Church On The Rock Homer

The concept of love changes over the course of life. At an early age, love is represented by various entities. Disney portrays one sense where love leads us to a place of “happily ever after.” Our parents' marriages, whether for good or bad, teach us the ins and outs of what a loving relationship is or is not supposed to be. As we age, our experiences in the world teach us about love through our communities, close relationships outside the home, and media. We learn about love from so many sources because love is such an essential part of what it means to be human. It is core to our identity. We need to be loved. Everyone wants it, but so few know how to truly deliver it.As I have gotten older, the concept of love has taken one major shift from pleasure seeking and receiving affirmation to making a choice to give up myself for the betterment of someone else. I do not always get it right, but I can look back and say I now understand love more in light of what Christ has done for me on the cross than I did b

It is our routine every Tuesday to gather as a leadership team and eat pizza with chicken salad, celebrate what God is doing, and talk about what is ahead. Although this is primarily a staff meeting, our elders and board members are always welcome to attend. A while back, my uncle Kerry, one of our elders, dropped in to attend our little powwow. He also had the mannerisms of a robot. Because of the extreme pain in his neck, he was having to turn at the torso in order to change the direction of his gaze. I’ve had the same kind of experience with my neck and it makes everything more difficult. After sitting for a few minutes on one our staff lounge club chairs, Jordan Tutt quietly brought him a swivel chair from behind one of our desks. It was the sweetest thing ever. With the slight push his his toes, he could now see the whole room without wincing. Honestly, at the time, it made me think of our passage for this week. On Sunday, we dive into 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. Take a moment and read through it ahea

I’ve been to prison……and there is a difference between prison and jail. Jail is a place where you wait to be moved to your final destination. Prison is where you go to stay, to be confined…where you go to rot. I was recently reminded of a trip I took to San Francisco. While there I visited Alcatraz and I distinctly remember refusing to stand inside one of the cells. The thought of the door closing behind me was too much to bear, my freedom was worth far more to me than experiencing the interior of a 9' x 5’ cell. That tiny room is not the only prison cell I have been faced with. Throughout life, we find ourselves trapped not by physical boundaries, but ideas, words, beliefs, thoughts and other immaterial walls that are much more frightening than a prison cell. This weekend we continue our series in 1 Corinthians, focusing on chapters 8&9 and Paul’s call for us to exchange immaterial prisons for freedom in Christ!Pastor Matthew McCarter

You know that moment when your brilliant idea suddenly reveals itself to be... not so brilliant? Mine came on our first vacation as a family. We were camping in Estes Park, down to our last few dollars before payday. When the kids wanted candy at the grocery store, I proudly stood firm: "No candy. Put it all back." Father of the Year material, right? Then I turned to my wife Renda, and her body language said, “What are you doing? It’s vacation. Give the children candy, and give me candy!" But I couldn’t imagine my wife actually wanting to spend our last few dollars on the kids eating candy. So, I innocently suggested, "But honey, YOU can pick out some candy if you want, just for you." The look I received could have melted the Rocky Mountains. Turns out, marriage isn't just about the rules or about having your own way. It's about sharing life's sweetness and bitterness together. In 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds us that "Marriage is not a place to 'stand up for your rights.' Marriage is a decision to serve the ot

It gets messy. And complicated. “What about this?” “What about that?” And “Oh wow, didn’t expect that!” Look around, take a poll, everyone seems to agree, the world is broken and is inhabited by broken people. But few agree as to why. According to the Proverbs, “Where there are no oxen, the stalls are clean.” You want a clean home? Get rid of the inhabitants. Scrub until every surface shines and make every effort to ensure that nothing is soiled by the careless presence of other people!Over the years I’ve heard many express the sentiment, “I prefer church on the Bay.” Or the beach, or the woods, or the mountain tops, somewhere away from everyone else. “I prefer family reunions… without the family.” Some feel this way because of past hurt. Some feel this way because other people are just too much. And some feel this way because of self-righteous pride. Paul didn’t feel this way. His church family in the city of Corinth was a hot mess. And yet he consistently refers to them as his brothers and sisters, his fami

You know what it's like to go to a new church as an adult not knowing what to expect. There are so many variables to consider especially if you're exploring or new to faith. What will they talk about, who will be there, will they ask anything of me, how much will I have to donate, will there be snakes on stage…etc. Coming to church as an outsider is a scary thing, especially when the church is such an obviously broken place, come on we should be able to admit it by now. We’re kinda messed up!Many people, believers and non believers, look at the church and think to themselves I could never be a part of that and yet the Church is supposed to be a display of God’s glory that is attractive to those who are hurting and broken. This weekend we start a new series in 1st Corinthians that will help us be honest about ourselves and bring unity to what we believe, namely Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So if you know someone who is confused by the church, tell 'em that we are too sometimes and that they sh

Isn’t it interesting that we sing “O come O come….. Emmanuel?” Do you remember what Emmanuel means? It is a title given to God that means “God with us.” In other words, He is the God who is with us. And to the God who is with us, we sing “O come O come.” To the God who is already with us, please come CLOSER! Please engage! Please get involved in all of the nitty gritty details of our human affairs. Invade everything we do. O come O come Emmanuel. Well, I have some good news. No, GREAT News. He has come. He is alive and present. He left heaven and showed up here, smack dab in the middle of our mess, as a Savior. Now that He has come to us, how will you move in relation to Him? Matt and I will lay out this invitation on Sunday morning as we examine the resurrection. Looking forward to celebrating our Savior with you,Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Before Maranatha and I were dating, our friend group liked to attend Christian concerts. One evening, we went to see Jake Hamilton, and after standing next to me and hearing me belt out every song, she told me that I have a good voice—but I can’t carry a tune. That was news to me.My wife is talented and gifted musically, and many of you have experienced her leading us into worship. For me, it is awe-inspiring to watch and listen to her operate in her gifting. I, on the other hand, am not gifted musically.However, whether or not a person has talent does not impede their ability to worship. You’ve all seen it—the person who can’t carry a tune to save their life but is worshipping their heart out. You’ve probably also witnessed someone with immense talent singing, but who isn’t worshipping. Their heart isn’t in it.The difference is not in ability, but in passion, adoration, and affection. You can see it in a person when talent—or lack thereof—takes a backseat to the sheer loving devotion one’s heart has for God.

It’s human nature. We judge others by their actions yet we want to be judged by our intentions. You need to DO well. I need to MEAN well. “I didn’t mean it that way.” “I was planning to do that… I just forgot.” “I know I did, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.”This week we’re going to crack open the book of James. Here’s a preview: Faith is more than meaning well. The life of following Jesus requires a mind shaped by divine truth, a heart transformed by divine love and actions driven by divine purpose. Faith in Him leads me to think like Him, want like Him and act like Him. And we easily agree with 2/3’s of this premise. My mind says “Yep!” My heart says “Yes!” And my actions remain unchanged. If you were to hold your core Christian beliefs in one hand and your life history in the other, do the two match? Are your experiences as a follower of Christ aligned with your expectations of the Christian life? These discrepancies can be hard to look at. What does it say about me? What does it say about my

You know that moment as a parent, where you walk into the room without your kids noticing and you catch them in a moment of weakness. Hitting, biting, scratching, shoving, and on and on. All kids are sinners, even the pastor’s kids… For a moment they thought they could get away with it, but this time there's no opportunity for defense, no need for an accuser. I saw it with my own two eyes and as the realization that their outburst wasn’t in secret fear creeps over them, excuses begin to fly, and the need arises for them to cover up their mistake. With each kid I’ve come to realize that all punishments are not the same, but all their corrections include extended group hugs. The goal is very simple, instead of seeing and treating a sibling like Mike Tyson used to treat a punching bag, you must see them as a person, made in God’s image. As a parent my job is to reconcile my children to each other, softening their hearts towards each other and the Lord!In this message, we take a brief look at Paul's letter to Phi

