Some repeats and reminders

26 Nov Some repeats and reminders

A lot of this is going to look familiar…It is. The movement toward Christmas means we need to keep our eyes focused on the important details & not get distracted by the “silliness” that often accompanies this season… SO..

1. Zoom Bible Study Catch-up
   Friday 29th November 2024  @ 1:00 p.m.
   Join Zoom Meeting  —  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83006349720  —  Meeting ID: 830 0634 9720

2. Advent begins THIS Sunday 1^stDecember! We’ll explore the VIP invitation we’ve received from the Father in celebration of the birth of the Son. Don’t miss a Sunday!
   • Christmas Morning Tea – think festive!
   • Giving Beyond Ourselvesfor Australian Lutheran World Service
3. If Advent is nigh upon us that means Christmas is right around the corner…
   • Christmas Eve is Tuesday, 24th December – Worship is at 7:00 p.m.Ask Liz or Philippa how you can help out!
   • Christmas Day is Wednesday, 25th December – Worship is at 9:00 a.m.A few more hands here too would be great! Talk to Liz and Philippa.
   • Please take a few of the advertising postcards Sue has printed & give them to friends & family who would not necessarily be in worship. If you don’t invite them, who will?
4. Let’s talk 2025…
   • As I’ve mentioned a few times, we’ll be praying our way into 2025 with a Saturday Morning Prayer Time @ our place on Saturday 4^thJanuary @ 10:00 a.m. We’ll pray with thanksgiving for all that God has given us in 2024 & to be ready to receive & share his gifts in 2025. I’d like us to start a pattern of praying ourselves into each new season. Let’s fill the house!
   • UnEarthed: Uncovering stories of Faith in Australia – Thursday 27th February 2025 – This citywide multi-church evangelism event will be a FREE event for you, your families, and friends held at the Range Function Centre. Please note that date!This is going to be HUGE for our city as many of the churches are finally working together to see Christ’s kingdom reach wider than any individual church can stretch. It’s going to include Karl Faase, Colin Buchanan (and his adult country repertoire) and special guests from the Faith Runs Deep documentary interview series. All-Australian stories of faith in Christ from the length & breadth of this sunburnt country…the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit. The plan is for you & me to invite our not-yet-Christian friends & family so they can have an enjoyable FREE evening AND hear a clear offer of the Gospel. The rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

I was struck the other day by a passage in Ezekiel. I’ve mentioned that Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, can be a pretty gloomy book to read. It’s filled with God’s anguished wrath poured out against his rebellious idolatrous people. Exile. Defeat. Death. Destruction. Those are the repeated refrains. But around chapter 34 there are some subtle shifts & an avalanche of promises are sprinkled throughout the remainder of the prophecies.

For instance Ezek 34:11 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says, ‘I myself will search and find my sheep.’”

That language should sound very familiar from a New Testament reader…This is precisely how Jesus describes the Father’s searching for us & how he serves toward that end. Jesus even names himself the “Good Shepherd.” Then in Romans 8:1-2 we read, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin & death.” So what we see here is…Promise made. Promise kept. Let the Promise-Keeping God be your assurance & strength in this season…in fact in every season and look for ways to share that with those who are not yet part of Christ’s flock.

See you Sunday!

John