Simeon Had Finally Seen What He Had Longed His Whole Life For

In the fourth installment of this year’s “Cast of Christmas” series, we met Simeon, a man who had longed for “The Consolation of Israel” - God’s promised Messiah. When he finally met him in the form of a baby, so satisfied was Simeon that he was ready “to depart in peace”. Simeon is perhaps the most vivid picture of “longing satisfied” in the narrative of the first Christmas. He longed for the comfort that God had promised to his people through His Anointed One and He experienced such deep satisfaction in his encounter with that very one that there was no longer anything better the earth could offer him. If you long for comfort and satisfaction of that kind, listen to last Sunday’s message.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

It’s the Kids Turn for a Christmas Party

We are partnering with Sovereign Grace Church of Orange to throw a Christmas party for kids ages 4-11! The Sovereign Grace Youth group (Middle school & High school students from both churches) are hosting an afternoon of fun for the kids.

Here are the Details:

Date: Monday, December 23rd from 1pm-3pm

Location: Turbedsky home (Address will be provided with RSVP)

Games, Crafts, Snacks and Storytime.

Parents are welcome to drop off or stay to hang out.

Please RSVP to Kirsi Turbedsky (turbo.kirsi@gmail.com) with children's name and ages.

2020 Hospitality Challenge

For the last two years, every first Friday, we’ve encouraged you to join with your church family in a “First Friday Fast”. These were opportunities for us to practice the disciplines of praying and fasting, while bearing the needs and burdens of one another and our neighbors together in a unique way.

As we enter this new year, we have a new Second Friday opportunity for you - and it relates to how you use both your home and your time for the glory of God and the good of our Santa Ana neighbors. The challenge is simple - every first Friday, share a meal with a person or a family outside of our church. This can be in your home, their home or at another location.

Every Second Friday, Share a Meal With A Person or a Family Outside of Our Church

Why hospitality? Because it’s one of the best ways to get to know and love new neighbors. Author Tim Chester says,

“Few acts are more expressive of companionship than the shared meal… . Someone with whom we share food is likely to be our friend, or well on the way to becoming one.”

In this, we’re simply following the model of Jesus, who used food as a means for effective Gospel ministry:

“Jesus spent his time eating and drinking—a lot of his time … His mission strategy was a long meal, stretching into the evening. He did evangelism and discipleship round a table with some grilled fish, a loaf of bread, and a pitcher of wine.”

More details to come. For questions, email office@sovgracesantaana.org.

Santa Ana has a New Farmer’s Market

Looking for an opportunity to buy certified farmer’s market food in Santa Ana? A new farmers market has just opened up, led by Native Harvest Events. The Farmer’s market will take place every Monday from 10am-12pm in the Santa Ana Civic center courtyard, behind the library. For more info, check out this website.

We Have A New Planning Center Online (PCO) Services Account

SGSA has officially migrated to our own Planning Center Online (PCO) Services account. Until now, we have been sharing an account with Sovereign Grace Church of Orange and are very grateful to them for this. However, by the grace of God, as both of our churches are growing, it makes the most sense for us to be on our own plan. 

If you volunteer on any of our service teams on Sundays, you should have received an email from our church Admin, Krista Alvarez regarding what you need to do to make the switch. If you did not receive the email or need additional help, you can contact her here.

Thank you all for your patience in this transition and for serving our church and our Santa Ana neighbors. 

Who Can You Invite to Our Christmas Services?

Our 2019 Christmas services are coming up and this year, for the first time ever, we will be hosting a Christmas Eve service in Downtown Santa Ana. These services are an opportunity for us to reach out to our friends, family, and neighbors - many of whom may not know the deep and all-satisfying joy of the birth of Christ. Who can you think of who might do well to hear the Gospel proclaimed through the advent of the Savior into the world this Christmas?

CHRISTMAS SUNDAY SERVICE - SUNDAY, DECEMBER22, 10:30AM @ HENINGER ELEMENTARY

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 5:30PM @ HENINGER ELEMENTARY

We Love to Celebrate

Last Friday we gathered together to celebrate the season in our favorite way - a festive Christmas party! We had a gift exchange, watched a movie and sampled everyone’s favorite holiday dishes (which included fried rice, spaghetti, mole and tamales). Enjoy these photos marking our annual party! We are already looking forward to next year.

Do You Long For Truth?

There weren’t necessarily three of them. They probably weren’t kings. They weren’t present at the birth of Jesus. The Magi are some of the most well-known members of the “Cast of Christmas”, but at the same time, their role in the story is shrouded in untruth. Curiously, the Magi were in fact those who spent their lives seeking for truth - in various religions, in natural phenomena and in the stars, yet what they found when the followed one particular star was Truth itself, Jesus Christ. When they found Him, they literally “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”. Do you long to know truth? Do you long to know the answers to life’s deepest and most troubling questions? Do you long to know that your life has meaning, what true morality is, if there is a God, what He is like, how you should live and what this all means? Your journey for the answers to these questions, like the Magi, will not end until you encounter Jesus.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

Good News of Great Joy (Buenas Nuevas de Gran Gozo) by John Piper

By recommending a new book every month, we’re recommending resources to you that help you to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18). You do not have to purchase or read these books. They’re mere recommendations to assist you in choosing good books that help you to make the best use of the precious time you have.

December’s book of the month is Good News of Great Joy ( Buenas Nuevas De Gran Gozo) by John Piper. This is an advent devotional for you to use with your family that is reminder of the good news of Jesus’s coming to earth. The other good news about this book is that it is available for FREE PDF download in both English & Spanish! Download a copy today and take some time to dig into this advent reading this Christmas season.

Download the book in English here.

Download the book in Spanish here.

Invite Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors

Our 2019 Christmas services are coming up and this year, for the first time ever, we will be hosting a Christmas Eve service in Downtown Santa Ana. These services are an opportunity for us to reach out to our friends, family, and neighbors - many of whom may not know the deep and all-satisfying joy of the birth of Christ. Who can you think of who might do well to hear the Gospel proclaimed through the advent of the Savior into the world this Christmas?

Christmas Sunday Service - Sunday, December22, 10:30am @ Heninger Elementary

Christmas Eve Service - Tuesday, December 24, 5:30pm @ Heninger Elementary