Sojourners,

I hope your week is off to a good start. I know this time of year can be restful and refreshing for some and challenging for others. And this particular year makes it different levels of strange for all of us. 

This week, I encourage you to reflect on and give thanks for the many gifts of grace you have in and through Christ. May that help you left your gaze to your Savior and abide in him.

Below are a few things I wanted to let you know about...

Advent and Christmas Eve
As I mentioned on Sunday, Advent begins this coming Sunday (11.29). We are doing an Advent series in conjunction with RGC. The series is titled Songs of Advent.

We want to slow down in this holiday season to be in awe of our Savior King who has come and will come again. Mark and I be preaching at both church gatherings and will root the sermons in Scripture, using phrases from familiar Christmas songs to illustrate and reaffirm what the text is calling us to see and believe.

This week we will be in Luke 2:22-35 (Study questions below).

The Advent series and season will culminate in a joint Christmas Eve Service with RGC. We will be doing two services to accommodate for social distancing. The services will be at 5PM and 7PM. You will need to register ahead of time for which service you plan to attend and can do that here.

Study Questions
Here are some questions to consider as you study the text ahead of Sunday:

• What is the context of this text? What is going on?
• What strikes you about Simeon and his faith? What is significant?
• What does it mean (v. 25) that he was waiting on the consolation of Israel? What do we learn about waiting on the Lord from Simeon?
• In this Advent season and year what is encouraging about his proclamation in v. 29-32? How does it help you practically in a world of uncertainty and challenge?
• What does it look like to long for Jesus to come again like Simeon?
• Listen Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. How does this text and song fit together?
• Who is someone you can encourage this week with something you learned from this text?

Enjoy Jesus this week!

.grace and peace.
Justin