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Orchard Community Church

“Make Room for Peace” (The Shepherds)

Prepare Him Room In the story of Jesus’ birth, we’re told that he was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn. The Bible doesn’t actually mention an innkeeper, but the poor guy gets a pretty bad wrap for someone we’re not even sure existed because of this. Yet, it didn’t end there, Jesus often found that people didn’t have room for Him. The Jewish leaders didn’t have room for Jesus, neither did King Herod or the Romans, they all saw Him as a threat or problem. Most of the people didn’t have room for Jesus either because He wasn’t what they expected or wanted Him to be. Today many people still don’t have room for Jesus because inviting him into their lives and hearts would mean real change. Yet despite all of our reservations, the great Christmas carol Joy to the World proclaims, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” So can we make room? Are we too busy? Too afraid? Too proud? Are we closed to Jesus or can we make room for Him and all He wants to bring to and do in us? An angel appeared to the shepherds with the news that Jesus the Messiah had been born who would bring with Him the gift of peace. Can we make room for Him and the peace He brings?

Locations & Times

8180 Telephone Rd, Ventura, CA 93004, USA

Sunday 10:30 AM

OrchardCommunity.Online.Church

Sunday 10:00 AM

Online Service

Join us Sunday mornings either under the Tent at Orchard or at on our Live Stream! The Service begins at 10:30 am. We invite you to be a part of our interactive online service starting at 10 am with announcements and chatting before the live stream of the service begins.

https://orchardcommunity.online.church/

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♪Do you hear what I hear

Said the night wind to the little lamb, Do you see what I see? Way up in the sky little lamb, Do you see what I see? A star, a star, dancing in the night, with a tail as big as a kite, with a tail as big as a kite Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear? Ringing through the sky shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear? A song, a song, high above the trees, With a voice as big as the sea, With a voice as big as the sea Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king, Do you know what I know? In your palace warm mighty king, Do you know what I know? A child, a child, shivers in the cold, Let us bring him silver and gold, Let us bring him silver and gold Said the king to the people every where, Listen to what I say, Pray for peace, people every where, Listen to what I say, The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night, He will bring us goodness and light, He will bring us goodness and light Public Domain

♪ O Come O Come Emmanuel

O come O come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice rejoice Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight O come Desire of nations bind All peoples in one heart and mind Bid envy strife and quarrels cease Fill the whole world with heaven's peace CCLI Song # 31982

♪ Love Came Down

If my heart is overwhelmed And I cannot hear Your voice I'll hold on to what is true though I cannot see If the storms of life they come And the road ahead gets steep I will lift these hands in faith I will believe I'll remind myself of all that You've done And the life I have because of Your Son Love came down and rescued me Love came down and set me free And I am Yours I am forever Yours Mountain high or valley low I sing out remind my soul That I am Yours I am forever Yours When my heart is filled with hope And ev'ry promise comes my way When I feel Your hands of grace rest upon me Staying desp'rate for You God Staying humbled at Your feet I will lift these hands and praise I will believe 'Cause I am Yours and I am Yours For all my days Jesus I am Yours And I am Yours and I am Yours For all my days Jesus I am Yours CCLI Song # 5148938

♪ Reckless Love

Before I spoke a word You were singing over me You have been so so good to me Before I took a breath You breathed Your life in me You have been so so kind to me O the overwhelming never-ending reckless Love of God O it chases me down fights 'til I'm found Leaves the ninety-nine I couldn't earn it I don't deserve it Still You give Yourself away O the overwhelming never-ending reckless Love of God yeah When I was Your foe still Your love fought for me You have been so so good to me When I felt no worth You paid it all for me You have been so so kind to me There's no shadow You won't light up Mountain You won't climb up Coming after me There's no wall You won't kick down Lie You won't tear down Coming after me CCLI Song # 7089641

The story of Mary Jo Smith is an extreme example, but the truth is, the holidays often aren’t the peaceful times we wish they would be. One big reason we often point to is all the stress and business of the season.

[1] https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/12/06/drunk-woman-damages-exboyfriend-yard/

This year, because of the pandemic, we’re not going to have a lot of that stress and business this year, are we? Yet, I don’t think that we are feeling any more peaceful because of it. And the reason, I think, is that true peace is something much deeper than all of that.

This series is about seeking to make room in our lives and hearts for Jesus and the incredible gifts he brings. We began last week with the gift of hope, we continue this morning with the gift of peace!

Luke 1:26-38

We tend to romanticize this scene quite. But that picture doesn’t really match reality.

The life of these shepherds wasn’t very peaceful and we can relate! Our lives are very different than theirs, of course, but just like them, we’re seeking to find peace in a world that’s often very unpeaceful.

In vs. 10-11, the angel proclaims that the Messiah has been born.
Anyone reading this at the time would’ve realized that the angle is contrasting Jesus with another king, Caesar Augustus the Roman Emperor.

The angel then says in v. 10, that Jesus, instead of being a cruel dictator whose out for himself like Cesar Augustus, “will be for all the people.” And what better way to illustrate that amazing fact, that Jesus is for everyone than by announcing his birth, first of all, to some lowly nobody shepherds!

The thing Caesar Augustus was most known for was bringing about a world-wide peace call the Pax Romana.[1] The bitter irony was, however, that the Pax Romana didn’t represent true peace. Rome wasn’t at war only because they’d conquered everyone, so to most people in the Roman Empire, like the Jews, the Pax Romana wasn’t peaceful at all.

[1] Keener, 194

And the peace that Jesus brings is true peace, not the fake peace of Caesar.

