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Christmas has a way of bringing unlikely people together. From candlelit churches to crowded living rooms, from quiet shepherds to seeking sages—we’re drawn into the same story, year after year, when heaven interrupted both the ordinary and the extraordinary.
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Shepherds vs Magi
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Just as Zechariah and Mary had some similarities, this week's main characters also have some similarities.
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- Both the shepherds and the Magi had supernatural experiences that helped them find the Christ child.
- Both were given the wonderful opportunity to worship the infant King.
- And both experienced great joy!
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And yet, as much as these two groups of people shared so much, they could not be more different from one another!
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- The shepherds were most likely extremely poor. The Magi, on the other hand, were quite wealthy, as seen by their extravagant gifts.
- The shepherds were local. The Magi traveled an extreme distance.
- The shepherds were Jews just like Jesus and his earthly parents. The Magi were foreigners coming to a strange land.
- The shepherds were likely uneducated beyond basic schooling. The Magi most likely spent their entire lives doing nothing but studying a wide variety of subjects.
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And yet, God, in His perfect purposes, drew both groups to worship His One and Only Son.
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I hope this encourages you! Whether you are rich or poor, well-educated or a high school dropout, from Iowa or India, single or married, Jew or Gentile, short or tall, male or female, old or young, employed or not, Jesus came for you. So come and worship the newborn King!
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Christmas Impact Gift
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Every year, we band together and take up a special collection for our Impact Gift! This year, our goal is to help raise $5,000.00 for our missionary Azlyn McCarthy (Togo, Africa). We will collect our Impact Gift in-service and online on Sunday, December 21st.
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Monthly Financial Update
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Here is our financial update as of November 30th:
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Budgeted YTD Needs: $174,933.00
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Actual YTD Giving: $175,215.10
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Christmas Caroling
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Join us back at the Riverwood building this Sunday, December 14th @ 5:30pm for caroling around our community, with cookies & cocoa to enjoy afterward! Email us if you know someone we can visit that evening and bless with Christmas cheer!
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Ugly Christmas Sweaters
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Remember to wear your Ugly Christmas Sweater to church on Sunday, December 14th!
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