JR. Forasteros - December 31, 2017

New Hope for a New Year

To Be Continued

Christmas is such an intimate celebration – a time to gather with friends and family – that we often forget the global sweep of the story. But two often-overlooked encounters with the infant Jesus remind us of God’s faithfulness – not only to us, but to the whole world! As we look toward a new year, how can we be filled with hope at what God will do?

From Series: "To Be Continued"

Advent is the season in which we prepare to welcome Jesus into the world. It's a season of hope - the light has not come, but it is coming into the world. It's the time of day just before the sun peeks over the horizon. As we anticipate Jesus' birth, we come to realize that God's story didn't end at Christmas - it was only beginning. And the story is still being told today - a story of love, hope and promise. What does it mean to say that God is still telling the great story of love through us?

Discussion Guide     Manuscript

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New Year’s Eve is also the seventh day of Christmas, which means on New Year’s Eve, we’re barely halfway through the Church’s celebration of God coming among us!

Over the weekend, we’ll been wrapping up our last Christmas parties, getting in a little more travel to one more set of relatives, exchanging the last few gifts. We’re also turning our attention to 2018. School’s back in session in a couple of days, we return to our routines, and we hope this next year will be better.

So as we slide out of the Christmas season into the New Year, let’s talk about the hope we have for the new year.

Let’s talk about a hope we find in the Christmas story.

Something that gets lost in the Christmas season is the global sweep of the Christmas story. In the joy and beautiful chaos of the holidays, we lose track of the fact that Christmas was a world-changing event, that the angels declared to shepherds that Jesus’ birth was good news for ALL PEOPLE, a harbinger of peace for the whole earth.

What does it mean to celebrate Christmas with a global vision?

What does it mean to look for peace on Earth and goodwill for all peoples? How can our anticipation of the New Year be laced with hope both personally and for the whole world?

Join us Sunday as we look toward 2018 with hope and anticipation of what God will do in our world and in our hearts.

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