Worship January 4, 2026, 9:30 a.m.
Livestream begins at 9:25 am.

This is Amazing Grace
Installation of New Council Members
Ten Commandments
“True To Your Label”
Exodus 20:6
Mighty To Save
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
Luke 14:15-24
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come. 21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. 22 " 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room. 23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "
Introduction
I. The return of Christ
A. Advent #1 – a familiar path
B. Advent #2 – Mystery
C. Rev.21:1-4; 19:9
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
II. Heavenly Banquet
A. Invitations
B. Isaiah 25:6-8
6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.
Application

BLESSed to be a BLESSing
The Nursery is staffed today. Thank you, Gail Seebeck & Alana Brown. Please sign your child in.
Special offering for January will be for our Missionaries, the Klompiens and the Helfers.
Next Sunday, we will have an Installation Ceremony for our New Council Members: Mike Ritter, Chuck Seebeck, Danielle Crom, & Vern Pedelty.
Dear Congregation, Thank you for your generous Christmas gift. Presents are not the focus of the season - rather His presence. However, presents do make the season merry and bright :) Blessings to you - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Pastor Phil and Cindy
Thank you for the thoughtful Christmas gift I received from the congregation and council for Christmas. I appreciate it. Merry Christmas, Jamie
January’s Ruby’s Pantry sign-up sheet is out at the Connection Center for Tuesday, January 13th. The Food Line Coordinator would like only a few people to be present at 1:00 p.m. to unload the truck. Unless you have signed up to unload the truck, please do not come until 2:00 p.m. for pre-bagging. There is also an early need for traffic control: we can utilize a few people early on and throughout the distribution - please refer to the sign-up sheet as well. Distribution will start at 4:00 pm. There will be a need for extra cookies and bars. If you can help out in this area, we’d sure love it! Thank you for volunteering! We will be serving snacks/treats, pizza, and have bottled water available. Please remember to wear closed-toe shoes. Thanks!
Jeff Pals( E)
Danielle Crom (D)
Mike Ritter (E)
Jesse Bonnema (D)
Chuck Seebeck (E)
Harry O (D)
Steve Clemens (E)
Vern Pedelty (D)
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.
We lift up Teresa Jensen in prayer following her surgery this week, asking for the Lord’s restorative touch and a smooth road to recovery. Please lift up Nancy Zehr and her father, John, in prayer. John is hospitalized with COVID and complications from a heart attack. We ask for God’s peace and healing over him. Pray for Phylis Lau as she navigates her journey with cancer; may she feel God’s peace and presence. Prayer for Howard & Coni Schulz in their absence, praying that they remain deeply connected to our fellowship through the Holy Spirit. Pray for our Ames Korean CRC Campus Ministry, may it be a lighthouse for young adults, providing them with a firm foundation and the wisdom to walk the right path. Pray for Calvin Seminary, asking that it continues to be a fertile ground for growth as they prepare and empower the next generation of humble servant leaders. Prayers go out to the Helfer family, our missionaries in South Africa. May God protect them and bless their ministry as they share His love with the local community. Please keep our college students—Alexis, Olivia, Logan, and Lauren—in your prayers as they pursue their studies. Pray for success in their educational experience. Pray for continued peace in the Middle East.
Matthew 2:12-23
Have you ever heard the song, "Angels Watching Over Me?" It is a beautiful Black Spiritual which tells about how God sends his angels to watch over us. No one knows who wrote the song, but it is believed to have originated in the southern part of the United States during the days of slavery. The song goes like this: (Sing it, if possible.)
All night, all day,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over me.
Sun is a-setting in the west;
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Sleep my child, take your rest;
Angels watching over me.
When Jesus was born, Herod was King. When he heard about the birth of Jesus, he thought that Jesus had come to set up a kingdom here on earth, and he was not at all happy about that. He tried to find out where Jesus was so that he could kill him. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him of the danger. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." That night, Joseph left for Egypt with Jesus and Mary. They stayed there until Herod died.
When Herod died, God's angel spoke to Joseph in a dream again. "Get up, take the child and his mother, and return to Israel. All who were out to kill the child are dead."
Isn't it wonderful that God sent angels to watch over his infant son and protect him from harm? Well, God loves all of his children. He loves you and me, and he sends angels to watch over us. In Psalm 91, the Bible says:
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they'll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
(Psalm 91:11-12 - The Message)
I'm glad that we have God's angels watching over us as we walk – even in dangerous places. Be thankful that God's angels are watching over you today! (Sing) "All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord. All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord."
Father, we thank you for your love and protection. Amen.