First Congregational of Hamilton

Welcome to 2025 and welcome back to 1 Thessalonians. The first part of chapter four teaches us how to walk in holiness; specifically, why and how to avoid sexual immorality. Parents, please take note.

Join us on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus.

“An Eagle.” This Sunday is the final week of our Advent series looking at portraits of Jesus in the four Gospels. Tradition associates the Gospel of John with an eagle. Why is that? Because the prologue—the first verses of the book—lift us out of space and time, soaring like an eagle back to “the beginning,” and then to creation, and then to the little town of Bethlehem when the Word became flesh...

This third week of Advent is focused on joy, joy in what Jesus has done for us. Luke’s gospel is symbolized as the strong Ox, drawing on this theme of Jesus’s work on our behalf. Jesus came to serve and we follow in his way.

For our second week of Advent, we will look at the Gospel of Mark as a Lion. We will explore the authority and power of Christ our king shown throughout the gospel. In Mark, Jesus roars and this gives us courage to live each day for Him.

In  Matthew , Jesus is the perfect man, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who took on flesh. As Hebrews says, “A body you have prepared for me.” Welcome to Advent!

Gary Haugen, CEO of the International Justice Mission, works in the darkest corners of society. He’s seen countless cases of human trafficking and violence against the poor. You might think that this burden is too heavy to bear and that he slogs along under the weight of human depravity. But Haugen is remarkably joyful and resilient. What is his secret? Prayer. He says, “Prayerless striving leads...

Do you experience joy in the realities of God’s Kingdom? Often we are head down in the daily routine, worn by the grind to provide for our future, and faltering under the weight of too many decisions and relationships, but the gospel promises a greater joy. The Apostle Paul had joy because his Thessalonian friends held onto faith in Jesus beyond their circumstances. I hope you will come to encoura...

Paul’s pastoral heart for the Thessalonians is expressed through his worry about how they are doing as a church. We all face struggles with our faith and can be tempted when we are challenged by persecution or hardship. Christians encourage one another to remain faith-full as we live for Jesus. Read  1 Thessalonians 2:9 - 3:13  as we prepare to hear from God’s word together. I can’t wait to be wit...

Reading an epistle (a formal letter) is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. In  1 Thessalonians  we have heard Paul say again and again that he loves the church, was worried about them, and is relieved that they are standing firm in the Lord even in the midst of trials. We hear Paul reveal his heart, a pastor’s heart, and we ask God to bring us a pastor who will devote heart, s...

What can we expect when we engage in gospel ministry? The answer to that varies from era to era, culture to culture, and situation to situation; but  1 Thessalonians  shows us two outcomes that have occurred throughout time: opposition but also encouragement. Lord, help us to share the good news in spite of opposition. Lord, encourage us as we partner with you in your work.

This week we will be gazing on the beauty of the Lord. We know that God is beautiful, but we are too easily distracted from fixing our eyes on him. Fortunately,  Psalm 27  shows us a sure-proof way to find the rest and comfort offered to us in any situation.

The mission of God, sometimes called the “mission dei,” is our Lord’s plan to reach every tongue, tribe, and nation. His mission is our mission too! Join us this Sunday as we see His heart and plan in  Psalm 87 , and then next week as we hear from FCCH missionary Roger Lowther.

In our two-part mini-series on how to share the gospel, we will overhear Paul once again summarize how he shared it. He and his team were bold, gentle, selfless, authentic, affectionate, and blameless. Oh my. Who can live up to that standard? But don’t despair—the Spirit, Church, and role models are here to equip and inspire us.

Sharing the gospel is one of our primary missions as Christians but it can be difficult and awkward. Our mission needs to be informed by proper motive. This Sunday, we will explore how as Christians, we share the gospel as approved by God, burdened by His mission, and out of compassion for the lost.

The Apostle Paul said, “We know that he has chosen you.” How could he say that? What were the indications that the Thessalonians had become true disciples? Last week we saw two marks: the gospel comes with power and we receive it; and this week we look at another handful of marks. Lord help us put our faith into action! See you Sunday, fellow disciples.

How can you tell if you are really a Christian? Afterall, none of us is perfect; no one follows Jesus flawlessly. Yet, the Apostle Paul was sure that God had chosen the Thessalonians. How could he tell? How can we tell? I remember the first time I doubted the reality of my own conversion. I was fourteen years old and could have used some teaching from  1 Thessalonians chapter one .

Our new series going through  1 Thessalonians , will underscore the beauty of this affection for one another as the church that flows from a shared love for the gospel and its power to transform us to live in the way of Jesus. A great way to prepare would be to read or listen through the whole book in one sitting (five concise chapters). It is such a privilege to serve as one of your pastors and t...

As we conclude our series, What We Believe, we have only scratched the surface of the depths of our faith, but I am so thankful for this season to be reminded of some of the core teachings of scripture and of our church. I am excited to join you all in worship to think about what God has given us to do as the church. We are in this together, we have good work to do, and our aim is to communicate t...

We are almost done with our summer series—What We Believe—and this week we look at the doctrine of the Church. Isn’t it interesting that the Apostles’ Creed makes the Church one of the articles of the faith, alongside things like the Trinity and the sacrificial death of Jesus? “I believe in the holy, catholic Church, and the communion of saints.”

The doctrine of Christ’s judgement can be difficult to unpack, but is crucial to the Christian worldview. It helps unveil God’s divine justice and abundant mercy for those who will believe. This doctrine also reminds Christians of their eternal hope and pressing mission at hand.

Our topics this morning are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We will be seeing how the baptism of Jesus reveals the meaning of our baptism, and the answer to this important question: “Who am I––in the sight of God? What is my fundamental identity?”  We will also consider how the Lord’s Supper helps us answer the question, “Where is Jesus? Now––between the time of his resurrection and second coming?...

Our summer series continues this week with “the doctrine of salvation.” Last week we looked at “humanity” and saw that we were created in the image of God, but then we fell. How can the image be restored in us? As the Apostles’ Creed says, how can we receive “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” I look forward to sharing the good news.

This week we will think about the doctrine of humanity. No subject fascinates us more. What does it mean to be human? Are we simply advanced animals, or complex machines? What does it mean to be created in the “image of God”? I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, my fellow humans. May God renew his image in us through the teaching of the Word.

This week we turn our attention to understanding the role of God the Father in the world, the church, and our lives. When we hear the word, “father”, a wide variety of experiences and thoughts come to mind, but the Bible provides a lot of clarity on how we know the Father. Join us as we continue to look at what our church believes as we further investigate the grandeur of our triune God. In prepar...