Advent marks the start of a season of preparation that looks forward to the celebration of Christmas and the second coming of Christ. It is a time of reflection in preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ—we remember how our Savior humbled Himself to be born as a baby and live among those He would save. We remember the perfect life He lived doing the will of His Father, His sacrificial death on the cross, and how He was raised from the dead three days later, having paid the penalty in order to save all who would believe. Christians remember Jesus' promise to return again one day and restore everything fully. This season invokes feelings of expectation and hope!

The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming” from the word advenire (ad- “to” venire “come”). Advent is a reminder of how the Jewish people waited for the Messiah and how Christians wait for the second coming of Christ, today.
 
The prophet Isaiah foresaw the coming of the Messiah, “A voice is crying out, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough places become plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)
 
For hundreds of years, faithful Christians have observed the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day as a special time to prepare their hearts, but these practices have changed over time.  The first mention of Advent is found in ancient writings dating back to the sixth century, with some anecdotal mentions as early as AD 380 at the Spanish Council of Saragossa! So not only is it an old Christian practice, but it’s also a very personal one, as churches have adapted the practice to suit their local congregations.  This year at Grace the four weeks leading up to Christmas will be:

1. Week 1:  The Hope Candle – Today, November 28
2. Week 2:  The Preparation Candle (Prophets) – Sunday, December 5
3. Week 3:  The Joy Candle – Sunday, December 12
4. Week 4:  The Love Candle – Sunday, December 19
5. Christmas Eve – The Christ Candle, December 24

 
We will honor our widows within our fellowship this year by hearing them read the scriptures related to each candle’s lighting. Our deacons will join them by leading in prayer. We will join the shepherds who first came to see the Christ child, “Come, let us go straightway to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15)
 
Come and See Jesus!

 
Robbie and I are so thankful today to be celebrating Thanksgiving with our church family. We will enjoy the blessing of worship this morning as the people of God who are grateful for all of God’s rich blessings. 
 
J.I. Packer said, “We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.”
 
Worship springs forth from a heart filled with gratitude. After a long year of stress and difficulty, it is God who brings us together today to lift up His name in praise for bringing us through and keeping healthy together.
 
The psalmist proclaimed, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness endures to all generations.” (Psalm 11:4-5)
 
As I worship the Lord today, I am thankful for His goodness. So much of what we face today is not good. There is much that is unholy and corrupt. God is pure, kind, and holy. Praise God this morning because He is perfectly good.
 
I am thankful this morning for God’s lovingkindness. I have told you many times what I think about that word. It is one of the most important words in the Bible. It is the Old Testament’s way of telling us what God’s mercy is. The apostle Paul said, “…in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The lovingkindness of God has been given to us in Christ Jesus. We are saved because God is loving and kind. Praise the Lord today because the lovingkindness of God never fails.
 
When you know that God is good, and when you believe that Jesus is the lovingkindness of God, “…made flesh and dwelling among us” (John 1:14), how can you help but be thankful. A thankful heart is one that is filled with the goodness of God and overflows with His mercy and grace. That is why we will gather around the table this morning to share a good meal together.
 
Happy Thanksgiving Grace Church Family! You are truly the people filled with His goodness of God and His lovingkindness.
 
May God bless you all.
 
Pastor Mike

​CHURCH-WIDE THANKSGIVING LUNCH

After Worship, Sunday November 21st

No Sunday School
Worship at 10:30 am
Lunch at 11:45 am

Church will provide the Turkey and Drinks
Ladies provide Sides and Deserts

 
The Grace Church family is coming back together. It’s been a long and difficult season as we have come through the uncertainty of the pandemic. We are now ready to give thanks and praise to God for His bringing us through this painful time. We are seeing attendance grow each week and enthusiasm build. God is working to show us His will and direction for the future. Invite your family and bring your friends.
 

DON’T MISS A SINGLE EVENT!
 

Let’s raise our voices together in thanksgiving on Sunday the 21st for the amazing grace of God that has been with us all along and now leads us to renew our vows to Him and each other for the future.

Mark your Calendar

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT GRACE

Sunday, December 5th
2:30 to 4:30 pm

Around the Table

Celebrating Christ’s Birth
​
100+ Rejoicing and Sharing Together
Children’s Christmas Party and Fun

No Sunday School
Breakfast at 9:00 am
Worship at 10:45 am

December 24th, 5:00 pm
 
​
COMING BACK TOGETHER

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

​Last night during Wednesday Night Prayer service and Bible study we finished our survey of Paul’s letter of Ephesians. At the end of his letter, he said goodbye to the believers there, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:23-24).
 
Have you thought much about the way you say “Goodbye” to people?
 
Frankly, it seems that our goodbyes are trite and offered without much forethought. We say, “Bye, see you next Sunday.” My grandchildren never say goodbye without a hug, even the guys join in. Their hugs sometimes seem to be a kind of rote habit. That’s OK with me. Keep them coming.
 
When Paul said goodbye to his friends and fellow believers in Ephesus, he covered the four points of the gospel of Jesus. Listen to these truths again:
 
Peace – He was talking about the peace that comes only from God. It conveys a sense of spiritual welfare and blessing--“Shalom.” It was used by folks at that time both as a greeting and a benediction. People who know the Peace of God are both spiritually and physically complete. They own a share in the character of God. Because God is peace, His peace is given to you. That is a great truth to convey to someone, especially when you may never see them again. In an uncertain world when persecution may take your life from you or the unbelieving environment may claim another victim, conveying God’s peace on somebody may be the last thing you get to say to them. Jesus used the word peace, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). If Jesus used this word to say goodbye to His disciples, it would be a good word for us to use as well.
 
Love – This is the self-sacrificing word adopted by the church to inspire the self-giving, “lay-down-your-life” kind of love that Jesus showed us on the cross. Again, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). In today’s “dog-eat-dog,” “take care of number one” world, sacrificial love is in short supply. If there’s any place where God’s love should prevail, it’s at church. Why is it so hard to say, “I love you,” when we say goodbye to our friends at church.
 
Faith – Believing faith is the glue that holds us together with Christ and with each other. We share the same faith that Jesus is the Son of God. We are bound together by “…one faith, one Lord, one baptism and one God and Father of us all” (Ephesians 4:5-6). It is our faith that saves us, sustains us and maintains us. Like the hymn writer wrote, “Faith is the Victory that Overcomes the World.” When we say goodbye to each other on Sundays, we may be separated physically, but our faith binds us together with cords that cannot be broken.
 
Grace – God’s amazing grace is what saves us. Grace is about living under the umbrella of God’s unmerited favor. It is a gift from God. You don’t deserve it. You can’t earn it. The Bible says, “…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). We are totally dependent on the grace of God. We are people who are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). You cannot do anything better for somebody than pass God’s amazing grace along to someone.
 
You might say, “Pastor, I don’t have time to say all that when I tell somebody goodbye.” I agree that we’re too busy and too preoccupied to tell each other truth things that really matter. This world is opposed to us. Society is working hard to defeat us. The devil is going everywhere trying to devoir God’s people. Let’s take the time. Let’s change the circumstances. Say goodbye this morning in a way that a person will remember. After all, you may never see them again.