Snapshots of Christmas Eve Candlelight Service December 24, 2024

Pastor Steve expanded on the first twenty lines of text of Luke 10 in the July 6 sermon:

 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.  He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.' "...

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Pastor gave new insight to Luke 9, verses 51 to 62, and the three types of people that Jesus encountered on his trip to Jerusalem: the "No way.." and the "Yeah, but..." and the "Whatever you say..." These are the types of folks that we all still encounter today, said Pastor Steve, as he elaborated on the meaning of these verses.

As June 29 also was the service celebrating American Independence, Pastor delved into the historical founding of the United States on Christian principles and the importance of upholding those principles.

Luke 9: 51-62--

 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;  but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.  When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”  But Jesus turned and rebuked them.⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Guest speaker Pastor Rick Ellis covered stories about Jesus performing various miracles as recorded in Luke and Matthew: healing ten lepers, casting demons out of a possessed man, healing the sick and infirmed, and also referenced Jesus calming the storm at sea when his disciples feared for their lives. Pastor Rick asked the congregation, "Can we live up to the challenge to live our faith and to follow Jesus Christ?" Also pointing out that Christians have the opportunity today to share their own testimonies and stories about when God shows up in their lives, thus answering the question that Jesus asked his disciples: "Where is your faith?" This message references several scriptural passages and focuses on the fact that Jesus is ever present in our lives, does show up in our times of need, and Jesus meets us where we are at in any given moment of our lives.

For the June 15 message, Pastor Steve focused on the importance of the presence of the Holy Father in our lives and the significance of having good earthly fathers in our lives as we grow up, and as role models for the type of person we become as adults. He noted the many ways in which fatherhood has changed over the years, from changes in the homemaking roles to many men and women raising children as single parents. He explained that there is a deep correlation between us and our children, our children’s children, and our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Pastor Steve highlighted the fact that, "If we are to leave a legacy and have our children remember us, then we need to ask ourselves, “What kind of person am I?”  He explained to the congregation that "Personhood" comes before any endeavor that we undertake and also that our character is the issue of life itself. The person we are, and the moral code that defines us, is one of the most important steps in parenthood remarked Pastor Steve.  “Love your wife as Christ loved the church,” said Paul. This directive shows that how husbands treat their wives is of the utmost importance as we look at the role of fathers in the home. Pastor Steve spoke about his father and noted that, "My dad gave me the gift of the Heavenly Father and the best gift I can give my father is to promise him that I will meet him in Heaven and we will dance at the Pearly Gates..." Pastor Steve concluded his message by quoting John 3: 16--"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God is the perfect parent who has conveyed to us the steps of  living a good life; God offers us a perfect gift from a perfect parent: LOVE EVERLASTING.

Pastor Steve's sermon on June 8 focused on the Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus' disciples. Pastor delved into passages of the Old Testament and the New Testament to expand on what the Pentecost meant back in Jesus' time, as well as today. He explained that Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and it was a gift to the disciples 49 days after Passover. Looking from another lens in time, it was exactly seven days from when Jesus went to Heaven to when the apostles received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Pastor highlighted the fact that this gift keeps on giving today because the Advocate, also know as the Holy Spirit, is still present with each of us if we open our hearts and listen. Pastor pointed out that Christians refer to Pentecost as the birthday of the church, when Evangelism began with the disciples spreading out across the countryside to preach about Jesus and his teachings. Pastor said that the point of opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit is that we no longer passively sit back and watch what others are doing for God, but rather we each become equipped by the Spirit to carry on the work of the church. Pastor was hopeful that, for each person sitting in the pews listening to the sermon, every person present would feel the call to roll up their sleeves and get to work spreading Jesus' teachings and being the hands and feet of God.  Pastor told the congregation, "Maybe some day like Peter, someone will ask us, 'What has gotten into you?'” 

The words of Jesus to his disciples as recorded in John 17: 24-26 (NIV) read:

““Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Pastor discussed that Jesus' disciples were fishermen and basic regular backwoods folks who followed his directive in teaching the Good Word after his Ascension. He encouraged those in attendance at this day's service to remember that we at DCCC also are called to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, regardless of our humble circumstances or beginnings. Speaking of the disciples, Pastor highlighted the simplicity of their message, "Christ was their model and their message. They preached Jesus Christ and Jesus crucified. Pastor highlighted the longevity of the disciples' preaching through the centuries. "It's amazing that their work is alive today!" exclaimed Pastor Steve. He concluded the sermon by cautioning the congregation to remain steadfast in their Christian faith and to remain watchful because evil does exist in the world and we can see it in the efforts to push Christianity out of American governance and schools. He further called out the truth that we can see evil in the acts being perpetrated on innocent people around us today. Pastor emphasized the fact that it is important and okay to recognize evil when we are faced with it. He cited Chronicles in closing, "If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves...then I will heal their land." He concluded with the observation that, "When there is no hope in a higher power, it creates a laundry list of problems."

Pastor Steve's special Memorial Day sermon focused on John 14 and the assurance that Jesus gave the disciples, even before he was crucified, of his continued presence in their lives. Pastor highlighted Jesus' promise that he was going away but would still be present with them through the Spirit, which Jesus also referred to as his Advocate. Pastor Steve pointed out that Jesus wanted his disciples to know that they would not face the future alone after his crucifixion, and he makes the same promise to his followers today. "Peace be with you," Jesus said three times to his disciples after appearing following the resurrection, and Pastor highlighted the fact that Heaven's message is very clear: when everything changes God is constant. "Much has been sacrificed to make America great," said Pastor Steve as he shifted gears to a Memorial Day message. "We are a nation with a strong and invincible spirit and a determination to remain free... We must remember with Thanksgiving those who gave all that they have so that we may live in the land of the brave and that home of the free." Many other details about the founding of our nation on God and the sacrifices of our brave men and women in the military are included in this inspiring sermon. "May God bless America," concluded Pastor Steve.

Jennifer Johnson, Oliver Fox, Jim and Laurel Snodgrass, and Don Hasbrouck led the congregation in singing at the Thanksgiving Service.

Gary Hackbart and Frank Gagliardi opened the special Veterans Day Service on November 10, 2024.

Frank Gagliardi as the "First Veteran" presented colors at the special DCCC Veterans Day Service with Gary Hackbart leading the Pledge of Allegiance and Call to Worship. There was a special reading, songs, and prayer and Pastor Steve gave the sermon listed below.

The DCCC Candlelight Service included special songs, nativity for children, a sermon by Pastor Steve, and closing with all attendees singing Silent Night by candlelight. All guests received gifts of ornaments and cookies upon exiting. The children who helped with the Nativity received gifts as well. It was a beautiful night of honoring and remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Please listen to Pastor Steve's sermon below.