GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE

Christ was born to be the Savior of sinners. A category that includes us all. Yet, not all have received him. Why is this? What sort of sinner is able to receive the joy he came to bring? Mary's story & song key us in: the humble. Christmas joy comes to us as a gift that's unearned, undeserved, and unconcerned with our pride. Mary takes God at his word and rejoices in her Savior. Elizabeth & John leap and shout for joy. And all those "who fear" the Lord shall receive his mercy and join in Mary's song (Lk 1:50). Rightly understood, Christmas is the most wonderful & humbling event of all time. God coming to us when we could not come to him to do for us what we could not do ourselves. To those who seek to have their hunger satisfied by the Lord, he fills with goods things, but to those who believe they've come into a better joy than what God provides, he sends away empty (Lk 1:53). We're all sinners - the message of Christmas makes that clear. But, the wonder and warning of the gospel is this: that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (Jas 4:6) - as the meaning of Mary's song makes clear. The birth of Jesus was not a silent night. It was an utter upturning & reversing of men's values & joys - destabilizing the proud and comfortable of the world and satisfying humble sinners who were hungry for the joy that God alone could provide.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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

THANKS TO THE MADRIGALS FOR HOSTING

Our annual Christmas party is in the books. An evening of sharing in the joy that Jesus was born to bring. We gathered, we gifted, we awarded and we enjoyed God’s grace in one another. Take a look at some of the pictures and give glory to God.

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