"The Light of Hope" ----- December 2, 2018

Well, good morning. How you doing? Bright and will be cold Sunday, but we really glad that you could be here as we start off our Advent season and our hope is that as we begin to enter into the the music and the message and I doing things that help us to prepare for the Lord that this day might be one. I got speaks to you want to start with a very familiar sound. A Psalm 95 says come let us sing to the Lord let it shout. Joyfully to the rock of our Salvation. Let us come to him with Thanksgiving and let the songs of praise to him. I'll be looked it up for the Lord is a great God a great king above all gods in the holes in his hands of death of the earth and the mightiest mountains the Seas belong to him free made it there safe hands fun the dry land come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker for he is our God and we are the people under his care. Sylvia this is a Sunday. What we kind of move from Thanksgiving. I to looking at towards Christmas. I love you may have been doing that already. But I hope is that I got God bless you as We Gather this morning. Let's pray together. Thank you for your love for us, which is new every single day. And we ask that you would bless us as we are here and in your presence that all that we do in word and In Deed would be to open ourselves up to you and your spirit and what you have for us this day. And so we We Lift Your Name on High we sing Our praises and so may you be glorified and all I got people said. Hey man, I got turned over to FIFA.

Good morning. Good morning. I know the weather has been more bipolar this past few months, but I am still alive and well sing his praises to all the single Shop, Westerville, Ohio. What's going on?

I'm so glad.

I'm so glad you told me what happened.

I'm so bored.

I'm so glad you told me to shut up.

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Thank you. Please be seated.

As a part of our preparing for our Christmas We Begin this season of Advent preparing are hard for the Lord and some part of what we do is like the Advent candle to remind us and some of the elements of the Christmas story so far this morning being a welcome in Christmas is our welcomer extraordinaire Cindy.

When is the first Sunday of Advent we light the candle of Hope?

Although once we walked in darkness all the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is our hope and our life today and forever May the hope of Christ be with you the second season. Thank you, Cindy. What we do welcome here as well start this season off together and I hope is that God would be with you and that in the midst of sometimes the busyness sometimes that craziness of the Season that the guy can still break through into your life and all of our lives. So if there's anything we can do for you, please let us know on the card whether it's a prayer or some other thing that we might do and I have a couple of things going on this weekend. You can see in your Bolton we have Christmas cookies on Friday are the men we got together on Saturday and I just said no today's Bible study is being postponed. Our leader Bob Vincent is sick today. So we need to continue to pray for him and for catfish she transfer for long and and I can ask

My comes up yesterday. We had a great event with Jim Martinez and they do such a fabulous job when they come and they were like most people who came were not from our church. They were for the community people that we didn't recognize and says a great afternoon. Love you. Don't people just coming in and as I met with some of them and send them just found this on. Is it Eva ebright? Yeah, the the website and our website or just they knew that we've done this in the past was really cool to have that done. Also really cool is the special guest singer appear because he didn't have his regular vocalist in so Jenn McClure. I came up and saying and the reviews were fantastic so she did a great job. I'm sorry. Yeah, that's a wonderful gift that you added into the evening. as we are in December, the other thing that we do is I'll be prepare for 2019 and Zayn ask Mike to come up and remind us about our finances. Good morning again. I haven't gone away yet.

Judge cards, hopefully, everybody had received them that they were mailed out to if you didn't receive one we have some here. We really can use that information to help us plan. Our session is meeting today talking about the budget. We're reviewing the different things that we need to do. And so getting a sense of what are Income maybe this next year really helps us plan. And so at this point we've received I think 18 pledge cards. K I've ever heard a couple people say Oye fill it out at home. And I forgot to bring it in Great get here get it to us one way or another if you mail it in drop it off, you know next Sunday if you want one now. I'm happy to give it to you but the information really helps us plan as we move into this new year and we have a lot of activities we want to do that. Anybody know what the 2019 is as far as the impact here at the church. 125 years, correct We will be celebrating 125 years of this church in existence. And so we're trying to plan some activities were trying to talk about some of that. And so it our budget different things that occur that all comes around and helps us out. So anyway, you'll be hearing more about that excitement throughout the new year and I'm looking forward to getting all the punch cards. Thank you. Thank you Mike for the kids to come and meet with McKayla for our young.

I want to take Makayla to she helped take care of all the kids were part of the event last night cuz really cool things is that it's not just for the adults and kids are in the back playing draw line dancing and Ice. I appreciate Michaela's help with that. Good morning, everyone. Alright, I have a word here. Can anybody read this word for me? You guys can read it out. Say it out loud know what it is. Yes, I hope okay. So today we started our I haven't reached right up here and Ivan Ruiz. We light a candle each Sunday leading up till Christmas Day. We started this Sunday cuz we have after this Sunday with only 3 more days left. So you let the first one today and then the sinner waiting on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Alright, what does hope mean to you guys? Does anybody know what hope is Bye. Bye. Hope bases Ainsley.

