The Bible says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As we come to the end of another year together, it is God’s will for us to give thanks for the joy of serving the Lord together. There has been so much for which we should be thankful:

• The Beginning of our TeamKid Ministry
• Student Ministry Events like D-Now, Lock-In, Christmas Nativity Project
• Men’s Ministry Car Care Days, Kingdom Men Bible Study, Christmas Bicycle Project
• Women’s Ministry – Bible Study Saturdays, Secret Sisters, My Sister’s Place Ministry, Samaritan’s Purse
• Beginning of our Greeters Ministry
• Donation of the Church Bus
• Meeting and Exceeding our 2019 Budget Needs
• Dual Services on Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day
• One Day Harvest Revival
• Vacation Bible School
• Lower Building Usage and Planning

 
This year has been once again a demonstration of God’s mighty hand upon us as we have grown together in the work of the Lord. I give thanks to God for the great heart our church shows in its devotion to serving others. This church loves the stranger. It is passionate about receiving and accepting new people. We care about lost people and actively seek to win them to Christ. That is the reason, I believe, that we always see guests and new faces attending.
 
Grace is a church that follows what the Bible says in Ephesians, “…be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). That is, our reverence for Jesus causes us to love each other, pray for one another and always seek to contribute to each other’s well-being. This is a church family that cares and demonstrates compassion. I am thankful to be the pastor of people who love each other.
 
Grace is the hardest working church I know. Of course, I really do not know any other church but Grace. I have known other churches in the past and there is not one of them that has, in my experience, out worked the people of Grace. Like the Bible says, “In whatever you do, do it with all your might, as unto the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23). Almost all the things accomplished through our church is done through volunteer labor. People give their time, contribute their energy and expertise, willingly sacrifice financially and in other ways to make things happen. We are not a rich church, but we are a resourceful one. We are truly blessed to work so well together without arguing or splitting hairs about who gets the credit.
 
DID I SAY I LOVE YOU ALL? Let me say it then at the end of this great year, I Love You All! I am so thankful to be your pastor.

Today’s candle in our celebration of Advent is the Love candle. Do you know that God loves you? Really loves you. Listen to the many ways and the extent to which God loves you:

• “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God, and such we are…” (1 John 3:1)
• “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)
• “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
• “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

 
If Christmas is anything, it is a love story. You may have noticed that I left out the most important love passage of all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God’s love for us was born in Bethlehem. God’s love for us was demonstrated in every word Jesus taught, in every miracle He did, in every mile He walked, in every heartache He felt, in every prayer He prayed, in every tear He shed. Jesus showed us the love of God. He was and still is, “God’s Love Walking.”
 
When my children were small, I would often ask them, “How much do you love mommy and daddy?” I would put my hands a few inches apart and ask, “Do you love us this much?” They would always say, “No daddy, I love you this much,” spreading their little hands as far as their arms could reach. It is a good demonstration that really boosts the heart and ego of a doting parent. The extent of God’s love for us is measured at the cross, “Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The love of God came to us in Bethlehem, it paid the price for our salvation at Calvary. At the cross God showed us how much He loves us.
 
May the love of God in Christ Jesus surround you, comfort you, and give you joy this Christmas. Know without a doubt in your heart that God loves you so much that He gave you Jesus to pay the price for your sins and provide for you a place in heaven.

​Today’s candle is JOY. When the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth, he said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people, for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
 
The Bible is full of the JOY of the Lord:
 
Joy in the Cross of Jesus – “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
 
Joy through Faith in Jesus – “…and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and through you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)
 
Joy Lasts Forever – “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” (John 16:22)
 
Joy in the Church – “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)
 
The kind of joy we have in Jesus does not come through emotional channels. It is a gift of God that is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). God’s joy is permanent and cannot be stolen from you by sorrow or pain. The Psalmist said, “…weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). All of this great joy came to us in a little town called Bethlehem on a starry night, unexpectantly wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid down in a manger. It was humble joy. It was quiet joy. It was pure and unassuming joy. It was great joy.
 
