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Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
REFERENCES: PROVERBS 18:19, MATTHEW 7:3-5, LUKE 4:16-22
God can do a whole lot with a little. Just think of the great oak. It’s a massive tree that provides plenty of shade under its branches, yet its vitality is held within a system of small roots hidden underground. Remove the roots and the tree comes tumbling down. We can think of our faith as that root system, our belief in Jesus sustains us through life’s challenges. But there are enemies, like shame, doubt, and fear, that can sap the life out of our faith. Another sneaky destroyer of faith, familiarity, comes breeding contempt for all that we have been given by God. It seeks to point us to what we are missing instead of to what we have. If we are not careful, that which makes us familiar can distract us and cut down the very faith that has helped us grow so strong. The people of Jesus’ hometown, all too familiar with his beginnings, scoffed at his miracles and didn’t recognize that he was only beginning. Jesus had the whole of humanity to save, and the lack of honor he received wouldn’t be the thing to stop him. To combat the parasitic effects of familiarity we must recognize that in our faith walk with God, he reveals a new, wondrous bit of himself little by little.
There’s still more to discover about God, you haven’t gotten to the best part yet.
To escape the trap of familiarity, we are called to remove the splinters and logs of our lives, those things that easily prevent us from seeing our faults and serve as hindrances. But on the other side of that door, there is a Carpenter willing to restore us.
The hometown prophet was in front of them and they were blinded to it. Instead of seeing a savior, the people who knew Jesus best saw an insignificant carpenter. They didn’t get their breakthrough because they couldn’t see through the fog of familiarity. Instead of honor, they chose offense, the bait of Satan.
The size of our faith pales in comparison to the size of our God, but familiarity trivializes the big works of God. Therefore, we must not become complacent in our faith journey but honor the one who can change our mess into a miracle. Honoring God and those he has placed around us is our step forward. When we reflect on all that he has done and look to the future, we break the cycle of familiarity. Then with each day dawning we will have the opportunity to experience his new mercies.
Run outside of your comfort zone. Try a new food, new Bible plan, or even a new show and look for God to speak in the unknown.
All of you that are already in our database will receive a text this upcoming Thursday from our new text platform. It isn’t spam, it’s really us! This will become a primary way for us to resource, equip, and update you. We encourage you to save this number and opt in for more updates.
VOUS High is youth community of VOUS and we are creating a space for middle schoolers to gather for service every Sunday.
Students will start with worship in the main auditorium and then be dismissed to their junior high space. This will be a moment to connect with other students, hear a message, and then discuss in small groups.
For more information and to RSVP your student, click here
Join us at the annual ILMC Thanksgiving Bash to distribute meal kits and turkeys. Also, bring a chair and cheer on your favorite team at our annual VOUS Bowl.
To serve, click here
Date: Saturday, November 23rd
Time: 9:00AM - 12:30PM
Location: Charles Hadley Park
1350 NW 50th St
Miami, FL 33142
Ready to kick off Thanksgiving with a burst of energy and community? Join us bright and early at Peacock Park for the VOUS 10K Turkey Trot! Whether you're a runner, a walker, or somewhere in between, this is a chance to start your day with some fresh air, great friends, and all-around fun! See you at the starting line!
To sign up for the Turkey Trot, click here
Date: Thursday, November 28th
Time: 6:00AM
Location: Peacock Park
2820 McFarlane Rd.
Miami, FL 33133
On Sunday, December 1st we're bringing our annual Tree Lighting tradition to both our SoMi and Miami Gardens Locations! Sign up to serve and join us for a night of fun! Invite your friends and let's welcome the Christmas season together!
Please note: There will not be a 6PM service at VOUS City. Instead, join us at VOUS Miami Gardens for the 6PM service, followed by the tree lighting celebration.
Date: December 1st
Time: 7:30PM
Location:
VOUS Miami Gardens
17801 NW 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33169
VOUS SoMi
6767 Sunset Dr
South Miami, FL 33143
To serve, click here
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
