Click below to hear Pastor David’s message from Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24.
Just a Few More Days…
Can you remember Christmas when you were a child? What was it like? Did you have certain traditions that still are meaningful for you? Do you have memories of waiting for the special day?
Of course, not everyone has pleasant memories of Christmases in the past. But hopefully you do – and if you’re like me, many of your childhood memories revolve around one thing: presents! I remember seeing gifts under the tree and wondering just what might be inside the packages. Visiting grandparents gave me another round of this sense of expectation, too – more gifts to open and to share!
Here we are, just a few days before Christmas. The level of anticipation and expectation is rising every moment for today’s children (and some adults, to be fair). Why don’t we experience that kind of excitement during the rest of our lives?
One of the hymns of our faith, “I’ll Fly Away,” expresses this feeling as it relates to our hope for life beyond the grave:
Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away.
To a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.
Chances are, you know the tune to that song. In fact, you might be singing it to yourself right now. Christians love to sing this song (and songs like it) because of its catchy tune, its upbeat tempo, and its message of hope. We live as people of hope, who believe that God will bring about a brighter tomorrow, who trust that Jesus will return, will raise his people up, and will live with them in glory forever.
Isn’t it hard to live with a sense of anticipation that Jesus’s return will happen soon? I think it’s certainly harder for Christians to live in expectation of that time than it is for children to live in expectation of Christmas morning. Christmas is a regular, predictable event, but the return of Christ is mysterious, unknown, perhaps distant. Yet this is part and parcel of our faith as followers of Christ: that his return is imminent, that we may see him in our lifetime, that the time is drawing near.
Just a few more weary days and then I’ll fly away.
To a land where joy shall never end, I’ll fly away.
Friends, live with expectation! Watch for signs of anticipation in the youngest among us, and learn from their example. We are people of hope! We are people who expect Christ’s return! We are people who are waiting just a few more days!
–Pastor David
Walk With a Fresh Understanding!
Jesus, the Savior, is born in Bethlehem! That is the truth behind the Christmas season. Light has entered the world in the person of Jesus, and our lives should no longer be the same. Now we are to “walk in the light as he is in the light,” as John wrote in 1 John 1:1-10 (NIV). What does this mean for us today? Listen to Pastor David’s message from yesterday to find out!
Should Christian Christmas be automatic?
I read a story online today about a traditional nativity display in Santa Monica, California, that will not have its customary space along a street in a city park. The city uses a lottery system to give different groups the opportunity to set up their own displays in the park. This year, the Christian group that sets up the nativity scene – which usually includes fourteen different displays related to Jesus’s birth – was given only three spaces, apparently thanks to several atheists who entered the lottery for their own displays. The Christian group expressed their dismay at the atheists’ attempt to push them out of the park. They feel that their inability to express their religious beliefs is an infringement on their First Amendment rights.
That got me to thinking. Should the Christian version of Christmas be automatic in our culture? Should we always expect our traditional public nativity scenes to be accepted and allowed? Should the message of the birth of Jesus Christ become part and parcel of our cultural experiences?
These questions are related to a broader discussion in Christian circles: How should Christians interact with our culture? In his 1951 book Christ and Culture, Richard Niebuhr describes five possibilities:
- Christ against culture: The Christian church and secular culture have nothing to do with each other, and the good church will ultimately grow while the evil world fades away.
- Christ of culture: God works in and through our culture to fulfill his purposes. We find connections between the church and the best parts of culture.
- Christ above culture: There may be some similarities between the church and the world, but there are also many differences; the Christian way is often higher or better than the worldly way.
- Christ and culture in paradox: There is a tension between the church and the world, and that tension cannot be resolved.
- Christ transforming culture: The world is sinful, but Christ can transform culture so that it can serve his purposes.
