Weekly Bulletin
The Christmas Odyssey
The Why For The Odyssey
November 30, 2025
Pastor Terry Fulks
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Genesis 3:6–13. NIV
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:12-21 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 ESV
Here are three reasons we are on a Christmas Odyssey.
1. We had Paradise.
2. We lost Paradise.
3. We long to get back to paradise.
We build out paradise: But with what? What’s the material…What should it look like…room for others or just people closest to you. What is the purpose of your paradise and therefore how should it function? Whatever we build on our own will be with lego’s. It will leak!!!
What are you building? Is it your version of paradise or are you looking for Christ. And the ultimate paradise Jesus is bringing.
“If our failure to consistently worship the true God is the key feature of sin, we are sinners all.”
– Edward T Welch
A man searching for paradise lost can seem a fool to those who never sought the other world.
– Jim Morrison
“It is not the evil itself which is horrifying about our times – it is the way we not only tolerate evil, but have made a cult of positively worshipping weakness, depravity, rottenness and evil itself.”
– George Lincoln Rockwell
“New York, like London, seems to be a cloacina [toilet] of all the depravities of human nature.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“We have resorted to every means to win back the position that Adam lost. We have tried through education, through philosophy, through religion, through governments to throw off our yoke of depravity and sin. All our knowledge, all our inventions, all our developments and ambitious plans move us ahead only a very little before we drop back again to the point from which we started. For we are still making the same mistake that Adam made – – we are still trying to be king in our own right, and with our own power, instead of obeying God’s law.”
– Billy Graham
Points to ponder:
- People have many problems, therefore we need a team to help humanity, however if the fundamental problem is not addressed then all the other answers will fall way short of their potential for helping people.
- Until humanity deals with the problem of pain we will always be in a mess.
- Underneath most of the choices being made in developed countries is the nagging itch that there is somewhere better.
- The way to scratch that itch is to look to eternal answers.
- Would you like to get in touch with God today?
Connection Prayer: Lord, please help me surrender to you and place my faith in you. Give me a hunger and thirst for you. I want to thank you for your light, life, love, and your truth. I now, with what faith I have, confess that you Jesus died on the cross for my sins, were buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. I take you as my Savior, Lord, and Leader. Please forgive me of my sins and thank you for your forgiveness. Help me to follow you all the days of my life. Amen.
Next steps for the new believer:
- If you prayed the connection prayer with me:
- Pick up a new believer pack as you leave.
- Read John 3, three times before you go to bed tonight.
- Read the gospel of John all the way through by reading about ten verses a day.
Next steps for the believer:
- This week review the sermon notes at least twice.
- Commit to reading the Gospel of John all the way through in the next 4 weeks.
- Memorize Romans 6:23 this week.
- Ask God to examine your heart to see if you are depending on God or this world for the answers for life.
- Read Genesis 3 at least once this week.