Sermons

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Why We Need Thanksgiving

Have you ever bought something you already had, because you forgot you have it?  I am thinking right now of a tool for my chainsaw I have hanging on the wall in my garage unopened.  Why?  Because after I got home with it and finally got around to using it, I discovered I already had replaced that item!  There was no need to buy a new one, yet I had and it was well past the return window. Now I may be worse than some, but the fact is, we humans are forgetful and we need to be reminded of …

Christmas / From the Pastor's Desk

Shoebox Sunday!

Today is one of our favorite Sundays of the year.  For the past several weeks (and much longer for some) we have been packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to send the love of Jesus to children around the world.  All the hard work and sacrificial spending of the church culminates on this day when we remember what we are doing and why, then spend time praying over the shoeboxes we packed.  We pray that God will put just the right shoebox into just the right child’s hands.  If you can’t be here in person for this special day, we hope …

Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Hamartiology – The Doctrine of Sin

Where did the idea of sin come from?  Is it just some old-fashioned idea that was created to help keep humans in line?  Is guilt just a social construct? It would be nice to think that sin and guilt were something fictional that we made up, but I think we all know that is ludicrous.  But that doesn’t answer all the questions we may have – like if there is a good, Almighty God, how did sin come to exist?  Can a good God create sin? This message looks at sin, its origin, its nature, and its effects.  We will …

Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Foundations of Our Faith – Anthropology: the doctrine of man

So when we think of anthropology, we tend to think of history and archeology and maybe even sociology or science.  The truth is, the study of anthropology has many subsections, but today we want to look at the most important, the origin and purpose of man as taught by God in the Bible.  This study will provide a biblical foundation to help you properly interpret all the other disciplines that help us understand who we are as humans and what our place is in the universe.  We will look at the three most important questions – where did we come …

Fun Stuff

Political Issues and the Church

A few years ago I preached a series of messages on topics that are often considered “political” and therefore not discussed in polite churches.  It was my desire in those messages to point out that many such topics are actually issues of morality and the bible has much to say about them, therefore the church should as well. As we get ready to vote on Tuesday, I wanted to make those messages easily available for you to review as you prepare to vote.  I believe the privilege of voting is actually a trust God has given to American citizens and …

Service Notes and Messages

Sharon G. (Gruver) Rhone

Sharon G. Rhone, 80, of Delaware Township, while being surrounded by her loving family, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday, October 14, 2024 at UPMC, Williamsport. Born October 12, 1944 in Montgomery, she was a daughter of the late Harold and Doris (Thomas) Gruver. On June 20, 1964 she married the love of her life, Wayne E. Rhone, and together they celebrated 56 years of marriage until his passing in October of 2020. Sharon was a 1962 graduate of Montgomery High School. She graduated from Divine Providence Hospital School of Radiology and worked at Muncy Valley, …

From the Pastor's Desk

Foundations of Our Faith Series – Demonology

In the previous message we looked at the doctrine of Satan.  He is indeed our enemy, and he is a very powerful one at that.   This message is really a continuation of the doctrine of Satan as it addresses the doctrine of demons, Satan’s minions who help him in his rebellion against God.  Together they are hard at work in the world deceiving and attacking.   I trust that this message will provide you with a fuller understanding of our spiritual enemies, where they came from, and why they do what they do.  I also desire that you will grow in …

From the Pastor's Desk

Foundations of Our Faith Series

The Christian faith is built on the teachings of the Scriptures, God’s very words given to us in written form.  The religious landscape is full of competing beliefs and world views, many of which hold little resemblance to the clear teachings of Scripture, so it is easy for a person to become confused or led astray by false teachings about God.  This series is a survey of the major doctrines of the faith in everyday language.   It reflects orthodox Christian doctrine built squarely on the Scriptures.  Each sermon generally covers one area of theology and includes several supporting Scripture references.  …

Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Foundations of Our Faith – Satanology

September 11 and October 7 – these dates have some things in common.  Two different peace-loving democracies learned a hard lesson on those dates – that you cannot underestimate the power and evil of your enemies. Christians need to learn this lesson as well, but we should avoid learning it the hard way.  In this installment of our Foundations of Our Faith series, we are going to be looking at the doctrine of Satan.  He is indeed our enemy and he is a very powerful one at that.  As with most doctrines, there are people at two extremes: one extreme …