Yes, so you hope I love you. You you I hope you are you it's a desire, right? Anybody else where else is helping? Yes. A feeling of trust you right in the back of my paper, aren't you?

So I'm going to go ahead and read the definition of hope that is from the dictionary. It's a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. What are you feeling of trust? Okay. I don't know where r e e verse of what God says about hope as well. So it's cuz I something a designer for or something that we might want to happen or two so I can Romans chapter 5 verse 5 it says and hope does not put us to us to shame because God's love has been poured out into a heart through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. So God and Jesus there are hope and we could trust at their money. Do we have faith in them? Do we hope home so and then one more and Jeremiah 29 verse 11. It says for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future so we can have hope for the future we could have hope that things will work out. Does anybody else hope for anything this Christmas season because help for anything? And she's thinking about it or wish. Did anybody wish for anything this Christmas?

It had to be you wish for a Lego train set. Is anybody else? Yes, seriously.

Which way will you learn from anybody else?

Alright you guys let's go ahead and go to go to class. Great Dane has their kids had to class so I can ask the ushers to come forward for morning ties and offerings. Thank you.

Great Wall I'm on communion. Sunday is the first week. We do this a prayer sharing. So if you have a praise or a prayer go ahead and make sure that I'll bring you the mind and then as a response we say Lord hear our prayer. So any prayer requests that you might have

Introduce yourself on Canon and I have a praise. I have a friend who lives in Felton and she came home the other evening and found a Mudslide it come through her shed, but her house was untouched. So thank the Lord for that Lord hear our for

anyone else

Anything that you're saying for 4 if you just want to November.

I have it appraised at my sister's surgery was completed and it went well.

I just want to say a praise for Kathy as she's not here because she's up in Merced celebrating the birth of her newest grandson. So her 5th grandchild and they're all doing fine. So what a blessing for her family Lord hear our prayer. leaving Elsa you want prayer for thanks for

anything else

Mine is a prayer of Thanksgiving for the rain that we prayed so long for very thankful. Also that my aunt hildur Falkner age 108 went home to be with the Lord last week, and my brother is still holding on in Jackson, Mississippi. Thank you. Lord. Hear our prayer.

So Elena turns 3 tomorrow, so praise God for that. Lord hear our prayer

To get a reminder in part of why we we've done this is just a chance, you know, if we get together, you know, we don't know all the things that are going on. So this is our chance is a community do kind of bring things up that will help us together. So as we approach these are maybe in the months ahead you can be thinking about what am I willing to share? Cuz I think if we're not just trying to trying to kill time here, it's more of a you know, what's what's happening and what's either thank you. And if if you have something that you'd like me to share just just send me an email and say you don't hear it. I don't like standing or talking but here's something that you know, God has done or here's a prayer request just you know, where my family our daughter middle child Kimmy and her husband are out this weekend. And so it's been great it to see them and cuz they're all in Southern California. So the two daughters are there. So we got one daughter this weekend. We get another daughter the next weekend and we get none of them for Christmas. But you know, it's kind of as we go and even our son Brent will be away at Christmas. He will be with the grandparents he gets to go on a cruise with them, but you don't usually whenever he travels he's with us so he's kind of on his own. So even as we let him go on a cruise your pregnant all the things go, well, you know for him and MMI my parents as well who are getting older and trying to help them through so part of my prayer and I think some of you else also, Living with his parents who are physically or mentally are declining and you know where my mom full bit of both of my dad. It's more severe with with memory. And each time. I see him, you know, sometimes he kind of recognizes me but sometimes you know, I'm not sure that he does and I've kind of just as the stage of life. I guess. I'm thankful for that. You know, he still positive and he his personality hasn't changed. Just his memory is Eva is failed. So I'm for all of you who are dealing with elderly parents. God bless you Lord. Hear our prayer. Hello, what's up and put it in your bulletin? We have the Lord's Prayer and less closes time together. So we have it printed just cuz it's somewhere all saying the same thing. So let's pray together. The Lord's prayer Our Father who is in heaven Hallowed Be Your Name Your Kingdom Come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation. But Deliver Us from Evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. So let stand together for the doxology.

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thank you. Please be seated. Thank you Linda.

As we gather together our first slide, it should be one of candles.

Who was singing next I was so anxious to preach it. Like I'm okay. I'm standing here. No stripper Pastor on track. All right.

