City Light Church

05/28/2026

Most of us assume that being a decent, moral person is enough. But Pastor Brian Crawford unpacks why even someone who has checked every box still walks away empty. This moment will make you rethink what "good" actually means and whether any of us truly qualify.

05/26/2026

“Now they were bringing even infants to him so that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭
If we come to Jesus holding nothing, we will receive everything. If we seek to hold something to qualify us, we will receive nothing.
In this passage, Luke uses a word that is reserved for infants and toddlers, rather than just “children" to characterize these that were being brought to Jesus. These children cannot hold anything, they can only be held. Their fate is in the one who is holding them. Children were seen as liabilities in this time, so it makes sense that the disciples would have rebuked parents. But the disciples were wrong, and they didn’t see the value in the children that Jesus did. Jesus was even angered that the disciples were rebuking the parents. Children are shown as our models of kingdom citizenship. They are needy, feeble and weak, and require constant attention, feeding, changing, etc. to keep them alive. And if we don’t come to the kingdom of God in the same way, we will not gain entry. We need to be children with no accolades, no riches, no protection, no accomplishments. It is not what we are holding onto that will save us, but Who is holding us!
The Rich Ruler in Jesus's parable that follows represents the anti-thesis of inheriting eternal life. The ruler is wealthy, respected, important, and a keeper of the law. He shows up asking the right question, and to the right person. But his posture before Christ is wrong. Even the ruler’s address is correct - he calls Jesus “Good.” This wouldn’t have been a normal introduction during this time. So even saying “good teacher” the Ruler is attributing to Jesus the attributes that would have been reserved for God. But the ruler doesn’t understand - none of us can get there and achieve righteousness, except through God Himself! So Jesus asks him to obey one more thing -- Jesus asks him to give up the thing that makes him who he is. Money and possessions are a powerful source of delusion and identity. But this is not just about Greed. Our own identities are idols for us. The rich young ruler's actions show that he’s breaking the first commandment - worshiping his identity via his wealth as his god. The people around Jesus then ask “if this guy cannot be saved, then who?!?!” And Jesus answers, “with God, all things are possible.” When we loosen the grip on our lives, and give up our own strength, we allow God to dictate our lives.
What is holding you from being held? What do we hold onto to find worth before God?

05/20/2026

Pastor Brian makes it plain that God does not require a clean record or a polished resume. The one person in this story who walks away accepted is the one everyone else had written off completely. No conditions, no checklist.

05/19/2026

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedthus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭
In this parable we have two men with two postures, two prayers, and they leave with two different positions before God. Through this parable, Jesus outlines what genuine faith looks like.
Contempt towards others is a primary fruit of self-righteousness. When we, like the Pharisee, have built our own pillars upon which we stand, we will look down on others and elevate ourselves. We will not possess the humility necessary for justification.
Two people - a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were the powerful and religious elite (socially well-connected and the "really good church folks of the day). The tax collector would have been the social outcast and seen as a traitor. Both of these individuals went up the hill to seek after God.
Two postures - The Pharisee prays about himself. He sees himself above and beyond the people who cannot reach his position. God is an accessory to this man’s prayer. The main character is himself. The prayer expresses no need.
Two positions: The Tax collector is completely mournful, standing away, head down and beating his breast. He sees the gap between himself and God and knows that there is nothing in him that can close that gap. His prayer expresses His need and His desperation. Begging God to turn His judgment from him.
In the end, the tax collector’s heart allows him to go home justified. But the Pharisee is not justified.
There is no room in the kingdom of Heaven for those who think they are there because of themselves.

05/12/2026

““And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Widows in Jesus's day would have been particularly isolated, and context indicates the widow in this story had no male family to offer her support- no husband, but also no brothers, no father, nor grandfather.
Jesus uses this parable to instruct His church to handle troublesome days: to keep praying without losing heart.

Luke gives us a bleak picture for the widow. She had no choice but to appear before a judge on her own behalf: she has no family to advocate for her. But to make matters worse - this judge is wholly unrighteous. But this widow is able to break this judge and get the mercy and justice she needed. Her persistence alone causes the unrighteous judge to relent. Jesus directs the church to exercise this same persistence. And how much more will the righteous judge care for His children?
Persistence in God is all we will ever need - the unrighteous judge's phrase “beat down” in the Greek is an image of someone punching an opponet over and over until the opponent gives up. The widow with no real power wins just because she just keeps showing up. If her persistence makes the unrighteous judge give in, how much more will our persistence work with a righteous judge who also longs to bring us justice and mercy and grace and salvation?
Persistence in God is all we will have when it is all said and done - this is a warning to keep praying, keep persisting and not lose heart. When we experience the terrible things in the world, it can be heavy. And Jesus asks “can I find any faith in all the earth?” He has unbelievers in mind, of course, but He’s speaking to His disciples. It’s easy for believers to fall into a series of functional unbelief. Going to service, but never going to meet God there. The lord wants the unbelievers to turn to him, but also the persistent believers to have faith through His physical absence.
This woman is alone, and without power. And yet she showed up, each day delivering a single punch to the judge. She didn’t quit on the first attempt, nor the 100th. But eventually… she did win. Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming back for those who are still praying, still loving our neighbors, still blessing our enemies, and not losing heart.

