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No one expected God to come the way he did. Yet the way he came was every bit as important as the coming itself. The manger is the message. The One who made everything made himself nothing...for you and for me. In the midst of your hectic Christmas, take time out and join us at Parkside Fellowship as we connect with our Messiah and find hope for a lifetime.
Consider these verses as you rekindle your connection to the Christ of Christmas... Christmas Eve Scripture: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Christmas Day Scripture: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12 Consider spending a portion of your Christmas weekend at Parkside Fellowship. See the opportunities below: Note: We will not livestream our Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services. Plan now to join us in person. Christmas Eve At Parkside Fellowship: Make plans now to celebrate the birth of Jesus with us at Parkside Fellowship's Annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service. This year's Christmas Eve service will begin at 3:00pm. There will be singing, scripture reading, a special Christmas Story designed especially for kids (each child will receive a special Christmas gift), and a time to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his incredible gift of His one and only Son, Jesus. We will end our service with the traditional singing of Silent Night as we light candles in anticipation of the birth of Jesus! Please bring the whole family and don't forget to invite your friends and neighbors. Christmas Day At Parkside Fellowship: Revelation 7:9 says: "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." Do you ever wonder what our time in Heaven will look like? Join us Christmas morning at Parkside Fellowship, as 4 of the 6 churches that share our campus gather together for one huge birthday celebration. This special Christmas service will include: Christmas carols sung in Korean, Mandarin and English; prayers in multiple languages; and a time to reflect on the birth of our Savior, Jesus. The morning kicks-off at 10:00am with light snacks, followed by our Christmas service at 10:30am. Thank you for being a praying church. I hope to see you this weekend! Pastor Doug Every year, it seems like Christmas just kind of sneaks up on us. Whether we're ready for it or not...whether we deserve it or not...in just 9 days, we will be given the opportunity to experience the blazing miracle of the incarnation of Jesus. God becoming flesh. The light of the world moving into the neighborhood. And yet, with the passing of another Christmas, many will once again miss the significance of the moment. The moment when Christ came to bring peace on earth and good will to all.
A central task of Advent, and the Christian life as a whole, is to pursue peace with God--to live today with our eternal tomorrow always in mind. The apostle Peter wrote: "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming...Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." II Peter 3:11-12, 14 More than anytime of the year, Christmas is a season where we get caught up in the busyness of doing. Christmas is almost here, and our shopping list is long, but the invitation of the apostle Peter is to focus instead on being--specifically, being the kind of people we ought to be. Take time over the next few days to focus on your relationship with God, and then join us on Sunday at 9:30am, as we celebrate the peace we have because of Jesus. Following our service, our Adult Sunday School class will continue their titled, "Going Viral: The Birth and Advance of the Church". As Jesus ascended into heaven, he looked at his disciples and proclaimed, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8. What we will encounter in our study of Acts is a group of people who, after hearing the gospel and receiving the Holy Spirit, became bold witnesses for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christmas Eve At Parkside Fellowship: Make plans now to celebrate the birth of Jesus with us at Parkside Fellowship's Annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service. This year's Christmas Eve service will begin at 3:00pm. There will be singing, scripture reading, a special Christmas Story designed especially for kids (each child will receive a special Christmas gift), and a time to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his incredible gift of His one and only Son, Jesus. We will end our service with the traditional singing of Silent Night as we light candles in anticipation of the birth of Jesus! Please bring the whole family and don't forget to invite your friends and neighbors. Christmas Day At Parkside Fellowship: Revelation 7:9 says: "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." Do you ever wonder what our time in Heaven will look like? Join us Christmas morning at Parkside Fellowship, as 4 of the 6 churches that share our campus gather together for one huge birthday celebration. This special Christmas service will include: Christmas carols sung in Korean, Mandarin and English; prayers in multiple languages; and a time to reflect on the birth of our Savior, Jesus. The morning kicks-off at 10:00am with light snacks, followed by our Christmas service at 10:30am. Thank you for being a praying church. See you Sunday. Doug The story of God's Son entering the world is the core of Christmas. Because of God's consistent, pursuing love, we celebrate and worship with hope. Hope based on the certainty of Advent (both the first and the second). As we continue to move toward Christmas, let's not forget that first Christmas Eve night, when a group of shepherds, staying in the fields nearby, guarding their sheep, suddenly found themselves in the middle of prophecy fulfilled.
"Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people." Luke 2:8-10 If you think about it, the only reasonable response to God's lavish love and goodness is joy--pure joy! Tied to our joy is our worship. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we worship our God together. Through Luke's gospel, we are going to look at threads of joy as we consider the good news with the advent of Jesus. Pray this prayer as you prepare your hearts and minds for worship: "Come, Lord Jesus. Be my joy." Also, the Rose City Flute Choir, of which our very own Kathy Collins is a member, will accompany us as we proclaim, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King". Invite a friend and join us this Sunday, as we continue the celebration! Following our service, our Adult Sunday School class will continue their titled, "Going Viral: The Birth and Advance of the Church". As Jesus ascended into heaven, he looked at his disciples and proclaimed, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8. What we will encounter in our study of Acts is a group of people who, after hearing the gospel and receiving the Holy Spirit, became bold witnesses for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christmas Eve At Parkside Fellowship: Make plans now to celebrate the birth of Jesus with us at Parkside Fellowship's Annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service. This year's Christmas Eve service will begin at 3:00pm. There will be singing, scripture reading, a special Christmas Story designed especially for kids (each child will receive a special Christmas gift), and a time to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his incredible gift of His one and only Son, Jesus. We will end our service with the traditional singing of Silent Night as we light candles in anticipation of the birth of Jesus! Please bring the whole family and don't forget to invite your friends and neighbors. Thank you for being a praying church. See you Sunday. Doug Let there be jubilation, celebration, and festivity! Christmas is almost here! With the arrival of Jesus comes hope, peace, love and joy. Our joy is found in the promise that one day every tear will be dried, every hurting heart mended, every broken body healed, every torn relationship restored. We are children of the Most High God. The only reasonable response to the birth of Jesus is...joy!
Psalm 126 reads: "When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.' Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy." Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we conclude our Advent series, Rediscovering Christmas. The joy and promise of Christmas is that the miracle of Bethlehem still happens. God still enters into the reality of our messy lives to restore hope that is found in a relationship with God. We can experience peace from knowing that our sins have been forever forgiven through the love of God made visible in the birth of Jesus. And so on this day, we open wide our hearts to receive Jesus, who brings "Joy To The World". The point of Christmas is that you and I need a Savior and because of Bethlehem we have one! Let's not keep this a secret. Invite someone to join you this Sunday morning at 9:30am for Christmas at Parkside! As we gather for our in-person service, Parkside church staff and leadership will be wearing masks and we are asking everyone to do the same. Please consider joining us this weekend at 9:30am...and don't forget your mask! I want to invite you to stick around after our service for one of our two discipleship classes. (see details below)
See you Sunday! Pastor Doug |
Our PastorDoug Boyd - Sr. Pastor Archives
February 2023
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