The Giver - November 2023 - New Apostolic Church USA

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The Giver - November 2023

Give

For every grace, bring every praise. To the Giver of all, give thanks.

(Excerpt from “O Give Thanks” / www.gettymusic.com)

As we wind through these weeks in our Season of Thanksgiving and ever more closely approach Thanksgiving Sunday, we turn our full focus and worship to God, the Giver of all. Each sermon in November will expound on the gifts that He bestows on us:

• Sunday, November 5th - He gives life (to the living and the dead): I am He who lives...and behold,

I am alive forevermore.

• Sunday, November 12th - He gives freely: Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

• Thanksgiving Sunday, November 19th - He gives all: What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?

• Sunday, November 26th - He gives us the victory: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

• November Midweek - He gives light: That was the true Light which gives light to every man...

He gives, He gives, He gives! Recognize the bountiful provision and great benefits that come to us as children of God, disciples of Christ, and followers of the Spirit. Then respond with worship and praise for what we have now and also in our hope for the future.

He is coming!

Advent - a time of waiting and anticipation: "In Advent... it's the waiting that's hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment. Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem a waste of time... But the longer we wait... the more joyful our expectancy. With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us, as He was with Mary as the Child within her grew." From "God is in the Manger" In this month of waiting, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ - the King, the Son of God, the Giver of Mercy, the long awaited Messiah, the Immanuel, or "God with us," and the Christ, who will return to establish His kingdom. May you feel in your preparations, the wonder of Jesus' coming and lead your congregation into experiencing the presence of "God with us" on Christmas Day.

Thank God

This prayer of David continues to inspire our Season of Thanksgiving: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and glory, the victory and majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). In the month of October, we contemplated the works of God in the past, present, and immediate future: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Now, in November, we turn our eyes to the events of our eternal future and express our thanksgiving to God for what He will do, as we continue awaiting Christ's return. Thank God: for His salvation for both the living and the dead, for His promised return as we continue readying ourselves, for His mercy as the kind Judge, for His care revealed in the continuing rhythms of this creation and His promise of the new creation, and for His time, a gift that we receive from His hand.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

This month's sermon theme focuses on how God is working in the world and in our lives... yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In this month, as we stand in awe of what God is doing, let us also join Him in His work, creating(10/6), renewing(10/20), redeeming(10/27), and uniting (midweek). We give thanks for His great works yesterday, we worship Him for who He is today, and we strive to join Him in moving the kingdom forward tomorrow.