Church On The Rock Homer

A few weeks ago as we were planning this series and the Easter services, the graphic for this series was unleashed in a weekly meeting. Some of our team were filled with excitement and others with anxiety. As you look at the images your mind starts to wander and if you’re like me, you think about how a certain person can’t be a christian. Didn’t so and so say something about… Didn’t that person commit such and such… Isn’t that person being indicted for… Last week Aaron answered the question "What is a Christian?" by addressing the internal reality of the believer, the supernaturally empowered ability to Love the Almighty God. This Sunday we look toward the external expression of the believer and the act of demonstrating one’s love for God by Loving your Neighbor! Hint: The people in this graphic are no different from your neighbors! Some passages I’ve been meditating on are 1 John 2 and Ephesians 4. Pastor Matt McCarter

I find it curious to observe what seems to be an increasing public confidence of professing Christians in the celebrity/media/political worlds. In the last few years it has become more acceptable, even commendable, to own your faith convictions in public spaces. Along with this I have observed a related trend. Notable public personas aggressively feud with other famous figures online, while both parties make claims to the same faith and religion as the driver of their convictions. I am perplexed not just because their viewpoints are so diametrical, but because the tone of these spats is often crude and malicious. There is an aspect of this trend that I find heartbreaking. As more public figures make faith claims, there seems to be an increasing number of them making such claims while living lifestyles at odds with their basic faith tenets. And I find myself troubled by what seems to be a very public yet misleading example of what it means to follow Jesus. On the one hand, you have passages like 1 Corinthian

F.O.M.O. is an acronym for Fear of Missing Out. We experience F.O.M.O. when there is a constant anxiety that there might be something better we are not currently experiencing. It is anxiety about the future, anticipating a better event, a better car, a better relationship…There is another side to F.O.M.O., the Fear of Missed Opportunity. This is the realization that a moment is gone and can never be regained. It’s the realization your child is x number of years old, and you haven’t done what you said you always would. It’s the weight of considering what you should have said to your loved one before their death. It’s looking at your past and wishing you’d done more.The consequence of both sides of F.O.M.O. is that we never really live a full life in the present. We miss what is in front of us because we’re too busy hoping and wishing, while the sands of time pass through our hands. This Easter weekend, as we celebrate the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ, I hope you will come to a new place of fullness that can ONLY

I have an assignment for you to complete before diving into this message. Grab your Bible and find Luke chapter 19. The story known as Christ’s Triumphal Entry begins in verse 29. Take a minute and read that story to refresh your perspective. I have been reflecting on this story for a few weeks now after reading it again. Something caught me by surprise that I had not caught before, something weighty. The same story is referenced in John 12, beginning in verse 12. I don’t think the people are celebrating what they think they are celebrating, and a careful read of the story is providing new clues as to what is really going on. Which leads me to my question for this week: As we celebrate Jesus, do you know for sure what you are celebrating? Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Maranatha and I have driven the Alcan three times thus far. It is an incredibly beautiful drive and one of my wife’s favorite experiences. The most recent time we traveled to Montana and crossed the border leading to Banff, Alberta. This part of the road has multiple options to connect you to the Alcan in Dawson Creek. On long road drives like this, there can be an eerie feeling of having gone the wrong direction. It's a guttural feeling that leads to digging through maps and meticulously watching for the next road sign. Come to find out, we’d traveled quite a ways in the wrong direction and needed to turn around to hit Banff. We eventually found our way and made our way to Alaska.  In life, we look for signs that we are headed in the right direction. We follow Gideon’s example and lay out fleeces to test God’s will for our lives. What I find interesting is that mankind seeks certain signs from God while trying our best to ignore the more difficult illustrations He clearly lays out for us.  In this messag

If you have ever felt unseen, overlooked, or disregarded, this message is for you. Before we study together, take some time to read through Genesis 16 and 21. If I was Abraham and I was writing my autobiography, I probably would have opted to leave this section out. It's pretty rough. But buried there, amidst the rubble of bad decisions and abusive actions, is God, aware and present. And not only aware and present, but including the unseen in the story of His redemptive plan.I love this about our God and I look forward to digging deeper with you. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