05/08/2026

You’re invited to Mother’s Day at City Light Church!

Join us as we celebrate Jesus and take a moment to honor the women in our community. Plus, we have a special gift waiting for every lady in the building!

Sunday, May 10
10:30 AM
520 Depot Street

Tag a mom who needs a morning of encouragement below!

05/06/2026

Sermon Notes 5/3/26
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[i] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from S***m, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”[j] 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse[k] is, there the vultures[l] will gather.” Luke: 17: 20-37

We, innately, have a longing for a king and powerful leader and the influence that brings to us individually.
In this verse, Jesus starts with addressing those on the outside first - the Pharisees - telling them the kingdom is not a physical place, or one of worldly influence. Jesus says that his kingdom does not display what we assume kingdoms should. If we go looking for the kingdom of God in the places we expect a kingdom to be. Any kingdom we find that promises everything we want, and claims to have Jesus, is nothing more than a house of cards.
Instead, the kingdom of God is in the “midst of you.” The Pharisees are told, point blank, that the Kingdom is not within themselves, but rather standing physically among them at that very moment! It is Christ Jesus! The kingdom of God is not locked up in political power, or a location, but in a “Who.” To see the kingdom of God, look to Jesus and not take our eyes off of Him.
Then Jesus turns his attention to the disciples. He uses this as a moment to warn us. Hardship has a tendency to make us desperate. Struggle will increase, and in your longing, false prophets will tell us “the end of your struggle is over there.” But Jesus tells us, DON’T GET DISTRACTED! Many of us define God’s will by the path of least resistance. That’s why we’re so easily distracted and lead astray. In our desperation and longing for Christ, we are easily distracted by counterfeit christs who offer us ease, and require nothing of us.
Stay. On. The. Path. Don’t turn to deception in our exhaustion, because that’s when deception is at its strongest. Christ gives us several descriptions to protect us! He tells us when He comes back, everyone will know. It will be undebatable. There will be NO room for skepticism. None will foresee it, but everyone will see it at once. He also tells us that His return will come with suffering and persecution. Jesus tells us His kingdom will come through suffering. So, the return of Christ will NOT come with ease and everything we want. So we should not lose focus on Christ in our own suffering. When you suffer for Jesus, it doesn’t mean you are outside of God. It means that you are most likely, right where you need to be.
And we should remain undistracted by the normal good of life. The pursuit of the normal good life can be incredibly distracting. When Christ comes back, life will be normal. We’re living, working, playing, eating and drinking, and we’re in relationships. It’s SUPER easy to build a life without Christ. People think that there’s going to be a lead up to the return of Christ - things changing, stuff start shutting down. But it’s going to be abrupt. That’s what Christ is telling us here. The normal good life carries the ability to mask our pursuit of Christ. Jesus will one day show up, and the life we live with is the life we will be judge by. The normal good life doesn’t sound too evil. But if we’re hypnotized by it, and we have no energy placed in the pursuit of Jesus when He shows up, then we’ll lose our life and the life we hoped to live.
Lastly, the arrival of the Kingdom will cause separation. Many, in the end, will cling to the life behind us. We shouldn’t. In order to say hello to the kingdom of God, we must say goodbye to the kingdom of men. And not be surprised when we must cut ties with people who love us and things we love.
The king you were made to long for is not any person who exists in your time. You were made to long for Christ. Keep your eyes fixed on Him through the distractions.

