Willing to Take Action

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).

G. K. Chesterton once wrote in What’s Wrong with the World, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Joseph knew just how

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'God Shapes Us in the Silence'

“Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John.’” (Luke 1:62–63)

Zechariah’s story begins in the middle of an ordinary workday in the Temple, when the extraordinary suddenly breaks in. While carrying out his priestly duties, Zechariah encountered the angel Gabriel, who brought a message that would change his life forever. His wife Elizabeth,

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Wake Up to the Light'

Advent is not a soft-focus season of warm memories or sentimental nostalgia. It is a summons—a divine alarm clock ringing in a sleeping world. Both Isaiah and Paul speak to people “living in deep darkness,” and both proclaim the same unshakeable truth: Light has come, and the Light

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Praise in the Morning and Praise at Night'

“It is good to praise the LORD… proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” (Psalm 92:1–2)

Some psalms shout with trumpets. This one whispers with wisdom. At first glance, Psalm 92 reads like a standard hymn of praise—nothing unusual. But then the timing catches your eye: morning and night. Light and dark. Clarity and confusion.

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Turning Away from Counterfeits'

“They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Paul commended the believers in Thessalonica because their faith had become known everywhere. What stood out wasn’t just what they turned from, but what they turned to. Paul said they “turned to God from idols,” in that order. That’s how repentance works.

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Turning Toward the Kingdom'

From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus didn’t begin His ministry with a list of demands or a burden of religious effort. His message wasn’t “try harder” or “do better.” His call was simple, powerful, and life-changing: turn. Turn because a new Kingdom — God’s Kingdom — has drawn near.

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'When God Moves, We Move'

3,400 years ago, the Israelites camped on the east side of the Jordan River anticipating the great river crossing into the Promised Land.  It was a transition time from Moses leading to Joshua leading, from desert to Promised Land, from wandering to settling.  They waited on the banks of the river for instructions.  Joshua 3:3–4 says, “You are to move out from your positions and follow [the Ark of the Covenant]. Then you will know which way to go.” God gave them a simple instruction: wait until you see the ark move—then follow. They had learned this rhythm long

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Refreshing Others'

Generosity is a divine principle that multiplies life, while withholding only shrinks it. Proverbs 11:24-25 reminds us that “one person gives freely yet gains even more… He who refreshes others will be refreshed” showing that giving isn’t a zero-sum endeavor. Rather, giving enlarges the life

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Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Living Water'

t the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37–38). Imagine the scene: a people remembering how God gave water in the desert, now hearing Jesus declare that He Himself is the source of true refreshment.

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Rev. Jonathan Beck