The Christmas season is already in full swing. As Christians, this gives us a unique opportunity to share openly the central message of our faith. God became a human. And amazingly, he did it in a way no one expected—he came as a baby. Christmas is meant to draw us into the wonder of the Incarnation.
What To Expect
As you read the Christmas narrative in the Gospels, you are meant to ask the question: What child is this? And that’s exactly the question/theme we will be exploring in our Christmas series. I want to personally invite you to join us on for Sunday morning worship as we consider why Jesus had to come and what he came to do.
Here is the Christmas sermon schedule:
December 4
Genesis 3:15—We will look at the conflict between good and evil and why we need God to rescue and heal humanity. Amazingly, God chooses to enter the conflict as a child.
December 11
Genesis 12, 22—We will look at the call of Abraham. God promised him a child but he was called to wait many years for the fulfillment of that promise. And when the promise was fulfilled, God called him to do something even more unthinkable—sacrifice his son.
December 18
2 Samuel 7—We will look at the covenant God made with king David. God makes a promise that a descendent of David will always reign on his throne. The child in the manger is the fulfilment of God’s promise to David in providing humanity with the ultimate Shepherd-King.
December 24
Luke 2:8-21—On Christmas Eve, we will marvel together at the birth of Jesus. The angels announce the birth of Jesus and declare that he is Christ, Savior, and Lord. The glory of the Lord is on display and peace with God is offered through this child.
December 25
Matthew 2:1-12—On Christmas morning, we will join the Magi in offering our worship to Jesus. We will see why this child is not just worthy of our worship but our very lives.
This year we are hosting our Christmas Community Celebration again.
It is next weekend, December 9th & 10th at 5PM at Jireh Place. This is a great opportunity to connect with our neighbors by depicting the Christmas story through a live nativity. We will also have a petting zoo for the kids to enjoy, fire pits to make s’mores, live music, and our Christmas wonderland with trains and “snow.”
This is one of our large outreach events for the year. We need you to commit to coming, participating, and inviting a friend.
How to Get Involved
This Christmas, we have the opportunity to make an impact that will last for all eternity. So, please consider how you will get involved this Christmas season.
Will you commit to attending our corporate worship gathering each Sunday in December? I cannot think of anything more significant to participate in during Christmas than worshipping our Savior together as a family.
Who will you invite to church this Christmas season? Did you know more people are inclined to attend a worship service during this holiday than any other time of the year? We also have our Service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 18 at 5 PM and our Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve at 6 PM. Invite a friend to join you on for a Sunday service to explore the meaning of Christmas.
Will you volunteer for the Community Christmas Celebration? We need “all hands on deck” for this event. Many volunteers are still needed. We can't pull this off without your help. You can sign up to volunteer at the CCC table or you can find sign-up cards in the back of the pews on Sunday morning. Feel free to drop off these cards in the offering plate or the drop box in the hallway. We ask that all volunteers arrive at least 30 minutes before the event begins.
If you are interested in helping with food prep on Friday (12/9) and Saturday (12/10) starting at 9 AM at Jireh Place, please contact Kristy Miller at 301-404-4014. We are still in need of cookie platters and would welcome any donations. If you would like to drop off cookies for the event or food for volunteers, feel free to drop them off anytime on Friday and Saturday at Jireh Place. You can also spread the word about the CCC by inviting friends and sharing the event on Facebook.
Would you join me in boldly praying that in the midst of the busyness of Christmas, people would encounter Jesus in a life-changing way?