04/27/2026

Sermon Notes: April 26, 2026
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten l***rs, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19
We all have something in our lives that makes us feel like we’re on the outside looking in. That's what these l***rs are experiencing prior to this story. Leprosy meant complete exclusion in Jewish culture. This is a picture of all of us: because of sin, we are all on the outside, and all have a need we can't fulfill ourselves. The l***rs in this story understood that. They refer to Jesus as "Master"--using a word that meant "one who has authority over all else." Even what they ask for specifically--not just "healing," but "mercy," shows their understanding of their complete and utter dependency on Jesus. Jesus doesn't touch them or heal them as an immediate response--instead he commands them to go to the priests, and they respond to that by submitting to his command, understanding that because of his authority the command superseded all other circumstances. The miracle met them along the way--"as they went." By having obedience and faith, they moved before understanding. This is true of our lives--Jesus often asks us to do something before it makes sense. And we must go, and we meet God along the way.
Once they were healed, only the Samaritan--the one most on the outside of Jewish culture--who came back. Oftentimes, it is those who are most on the "outside" who are most receptive to mercy. And this Samaritan fully gives himself over to the praise he offered God--"praising with a loud voice" and "falling on his face." This is the posture we should adopt in our own heart when we express thanks to God for his mercy and blessings. Like this Samaritan l***r, we should not separate the gifts we receive from the ones who gives it.
We should not be like the nine who never returned to offer thanks. It is easy, when we ask something of God and receive it, to get caught up in living our own lives and forget the one who gave it to us. Don't forget God's mercy and be lulled into a life of forgetful comfort without taking a moment to say thank you to the Master for his Mercy. Jesus tells the thankful Samaritan his faith has made him "well," using the same word the Bible uses for salvation--all ten of the men received healing in their body, but the Samaritan received healing and deliverance for something deeper than his skin. His soul was touched.

04/21/2026

Sermon Notes: 4/19/26
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Luke 17:1-10

In this text, Jesus is no longer speaking to the Pharisees, but is speaking to the disciples, such that they might conduct themselves in a way that would not allow sin the air to breathe. Sin is a trap: when we indulge in it, it hurts us. Jesus notes that this life will have plenty of these traps, but he also pronounces "Woe" on the one who sets the trap. He pronounces "woe" on those who would twist scripture to imply it gives the freedom to sin: to indulge in hate, lust, greed, etc. Those with power and influence who twist scripture in this way can shatter the faith of their victim, and Jesus says that it would be better if their physical body were destroyed than if they face the consequences of hurting people in this way.

Jesus also notes that the family of God corrects one another AND restores one another, via forgiveness. We are called to correct our brothers and sisters, but not in a way that defeats or humiliates. We must perpetually correct and forgive. It is an indictment of the family of God when we serve a God who forgives but don't extend that forgiveness to others ourselves. When the apostles are told they must perpetually forgive they understand the implications and realize they can only do so via God's direct help. There's no way a person can live this way without God's help. Jesus says that it's only possible through faith... even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed.

The passage ends with a parable of a servant given responsibilities. You do not celebrate a servant who does only what he is commanded. We are commanded to forgive and to have faith. We get no special gift or celebration for fulfilling our duty. God has done so much for us already. He owes us nothing more.

04/19/2026

04/14/2026

Sermon notes: April 12, 2026

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”Luke 16: 19-31

Jesus tells this parable to the Pharisees who use their position to justify their greed and love of money.
Note the contrast between Lazarus and the rich man.. The rich man lives sumptuously. Lazarus lives in poverty, wishing only to quell his hunger with scraps from the rich man’s table.Lazarus is denied food every day. At death, the rich man is in hell and torment, but Lazarus is in heaven and finally at peace.
Notice the role that the dogs play in the story: their care for Lazarus contrasts with the rich man's denial of Lazarus's worth.
Also note that Jesus gives the poor man a name: “Lazarus.” It means “the one who God helps.” That is the only thing we need to know about this man. The rich man instead is known only for his money and his status and security. We must ask ourselves what name we have written on our heart.
When the characters die, Lazarus “who God helps” is now helped by God into heaven. But the rich man has no one to help him. None of His possessions and wealth and status can save him when he leaves this world.

The rich man asks for two things:
1)Mercy from his suffering, which is denied. Hell is what happens when the provider of life is no longer there to sustain it. This man is not in hell because he was rich, but because he trusted in his riches to keep him safe. The man even says “send Lazarus” to provide me relief. He knows the man’s name. He knew him and still ignored him. And we are shown the audacity of his pride, to ask Abraham to order Lazarus to help him. He still sees Lazarus as a servant. His heart is still prideful, even in his suffering. Make no mistake that in life, Lazarus was at the rich man’s gate - a barrier between them. And now, there is still a gate between them.

2)The second thing the rich man asks for is a warning for his family. But he’s still asking Abraham to order Lazarus! And Abraham’s answer is striking! If your family won’t believe what the forefathers said to do, they wouldn’t believe someone coming back from the dead either! We get examples of that in Jesus's ministry and even via Jesus himself. The Pharisees still reject the sign Jesus shows them, when he resurrected Lazarus during His time. And their fate is the same of everyone in our time who rejects Jesus’s own resurrection.

We should identify ourselves with Lazarus - the “one who God helps.” Recognize the help you need today is not with what is in your bank account. But your greatest need is Christ Jesus, in whom we have everything we need. Don’t wait until you are on the other side, to see those around you as God sees them. By then, it’s too late.