Advertise on podcast: Church on The Rock Homer

Wedding bells are ringing loudly in my home this week. My beautiful daughter Talia and her very tall Canadian fiancé are to be wed Saturday and our house is bustling with preparations. Talia’s new and wonderful in-laws are here from Saskatchewan and have brought the party vibe. We are eating lots of good food, spending time together, each one of us helping with our respective parts. For those of you keeping track; this is our third wedding in 24 months. We are very much enjoying this unique season and all of the festivities it brings. In this Sunday Sermon, I want to talk about another upcoming wedding celebration and the respective rolls we each have in preparing for that epic day. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Often times in life things don't go the way we expect. This can lead to questions about why God isn't acting in the way or time we think He should. Choosing trust in the unknown protects our hearts from offense. Come learn about the blessing waiting for us on the other side of this choice. Philip Licht

Have you ever gotten caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Do you remember the feeling? Mom told you not to eat cookies before dinner, but that jar full of goodness is so tempting. We respond with comments like “I just wanted one” or “I am so hungry”. The problem is that Mama said, and you didn’t listen. I mean, I didn’t listen. The book of Exodus closes with a similar warning as the cooking jar, God’s presence settles on the Ark of the Covenant and the tent of meeting becomes off limits. It does not matter what your reasoning is, you cannot enter! To come before a Holy God is no small matter, in fact it is a matter of life and death. In God’s presence our sins cannot be hidden nor will they be tolerated without being first forgiven. In God’s efforts to live among His people, He made a way for them to enter in, to be forgiven, to be washed as white as snow. Turns out God not only wants to be close to Him physically, but for us to also express to Him the ability to approach Him, guiltless, sinless, not irreverently but with an expectation of experiencing His goodness and compassion. God knew we would sin and so He set aside a day for our sins to be atoned for and our guilt and shame to be removed from us. The Day of Atonement should not be seen as a way to appease an angry God, but a day on which an Holy God would express His desire to live in peace with His chosen ones. Read ahead for Sunday in Leviticus 10-16. Pastor Matt McCarter

It’s September already. Before I know it there will be Christmas decorations adorning my home, Mariah Carey’s voice filling the air along with the smell of a freshly baked sheet of Christmas cookies. Whether you like it or not your life is ruled by a calendar. Days and dates that inform your life from anniversaries, to birth days, to national holidays. There are events scheduled throughout your year that dictate how you will spend your time.Have you ever considered that other people live off of a different calendar than you? What if I told you that other people live off of multiple different calendars than you. As an American, July 4th means something drastically different to me than a person living in the UK. That same time means something completely different for an Israelite who celebrates the Feasts of the Lord, who lived by a drastically different calendar than we do today.This weekend we take a look at the Feast Days given to the Israelites to celebrate all that God has done and all that God will do and maybe you’ll reconsider the calendar you currently live by, without having to toss out Christmas!  Pastor Matt McCarter

What do you say? What do you do? How do you move forward when a relationship has been deeply strained, when your mistakes have been costly and trust has been shaken? We are in a series titled Worship of a Holy God. It is God’s holiness that adds another layer to the relational repair needed in light of the harm we have caused. In my other human relationships I might be able to relieve the burden by pointing the finger. “Yes, I did such and such, but also, they did….” But not with God. His holiness is His perfection. He is not like us. All of the distance, all of the damage, all of the violation of trust is on us. And yet God, in His grace, has made a way. He has not only opened the door, he has invited us in. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Camping in Alaska is always a fun adventure. We finally got to go a few weeks ago and it always takes some work to gather your camping supplies and pack them up just to hit the road. The excitement builds as we hit the road and find our spot and set up camp. Now the fun begins! Fires, time in the woods, getting wet in an ocean or river, and then fire pit desserts, all under a seemingly never setting sun which makes sleep optional, or at least the kids think so. At some point the magic of camping fades and we begin to long for our home, our bed, the roof that doesn’t drip with dew and for me a back that doesn’t ache. Living in a tent is always a little underwhelming. So why would God do it? In this message, we examine the most boring part of Exodus, the instructions for God’s tent, the Tabernacle. This is arguably the greatest tent in the history of man, not because of its design, but its purpose. The God of all creation had a plan to make Himself known to His people and to give them a better understanding of what we were truly created for! Pastor Matt McCarter

