This morning, I would like to do something a little a different than preach a message. This morning I would like to give an update on where we are and where we are going. At the beginning of a new year, I like to give an emphasis or a focus to begin the new year. Today, I am not giving a new emphasis, but an old one. A really old one! How old? 9 years old. I want to talk to you about planting or launching a church.

Did you know there is a difference between being a spectator and a participator? The people who participated last Sunday morning…put in an effort to give you…to give us…a gift! A gift of themselves…a gift of their talent…a gift of their desire to bless you…and most importantly…a gift to honor the Lord! They participated while many of us were spectators! Their participation brings out the Wonder of Christmas in a way that being a spectator does not!

Boredom does not stem from the absence of something to do, but the absence of meaning derived from the things we already do. Boredom is a sign of a life disconnected from the sacred. A bored person is not lacking in things to do, they are lacking the ability to extract meaning from the things they do. Boredom is the opposite of words like awe, joy, and meaning…rather than…activity, busyness, or fun. Boredom can happen when even the wildest adventure is separated from meaning; it leaves us with a hollow yawn. But the simplest pleasures, in the framework of the story of God and His love, are satisfying and full of life. Boredom’s remedy is not “more to do,” but more mindfulness and remembrance of God’s active grace in and through the material world “as we do.” JP Dorsey

Now, this morning I want to talk to you about HOPE AT THE TABLE. Jesus is the author of hope! We have hope not in people or in things. People fail us. Things break! However, Jesus gives us hope...not just hope for this life…but an eternal hope! Hope for forgiveness of our sins...which in turn...gives us hope for a better life today...as well as the life to come! We see this hope in the life of the biblical character Zacchaeus. Jesus went to Zacchaes’ house to have dinner and so he could get to know him.

This morning I want to talk to you about HYPOCRITES AT THE TABLE. What is hypocrisy? What is a hypocrite? Most of us know that it is negative. It is not something we want to be. I don’t think that anyone here would say...when I grow up, I want to be a hypocrite! Perhaps we have accused someone else of being a hypocrite...or...maybe...just maybe…someone has accused you of being a hypocrite! But, how many of us really know what a hypocrite is? This morning… we are going to find out what a hypocrite is and how Jesus deals with hypocrites!