December 16, 2022
Dear Friends,
We’ve been “unwrapping presence” this Advent: attempting to tear away the layers of distraction to meet Jesus in a fresh way.
I confess, even with this emphasis, it’s been a challenge for me. My old patterns of too much activity have been creeping in.
But I am so refreshed by the good news, the gospel, that God breaks into even our busy and routine realities in Jesus Christ.
In particular, I’ve been wonderstruck pondering God’s motivation in sending Jesus. When the angels in Luke 2 announce the birth of Jesus to these Shepherds, it’s clear God’s heart is for us to experience great joy:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
Have you ever realized that Jesus’ advent is an invitation to joy! It is invitation for you right now. You may not have been expecting it or looking for it. You may have forgotten this — but the heart of God is motivated by you experiencing joy. Yes you, crusty old Christian, and you, fresh to faith – real joy.
As C.S. Lewis writes, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
The surprise of the Messiah in the manger (which is a feeding trough) is beginning of the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Do not ignore this gift! Jesus was born into our situation that you might know great joy. That you might know peace, that you might know the everlasting smile of God as you trust in Him.
The angels saw, couldn’t wait to share the news, and eagerly sang “glory.” Let’s join their song! See you on Sunday at 5PM.
CALENDAR (see below for details)
12/18 – The Second Annual Winterfest!
12/24 – Christmas Eve Worship 4PM
12/25 – No Christmas Day Services
1/1 – Sunday Worship 5PM
1/8 – Second Sunday Supper after worship
1/15 – Home Church Communities restart
2nd ANNUAL WINTERFEST – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18th.
This Sunday! On December 18th we will host our 2nd annual Winterfest following 5PM Sunday worship .
This is a chance for us to celebrate Christmas as a community. Invite friends and family. It will be a great party. Throw on your favorite Christmas sweater!Bonfires, carols, food/drink, kids crafts and letter writing to incarcerated youth. We’ll even have a “snowball” fight in the courtyard!
ALSO – Note that this will be a potluck, so please bring a favorite Christmas dish to share!
ADVENT GENEROSITY
We practicing the generosity of Jesus in a special way this season by partnering with two amazing ministries. Locally we’re sponsoring a pizza party for incarcerated youth with Youth for Christ. Globally, we’re helping our brothers and sisters in the Mozambique Covenant Church build a church. Our goal is to raise $2000 for these ministries. We got this! Click here to give
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE – DECEMBER 24th – 4PM
Note the special time of 4PM as we celebrate Christmas Eve together next Saturday night. We’ll gather for a candle-light worship service this Holy Night!
HOME CHURCHES WILL BE STARTING WEEK OF JANUARY 15th
Our Home Church groups are smaller communities that meet during the week where we learn to practice the simple way of Jesus. No experience required, all are welcome. We usually share a meal, read scripture, and consider what God is up to in and through our lives.
This is a great time to consider plugging into a home as we will restart groups in mid-January. If you are interested in learning about available groups and what group might be a good fit for you contact Zach at zach@radcov.org
BAND APP
One way to connect at Radiant is to join our BAND APP group. Think of this as a sort of Radiant message board — our own little Facebook/ Craigslist space. People can extend invites, share about needs and resources. Please join us! https://band.us/n/adaa739aX4Rca
Grace and peace!
Zach
