Advent is a season marked by waiting and anticipation. The word Advent comes from a Latin word that means arrival or coming. In Advent we wait and anticipate the arrival of Christmas morning, and in our waiting, we are reminded of Israel's long waiting for the anticipated arrival of the Messiah. As we are reminded of their waiting, we too are reminded that we are in our own moment of waiting as we wait for not just Christmas morning, but the arrival of Christ's return. In Advent we are reminded that Christ has come and is coming again one day.
As we await Christ's return our Advent sermon series will take us through the family tree of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17. In this series we will see how the God we wait on in this Advent season works through the unconventional and improbable to bring a new beginning out of what has been broken. In this series through Matthew 1:1-17 we will see how the family Jesus came from reveals to us who Jesus came for.
Today’s Worship
O Come, All Ye Faithful
The First Noel
Advent Candle Lighting/ Reading
What Child Is This?
Scripture
Matthew 1; 12-17
Message
"Oh, Come All Ye Unfaithful."
Glory (Let There Be Peace)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
December Mission of the Month: Ele's Place provides onsite and school-based bereavement programming for children ages 3-18 who have experienced a death in their lives. These programs are provided at no cost to their families and provide children and teens with an opportunity to safely grieve. Initial programming at Ele's Place began in 1991 and served many children in the Lansing area. Today, with 30+ years of history, they have served more than 43,000 individuals and have branch locations across the state of Michigan.
Blue Christmas Service: This afternoon, at 3:00 pm. The merry and bright season of Christmas can be hard for those who have experienced loss. This Advent season we want to give space to all of those who are mourning and grieving any type of loss and pain in their lives. However fresh or processed your grief is, we invite you to join us as we light candles in mourning our losses and in the hope of the Light that shines in the darkness.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service: This Tuesday, December 24th, at 6pm. Join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior through scripture, songs, the lighting of the Christ candle, and a Christmas message.
No CONNECT: There will be no CONNECT dinner or youth group meetings on Wednesday, December 25th, or Wednesday, January 1st due to the holidays. We will resume meeting on Wednesday, January 8th.
Mobile Food Bank: We will have another mobile food bank here at Immanuel on Saturday, January 4th, from 9-11 am. If you would like to help sort and put food into cars, please sign up via our website.
Save the Dates:
1/1- No CONNECT, New Year’s Day
1/4- Mobile Food Bank, 9-11 am
1/5- Worship, 10:00 am
1/5- Burcham Life Group, 11:30 am
1/7- Deacon’s Meeting, 6:00 pm
1/7- Elder’s Meeting, 6:30 pm
1/7- Consistory Meeting, 7:30 pm
1/8- CONNECT Wednesday, 5:30 pm
1/12- Worship/ Communion, 10:00 am
1/12- Burcham Life Group, 11:30 am
1/14- Afternoon Life Group, 2:30 pm
1/14- Men’s Study, 7:00 pm
1/15- CONNECT Wednesday, 5:30 pm
Giving:
The offering plate is located at the front of the sanctuary. You may also submit an offering online at www.icrclansing.org.
Local Needs:
Personal Needs Closet: Provides personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies to families in need. We currently need laundry soap or pods, women’s shampoo & conditioner, shaving cream, bleach, and All-purpose cleaners . Please place donations in the baskets under the mailboxes outside of the sanctuary.
CONNECT Wednesdays
CONNECT Dinner – 5:30 pm.
A free meal for the whole family
Connect Kids - 6:15-7:00 pm.
3 Yrs. Old-5th Grade
They will learn about Jesus, sing songs, read bible stories, do arts and crafts, play games, and more!
Jr. High Youth - 6:15- 7:30pm.
6th- 8th Grade
Sr. High Youth- 7:00-9:00 pm
9th-12th Grade
Calling Team Assignments:
In an effort to offer more personalized care to our church members, we have divided each member into smaller groups with one Elder and one Deacon as a resource and contact person. If you need prayer or have a question or concern, please call the Elder or Deacon that you are assigned to according to your last name.
Last Name A-D
Elder Janet V
Deacon Fred H
Last Name E-H
Elder Bruce T
Deacon Sally K
Last Name J-P
Elder Dave S
Deacon Kerri Mi
Last Name R-W
Elder Matt O
Deacon Nate E
Your Leaders are so thankful for your fervent prayers:
Thank you for praying for the ICRC staff and ministry team leaders.
Friends with Health Concerns
Mark B, June B, John B, David C, Joe C, Howard J. C, Don F, Sandy F, Nancy F, John F, Carol G
Kathy G, Roland H, Emily J, Barb K, Dianne K, Dave N, Yvonne N, Marcia N, and Wayne S.
Prayer Requests
Prayer Chain: icrcprayer@icrclansing.org
You may also submit requests via our “Prayer Box”, located near the mailboxes outside of the sanctuary, you can call and talk to Stacia, our church secretary, or you may reach out to Marcia J, the leader of our prayer team directly.
If you would like to become a part of the ICRC Prayer Chain, please sign up on the “Bulletin Board” tab via our website.