This Sunday, May 17 (9am, 10:45am), we will pause our sermon series through the book of Exodus for our 516 Vision Sunday.
Each year, around May 16, we take time to focus on our vision as a church to be a community of Christ in order to reach our community for Christ.
It is a chance to remember what the Lord calls us to as a local church.
We are to be a Christ-centered, truth-proclaiming, loving-one-another body of believers!
During our worship services, we will sing praises to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, give thanks for His blessings in our lives, review our 3:16 and 5:16 key verses, and share an update on what the Lord is doing here and around the world through the ministry of CBC.
May the Lord continue to deepen our roots in His truth and widen our love for one another as we seek to be a church of prayer, integrity, initiative, impact, and praise!

This week we will be exploring Exodus 15 together, Singing Praises to the Lord!
Israel just walked through the Red Sea...on dry ground! Can you imagine walking through the Sea with a wall of water on both sides of you? It would be like going through an aquarium where all the fish are not behind glass but swimming in the water right next to your face!
On top of that, Israel watched as Pharaoh's army, the best in the world at that time, was completely destroyed as God made a flick of His hand and the walls of water crashed down on them.
It was the most incredible miracle that the world had ever seen. And Israel had a front row seat to it all.
What would you do in that moment?
My guess is that you would do exactly what the Israelites did. Sing at the top of your lungs to the Lord and dance with all your might!
You were free! Totally free. And the Lord had displayed His mighty hand on your behalf.
How could you ever doubt His power and love again? (well, we will get to that next week)
But for this week, we are going to celebrate with the Israelites.
Exodus 15:1-21 is the first song of praise in Scripture. Some would even say (including myself) that it is the oldest song that we have record of in human history.
That in itself is pretty amazing.
But as the first praise song in Scripture, Exodus 15 teaches us a lot about praising the Lord. What does it mean to praise Him? How should we praise Him? When should we praise Him? Why should we praise Him?
If you have lost the joy of your salvation...if it has been awhile since you have really sung with all your might to the Lord...if you haven't felt like dancing in a long time...then may the Lord remind you of His majestic holiness, His awesome power, His steadfast love, and His ever-present attention and care for you.
You are loved with a love that you cannot fathom...and the Lord fights for you.
May the Lord put a little "pep in your step" today and stir your heart to sing praise to Him!

This week we will be exploring Exodus 14 together, "Experiencing God's Miracle."
Do you need a miracle?
Often we find ourselves in impossible situations. Life becomes overwhelming. Circumstances seem to be closing in and the way forward seems hopeless. Fearful and stressed, we tend to cry out to God and lash out at others all at the same time. After all, we have to find someone to blame and to get mad at. It gives us a momentary satisfaction even if it does nothing to change our situation.
This is what Israel experienced in Exodus 14.
They were trapped. There was no apparent escape. Behind them was Pharaoh's army, charging at them with chariots and weapons. In front of them was an impassable sea with depths capable of drowning them all in an instant.
And strangely enough, God (and Moses) led them to this very place!
I think you and I would be pretty pertubed too!
But God had a plan even in the midst of their most dire situation. He was going to gain glory, Israel's enemies were going to be fully defeated, and Israel was finally and truly going to be free.
They just had to be still, stand firm, and trust Him.
Easier said than done.
The Red Sea miracle is perhaps the best known miracle in the Bible. It makes great special effects in a movie and is a compelling story in its own right. Who can forget Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea in the Ten Commandments?
But beyond being a great movie scene, the parting of the Red Sea speaks practically and powerfully to us today. Nothing is impossible with God! Sometimes we spend more time looking at our problems than beholding Him. Sometimes we feel more hopeless than hopeful, even though God has already told us the end of the story! Sometimes we just need to stop panicking, running around in fear, and complaining to everyone left and right, and start resting in the goodness and sovereignty of God.
Confidence and joy in the face of fear. That in itself is a miracle!
May God open our eyes to His goodness and glory and may He open a path through whatever sea is in front of us!

This week we will be exploring Exodus 13 together, Following God.
Following God. That's what it all boils down to, doesn't it? He is the Shepherd. We are the sheep. He loves us. We love Him. And in loving Him, we trust Him and follow Him.
He knows the way forward, we do not.
Exodus 13 sits right in the middle between the redemption in Exodus 12 and the start of the journey into the wilderness in Exodus 14. Before Israel starts their journey, God gives some final instructions to His people.
God will guide their journey. They must learn to follow.
Even when the path takes them in a direction that they are not expecting.
There was a quicker way to Canaan but God will take them through the wilderness. And He often does the same in our lives.
Will we follow?
Or will we be tempted to turn back and go our own way?
It is the choice that faces us almost every day.
May God so overwhelm us with His goodness and grace that we trust Him even when our path takes us through the wilderness!

This Sunday, April 19 (9am, 10:45am), we are excited to have Dr. David Klingler as our guest speaker. Dr. Klingler will be speaking from the book of Proverbs, Don't Be a Fool!
David Klingler is the professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the host of the Teach Me the Bible podcast. In his college days, David played quarterback for the Houston Cougars (1988-91) and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He was drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals and played six seasons in the NFL. He certainly brings a unique perspective on what really matters and what really satisfies in this world!
May God use His Word in our lives to give us wisdom in this present age!

Pastor Ken Courville teaches on Exodus 12:28-51.

Exodus 12 introduced us to the Passover Lamb. It is the blood of the Passover lamb that averts God's judgment and brings salvation and redemption to His people.
But the theme of the Lamb does not begin in Exodus 12. It begins in Genesis with Adam, Abel, and Abraham.
And the theme of the Lamb does not end in Exodus 12. Rather it runs throughout the rest of Scripture, pointing to Jesus Christ and the climax of all history.
In the OT, the question is "Where is the lamb?"
In the Gospels, the answer is "Behold the Lamb!"
in Revelation, the climax is "Worthy is the Lamb!"
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10)
We are saved by the Lamb.
It is a strange statement when you think about it. The hero of the story of Scripture is a lamb.
It is the Lamb who conquers sin, death, and Satan.
It is the Lamb who redeems us and restores the earth.
It is the Lamb who reigns!
Worthy is the Lamb!
May God open our eyes, stir our hearts, strengthen our souls, and fill us with joy as we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ!

This week we will be exploring Exodus 12:1-38 together, Applying the Blood of the Lamb.
Passover is one of the oldest, continuously celebrated rituals in world history. For close to 3500 years, Jews have met together as families to remember God's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt and His provision of the Passover lamb.
And every time we celebrate communion, we are joining them in this remembrance.
Passover is one of the most significant events in the story of Scripture--not only because it marks the beginning of Israel as a nation but it also points to the greatest deliverance in history, the death of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
This Sunday, we will walk through Exodus 12:1-28 verse-by-verse, learning about the original observance of Passover, focusing on the lamb, and seeing the signs of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
May God open our eyes to the wonder of Passover and deepen our understanding of the great grace shown to us in the blood of Jesus Christ!
A Bible study guide is available, walking step-by-step, verse-by-verse, through Exodus 1-13. Pick up a study guide on Sunday ($5 donation) and join us for this journey!
After our second service, join us for a baptism outside as we celebrate another life saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ!