“Gesu Bambino”, a solo by Lenore Bowne, accompanist is Jayne McDonough.
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This year’s Advent Message Series is titled The All-Inclusive Story featuring the animals of Christmas. Animals, you ask? Yes! You can become a part of the story, too!
The eagle’s sharp eyesight and the dove’s spirit will inspire us this week as we over-hear John the Baptist challenge the community who met him at the Jordan River. It was as if he posted on his Facebook page and live-streamed his message for all to see. What did John say about Jesus? What were the “take-aways” for parents, shopkeepers, and military types? What are we required to DO for Christmas? This week, our lesson from Luke 3:7-18 will challenge our preconceptions about Christmas and exchange them for eagle-eyes and a dove’s spirit which will provide a foundation for experiencing the presence of God in our lives today. Everyone is welcome to come and worship with us every Sunday in December. Enjoy special music, an interactive and inspiring message from God’s word, and a joyful community of faith!
Listen and consider how you can put “doing” into Christmas!
Christmas includes the tradition of exchanging gifts with those we care about. And also it includes volunteering and serving others in new ways. We call these activities acts of kindness. Christmas is about doing. Last week you selected an activity, what did you do. Read a book with a friend. That’s awesome! Well this week, I will offer you three challenges! Are you up to it? I have some great “gifts”, acts of kindness suggestions in this Advent Tin for you to choose from! Reach in a see what your challenge is this week. Great. Invite a friend to Christmas Eve service. Pick another. That’s a really good one: Help in the kitchen. Another. Make a Christmas card for a neighbor. God wants us to show our gratitude for his “indescribable gift” of Jesus! Thank you for being with me today! Be blessed as you do Christmas this week! Let’s pray.
Did you know that earliest followers of Jesus didn’t celebrate what we call Christmas? That’s right. In fact, it took them 300 years to set the date! Why? The focus of the early believers was on the life and work of Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Christ, and the birth narratives were not thought to be central to the Jesus-stories. The focus was on the atoning work of the cross, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and Jesus’ promised return. A few centuries later, however, it became important to introduce a more complete story of the Savior to show his full humanity and full divinity. The scholar and pastor, Jerome (347-420 AD), helped early believers learn the four gospels using familiar creatures, each representing a diffferent animal. Mark (the Lion), John (the Eagle), Matthew (humans) and Luke (the Ox).
This year’s Advent Message Series is titled The All-Inclusive Story featuring the animals of Christmas. Animals, you ask? Yes!
On the second Sunday of Advent, this week we will consider the ox and the donkey as images to help tell the Christmas story. The Gospel of Luke features the important role John the Baptist as a messenger to level the playing fields of life. The Good News is for everyone! God is in the business of smoothing out the rough edges, the ups and downs, the obstacles that impede our learning and growth as followers of Jesus. Listen to the an all-inclusive adventure toward Christmas hope this message.