Feasts

1: Feasts force us to prepare.

John 14:1-4 ESV

    A: Preparation is an act of anticipation

    B: Preparation exerts your control.

    C: Preparation brings peace

2: Feasts call us to slow down.

3: Feasts allow us to eat our history.

Leviticus 23

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

Much of life revolves around spoken words. Words were used by God to create, communicate, and to collaborate. 

Ephesians 4:14-15 – “Speak the truth in love that we may grow…”

2 Peter 3:18  - “Grow in Grace and Knowledge.”

1. What do you say when you talk to yourself?

“Talk to yourself of past successes, of times you've done really well, of times you've overcome obstacles, of times you've felt good.” (Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D.)

2. How well do you communicate with others?

“Hospitable communication is the reciprocal sharing of who we really are and what we really think, in loving environments and in loving ways, to promote one another’s growth.” (Terry A. Smith, The Hospitable Leader, pp. 131)

Styles of communication: 

1.     Analytical / Visionary

2.   Methodical / Connected

3. Why we should talk to God about everything?

Prayer is simply having a conversation with God.

Ephesians 6:18  

a.   Prayer is the Great Essential.

b.   We must pray at All Times.

c.   We must engage in all Kinds of Prayer.

d.   To be effective, all of our Praying       must be “In the Spirit”.

Romans 8:26-27- There is tremendous power in praying in the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:19-20

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Christmas Celebration- NEXT Sunday at 6pm is our Christmas celebration! 

Family Worship -The last two Sundays in December will be Family Worship Services. There will be no children's classes December 22nd + 29th. Nursery will be provided for crawlers to 36months. 

Hosting dreams is a huge part of hospitality.

How do we host our own dreams? How do we host the dreams of others?  

1.Share your dreams with qualified people.

Genesis 37:5a

Genesis 37:9

Joseph had a God given dream but shared it with his brothers, who lacked the capacity to understand it or help him accomplish it.

Genesis 37:11

Luke 2:19

2. Don’t be discouraged by the haters.

Genesis 37:5b

Genesis 37:10

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

Isaiah 41:10

3. Make room for your dreams to come alive. 

Dreams cannot flourish in every environment or atmosphere.

Joel 2:28-29 

We are in the days of dreams, visions, and the prophetic. All are fueled by the Holy Spirit. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM – Sunday, Dec. 15th@ 6PM. Invite your family and friends for a time of celebrating Christmas! There will be a popcorn bar and hot chocolate. We will honor the SERVE Teams and preview Kid’s Chapel’s Out of the Box Christmas Program. 

“Christian hospitality has always had subversive counter cultural dimensions. Hospitality is resistance.”  - Christine Pohl 

Ephesians 2:12-13 ESV

“...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

John 14:2-3 

Exodus 22:21

Leviticus 19:34

Genesis 18:2-8

Hebrews 13:1-2

Matthew 25:34-35

Who is the stranger?

1. The Actual Stanger

2. The “Sinner”

3. The “Tax Collector”

4. The “Unseen”

5. The “Familiar Stranger”

How do we treat the stranger like Jesus did?

1. Sit with them

2. Serve them

3. Die for them

1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Living with passion is a choice and a decision, not a personality type. 

There is so much power in the home. As Pastor Smith puts it, “Home is an atmosphere created by your presence.”  Your very presence can create a climate where dreams are birthed and purpose is fostered.  

Your dinner table is the most magical piece of furniture you will ever buy.

Luke 24:32- Emmaus Road Experience 

Anhedonia - The lack of ability to feel good things. 

The power of the warm heart is the answer to anhedonia.

Acts 28:30 

The power of a warm heart is a world turned upside down by the gospel of Jesus Christ

The POWER OF A WARM HEART is all that is needed to change the world that we live in. 

Visit TheFamilyDinnerProject.org for scientific results on having family dinners.

Community Group Questions:

1.     Do you have a special childhood memory of being in a home (grandparents, parents, friends, etc.) that made your heart feel warm during the holidays?

2.   Discuss Acts 28:30 

3.   What do you commit to do during this holiday season to make your home feel “warmed” by the presence of God?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Holiday Family Pictures- This holiday season, Brooke Perry is taking family Christmas pictures in the front foyer as a fundraiser for Life Chapel. The cost will be $30 and includes 5 edited pictures. You can sign up in the foyer in front of the Christmas Photo Wall for the day you would like your family picture to be taken.