What do Melchizedek, Sodom and Gamora, Balaam and Balak, Phinehas, King Eglon, Ruth, King Rehoboam, King Nahash, Sanballat and Tobiah, ancient mythical gods Chemosh, Melchom, and Baal all have in common? One man named Lot. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, seems like a side character in the book of Genesis. His role, however, has great historical significance in the books of the bible.Though being involved in many unfortunate situations and making very bad choices, the story of Lot has theological significance that we may not see at first. Beyond being the father of a few of Israel's enemies and advancing the biblical story in some regards, the Apostle Peter makes a statement that prompts a “lot” of questions. In the book of 2 Peter, the Apostle describes Lot as righteous and a man greatly distressed by evil conduct. Though many may not have thought of Lot in this way, digging into the details will give us the answers as to why Peter says this.In this message, we look over the story of Lot and his relationship

There is a little story about me that I want to tell you now. It has taken me 20 years to work up the courage. Don’t judge me too harshly…Shortly after moving back to town in 2005, Jenny and I were reestablishing connections and friendships here in Homer, Alaska, the town of my birth and my heritage. We had just had our second child, I was in my first full-time ministry role, and life was good! I had recently been introduced to wonderful world of coffee and had a daily habit of getting a 12 oz vanilla breve from Captain’s Coffee. (I know, that’s an unsustainably large amount of fat and sugar, but that’s a different story for a different day.) A good friend of ours was a barista at the time and she was an absolute pro at making the drink just the way I liked it. After about a year of living here, our barista friend relayed to me an interaction she had with another employee of that fine coffee establishment. “Who is that guy you’re friends with? The one that never smiles and doesn’t tip.” The reason her co

I don’t miss driving on highways until I pass Potters Marsh on the way to Anchorage. All of a sudden I’m reminiscing of long road trips with endless highways on the way to a prescribed vacation spot. On those trips I have found it useful to have a copilot to make sure we’re on the right course because without one it's easy to get way down the road and realize that we were supposed to take a left back at Albuquerque!It is a regular occurrence in my life that I need someone else to step in and redirect my focus, not on highways, but in the day to day of work, marriage, finances, parenting. Without the constant reminder to focus, my eyes and heart wonder. The Tower of Babel narrative is just that, a refocusing of people who have gone astray from God's plan. In this message, we redirect our eyes to Jesus. It’s what I love doing, and love doing with you, Church! Read ahead in Genesis 11. Pastor Matt McCarter

I have been thinking and praying about this message for quite some time. It is one of those teachings where I feel the weight early in preparation, as my heart wrestles with what it means for all of us.In this message, we will be in Genesis 5, 10, and 11:10 to 32. Even if you grew up hearing Bible stories and know many of the early Genesis accounts, these chapters may feel less familiar. They can even raise an honest question: why are these passages here at all?That question matters, because the message in these chapters is deeply significant for our church. My prayer is that, as we walk through them together, we will see more clearly what God is saying and respond with open hearts.Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

In this message, we continue our Eden: Why Are We Here? series by exploring Genesis 9:8 to 17, the passage that introduces what Scripture calls the Noahic Covenant. Many of us know the flood narrative, but this text invites us to pause and consider what God was communicating after the flood and why the sign He chose still matters today.When God places His bow in the clouds, He is doing far more than giving the world a beautiful phenomenon. In the ancient world, a bow was a weapon of war. In Genesis 9, God deliberately hangs His bow in the sky as a declaration of mercy. It is a public, universal promise that He will never again judge the earth by flood, not because humanity suddenly became righteous, but because God is gracious, faithful, and committed to sustaining life.This covenant speaks not only to God’s restraint after judgment, but also to hearts that wrestle with fear: fear of failure, fear of judgment, and fear that God may be done with them. In this passage, we see how God’s mercy meets people person

One of the five love languages is giving and receiving gifts. After college, and earlier in my adult life, I considered myself a fantastic gift giver. I had money, time, and a sense that, well, I was killing it in most areas of life. Then I got married, had kids, and went into ministry, tightening my budget and forcing me to be more creative. The truth is, I wasn’t as good a gift giver as I thought. I just had extra money to buy people nice things.When you consider how special a gift is, there is a ratio involved. It includes the expense of the gift and the thought behind the gift. An absent father’s gift to a child of a brand new vehicle does not repair the lost relationship between father and child, but the relational capacity that drives the thoughtfulness of a gift will trump an inexpensive gift on any special occasion.In this message, we examine the difference between Cain and Abel’s gifts to the Lord and, in the process, our own offerings unto God.Pastor Matt McCarter

