First Congregational of Hamilton

Join us for week eight of the study of the book of Romans.

As we read the book of Habakkuk, we continue to ask the question, “How do we keep the faith in troubled times?” Last Sunday, Kevin helped us to consider expectant waiting and living by faith. This week, we’re given a sobering picture. In response to Habakkuk’s second complaint God gives a breathtaking vision of the justice that will come for Babylon. God’s justice is a comforting word to those per...

If you have not read through all of Habakkuk, I encourage you to do so this week. It is short enough, so that you can get the whole picture in one sitting.  I am so thankful to be learning together from this book, it has many resonant themes for us locally as well as globally. This week, we will look at a central theme of the book in 2:1-5 that is revisited in chapter 3, that is our call to live b...

The Men's Ministry gathered for dinner to hear Dr. Scott Sunquist, President of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) speak on suffering

Join us for week seven of the study of the book of Romans.

Paul said to Timothy, “in the last days there will come times of difficulty” ( 2 Timothy 3:1 ). Indeed, history has continued, unrelenting, to throw up all kinds of strife. We don't know what the future holds for us, what is around the corner, but a reasonable assessment of geopolitics, climate, sociology, corruption, and economics suggests more times of trouble. Are we prepared for it? Where is G...

Join us for week six of the study of the book of Romans.

Central to our vocation of "pointing people to Jesus" is our church's commitment to missions. This Sunday is Missions Sunday and a great opportunity to be refreshed and encouraged in God's heart for the nations and our call to go. Pastor Jonathan Lugo from Iglesia Cristiana Centrados en el Evangelio in Central Falls, Rhode Island will be joining us to give a sermon on Acts 1: 1- 11, reminding us o...

Join us for week five of the study of the book of Romans.

More than something we do, church is something we are. The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms us - you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world ( Matthew 5:13-14 ). We are by our new nature a distinct community. We need reminding of our distinctiveness.   But we also need to heed the vocation of our new nature! Our distinctiveness is not against the world. We are not retreating fro...

Join us for week four of the study of the book of Romans.

As we continue in our short series, This Is Our Story, looking at key themes in our mission as a church, we return again to Growing in the Gospel. This Sunday, we will look more closely at how the good news shapes and guides us everyday. Let’s pray together that God will open our eyes to see His work in all the moments of our lives.

Join us for week three of the study of the book of Romans.

The next two weeks, we focus in on what it means to Grow in the Gospel. Sometimes we think of the gospel as a summation of what Jesus has done for us, which is a great thing to know, share, and believe, but God's Spirit is at work in us to transform us by the work Jesus did. This transformation is creative, active, and happening in the lives of God's people. I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Join us for week two of the study of the book of Romans.

We began our new sermon series last week framing our story as a church in light of the character of God and what he has done for us in Christ: “In this you rejoice”.  This week, for our second part on “Rejoicing in God” we look to the end and culmination of our story. For us to consider our mission, it’s important we know and understand where everything is going. With speculation swirling about hu...

Listen in on the Tuesday morning SonLight Bible study covering the "Introduction to Romans".

This week we consider what it is to "rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory" ( 1 Peter 1:3-9 ) and why that becomes core to who we are!

This Sunday is our final meeting in the Heritage Hall and concludes our series on Colossians . I do pray that the Lord has encouraged your heart with the wonderful glory of Christ. May we all, as we received Christ as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and established in this faith, overflowing with thanksgiving! As we finish with Paul's concluding remarks to the Colossians, we are given...

We've been asking how our union with Christ changes us (remember the waddling geese?). This week, we continue to uncover the radical implications of our new identity in Christ for all of life in Colossians 3:18-4:1 , Paul's instructions to Christian households. There are certainly many questions we may have of this text! I hope, through a close reading, and against the backdrop of Roman household...

This week, we will continue our study of Colossians 3 and exploring how Christ impacts every area of our lives. In verses 15-17 , we are encouraged by Paul to let the peace of Christ rule in you, through the Word of God dwelling among you, so that in everything, you may bring glory to God. 

Is it an exaggeration to say that Christ is everything; all that truly matters? What kind of change should we expect in light of knowing Christ? Surely the answer is the “absolute” kind of change – a radical and comprehensive transformation. But that seems intense, doesn’t it? What does change look like? How do we accomplish it? At the beginning of the summer, I said I was praying for renewal. Ren...

A look at God’s counter-story of new creation in I saiah 65 . 

In this week’s captivating story, we see in the people at Babel a resistance to “be scattered across the face of the earth” ( Genesis 11:4) , the same driving impulse in humanity’s quest for comfort and parochialism. Yet God had a much more expansive vision in his story: the blessing of all nations, on display at Pentecost ( Acts 2:1-11 ). May the Lord continue to lift our eyes to the kingdom visi...

Last week we explored how Babel is an archetype of empire in its quest for control. We were challenged: Instead of innovating a tower for the sake of independence and control – we humble ourselves under God, in the pattern of Christ who humbled himself for us (Phil 2:1-11), and see our neighbors as images of God and not plastic objects for exploitation. Rather than communities which devolve into p...