And Balaam took up his discourse and said,
“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Behold, I received a command to bless:
he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The LORD their God is with them,
and the shout of a king is among them.
God brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
For there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
‘What has God wrought!’
Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up
and as a lion it lifts itself;
it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey
and drunk the blood of the slain.”
(Numbers 23:18-24 ESV)

and he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
Like palm groves that stretch afar,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the LORD has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall be in many waters;
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brings him out of Egypt
and is for him like the horns of the wild ox;
he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries,
and shall break their bones in pieces
and pierce them through with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed are those who bless you,
and cursed are those who curse you.”
(Numbers 24:3-9 ESV)

And he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Edom shall be dispossessed;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.
Israel is doing valiantly.
And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors of cities!”
(Numbers 24:15-19 ESV)

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Advent at Christ Community Church

Our celebration of Advent is simple. Countless volunteer hours have “decked” our halls with evergreens and lights. Our stage is adorned with locally grown poinsettias, which are available for sponsorship. The beeswax Christ candle at the center of our Advent wreath, along with several tapers that will awaken our senses on Christmas even, were hand-crafted by one of our members.

On December 14th at 6:30 pm, all are invited to “Song of the Stars” to hear and see the Christmas story retold by an ensemble cast of adults and children.

Advent at Home

Advent devotionals, wreaths and calendars are excellent tools for observing Advent outside of our time together on Sundays. Christ The King of Raleigh, NC prepared an Advent devotional, Born a Child and yet a King to help both adults and children consider the story of Jesus’ birth. The devotional uses familiar Scriptures, hymns, and prayers for both children and adults to help all remember that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

You can download the devotional by clicking here, and you can hear some of the songs that might be unfamiliar by clicking here. They also created a longer Advent devotional for all ages titled For Yonder Breaks a New and Glorious Morn.

Other helpful devotionals are available from Trinity Presbyterian in Charlottesville, John Piper and Desiring God Ministries, and World Vision.

If you are planning to enjoy the season of Advent at home, this blog has an excellent print-it-yourself Advent Calendar filled with nice artwork, helpful scriptural reminders, and some suggestions for how to enjoy each day in Advent. We will also have Jesse Tree booklets at the Children’s Desk for anyone interested in taking one home, as well as take-home manger scenes that you can assemble with your children. Jesse Trees are free, and mangers are $5 for the cost of materials.

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And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
(Genesis 48:15-16 ESV)

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
(Genesis 49:8-10 ESV)

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After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.  Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”  And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.  And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

(Genesis 22:1-18 ESV)

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Women’s Christmas Gathering, December 4th

All women college age and above are invited to our annual Christmas Party. We will be meeting at Jenna Lammer’s home for dinner and a special time of fellowship together. This is a great opportunity to meet other women at CCC!

Tomorrow that its the last day to RSVP

Contact Christina Fischer to with questions or to reserve your spot
352-682-9449 or Christina at gator DOT net