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Mission Viejo

A Note From Tim Keller

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Last weekend, it was amazing to watch as many got baptized during our services. This was a beautiful picture of the active work God is doing in hearts throughout our community! Jeff Maguire reminded us that through baptism, we are not only given new life in the body of Christ, but we are baptized into the body of Christ, which is the community called the church. What a great reminder that we need one another in order to walk out our faith!

On Tuesday, we had our Community Kickoff and hundreds of you jumped into Rooted and Life Groups. It was so great bringing everyone together, reminding us of our need to be known and connected. It was powerful seeing so many of you taking bold steps into fellowship and I can’t wait to see the way God will meet you as you build friendships in your groups. For those of you that may have missed it, it isn’t too late to get connected in a Rooted group – Just come to the MV Campus on Tuesday at 6:30p and I will help you get connected!

This weekend, Doug Fields will be with us to share a message out of God’s Word. Please plan to join us as we worship together. I look forward to seeing you on the patio after services!

Tim Keller

Mission Viejo

A Note From Jeff Maguire

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The walls seem bare now. But for a few remnant pine needles on the floor, the place where our proud tree once stood, adorned with all its Christmas-ness is now vacant. I swell with arrogant pride about the fact that my exterior Christmas lights have been removed before some of those “other” people — the un-neighborly ones who have yet to de-decorate.

We’re on the other side of the “holidays” now. We’ve completed the requisite duty to visit our extended family members. We’ve sworn off all things bearing the words “pumpkin” or “peppermint” for at least a year. Gone is the controversy over cup-color from everyone’s favorite coffee chain. We’ve run through the moral implications and family headaches that come with returning those “meaningful” gifts people gave us. We’ve made peace with the fact that we ate too much. So, we’re also re-upping our commitment to that gym we keep paying for. It’s simultaneously a time to return to things as they ought to be AND a time to step courageously into some new things.

The Bible tells the story of new life bursting through in Jesus. Nothing puts that reality on display better than the symbol of baptism. It depicts the burial of an old life with its old patterns of behavior and thoughts and beautifully expresses the picture of a new life that has come in Jesus. This week, not only will we give people a chance to make a first time commitment to Jesus, we’ll also give people an opportunity to be baptized.

We’ll tell God’s story through the Bible. We’ll illustrate in baptism. This will be a great opportunity to include people who have never been to church, never really connected with Jesus, or who are simply curious about God. I can’t wait to see what God does this week at Mariners MV.

See you soon,

Jeff

P.S.: Don’t forget to register for the Refreshing Your Marriage conference at Mariners Church, Irvine (January (29th-30th). Our very own Doug Fields and Jim Burns will lead us through the experience. They’ll weave together humor and real-life conversations to make the “refreshing” experience approachable and meaningful. Last year, the whole Mariners MV staff attended and had an unbelievable time together. Join us. You won’t regret it.

Mission Viejo

A Note From Jeff Maguire

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The “good news of great joy” is that God came to dwell among us. This Christmas, take a moment, before (or between) all the crazy, and read aloud this most famous passage about Christmas: the birth announcement of Jesus…

Luke 2:1-12
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Merry Christmas!
Jeff