December 11, 2022

In the past two weeks we focused our Advent meditations on Hope and Peace. Jesus' birth was an event that answered Israel's longing for hope and peace. Jesus' birth is also the answer to our yearning for hope and peace. This week our Advent celebration focuses on Joy.

In Isaiah 12 we read what God's salvation produces in us. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." The people to whom Isaiah ministered desperately needed to hear these words. For they were often seeking their salvation not in the Lord, but in the things that cannot save them. So they trusted in the empty promises of the idols, and trusted them to save them from poverty. What, after all, was Baal? He was the god who promised crop and harvest. Then in times of judgment Israel trusted in the strength of human allies to deliver them from the attacking Assyrians and the Babylonians. But they did not turn to the LORD to be their salvation.

We often do the same thing. We put our trust and confidence in man-made things of the world. We dutifully bow down for hours before screens big and small, seeking our solace in the warm glow of their light. We put our trust in our politicians, and defend their honor from critics with a zeal and absolute loyalty that only God deserves. And what do we have to show for all this? Rancor and disappointment.

But Isaiah tells us what happens when God "has become my salvation." For he writes, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." So we are commanded: "Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for great is your midst is the Holy One of Israel." The Holy One of Israel is none other than Jesus Christ. Joy is the result when he is our salvation.

Christmas is the season when believers and unbelievers alike speak often of joy. But it is only the believers who understand and experience this joy. For we have not turned to idols that cannot save us. We have turned to Jesus. He is powerful to save us. He is able to fill our hearts with joy that will never be exhausted. Come, let us sing for joy. For the Holy One of Israel has come.

Upcoming Events and Notices

Please join us for worship this Sunday, December 11, at 11 AM. You can find the order of worship and songs here.

December 11 (Lord's Day): Please join us for our annual Christ celebration after the worship service. We will feast, sing, and celebrate God's gift together. Please see Janny Ligtenberg to sign up.

December 25 (Christmas Sunday): Please note that our worship service will begin at 12 PM.

We invite you to join us for "12 for 22." Our aim is to read 12 great books for the year 2022. Whether you read all 12 or just one, you will find it well worth your effort. Please see the list here. For December we are reading "The Weight of Glory" by C. S. Lewis.

Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Our church website now features online giving. Please visit the church website and click on "Give" which you will find in the upper left corner of our church's website. When you click on "Give Online Now" button on that page, you will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).