NLCC Advent

For the past several days, our family has been longing to be together. Our oldest has been away at college and we have missed her. And I’m pretty sure she has missed us 😊.
 
Yesterday, as we waited for her arrival, we got a text that said, “ETA 5:12.”

As time passed, I noticed most everyone looking at the clock…calculating the arrival.


Why? We love each other and we love being with each other.
 
And herein lies the beauty of the Christmas story. God made people in His own image to live under His gracious rule, but beginning in the garden, each person has rebelled against that rule. We have sinned against God, creating a relational separation.
 
However, God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
 
This is the time of year we celebrate the gift of Jesus coming to earth. As the Apostle John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
 
Not only did Jesus come, but He is coming again. And when He does, Jesus will set up a loving reign that will last for eternity.
 
At the same time, the headlines of sickness and pain tell another story. So, together, we long for Jesus to come back and bring peace and love to the earth. And since we don’t have an exact ETA, every year before Christmas we have a specific season of longing for His return called Advent.
 
We would love to celebrate this Advent Season together. Here are some specific opportunities through New Life: 

• Advent Sermon series – This Sunday we begin our Advent Sermon series by studying the Messianic Psalms. Each Sunday we invite you to either WATCH ONLINE LIVE at 10:45 am (complete with discussion before and after the service) OR attend an in-person gathering with a mask at 8:00, 9:15 or 10:45 am (we’ve added an additional service to ensure social distancing).
• NLCC Advent on Social Media – Please go to (and follow) our NLCC Instagram and Facebook pages to see our Advent post of the day. Although we are not able to gather as often as we would like, we want to provide you another “connection point” during this special season.
• Christmas Eve Services – We are recording a full-length service to watch on-line or in person if we can safely gather on Christmas Eve.
• Podcasts – You can watch previous podcasts on various topics or look for upcoming podcasts about Advent on our YouTube Chanel…don’t forget to subscribe 😊.
• If you are struggling with discouragement or loneliness during this season, please either reply to this email or send a note to info@newlifekc.org and someone from our pastoral team will reach out.

This Sunday, I sure hope you can watch our Live Stream at 10:45 am on YouTube and Facebook or attend in person at 8:00, 9:15, or 10:45 am.
Have a great day,
Troy

Darkest before dawn…

“It’s darkest before dawn” and “Pressure creates diamonds” are two of my favorite inspirations for difficult times.

This past week we have watched COVID-19 numbers climb and as a result, governing bodies have tightened restrictions.

So we have a choice, complain or adapt and make the best of it all…

It’s easy to complain about COVID, but consider this…some of the greatest accomplishments have come during pandemics:

• John Milton wrote Paradise Lost
• Giovanni Boccaccio wrote The Decameron
• William Shakespeare’s life was full of plagues and he still managed to write titles such as Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra
• Isaac Newton began observing laws of motion and gravity and invented calculus

After reading this list, I feel like an underachiever, however, at least I’ve improved on my handwashing techniques.

This Sunday, Pastor Dave will be sharing a sermon from John 14:12-17 entitled “The Outrageous Promise” about the promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. This happened just before the betrayal and crucifixion. Pastor Dave will also share a personal story about God’s grace and blessing during some of the darkest times in Eastern Europe.

It is important to consider how God’s provision for His people in the 1st century is still available to each of us in the 21^st century.

This Sunday only, we will not gather for in-person services. We will Live Stream the service at 10:45 am on YouTube and Facebook. Since we are online, during our time of reflection we will also encourage you to participate in the holy ordinance of communion at home. We invite you to prepare ahead to have bread and wine/juice.

Starting next week, in addition to our Live Stream at 10:45 am, we are adding a third service to ensure we are able to adequately distance in the auditorium. Our new service times will be 8:00, 9:15, and 10:45 am.

As you prepare for this weekend, I challenge you to prioritize attending church online. It may provide just the inspiration you need to write the next classic 😊…for the sake of our kids, I would stay away from the math.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

If you quit, you forfeit…

Recently, I was watching our two youngest play checkers. Everything was going well until someone started winning…which means someone also started losing.

Within a few short moves, tempers began to flare.

The beautiful moment with two children playing a game together had turned into an argument which turned into a fight which turned into me having to intervene and tell them both “it’s just a game”…”if you quit, you forfeit”…”stop fighting.”

The one behind the argument is the same one who answered letter “C” for his homework question:

Matt told Brad to stop punching him. Matt does not want to stand next to Brad, but Brad keeps getting in line behind him.

1. Matt should get the teacher to help him.
2. Matt should get a bigger boy to glare at Brad.
3. Matt should punch Brad in the nose.

Of course we have some parenting to do, however, I wish I could say all adults outgrow the need to win at all costs even if it means fighting.

This Sunday, Pastor Don is going to continue our sermon series in John by preaching from John 15:15-27. This is the place where Jesus teaches “if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

How could the world possibly hate Jesus so much, they would falsely accuse Him and then crucify Him?

To answer simply, the same reason kids fight…Jesus wouldn’t allow the world to do what they wanted and still believe in Him.

I sure hope my kids listen to all that Pastor Don has prepared to share this Sunday…and…I’m sure there is plenty for me too. 😊

I hope you can plan to attend our services EITHER: Together at 9:00 or 10:45 am at NLCC with a mask OR: online at 10:45 am for the Livestream on YouTube or Facebook. If you have specific questions about attending in person, you can find many answers on our website.
 
Have a great weekend,
Troy