There was a boy who wrote a letter to Santa. He wrote, “Dear Santa, there are three boys that live in my house. There is Jeffery; he is two. There is David; he is four. Then there is Norman; he is seven. I thought you ought to know that Jeffery is good some of the time. David is good some of the time. It is really important for you to know that Norman is good all of the time. Can you guess, I am Norman.”
 
Mark it down. The joy of the Lord is good, not some of the time, but all of the time. May the great joy of Jesus bring its unmatched goodness to you this Christmas season.

The second Sunday of the Advent Season is when we light the Peace Candle. As the prophet foretold, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of Davie and to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
 
The coming of Jesus into our world established God’s peace that is eternal. What kind of peace is that?
 
It is peace that only God can give. Man’s peace is short-term. God’s peace is forever. It is the peace that happens when the strife and enmity between God’s righteousness and man’s sin is ended. God’s lasting peace only comes through Jesus, “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 trouble, nor let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
 
Wednesday, I drove down to Atlanta to pray with Haley Swanner at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospital because she was having a three-hour hip surgery that day. This kind of procedure is pretty scary for a teenager or anyone else for that matter. I went into her pre-surgical room together with her family to support and pray with her for God’s presence and perfect will to guide every step of the procedure.
 
Every person in the room with Haley believes in Jesus. Everyone believes that He is totally in charge of everything that was going to take place. One of the surgeons came into the room and provided assurance and support to the family. The nurse in charge came in and offered her guidance and support. There was, however, an unseen presence in the room. Jesus was there and He brought with Him the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).
 
There is no peace anywhere like the peace that comes through Jesus Christ and here is what it looks like:

• His peace calms the storms in our lives (Matthew 8:23-27)
• His peace forgives every sin (Ephesians 1:7)
• His peace guards our hearts (Philippians 4:7)
• His peace reconciles us to God (Romans 5:10)
• His peace never ends (Isaiah 54:10)

 
Jesus was born in Bethlehem and brought God’s peace with Him. He was born into a busy and chaotic world as a baby wrapped in humble swaddling clothes. Shepherds came to see Him unnoticed by most of the Roman world. Angels attended his birth, animals rested in His presence and Mary kept on treasuring and pondering it all in her heart. His birth was quiet and peaceful. His coming to us was as peace should be, without fanfare and applause. Jesus is God’s peacemaker who came into the world to show us what the peace of God looks like. He’ll do the same in your heart if you will let Him this Advent Season.

We begin our Advent celebration this morning with the lighting of the Hope candle. The scriptures introduce God’s message of Hope in the coming of Jesus into our world through the prophet Isaiah, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in the dark land, the light will shine on them…For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:2, 6-7)
 
In scripture, a person’s name carries with it the essence of who the person is and the future outlook of what that person will become. When the angel appeared to Joseph to tell him not to fear taking Mary to be his wife, he said, “She will bear a Son’ and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
 
The name Jesus is based on the Hebrew name Yeshua meaning to ‘DELIVER’ or to ‘RESCUE.’ The name Jesus defined his special role as Savior, Redeemer, and the one who would Rescue people from their sins. All the titles the prophet Isaiah gives us for the coming Savior tell us more about the character or the coming Savior:

• Wonderful Counselor
• Mighty God
• Eternal Father
• Prince of Peace

 
All of these titles show us what Hope looks like.

• This Jesus is a caring listener.
• He is a King above all others.
• He is a forever Daddy who provides and loves His children.
• He is a peacemaker who ends strife and war.

 
Obviously, there is no other name like this one, “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)
 
Today, we do not just Hope for a name like that, we have a savior like that. His name is Jesus. We know Him and we love Him. He is with us and He is for us. He is our Hope that has been made flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14).
 
Renew your Hope today because Jesus is alive and at work in the hearts of everyone who calls Him Savior. Say His name often. Put Jesus into your Christmas when you go shopping and when you wrap presents and when you put up your decorations. Make Jesus the center of your Christmas and let Hope become more than just a word.