Each of these ways of considering the relationship between Christ and culture has been used throughout history, and each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Should the Christian emphasis on Christmas be automatic in culture? If you say “yes” to that question, then you may be thinking in the “Christ of culture” way. I personally tend to fall toward the “Christ and culture in paradox” mindset.
My response to the Santa Monica nativity situation is to say this: The world might not understand or appreciate the Christian message of Jesus Christ being born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, and that’s all right. Our task as believers is to be faithful to the message of Christ and to share it with those around us. If our communities do not accept that message, then so be it. That does not detract from the power of the gospel to change lives! In fact, it reminds us that our work is not complete. There are many who have not truly heard and understood the good news, that Jesus Christ is born – and that the rest of his story is true, as well!
Be encouraged, friends. We do not have to put Christ back into Christmas, because he has been there all along, calling us to be transformed and to leave behind the ways of the world, all for his name’s sake.
–Pastor David
Adopt God’s Plan!
Ever wonder what to do with your life? Do you find yourself thinking about what God wants from you? You’re not alone – and believe it or not, scripture has something to say about this! Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, and click below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on this topic as it applies to us and to a church in the bustling town of Corinth nearly 2000 years ago.
Advent: What are you expecting?
Today, I’d like you to read Isaiah 9:1-7, even if you have read it many times in the past. As you read, think about what you expect out of the Christmas season. What are you anticipating? What do you think will happen in the next few weeks?
Isaiah wrote his prophecy several hundred years before Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. Isaiah didn’t know when Jesus would be born, who his mother would be, how Jesus would live and die and live again, or any of those details. All he knew was that there were people in his time who were in distress and were being oppressed, and that eventually God would send a ruler who would make everything right for all time.
Did Jesus fulfill this prophecy written by Isaiah? That question leads to one of the most controversial questions in all the world: how do you understand Jesus of Nazareth? For those of us who understand the connection between Jesus and Isaiah 9:1-7, we can rejoice that our Savior has come, that the Prince of Peace has broken the bars of oppression, that the newborn child in Bethlehem grew up and now reigns over the kingdom of God for all time.
Sometimes I wonder if we take those statements for granted. Do we truly grasp the significance of Jesus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy? Are we able to identify with “walking in darkness” so that we can understand “seeing a great light”? Will we allow the Lord’s holy zeal to bring about peace, justice, and righteousness in our world?
Or will we allow Christmas to be a sentimental holiday reserved for seasonal decorations, gift exchanges, and sweet desserts?
Throughout this month (and beyond), consider the truth of our faith: that Jesus Christ, the Son of God born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, has fundamentally changed our world, our society, our relationships, and our personal experiences. His kingdom will endure forever and ever!
–Pastor David
Prepare for Something New!
Christmas is about transformation: not just a baby born in Bethlehem, but real life change in people who believe in the newborn Savior. What does that have to do with Peter and John healing a paralyzed man in Acts 3? Click below to hear Pastor David’s sermon from this past Sunday.
Youth Ministry Update, December 2011
The Thanksgiving through Christmas Season always brings times of special joy and opportunities to spend one of our most important treasures – “time” with friends and families. We were blessed with the area “Thanksgiving” service followed up with the “Hanging of the Greens” plus our opportunity to provide 540+ Thanksgiving Baskets to families throughout Midland County. Our youth ministry and other helping adults made this service project extremely successful blessing not only families in need but “us.” Thank you for everyone who helped!
Our youth meetings of December 4th and December 11th will be discovering the topic “Called At Christmas” where we will explore being called to Believe, called to Serve, called to Rejoice and called to Witness. On December 18 there will be a youth Christmas party from 2:00 to 4:30 then there will be no youth meeting on December 25 (Christmas) and January 1 (New Year’s Day and Winter Retreat).
During January & February we will be studying “Jesus & Sticky Questions” with no youth on Sunday, January 29 because Pastor Jerry & Connie have the opportunity to travel and serve in Guatemala. There will be a Super Bowl Party on February 5th, then we will study “Jesus & Sticky Questions” on the remaining Sundays in February.
