Chosen

When I was in school, I used to dread when it came time to pick teams in gym class. It wasn't that I was bad at sports or even that it was a fear of being picked last. It was simply just the anxiety of when, and which team captain would choose me. There were the other classes that the teacher would start calling on students to answer questions. I avoided eye contact and tried to look distracted so that the teacher would not call on me. (I never figured out that behavior actually made them call on me!) The last thing I wanted in either of those times was to be chosen.

In the beginning of Luke we learn of an angel named Gabriel, who was to deliver a message to a young woman by the name of Mary. The message was one of great importance. One that would change her life forever. It was a message that would fulfill Old Testament prophecies. It, however, was also a message that would bring suffering and heartache. The message? "Rejoice! Mary, you are chosen!" 

God chose Mary, and Joseph, to be the earthly parents of Jesus. By grace, He chose them! With amazement in her heart, she quietly expresses her humble obedience. What an amazing responsibility and privilege.

In submitting to God's plan for her life, Mary chose to magnify God. Likewise, Jesus magnifies His Father through His obedient life. The prophets told of His coming hundreds of years before His birth. God was working out His plan to bring His people back to Himself. The good news that Jesus was coming to the world was good because of WHY He was coming."He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) 

The announcement of Jesus birth is not the beginning of the gospel; God has been planning this moment since before the beginning of time!

Talk with you kids this week about why Jesus was born and what it must have felt like to be chosen, like Mary. Share with them has God has chosen them to magnify the Lord also. 

I may have "suffered" through when and who would choose me in gym class, but we never need doubt that the Lord our Father, has chosen us! 

Blessings~

Rhiannon

 

*Next week: Jesus is born!

 

 

Suffering traced with a golden lining: Joseph

Joseph went through some great suffering. The picture of his life is filled with moments of darkness traced with golden linings. It's a story filled with favor, and betrayal. Fear and jealousy. It's filled with good times and bad times, rises and falls. Despair and hope. Pieces of his story can so easily wrap around our hearts like a blanket of familiarity. The rises and the falls, though not in the same fashions, are events we can all relate to. Even our kids.

Suffering looks different for everyone. Hardship holds every heart in a different way. Troubles face us all down in many different forms, yet, they lace all of our days. We, as parents, want to hope that our kids are shielded from the hardships, but we can quickly miss the stress of homework, words a friend said or actions done that caused hurt, a small rejection from a sibling or even just confusions of growing up. These are all little pieces of hardships and sufferings for them, that give us the opportunity to share the story of Jesus. A story mirrored by the story of Joseph. A great story of hardship, suffering, forgiveness and hope. 

You see, God has a plan. He has a plan to take all that is intended for evil and use it for His good. He sent Joseph ahead of his brothers, although through some very hard times, so that he could save his family during the time of famine. Likewise, those who crucified Jesus intended it for evil, but God's plan was for the good of all people. Through Jesus' death on the cross, God saved a remnant of people. 

God calls us, even our kids, to trust Him to fulfill His promises, because when hardships appear to thwart His mission, God is faithful to use even the hardship as part of His plan to bring glory to His son. 

Read the story of Joseph with your kids this week and take the time to teach the connections of Joseph's story to the story of Jesus and remind them of the hope that comes in God's promises! 

~ Blessings, 

Rhiannon

*Next week: An Angel Speaks to Mary & Joseph

 

Thank you!

Thank you for all you do in helping us bring the story of God to life!

Find your serving 'zone'

If you already serve in some capacity at Five Oaks, you know when it’s the right fit: you grow in this role, and our church body benefits from that contagiousness. When you serve, it’s because of you that we can bring the story of God to life each week. 

Finding the right serving fit may mean you try a few areas on for size — that’s OK! If you are looking to start serving but aren’t sure where to serve, consider trying out a new serving role or ministry for Christmas. We always need extra hands and hearts at Christmas time with several additional worship services. Another great way to help at Christmas time is to consider serving in a new area with your whole family, or with your small group.  

To get connected, you may email Jennifer Clemens, our Serve Coordinator, at jclemens@fiveoakschurch.org. She will contact you and walk you through the process to begin serving at Five Oaks.

