What is Christianity actually about? In this opening message of our series on 1 John, Pastor Mark begins where John begins: with eyewitness testimony. John declares that he and the other apostles heard, saw, and touched the Word of Life — and that claim was not made in a corner. It was a public proclamation of a real Savior who entered history in an actual human body.

Drawing on the historical context of early Gnosticism, which denied the goodness of the physical world and infiltrated the early church like a parasite, this sermon unpacks why the bodily reality of Jesus matters so much. Our deepest problem isn't a lack of enlightenment — it's sin before a holy God. And our only hope is the real, historical, bodily work of Jesus Christ, testified to by eyewitnesses and proclaimed so that our joy may be complete.

The ascension of Jesus is one of Christianity's most overlooked doctrines — we confess it every week in the creeds, but rarely stop to ask what it actually means for us today. In this sermon from Luke 24:44–53 and Hebrews 4:14–5:10, Pastor Mark explores why the disciples responded to Christ's departure with great joy, and what it means that Jesus ascended not simply to wait, but to reign as King and intercede as our great High Priest. If you've ever wondered whether your prayers are truly heard, or felt the weight of a world that seems out of control, the doctrine of the ascension speaks directly to you.

Do you ever feel like the plot of your life is just a pattern of "strange ink" without purpose? This week, we conclude our series "Redeeming Love" by seeing how God brings the messy story of Naomi and Ruth into focus. We discuss the ancient customs of the city gate, the "cost" of being a redeemer, and the genealogy that reveals this local story was always about the coming King. Just as bread returned to Bethlehem, we look to the Bread of Life who was born there to buy us back from sin and death.