Worship December 21, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Livestream begins at 9:25 am.

O Come All Ye Faithful - Hymn 145
Advent Reading ~ Love
Read by - Teresa Deike & Jamie Beery
Advent Story Part 4
“The Meaning Of The Christmas Tree”
Isaiah 11:1-2
Cantata- “Mary Did You Know”
Meditation
“God With Us”
Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-9
Peace, Peace
God's Parting Blessing:
God go before you to lead you, God go behind you to protect you,
God go beneath you to support you, God go beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid.
May the blessing of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you
Do not be afraid. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen
Sunday School 10:45 - 11:30 am
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

BLESSed to be a BLESSing
The Christmas Eve Service is at 6:00 pm, not 7:00 pm as previously advertised. Please take note of the time change.
The Nursery is staffed today. Thank you, Sue Pedelty & Estella Huesman. Please sign your child in.
Monday Night Football, Dec. 22 at 7:00 pm at Tanks. It will be buy your own. The San Francisco 49ers vs The Indianapolis Colts.
Update on our Missionary Families giving: So far, we have blessed them with gifts of $1,268.74 to each of their Resonate Global Missions accounts! Let’s continue to bless their ministries in Nepal and South Africa. Denote “Missionary Families” in the memo line of your giving anytime throughout the year.
Stocking Stuffer: Pastor Maury DeYoung gifted us with a box of his devotionals, “Enjoy Fishing! Enjoy Living!” Please help yourself. They are by the kitchen.
Thank you for the seasonal decorations! Special thanks to Ella and Zelda and company for the sanctuary décor; Jill Schade and company for the tree; Jeff Pals for the outdoor trees and display; and Mick Pals for snow plowing so the displays could go up.
Holiday Office Hours:
Monday, December 22:
7:30 - 2:30 pm
Tuesday, December 23:
7:30 am -2:30 pm
Wednesday, December 24:
7:30 am -2:30 pm
Thursday, December 25: Closed
Friday, December 26:
Closed
Monday, December 29:
7:30 - 2:30 pm
Tuesday, December 30:
7:30 am -2:30 pm
Wednesday, December 31:
7:30 am -2:30 pm
Thursday, January 1:
Closed
Friday, January 2:
Closed
Just a reminder:
Office Hours are as follows:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Wednesday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Thursday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Friday: 7:30 am - 9:30 am
Want to make our guests feel welcome? Please put on a name tag. They are available at both entrances. Thanks!
Reminder: If you are the last person leaving the church after any event or activity, Please remember to clean up; i.e. tables, chairs, and kitchen, turn off the lights, shut the windows, and lock the doors. Thank you Management
If you unhook the chairs in the sanctuary, you must hook them up again! this is a safety issue. Thank you.
Church Cancellation Policy Updated: In case of a tornado watch or warning, all church activities and church services will be canceled. This is because we do not have a basement. If school is cancelled, all activities at church will be canceled as well. The final decision to cancel a church service will be made by the Elders. The VP of Council/Elders will initiate the calls and process to other Elders for discussion. Once it is determined that the service will be canceled, efforts by the Elders will be made to contact the congregation.
Would you like access to the devotional offered by the church, please call 641-424-1369 or email the church secretary at racrcsec@msn.com.
Have you checked out Missionary Corner? There are updates from our missionaries, the Klompien's, and the Hefler's. Copies are available for reading. Please take one and see how they have been sharing Christ’s love and mission
Reminder if you borrow tables and chairs from the church, please remember to follow equipment borrowing procedures. Upon return, please make sure all items are clean and in good order.
There are activity bags available for the children, during worship service. They are located next to the coat rack in a bin.
Prayer of Praise for Geri Berding. Surgery was not necessary. Pray for Charlie Brown, who is at home recovering from surgery. Pray for Justin Bochmann as he continues battling the cancer in his knee. Pray for Al Lewerke, as he continues to have back issues. Pray for our Geneva Campus Ministry, that it will engage learning and life with the good news of Jesus Christ. Pray for Calvin University, that they cultivate the next generation of servant leaders. Pray for our missionary family, the Klompien’s as they minister to the people of Nepal. Pray for continued peace in the Middle East.
Matthew 1:18-25
Don't you love all of the beautiful decorations during the Christmas season? We see colorful ribbons and bows, bells, candles, stars, and lots of angels.
(Show kids the Christmas angel decoration.)
Why do you think we see so many angels at Christmas time? (Allow kids to answer.)
Probably the first thing you think of when you see angel decorations at Christmas is that the angels appeared to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. But an angel is important to Christmas even before Jesus was born. What do you know about angels? (Allow kids to answer.)
One of the things we know about angels is their wings. So I’ll tell you what happened, and whenever you hear me say the word “angels,” flap your arms like wings. Ready?
Our Bible lesson today tells us about a visit from an angel (pause). Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. Can you imagine the thoughts that came to Joseph's mind when he discovered that Mary was going to have a baby and they weren’t married yet? He probably asked himself, "What do I do now?" Joseph was a good man and did not want to disgrace Mary publicly, so he decided that it would be better to break off the engagement quietly. While he was considering this, an angel (pause) appeared to him in a dream.
"Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife," the angel (pause) said. "The Holy Spirit conceived the child that is inside her. She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save the people from their sins."
When the angel (pause) of the Lord had spoken and made God's plan clear, Joseph was obedient. He didn’t have to understand how everything was going to happen. He didn’t need to worry about what anyone else would think. Joseph trusted God and obeyed Him.
Sometimes you and I may find ourselves in a situation where we don't know what to do. Like Joseph, we might ask ourselves, "What do I do now?" If we listen, God will tell us what to do. He probably won't speak to us through an angel (pause), but he will speak to us through the Bible! It is up to us to listen and obey.
Dear God, we are filled with joy by the many lessons we learn when we accept Jesus as God’s son. Help us read your Word and listen as you give us the answers to life's difficult questions. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.