So, on whom does God’s favor rest? It rests on those who put their faith in him! You see, Jesus can bring peace to the hearts of those who put their trust in him, no matter what’s going on around us. So, the promise isn’t a peaceful world or a peaceful life, but of peace in our hearts if we trust Jesus.

We need to realize that the truth deep and abiding peace our hearts long for doesn’t come from us, or from the president or the government or the market or technology - it comes from Jesus!

And we need to remember that the Jewish concept of peace grows from the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom” which means not just the absence of conflict, but a deeper sense of, wholeness, health, and prosperity. This is the gift Jesus wants to give to us right here in the midst of this peaceful world.

And the place where that peace from Jesus really begins in us is with our relationship with God. The true deep and abiding peace that Jesus can bring to our hearts begins with this, with knowing and experiencing peace with God!

Romans 5:1-2

How do we make room in our hearts for Jesus and the peace he can bring?

1) As I said before, it begins by putting our faith in Jesus.
2) We also need to seek to live the way Jesus called us to.
3) We need to seek to live in peace with others and to be reconciled whenever relationships are strained or broken.
4) We need to give over to Jesus in prayer all of those things that worry, stress, and concern us and take up space in our heads and hearts.

We have a good shepherd, Jesus, may we make room for him and the gift of peace he brings!

♪ What A Glorious Night

The shepherds came to see the baby Stood by His mother's side Here laid the Savior inside a manger Oh what a glorious night Oh what a glorious night I hear the angels singin' hallelujah Let the earth receive her King I know that love has come sing it out Jesus Christ is born (I heard that) Jesus Christ is born (Yeah yeah) The shepherds wondered they couldn't hide it They told ev'ryone in sight All were amazed when they heard how God came Down on the glorious night God came down on this glorious night Glorious glorious what a glorious night (2x) All is calm now all is quiet A star shining in the sky Below in Bethlehem the King is sleeping Oh what a glorious night (2x) CCLI Song # 7002651

Today's Music
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

If there's one thing that 2020 has taught me, it's how to be flexible when plans need to change. Due to the surge of Covid cases happening in Ventura County, and in order for us to be a good witness to our community, the Women's Ministries Committee made the (let's be real - sad and difficult) decision to move our Recipe Swap event online. This is not what we wanted or planned, but I think there is still joy to be found in gathering together via Zoom!

Recipe Swap Zoom Info

Find the Zoom link and other important information for today's event here!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2F3271dd227525%2Fviritual-recipe-swap%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR32egYzTl4PhQ9zSpxQqoKeEGHxKWst6lePvtkm9zD9D8B4PBTOd_xMDn4&h=AT1GE_mxXLsTzsiqU51voyPxx2z2uf0DkNEHxfHkqEGWsaHjgFV5qZE33Nk61ivUDtBv9fxjk84Ra1HdpBVSUKu2VyTVAKg87lqKBbEtmTcn-eksh_NrBM8BvlV4z_FOVA&__tn__=-UK*F

Please submit your listing NOW!

Are you looking for opportunities to connect with each other in new or deeper ways now and in the coming months?

There are several options for all ages! Some groups are low commitment with no homework and each meeting is a stand-alone study, so you don't have to worry if you can't make it each time. Some are more in-depth and encourage digging deeper on your own time and then coming back to discuss more! Most are still meeting on Zoom, however, there are a few in-person options! Visit our website for more information or call the church office to get connected! (805) 647-3757

Enjoy the company of other parents at 9:00 on Zoom (or in the library eventually) on Sunday mornings discussing what God says about life as a family. Make life more enjoyable and less frustrating by strengthening your relationship with God, Find life filled with opportunities, We will be following the children's curriculum, using stories from throughout the bible, taking some from unusual perspectives. This group is facilitated by Rich and LuAnn Smith. Please email Rich to get the Zoom Link and password at R_smith122@hotmail.com

Worship Options

We are excited to be able to worship under the Tent together. If you are not wanting to be under the Tent, feel free to sit in the front row of parking spots of the Orchard Parking Lot your car and tune your radio to 100.1 FM to listen to the service.

1. Masks must be worn while on the Orchard Campus (both inside and out)
2. Please maintain the Social Distance
3. Sunday Morning Children's program. Children are always welcome in the service and we do not mind the noises that come with children. Children are a healthy sign of a healthy congregation.

Orchard Kids Sunday School (For preschool through 5th grade)
We encourage families to bring your own blanket and beach chairs and distance on the lawn as much as you like. Children will worship with their families and be dismissed following the kids’ message, escorted by our Orchard Kids’ Leaders to our beautiful outdoor classroom space in the children’s play yard. We will have our Bible story, activities, crafts, and games in a specially designed format following current health and safety guidelines. Parents, please come to the children’s area immediately following the worship service and find all of your children in one place. Each family will receive a “My Church Bag” to be brought each week with basic supplies already included plus items from home: water bottle and mask for each child and a blanket for all siblings. Our team is so excited to see your family! See you Sunday!

Nursery care for children birth to 3 years old is available by RSVP only to Melinda Hoyt at melinda@orchardventura.org.

Interested in being a Volunteer? Middle school through adult, please contact Melinda Hoyt at melinda@orchardventura.org.

While we understand that some may not feel comfortable coming back in person or having to wear masks while on the Orchard campus, we encourage you to stay home and join us online with our Live Stream.

Office Hours
Monday – Thursdays from 10 am to noon.
Masks and social distancing are required.
If you are unable to make it in during our office hours, please send an email to info@orchardventura.org and or leave a message at (805) 647-3757.

Orchard Community Church

http://orchardventura.org/