THE GIVERS AND RECEIVERS OF CHRISTMAS

The Book of Acts has been teaching us about the timeless traits we find in the church. Christmas is the timeless story of the coming of God’s promised Messiah.

This Christmas, we’ll be examining 5 more characters in the cast of Christmas who all teach us about the wonder of God’s generous nature and what it means to receive God’s gift, this Christ. In this third and final installment of “The Cast of Christmas”, we’ll meet the following givers and receivers:

Anna

God The Holy Spirit

God the Father

Jesus

Us

We look forward to spending this Christmas season with you. 

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday falling on the 4th Thursday of this month, our monthly women’s meeting has been postponed until the following week on December 3rd.

WHERE DO YOU LOOK DURING TIMES OF ADJUSTMENT FOR STABILITY AND CERTAINTY?

The early church was undergoing a massive, even historic, change in Acts 11. Peter was making some big claims. Things were happening that were unprecedented among God’s people. Jesus’ disciples were having to adjust. In that adjustment, God graciously provided evidence that He indeed was behind this movement; He provided proof of His presence to assure His people that making this adjustment was something that He had ordained and He would give grace for. For us, 2020 has been a season of constant adjustment. Where do you look for stability and courage? The proof of God’s presence is all around you. You might just need to open your eyes to it …

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

OUR SUNDAY MEETING WILL RESUME

A regular attendee tested positive for Coronavirus on Friday, 11/20. The positive test traces back to an exposure made on Monday, 11/16. Those in the church who had been exposed after Monday have been contacted and encouraged to remain home until a negative test result has been acquired. Those who haven’t been exposed may still plan on attending our in-person gathering tomorrow (11/22), provided you’re not showing any symptoms and follow recommended CDC guidelines during our service. Those remaining at home can still access the Sunday service via livestream.

THIS ISN’T THE LAST TIME THIS WILL HAPPEN. WE HAVE A PLAN.

You can read our church’s official Covid-19 protocols here and read CDC guidelines here for greater detail. For the sake of simplicity, though, the following three points summarize the essentials of how we intend to respond and how we’re asking you to respond in the case of future exposures or positive test results:

1. If you have knowingly been exposed, please contact the pastoral team ASAP. It’s recommended that you acquire a Covid-19 test and remain at home until a fully-informed collaborative decision can be made on the basis of contact tracing, negative test results and other factors.

2. If a small group/church gathering attendee tests positive and is suspected to have been positive during the time of a church gathering, the decision will be made to either contact trace and recommend that those exposed follow the steps outlined in point #1 or (in the case that a significant number in the church have been significantly exposed) move subsequent gatherings to the virtual context entirely until the threat has subsided.

3. If you do test positive yourself, contact the pastoral team ASAP and follow all CDC guidelines including a 10-day quarantine followed by a negative test result and inform all those with whom you’ve had personal contact since exposure as soon as possible.

We know you might be growing weary. We are too. But we have been given the sustaining grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let’s continue to go to Him in prayer, depend on the strengthening of His Spirit, love one another despite continued differences in perspective and give God glory as we continue to endure.

See you at 7pm

Our regularly scheduled mid week programs are up and running again, following careful guidelines to ensure the health of all attendees. These meetings will occur outdoors until further notice, with 6 feet of social distance between each member present and masks will be required in observance of CA Guidelines. Childcare will not be provided.

DTSA SMALL GROUP: HOULTON’S YARD

"EAST SANTA ANA” SMALL GROUP: ERKELENS’ YARD

We have seating spaced out for families, hand sanitizer available and masks available for those that don’t have one. If you are not quite comfortable joining us in person yet, we will have a “Zoom In” option available for all.

If you have any questions or concerns about small groups or need an address, please send an email to office@crossofgracesa.org.

WHY DO WE PRAY TOGETHER BEFORE EACH SUNDAY SERVICE?

Every Sunday morning, before our church service begins, we head to the front entrance of the Ebell Club to briefly pray together. Why?

• Because it’s an expression of our dependence - Though we have worked together each Sunday to set up and prepare for a Sunday service, we need God to accomplish what we simply can’t - to orient our hearts toward praise as we sing, to implant the Truth of His Word in our kids, to save our neighbors and to grow us through the preaching of the Gospel, to convict sin and lead to repentance. Prayer is an essential expression of dependence on Him.