Ever had someone say somewhat dismissively “Well, you’re on your own.” In other words, I can’t join you where you are going. Or, I won’t join you. Sometimes this means I can’t support you in what you’re about to do. Like when someone says to me, “I’m trying to stop drinking coffee.” Well, you’re on your own.There is another more complex situation in which I say something like “I want to join you but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Like if I had just recently broken my deep and meaningful connection with/dependence on coffee and someone said “Can you help me perfect my espresso grind?” I want to join you, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.This Sunday we’re going to look at the little tiny book of Jude. Jude has some instruction for followers of Christ who want to serve a role in rescuing others from the power of sin but who are also susceptible to the temptation of sin. It’s a tricky pathway of navigating helping relationships while avoiding self-harm. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

The memory of his booming voice still rings loud and clear in my mind. During my single digit years while living in Homer, I remember Ray Arno closing out many an evening service with the Eliza Hewitt hymn refrain:When we all get to heaven,What a day of rejoicing that will be!When we all see Jesus,We’ll sing and shout the victory!As an eight-year-old, I found myself both inspired by the air of unity, celebration and triumphalism as the voices rang out, and also a little nervous about the whole notion of a life hereafter. Jesus sounded like a wonderful character and yet the thought of meeting him face to face on the other side of death in the eternal state of resurrection… was a lot to digest. In this message, we’ll wrap up our series with Peter the friend of Jesus. I would ask that you take some time and read the second letter from Peter start to finish. If you really want to get fired up, read it out loud. I put up the “Do Not Disturb” sign on my office door this week and did just that. I so appreciate P

Spring is in the air; can you feel it? Typically, I know Spring is around the corner because conversations about Little League begin. I played baseball as a kid and have fond memories of it. For the past five years I have coached T-ball, starting with our oldest at the age of 5. I calculate that I have three more years of coaching until our youngest moves up to coaches pitch. That will most definitely make me the most seasoned T-ball coach in the world, for those of you who have coached, you understand my plight. While my kids keep bringing me back to the ball field, there is another reason I have been motivated to coach. Two years ago we had a stacked roster, with tons of Rockers’ kids on the team. One of those kids had not touched a baseball or a bat. I had the distinct privilege of introducing him and by the end of the year he stepped up to the plate and smacked an infield home run. Seeing him progress in his competency and skill is a joy and makes up for all the other kids building sandcastles. This weeke

I wrestled in high school. It was my main sport. However, I went to high school overseas where wrestling was not a competitive sport at the high school level. As a result, our entire season was spent preparing for one tournament that put us up against all the American military schools scattered throughout Southeast Asia. Our wrestling coach was very big into conditioning. His assertion was that if we were better conditioned than our opponents, we could beat better and stronger wrestlers. As a result, we did a whole lotta running! And sprinting. And jump roping. Toward the end of the season, leading up to our one and only tournament, I would get real serious about getting ready. As part of my conditioning routine, I would get up at five, leave the house early, and run the final few miles to school, book bag and all. Honestly, its exhausting even remembering it. I don’t even like running. And I didn’t like it then. But I liked winning. And I really, really, really wanted to win. And to be known for win

Isn’t it funny how certain people who dislike something are confronted about their choice by others who love the same thing. I often am confronted about my disdain for mayonnaise, especially by my parents. I eat salads dry, and admittedly not that often. But anytime I do, it never fails that I hear the remark, you’d like that better with dressing. Actually no, I wouldn’t. Or someone upon becoming aware of my hatred will say, it’s just eggs and oil, what’s not to like? Everything, the smell, the taste, the consistency. As I study 1 Peter I keep seeing him in the same light as the mayonnaise lover, except he isn’t trying to convert me to the devil's condiment, he’s inviting me into God's grace. Peter’s invitation is to come and taste that the Lord is good, gracious, and kind. Peter’s hope for the exiles he writes to is that they would know this grace and experience the fruit of it. Pastor Matt McCarter

