Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/LKEuoNiK7HA

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

The Lord’s Prayer

Announcements:

• Holy Week: Good Friday gathering at 6 pm on 3/29, hosted at Connection Church at 405 Warner Parrott Rd; Resurrection (Easter) Sunday 3/31 at 10:30 am here at the Revival Building. 
• A whole new session of discipleship classes continues today at 9:30 AM, and will meet next on 4/14. These classes for all ages include a teen class considering many questions they are facing and asking, as well as a new adult class on Unoffendable (themes of forgiveness and facing injustice). » More details and registration are on church center here now.  
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/5Iv_6rNPyuQ

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

—1st Chronicles 29:10-13

Genesis 38

Judah and Tamar

38 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, ³ and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. ⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. ⁵ Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. ⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” ⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰ And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. ¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

¹² In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” ¹⁴ she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷ He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” ²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” ²³ And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” ²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” ²⁶ Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

²⁷ When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

The Lord’s Prayer

Announcements:

• Holy Week: Good Friday gathering at 6 pm on 3/29, hosted at Connection Church at 405 Warner Parrott Rd; Resurrection (Easter) Sunday 3/31 at 10:30 am here at the Revival Building. 
• A whole new session of discipleship classes begins today, Sunday, March 17th at 9:30 AM. These classes for all ages include a teen class considering many questions they are facing and asking, as well as a new adult class on Unoffendable (themes of forgiveness and facing injustice). » More details and registration are on church center here now.  
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/44iQe-BvojI

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

[May] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, […] give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…

… according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

—Ephesians 1:17-23

Genesis 37:1-36

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

² These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

⁵ Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: ⁷ Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸ His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁹ Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” ¹¹ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹² Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. ¹³ And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” ¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵ And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” ¹⁶ “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” ¹⁷ And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰ Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶ Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes ³⁰ and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” ³¹ Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³² And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” ³³ And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. ³⁶ Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

New City Catechism

Question 40: What should we pray?

The whole Word of God directs us in what we should pray.

The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we should pray, including the prayer Jesus himself taught us.

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now 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.

Prayer: God Who Hears, let Your living Word shape our desires and our prayers. May it challenge us to pray for things that don’t seem possible. May it inform our view of You as we approach you as beloved sons and daughters. May it drive us to our knees as we recognize our need of You. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Announcements:

• We agree with you that Daylight Saving Time is not our favorite thing, nevertheless we shall all “spring forward” an hour early this Sunday. 
• For this reason, and since the Harbor PNW Men’s Retreat is also this weekend, we pause on discipleship classes, which will resume 3/17. » Let us gather all together as the church at 10:30! 
• A whole new session of discipleship classes begins next Sunday, March 17th at 9:30 AM. These classes for all ages include a teen class considering many questions they are facing and asking, as well as a new adult class on Unoffendable (themes of forgiveness and facing injustice). » More details and registration are on church center here now.  
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/ZwC8znNQ514

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
—
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
—
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
—Psalm 42:1-6a

Genesis 35:1-29

God Blesses and Renames Jacob

35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. ³ Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

⁵ And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶ And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, ⁷ and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. ⁸ And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

⁹ God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. ¹⁰ And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. ¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. ¹² The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” ¹³ Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. ¹⁴ And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. ¹⁵ So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

¹⁶ Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. ¹⁷ And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” ¹⁸ And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), ²⁰ and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. ²¹ Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

²² While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. ²³ The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. ²⁴ The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. ²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

²⁷ And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. ²⁸ Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. ²⁹ And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

New City Catechism

Question 39: With what attitude should we pray?

With love, perseverance, and gratefulness.

With love, perseverance, and gratefulness; in humble submission to God’s will, knowing that, for the sake of Christ, he always hears our prayers.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Prayer: Loving Father, we come to You in the name of Your beloved Son. Give us perseverance in prayer, even when we do not immediately see answers. Let us believe that You will not keep back any good thing from us, and trust that You will withhold those things we seek that would harm us. Your ways are higher than our ways, and we entrust our requests to Your sovereign kindness. Amen.

2024-02-25-gathering-planDownload

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
• Gathering in house churches next Sunday, March 3rd.
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Register for the men’s retreat with Harbor Network (March 8-10)
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/iVJ_ycO9Asc

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

A note to Parents:

Today we arrive at Genesis 34, the true story of the defilement of Jacob’s daughter Dinah at the hands of Shechem. Because of the nature of this chapter, we will leave the reading of Genesis 34 for the teaching time after halftime once kids are dismissed. Want to note that the teaching will allude to r-pe, discuss circumcision as a means of facilitating murder, and briefly mention another inappropriate relationship between Reuben and one of his father’s concubines. While the preacher may not mention the words s-x or r-pe, the subject itself is unavoidable given the narration. 

