Advent two

“Good News of Great Joy”

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent, we prepare for the “advent”of Christ at Christmas. We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of Gods Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.

One of the amazing things about Christmas, and Jesus’ birth, is most people believe it was an afterthought. That the Old Testament went badly for God, and that is why He had to send His Son.

However, that is not the story is not a novelty. We are a testimony of Gods covenant faithfulness. God promised in the Scriptures beforehand that God was going to send a Messiah. Genesis 49:10, Moses says, that Shiloh is going to come and to Him is going to be the obedience of the nations. God promised a Messiah was coming, a king, and He was bringing a Kingdom.

The Psalms also give us all this testimony of  the King coming, Psalms two, the Father says to the Son, “ask of me, and I’ll give you the nations for your inheritance.”Do we think Jesus forgot to ask? In Matthew, right before ascending to the Father, He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey.”
So does Jesus understand the nations? Yes. And listen, there is also a warning to the kings in Psalm two, it says, “oh Kings be wise, obey the Son or you’ll perish when His wrath is kindled.”

The Messiah isn’t a novelty in history, Jesus didn’t come and everyone said “great, plan B.” That is not the gospel in the Scriptures. This is what is so compelling to me about Christ and the gospel. That this is not a novelty, every detail necessary to know Jesus as Savior and as Lord is written for us in the Old Testament, long before Jesus comes. The who, the what, the where, the why, the when, the how, everything, is found in the Old Testament.

Text like Isaiah 9:6, For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

According to chapter nine, a child is coming, a son is coming, El Gabor. The Father of eternity, and I have to ask, who is the only eternal one? God is the only eternal one, and the eternal one is coming as a son according to Isaiah chapter nine.

Isaiah 53, But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief, that He would be counted among the rebels, and He would justify the many because He would bear their inequities.

Psalm two, the entire passion of the Messiah. His hands and feet pierced in the text, His heart like wax melted within him, that they would wag their heads at him.

Micah 5:2, that God was coming to Bethlehem.

The actual timing in Daniel chapter 9 says that the Messiah is going to come and be cut off, that is to die a violent death, and the second temple is going to be destroyed.

We have bookends prophecy, The when of the Messiah, He is coming to be cut off and then the second temple is going to be destroyed.

And so, I have to ask, when was the second temple destroyed, 1st century, right! Yes, 70 AD.

So, if Jesus isn’t the Messiah, who is?

This Christmas, I would like us to remember Israel’s hope for the coming of Gods Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.

Like Israel, please make Him your hope today.

Merry Christmas,
Kenny

Advent

“Good News of Great Joy”

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent, we prepare for the “advent”of Christ at Christmas. Over the next few weeks we will focus on God’s Word while carefully examining are hearts desires for our King, which will include following:
 We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of Gods Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.
We remember our hope for the return of Christ.
We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins.
We prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas into our world . . . and into our hearts.

By celebrating Advent each week, we help ourselves get ready for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Advent means Coming, and Jesus said, 14“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Merry Christmas,

Kenny

Who are we?

Hi, my name is Kenny Hall, and I want to thank you for visiting Anchor church’s blog. I would like to take a few minutes and tell you a little about my family and I, and then give you the some background of why God has called us to plant Anchor church.

New England has always been important to me, as I was born in Waterbury Connecticut and was raised in Meriden, Connecticut. Meriden is known as the cross-roads of Connecticut as it is almost perfectly placed in the center of the state. I attended the public schools growing up in Connecticut, and attended Calvary Baptist Church where my parents were members and very involved in serving and discipleship.  I am the youngest of four children, and yes, my mom still refers to me as her baby. In my sophomore year of high school, I met a girl named Katie on the pool deck, as my parents were the swim coach’s for the girls and boys swim teams at Maloney High school. From the first time I laid my eyes on Katie, I knew I would marry her, her smile was one that I wanted to see  the rest of my life. Breathtaking! I finally grew the confidence to ask her out on February 22,1991, and we’ve been together ever since.  On December 31, 1997, I asked Katie for her hand in marriage, and we got married two years later in July of 2000. After our quick week in Aruba for our honeymoon, we came home,  packed our things and headed south to Texas. I was offered a job as a golf professional down in Trophy Club Texas, which is just north of Fort Worth. We adjusted quickly to the heat, and Katie was offered a job as a 2^nd grade school teacher  in Lake Worth. In 2002, we built a home in Keller Texas and we called this home for the next ten years. We brought both of our daughters home to this house.  Emma who was born January 15, 2005, and Hannah was born December 5, 2008. Through some life events, we decided to sell our home in Texas, and we moved into an apartment in Roanoke Texas. We lived there almost another year, and then I was offered a job in Walpole Massachusetts. I moved at the end of March 2013, and left the family behind to finish up their school years. In June, I went back down south to pick my family up and pack the truck. I drove our other car back to the northeast, as the girls took the plane to Connecticut. That summer  my wife and two daughters lived with my in-laws, while I lived on my own in Massachusetts. My wife, by the grace of God, was offered a 1^st grade position in the Newton Public schools. At that time, we moved our family to Needham, Massachusetts. We were all together again! On February 15, 2014, life changed again for the Halls, I broke my lower leg severely through both bones in the ankle. I was off my feet for five months, and didn’t start putting full weight back on the leg until August. Through this time I lost my job, as I could not fully perform my duties. My wife finished up her school year, and my Mom came to live with us the remainder of the year to take care of me. My wife resigned from her job for the 2^nd consecutive year, and we headed to Connecticut to live with my In-laws again. During this time, my wife was sending out resumes in the Connecticut area and God blessed us with a job in Waterford Connecticut. We found a home to rent in the Waterford area a half mile from the beach. Thank you Jesus! My wife was offered a 2^nd grade position at the same school where our two daughters would be attending school. Through this first year we can tell that we have been called to the Waterford area. We did not search this town out, but God through His divine plan, placed us here. 

Anchor church is a brand new church plant with a passion to bring hope to Waterford, Connecticut. We exist to know Jesus and make Him known. We are a committed community in relentless pursuit of God’s own heart, serving and encouraging alongside brothers & sisters in Christ, constantly praying and pursuing those who are outside His Kingdom. At Anchor church, we believe every person has a “story,” and this is why it is so important for people to be loved, heard, respected for who they are, and ultimately treated with kindness. In saying this, at Anchor church we believe, church is more than just a once a week spectacle; we follow Jesus, we pray, we live and do life with each other while serving our community and one another. Yes, we exist and are everyday people from all walks of life, we come from many different backgrounds and experiences, which makes “our story,” our “story.” Anchor church is a diverse family of believers united by our common relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord.  

We hope you have been encouraged, and would like to find out more about Anchor church. There are a few ways in which you can reach us. First, you can contact me, Kenny Hall at 860-798-7934, email me at Kenny.Hall74@gmail.com, or email anchorchurchct@gmail.com.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” Hebrews 6:19

for His fame,

Kenny Hall

Coming Soon......

Anchor Church is a new church that will begin meeting in the Waterford area.  Please stay tuned for more information.   If you have questions or are interested in learning more about us please email us at anchorchurchct@gmail.com.