Friday, December 1, 2023

Happy December, Friends! 
 
As we enter this last month of our calendar year and prepare for Advent and Christmas plans, I read these words from Psalm 42...

                  "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul
                        pants for you, O Lord.   (Psalm 42: 1 NIV)

I love you, Lord, you think to yourself on your way to work -- remembering you didn't get up to seek His presence, or maybe didn't even pray before going to sleep. You want more of God in your life, more of God's presence, a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. After all, how can you be sensitive to the leading and prompting of the Lord's Spirit if you haven't even spent any time with Him?
   
Many of us love the Lord with our whole heart; we really do. We love to worship Him on Sunday and listen to His word preached from the pulpit. But we have trouble living in His presence the other days of the week. Maybe we spend a few minutes acknowledging the Lord on some other days, a brief conversation here and there, but never really manage to come into His presence and sit at His feet daily.  
   
As your heart cries throughout the day, "Draw me closer to you, Lord" --- as you lie on your bed at night with that longing in your heart, The Lord will surely draw you closer to Him.  
   
So pray that prayer, "Draw me closer to you, Lord" whenever your life seems out of balance or you find yourself stressed out. When you feel you need hope because you've lost your joy, pray, "Draw me closer to you, Lord" and believe that the Lord will make time for you! 

+++ This week we begin our Advent journey to the manger of Bethlehem. And all throughout Advent we will be looking at Luke, Chapter 2 as we think about how Jesus came, UNTO YOU. Yes, that's our Advent theme and each week we look at another part of that gift of Christmas! This week's message is "Registered" and we'll look at the numbers of the Christmas story. We worship at 8:30am and 10:00am and we will also be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion at each worship service this weekend. Join us in the Fireside Room at 8:30am or the Sanctuary at 10:00am and you will see the beautiful decorations that help us celebrate the season. Or join our "live-stream" on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am. And, of course, we will "upload" the completed worship to our YouTube channel when the worship has ended. You have lots of ways to join us for worship each week!

+++ We express deep thanks to all who participated in our 2023 Angel tree project! All the gifts are on their way to being distributed and we thank Ang and Dale for all their efforts and all of you who participated to make the Christmas holiday so special for children in our community.

+++ This week we start with Poinsettia orders to adorn our Christmas altar.  See Phyllis to order your flowers on Sunday, please!

+++ There is a bin by the Angel Tree for items to be sent to Tyriq and his platoon for Christmas. There is a list of suggested items on the bin. We are also still accepting mittens, hats, etc. for our Mitten Tree and donations for the Heifer Project. 

+++ Our Advent study continues on Monday at 1:00pm in the Fireside Room and Wednesday evening at 7:00pm on ZOOM. Please read the second chapter in our study book, Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph. See you for our study!

+++ Our church Board of Trustees meets next Wednesday, December 6th at 4:00pm in the Fireside Room.

+++ On Saturday, December 9th we will gather in the parking lot at 6:00pm for our annual Living Nativity worship service. Dress warm and bring some friends to see the miracle of the Christmas story complete with a petting zoo full of animals! Hot chocolate and Christmas cookies will be served, as well.    

+++ Next Sunday is December 10th and we have lots going on that day:

• New members will be joining the church fellowship at the 10:00am worship service
• We will enjoy our 2nd Sunday Luncheon after worship (please make sure your family is signed up this Sunday!)
• After lunch we will head to Summerfield Village to sing some Christmas Carols for the residents at 1:00pm. But we need you to join our singers!

+++ On Christmas Eve we will worship at 4:00pm and 7:30pm as we have for the last few years. We will "live-stream" the 7:30pm worship, as well!

+++ And on Christmas morning we will gather for Breakfast and carol singing at 10:00am! The signup sheet will be up soon and we invite you to bring your favorite breakfast item to share!    

Make this day a great day and always remember to pray, "Draw me closer to you, Lord"       
​Pastor Jack