Because of these mature themes, on this particular Sunday we will add an extra children’s class for ages 7-11 during the 10:30 worship gathering, taught and led by Renew Kids Director Abbey, in the Observatory. (Thank you Abbey as well as Dan M. for serving in this way!) This is in addition to the usual kids classes (Littles and Bigs) in the West end. 

Call to Worship

A psalm of David.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

—Psalm 37:1-7

Genesis 34:1-31

The Defiling of Dinah

34 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. ² And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. ³ And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. ⁴ So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

⁵ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. ⁶ And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. ⁷ The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done.

⁸ But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. ⁹ Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. ¹⁰ You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.” ¹¹ Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. ¹² Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”

¹³ The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. ¹⁶ Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.”

¹⁸ Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. ¹⁹ And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. ²⁰ So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, ²¹ “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. ²² Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. ²³ Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” ²⁴ And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

²⁵ On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. ²⁸ They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. ²⁹ All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” ³¹ But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

New City Catechism

Question 38: What is prayer?

Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God.

Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.

Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Prayer: Our Great Refuge, thank You for calling us to prayer. You are not far away; You are near, and You hear us when we pray. Let us pour out our hearts to You without ceasing. Let us pray without guile, bringing our true selves before Your throne of grace. Amen.

2024-02-18-gathering-planDownload

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Register for the men’s retreat with Harbor Network (March 8-10)
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/NTloMnADv14

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

A Song of Ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

—Psalm 121:1-8

Genesis 33:1-20

Jacob Meets Esau

33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. ² And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³ He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

⁴ But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. ⁵ And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” ⁶ Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. ⁷ Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. ⁸ Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” ⁹ But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” ¹⁰ Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. ¹¹ Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you.” ¹³ But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. ¹⁴ Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

¹⁵ So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” ¹⁶ So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. ¹⁷ But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

¹⁸ And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. ¹⁹ And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. ²⁰ There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

New City Catechism

Question 37: How does the Holy Spirit help us?

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:17-18
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Prayer: God the Spirit, have Your way in us. Shine Your light on the secret sins of our hearts. Equip us for tasks that are too large for us. Make us glad in what delights You. Intercede for us and open our eyes to rightly understand the Word of truth. Amen.

2024-02-11-gathering-planDownload

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Register for the men’s retreat with Harbor Network (March 8-10)
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/NTloMnADv14

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

62 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

³ How long will all of you attack a man
    to batter him,
    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;
    in your name I will lift up my hands.

—Psalm 62:1-3; 63:1-4

Genesis 32:1-32

Jacob Fears Esau

32 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ² And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

³ And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, ⁴ instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. ⁵ I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”

⁶ And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” ⁷ Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, ⁸ thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”

⁹ And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. ¹² But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

¹³ So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove.” ¹⁷ He instructed the first, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ ¹⁸ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’” ¹⁹ He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him, ²⁰ and you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.” ²¹ So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles with God

²² The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. ²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. ³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” ³¹ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. ³² Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

New City Catechism

Question 36: What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?

That He is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son.

That He is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son, and that God grants Him irrevocably to all who believe.

John 14:16–17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Prayer: God Our Help, we thank you for sending your Spirit to live in us. Thank you that he chastens and disciplines, strengthens and comforts us. Let us live the life of faith in his power, not our own. Let us walk the path of obedience, filled with his joy. Amen.

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Register for the men’s retreat with Harbor Network (March 8-10)
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/zADGW8HQgl8

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

—Psalm 145:1-3

Genesis 31:1-55

Jacob Flees from Laban

31 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” ² And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. ³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

⁴ So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was ⁵ and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that I have served your father with all my strength, ⁷ yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. ⁸ If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. ⁹ Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. ¹⁰ In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. ¹¹ Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ ¹² And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” ¹⁴ Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? ¹⁵ Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. ¹⁶ All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

¹⁷ So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. ¹⁸ He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. ¹⁹ Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. ²⁰ And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. ²¹ He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

²² When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, ²³ he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

²⁵ And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? ²⁸ And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ ³⁰ And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” ³¹ Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. ³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods.

