No discussion.  No collaboration.  Just a declaration.  “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son.”  What if Mary wasn’t ready to have a child?  Well, technically, she wasn’t ready to become pregnant since she wasn’t even married yet.  Yes... Jesus was conceived outside of wedlock.  But not by human means.  God, the Holy Spirit would be the One who would cause Mary to become pregnant with the Savior of the world!

Did God consult with Mary first to see if she was “on board”?  And what about her fiancé, Joseph?  Mary had to tell Joseph that she was pregnant, and to try to convince him that she had not been unfaithful—that it was the Holy Spirit who had caused her pregnancy.  An angel did finally appear to Joseph in a dream to tell him that he should believe Mary... which he finally did.

Our salvation has happened pretty much the same way as Mary’s pregnancy.  No discussion.  No collaboration.  God did not consult with the sinful to find out if we even wanted to be saved.  He just “barged right in” by giving us a Savior!  Did you want a Savior?  Did you ask to be forgiven?  It doesn’t matter.  It has been done.  The Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on human flesh.  He didn’t stop being God, but He also became a man.  Jesus of Nazareth!  He would be the One who would take your sins onto Himself when He died on the Cross.  And He did this without your permission.

This is Christmas!  It is God saving the world from its sins.  The Bible says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

UNDER THE LAW!  This means that we were required to keep God’s Law perfectly.  But we could not because of our sinful nature.  One might say we were also “UNDER” the Law in the same way it would feel to be “under” a 1,000 pounds!  The Law had become a weight, a gigantic pressure that was crushing us.  But Jesus came and lifted the weight of the Law off of us and placed it on Himself.  He fulfilled the Law in our behalf.

This is Christmas!  We weren’t consulted with.  God didn’t ask us for permission to do this thing.  He just did it!  Your sins have been paid for!  Merry Christmas!

To God Be the Glory!
Pastor Jim

Our worship services are important to honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and to guide and strengthen our faith life. Our fellowship time at church is important too! This time builds lasting relationships with fellow believers in Christ and strengthens our church community. These are people we can call our friends! We can pray for one another, lend a hand to one another in times of need and it makes the whole church experience more enjoyable.

The Fellowship Ministry is responsible for the coffee and treats between and after services on Sundays. Many of the ladies on our team help bake or purchase the treats (not everyone likes to bake!). We welcome anyone in the congregation to help support this ministry by signing up to bring treats a Sunday or two. It’s simple, pick a date that works for you and write your name down. All we ask is that you have your goodies here by 8:45am so they are ready after the first worship service. No worries on the coffee…we have a team of people who take care of that each Sunday. 

Fellowship is always looking for more people to participate in our event planning. We plan many meals and fellowship events throughout the year. Are you a planner? Are you organized? Do you like to have fun? Do you like to prepare food? We would love to have you participate on our team! We have a meeting scheduled for January 8th at 6pm. Please plan to come see what it’s all about or reach out to Jodi Kriesch if you would like to have more discussion. 

🎄 Youth Group Christmas Kickoff 🎨
The Youth group had a fun time decorating the Youth Room and painting together!

Join us for a peaceful pause in the season with our Midweek Advent services—Wednesdays at 7:00 pm on December 3, 10, and 17. Come early to lift your voice in carol singing and share in the joy of the season.

Advent Dinners begin at 5:30 pm
Gather around the table for fellowship and a warming meal before worship. Freewill Offering, all are welcome!

Please be aware of the office hours for the end of the year.

If you need something urgent during this time, please reach out to the Business Manager, Jodi Kriesch.

 ✨ We wish you a blessed Christmas season and look forward to serving you in the New Year!