River Oaks Community Church

This past Sunday we worshiped at River Oaks Community Church, 1855 Lewisville Clemmons Road, Clemmons, NC 27012, 336.766.0033, www.riveroakschurch.org, Pastor David Beaty.

Scripture – ESV

Matthew 2:1-18 –

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

Jeremiah 29:13 –

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7-8 –

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Hebrews 11:6 –

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were late getting to a church that had four services, so greeting was limited to the ushers at the door. I was impressed that the usher in the sanctuary went out of his way to find us seats.

The praise team sounded excellent and I appreciated the accompaniment of the flute. I enjoyed the color changes in the back-lit stained glass-looking panels in the suspended wood frames framing the stage.

The message used plenty of Scripture explaining the symbolism of the Gifts of the Magi and, always special for me, the prophecies of the Old Testament.

There was a time for self-confession before Communion and I was delighted that the congregation was instructed to offer the elements verbally as they were passed in the pew.

We appreciated the time the pastor and a member gave us after the service. Hopefully we can visit again when we are in North Carolina.

Jan’s thoughts:

In the course of a Christmas visit with family, we visited River Oaks’ 9:15 service Christmas Eve morning. We arrived later than we wished so had no opportunity to tour this large campus. A kind usher showed us to two of the few remaining empty seats.

The music dominated the first half of the service, but they were beautiful songs telling the true meaning of the season. I especially appreciated the flute during “Joy to the World.”

The message began with a quiz about details of the Christmas story that have been passed from generation to generation, details that are actually tradition, such as who saw the “star in the East” and where did the Wise Men find the Baby Jesus.

The pastor indicated the meaning behind the gifts of the Magi: gold being the metal of kings, frankincense used in worship, and myrrh used in Jewish burials. All gifts that pointed to significant traits in Jesus’ life.

Communion was celebrated with worshipers instructed to speak to the person to whom they hand the elements (i.e., the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ). Not many near us seemed to say anything, but it’s likely some did besides us.

Considering the busy-ness of the day, we very much appreciated the time the pastor took to speak with us after worship.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray Your continued blessing on this Your church as they continue to seek Your direction for them. Amen.