Caught red-handed has to be one of the worst feelings in the world. You did it, there’s no denying it, you’ve been caught. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of getting caught. There is such a clarity in that moment.Up until you’re caught, all of your self-deceptions make sense, at least to you. But when you’re caught, it all falls apart very quickly. The obvious badness of the bad thing you got caught doing sets in pretty powerfully.And then there’s consequences; The bad things that I now owe because of the bad thing that I did. We all want to negotiate consequences. As bad is it may be, we would like to make the case that there was good reason and we are not as to blame as others might think. Also, can you go easy on the consequences?And all of this is part of God’s grace toward sin. In this message, we look at God’s grace in the midst of painful consequences. Before diving in, take a minute to read through Genesis chapter 3 again.Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Real friends tell you there’s stuff on your face or food in your teeth! At the moment it's embarrassing when someone comes up and says, “are you leaving that in your beard for later there big fella”, but no one really wants to walk around with shmutz on their face or spinach in their teeth. However for some of us it's challenging to be on the other side. You’ve been there, a friend walks up to greet you and you immediately notice the speck in their teeth and before you know it you’re 15 mins into a conversation and the only thing you’ve thought about the whole time is whether or not it would be rude to point out the blaringly obvious. Here's the truth, telling someone the truth isn’t always fun or easy and it is most definitely not comfortable, but it is loving, compassionate, and merciful. In this message we explore The Fall in Genesis 3:1-13, specifically the way in which God responds to Adam and Eve who have giant pieces of forbidden fruit stuck in their teeth!Pastor Matt McCarter

I am THRILLED to be launching into the book of Genesis again as we kick off a New Year! There are so many foundational truths regarding our purpose, our design, and all the other big WHY questions related to our existence. Take some time to read through the first chapter of Genesis. This is the question I want you to ponder on during this message: If you were in charge, how would you plan for us to spend our days?? What would life look like if you were the Creator of all things!? Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas gatherings! What a blessing it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, His humble nature, the Father’s gift to us of His son, and the miraculous nature of Immanuel, God with us! This Sunday we explore the gift of Christ and what it means for us to become part of His family. Knowing and walking with the Lord as one of His children is the greatest gift you could receive this Christmas because it is the ultimate purpose for all of mankind and when we examine and revel over the gift of being a child of God we have the opportunity to understand the rewards we receive from it. In this message we will explore Romans 8 and John 14, so in your free moments, read ahead! Pastor Matt McCarter

It’s almost Christmas! And I am so thankful to be included in the family of God. For the next three weeks we will celebrating the God who decided to expand his family and add sons and daughters through the sacrifice of His first born son Jesus. This week I am going to tell a little more of our own adoption story and celebrate adoption of the saints into the heavenly family. Pastor Aaron Weisser

Two halves of the same coin. Light and dark. Day and night. The husband and the wife. Scripture contains the idea of two parts being unified when they come together, two parts equating to one. The same is true when we consider our being. Mankind is less than a whole when separated from God.Genesis 1 says that God’s creation exists as the heavens and the earth, two parts in one. In this message, we examined the last piece of God’s creating efforts from Genesis 1:1, the earth, and explored the purpose it serves in God’s grand scheme.Pastor Matt McCarter

As a young boy growing up in artsy little Homer, Alaska I too caught the bug and wondered about my ability to make it as an artist. At the ripe old age of nine I drew a pencil sketch of the Space Shuttle Discovery in the upright position and attached to its external tanks. My sketch was approximately 30 inches tall and was of such high caliber, it was temporarily displayed in the Pratt Museum… along with all the other submitted artwork by the Homer elementary age crowd.But it didn’t matter. I remembered walking down the hall of the Pratt and seeing my artwork hung on the wall with a name placard below. It was stunning. I couldn’t believe that now thousands upon thousands of art lovers would behold my work. I felt such unspeakable pride.And that was the nature of us humans. We wanted our handiwork to be appreciated, to be noticed, to be ooh’d and aah’d over. We liked to see and be seen.As it turned out, God was of a different nature. Most of His glory was completely hidden from our eyes. This week we peeked th

When Maranatha and I got married we decided to narrow the scope of what was important on our wedding day. We were going to have a beautiful wedding, but we were determined not to blow the bank account. In the process of making those decisions, I had the bright idea to make our wedding cake. My future wife and my immediate family gave me THE LOOK. You know THE LOOK. It's a look full of skepticism and negativity and so they said, why don’t you do a test run. I agreed and after about a day, I arrived at the same conclusion, we’d be better off spending the money. There are certain things left in more capable hands, those who are worthy to design such things as “cakes”. With this message we start a new series in Genesis and together we will declare that there is only one who is worthy to be called The Creator. Pastor Matt McCarter