Dear First Pres,

   Many of us have been praying for rain. And, praise the Lord, He is providing. What a joy it has been this week to experience the blessing of God’s natural restoration of a parched land!

   Many of us may also be feeling personally parched these days. That’s why I am praying that God will use the upcoming Christmas season to be a time of refreshing and restoration for all of us. The central reality of Christmas is the incarnation of God to be with us. Just like the rain falls from the sky and soaks into the earth, God the Son moved from the throne of heaven into our world. He lived among us and inaugurated His wonderful kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Now, by His Spirit, God is working in and through His people to saturate the whole earth with His Kingdom and glory. It’s a project that won’t be complete until Jesus comes again to bring everything under His Lordship. But our certain and living hope of His return, nurtured by the Holy Spirit in us, gives us endurance, encouragement, and refreshment along the way.

   Beloved, may your hope be kindled, strengthened and energized this Christmas. As the rain falls over the next few days may it be a sign to you of God’s care, provision and restoration for you.

   Meanwhile, here’s a reminder about our worship together this weekend:

  • Christmas Eve will feature two identical worship services at 4:30 and 6:00pm. Nursery & Preschool care provided during both services. For those of you watching online, we Live Stream the 4:30 service. Of course, it will also be available to watch anytime after that on our YouTube channel.
  • On Sunday, December 26 we’ll have one service at 10am. There will be nursery and preschool care available during the service, but there will be no other Sunday school that day.
  • In light of the current California Mask Mandate, I strongly encourage you to wear a mask during any of our indoor activities. And please continue to pray for God to bring an end to COVID-19 and all its variants.

Blessings,

Pastor Jeremy