O Holy One,
Tomorrow is the Sunday before Christmas. May we gather to worship You in spirit and in truth. As the power and beauty of the Advent season now starts to fade, we begin to prepare for the awesome celebration of Jesus’ birth. Bless those, O God, who have drifted away from the church and aren’t a part of this holy celebration. Be with those, Dear Lord, who have never experienced life within the Living Body of Christ. May the love that came to us most movingly in the manger in Bethlehem live in us in such a way that others may see our faith and good works and be drawn to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.
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Joan Ingmire’s hearth cath procedure went well. No further tests are needed.
Mae Clark was to have been dismissed from St. Mary’s yesterday. Joan Petersen is hoping to be released on Monday.
Please pray for Joan, Mae and Joan.
Christmas Day is one week from today. We will have our full complement of services today and tomorrow. They will include Moments for Mission for the Christmas Outreach Offering, brief congregational meetings, and a baby dedication during the 10:15 a.m. sanctuary service.
The office will be close on Friday, December 24th. We will have a church Visitor next week, however.
There will be Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion services at 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Friday. The 7:00 p.m. service will be “family friendly” with the children participating in a “pick up” pageant as a part of the celebration. The 11:00 p.m. service will be led by Butch Phillips and other lay leaders in the church. Invite your family and friends to join with us.
On Sunday, December 26th there will be no 8:00 a.m. chapel service and no Sunday school. Everyone is invited to bring a breakfast treat (be sure to sign up in Sunday School or in the church office) and we will meet in the fellowship hall at 9:30 a.m. to share food, fellowship and Christmas joy. We will have one combined service of worship in the fellowship hall at 10:15 led by the R & R group. This will be casual, fun and inspirational. Bring your out-of-town guests and join us for breakfast and a special service of worship on the day after Christmas.
Grace and peace,
John McLemore
Advent Devotion for Today. Please read Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11:
Did you know it doesn’t say exactly how many men went to go see Jesus? It’s typically thought there were three given that there were three gifts. These men heard that the king of kings was to be born. They were so ecstatic to hear the news, that they were willing to follow a star in the night. A star probably wasn’t exactly what they thought would guide them to the savior, but they were excited enough to follow it any way. They followed the star everywhere it went until it stopped above a small barn. A barn isn’t really where you would expect to see a king being born, but they were so sure the king was in there they entered the barn.
When they went in, they saw an ordinary child. The child wasn’t surrounded by singing angels or glowing with a halo around its head, it was just simply in its mother’s arms. Even though the child was normal, the men were still overjoyed to see him. They stood in wonder at this child, this plain little boy that would one day save our lives. Since it was common to bring a king gifts, they brought him fine accessories that were fit for a king. When they had given the child his gifts, they left with overjoyed hearts. They were some of the first people that would get to see Jesus up close.
I like this story because I love Christmas time. Like the wise men we are our closest one day a year, and that’s to celebrate the birth of our savior. We get together with people we don’t usually talk to, just so we can all share the joy. Like wise men we become happy about our savior, and end the day with happy hearts.
Katherine Jones
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