Merry 8th Day of Christmas & Happy New Year! I pray you have experienced the joy of Christ in celebration and rest this past week. As 2020 is officially behind us, with hope I anticipate what God has in store for our congregation and each of you this year. On this Second Sunday after Christmas I am excited to announce that Pastor Derek Rishmawy, RUF Campus Minister at UCI, will be preaching! Derek will conclude our Advent and Christmas sermon series through the book of Isaiah by looking at Isaiah 52 & 53 with the theme of “From the Crib to the Cross.” I look forward to hearing from God’s Word, remembering and being nourished from the Sacrament, feeling welcomed and seen as community, and singing Christmas carols for one last Sunday this week! Pastor Adam
Merry Christmas! Swelling joy. Bursting love. Have you ever had that moment in your body when you literally cannot keep yourself silent because you’re so excited? A moment of pure exuberance. Joy and love bursting from your being. When Jesus looks at you, he cannot keep silent. He has that much love for you! Take a minute to sit in that truth. Christmas reminds us that Jesus loves you more than you can hope, even as you are more sinful than you can imagine. I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday, the 3rd day of Christmas, as we continue to sing Christmas carols and let God remind us of his love for us in Isaiah 61:10-62:3. To best prepare for Sunday, first, keep celebrating the joy of Christmas. This celebration cannot be contained in one day, so let it span out over 12 days. Second, read through Isaiah 61:10-62:3 and soak in the joy that Jesus has for you. In hope, love, joy, and peace, Pastor Adam
"A thrill of hope… the weary world rejoices." These lyrics from the Christmas carol "O Holy Night" feel quite accurate as we near the end of 2020. We are weary. Yet, there is a thrill of hope for us. Advent is a season pregnant with hope. It reminds us (especially in the midst of pain and sorrow), that the world will one day be put to right. True healing will come. Sickness and death will be no more. This Sunday we’ll continue our Advent in Isaiah sermon series by looking at Isaiah 61. It’s one of the climactic chapters in this prophetic book full of hope and salvation. It announces God’s coming Kingdom through an Anointed One, a long hoped-for Messiah. It describes a weary world rejoicing. To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 61 and reflect on three things: 1. The weariness of our world. 2. The promise of a coming Anointed One 3. What should your response be to the coming Anointed One? I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday! Pastor Adam
In our sermon series Advent in Isaiah we are considering Isaiah’s vision for the future when God would act to redeem his people and fulfill his purposes. Last Sunday, in Isaiah 11, we learned that Isaiah was awaiting the advent of God in the person of the Messiah, a new David, that would lead his people in peace, prosperity, and the knowledge of God. This week, in Isaiah 40, Isaiah continues to explain his vision for the future, and says, “Behold your God…” It is a vision bursting with good news, glad tidings, comfort & joy. Grab a friend, a blanket, and join us for worship on the lawn! Pastor Josh
The Psalmist says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord.” 2020 has been a bizarre and arduous year. How is your hope? Do you expect, eagerly await, long for the kingdom of God to come, for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? On Sunday we start a new series: Advent in Isaiah. Over the next six weeks we’ll be considering Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the future, for the coming of one who changes everything. Grab a blanket, bring a friend, and join us for worship on the lawn and together we’ll grow in hope. Pastor Josh