Holy and Whole

“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, and keep you blameless until the coming of Jesus Christ. The one who called you is faithful and he will do it.”
— Based on 1 Thessalonians 5
 
 

Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Counting stars!

Have you ever laid on the grass on a clear summers night and looked up at the stars, trying to count as many as you could? I don't ever seem to get too far past 20 because I become so engaged in the beauty of the stars and the night sky, that trying to put a number on it all seems pointless.

Beginning in Genesis 12, we see the story of Abram begin to unfold. It's a rich story with lots of layers to it. We have Abram answering God's call to go, his separation and then rescue of his nephew Lot. The Lord making a covenant with Abram that began the amazing redemptive story of God's people.  Then His name changes to Abraham and the Lord reveals to him that he would become a father with his wife Sarah. After becoming a father to Isaac, he is asked to sacrifice his son, but is spared from this event by an angel of the Lord who provided a sacrifice in Isaac's place and at this point, the angel of the Lord said, "Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore. Your offspring will posses the gates of their enemies." (Genesis 22:17) 

I can imagine Abraham sitting under the stars with his son, Isaac, safely next to him, in awe of the wonders of the stars and the promise given to him that all nations would be blessed because of his obedience. How overwhelming that must have felt, but what an amazing reminder of God's greatness! 

However, the story doesn't end there. I wonder if Abraham ever knew the connection of his obedience with the sacrifice of Christ Jesus? How the covenant that God would make with him would cost God his only son, Jesus, who would die on the cross and be raised again so that we, today, could have eternal life through Him?

Take time this week to study for yourself the connection of the promises to Abraham and how those promises connect to Jesus. If you can, look at the stars with your kids and share the story of Abraham's obedience and how that obedience led to us all being a part of the countless offspring blessed through  the Abrahamic Covenant. 

Blessings~

Rhiannon

Student Ministry Food Drive

Hey Parents!

We are almost two months into our year and we have been having a blast with your students!  We had such an amazing time at Camp Getaway and are looking forward to Pumpkinfest this Saturday, October 29th!  Both of these fall events are great ways for us to get to know your students better and for them to get to know one another better as well.

Here’s what you need to know for November:

As a church and as a Student Ministry, we will focus on Impact.  As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with the abundant blessings that God has given to us, we seek to bless those who are in need.  The Union Gospel Mission of St. Paul will be providing thousands of Thanksgiving dinners to people who are in need during this holiday season.  Our goal in Students is to provide 75 of these Thanksgiving dinners through donations of food and finances. (Five Oaks has a bigger goal of 550 bags; we want to fill at least 75 of those bags in Students!)

Attached to this email is a shopping list of groceries that each donated bag should contain.  The turkeys will be donated directly from a distributor, but we will be providing the non-perishable parts of the Thanksgiving meal.  We need you to partner with your students to create an Impact in our community. We encourage you to get your student involved in any way possible.

On Wednesday, November 16th we will have each small group pack the meals and pray over them at youth group.  If our students can provide 50 meals, Justin and Aaron will take a pie in the face.  And if we reach 75 meals, one beloved mystery guest will be pied as well. 

Need some ideas on how to create a meaningful Impact experience for your student?  Here are a few ideas how you and your student can raise funds or collect food for those in need during this season: 

1.      Have your student do chores around the house to raise money.

2.       Have them talk to neighbors and extended family members about what we as a Student Ministry are trying to do and ask for any possible donations.

3.      Go to the grocery store and fill a bag as a family and bring it on Wednesday night.

4.      Encourage them to think about donating their allowance or Wednesday snack money.

Our goal is to serve those in need during a season when many experience an abundance of blessings.  It’s a time for us as leaders and parents to come alongside our students and provide an opportunity for them make a difference for the kingdom of God.  Please pray for both our students and the people whose needs we are seeking to meet in these coming weeks.

If you have any questions or wish to partner with us, please email Aaron Parsons at aparsons@fiveoakschurch.org.

 

Blessings,

Five Oaks Students Ministry