What is rest? But actually, do you feel like you know what true rest feels like? Jenny and I have always distinguished between different ways of needing rest. There is sleepy, which is that feeling of about to doze off. And then there is tired, which does not always mean sleepy. We also describe different levels of tired. There is “I need a nap” tired. There is crisis and drama tired. There is “I need a vacation” tired. And then there is the more serious, “I can’t keep doing what I’m doing tired.” This is the kind of tired where I realize something in my life needs to change or I’m gonna wear myself out. Are you tired? Are you finding rest? In this message we launch into a new series about worship and about a God who is holy. And maybe surprisingly, this begins with rest. Come tired, come exhausted, come rested, come sleepy. Either way, come and join us we study Exodus 16 & 20 together this week. Dr. Pastor Aaron Weisser

There are many times during my preparation process for a Sunday morning teaching that I will find myself thinking, "This is going to be a fun study." This is not one of those weeks. Sunday we will dive into the story in Exodus 32 and it is a rough one. As we prepare for Sunday, take a minute to read through this chapter. As you read, don't fall prey to the moralistic interpretation which concludes "Don't be like them." The bad news is, we are all like them. And God alone can save us. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

In this message, we will be in Exodus 19–20, but primarily Exodus 20, looking at one of the most important moments in Scripture: God giving the Ten Commandments to Israel. At Mount Sinai, the people saw the mountain covered in smoke, felt it tremble, heard the trumpet grow louder, and then heard the audible voice of God declare His commands. This was not merely a private conversation between God and Moses; the entire nation heard the words of the Lord. We will see that God did not give Israel the law so they could earn their redemption. He had already rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Grace came before command. The law taught God’s redeemed people how to live in a way that reflected His holiness and their covenant relationship with Him. We will also consider the purposes of God’s law. It reveals the character of God, exposes the sin within our hearts, shows us our need for a Savior, and guides those who have been redeemed. Jesus summarized the heart of the law as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Finally, we will look at how the new covenant transforms obedience. Through Christ, God does more than place commandments before us: He gives us new hearts, writes His law within us, and gives us His Spirit. We do not obey to earn salvation; because we have been saved by grace, we desire to love and obey the God who rescued us. Pastor Joseph Collier

I recently attended a wedding at the Homestead. It was a beautiful Alaskan wedding, which means it's a little damp, a little rainy, but everyone is full of joy watching a man and woman come together in holy matrimony! Every time I witness a couple say their vows I am taken back to the moment I stood in front of my bride and made my covenant with her. Every wedding is a sobering moment to remember the promises I made as I say to myself, "Oh, right, I am supposed to love my wife like that!" We have reached the moment in the Exodus narrative where God's bride, His chosen people, say "I do!" He invites them into relationship, and the shocking thing is that they have no idea what is ahead of them. It will be impossible for Israel to perfectly navigate their promise to God, and the beautiful thing about it is that God already knows His people's shortcomings, but He says "I do" anyway! In this message, we take a look at Exodus 19 and marvel over a covenant-keeping God who never fails us! Pastor Matthew McCarter