J-man, please be seated. And outside the choir sitting now, let's pray your God we do thank you that you are one who comes and we do bring our praise and adoration this morning. So may the words of my mouth and the meditations and thoughts of all of our hearts be pleasing To You O Lord my rock and my redeemer. Amen. So, yeah, thank you for Correcting me cuz I just was going to go right ahead without us. We we look at it at Advent. It is a chance that each Sunday to look at different aspects of on this season. And I miss this morning. We're kind of looking at this whole aspect of light can lights are very much a part of the Christmas season whether it's on your tree on your on your house. How many have anybody got your lights up yet? I won't tell you what's in my heart, but I don't know you but I did for you and a part of it as a kid growing up. Our our kids would take us through the neighborhoods or to the park down in San Diego to look at all the lights and it's I still very much a part of what what I enjoy and there's a light kind of thing in Los Gatos that I wanted. We wanted to go this weekend, but you got to buy those tickets like a month in advance or two months in advance because I knew you were all sold out. So we'll try to catch it in the car, but you don't lights can be in a little sometimes people got like really crazy and have a ton of Lights which I think is a little bit Overkill Alberta fun fun to look at but this this morning, you know that we're just, you know talking about light and in the role that that that place in this whole entire Christmas season, Are any Isaiah very familiar Christmas passage? It says the people who walk in darkness. So this very early kind of prophetic word about what God we doing. You don't be begins with the people who were without light and it said of the people who walk in darkness will see a great light for those who live in the land of deep Darkness a light will shine. So the Christmas story is is one that that begins with this kind of War a difficult word because there is dark and evil people have kind of simple. What does this Darkness mean that it refers to in it, you know evil or ignorance or pain. You know this in this world. It is not a world of natural light that people to themselves are there there is a cruelty there is a pain and killing and violence in and selfishness and all of that is a part of the history of our world and it it's a part of our world today. So, you know Christmas it's it's not like just sentimental like always this like wonderful and we focus On the joy and the and the giving and love but the first word or them.

The sense of history and then sense of our own lives doesn't begin with, you know, rainbows and unicorns it begins in it in a darker place and even Jesus 20K the reality of that, you know, oppression and violence and killing and selfishness and power-hungry people. All of that was a part of the the world that the Christ child came into. So so God and Christmas. It's very realistic in you know, what we need to deal with. I'm so how can we cope with when the darkness that we may understand? We may feel parts. Are we live in all the first and we can do that. I thought so dark here. You know, I may need to start but it's not as dark as it could be argued you talking about I'm perfectly light and I can see exactly what we are and things are great. And so we can look at life in general or your life and just say hey, you know, I'm I'm fine. No problem here. So that's the first thing that we can do with with the darkness or to try to find her own way without God and then try to do it on our own by the people of Israel when they were seeking guidance in trying to understand what what do we do kind of look to themselves are the things that they could do without God and it says it's let's ask the mediums. Snowshoe consult the spirits of the Dead where they're whisperings and mud rings. They will tell us what to do. So when they you know, we're looking for Direction. They they didn't look the guy they were looking to you know, Wizards magicians mediums other other types of things to try to find their way and that's in Isaiah 8 But it says people who contradict his words God's words are completely in the dark. So Isaiah was trying to say don't don't do that. Don't try to figure it out just on your own if you do you will still be in in darkness. And so those who try to figure out life and Truth in and what they need to do on their own the Bible say is no you're not going to do that. You'll still be in darkness and so we can look for help or we can say yeah, we we are in darkness and I'm not sure what to do and it says here that the darkness of the people who walk in darkness got a light does comp and so that the imagery of the light sometimes we think of all the light has has appeared and so we see Maybe the sun rising you knowing that the dawn slowly comes in. The light is there but the Hebrew has his sense of if not just said gradual getting lighter. It's like a flash or an event where there was darkness and now there's light and some light has come so it's not something that seems to be natural course but something that is unique and when God comes at what is entailed in this end, we won't go into it in-depth this morning, but we we talked about you know, how light can bring life. So if we look at our lives for or you know plants animals that one of the things that you need is light and you know, we talked about how you know, if you're in some of the Northern parts of the globe that when the winter comes and there's 19 hours of of Darkness that that has an impact and then you know plans cannot live in dark if they need light and we met you can have mushrooms but I don't know if you find a live on mushrooms but in general light and life go together that light is it something that shines and you're able to see things as they really are there truth to that and so, you know just like you in your in your home if you're walking around or a special place that you're not sure where things are. That is the room is dark. What do you do? You keep walking now. I just hate you turn on the light. Now. You may fall on here looking for the light switch. But you know that you know, you can see what's around here. And even in your your home, which is familiar. You don't walk around if you don't have to it in darkness if there is a sense of the light over heels and you can see things more clearly and then light, you know, where comes in a power will talk about guidance. And then ultimately the light is is apart of God's love for us to be unpacking these things and in the week I have in the weeks ahead. But how do we receive this light? You know, what is it in our lives that allows us to I'm not just No, this is light. But how do we allow that light to come into our lives as if people who walk in darkness will see great light for those who live in the land of deep Darkness a light will shine.

