The Second Week of Advent:

 

The Proclamation of John the Baptist 

  

LUKE 3:

    

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

 

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
 'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.

 

Every valley shall be filled,
 and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;

 

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "

 

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church...

Thanks be to God.

 

 

 - Selections for the Second Week of Advent 

 

 Service Opportunity!

 

TRIVIALIZING JESUS

 

Dear Ones in Christ,
 
 We are now in the midst of the Advent Season leading up to Christmas.  It is a beautiful time of year when as Christians we focus on the Birth of Christ.  He is the Word that became flesh.  He is the incarnate Son of the Living God.
 
 Jesus is the center of our lives and is on our lips and in our minds 24/7.  We believe in, and talk about, having a personal relationship with Jesus.  That is as it ought to be.  But, in the process, there is a trap that we are in danger of falling into.  That is the danger of becoming so friendly with Jesus that we forget His majesty and awesomeness.  It seems to me that too much of Christian conversation and too many of the contemporary Christian songs make Jesus too much of a pal.  He is always there, meets all our needs, is the One we turn to, and is the One who holds us tight.  Though there is truth in all of this we need to be careful that we do not carry it too far.
 
 When Jesus was here in person on this earth he surrounded Himself with 12 disciples.  In the four gospels we find that Jesus is personally quite close to Peter, James, and John.  John seems to be the closest companion to Jesus.  At the Last Supper John rests his head on Jesus' shoulder, and they engage in coversation during dinner.  John is called the disciple whom Jesus loved.  This does not mean that He loved any of the rest less than John.  But, if we skip over through the New Testament to the book of Revelation we come to a section of Scripture that is very revealing.  Because it is so important to what I am writing about I will quote the entire section:   
 
 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that is ours in Jesus, was on the Island of Patmos because of the word of God and testimony of Jesus.  On the Lord's day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said:  "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
 
 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.  And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man, "  dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.  His head and hair were white as wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword.  His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
 
 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.  Then he placed his right hand on me and said:  "Do not be afraid.  I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One;  I was dead,  and behold I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
 
 "Write therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.  The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this:  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:9-20)
 
 The John who writes the book of Revelation is the same John who was close to Jesus throughout their three years together, and that night in the Upper Room.  It is this John who throws Himself at Jesus' feet in worship and adoration!  I cannot emphasize that too much.  It is one thing for us to be friends with Jesus.  It is another thing to worship and adore Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
 
 If as Christians we believe that when we gather in worship as the gathered Church we are in the presence of the Living Lord of the universe, and that our worship is directed to Him do we not have to see Him as more than a pal?  It is a good thing to know that we are close to Him as our personal Savior.  But, we dare not allow that closeness to trivialize our relationship with the One who is the First and the Last, the Living One.  We are sinners saved by grace, not because of anything we have done to earn His forgiveness, but only because of His eternal love and salvation bought with the price of His own shed blood.  Worshipping the Almighty God is the most joyful and awesome thing that a human can ever do.  Jesus is worthy of the highest and most lofty of our thoughts and deeds.  We ought to never take Him for granted or become such pals with Him that we lose His transcendence.  No matter how close He becomes He remains our Savior and Lord, and we must never forget that!!

 

God bless you.  Jesus loves you, and so do I!

 

Christian Education

 

Here is our weekly schedule for Fall 2011:

Sundays:

• 9:45 am - Family Hour Breakfast
• 9:45 am - Adult Book Study
  • "The Gathered and Scattered Church"
• 10:00 am Family Hour Lesson/Activity
  • Lessons from the Book of Judges
• 11:00 am - Children's Church
  • Lessons from the Book of Acts

Tuesday Bible Study:

• 6:00 pm Dinner in the Fellowship Hall
• 6:45 Study begins, ending promptly at 7:30 pm.

"The Truth Experience" - Lessons from The Unshakeable Truth by Josh and Sean McDowell 

 

 Amen.

 

 

• Help Wanted
• Work/Services Wanted
• For Sale
• Free Items
• These items will be listed on a weekly basis in our e-news. If you have recurring items, please keep the church office informed on a weekly basis by the end of day Thursday.