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On Christmas Day, Lead Pastor Steve Darr told a story about the Fourth Wiseman. His name is Artaban and he comes to us through “The Story of the Other Wise Man,” a book written by Henry Van Dyke and published in 1895. It is a beautiful story grounded in the teachings of Jesus. Through carols and Scripture, the story of the birth of Jesus the Messiah once again was told to remind us that He is God with Us.
We come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior. Through this service of communion and candlelight, we will hear prophecies spoken and prophecies fulfilled through this child who came to us in a manger. Joy to the World the Lord has come. Light has shown in the darkness of our lives.
There is no other light than Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” The fact remains that if we don’t follow Him, we do walk in darkness. And where is that darkness? It is in the world. Those things that are opposite from what Jesus taught, what Jesus brought from God the Father to us here on earth are darkness. Jesus also said, “You are the light of the world.” Our light is not to glorify ourselves, but it is to reflect the desires and will of God to glorify Him. So, who is the Light? Christ Jesus the hope of glory is our light that is reflected through how we live out our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.
You’ve maybe heard it said that “God’s NO is not a rejection. It’s a Redirection.” God’s goal for you is to become more Christlike and often, we take a number of turns that take us off God’s intended purpose and we need redirecting. The thing is, we don’t yet see things clearly, we know things in part, and we struggle perhaps in the wrong direction, but we will, one day, “will know fully, even as we are fully known” by God. Isn’t it amazing that we can hand over all our past, present, and future to a God who knows us and desires the best for us?
As followers of Christ, we are to continue to walk and be focused on Him. When you look at the world, it is easy to become afraid or lose hope. But in Christ, we have hope now until the end when He returns. This hope comes to us as Emmanuel, God with us. It is this blessed hope that came in a cradle that we focus on through the cross that gives us the gift of eternal life.
As we step into this new year, we can either dwell on what things we’ve left undone, what things took us down, and what things just didn’t realize in our lives OR we can stand tall, persevere, and walk firmly in Christ into the new year. Moving forward in Christ means that we walk into our Divine purpose, which God determines for us both individually and corporately as a Church. As we move in Christ, guess what? God moves closer toward us, in us, and through us.
Each and every day brings us closer to the return of Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate in remembrance His birth in the fullness of time. When the exact time God-ordained, He came in order to set the captives free from sin. That is why we can throughout this season have joy, peace, and hope for Jesus came and is nearer than we realize. He is coming! Soon and very soon. We invite you to join us as we celebrate His coming and His return.
There is so much joy in taking a trip. The excitement builds as you prepare along the way to the destination. If you’re ready, we’ll be taking a trip this weekend to see the joy that surrounds the One who we adore, Jesus the Christ. From Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, the Disciples, the ones Jesus healed, and the resurrection— Jesus gives us the reason to have joy, this day and every day. Join us as we once again discover the Joy of Jesus.
This Sunday we mark the start of the Second Week in Advent— the Light of Hope. As believers, we live in hope. We have hope because we know Jesus and the power of his love that has transformed our lives. As we gather together, we will also be celebrating Holy Communion remembering the sacrifice given, the love offered to all people, the forgiveness of sins given, and the life yet to come. That is where hope dwells.
This Sunday Advent begins. We start it off with a new 4-Week Sermon and Study Series called, The Fullness of Time. Let us take this time to prepare our hearts and homes to once again remember the reason for the season— Jesus Christ come to earth to set the captives free. Isn’t that worth waiting for? We tend to not like to wait. It’s like being a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. Sometimes waiting seems to take so long. We know Jesus was worth the wait. He came and will return. Let our hope, joy, and love grow as we begin this Advent Season.
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