Work can feel overwhelming–like everything depends on us. In this message, we explore where that pressure comes from and how today’s Gospel speaks directly into it. What if there’s another way to carry the weight of our work and daily responsibilities?

Before Jesus heals a person or preaches a sermon, he hears these words from his Father: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” This message explores how our identity as God’s beloved comes before our work–and how living from that identity can change how we show up on Mondays, not trying to prove ourselves but grounded in who we already are.

In this message, we look at the story of the Magi and how God meets them through their ordinary work. As we begin this series, we’re invited to pay attention to where God may already be present in the work of our everyday lives.

Christmas 2025 at New Roads

When life turns out differently than we hoped, hope can feel fragile or even lost. This week, we look at Joseph’s story and discover that hope isn’t about getting the life we planned, but trusting that God is still present and at work in the life we didn’t. Even in disappointment, the thrill of hope is this: Emmanuel—God is with us.

Even the strongest believers (including John the Baptist) experience doubt and discouragement. This week we explore how God meets us in the struggle, and how patience, honesty, and bringing our questions into the light can steady our hearts. Hope doesn’t eliminate the waiting; it transforms it.

God’s renewal often begins not with dramatic change but with something small–like a shoot growing from a stump. Isaiah invites us to look for those tiny signs of new life, and John the Baptist calls us to “repent,” not in shame, but by waking up to God’s nearness and turning toward what God is already growing in us. This week, discover the small beginning God may be planting in you, and take one simple step to turn toward it.

Hope isn’t wishful thinking or optimism; hope is trusting that God is at work even when we can’t see how. This week we explore Isaiah’s call to “climb” toward hope and Paul’s reminder to wake up to God’s presence. We end with a simple Advent challenge: identify where you need hope and ask God each day to awaken hope there.