HE’S BEEN THE CHURCH INTERN - NOW HE’S THE PASTORAL RESIDENT

Jason Roenicke has been serving for the past year as Cross of Grace Santa Ana’s intern. We’ve wondered if God has called Jason to be a pastor at Cross of Grace Santa Ana. And we believe it’s a task given to the local church to assess the calling and gifting of a potential pastor.

WE ASKED FOR YOUR FEEDBACK - IT WAS ALL POSITIVE

Now that we’ve heard from you, he’s officially moving from intern to resident. What does this mean? It means that his role in the church is transitioning from one in which the primary purpose was evaluation to one in which the primary purpose is preparation. During an internship, we’re saying, “we wonder if this man is called to pastoral ministry”. During a residency, we’re saying, “we believe that God is calling this man to pastoral ministry”. The next phase after this would be ordination, during which we would together declare, “this man is called by God to be a pastor of this church.”

Continue to pray for Jason. Continue to give any feedback you might have. Rejoice in the work of God in him and in this church. Begin to look to Jason as one the Lord has positioned to lead and shepherd this local flock of God in the near future.

PARTICIPATING IN GOSPEL PARTNERSHIP THROUGH PRAYER

We joyfully partner with Sovereign Grace Churches. We’re grateful that we’re not on our own as we carry out our mission. One way we express that partnership is through prayer. Below are the 4th quarter 2022 global prayer requests from Sovereign Grace Churches. Join us as we pray for our gospel partners:

• Pray that God would draw unbelievers to Sovereign Grace churches as we hold our Christmas related events and services in December.

• Pray that God would give the members of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelieving family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers over the holiday season.

• Pray for the Arche Church in Dnipro, Ukraine that Sovereign Grace is relating to, and sending money for war relief efforts, asking God to protect them, and to use them to offer gospel hope as the war continues in that nation.

• Pray for the men who are participating in our Church Planting Cohort: Ramon Flores (Yuma, AZ), Gabriel Magill (Warren, PA), Perry Wang (Charleston, SC), Jeremy Hetrick (Harrisburg, PA), asking God to use the Cohort to equip them to plant a Sovereign Grace church in the next year or two.

• Pray for Dave Taylor (Director of Global Missions) and the Sovereign Grace Leadership Team asking God to give them wisdom in exploring partnership opportunities with churches in Poland and Sweden.

• Pray that God would use the Sovereign Grace Music “Prepare Him Room” concerts in various cities in December to celebrate the birth of Christ and to declare the good news of the gospel.

• Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

GRAB A COUPLE FRIENDS AND HEAD TO DTSA FOR ICE SKATING AND WINTER FUN

Santa Ana Winter Village is back again for a second year, right in the heart of Santa Ana. All ages can enjoy an outdoor ice-skating rink, live entertainment, holiday shopping, local food trucks, and much more.  Family-friendly activities available throughout the month.

Head to their events page for more information on full month-long event details, directions, parking and other activities.

DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11

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:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

IF IT WEREN’T FOR OUR SIN, JESUS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN BORN

Last week we learned that Christ was born from sinners for sinners. But in what way did Jesus come for sinners? To raise their spirits? To be an example? To inspire them to be better people? Or to rescue them from an otherwise inescapable situation? Matthew 1:18-25 teaches us that Jesus was not born to be an example, inspiration, or sentimental piece of tradition - he was born to be a Savior. To save us from the sins which deserved God’s wrath and separated us from God’s presence. In this way, Christmas is a confrontation before it’s a celebration. An annual reminder that it took the Son of God taking on flesh to save me from my sin. But, once we’ve been confronted, we’re made ready to celebrate the only Savior who, unlike so many “so-called saviors,” doesn’t mock our deepest hopes, but fulfills them.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

The Dawn of Redeeming Grace: Daily Devotions for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson

Benefit from the pastoral wisdom and care of Sinclair Ferguson as he opens up the first two chapters of Matthew's Gospel in these daily devotions for Advent. Each day’s reflection is full of insight and application, and will help you to arrive at Christmas Day awed by God's redeeming grace and refreshed by the hope of God’s promised king.

Purchase a Copy of the devotional here

plan to be AT THE MADRIGAL HOME THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2ND AT 6:30PM

Howdy partners, it’s time to party! Join us at our annual Christmas potluck for an evening of fellowship, fun, and white elephant gift exchanges as we celebrate the coming of Christ!

HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT:

1. Costume Contest - Compete to win the “Costume of Christmas” Award. Bonus points will be assigned if your costume pairs with your potluck item!

2. White Elephant Gift Exchange - We’ll have 2 gift exchanges, one for the kids and one for adults. Please bring a pre-wrapped & unlabeled gift to enter the exchange. For the kids, just grab something from around the house. For adults, there’s a $5 spending limit, but we encourage you to find something fun around the house if you can.

3. Potluck - We’re calling on you to help us have plenty of tasty Christmas treats to eat and drink. Please follow the general outline below when bringing a potluck item to share:

   • If you are a party of 1-2, bring a drink and/or dessert to share

   • If you are a party of 3, bring a side dish to share

   • If you are a party of 4 or more, bring a main dish to share

NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 4

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:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2: ALL-CHURCH CHRISTMAS PARTY

• 6:30 pm - Madrigal Home

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

WEEKLY MEETINGS ARE CANCELLED FOR DECEMBER

In the world of agriculture, soil must remain “fallow” once every few years to maintain its fertility for years to come. To lie fallow is to lie unplowed and unplanted for a time in order for nutrients to be restored. In the month of December, we are letting our church calendar lie fallow. Why? Not so that you can pull away from the life of the church, but instead to press into natural and more intimate opportunities to relate to your church family and neighbors. The holiday season is notoriously one of the busiest times of the year. We want to help you to take advantage of the few free moments you have to spend unhurried, unscheduled time with one another and with family for the grand purpose of allowing your heart to be re-fertilized by the work of Christ, fellowship with the saints and companionship with unbelieving neighbors.

WHAT’S NOT CANCELLED?

• REGULAR SUNDAY SERVICES

• CHRISTMAS PARTY ON DECEMBER 2 (MADRIGAL HOME at 6:30PM)

• CHRISTMAS Day SERVICE (Ebell Club at 10:00 AM)

If you ever have any questions about church events, you can look to our church calendar, which is always updated to reflect changes to meetings or events.

Subscribe to the church calendar here.

WHO JESUS WAS BORN FROM TEACHES US WHO HE WAS BORN FOR

As we begin our 2022 Christmas Series on the birth stories of Christ, we begin by taking a look at his family tree. What sort of people did he descend from? What kind of men and women did the Second Person of the Trinity deem fit to relate to as he took on flesh and entered into the world? The answer in Matthew's genealogy should surprise us. It's a family tree of sinners, foreigners, and imperfect people! God chose weak, weary, and unfaithful ones to be the ones through whom his Son would come. They seem like unlikely candidates, but who else could he pick? Who else but a family line of sinners for the Son of God who’d come to save sinners? In the drama of the Christmas story, these are the men and women we relate to. We are the unfaithful ones, born in sin and suffering under the curse, who receive the rescue of God's own Son. Christ was born for them, Christ is born for us.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE