Fourth Sunday in Advent: PEACE

It’s a Wonderful Truth: Heralding Angels

Chas. Wesley’s 1979 version: some thoughts:

Hark, how all the welkin rings, welkin = sky, high air
“Glory to the King of kings; written when King meant more
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, mercy mild (it can be severe)
God and sinners reconciled!” this is The Gospel

Joyful, all ye nations, rise, every tribe, tongue, and nation
Join the triumph of the skies; His victory comes from heaven
Universal nature say, Romans 8:18-23
“Christ the Lord is born to-day!” Son of Man; Son of God; Immanuel

Christ, by highest Heaven ador’d, John 17 & Father’s love for Him
Christ, the everlasting Lord: Alpha and Omega
Late in time behold him come, Actually, “in the fullness of time”
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb! In utero fertilization by Holy Spirit

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with men to appear,
Jesus! Our Immanuel here!
Soak in the wonder of this stanza’s poetic positioning of what  theologians call “the hypostaticunion

Hail, the heavenly Prince of Peace! We don’t “hail” much anymore
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! This Righteousness now ours’
Light and life to all he brings, John 1 says it best
Risen with healing in his wings. By His stripes we are healed

Mild He lays his glory by, the Great Kenosis of Philippians
Born that man no more may die; John 3:16
Born to raise the sons of earth; Adam = of earth; 2nd Adam restores
Born to give them second birth. Now Nicodemus understands

Come, Desire of nations, come, Haggai 2:7
Fix in us thy humble home; Our hearts, Christ’s home
Rise, the woman’s conquering seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.  Promised to Eve in Genesis 3

Now display thy saving power, “Lazarus, come forth!”
Ruined nature now restore; “Behold, I make all things new.”
Now in mystic union join   That hypostatic union thing again!
Thine to ours, and ours to thine. Christ in you, the hope of glory

News & Announcements:

• Prayer gatherings resume in January.
• Advocate Bromenn Partners in Prayer Dec. – Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU)Located on 5 West, this 56-bed unit serves cardiac and pulmonary patients. It is the post Critical Care Unit, particularly for post cardiac surgery patients.
• Attention Jr. High youth and their parents!  We have spots reserved for you and your friends at the Jan. 20-22 ICE CAMP Weekend Retreat at Miracle Camp.  We would love for any Jr. high students and their friends to join us!  More details coming soon!  Email Cary with questions.
• Be blessed in serving dinner @ Home Sweet Home Mission on December 22. We have been asked to provide eight servers as HSHM provides a Christmas dinner to their clients. Ask Cary for details.\
• Summer in the USA! Lord-willing, we will once again host Basque students next summer. It’s time to start planning and praying, praying and planning. If you want to play a part, please let Bob V. know.
• Christmas Eve Service @ 5:30You. Pursued. By God.(a service of and for the entire family)

Third Sunday in Advent: JOY!

Bring a torch! Un flambeau!
Christ is born! Tell the folk of the village. C’est Jésus, bonnes gens du hameau.

Summary of the Most Common Fears (from SelfHelpCollective.com)

1. Fear of flying
2. Fear of public speaking
3. Fear of heights
4. Fear of the dark
5. Fear of intimacy
6. Fear of death, dying
7. Fear of failure
8. Fear of rejection
9. Fear of spiders
10. Fear of commitment
11. Fear of flowers
12. Fear of driving
13. Fear of dogs
14. Fear of dentists
15. Fear of snakes
16. Fear of needles
17. Fear of being alone
18. Fear of water
19. Fear of god
20. Fear of abandonment
21. Fear of long words
22. Fear of clowns
23. Fear of falling
24. Fear of change
25. Fear of germs
26. Fear of music
27. Fear of doctors
28. Fear of crowds
29. Fear of being touched
30. Fear of open spaces
31. Fear of engulfment
32. Fear of girls
33. Fear of thunder

This is a rather comprehensive list, is it not?  I can “understand” all except one; see if you can guess which one strikes zero fear in my heart.  This list doesn’t include “heavenly hosts, appearing out of nowhere, singing loudly and shining a bright light.”

