Hays Christian Church

For the Beauty of the Earth: Psalm 65:5-13

Psalm 65:5-13 (and Sabbath Poem VII by Wendell Berry) describe the wonders of God’s creation, its dependence on God, the glory it gives God, and our own connection to the earth. Pastor Cana Moore encourages us to take in God’s creation with gratitude and honor Him through love and stewardship.

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37 contains Jesus’ well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. Pastor Cana Moore presents the less-studied point-of-view of the robbed Jewish man, who also offers an example to follow. Just as it is important to give compassion to those unlike us, we must also remember to accept the compassion offered to us, no matter the source.

Spiritual Disciplines (Part 1): I Timothy 4:6-10, 15-16

The text for this message comes from I Timothy 4:6-10; 15-16, where Paul emphasizes to Timothy the necessity of practicing the spiritual disciplines. Pastor Cana Moore outlines what those disciplines are so that we can also put them into practice and grow spiritually.

The Lord‘s Prayer: Matthew 6:5-13

In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus gives us guidance on how to pray with intention through the example of what we know as “the Lord’s Prayer”. Pastor Cana Moore breaks up the prayer into its meaningful components so we can better understand how we can pray as Jesus did, with greater boldness, love, and desire for God and His will.  

Jesus and the Marginalized: Luke 4:16-21, 1:46-55

For this message, Pastor Cana looks to Luke 4:16-21 and 1:46-55 to show that Jesus and the Father side with the marginalized over the powerful. There is sin in clinging to power that and it is our duty to join the Trinity in being with and loving the marginalized.

By Wisdom a House Is Built: Proverbs 24:3-6

In this message, Pastor Cana’s source verse is Proverbs 24:3-6, which speaks on wisdom. We learn what wisdom is and why it should matter to us. After understanding that, we can become wise Children of God who look to Him for the right knowledge, at the right time, and follow the right actions.

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?: Psalm 22

Among Jesus’ final words on the Cross is a quote from Psalm 22:1. Pastor Cana provides us with context explaining that Psalm 22 is ultimately about the comfort of God’s closeness to us through our deep grief and pain. He did not abandon Jesus on the cross, nor will He be far from us at our lowest.

Hope for Dry Bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Pastor Cana brings us to Ezekiel 37:1-14, where God illustrates to Ezekiel the power of the Holy Spirit through prophesizing: bringing dead, dry bones to life. To prophesy to dead bones is to hope for something to happen to them. We are called to prophesy where there is no hope visible and wait for God’s Spirit to come and breathe new life.

That Which Is Sowed Is Reaped: Psalm 73

For this message, Pastor Cana Moore analyzes Psalm 73, in which the wicked succeed for a time, until they reap what they have sown, and the righteous will have the ultimate reward. It can be discouraging to see the unrighteous prevail, but rather than giving up goodness for evil’s immediate success, we as children of God may have hope in His promises and the lasting victories He has for us.

Freedom From Sin: John 8:31-36

Pastor Cana Moore uses John 8:31-36 to remind us that if we are believers in Christ with our trust on God, we are free from sin. It’s just that simple! We might give focus to our past sin to keep it from getting in the way of our relationship with God, but we cannot allow that focus to become a sin itself and consume our focus on God. We have His permission to live as freed people!

One Body: Romans 12:4-10

Pastor Cana Moore begins her pastorship at HCC by focusing on the message of Romans 12:4-10, which tells us that diversity is essential to the body of believers united by Christ and it is love that allows us to act as a community. That is who we are and by using our skills and gifts, we can contribute to the love our Christian body needs.

God Uses the Ordinary

In this message, Jennifer Urban comments on Simon Peter, Jesus' leading disciple, who proves that God can use anyone to live a life of impact. When we allow ourselves to be used by God, we touch those around us with His light and our heavenly rewards are great. 

When Your Light Is Brighter than Your Life

In this message, Bruce Bellinger addresses what we should do if our lives don’t reflect God’s light in us, using notes from Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by Keith Drury. We shouldn’t forget the light and truth, get discouraged, pretend to follow the light, or drag our feet to obey. Instead, we should look back at how far we’ve come, make sure our light is from God, listen to Him, and trust Him to change us.

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

In continuing to explain the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Jennie Straight shifts focus to the second Beatitude in Matthew 5: “Blessed are those who mourn”. We work to understand what it means to mourn and how we will be comforted.

The Other Half of the Great Commission (Part 2): The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:27-38 prompt Steve Tramel to explain the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you”, a rule shared across belief systems. We must understand the Golden Rule in it’s Biblical context, why we often fail to abide by it, and ways to improve our obedience.

The Ripples of Ministry

Kit Dotson from Emmanuel Christian Seminary speaks on the effects the Holy Spirit has when we allow ourselves to be guided while we are spreading the Gospel to those within our reach. The lives we touch with God's power and love are able to expand the ripple of ministry. 

God's Eye Is on the Sparrow

Pastoral candidate Cana Moore presents what we can learn from Matthew 10:29-31. To humans, sparrows are insignificant, but God remembers even the most unremarkable creature. With this knowledge, we can be comforted that God knows our burdens and cares for us even more so because we are God’s most treasured creation.

Too Much of a Good Thing

We often think that virtues are better in abundance. Joanne Tramel explains that that is not always the case and if we take any virtue to an extreme, they become harmful to others. To keep our virtues in check, we should ask ourselves certain questions.

Adjusting to Change

Betty Rupp tackles to subject of adjusting to changes. When we encounter changes, it is helpful to rely on God's unwavering guidance to help us persevere, whether it's changes for ourselves, for our church, or for our pastor (old or new).

The Other Half of the Great Commission: Part 1

Steve Tramel begins his non-consecutive series "The Other Half of the Great Commission" by introducing us to the 2 parts of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 and the importance of learning and obeying God's commands.

The Christian Concept of Freedom

Joel Tramel, son of Steve and Joanne Tramel, returns to HCC to speak on freedom in celebration of Independence Day. Freedom is often associated with the ability to follow one’s desires, but Christians have a different perspective. To us, freedom is achieved by following Jesus’ example and helping others grow in Christ’s love and find their own freedom.

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

One of the things Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount was “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. Jennie Straight clarifies what that doesn’t mean, what it does mean, and how we can become poor in spirit.

Facing Your Giants

Betty Rupp refers to 1 Samuel 17 and shares the story of the shepherd boy David challenging the Philistine giant Goliath on behalf of the Israelites. David completely placed his faith in God and, with a single stone in his sling, brought down the giant that no other person had the courage to face. In a much more figurative sense, we also have giants to face. Will you wield your faith to defeat yours?

Should Christians Fear That the Vaccine Is the Mark of the Beast?

Among the misinformation surrounding the coronavirus vaccines, the claim that they are the Mark of the Beast have some Christians concerned. Jennifer Urban outlines what the Mark is and reasons why the vaccines have no association with the Beast.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

Carrying on tradition, Joanne Tramel teaches us about the lives of former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. Coming from humble beginnings, the Carters rose in political ranks. Following defeat against former president Ronald Reagan, the Carters were moved to establish the Carter Center to pursue many philanthropic missions ever since.

Memorial Day

In honor of Memorial Day, Jennifer Urban provides a history of the holiday and draw's a parallel to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. In proper observance of both Memorial Day and Communion, we are to mourn the loss, remember the lives, and be thankful for the sacrifice and service.