The week between Christmas and New Years is often viewed as a “catch up week”- this short in-between time to take a deep breath before life gets busy again. As refreshing as this breath is, it never lasts long enough. But what if this practice became a regular rhythm of our hearts? In this standalone message, A Holy Pause, we will be looking at the Biblical practice of pausing to reflect, worship, and rest.

This series is based in four prominent Old Testament prophetic texts related to Jesus and how we see them fulfilled in the New Testament. Each text has at least partial application to the key weekly themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, love. When we think of December, words like plan, cook, clean, trim, decorate, hang, shop, wrap, package, create, write, mail, wash, call, and attend come immediately to mind. How do experience more hope, peace, joy, and love? The answer—the promise of Jesus.

To honor means to regard with great respect and at Asbury, we are witnessing firsthand how the Lord is growing a culture of honor in our church family across generations. Cultivating this culture, we are exploring what it means to honor others in this 4-week series rooted in Matthew 25.

If you or someone you know is new to the faith, or if you want to reset your faith, gaining clarity of purpose is a helpful next step. This is how we continue to awaken to full life with God. As we embrace this way of life with our Savior, we will be better equipped to continue sharing the Good News as we live out our mission. This five-week series helps unpack the mission of being a follower of Jesus, how to fulfill that mission, what God expects of us, and the tools He uses to grow and refine us.

Over these five weeks, our church will align to remember what God has done for us, reflect on His unconditional love, and reimagine what it means to share our faith. With compounding weekly challenges, we will take steps together to practice overcoming our fears to help the lost find Jesus, become disciples, and be equipped to be sent back out to the lost.

The book of Jonah reveals the heart of God for all people–a heart filled with mercy and motivated by love. Throughout this three-week series, we will discover the postures of prayer that permeate the story of Jonah and discover how we too can reach our own Ninevehs by learning how to mirror the heart of our Savior.