IF WE MISS WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR WORLD, WE’LL MISS WHAT MAKES OUR WORLD RIGHT

Last time in Mark, Jesus confronted the disciples' hardness of heart and unbelief (6:52). In the following scene, he encounters opposition from those who focus upon cleanliness of their hands while their hearts remain far from God (7:6). In the scribes' and Pharisees' zealous observance of the ceremonies and traditions of the elders, they'd actually come to abandon God's moral law (7:1-13). All the outward cleanliness, ritual, and observances were powerless to cleanse what was actually morally defiled: their hearts. No amount of ceremonial washing, law-keeping, or personal strategies can cleanse us to the core (7:14-23). We need God to do a cleansing work in us and in so doing, draw our hearts near to Him. It’s something that nothing but the blood of Jesus can do.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

ALL THE MAIN SESSIONS AND BREAKOUT LECTURES ARE AVAILABLE BELOW

This year as the pastors and wives of Sovereign Grace gathered to celebrate 40 years of God’s faithfulness, we were blessed with a week of faithful teaching. We were freshly reminded of the power of the cross, our call to reach the lost, and the grace of our partnership together as a family of churches. Your pastoral team encourages you to listen to all 4 of these main sessions. They’ll bless your soul, build you up, and spur you on in gospel mission.

In addition to these, we highly recommend the breakout session, “The Untapped Treasure of Wisdom Literature” by Josh Blount. In this excellent lecture on the Book of Ecclesiastes, Josh holds forth the good news that in the vanity, tragedy, and difficulty of life under the sun, God has given it to us to “be joyful” (Ecc 8:15). This truth meets us where we all live in the frustration, heartache, and thistles & thorns reality that characterizes so much of our lives and injects gospel hope. We can’t commend this one enough to you.

WATCH OR LISTEN TO ALL THE SESSIONS HERE

CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS

This Sunday we’ll begin our worship of the King of Ages with a song that’s been sung throughout the ages. Originally penned in 1851, this song lifts our gaze to “the Lamb upon his throne,” whom we crown with praise as the Lord of life, Lord of lords, and wonderful Lord of love. Give the song a listen here, meditate upon the lyrics below, and marvel at the majesty of Christ. Can’t wait to sing together this Sunday!

VERSE 1

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne

Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own

Awake, my soul and sing of Him who died for thee

And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity

VERSE 2

Crown Him the Lord of life who triumphed o’er the grave

And rose victorious to the strife for those He came to save

His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high

Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die

VERSE 3

Crown Him the Lord of Lords, Who over all doth reign

Who once on earth, the incarnate Word for ransomed sinners slain

Now lives in realms of light where saints with angels sing

Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King

VERSE 4

Crown Him the Lord of heaven, enthroned in worlds above

Crown Him the King to whom is given, the wondrous name of Love

Crown Him with many crowns as thrones before Him fall

Crown Him, ye kings with many crowns for He is King of all

JOIN US FOR FRIENDSGIVING ON 11/17

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’re moving our monthly Women’s Meeting up a week. This month, the ladies of CGSA will gather to share in an informal Friendsgiving dinner as they share in the grace of friendship. No turkeys, potatoes, or fancy dishes necessary. We’re keeping it simple. We’ll have appetizers, snacks, and desserts for you to enjoy as we spend the evening celebrating God’s goodness through our relationships and giving thanks to his name.

NEXT THURSDAY AT 6:30PM AT THE SCHLIEDER HOME

JOIN US AT THE MADRIGAL HOME ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2ND AT 6:30PM

You're invited to our annual Christmas potluck to enjoy an evening of fellowship, fun, and white elephant gift exchanges as we celebrate the coming of Christ!

OUR THEME THIS YEAR IS COWBOY CHRISTMAS

Our celebration will include some friendly competition: come dressed in your favorite cowboy attire and compete to win the "Costume of Christmas” Award!

DIGITAL CHECK-IN STARTS NOVEMBER 20TH

The day has finally arrived - we're rolling out a digital check-in process for our Children's Ministry. After 5 years, the future is now. Digital check-in is here! Our hope is to simplify check-in for guests and volunteers, while still prioritizing the safety of our kids. Beginning Sunday 11/20, you’ll notice a new table in the lobby. You’ll see a Children’s Ministry Check-In sign, some instructions, and a few QR codes. You can check your kids into Children’s Ministry early there. This is what it will look like:

• Scan the QR code on the table.

• Fill out the registration form. We’re switching check in systems, so you’ll need to fill out a new child registration form.

• After you’ve completed the one-time registration form, you can check-in your children through our online Check-In form, grab a sticker and you’re free to drop off your child during the 3-minute break.

Overall, this will help make check in easier and give you more time to talk to and meet new people during the break. We are encouraging all families to complete the pre-check in process before the start of service.

THIS WILL BE THE LAST MEN’S MEETING OF 2022

All guys, 15 years and older, are invited to participate in a conversation where "men talk like men" about God. The topics are chosen to challenge the group and promote humble theological dialogue. Meets every second Thursday at the 4th Street Market patio at 7:00 pm.

NOVEMBER 7 - NOVEMBER 14

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10: MEN’S MEETING

• 7:00 pm - Fourth Street Market Patio

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Theater

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14: FALL FINANCE CLASS

• 7:00 pm - Cunningham Home

BY GOD’S GRACE, WE CELEBRATED A MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY AS A CHURCH IN SANTA ANA

November 5th marked the FIFTH anniversary of our first service in Downtown Santa Ana! By God’s grace, this church was planted, sustained, and has been richly blessed through his faithful love over the years. Praise God for building his church, bringing the increase, and binding us all together to share in and celebrate the joy of Jesus!

We gathered this past Sunday for a celebration, which included a nacho and churro bar, a testimony from many members past and present, our annual kickball game, a piñata and lots of great fellowship with one another. Enjoy some pictures that captured our celebration!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL ALBUM

Jason Roenicke has been serving for the past 11 months as an intern at Cross of Grace Santa Ana. The role he’s occupied is one which serves the purpose of equipping and of evaluation. We’ve wondered if God has called Jason to be a pastor of Cross of Grace Santa Ana. He wonders the same thing. And we believe it’s a task given to the local church to assess the calling and gifting of a potential pastor.

ONE MORE WEEK TO SUBMIT YOUR FEEDBACK ON JASON’S INTERNSHIP

So far, we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. We’re grateful to God for the work that seems to be evidenced in his life. However, we won’t assume we’ve heard everything from you. Before Jason proceeds on to the next stage of being positioned as a leader in our church, we’re giving you a final opportunity to provide your assessment of his leadership, character and influence in the church. Maybe it’s nothing but good reports and evidence of God’s grace. If so, go ahead and tell us. We want to be prudent where we need to be prudent and celebrate where we can celebrate.

YOUR THOUGHTS CAN BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THIS FORM.