Church Family,

It’s been such a joy to focus our attention the past four Sundays on the God-man, on God taking flesh.  This past Sunday, we looked at John’s account of Jesus.  John soars to great heights in considering Jesus’ divine nature.  He begins his gospel account by telling us that He, Jesus, has no beginning (John 1:1)!  This is unique compared to the other gospel accounts and gives us a high and lofty view of the God-man.  He is no ordinary person; therefore, we should trust Him as the definitive Word and follow Him in obedience as our light that leads to life.  This Friday, might we rejoice in the goodness of God seen in Jesus.  God the Son took His splendor, His majesty, His glory and veiled it with flesh to be with us and bring salvation to His people (John 1:14).  Amen!

Christmas Eve

As with most things in 2020, our Christmas Eve gathering will look a little different.  So different that it will actually be online only.  This format is not our favorite but does allow us to encourage you to engage more specifically than normal.  The video walks through singing, scripture reading, then a small message on that scripture, and lastly, gives space for you and those with you to discuss a directed question.  The video will go live on Facebook and Youtube at 4 pm on Thursday, Christmas Eve.

Jefferson Elementary

We are collecting items for Jefferson Elementary for the next few weeks to help them serve their students well.  There will be a basket in the foyer for you to drop in your donations.  Here is the list of items: disinfectant (any), hand sanitizer, paper towels, and mask.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

As we approach Christmas Day, I hope our time this Advent has given you much to rejoice over during the Christmas Season.  Though hardships abound, let us not forget that we have a God who took on flesh identifying with our troubles to lift us from the devastating effects of sin.  This past Sunday, Luke reminded us through the perspective of the lowly that God came to us in our junk and willingly stepped into the mess of our lives.  This generates joy, especially in the first few chapters of Luke.  Joy is our response to the baby born in a stable.  Brothers and Sisters, joy is ours this season despite the overwhelming amount of pain, uncertainty, difficulty, and trouble this year has caused. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Christmas Eve

As with many things this year, our Christmas Eve gathering will be a little different.  Instead of gathering in-person, we will gather online.  We ask that you grab your family on Christmas Eve and make your way to our Facebook page to engage in a guided time together.  The live video will start at 4 pm.  We encourage everyone to make plans to view the video at 4 pm, but if you are unable at that time, the video will remain on Facebook indefinitely to view it at your leisure.

Lottie Moon

As many of you know, the Talbot family has asked that in lieu of flowers and cards that we give to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering on behalf of Sandy.  What a great way to honor her life!  Sandy loved the gospel and desired all to hear it.  All contributions will go to international missions.  You can give to that here https://www.lightinthedesert.churchcenter.com/giving/to/lottie-moon-christmas-offering.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

This past weekend was one filled with a mixture of hurt and joy.  As many of you know, Sandy Talbot passed away Saturday morning on December 5.  Though we mourn, we are filled with hope because of what we were reminded of Sunday morning from Mark’s gospel;  Jesus is our Powerful Conqueror!  Because of Christmas, God taking flesh, we can be both sad and joyous.  This is due to His identification with our pain and the ultimate victory we have in Jesus.  Mark, succinctly and powerfully, presents Jesus as our only victor in life.  Losing Sandy is painful, and we will feel that pain for a while, but we rejoice because of the victory she knew in Jesus Christ.  Please continue to pray for her family.  We will be sending out details to our members on her funeral service through email.

God in Fullness

This Wednesday will be our final lecture in our God in Fullness series on the attributes of God.  This is a zoom-only event, so click here (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83307621816) and join us at 6:30 pm.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

I do hope you all are well and healthy.  This year has been a tough one for us all in many different ways.  In light of that, we must capture every moment we can to fill our minds and hearts with the truth of God, especially as it relates to Jesus.  What better time than the Christmas Season!  We want to muse upon the God-man this year during Advent to set our hope upon a solid foundation, to place our peace upon His victory, to feel joy in Him bearing our burdens with us, and experience His love in Him becoming man.  This past Sunday, we explored Matthew’s opening of his gospel account to see Jesus Christ as our deliverer.  Not just any deliverer, but the one who would deliverer us from our greatest enemy, sin (Matthew 1:21).  What a timely reminder.  God’s greatest promise is not deliverance from illness, circumstance, nor tough times, but rather a deliverance from everlasting ruin to everlasting life, from everlasting misery to everlasting joy!

Let Us Pray

This Wednesday will be our last Let Us Pray.  We are making a slight adjustment this week and moving from in-person to zoom only (link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84377159213).  As many of you know, Sandy Talbot is in the hospital with COVID.  She is not doing well, so we will spend the bulk of our time praying for her and her family.  There are seasons of life where God’s people must heavily lean in to pray.  This is one of those times.  Brothers and Sisters, 2020 has been tough, and if we ever expect to navigate all the difficulties well, we must pray and pray often—plan on joining us at 6:30 pm.

