This Advent Series, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, helps us to imagine the longing the Israelites must have felt as they waited for Jesus the Messiah to come, and it helps us to grapple with the longing we feel now as we wait for His return.
The Christ finally explodes onto the scene, and the explosion reverberates. Those who trusted in God’s promises find their fulfillment in this child. The message does not stop with those who knew beforehand; the good news of Jesus bounces out into the world, delivering hope, life, and salvation.
Please join us in launching the Christmas break for our friends over at Plantation Park Elementary in Bossier. Before the kids leave school, the teachers and staff will conduct a parade around the block. They have asked our friends and us to join the parade with motorcycles and jeeps.
If you're available, come on out and join us. Feel free to dress up or decorate your bike/jeep. Lights would be really cool.
Itinerary
Let's Ride!!...
December 14th is the 2nd Sunday of the month. If you are new to Open Road Fellowship, that's when we jump on our bikes and head out as a group right after church for a nice ride. It's an opportunity for us to grab some good food and enjoy some fellowship as we take some time to get to know one another. The direction we head is always an adventure but geared to provide a relaxing time out on the bikes. Invite your friends; maybe a nice ride might be what motivates them to come to church. Hey, and if you don't ride, don't let that stop you from enjoying the day...just hop in your car and follow along.
North, south, east, or west... no matter where we head, you are sure to enjoy the ride. So, come join us for our next 2nd Sunday ride!
This Advent Series, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, helps us to imagine the longing the Israelites must have felt as they waited for Jesus the Messiah to come, and it helps us to grapple with the longing we feel now as we wait for His return.
Two metaphors are used to express the hope for salvation of which Zechariah sings. One is in the form of the child over whom he sings. A child bears all the hopes and desires of those who nurture it in its infancy. As the parents celebrate the child’s birth, they celebrate all that they envision for that child in the future. The second is the coming of dawn. As one sits in darkness the light of the sun begins to spread across the landscape even before the sun rises and is visible. So in Advent we look forward to what is promised, the coming of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. We prepare ourselves for that even as John was to prepare the way of the one to come.
Prophecy makes the past present, and the present future. It shows the consistency of God’s work throughout time. It shows us that God has the power to bring about what he says he is going to, that he has the power to fulfill his promises. Leave the worries of the future to God. Look for what he is doing here and now.
DECEMBER SERVE DAY
The best thing to do is see where God is working an jump in with Him. Men of Courage received a camp on Lake Bistineau to help with their mission to strenghten the Church. The ways God can use that camp are endless, but it needs some TLC. So, we are heading out to help with some clean up. Set aside Saturday, December 13th, for work at Camp Courage.
ITINERARY
This Advent Series, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, helps us to imagine the longing the Israelites must have felt as they waited for Jesus the Messiah to come, and it helps us to grapple with the longing we feel now as we wait for His return.
Attention to Mary is valuable in that we learn from her what is true about God’s words and actions, his regard and his love for his creation, but we are intended to move beyond her to the source of all her hope and happiness, to the One to whom she has completely turned. We learn from her actions to turn to God in prayer, to lay ourselves down completely before his will in utter surrender, to turn with a joyous face to God no matter what our personal situation may be. Our own suffering and difficulties do not make God into anything less than loving and good—Mary shows us that the quality of true worship of God stretches beyond our own joys and sorrows. All glory belongs to God.
Even in dark times, God brings blessing. We often think of blessings in material terms, but God’s blessings go beyond that to people, places, freedom, and deliverance. He has blessed before, and he will bless again, and we are to count on him for every blessing.
It's the 1st Sunday of the month... it's time for our Food & Clothing Drive. We can't feed everybody, we're not a homeless shelter, we're not even a food pantry... but we can partner with other ministries to help them accomplish their tasks in what God has called them to do.
This Sunday, bring in a bag of non-perishable food items. We are making a difference in people's lives that are down and out. It may be you one day needing just a little bit of help. Also, go through your closets and look for those clothes that don't fit anymore or you haven't worn in awhile. Bring them in for those who just need a little help.
1st Sunday Food & Clothing Drive... let's make an impact!!
Save the Date!
Join us for a special combined Men of Courage and Women of Courage for adults and couples. This FREE EVENT will be a night of Testimony, Worship, and Fellowship!
Join us at The Stable an evening with. . .
RSVP requested - Go to Men Of Courage LA on Facebook to view event info and comfirm you will be going.
As the year comes to a close, we invite you to prayfully consider supporting Men & Women of Courage through a year-end gift or by becoming a Monthly Partner. Your ongoing gifts help us continue outreach and ministry all year long. MenCourageLA.com/Donate
If you haven’t noticed, November has five Sundays this year—and you know what that means… it’s POTLUCK time! This is more than just sharing a meal—it’s a chance to share laughter, stories, and the joy of being together as one church family. What is your "1 Pot" recipe? Bring it! Invite your friends to share the day with you!
Make sure and sign up to let us know if you can bring something!
This Advent Series, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, helps us to imagine the longing the Israelites must have felt as they waited for Jesus the Messiah to come, and it helps us to grapple with the longing we feel now as we wait for His return.
To know someone is to understand who they are on the most personal level. ... A basic idea that underlies the entire Old Testament is that God may be known by His actions in the world. The Israelitesunderstood that God's actions in the arena of human history were not just God amazing mortals with His power. Neither were they solely aimed at easing the plight of the people, although they did that. God always acted in history to reveal Himself to the world.
Israel wanted God to do for them what He had done in the past. They may not have realized their part in their own pain, but they knew that they were in pain and needed God to make Himself known to relieve that pain. This ia a call for God to do the work that He has done in the past, by any means necessary.