Church family,

I pray that you and your family have a great Thanksgiving this week! This past month, we focused on restoring the art of giving thanks. I pray that you were encouraged by God's word. This month, we have been reminded to keep gratitude at the forefront of our lives. This past Sunday, we focused on Psalm 100, which is known as the hymn of thanksgiving. I pray that this hymn be at the forefront of our lives and that we sing it throughout the day.

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100 NKJV

This coming Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, and we will have a great day in the house of the Lord. In our second service, we will have our annual hanging of the greens and lighting of the Chrismon tree. We will also be lighting the first Advent candle in both services, the candle of hope, also known as the Prophecy Candle, which reminds us that God gave His people hope through Old Testament promises of a coming King and Savior.

REMINDERS

Advent devotionals

We have Advent devotionals for each family. You can get your copy this Sunday if you haven't already. The Advent devotionals will be available in the Family Life Center lobby and the sanctuary lobby. Join with us each day of the Advent season in God’s word.

Decorate The Church for Christmas

This Saturday, we will be decorating the church for Christmas at 9am. If you are free, we would love all the help that we can get!

Look forward to seeing you this Sunday at one of our services!

8:50am Contemporary Service in the Family Life Center

11:00am Traditional Service in the Sanctuary

Dana and I are so thankful for each of you, and we are always saying how blessed we are to be at St. James. It is an honor and a joy to be your pastor!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!