NEWS FROM SANCTUARY –

Attendance: 88 Kids: 3

Monday Night Football tonite @ 5:30 Goofy’s Bar and Grill. Peyton M. and Colts in Action.

Still forming small groups. Contact Mark Mohrlang to get in one. Mark.mohrlang@gmail.com

Harvest Fest – This coming Saturday the 27^th in the McDonalds Parking Lot behind Taproot at 85^th & Palatine. Come out and meet our neighbors and help Sanctuary and the Green Bean host our part of this huge Greenwood Event!

Mark your calendar for Sunday the 16^th of December @ 7:00pm for a special evening of Christmas entertainment as Sanctuary, The Green Bean and Taproot Theater present an evening offering a special Christmas play, tasty seasonal goodies, live music and Christmas Cheer. Plan to bring friends to this wonderful event!

PRAYER –

Lord, we pray for peace in our world.

God, be with those who are homeless as these cold winter months set in.

Christ, be with Ben and Cherie Katt and their team as they continue work on planting Awake Church in the Aurora/Lichton Springs neighborhood.

Thank you Lord, that Ben has been asked on a Mayor’s task force to study and serve the Aurora area.

God, we also thank you that The House is up and running as a church plant. Bless the Turnbull’s and their team as they press forward.

Father, we ask you to be with Nancy and her family as they work through all that is involved with the death of John Murray. Thank you for John’s life and for his confession of Jesus Christ as Lord last Spring and his affirmation of faith just two days before his passing.

Jesus, you are such a winsome figure to youth. You inspire young people. We pray that you will be widely known among kids here in Seattle. We particularly pray for the work of Young Life.

REFLECTIONS – on Colossians 1:24-2:15  “You’ve Got it”

For the past two weeks, my dear friend and colleague, Ben Katt, has been preaching in our Colossians series. He has been working through the sometimes confusing, but very informative section of Paul’s letter wherein the Apostle defends his work, describes his relationship with Jesus and clarifies for the Colossian Christians what really counts. And, what is it that really counts? Well, “what is it?” is actually the wrong question. The proper question begins with “who”…”who is it that really counts?”

Paul’s answer: Jesus the Christ.

In this passage of Colossians, Paul makes it clear that God has made himself clear in his action of the Incarnation/Atonement/Resurrection of Jesus. All the mysteries of the ages are laid bare and open in Him. What is the great mystery of God and faith and life ?? well, uh…actually…that there’s no more mystery. Look to Jesus and see all we can know, understand and appropriate about God and a life of faith that restores Creation and glorifies Creator.

Amidst age old temptations to get into the latest Christian-Spiritual-Trip-Social Cause-Moral Issue-Political posturing – THERE STANDS ONE TALLER, STRONGER, MORE SIGNIFICANT AND ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTE: JESUS.

Skip the Trips! Go directly to Jesus. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t fret on yesterday. Don’t dread today out of powerlessness, fear or lack of resolve. Instead LIVE IN JESUS NOW.  In Jesus Christ, you and I have ALL WE NEED …. For today, tomorrow and forever!

We have all we need.

We have all we need.

We have all we need.

I have all I need.

You have all you need.

Memorize this…and then include it in this prayer: “Jesus, thank you that you have given me all I need. Now, where do we need to go together today?”

Maybe your destination will be a habit of addiction that is destroying your life and needs addressing today. Maybe it will be a relationship that is broken or not being maximized. Then again, maybe it will be taking the risk to live beyond yourself and serve others. But, the bottom line is that you and I have all that we need – and the adventure and meaning of a life of faith are literally a prayer away “Jesus, what are we going to do together today?”

Thank God that God has made it simple – that we needn’t grasp for knowledge, mine for mysteries or practice bizarre habits of asceticism or indulgence to get any closer to God or to make our lives work. No. instead, we have all we need in a God who comes to us as we are in Jesus Christ to take as to where God wants us to be in Him.

Thanks Ben for inspiring me with these thoughts for living through your last two weeks of excellent work in God’s word. For any who wish to hear The Reverend Benjamin Katt’s messages, they are available on podcasts at www.sanctuarycrc.org. Please access them for free.

Now………..Get out there and LIVE JESUS TODAY…and in so doing, MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK!!

Much Love,

Dr. Randy L. Rowland

2854 NW 59th Street

Seattle, WA  98107

USA

206.953.0909

www.sanctuarycrc.org