NLC News November 16 2020

THIS COMING WEEK:

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 (Made for Mission Sunday #3) - Thanksgiving Dinner and Offering
8:30 a.m. GROWTH CLASSES

• Video series on "ROMANS" in Room 111

9:30 a.m. CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room) and Connecting Point for Kids (Rm 101)
10:00 a.m.  WORSHIP, NLC Kids, & The Crew (Jr/Sr High) 

• John & Geri will be sharing from 45 years of global missionary and church planting ministry

11:15 a.m.  THANKSGIVING DINNER and Mission Offering - Gym/Dining Room
**CLICK HERE to pre-purchase your December 4 lunches from Celebrate Recovery today.**

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
6:00 a.m. MEN'S BIBLE STUDY - 10 Commandments - Dining Room

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23
6:00 p.m. WORSHIP REHEARSAL - Gym
NO PRAYER GATHERING 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24
5:30 p.m. CELEBRATE RECOVERY "FOREVER FAMILY" THANKSGIVING DINNER - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. CELEBRATE RECOVERY - Worship / Teaching / Small Groups

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27 (Made for Mission Sunday #4) 
8:30 a.m. GROWTH CLASSES

• Video series on "ROMANS" in Room 111

9:30 a.m. CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room) and Connecting Point for Kids (Rm 101)
10:00 a.m.  WORSHIP - NLC Kids & The Crew (Jr/Sr High)

• Cheryl Jackson from Open Gate Ministries will be spotlighting this partner ministry, and will be joined by Carolyn Ehoff sharing about the work of NLC's Home Resource Center. 

11:15 a.m. "The Bible Story Out Loud" - For adults and parents upstairs in the NLC Kids building, with Bible videos and snacks for the kids downstairs. 

Received Last Week (11/13)…..$4,809
Received this year ..........……..$73,916
Budget to Date: ………..…...... $89,175
Budget Goal….......................$421,553
Needed Weekly…….......…..……$8,479

MISSION OFFERING - THIS SUNDAY, NOV. 2OTH
A special offering will be gathered to fully fund our annual commitment to Missions at NLC!
$20,000
What might God want to give through you toward sharing the Gospel?
You can give in person on the 20th, by mail, or online (choosing the Missions fund).  
Please be aware that online giving will have a 1-2 week lag time from the date of the donation to when we actually receive the funds.  For that reason, we will be reporting
the total Missions giving for the next 2-3 weeks.

The story of Christmas in the Bible always strikes me as so non-traditional. In fact, the whole story of Jesus' birth in the Bible is a complete disruption to life (and religion) as people knew it. There's a simple reason for that: God became flesh! God sent his Son Jesus to become a human baby. Even though prophets had foretold such a thing, nobody seemed ready for it.

The holidays can be stressful and create a lot of anxiety for people for many reasons. It's like our culture gets on the "holiday conveyor belt" just before Halloween and rides it through the New Year's Day. Things don't get back to "normal" until January. And often our celebration of Jesus' birth rides that same conveyor belt. We get out the same decorations, pull out the same recipes, plan for the same parties and get -togethers, and go through the same routines of gift buying and giving. And yes, we also go to church, light Advent candles, and sing familiar carols. These are traditions that we've wrapped around the reality of God coming to Earth.

I think it's time to reclaim the surprises of Christmas by embracing the diversity, disruption, and displacement that are inherent in the Bible story. Here's how we'll experience Christmas in a new light this year:

• DIVERSITY - Dec. 4 - On December 4th we'll look at the diversity in Jesus' genealogy, especially two foreign women, Rahab and Ruth, who are reflected in Jesus' family tree. This Sunday we'll fill a Christmas tree with ornaments YOU BRING (see above) to reflect the diverse family of faith God is gathering at NLC.
• DISRUPTION - Dec. 11 - Have you ever had a Christmas get disrupted? The Bible story of Christmas is one disruption after another. Disruptions can ruin Christmas, but they can also reveal what is most important about Christmas--that God is with us.
• DISPLACEMENT - Dec. 18 - Last, we'll look for Jesus in times of displacement. There's a lot of moving around (from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt to Galilee) in the Christmas story. Maybe you've experienced that, too. 

I'd like your help! To help us understand the meaning of God with us in each of these times, I'd like to include your stories. Please send me an email with your story (or stories) related to these questions. I'll contact you about using your story for one or more of those Sundays. Thanks for participating! pastor@newlifedinuba.org

1. Describe how Christmas in your experience reflects your family's culture/heritage. What are your special traditions, foods, decorations, activities, etc? How have you incorporated aspects of other traditions into your Christmas experience? How have these traditions helped you to understand more about Jesus?
2. Describe a Christmas that was disrupted. What was the disruption and how did it happen? In what ways did the disruption "ruin" Christmas, and in what ways did it "reveal" something new or deeper about Jesus?
3. Describe a Christmas when you were displaced and not able to be at home. Where did you celebrate Christmas and why were you there? What was Christmas like there? What was different, and what was especially meaningful?

Please send your response(s) to pastor@newlifedinuba.org