All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel“

Matthew 1:22-23 (ESV)

Are we too far from the stable?

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!“ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

The Need • Nearly 1,000 children are orphaned due to AIDS in

South Africa each day. • It is estimated that nearly 5.3 million people are

living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa • Average life expectancy in South Africa is now 54

years – without AIDS, it is estimated that it would be 64. Over half of 15 year olds are not expected to reach the age of 60.

• 71% of deaths among those aged between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS.

• An estimated 1.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, bringing the total to 22.4 million people living with HIV.

Our Response • What if we committed to spend less

& give more?

• Let’s set aside our gifts between now & Christmas.

• During our Christmas Eve & Christmas morning services we’ll receive an offering for Blessman Ministries in South Africa.