The Christmas story pumps life and faith and hope and love and JOY! into our needy souls in many ways. One of the most significant is that receiving and believing this story in all its promise and richness has the potential to alleviate, even destroy, the fears which so easily beset us. The Lord understands our fears: notice that the key witnesses to Christ’s birth were “prepared” by the angels of the Lord with these calming words:

• To Joseph in Matthew 1 – “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife…”
• To Mary in Luke 1 – “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
• To the shepherds in Luke 2 – “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy…”

News & Announcements:

• Prayer gathering this Wednesday@ church @ 7:00.
• Advocate Bromenn Partners in Prayer Dec. – Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) Located on 5 West, this 56-bed unit serves cardiac and pulmonary patients. It is the post Critical Care Unit, particularly for post cardiac surgery patients.
• Attention Jr. High youth and their parents!  We have spots reserved for you and your friends at the Jan. 20-22 ICE CAMP Weekend Retreat at Miracle Camp.  We would love for any Jr. high students and their friends to join us!  More details coming soon!  Email Cary with questions.
• Be blessed in serving dinner @ Home Sweet Home Mission on December 22. We have been asked to provide eight servers as HSHM provides a Christmas dinner to their clients. Ask Cary for details.
• Summer in the USA! Lord-willing, we will once again host Basque students next summer. It’s time to start planning and praying, praying and planning. If you want to play a part, please let Bob V. know.
• Christmas Eve Service @ 5:30You. Pursued. By God.(a service of and for the entire family)

Second Sunday in Advent: LOVE

What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezek. 36:26

In the Bleak Midwinter of Planet Earth, Eternal Spring emerged through iron-hard earth, stony ice, snow on snow on snow. The frosty wind made moan… as did the virgin mother-to-be. Then, a new sound: the cry of The Baby pierced the darkness and signaled that the spell was broken. The Deep Magic of The Rebellion was to be overwhelmed by The Deeper Magic of The Incarnation.

Behold, the winter is past… (Song of Sol. 2:11)

Although in the extreme cold or heat or wind or rain, such an opinion seems folly, I really do like living in a temperate climate in which we have distinct seasons. Each season has its own qualities, its own beauties, its own harshness. Such keeps me looking ahead.

Our lives reflect or even embody the four seasons. We speak of the seasons of life wherein the vitality (or lack thereof) in the aging process moves from spring through summer then autumn into winter.  Or we can view our spiritual lives – our  soul’s health –  as reflective of the seasons.  The seasonal metaphor works, so powerfully portrayed in Christina Rosetti’s poem we sing today.

Rosetti asserts that the Mighty Christ arrives in the bleak midwinter into a world which can neither contain nor control him, yet the King’s heaven-and-earth shattering entrance is humble and vulnerable and so like the man he was to become. She needs to respond. So do we.

News & Announcements:

• Prayer gathering this Wednesday@ church @ 7:00.
• Advocate Bromenn Partners in Prayer Dec. – Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) Located on 5 West, this 56-bed unit serves cardiac and pulmonary patients. It is the post Critical Care Unit, particularly for post cardiac surgery patients.
• Attention Jr. High youth and their parents!  We have spots reserved for you and your friends at the Jan. 20-22 ICE CAMP Weekend Retreat at Miracle Camp.  We would love for any Jr. high students and their friends to join us!  More details coming soon!  Email Cary with questions.
• Calling young(er) couples (under 40 – no offense)!  Hire a babysitter and join us for a potluck holiday meal at The Jake on Friday, Dec. 9th at 6:30pm!  Bring a dish to pass and enjoy fellowship with other couples!  RSVP to Cary.
• Be blessed in serving dinner @ Home Sweet Home Mission on December 22. We have been asked to provide eight servers as HSHM provides a Christmas dinner to their clients. Ask Cary for details.
• Summer in the USA! Lord-willing, we will once again host Basque students next summer. It’s time to start planning and praying, praying and planning. If you want to play a part, please let Bob V. know.