We hope everyone has enjoyed their new Mt. Haley T-Shirts, Hats, and Hoodies. The sale was very successful and we collected some money for Winter Retreat. We will have another sale in the future. Our Scripts gift cards netted us some money for Winter Retreat and we thank those who participated. Pop Bottles & Cans still are a valuable resource for funds and we appreciate those who contribute.
The Michigan Church of God Winter Retreat happens over the New Year’s weekend. The cost for each student is $99 which includes 2 night’s lodging, 5 meals, a New Year’s Eve pizza party, the worship band, “Sanctified” and our speaker, Steve Van Fossen. There is a $49 registration fee needed by December 7, 2010. The Spaghetti Dinner originally scheduled for December 9th has been changed to Friday, December 16 because Pastor Jerry & Connie need to attend a funeral memorial service for a family member in Phoenix, Arizona. Thank you for your flexibility in this situation, however, we hope you can still support our youth in this much-needed fundraiser. Please pray for Connie and I as we take care of our family matters and then plan for the Winter Retreat for our group and the state CHOG. Winter Retreat has been an exceptional CHOG weekend where the hearts of many youth have been changed and their lives touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Last month, we spoke of Prayer Partners for the different members of our youth ministry. This is something I would like to begin in January and we will be matching up families and youth. I spent some time explaining the prayer partner ministry in the November newsletter and we feel we now know the “regular” attendees in the youth ministry. The list includes Brennan Mudd, Jaylee Martin, Thomas Jenson, Lacinda Vinson, Sabrina Torres, Shane Mudd, Isabella Krolikowski, Chase Brenske, Nick Torres, Corey Forster and Paul Hassen. We have others who attend, but haven’t settled into regular attendance patterns. We are averaging 12-15 students a week and hope to increase as we reach out the hands of Christ.
We continue to thank you for your prayers, love and support. May we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Pastor Jerry
Advent: Celebrating What’s Coming
Take a few moments today to read Luke 1:5-25, and pay special attention to the character named Zechariah, a priest belonging to a specific division of priests. Luke gives him the honor of being the first person in this gospel to receive a visit from God – specifically, from Gabriel, an angel of the Lord. What a tremendous interruption to an otherwise normal worship service!
Who could blame Zechariah for doubting that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child in their old age? After all, his ancestors Abraham and Sarah had just as much trouble believing God’s same promise to them. Yet in order to emphasize the message and the truth of God’s promise, the angel told Zechariah that he would not be able to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
Can you imagine what the next several months might have been like for Zechariah? This goes against what we normally experience in the season of Advent! At this time of year, people are usually filled with excitement, expectation, hope, and other positive emotions – whether it’s about opening presents, visiting family, eating a good Christmas dinner, participating in a Christmas Eve candlelight service, or another of the blessings of this season. But Zechariah had to spend significant time – more than a month! – silently waiting the fulfillment of God’s promise: that his son would soon “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (vs. 17 NIV).
Can you imagine Zechariah’s growing excitement as he watched Elizabeth grow more and more pregnant in the months that followed?
Culturally speaking (and within the church), we have only one month to celebrate Advent, the coming of our Lord. We may not be struck silent by an angel of God for this entire season, but our challenge is the same. We are called to wait eagerly, with anticipation, for the coming of the Christ child. The greatest event in human history – God himself being born as a human baby – is an event that changed the world. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to spend the preceding month as Zechariah did his wife’s pregnancy: with ever increasing joy, hope, excitement, and anticipation of this long-awaited birth of our Savior!
–Pastor David
Hanging of the Greens: Meditation
“Anticipation requires preparation.” Each year, Mt. Haley hosts a “Hanging of the Greens” service, when we decorate the sanctuary for the Advent season. Click below to hear Pastor David’s meditation on three main characters of the original Christmas story – and on how they prepared for a world-changing birth.