Search for a child is born unto us a son is given to us. And so if the the light that that comes to us is in the Christ child the sun is is it something we have to pay for? wasn't say it's a gift a son is given to us and it's something that we we we can't afford there's no amount of money, but it's just something that we received and it sounds like it's easy, but I think receiving that the the life that God gives and sometimes a little bit difficult because it starts with an admission that again we can't do it on our own which is very kind of in a way to an American like we are strong we can pull yourself up by your own bootstraps or maybe your parents said, you know, you can do anything I or we hear that, you know, there's nothing you can't do until we had the sense of what why do I need God? I think you're sitting by Tim Keller and in his book that talk about Christmas. He's just This is this gifted son is given to us. It should have like getting a a book but not any book. For instance. If you're a little bit overweight and someone gives you a book about dieting or how to lose weight. How would you feel about that? I don't need no stinking diet Borgir. Forget it you're not part of that is if if you are overweight and someone gives you book a dieting. It takes a little bit of swallowing your pride or maybe saying, you know, maybe I should read this to kind of get my weight under control or maybe someone gives you how to be less self-centered and less selfish. Why is this a hint tell I'm not suggesting to assessing the husband that this is how you should give a gift to your wife. I just think that if you receive it, What are you what are you doing? I'm not selfish, you know, forget it to you. You know, I'm I'm very generous and so it's our you want to stop and see how well you know, maybe I am or maybe you knew it all the all along but you just don't want to get anybody else to know it. And so when you get this kind of statement about you wait about your attitude me about your finances. Maybe it's about anything that is such a Negative you can choose to reject it or receive it and in a very real way this gift in the Sun. Given to us is very saying you need help. You can't do this on your own. That if you try to be good enough if you try to bring light and hope and peace and your own life. You can do it. And so are you willing to kind of receive what God has for you? Cuz it's God says God saved you by his grace when you believed and you can't take credit for this. It is a gift from God. So sometimes our our faith. We we try to stay. Well if I'm good enough God will love me and God will care for me. And if I'm not so good maybe God will bless me as much as we look at it again. We confuse god with 10 right good things on the bad list. I'll get bad. So I'll get a piece of coal. I get a stone and God it's not like that. God doesn't take who you are what you've done he wants to bless you regardless of how good or bad you are because that's how God works. It's a gift everything that we hear that God wants. Give to us is not anything you can do on your own that make sense. I mean you're kind of looking at it again because we we sometimes don't live this way because don't you feel like what maybe God is want to listen to my prayers? Cuz I've been going to church. I've been doing the good thing. I have been doing this for that and we judge God or we say God is going to act like I would act or God can act like Santa Claus and Shelby get good things. If I am good and God said you can take a credit for anything that God wants to give to you and as we consider Christ and and light and darkness is his at noon Darkness fell on the whole lamp that this gift is not cheap it it came at a price. Not that you can afford it. God gave his son. To die for you, and I Darkness came on the land. It was a physical Darkness, but it's also a spiritual darkness and darkness a we could never deal with it cuz he was on the cross this physical manifestation of Darkness came into the world as well to represent what Christ has come to deal with. And so that this word of Hope is that you are a chosen people you are royal priesthood a holy nation God's very own possession. As a result you can show others the goodness of God for called you out of Darkness into his wonderful light and that's what Christ came to do for you and me and for a world we are in darkness and that we Have No Bananas. We see the Light of Christ as we experience of light that shines of comes then it changes are our world. It changes our lives that changes how we act what we do, you know how we treat other people how we treat our family how we looked at the world how we care for other people how we are generous with ourselves or time or money that all that begins to change. And so instead of you know, darkness and selfishness. We we begin to live more open and forgiving we don't hold grudges and and that we love to get to give away because as Christ comes and shut the light in US you become you know sources of light that's we got in 10 so you don't drive us to come into you not to let you stay the same but you are the holy people chosen priesthood to show the goodness of God in everything you do and say in as you walk that's that's God's plan. Now, I wouldn't have chosen that plan we can do this because no I'm going to take you in Perfect People. Selfish people people who had no. Hope people in darkness. I can bring my light into you and then you will be you know, my light into the world. So we have this message is for us, but it's not to be kept to us alone. We were supposed to let our light shine even though it says we're off and you were what do I want for Christmas? What do I get? Maybe today beginning. What can I give how can I give to people that I might beat family friends strangers to to share a little bit more of God's light as we come