We do not Hope in the midst of suffering, we suffer in the midst of Hope.

Philippians 3:7-17

Psalm 40:1-5, 16, 17

God's patience leads us to repentance. God's timing is not our own.

-The coming of Jesus initiates a great exchange.

-Invitation into receiving the gifts of God that are inexchangable.

-All of God's promises are activated in Jesus,

they are alive and available to you.

-a garland instead of ashes

-the oil of gladness instead of mourning

-the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit

-Let this be the Christmas where God breaks you out of the rut, lifts you out of the pit, and restores you to the enter fortunes of life with Christ.

-Why is the return of Christ and God's impending judgement Good News?

-"Summer is near," not "winter is coming."

-Story about a mediocre ending to a long movie not being worth the wait.

-God will make right what we have made wrong.

-Folks have used the ending for control, for fear, for conformity....knowing the ending is good gives us freedom to live in the reality of our lives with God today.

-The return of Christ allow us to face the future with hope, not afraid of the ending....always waiting and looking for the God who works to...quote the song "Jesus We Love You."

-Because we know the end of the story, we can keep AWAKE, watching and living, and waiting to see what happens.

-Where in your life can God offer the courage to keep watching and waiting to see what happens?

Luke 1:11-19

-Imagine Immeasurably More For Your Family/The Holidays

-Growing up in Christ within your own Family

-Growing Up=Holiness

-Holiness...all the negative connotations we have about it....how we think it might actually hurt our family relationships instead of help them.

-Holiness....rooted in the desire to grow in love of God because you have tasted the "kindness of the Lord." (1 Peter 2:3).

-God's kindness makes us whole (reminds me of "ever be" from Bethel), and holy as we grow up into people full of grace and truth.

-God's kindness is not our politeness...Jesus says, "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be called children of the Most High; for he kiss kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

-Kingdom does not break out beyond or around us, but within and through us.

-Its time to get in the game, what are you staking your life on...that God has a purpose and power within your waiting to be unleashed

-Because Jesus dwells in our hearts.

-Witness to all that God is doing...

-Call to action....to invest in the kingdom....when you find it, why would you not with joy do whatever it took to grow it?

-What it means to be a "Sending Church?

-It means we exist for those not already here. We are willing to sacrifice for the "one."

-Reaching the whole world with the whole gospel is more important than anything else we could ever do. It is as the essence of our life together...

-It calls all of us to sacrifice with our offerings of prayer, resources, time, service, etc.

Living a life of sacrificial generosity