Imagine being a complete and utter failure. But not just by some arbitrary standard. Imagine simultaneously failing every commitment you made to yourself and every commitment you made to others. Now imagine that someone had rudely predicted you would fail your own commitments and you forcefully assured otherwise. “I will not fail. I cannot fail. I must not fail. I PROMISE YOU, under no circumstances will I fail.” Now imagine you failed anyways. For most of us, imagining this scenario isn’t too difficult… we have lived it. We don’t have to imagine, we just have to remember. Remember that time when you knew that you had it in you to do the thing? And then you fell short. And in falling short, you hurt others. And in hurting others, you wounded relationships. And in wounding relationships, you completely lost your confidence and could not imagine a way forward...?This Sunday is for you. If you get a chance, read the first chapter of Peter’s first letter to the church. And then reread it a few more t

I remember the moment I laid eyes on the woman with her hair put up under an ascot cap. We were both in a bar called The Whig in downtown Columbia, S.C. Our church used social events like this to draw in people who would not grace the doorway of a church building. We were there with separate groups who attended the same church. As I was introduced to her, I could not help but notice that she is a fine looking lady, followed by the second thought, she is way out of my league.Fast forward a few years, and butchering this story, I stood on the doorsteps of the church with a nervous anticipation of our nuptials. Only God could have arranged this marriage, I wasn’t worthy, am not worthy, and yet I stand here now, ring on finger, and have wifed up the belle of the ball!The same story is playing out in God’s redemptive plan, I was not worthy and am not worthy apart from His gift of grace and righteousness and yet Almighty God has arranged a Day for Christ to be united with His Bride, the Church, you and I made whole

While living with my parents, sometime in early teens, we attended one of the oldest churches in the south. We'd dress in our Sunday finest, traverse the winding country roads, and find “our pew.” After a few stares from my parents, a pinch or two under the thigh, and some monotone words from the pulpit, we were free. The church would empty and we’d head to the car, ready to ditch the Sunday best and get on with life. Every Sunday, no matter what…my dad would strike up a conversation while the three of us sat in the car…waiting! We would glare, roll the window down and motion, one time a horn was used in efforts to get things moving. Waiting was for the birds! We always asked, what is the hold up!?!? This weekend, we explore the same question about God's seeming delay in His return! If you’re keen, read ahead in 2 Peter 3. Pastor Matthew McCarter

For Thanksgivings in Homer I have been labeled the Mac n Cheese guy, according to my family. I have become the authority on noodles, spices, and cheese. Rightfully so, although I make it a little different than Pauline, my grandmother, it’s pretty delicious. For a few hours on Thursday morning I spend my time at the stove stirring a pot of delightful dairy products. It is not possible to walk away from it, the mixture must be in constant motion due to the threat of the sauce breaking, the oil separating and becoming something rather unsightly and not at all pleasing to the senses of a thanksgiving attendee. It takes time and if one doesn’t stick it out and keep stirring the final product will be worthless. Some say that I like to stir other types of pots, proverbial pots. They aren’t wrong, but I tend to think about it in other terms. This weekend we’re going to launch into a series on Eschatology, an often difficult topic that many Christians have strong convictions about and yet if we don’t talk about it,

Does anyone know what the bicyclist hand motions actually mean?  I feel like blinkers are commonly understood and fairly self-explanatory; left side, left turn, right side, right turn.  But despite my many years of experience on the road, I still don’t know what the left arm, straight out at the shoulder, bent 90 degrees at the elbow and hanging downward means about the bike operator’s intentions.  Some of you who are new to church or new to faith and relationship with Christ probably feel the same way a lot of times about stuff you hear at church.  Sometimes it feels like a lot of ideas spoken in an unfamiliar language.  And that’s ok. It has been my goal these past two weeks to push through the confusion with RARE CLARITY as we examine what it means to follow God.  Here is the review, or the preview for some; To live is Christ.  So live as Christ.  That is my most efficient summary of Philippians 1 and 2.  And as simple as that is, many well-meaning people completely misunderstand what that means.  Which i