³⁶ Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? ³⁷ For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. ³⁸ These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. ³⁹ What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. ⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. ⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”

⁴³ Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴ Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, ⁴⁹ and Mizpah, for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. ⁵⁰ If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”

⁵¹ Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. ⁵² This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. ⁵³ The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, ⁵⁴ and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.

⁵⁵  Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home.

New City Catechism

Question 35: Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through faith alone, where does this faith come from?

All the gifts we receive from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself.

Titus 3:4–6
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, You sought us when we could not seek You because we were dead in our trespasses and sins. You are the giver of our faith; none of us would believe apart from Your regenerating grace, by which You make hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Let us put aside all boasting in light of Your undeserved mercy. Amen.

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
• See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Women’s Bible study each Tuesday evening at 6:30 AM; talk with Anna or Abbey for details.
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Sunday morning gathering at 10:30 AM on Christmas Eve

Livestream:

View here » https://youtube.com/live/lOcm0nEULfE

Note: livestream has live audio along with presentation slides (song lyrics, Scripture readings, announcements, etc, but utilizes no video camera.) We offer this livestream for those who must remain home due to illness.

Call to Worship

“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.”

—Psalm 36:7-9

2023-12-31-gathering-planDownload

Gospel of Matthew 2:1-23

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Advent Catechism: The Longing

The birth announcement of Jesus changed everything; history was interrupted.
As news spread of the birth of the Messiah, many traveled to worship the promised King.
Some 30 years later, before returning to be with the Father, Jesus fulfilled everything necessary for humanity’s rescue.
Jesus is with us, but now we long to be with Him in His glory.
In celebration, preparation, and humble anticipation, we wait.

prayer: God, in our waiting, You came and You changed everything. In perfect love, You fulfilled everything through Your Son Jesus. We have been given everything in Jesus and need nothing more. You alone are enough. We long to be with You in Your glory. As we wait, our anticipation grows and our longing deepens. Give us strength to wait in delight, as we experience Your deep love and faithfulness now. Your love holds everything together. Amen.

Announcements:

• See gathering guide (PDF) above
•  See the Renew Church Calendar on Church Center » Godrenews.churchcenter.com/calendar
• Today we wrapped our much-anticipated Advent family celebration, which in December took place during our usual discipleship hour (9:30).
• Men’s huddle each Thursday morning @ 6 AM, held at Coffee Rush (900 Main St, OC) 
• Year of Preparation: read the Bible in 2024

Contributing to Renew Church

• Online 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 Church

PO Box 3222

Oregon City, OR 97045

Benediction

(Subscribe below for all new blog posts via email.)

Twenty Twenty-four can be an epic year. How’s how…

Make one resolution this year:

I will build an altar to God each day.

My voice shall You hear in the morning, O LORD;
in the morning will I direct my prayer to You, and will look up.
—Psalm 5:3

Begin each day looking up to God, worshiping Him and responding to His ever-present love! Though you may fail (repeatedly), His love never fails and His faithfulness never runs out.

Whether we turn aside to the left (in apathetic self-pleasing, essentially apathy) or to the right (in stressed-out self-effort, aka angst), Jesus is willing to come rescue us, put us back on the good path, and lead us onward with grace-driven effort!

“The most transformative thing you can do is begin to spend unhurried time with God on a regular basis for the rest of your life.

There’s lots of other things, of course. But this is the one thing; the spring.”
—John Starke

Here’s a quick word about some good Bible reading plans, with brief descriptions of the features of each.

“Nothing but the simplest impulses gets accomplished without some forethought, which we call a plan.”
—John Piper

First off: a plan is merely a guide, a tool to help. Know this about yourself: are you already a self-starter and follow through with your goals? (If you already have motivation, then a plan might feel constraining.) Or do you need structure to order your days? Most of us — your pastors included — tend to need a gentle reminder about what to do each day. Plans are helpful guides. They remind you of commitments made long before you didn’t feel like following through on a given day.

“The most important daily habit we can possess is to remind ourselves of the Gospel.”
—Charles Spurgeon

This is why we began 2024 building the altar to God in our lives. This continues with each new year, on every NEW DAY!

Now for the plans … (note: there are mobile links below as well, including the helpful smartphone/tablet app YouVersion Bible).

Have a plan.