Church Family,

What a wonderful Sunday together as we concluded The Flood account in Genesis six through nine.  Though it was the end of that specific account, it really is just the beginning of the rest of Genesis.  Why do I say this?  It’s because God establishes a covenant with Noah.  Like any good story, the conclusion states a new reality, a new setting.  God establishes a covenant He will remain faithful to throughout the entirety of Scripture.  It’s a clear and concise glimpse of God’s faithfulness to His people despite their sin.  This wonderful act of God, covenant-making, carries His faithfulness throughout scripture and should cause us, much like Noah, to worship and, in full obedience, enjoy His commandments (Gen 9:1-7).

God in Fullness

There will be no lecture this week in our God in Fullness series.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Advent

What Christmas represents for God’s people is far greater than one can contemplate for just one day.  The portraits of Jesus given to us through the gospels are rich with different perspectives upon the God-man and require us to muse upon each with great anticipation.  This Advent season, join us as we look at the coming of Christ from each gospel account, learning and admiring our savior who took flesh.  In doing so, our hope will increase, our peace will settle us, our joy will abound, the love of God will be on display in multiple ways, and our longing for Christ’s return will comfort us.

• November 29th – Matthew 1 / Deliverer
• December 6th – Mark 1 / Powerful
• December 13th – Luke 1-2 / Bearer of Burdens
• December 20th – John 1 / Divine

Church Family,

It’s hard to believe that 2020 is only a month and a half away from being over.  The holidays are upon us, and before we know it, 2021 will be staring us in the face.  As we wind down this unorthodox year, let us not miss every moment to reflect on two important things, 1) the certainty of God and 2) what we trust most.  These two things have confronted us consistently throughout the year in our circumstances and our life together as we study God’s Word.  From each series during our Sunday gatherings and the God in Fullness lecture series, we have seen God as He is, true and trustworthy.  Every Sunday, during our Genesis series, we have been challenged and encouraged as we looked at creation, the fall, and, last Sunday, the flood.  We have seen that through the devastation of sin, there are glimmers of hope that rest upon a trustworthy and true God.  Though this year has been tough, I rejoice at the work of God in our church.

Let Us Pray!

This week’s Wednesday night will be our in-person prayer gathering.  These times together have been deeply encouraging as we call out to the Lord in thanksgiving, in humbleness, and desperation.  We start at 6:30 pm.  Here is a zoom link to participate for those who are unable to join in-person (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81890869294).

Thanksgiving Meal

We have enjoyed over the years sharing a meal before Thanksgiving day to celebrate all the Lord has done in our midst.  As usual for this year, we are going to do things a little differently.  We still want to gather and celebrate; yes, I said celebrate because there’s plenty to be thankful for.  We reserved a ramada at Signal Butte Park (11132 E. Elliot Rd., Mesa, AZ 85212) for this coming Sunday, November 22, from 12:30-2:30 pm.  We ask that everyone bring their own lunch and beverage to the park.  There are a playground and bathrooms located right beside the ramada we reserved.  Not only do we ask you to bring your own food, but come prepared to share how you are thankful for what the Lord has done in your life during 2020.

Church Family,

I’m grateful for our time in Genesis and appreciate the Lord’s work in our hearts through this wonderful book.  This past Sunday, we explored the beginning of one of the most famous Bible stories, The Flood.  Genesis devotes four chapters to discuss all things surrounding this massive event.  The first eight verses of chapter six give us the setting of “why” The Flood occurred.  It is a rather bleak moment in the history of humanity.  So much so, the scriptures tell us that God grieved at humankind’s evil thoughts and actions (Gen 6:5-6).  Though humanity is in deep rebellion towards God, there is still hope; “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  Brothers and Sisters, let us not forget; both judgment and salvation are present in The Flood narrative.  Sin is dealt with, and salvation is provided.

God in Fullness

Though COVID interrupted our normal Wednesday ministry efforts, our lecture series has proved to be just what we needed during these uncertain times.  This Wednesday will be our sixth lecture in the God in Fullness series.  Each lecture has been zoom only, so here is the link for this week’s lecture https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88523950912.  If you have missed previous lectures, you can find them on Facebook or here.

Grace and Peace

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

What a joy it is to gather together and come underneath God’s Word, learning, growing, and being encouraged by the truths of Scripture.  This Sunday, Genesis reminded us that though sin brings disorder, it will not win in the end.  In the third chapter of our bibles, we see that God will and has made the way for us to be restored and return to the garden.  This promise is found in Genesis 3:15, which has been called the Proto-Evangelium, first gospel.  In the midst of consequences being laid before our first parents, there is hope in Eve’s offspring; it’s Jesus.  Sin brings disorder and plagues us today.  It is the root of our problems and requires more than bandaids and ointments.  So the Lord in Genesis provides the way to be restored, provides hope in these dark days of sin’s consequences.  Be encouraged and fight the good fight against sin, not through your own strength, but through the person and work of Jesus promised in Genesis 3:15 to offer the final and decisive blow to sin.

Let Us Pray!

This week’s in-person prayer gathering will begin, as usual, at 6:30 pm on Wednesday.  If you have not been able to join, let me encourage you to carve out some time to participate along with us in prayer.  We will also provide a zoom link for those who feel particularly venerable in gathering (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81202051634).