Weekly Update

Hi GCN Family,

I’m loving these GCN Advent Devotionals. Scroll down and check out today’s devotional, written by Jim Orban. Then, CLICK HERE to check out the other devotionals this week.
 
Remember…

1. Christmas Eve @ GCN. December 24th at 5pm. Here’s the vision: Invite people in your life who are in need of the love of Jesus. Friends? Co-Workers? Family Members? People are likely to respond to a personal invitation. Who are you inviting to join you?
   
   
2. Reminder: Gift Cards and Wrapped Toys for the Stewartown Christmas Party are due back this Sunday, December 14th. Thank you for giving and loving!
   
   
3. Cocal Gracias Coffee makes a great stocking stuffer! We have plenty of bags available in the coffee shop at GCN. It’s $12/bag. Honor system. Grab a bag, and then pay cash or check. Pay by putting cash in a giving envelope (on top of the giving boxes in the lobby and the sanctuary). Mark the giving envelope or memo the check: “Cocal Gracias Coffee”. If you have any questions, contact Darrin Cave (darrincave@yahoo.com).
   
   

Much love,

Pastor Brian

Read Isaiah 9:6-7.

We are now well on our way in our journey of Advent, looking expectantly toward the incarnation of our Lord. We pause today to reflect on Isaiah’s prophesy about the coming Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7). Isaiah calls Him, among other names, the “Prince of Peace”. “Prince”, of course, is a reference to royalty, but what does Isaiah mean by “peace”? We’re familiar with the phrases “peace and quiet”, or “war and peace”. So, is “peace” simply the lack of strife and conflict, or the absence of loud noise?

The Apostle Paul includes “peace” in his list of the “fruit of the Spirit” in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). His list includes “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. What an incredible list! Each of these fruits is worthy of its own study, and a challenge for us to embody. The inclusion of “peace” in this list is key to us as Christians, because peace is more than the absence of something negative; it’s a positive trait that we can attain only through the power of the Holy Spirit. How? By emptying ourselves of self-centeredness and asking God to fill us with His Holy Spirit. This is something we can (and should) do every day!

Peace is a calmness that comes from knowing the Prince of Peace and trusting Him for guidance in our everyday choices and decisions. Peace is the antidote to worry and anxiety. Peace is not only an anchor for us, but an enabler to us to have a positive impact on those around us. Peace is infectious. A peaceful person spreads peace and is the kind of person others want to be around.

And get this…Jesus, the Prince of Peace… came to give us this peace! Some of us are familiar with the words, “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.” But I just recently re-read the rest of that prayer, and I think it’s a wonderful challenge for us to pray during this journey of Advent. Here’s the full text from the “Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi”, which I encourage you to read and pray from your heart:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring love;
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon;
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith;
Where there is despair, let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, let me bring light;
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Written by Jim Orban