New: Bible Project read the whole Bible in a year (PDF with links here). Spent the year in Scripture, tracking with one unified Story that leads to Jesus. This daily Bible reading plan runs from Genesis to Revelation, from Creation to Heaven, over twelve months, with relevant links to book guides, overview videos (Bible Projects noted animations), thematic videos, and helpful articles. (Bible Project had many other reading plans as well, plus a new mobile app.) All of these instructive and helpful illustrated videos and articles produced by Bible Project (locally in Portland).

More Reading Plans

First up, the ESV Study Bible Reading Plan, a year-long adventure following four ‘streams’ of writings. You’ll track with four genres of types of writings all throughout the year. Rather than plow through the Psalms and Proverbs all at once, you’re revisit a new one each day. The same with the New Testament, the doctrines of grace and redemption found in Jesus will be on display each time you open the Bible. (Seem daunting? Try the two-year plan outlined below.)

Reading through the whole Bible in a year takes a time investment of 10-15 minutes each day. Yet, if you will carve out the time to know Jesus, He will change you. Plan to linger a bit, praying over the needs around you and ask God to give you light for your path.

• Both the ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan and M’Cheyne plan are available in the Bible app created by YouVersion for iOS and Android. Bible.com has other whole Bible reading plans.

Shorter or Slower

But what if tackling the whole Bible seems daunting? Well it is an epic goal. In the same investment each morning, about ten minutes, you can read through the New Testament in six months. That’s a great start!

Or, go half the pace for twice the effect: reading the whole Bible over two years, since it is better to read the whole Bible through carefully one time in two years than hastily in one year.

—

There are many more good plans out there. Trent Hunter’s “The Bible-Eater Plan” is an innovative new approach that has you reading whole chapters, along with quarterly attention to specific books (sit down and read a whole book every few months). The plan especially highlights OT chapters that are crucial to the storyline of Scripture and redemptive fulfillment in Christ.

Whatever plan you choose, don’t sweat it. Just find a plan and run with it. We didn’t want to overwhelm you with a vast menu. Feel free to browse  and well as others thoughtfully constructed whole Bible reading plans to help you learn from Jesus.

There are other Reading Plans for ESV Editions too. Crossway has made them accessible in multiple formats:

• web (a new reading each day appears online at the same link)
• RSS (subscribe to receive by RSS)
• podcast (subscribe to get your daily reading in audio)
• iCal (download an iCalendar file)
• mobile (view a new reading each day on your mobile device)
• print (download a PDF of the whole plan)

You can also access each of these Reading Plans as podcasts (to listen to an audio reading):

• Right-click (Ctrl-click on a Mac) the “RSS” link of the feed you want from the above list.
• Choose “Copy Link Location” or “Copy Shortcut.”
• Start iTunes.
• Under File, choose “Subscribe to Podcast.”
• Paste the URL into the box.
• Click OK.

We don’t have devotions and pray in order to avoid the guilt of not having devotions and not praying. We have devotions and pray to know Jesus and his Gospel, and revel in all that he is for us and all that he has won for us.

Realize this is a community project.

You need to share what God is saying to you and have others share what God is saying to them. Consider doing one of the above plans with a group of people, a spouse, a roommate, in your Community Group or your church leaders.

“If God doth such great things to teach us, we ought not to do little to learn.”
—Jonathan Edwards

Don’t give up.

I have missed meals in the past, but never gave up on eating. I just made sure I did not miss the next meal (and usually made up for it). You are going to miss days, often times multiple days. Repent of your neglect of God and press on in knowing him. Your righteousness is not in how consistent your devotional life is; it is in Jesus Christ who is constant and ever faithful. So, relax and pick up where you left off.

In previous years, I’ve outlined some wisdom on cultivating a Godward life, and Kari shared what it means to look up each morning, plus how she approaches daily Bible reading (listen here).

The beauty and joy of 2024 will not depend upon your circumstances, but upon your experience of the One you were made for. He has made exceedingly great promises to us. Let us seek Him first!

As much of Him that you want to experience, you will experience. He promises to reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

You may remember we studied God of Promise a few years ago, because God had a plan long before we ever did. Because He made promises to us, we repeat them back to Him. Because He first loved us, we respond by loving Him as the first priority in our lives. This is where we build an altar to God.

How much more powerful and life-changing is the movement of God’s Spirit when in the Renew family we’re all reading God’s Word in our homes, embracing and embodying the grace and truth of Jesus our King!

“The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.”
—A.W. Tozer