• Because it reminds us it’s not about us - To orient our hearts around the reality that our Sunday gathering is not about us, but about the worship of our Triune God.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

We encourage anyone and everyone who’s present on-site to join Sunday pre-service prayer, whether you’re a member or not. You don’t need to be a pastor or a ministry leader to join this brief 5-minute prayer gathering. If you arrive early and see us praying, please know you are welcome to walk up and join us in prayer.

WHERE AND WHEN?

Each Sunday morning at 9:40am at the front of and just to the left of the entrance to the Ebell Club (outdoors to comply with guidelines and not in the courtyard to avoid praying while the worship team is rehearsing.

NOV 16th-22nd

Every Tuesday we publish a blog to share what’s going in the life of the church for that week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th: SMALL GROUPS

• Houlton Small Group - 7:00pm at the Houlton Home

• Erkelens Small Group - 7:00pm at the Erkelens Home

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00am - Meeting Room - Outdoor Courtyard.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23: FALL CLASS SESSION 6

• 7:00pm - Via Zoom. Link will be emailed to all registrants on Sunday.

WE’RE BACK IN THE PURPLE TIER

On Monday, November 16th, Governor Newsom announced that Orange County has dropped back into the Purple Tier in California’s reopening safety plan. For the latest information and updates on the Coronavirus in California, please visit this website.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CROSS OF GRACE?

1. Very little will change for us. We’ve been prepared for this. We will still be holding service outside. Guidelines for Places of Worship still permit us to do so while in the purple tier, following a careful set of guidelines . This may mean that if we have a rainy or windy Sunday that we’ll need to do an occasional virtual service while in the purple tier, but this would be the exception, not the rule.

2. Face-masks must be worn at all times except if you are seated and sitting 6 feet away from the next household. If you’re walking around, talking or less than 6 ft away, we ask that you wear your mask. We will have masks available on Sundays should you need one.

3. We’re (still) being flexible. We know that by next Sunday, a whole new set of guidelines could be in place. If that happens, we will work swiftly to adhere to those new rules and communicate any necessary changes to you.

4. Prayer is as important as ever. More of our neighbors are being infected. Wisdom is desperately needed by leaders - from pastors to mayors to governors to know how to continue to respond appropriately to the latest developments. But God is still God. We need Him and He delights to give wisdom and grace to those who ask (James 1:5).

JESUS IS THE COMMON LORD OF OUR UNCOMMON LIVES

Equality is such a universally sought-after idea this day and age that it hardly sounds uniquely Christian to say that Jesus came to “break down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 2:14) between peoples. However, Acts 10 tells the story of Peter’s vision and the conversion of Cornelius - a gentile - during a time when only Jews were understood to have the privilege of God’s blessing. So long as equality and unity were on the basis of shared outward characteristics, some would always be excluded - that’s why it’s such a difficult and seemingly impossible thing to achieve today. But the kind of unity Jesus achieved through His blood and the unity that was demonstrated through the conversion of Cornelius is one that is unique. It’s better. There’s nothing like it in the world. Because it’s a unity and equality that transcends our outward characteristics and is found in a common Lord - Jesus Christ. Listen to the sermon to learn more.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

Our Sunday Livestreams are now Taking Place on Youtube

For those of you joining us via livestream at home, you may have noticed it looks a little different than normal! Rather then live-streaming via Facebook, our Sunday morning livestream is now done via Youtube! We made the decision to switch to Youtube streaming after having several issues week after week with Facebook. We are happy to report that streaming via YouTube should give you a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

We know this is different for many of you.

Youtube may not come as easily as Facebook to some- so we want to equip you with all the information you will need to view or troubleshoot!

1. The Livestream Link will still be posted on our Facebook page. Sunday mornings, just head to our page and you will see a post with the date and a Youtube link underneath it. Click that link!

2. This will open up Youtube for you in a new window. From this page, you will see the video playing as well as an option to “Live Chat”.

3. Live chat is where you can comment, let us know you are watching, and where we will post all links for the offering, etc!

If you are ever having any trouble on a Sunday morning, feel free to send us an email or send us a message on Facebook! We have members standing by to help you!

Thank you for your flexibility as we switch & make sure to share this page with any friends or family who are joining us via livestream