As Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close, just a word to help you make Advent worship plans.
Advent is the beginning of the Christian year. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent refers not only to Jesus’ birth, but to his coming at the end of time. (Advent means arrival.) The mood is one of repentance and self-examination. Perhaps John the Baptist said it best when he said, “Prepare the Way of the Lord.”
In worship, during the Call to Worship, we will light a candle on the Advent
Wreath each Sunday before Christmas: November 28, the Prophecy Candle; December 5, the Bethlehem Candle; December 12, the Shepherds Candle; and December 19, the Angels Candle.
On Sunday, December 5, following the sermon, the children will once again participate in the Hanging of the Greens.
On Sunday, December 19, the choir will perform our annual choral program.
On Christmas Eve, a Friday, we will hold the service at 11:00p.m. Communion will be served.
From December 5-19, Joy Offering envelopes will be in the pews so you can contribute to this collection taken by our denomination.
It is confusing that the Sundays prior to Christmas are called by so many the Christmas Season. Certainly everyone is preparing for Christmas, but this time of year is Advent. The Christmas Season, or the Twelve Days of Christmas, begins on Christmas Day and ends on January 5. January 6 is the beginning of the Season of Epiphany, during which we celebrate the epiphany, or manifestation, of the Christ child to the Magi.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Pastor's Column Nov. 21, 2010
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6: 31-33
Dogs tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!”
Cats tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God!”
Squirrels tend to think of people like this: “You don’t feed me. You don’t pet me. You don’t shelter me. You don’t love me. Thank God that you feed birds!”
Squirreliness has an undeserved bad reputation. No one wants to be called squirrely. Still, think about this. Squirrels are so good at what they do they have generated a whole industry, the manufacture of squirrel-proof bird feeders. Squirrels are so good at what they do that most of these squirrel-proof bird feeders are about as effective as the pills that are alleged to “burn fat.”
Squirrels are single-minded. They want their dinner, and they want it now. Nuts are preferred, but birdseed will do. And they use every resource they have to get their dinner. They balance on precarious perches. They use their tails like anchors. They dig in with their toes. They use their front paws and teeth like a heart-surgeon cracking open a chest. They are one of God’s most persistent creatures.
According to Jesus, above, we too must be single-minded and persistent in the pursuit of God’s rule in our lives, including thankfulness to God for our many blessings. If we’re not thankful we can become bitter or discouraged or arrogant. All we have comes via our heavenly Father’s initiative. - DJ
Dogs tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!”
Cats tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God!”
Squirrels tend to think of people like this: “You don’t feed me. You don’t pet me. You don’t shelter me. You don’t love me. Thank God that you feed birds!”
Squirreliness has an undeserved bad reputation. No one wants to be called squirrely. Still, think about this. Squirrels are so good at what they do they have generated a whole industry, the manufacture of squirrel-proof bird feeders. Squirrels are so good at what they do that most of these squirrel-proof bird feeders are about as effective as the pills that are alleged to “burn fat.”
Squirrels are single-minded. They want their dinner, and they want it now. Nuts are preferred, but birdseed will do. And they use every resource they have to get their dinner. They balance on precarious perches. They use their tails like anchors. They dig in with their toes. They use their front paws and teeth like a heart-surgeon cracking open a chest. They are one of God’s most persistent creatures.
According to Jesus, above, we too must be single-minded and persistent in the pursuit of God’s rule in our lives, including thankfulness to God for our many blessings. If we’re not thankful we can become bitter or discouraged or arrogant. All we have comes via our heavenly Father’s initiative. - DJ
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pastor's Column Nov. 14, 2010
“If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31.
Does survival training have insights that help Christians thrive in a hostile world? There is a three week school at Camp Mackall, near Ft. Bragg, N. Carolina, for candidates trying to earn the green beret. It is called SERE School, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. The school culminates with a nightmarish field exercise designed to test the candidates’ ability to live under intense physical and mental stress. Candidates are dropped 25 miles from civilization, equipped with only a knife, a compass, a sleeping bag and a canteen. There’s no tent, despite snow in the forecast; no food even though they will be there for days; no flashlight or night vision goggles. Candidates are part of a small band of just six guys, and hostile natives (i.e., other soldiers and law enforcement officers with dogs) are roaming the countryside trying to capture them. If captured, their resistance will be tested by intimidating interrogation.
What does such training teach us about enduring as Christians? Gordon Smith who is a SERE instructor says, “I tell the students, ‘If you have a guy with all the survival training in the world who has a negative attitude, and a guy who doesn’t have a clue but has a positive attitude, I guarantee you that the one with the positive attitude is coming out of the woods alive.”
If we have a positive attitude – and God will give us an attitude appropriate for our situation if we will pray for it - we have a head start when it comes to overcoming temptations, fears, and stress. With a positive attitude we can better deal with anger over our situation, better handle guilt over what could have been but is no more. And the basis for such a positive attitude is summed up in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”
It is also easier to develop a positive attitude when we work with God to break our work and thoughts into manageable chunks. The green beret candidates going through SERE training are taught to celebrate the smallest of victories - “I didn’t get sick… I found some water…I caught a fish.” How might we break difficult tasks or circumstances into smaller chunks that can be celebrated? “I didn’t quit today even though I felt like it... I helped someone today… I stood up for my beliefs today.” - DJ
Does survival training have insights that help Christians thrive in a hostile world? There is a three week school at Camp Mackall, near Ft. Bragg, N. Carolina, for candidates trying to earn the green beret. It is called SERE School, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. The school culminates with a nightmarish field exercise designed to test the candidates’ ability to live under intense physical and mental stress. Candidates are dropped 25 miles from civilization, equipped with only a knife, a compass, a sleeping bag and a canteen. There’s no tent, despite snow in the forecast; no food even though they will be there for days; no flashlight or night vision goggles. Candidates are part of a small band of just six guys, and hostile natives (i.e., other soldiers and law enforcement officers with dogs) are roaming the countryside trying to capture them. If captured, their resistance will be tested by intimidating interrogation.
