November 25, 2022

Dear Road Church Friends,

We are at the intersection of the National holiday of Thanksgiving and the Christian season of Advent. We stand on the corner of Gratitude and Hope. This is where we are meant to be as people of faith who seek God and do our best to follow the Way of Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. As people of faith before us we remain thankful even in times of war, plague, social unrest and personal heartache. But God gives us hope by assuring us that he is always working miracles to bring us safely through our wilderness. The prophets Isaiah says, I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  I give water in the wilderness. I create rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. The season of Advent refreshes our souls with new rivers of grace and hope. Gather with us Sunday morning when we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent by lighting the candle of Hope.

 SCRIPTURE:  Isaiah  43:19-21   SERMON:  O Come, O Come Emmanuel

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.

CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Let Christmas not become a thing merely of merchants trafficking,

Of tinsel, bell and holly wreath and surface pleasure, but beneath

The childish glamor let us find nourishment for soul and mind.

Let us follow kinder ways through our teeming human maze

And help the age of peace to come from a dreamer’s martyrdom.

by Madeline Morse

Blessings to all,

Pastor Norm

Our YouTube of this service: https://youtu.be/jqinUy1bKto