Jesus declared in John 8:34, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” But Jesus Christ came to set us free from the penalty of sin – past, present, and future.
Steve Farrar, in his book Finishing Strong, notes three things about sin: sin will take you farther than you want to go, sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, and sin will cost you more than you want to pay. So, does sin have a grip on you?
Eating lunch at a small cafe, Mark Reed of Camarillo, California, saw a sparrow hop through the open door and peck at the crumbs near his table. When the crumbs were gone, the sparrow hopped to the window ledge, spread its wings, and took flight – albeit a brief flight. It crashed against the windowpane and fell to the floor. The bird quickly recovered and tried again – CRASH, and again crash.
Mark got up and attempted to shoo the sparrow out the door, but the closer he got, the harder it threw itself against the pane. He nudged it with his hand. That sent the sparrow fluttering along the ledge, hammering its beak at the glass. Finally, Mark reached out and gently caught the bird, folding his fingers around its wings and body. It weighed almost nothing. He thought of how powerless and vulnerable the sparrow must have felt. At the door he released it, and the sparrow sailed away.
As Mark did with the sparrow, God takes us captive only to set us free. If you need to be set free from the power of sin in your life, I invite you to receive Jesus Christ as the great forgiver of sin – and allow Him to be your Savior and LORD – allow Him to take you captive.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Pastor Glen’s sermon will be “Freedom,” based on Romans 8:1-4. Please read this text in preparation for worship!
Poinsettias
Anyone wishing to purchase a poinsettia to beautify our sanctuary during this Advent/Christmas season may purchase them for $9. You may give them in honor of or in memory of someone. Make checks payable to Hope Community Church and reference “poinsettias” in the “For” section of the check.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
You’re invited to join us on December 24th at 5:00 p.m. for our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Please invite friends, neighbors and co-workers, as well as out-of-town family and friends to join you for this exciting service, celebrating Jesus’s birth!!
Tithes and Offerings
An offering box is available when you enter or exit the sanctuary. Additionally, online giving opportunities are available on the website.
Amazon Smile
Support Hope Community Church by choosing us as your Amazon Smile charity. Simply login to Amazon. In the upper left corner, Click Amazon Smile. If you are supporting a charity already, you will see that name. Click the dropdown arrow. Click “Change Charity”. Search for “Hope Community Church Waynesboro”. Click and select.
Our Weekly Prayer meeting will now be held at our church facility each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. We invite you to join with us in prayer as, together, we believe God for answers to prayer requests.
Missions Corner
Last Sunday, Dr. Stephanie Black visited our church. Stephanie shared a minute for mission regarding her work equipping emerging global church leaders to be able to read and interpret the Bible. After church we had a lovely ladies luncheon where she spoke regarding being a foreigner in a foreign land and building Colonies of Heaven. We had 21 ladies in attendance including Diane by Zoom.
The church is giving Stephanie a stipend of $250.00 and the ladies who attended the event raised an additional $88.00. The funds will be distributed by Albert along with the 4th quarter funds that we have scheduled to send her. The funds will be sent to EPC World Outreach into an account that the church set up for Stephanie.
Stephanie thoroughly enjoyed meeting some old friends and making some new friends at the Women’s luncheon. She sends her love and wishes for a Merry Christmas and a blessed new year.
Contagious Disease Preparedness Plan
The Session recently adopted a Contagious Disease Preparedness Plan to support our church family, as well as our visitors. We want to be supportive of our entire church family, as well as our community in this season of increased cases of COVID-19, including the new omicron variant. The plan has been sent to our members for reflection and feedback and is available at the church.
December Birthdays
Ron Layne (12/18); Kate King (12/21); Cliff Scott (12/28)