues a series in John 6 where Jesus states, “I am the bread of life.” The challenge of the Christian life is to prioritize the eternal life we have in Jesus over our everyday existence with its cares and concerns.