Preparing for Sunday | December 18
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Open Up The Heavens | [listen | lyrics]
Meredith Andrews, Stuart Garrard. James McDonald, Andi Rozier
Isaiah 64:1
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | [listen + lyrics]
Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Sterling, Charles Wesley
Luke 2:14
Angels We Have Heard On High | [listen + lyrics]
Hymn, possibly from the 18th century; translated by James Chadwick (1862)
Luke 2:9
Hosanna | [listen]
Brooke Ligertwood
Mark 11:9-10
Let There Be Light [listen]
Bryan Torwalt, Katie Torwalt, Hank Bentley, Mia Fieldes
Genesis 1:3-4
SERMON TEXT
Genesis 17
QUEST: Preschool Lesson for December 11
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
He’s Here, p.176
This week’s Big Idea:
God’s Promised Son Came To Live With Us.
This week’s Key Verse:
Luke 2:11
Preparing for Sunday | December 11
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Joy to the World | [listen]
George Frideric Handel, Isaac Watts, and Phil Wickham
Psalm 98:4
Christmas Day | [listen + lyrics]
Andrew Bergthold, Scott Cash, Franni Cash, Ed Cash, Ed Cash Jr.
Isaiah 49:13
The First Noel | [listen]
Luke 2:8-9
A Thousand Hallelujahs | [listen]
Brooke Ligertwood, Phil Wickham, Scott Ligertwood
Psalm 92:4-5
SERMON TEXT
Luke 6
Read an Excerpt from ‘Stay the Course’
The following is the preface from Pastor Mike Minter’s book, Stay the Course: A Pastor’s Guide to Navigating the Restless Waters of Ministry.
I once read Open, the autobiography of the legendary tennis player, Andre Agassi.
I don’t play tennis, so why would I read his story? Well, because it took me into a world I never knew existed. I learned about string tension, the difference between hard courts and grass courts, and the mental anguish that comes before each tournament. It was all fascinating to me. The experience was palpable. I could practically feel the sweat trickling down my face as I was moments away from hoisting the Wimbledon trophy before thousands of adoring fans. Agassi had me step into his life and feel every throbbing heartbeat of match point.
After that, I read The Accidental President by A. J. Baime, a very different book that threw me into the world of Harry S. Truman and the messy universe of politics. It was almost overwhelming to comprehend the apprehension that President Truman felt before giving the green light to bomb Japan with a nuclear device.
Good books, whether fiction or nonfiction, bring readers into unfamiliar environments. What string tension will he use on a grass court? What matrix will be employed to tip the scales in favor of dropping a bomb that will eradicate thousands of lives?
This is a book about pastoral ministry and the local church. It is written for pastors, but not exclusively. I hope it proves valuable for anyone who wishes to peek behind the curtain of ministry, as I did with tennis and politics. It is a book for anyone who has a heart for the local church or is concerned about the lack of unity in the body of Christ. There are wonderful things taking place in the global Church, particularly outside of the United States, but there is also plenty of room for growth. Division is rampant, and the debates that rage among Christians often make Democrats and Republicans look like buddies. It’s tragic, really. And it may seem that Christ’s prayer that “all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21) is not even close to being realized.
It is easy to be discouraged as wars are fought among fellow believers. I want pastors to stay the course and be the generation that will be the answer to the Lord’s prayer that we would be one.
Purchase from Amazon Purchase from ChristianBook.com Purchase from LifewayQUEST: Preschool Lesson for December 4
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
God Makes a Way, p.92
This week’s Big Idea:
God makes a way where there is no way.
This week’s Key Verse:
Exodus 6:7
BABY QUEST: December Lessons
Baby QUEST is Reston Bible Church’s ministry to the youngest members of our Body.
Each month, we will feature a guide for your family to use with children ages 0-2. The guide includes follow up activities, a craft or sensory activity, recommended reading, a song, and other tips that are uniquely tailored to the development of infants and toddlers.
The guide follows the themes we are teaching in our nursery classes, giving you an opportunity to connect and reinforce the ideas taught at home. Because children this age need repetition, each activity can be done multiple times throughout the month to continue to press it upon your child’s memory as they grow!
This month, children will be excited to talk about the birth of Baby Jesus! They will be introduced to the Christmas story with fun play activities, learning about the star, angels, shepherds, the manger, and more! But most importantly they will begin to discover the importance of Jesus and His birth.
Big Idea:
Jesus Came To Be With Us
Scripture Focus:
Luke 2: Baby Jesus is Born!
Preparing for Sunday | December 4
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
God So Loved | [listen]
Ed Cash, Scott Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash, Andrew Bergthold
John 3:16
O Come All Ye Faithful | [listen]
John F. Wade (1743)
Luke 2:15-16
All Creatures of Our God and King | [listen + lyrics]
Jonathan Baird, Ryan Baird, Francis of Assisi, William Henry Draper
Psalm 69:34
Who You Say I Am [listen]
Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan
John 8:36
Great I Am | [listen]
Jared Anderson
1 Samuel 2:2
SERMON TEXT
Exodus 3
MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE
God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14)
Preparing for Sunday | November 27
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Only King Forever | [listen]
Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Wade Joye
1 Timothy 1:17
O Praise The Name (Anástasis) | [listen + lyrics]
by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, Marty Sampson
Romans 5:8
New Doxology | [listen + lyrics]
Thomas Miller, Thomas Ken
I Thank God | [listen]
Aaron Moses, Chuck Butler, Dante Bowe, Jesse Cline, Maryanne J. George
Psalm 40:2-3
I Speak Jesus | [listen + lyrics]
Abby Benton, Carlene Prince, Dustin Smith, Jesse Reeves, Kristen Dutton, and Raina Pratt
Philippians 2:9-10
Holy Forever | [listen + lyrics]
Brian Johnson, Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Jenn Johnson, Phil Wickham
Psalm 145:21
SERMON TEXT
Isaiah 52
MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE
Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am. (Isaiah 52:6)
Family Quest: The Rock – Peak 2 (Lesson 3)
Confident prayer flows from a personal, experiential trust in the character of God.
Trusting that God will answer your prayers, and always in the very best way possible, begins with the knowledge of the revealed character of God in Scripture.
“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” (2 Sam. 22:31)
Scripture is clear; God answers the prayers of his people when they turn their hearts toward him. But how does He answer? What can we expect?
ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
QUEST: Preschool Lesson for November 20
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
The Forgiving Prince, p. 76
This week’s Big Idea:
God is always in control.
This week’s Key Verse:
Genesis 50:20