Echoes of Grace

  Wretched (Part 1) – Easter 2021 There’s a principle called the Fenno Paradox. The Fenno Paradox is: if you ask the average American what they think of Congress they’re going to tell you Congress is terrible and that they hate Congress. They’ll say that Congress is awful. But, if you ask that same average American what they think of their Congressman, they will say that they’re great. We love them, they’re not the problem. So, think about that. Every American, on average, will say congress as an institution is terrible, but not our Congressman we love them. Well, there’s a parallel, I think, when it comes to Christianity. The word that comes to my mind is wretched, or a wretch. If I asked you to define that word, you might say a person from Bakersfield, or someone who voted different than you in the last election. This what the dictionary says: A wretch is a despicable or contemptible person; a scoundrel; a villain; reprobate; somebody who is good for nothing. Tha...

  Part 1 – A Drama Unfolding For this message, you’re going to have to do something for me, otherwise it is not going to land at all. If you simply look at this message the way we always do, and we look back at the entire story as it unfolds, I don’t think this message is going to hit home. I don’t think the concept of the Christmas story being unthinkable is going to resonate with you properly. So, what I’m asking you to do for this message as I walk us through where it first began, I want you to put yourself not at our space level looking down on the whole Christmas story as it unfolds, knowing the end of it when you look at the beginning. Today, really put yourself where those people were as we walk through it and then I think you’ll get what I’m talking about. I don’t know, I think I do, but I don’t know if God has ever done anything in your life that you just totally didn’t see coming whatsoever. Maybe it’s a good thing, maybe it’s something that you don’t ...