In our return to our series in the book of John, Kyle preached from John 11:1-44 concerning a theme that very few of us enjoy thinking about: death. It’s the single greatest human sorrow and we shudder to for a moment consider that even those whom we love most will one day die. While many comforting words are offered to dull the pain following the death of a loved one, few actually hold out any true hope. Yet, what we find in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus is a story of love - love found in the most unlikely of places - love that reaches into the deepest of sorrows and offers a hope more substantial than any other.

Listen to the message here.

6 Sessions, Beginning on the Second Monday of February

Marriage is a sacred institution. It was created by God to reflect the relationship between Christ and His Church. Those who enter into marriage make a commitment that lasts for life. Upholding this commitment can be one of the greatest joys of the Christian life. But it also takes work. It takes dependence on the Holy Spirit. It takes learning and growing as seasons change and as each person changes.

This spring, we’re offering a 6 week course through “The Art of Marriage”. It will take place on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of February, March and April of 2019 and will be led and taught by Jim and Angie Cunningham. More details below:

• Meeting Dates - February 11 and 25, March 11 and 25, April 8 and 22

• Materials - two study booklets (2 per couple) - will come at a cost of $25 per couple.

• Each couple is responsible for finding childcare for their own children. If childcare is a hardship, please contact the pastoral team. We’ll be happy to assist if needed.

• Given the relational nature of this course (not simply reading through course materials), this course will be limited to the first 5 couples who register.

• Please only register if you’re able to attend at least 5 of the 6 scheduled meetings.

If you and your spouse would like to register, please do so below!

REGISTER HERE

This year, we'll once again be fasting and praying together during the first Friday of every month. This is an expression of our priority of dependence on God’s Holy Spirit. Church members who fast for all 12 Fridays will be invited to a year-end party to celebrate the answers to our prayers. If fasting is new to you, here are some instructions. 

Pray For The Work Of The Holy Spirit

This month, we’ll be fasting and praying for God’s Holy Spirit to work through the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our church and in our city. Based on last week’s sermon, here are a few ways to guide you in prayer this Friday:

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring new life to our neighbors.

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to give us courage and compassion in the endeavor to spread the joy of Jesus to our neighbors.

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower and strengthen our pursuit of holiness (sanctification)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us for the glory of Jesus

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to be active among us in this next year through His gifts of grace at work in our church.

Dependence On The Holy Spirit

The power of God’s Spirit is the power of this local church. As Sovereign Grace Santa Ana heads into its second calendar year of existence, what we ultimately need is not more money, more people, more resources or more effort. We need a greater and deeper dependence on God. Click below to listen to the last sermon of 2018.

Listen to the message here.

A Count of Orange County’s Homeless Population

On the evening of January 23, Sovereign Grace Santa Ana will be volunteering during the 2019 point in time homeless count. While this is a county-wide event, we will be joining forces with our Santa Ana neighbors to count and care for our neighbors who are living on the streets.

To Know How To Best Serve Our Neighbors With No Home

If you’d like to be a part of our volunteer team, please follow these instructions:

• Apply for one of the two different volunteer opportunities listed below.

• Email or text Kyle Houlton (kyle@sovgraceoc.org) to let him know you’ve applied - to keep track of who in the church is volunteering.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Field Surveyor (out in the city, performing the actual count) - Arrival time of 6:45pm. Actual shift lasts from 7:30-11:30pm. Application and virtual training required.

Deployment Center Team Member (located indoors, deploying volunteers and performing various other tasks) - Actual shift lasts from 6:00pm-12:30am. Application and virtual training required.

Jesus is With You In Between Your Rock and Hard Place

This past Sunday, Cristopher Erkelens continued our four-message series concerning “The Cast of Christmas” by looking at the life and circumstances of Joseph. When Matthew 1:18-25 is read honestly, we realize the Joseph was caught in between two awful, life-altering decisions. There seemed to be no good solution. But when the Angel, Gabriel appeared to him in a dream, it was revealed to Joseph that the baby his fiancé was pregnant with was God come to be present with him - even in that lonely space between a rock and a hard place. Furthermore, what Joseph would come to find is that that baby would give Himself for Joseph in between an even greater rock and hard place. The message Joseph received is the same message for us today,

Listen to the message here.

Want to make sure you don’t miss any Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana event? You can now subscribe to our Church Calendar. All regular and occasional church events are kept up to date. All you have to do is subscribe.

You can view all scheduled events on our Calendar Page or subscribe and see all events in your own calendar app (instructions here).

Christmas Sunday Service - Sunday, December 23rd @10:30am. Heninger Elementary School

Christmas Eve Service - Monday, December 24th @6:00pm. Women’s Club of Orange

Christmas Sunday Service - Sunday, December 23rd @10:30am. Heninger Elementary School

Christmas Eve Service - Monday, December 24th @6:00pm. Women’s Club of Orange

Small Groups, Men’s and Women’s Group Cancelled This December

There is an irony that though we intend for the Christmas season to be a time of drawing near to the Lord and family, our "hearts [are] as busy as Bethlehem" and consequently, we can be in danger of leaving as much room in our hearts for Him as there was in the Inn the night of His birth.

Thus, we'll be cancelling small group, men's meeting and women's meeting for the remainder of December, 2018.

For The Sake of Drawing Near To Christ and One Another

BUT, it's for the sake of "preparing Him room" and prioritizing fellowship with one another. So, consider doing the following:

- Get together with at least two people/couples/families for dinner over the next couple weeks on nights that you have open.

- Use the few free evenings that you have this Christmas season to have times of family worship and devotion

- Go through an advent devotional as a family (recommendations here)

- Gather a smaller group of friends from the church for a fun, optional Christmas activity to enjoy one anothers' company

Let's worship our incarnate Savior this December on Sundays and intentionally make room for Him in our lives and families throughout the week