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We gather as the church to worship King Jesus who has come and will come again! Join us at 10:30 AM in-person, or if necessary, via livestream below. Sunday gathering at 10:30 AMLivestream: View here » https://youtube.com/live/6xmbkermEusNote: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizing no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness. Gospel of Luke 1:26-56Birth of Jesus Foretold26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.Mary Visits Elizabeth39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat46 And Mary said,“My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.2023-12-10-gathering-plan-AdventDownloadAdvent Catechism: Hope DawningSoon after, God sent the angel Gabriel to visit a young Jewish girl named Mary.Mary was frightened, but Gabriel said to her: “Do not be afraid.”Gabriel told her that she had found great favor with God and she would be blessed.She was going to give birth to a king; the child would be the anticipated Son of God.In humble belief, Mary responded: “I am your servant.”prayer: God, You are always faithful. You always speak in the perfect ways, at the perfect times. You are our restorer, our rescuer, and our refuge. You invite Your messy, broken people to join You in showing the love of Jesus. Prepare the way as we go. We are in need of You alone. Your love holds everything together. Amen.Announcements:See gathering guide (PDF) aboveToday continues our much-anticipated Advent family celebration, which in December takes place during our usual discipleship hour (9:30), as well as the next three Sundays, December 17, 24, 31. See Abbey or Anna if you have any questions.Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC)Women’s Bible Study on Tuesday, 6:30 PM. » Email Anna at [email protected] if you’d like more information. Contributing to Renew ChurchOnline giving page » Godrenews.us/connect/give/Using a BillPay option with your bank or credit union is another useful option, used most commonly by many. These have no additional fees involved.Checks may also be sent by mail to:Renew ChurchPO Box 3222Oregon City, OR 97045BenedictionNow to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:20-21(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)