to communion this this morning. It is about, you know Christ coming and reminding us and he loves us that he came to not leave us on her own and that he's with us and so if if you're interested this Christmas season over with joy and Thanksgiving unless Chris Young God bless you and that's a wonderful place to be but just like for Thanksgiving Christmas can be a time of difficulty in pain, maybe become more of an issue or relationships or maybe just the darkness said we seen the world maybe there's lost those pain and if it was Christmas should be a time when it's happy. Go to remind you that the Christmas is about kind of us being in a dark place a hopeless place and after the miracle of Christ in miracle of God with the satellite begins to shine I cuz we can force it but it's a gift from God been so if there are places of Darkness or hurt or pain of remorse bitterness invite the Christ Child in the City. I want to give you my life and maybe in ways that I didn't before I want this to be real as we take the bread and drink a cup later in just a few minutes. Maybe a time when maybe you say to God God, I need your help. I need your life. I need your your your your life in me. And then we thank him for that. It's all his disciples of Christ inspired by the love and life. We love God. Their fathers and yeah, so they may God bless you this Christmas season as we do that. Let's pray together. Dear God we thank you for your word. And we thank you for the life that that you you bring to us. And I I do pray that in this time where we we think about our our our lives that we would be able to receive me being a new way the things that you want to do within us because you can see the darkness in place that we need your healing and some remember that you gave us your son to help us. and in the words of Isaiah where it talks about this Messiah who comes we share this yet. It was our weaknesses. He carried it was our sorrows that weighed him down without his troubles were punishment from God of punishment for his own son. But he was pierced for our Rebellion. He was crushed for our sins. He was beating so we could be made whole he was whipped so we could be healed and all of us like sheep has straight away have left God's path her own. Yeah, God laid on him the sins of us all. And so as we come this time of communion may we know that we are saved by grace that we can't take credit for it but Salvation and new life and healing and restoration is not a reward for the good things that we have done so we can boast about it. It was simply a gift and so amazing this gift the alive and at work in us not just for us but for a church our community and our world as well. We pray this in the Name of Christ and all God's people said amen. I'm so we we come to communion and again just like Christmas is a very familiar thing us some communion is too but but I pray that in some way God would kind of make this time unique and special because we're all in a different place. You know where we were a year ago, and then the joys of challenges the Sorrows of our life is different than it was in so each day each time. We come to communion, you know, God knows your life and he wants to to bring new things in so so may God bless you as well received this this wonderful gift of the Lord's Supper this day. So I want to remind you that service come forward that the way that we do this is we first hand. They are the crackers at the bread there gluten-free. So hopefully everybody can partake of that when you receive it Take it and then instead of just eating it right away. Maybe take a moment and just ask God to maybe enter into your life in a new way or maybe God has already put something on on your heart some area of the needs healing or darkness and needs to be exposed or an attitude that is is bringing Darkness to your life and just give that back to God and so on but even when you were ready and then we hold on to the cup and then we we drink that together as a people of God. So we hear these words in the Apostle Paul. They said Jesus on the night. He was with his disciples betrayed Richard bread any gay sex and he broke it. He said this is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me? in the same way after supper Jesus Took the cup send this is the New Covenant the new agreement I make with you my blood my death shed for you. Given for you that that you might have new life. So as we take the bread and drink the cup we Proclaim to one another and then to the Lord that this is a sign of his presence his forgiveness his love his life his power in each and everyone of us so many God speak to you. May God bless you as we do this this morning.

Body of Christ

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so when hope disappears God restores at Hope when all other lights go out Christ comes and brings a light a light that will never be extinguished. So as we take this commute this morning, we we thank God for his life his light cuz love we do this with Thanksgiving.

Let's play together. That again be with us wherever we are. Weather is sun a time of whiteness for a time of difficulty and waiting for us to you. Our lives. Our families are churches are our world and may you bless and may your light within us make a difference. May we be that light? Become that light that you have instilled within each and everyone of us name of Christ. I pray amen. So we're going to close in the song we did this last week, but I asked FIFA to bring it back because the sermon is on on white, so please stand for a final song.

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Good morning.

Fellowship hall for some goodies and and fellowship together so I can bless you and may the Lord keep you and may his light and hope that Christ brings be in your life today and everyday and I got people said amen. Have a great day.