For many, Christmas and family goes together. Whether it is your immediate, extended, or church, family is what makes this season special.Today, we will be in Galatians 3-4 and see the "why" of Christmas and how Christmas is all about family.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel." In the last verse of the last chapter of the book, Jesus says, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This is the message of Christmas - that God in His grace and mercy sent Jesus to dwell with and save us. Joseph received this message in a dream. His dream led to a life of great joy but also difficulty. Today we are in Matthew 1, where we see how the call to Joseph to believe is also a call to us.

She was just a young unassuming girl chosen by God to do something extraordinary. An angel of the Lord came toMary and with justeleven words andMary's entire life was changed forever. Eleven words earlier she was just a girl from Galilee and now 'generations will call her blessed'! "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." From there the angel would tellMarythat she would be with child and give birth to the Savior of the world. This is Christmas -- God's redemption plan born to the virginMary. God is the main character of this story, yetMary's humility and servant hood cannot be missed. I hope this December you will have a "Mary" Christmas! (Sorry I couldn't resist!)

In every wedding, there is a crescendo at the end of the ceremony where the minister says, "I now declare you husband and wife!" I have made this declaration many times over people as their friends and family applaud and cheer. They have been announced and declared no longer as two separate individuals, but as a married couple. It is a privilege to make announcements like those! In Luke 2, we find the announcement of all announcements! What generations of people had been waiting for had finally come.

Glad you are at church today -- I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain following yonder star. One of the treasured songs of Christmas - We Three Kings! You may have heard that its unlikely that there were three kings... there could have been 9 or 12 or 37. But regardless of how many, why did they come? Why did God, in all His sovereignty, include themagiin the Christmas story? We'll find out today in Matthew 2. We thirty-seven kings of Orient are... yeah that doesn't sound right!

Happy early Thanksgiving to you! This week will start with fall colors and end with Christmas bling! Some Thanksgiving tables are wood... some are glass. Some are handed down from generations past... others were bought at Ikea last week. Today in Luke 17, we will be talking about the two distinct people who will be sitting around these Thanksgiving tables this week. Spend some moments this week deciding which you'll be!

Haven't you ever heard the jingle, "A church that serves together, stays together"? Maybe the jingle isn't quite that - but it should be! We are in the last week of this series, I Am A Church Member. Today we will be talking about how a healthy church member worships whole-heartedly. Turn to Psalm 103 and read ahead on what we will be talking about.

Welcome to church this first November Sunday!

I'm glad you are here this morning to worship God with us!

Healthy church members not only develops their own spiritual growth and are unified with the other members of the church body, but they also are active in inviting others to the flock. In other words, being committed to following Christ involves being committed to evangelism and witnessing to others about Christ. It can seem like a daunting task, especially in the divided and tense climate we find our culture in these days. However, that's why it's so important to know what we evangelize, why we evangelize, and how we evangelize. We'll dive into those three things today to equip ourselves to not only know and live the Gospel, but to take the next step and share it with others!