Greetings, brothers and sisters of Christ and children of God,

We look forward to seeing you at our new church location on December 7th! Located at 3455 Cliff Shadows Parkway

I hope that your Thanksgiving was good and that you have already started on that Christmas shopping. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now Christmas is just a short few weeks away.

I have always found it interesting that November comes before December. Have you ever thought about that, and why these months are placed this way? There is a reason for everything. As you think about that, also think about how Thanksgiving, which is in November, comes before Christmas, which is in December. Again, planned by God?

Many countries celebrate a form of Thanksgiving between the months of September to November. Some even call it a fall festival or harvest festival. Many fall crops grow during this time, so it makes sense to hold a harvest festival during the fall season. Exodus 23 gives directions about three annual festivals. The first is the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is at the beginning of the year with Passover (23:15). The second is the Festival of Harvest, which is at the time of Pentecost (23:16a). The third is the Festival of Ingathering, which is at the end of the year, and it is time to gather the crops from the field (23:16b). This third festival is during the fall season. We are to harvest and give thanks to the Lord for his blessings on the land in which we harvested (Psalm 67:6; Proverbs 3:9). One month after we celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrate Christmas, a time when we remember the birth of Christ.

I do not find it just coincidental that November comes just before December, because we are to give thanks for the Christ who is to come. When we pray, we should always give praise and thanks to God for what He will soon do. We are to know and believe that God has made a promise and that He honors His promises, and we should give Him the thanks before we even receive the blessing, knowing that He is true to His word.

I know that Thanksgiving, as a date, has passed, but we also know that we are to thank God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and always (Ephesians 5:20) and therefore, we must thank God for not only the Christ who came as a babe so long ago, but also for the Christ who is with us now, and who is to come. As you prepare your hearts for the coming Christmas season, thank the Lord now for what He has planned for you in the future.

Last week, we did not have children’s church because there was a special message about our move. This week, we will not be having children’s church because we are still getting settled into the new place and preparing a way for you to come and enjoy worship. There will also not be a service this week, but we will have service next week, December 7, at the new place. The address is 3455 Cliff Shadows Parkway, 89129. Service times are now at 10:00 AM. Hope to see you there next week.

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe, and may He bless you with joy and peace, and may He heal you and comfort you when you need it.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)