Christmas is coming with familiar tunes filling mall hallways and flooding radio broadcasts. Familiar carols find their way into worship, too as we all turn our thoughts toward a baby born in Bethlehem long ago…Preparations are underway everywhere as Christmas decorations are pulled out of boxes, dusted lovingly and placed carefully on freshly cut trees and nick-nack shelves. If you looked carefully this week, you might even have seen a certain 69 year old crawling carefully along rooftops to hang holiday cheer from the eves…tis the season to prepare.
In church and small groups we are studying how God prepared for that first Christmas day using a book written by Adam Hamilton. We’ll be looking closely at John the Baptist, his family, his upbringing, his purpose in life….just how did God prepare the world to receive His greatest gift? And when did it all begin?
But I want to invite you to ask a couple of key questions: “What am I doing to prepare MYSELF to receive, embrace, celebrate the coming of Christ?” And: “How are you preparing YOUR WORLD to receive God’s greatest gift?”
I am challenging Chamber buddies: “In the busyness of business, don’t forget the reason for the season!” Guess I am challenging all of us with those same words.
See you in Church Rev. Ben Moore
TO CHURCH OR NOT TO CHURCH
We will plan to gather as always on Christmas Eve to sing the carols and share the readings that tradition tells us are central to the celebration of Christ’s birth…That service will be at 7 in our sanctuary.
This year, Christmas itself, the next day is a SUNDAY! On years like this, the question always comes: do we worship or cancel our gathering so that families can be together?
If this is a year when grandchildren gather at your house and your are looking forward to the joyous chaos that portends…God bless you.. Enjoy it!!! Those are precious times that build memories we all treasure.
But, I will be in church at 10am that morning for a somewhat non-traditional Christmas pageant. We’ll sing a few carols. We will hear the Christmas story from Luke. And we will act out a traditional Christmas pageant with Angels, Wise Ones, Joseph, Mary…Here’s the twist. Those in attendance will be invited to read whatever parts they wish. We may have 10 Mary’s and 3 Joseph’s. The wise ones may be more than the traditional 3 or less… If you have always wanted to be Mary, but never had the chance growing up; here’s your chance. If someone else always got to be Joseph; this is your turn.
It may be a bit chaotic as it will be unrehearsed…but here’s hoping it will be a fun way to revisit and celebrate the day, the time, and make it ours.
