Port Orange Church of The Nazarene

06/14/2026

06/09/2026

A devotional thought based on this past week’s sermon from Pastor Alex Williams (Encounter Church, New Smyrna Beach — launching 2027). If you missed it, we encourage you to go back and watch the sermon.

Stepping Off the Bus Into Class Five Rapids

The choice between safety and obedience often feels like standing on a riverbank, hearing the roar of rapids ahead. Faith requires surrendering the illusion of control, much like abandoning the safety of a bus for untamed waters. God’s call to Abram—"go to the land I will show you"—wasn’t a detailed itinerary but an invitation to trust. Every breakthrough begins when we release our grip on comfort to embrace the unknown. What rapids is God asking you to face? The blessing waits where the current runs wild.

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.'"
(Genesis 12:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What “bus” of safety have you been clinging to, and what would it look like to step into the rapids of obedience this week?

04/04/2026

So they took His body down
The man who said He was the resurrection and the life
Was lifeless on the ground now
The sky was red as blood along the blade of night

As the sabbath fell they shrouded Him in linen
They dressed Him like a wound
The rich man and the women
They laid Him in the tomb

Six days shall you labor
The seventh is the Lord's
In six He made the earth and all the heavens
But He rested on the seventh
God rested
He said that it was finished
In the seventh day, He blessed it
God rested

So they laid their hopes away
They buried all their dreams above the kingdom He proclaimed
And they sealed them in the grave
As a holy silence fell on all Jerusalem

But the Pharisees were restless
Pilate had no peace
And Peter's heart was reckless
Mary couldn't sleep
But God rested

Six days shall you labor
The seventh is the Lord's
In six He made the earth and all the heavens
But He rested on the seventh
God rested

He worked 'til it was finished
In the seventh day, He blessed it
He said that it was good
And the seventh day, He blessed it
God rested

The sun went down
The sabbath faded
The holy day was done and all creation waited

God Rested, by Andrew Peterson
Resurrection Letter: Prologue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a34ABuJh9jA&list=RDa34ABuJh9jA&start_radio=1

03/28/2026

Tomorrow is going to be a special service. I encourage you to do everything possible to join us as we begin what Christians around the world call Holy Week.

Historically during this week:
> Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. Unlike the Romans who entered on a powerful steed to display their military might, Jesus chose to proclaim himself as a peaceful Messiah.
> He would enter the Temple, see how the religious and wealthy were taking advantage of the poor and marginalized, and he would flip tables of the money changers, declaring that His house should be a house of prayer.
> He would meet with his disciples in the upper room of a borrowed home and share the Passover seder meal.
> He would pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.
> He would be betrayed by one of his closest friends, be the focus of an illegal trial held by religious leaders, and be sent to Pilate to be crucified.
> Burried in a borrowed tomb, God (Jesus) rested, as was the custom on Sabbath.
> But early on the third day, he would be raised from the dead.

That all happens over the course of a week! Adjust your schedule to spend time in worship tomorrow as we remember and proclaim the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

See you tomorrow at 10am!

Pastor Gerron

03/26/2026

Hey, PONaz family. As many of you know, our church is part of a denomination (Church of the Nazarene) that has regional universities around the US and around the world. Our regional university is Trevecca Nazarene University.

If you've attended PONaz, you have been directly impacted by the good work of TNU.

I graduated from TNU.
Jen graduated from TNU.
Emma is currently at TNU.
Pastor Tim graduated from TNU.
Other staff people, like Danny (our former worship leader) and Natasha (our former children's director) all graduated from TNU.

Our church is thriving because of the impact that TNU has had on so many of our leaders.

I'm hoping you'll consider joining me in Trevecca's annual Giving Day. Whether it's $5 or $5,000, would you consider donating to a university that has hugely impacted our local congregation. There's a link in the video below (and you might even see a familiar face -- mine -- in the video).

Thanks for considering.
Grace and peace.

Pastor Gerron

03/07/2026

Devotional thought based on 3/1 sermon:

Extravagant worship breaks open our security for Christ.

The alabaster flask represented the woman’s security, her future, and her value. In breaking it, she demonstrated that she had found a greater security in Jesus. She held nothing back, offering her most valuable possession in an act of worship that some might see as wasteful. This act challenges us to consider what we are tightly holding onto for our own sense of safety and control.

She brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. (Luke 7:37-38 ESV)

Reflection: What is your “alabaster jar”—a resource, a reputation, a plan—that Jesus might be inviting you to break open in an act of trust and worship for His glory?

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

Devotional thought based on 3/1 sermon:

Christ’s peace interrupts our shame and defines us.

The woman entered that room defined by her past and her reputation, labeled by everyone around her. She left defined by the words of Jesus: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” This peace, or shalom, is a declaration of wholeness and completeness. It is an interruption of the chaos of shame, replacing it with the settled assurance that we are fully known, fully forgiven, and fully loved.

And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50 ESV)

Reflection: What label from your past or present feels the most difficult to shake, and what would it look like today to receive Christ’s word of “peace” as your new identity instead?