https://crestviewchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-12-01.mp3

So it is, it’s Thanksgiving week.  And the Quist family is giving thanks in a special way today as Elyse is born this Thanksgiving Day to Morgan and Trevor, our daughter and son in law at 7:53am, and all is well!  As Elyse was born it was a stunning reminder for us and our extended family of how life renews from generation to generation and God is faithful – that life is filled with loss and new life, holding one in each hand, fragile and precious on both ends of the life’s spectrum.  Mysterious and wonderful.

How fitting, this precious gift on Thanksgiving.  How timely, as we prepare during Advent this year in 2024 – anticipation, expectation, preparation in looking forward to Jesus coming again and looking back to Jesus 1st coming, born as a baby boy, over 2000 years ago.  A birth that changed the course of history forever.

God is so good to us, this gift of love in Jesus.  During Advent, we will engage an old tradition of 1st/2nd Sundays of Advent focusing on looking forward to Jesus coming again (themes of transformation and mission).  Then a focus on looking back to Jesus 1st coming (themes of advent and promise fulfilled).  This will lead us to Christmas Eve, 5:00pm worship service as we gather around the manger to celebrate the Incarnation, Immanuel, God with us.

See you Sunday for a look forward – transformation!  Three texts of focus for us – Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 1:9-12, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-57.  After reading these texts from a more literal translation, read it in Eugene’s paraphrase The Message.  Here is a great website to engage all the various translations and also access The Message version.  Simply type in text reference and choose translation in the tabs near the top of the page and shazam… :).

https://www.biblegateway.com