What does such training teach us about enduring as Christians? Gordon Smith who is a SERE instructor says, “I tell the students, ‘If you have a guy with all the survival training in the world who has a negative attitude, and a guy who doesn’t have a clue but has a positive attitude, I guarantee you that the one with the positive attitude is coming out of the woods alive.”
If we have a positive attitude – and God will give us an attitude appropriate for our situation if we will pray for it - we have a head start when it comes to overcoming temptations, fears, and stress. With a positive attitude we can better deal with anger over our situation, better handle guilt over what could have been but is no more. And the basis for such a positive attitude is summed up in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”
It is also easier to develop a positive attitude when we work with God to break our work and thoughts into manageable chunks. The green beret candidates going through SERE training are taught to celebrate the smallest of victories - “I didn’t get sick… I found some water…I caught a fish.” How might we break difficult tasks or circumstances into smaller chunks that can be celebrated? “I didn’t quit today even though I felt like it... I helped someone today… I stood up for my beliefs today.” - DJ
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Pastor's Column Nov. 7, 2010
PASTOR’S COLUMN.
It is hard sometimes to not get depressed reading the newspaper or listening to the news. So here are a few verses of scripture to keep in mind from Psalm 112. And remember that psalms are song lyrics from long ago. We can update them so they’re in a more meaningful language for today.
Psalm 112: 5-9
All is well with those who choose to be generous and fair.
These who have been put right with God are on firm ground, their legacy lasts forever.
They are not afraid to read the newspaper with their morning coffee, or peruse it electronically later. No matter what ill-tidings the day brings forth: alongside the Good News of Jesus Christ, all else lacks lasting impact.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph upon all the lies, disheartening dispatches, and scare tactics that besiege the human spirit.
They have been generous in the face of bad news that causes others to hoard and be selfish; they are right with God, their legacy will endure.
It is hard sometimes to not get depressed reading the newspaper or listening to the news. So here are a few verses of scripture to keep in mind from Psalm 112. And remember that psalms are song lyrics from long ago. We can update them so they’re in a more meaningful language for today.
Psalm 112: 5-9
All is well with those who choose to be generous and fair.
These who have been put right with God are on firm ground, their legacy lasts forever.
They are not afraid to read the newspaper with their morning coffee, or peruse it electronically later. No matter what ill-tidings the day brings forth: alongside the Good News of Jesus Christ, all else lacks lasting impact.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph upon all the lies, disheartening dispatches, and scare tactics that besiege the human spirit.
They have been generous in the face of bad news that causes others to hoard and be selfish; they are right with God, their legacy will endure.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Pastor' Column Oct. 31, 2010
Pastor’s Column: What is financial stewardship?
1) It is primarily a relationship between a person and Jesus Christ. Each of us responds to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ by what we give.
2) This response can be a percentage of income, which is Biblical. In the prophet Malachi’s day, the standard was the traditional10% or tithe. The people were not giving this amount, and God accused them of robbing him. Interestingly, researchers have found in recent years that if church members do not intentionally tie their giving to percentage of income, they wind up giving an amount that turns out to be only 1.5% of income. If they intentionally tie giving to percentage of income, they give on average 4.7%, or three times as much.
3) Another way of going about financial stewardship is by paying one’s share. To keep the doors open at Grace, it presently costs $45/worship per Sunday based on our average worship attendance. ($45 for 52 Sundays/year, i.e.,$2,340.) Paying one’s way, plus helping pay the way of others who aren’t able, or paying as large a portion of one’s way if one is on limited income, is a responsible thing to do.
4) Financial stewardship is one of the ways we grow in faith, as is worship,
Bible study, prayer, volunteering, etc. There is integrity in giving as large a percentage as possible, or paying what one can to keep the doors open, and trying to increase this one year to the next.
5) Your financial commitment to Jesus Christ can be reported on the 2011 Commitment Card on Sunday, Nov. 7. The only person other than you who will know this amount is church secretary, Liz McClain.
6) After we have informed Liz of our financial commitments, she will add it all up and give the total to the session, who will then finalize the budget for 2011.
1) It is primarily a relationship between a person and Jesus Christ. Each of us responds to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ by what we give.
2) This response can be a percentage of income, which is Biblical. In the prophet Malachi’s day, the standard was the traditional10% or tithe. The people were not giving this amount, and God accused them of robbing him. Interestingly, researchers have found in recent years that if church members do not intentionally tie their giving to percentage of income, they wind up giving an amount that turns out to be only 1.5% of income. If they intentionally tie giving to percentage of income, they give on average 4.7%, or three times as much.
3) Another way of going about financial stewardship is by paying one’s share. To keep the doors open at Grace, it presently costs $45/worship per Sunday based on our average worship attendance. ($45 for 52 Sundays/year, i.e.,$2,340.) Paying one’s way, plus helping pay the way of others who aren’t able, or paying as large a portion of one’s way if one is on limited income, is a responsible thing to do.
4) Financial stewardship is one of the ways we grow in faith, as is worship,
Bible study, prayer, volunteering, etc. There is integrity in giving as large a percentage as possible, or paying what one can to keep the doors open, and trying to increase this one year to the next.
5) Your financial commitment to Jesus Christ can be reported on the 2011 Commitment Card on Sunday, Nov. 7. The only person other than you who will know this amount is church secretary, Liz McClain.
6) After we have informed Liz of our financial commitments, she will add it all up and give the total to the session, who will then finalize the budget for 2011.
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