Brothers and Sisters,
I trust the past few days have been joyous as you celebrated the glorious mystery of God becoming man (Matt 1:20-25)! Christmas Eve was truly a special gathering as we declared the goodness of God together as a Church. What a challenging time as Pastor Chuck reminded us what is at the heart of Christmas Day; namely, that “God the Son became a baby and he grew up into a man who obeyed God the Father in every way, so that Jesus Christ, the God-man, could die on a cross as a substitute.” This is the greatest gift anyone could receive; a gift that frees man from the slavery of sin (Matt 1:21). The story of the bible tells us that what we all need most is to be freed from slavery, not physical but spiritual slavery caused by sin. Since the Old Testament God has been rescuing his people from slavery that was ultimately caused by sinful habits that always lead to bondage. A pattern of redemption was established in this rescuing, seen most clearly in Exodus 12:1-14, and it was through shed blood that God saves (Isaiah 53:5). This was only a foretelling, a prototype, of what could ultimately put to death sin induced bondage; Jesus substitionary death (1 Peter 2:24)!
Brothers and Sisters, REJOICE! The God-man that was born in a manger, bore the punishment of our sins (1 John 4:10). I pray this season of remembering the greatest and most exciting story every told would spill over into the coming year and radically change us.
Connection Classes
This coming Sunday we will have a combined connection class at 9:30am titled “Finding Our Resolve.” In honor of the New year we will look at growing our resolve by exploring what we can do to change our hearts. Then starting Jan. 8th two new connection classes will run for seven weeks. The two classes will be “How to Grow” and “Parenting.” Click here for more information about each class.
Year-End Giving
As a reminder the church office will be opened December 29th from 9am-12pm for any year-end giving to help us reach the budget for 2016. Your gracious giving will set us up well for ministry in 2017 and allow us to partner with others in gospel ministry. Giving is essential for us to fulfill our purpose as a Church—to glorify God through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can stop by the office to give or click here to give online.
Residency
As I reflect over this past year of serving as a Pastoral Resident, there are many emotions that I feel, but above all of them is gratefulness. Each and every individual that I, Lauren, Averie, and Everett interacted with, encouraged us beyond measure. From kind words to challenging words, God has used…(click here to read more)
Grace be with you,
Bryan Jerry