During the school year, Tuesday is pancake day. I make them from scratch every week, cuz I’m hardcore like that. But I don’t just make pancakes, I make CHOCOLATE CHIP pancakes! That wasn’t supposed to be the thing but I did it as a treat one time and now that’s the way we role every week. It is amazing what a few droplets of chocolate does to elevate a regular old skillet flat cake. One such morning, some time ago, I was serving these gorgeous round chocolatey breakfast breads and a child of mine noticed something amiss. I was respectfully asked “Dad, did you mean for the center to be doughy?” The wording of the question was superb, especially for a kid. It wasn’t accusatory or even overtly derogatory. It was a question of curiosity. “Dad, was this part of an intentional plan or was this new development the result of oversite?” Even the tone was polite. I still didn’t like it. If felt like complaining. I think I said something like “Is it a problem?” Yeah, I know. Way too snarky coming from pastor Dad. “HOW DARE YOU lodge a complaint against my perfect pancakes! How dare you indicate dissatisfaction! Do you know how many children would be grateful to have chocolate for breakfast? You will eat that wet interior and YOU WILL LIKE IT.” I didn’t say those things, but I was a bit alarmed by how quickly I thought them. In this message, we look at Exodus 15 & 16. In this story, God is the chef and His people are His unhappy customers. There is an important truth in this story that you and I need to hear. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Technology has significantly changed the world we live in. One of the areas it’s changed is sporting events. Back in the day, we watched teams battle it out on weary-looking grass under incandescent flimsy filament bulbs on pixelated screens with clunky rotary knobs. Overweight and out of shape, umpires and referees were forced to make split-second decisions with no backup, inevitably leading to the cheers of fans positively impacted and the boos of fans who felt ill-treated! Today, we have instant replay scrubbing every angle of every play, reviewed on LED screens by officials stopping the game to review the action and make the absolutely correct call. Guess what, even with the latest and greatest tech, we sit back and question every call made in light of which team we prefer. He was out! That goal counted! Foul! NO FOUL! In this message, we continue our journey through the Exodus account, looking at the Red Sea. God’s victory over the enemy is decisive, final, and resolute! No questions should remain, but somehow they persist! This weekend, we will be reminded of the powerful Savior, JESUS CHRIST, who is more than able to set us free from bondage and lead us into new life, with no room to question the result. Pastor Matt McCarter

I've been painting for several years now, and I like to think I'm aware enough of the dangers in the workspace. And yet, despite being aware of the dangers around me, I am THE GUY who inevitably hurts myself on something I shouldn't have. Something I've warned everyone else about a handful of times. Something where honestly, I could have done differently to ensure my safety. There's something about familiarity that makes you feel exempt. Seeing the danger or knowing the danger should be enough. In this message, we're looking at Exodus 11-12, the Passover. Nine plagues have fallen on Egypt, while plague after plague, God's made a distinction between His people and the Egyptians. And Israel witnessed that. This last plague is different. And what's different is how God makes that distinction. This time the line is drawn not by boundaries or family lines, but by the blood of a spotless lamb on a door frame. Looking forward to walking through this central passage with you all on Sunday. Pastor Tylar Webster

My first year of college was a wild ride. Move-in day was interesting, deciding on what belongings to bring, setting a bed that wasn’t mine, meeting my roommate, and then meeting the guys on my hall. It was an excitingly odd experience. During orientation, the administration says to all the freshmen, “Look to your left and look to your right, one of you will not graduate college.” Fast forward a couple of years, and I was attending my roommate's funeral. Another year or so, and I’d gotten news that my hallmate had died. Both men passed away in drunk driving accidents. Its not often that we consider our mortality when meeting someone for the first time, especially at such young ages. Both of these men made decisions that led to their demise, and it's easy in the moments after to blame, ask questions, and judge, particularly of God’s involvement in loss like this. In this message, we examine the narrative of the Plagues God uses to set His people free, addressing the hard heart of Pharaoh, who refuses God’s plan Israel. I hope that we will walk away with a better understanding of how God invites, loves, and executes His will even when we don’t like His plan. If you want to read ahead, we’ll be in Exodus 5-10. Pastor Matt McCarter

I recently posed this question to several members of our staff, “When did you first imagine your life to be what it is today?” The answer that made me chuckle was, “Yesterday!” Maybe you feel the same, many unexpected twists and turns along the way. But either way, here you are. And what bends my mind is to think back on the thousands of details that conspired perfectly to lead me to what is my life today. In this message, we are going to build a bridge between the story of Genesis and the incredible drama of Exodus. If you want to prep, take some time and read from Genesis 45 into Exodus chapter 1. What I find fascinating is that all of the good and bad in the story of Joseph and his family proves to be the precisely refined components setting up the epic of Exodus. This story has been greatly expanding my concept of the power and sovereignty of God which has immediate bearing upon the way I see my world. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser