“Showing Up for Christmas” by Kathleen McElwaine

Be sure to check out her web site. Beautiful.

http://www.kmcelwaine.com/

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/showing-up-for-christmas-kathleen-mcelwaine.html

Can we really believe this story?

Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – The Young Child Lives & Herod Dies!
Message Text: Matthew 2:1-23

• PDF First coming of Christ – the Child Lives and Herod dies Matthew 2-1-23 120813 HANDOUT ONE
• PDF First coming of Christ – the Child Lives and Herod dies Matthew 2-1-23 120813 HANDOUT TWO

Only God could or would do this:

• He decided to come to Earth as a human infant.
• He chose a time when a pagan emperor ruled the world, a troubled king ruled the region of his birth and the dominant religious body of the day was opposed to him.

What was God thinking?

In God’s plan …

• Every powerful political and religious force was being directed and prepared by the rulers of the darkness of this age to stop at all costs the young Child – Jesus Christ – from being born and carrying out his mission on the planet. 
• God’s team to carry out his plan consisted of a teenage virgin named Mary and a young carpenter named Joseph.
• Per the divine plan Mary would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Christ Child.
• However the evil king had inside information by which he planned to use to find and kill the young Christ Child.

The only way we can believe this story is to understand that God is God. Sovereign Lord, God Most High of the universe. All he needed to defeat the forces of darkness both heavenly and earthly were a faithful, believing young woman and a good, just man to stand by her.

What was God thinking? Love. For God so loved … Remember? God was going to bring salvation to humankind as only God can.

The evil king plotted to kill the young Child and everything possible was on his side. Except God. For Mary and Joseph, everything was stacked against them. Except God.

The end of this part of the saga?
The young Child lives and goes on to fulfill his mission. And Herod, the big, bad wolf, evil king, puppet for the devil, is dead.

Announcements for Sunday December 8, 2013:

•  Volunteers are needed to clean the church for January 2014 and March 2014.
• December 10: If you would like to help Pastor Dave provide music for Loaves & Fishes from 1:30 – 3 pm, please give him a call or send an email. Thanks.
• December 14: Choir practice Saturday at 9 am.
• December 15: Christmas Caroling that Sunday at 3:30 pm.
• December 15: Fellowship at Stan and Debbie Dixon’s house after caroling at 5 pm. Please bring finger foods.
• December 22: Special Christmas service planned by Randy and Kelley Coplan at the church at 6:30 pm.
• December 24: Steve and Janet Sowers will host their Christmas Eve Open House from 4 – 6 pm. The Christmas Story will be read at 5 pm.
• Board minutes and financial reports in classroom off entrance.
• No Wednesday evening services on Christmas Day (12/25/13) and New Year’s Day (01/01/14).
• We will be giving you the opportunity to help decorate the church and dedicate a poinsettia in honor of a loved one. You will be able to take the poinsettia home after morning worship service on December 22. Please contact Gerald White for details.
• January 19, 2014: Annual business meeting for Sunday January 19. A fellowship dinner will be held in the basement at noon following the worship service.  The annual business meeting will be held after the meal. In case of bad weather on January 19, 2014, the meeting will be rescheduled for Sunday January 26, 2014.

Message Titles & Texts through December 22, 2013

December 8, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – The Child Lives and Herod Dies!
Message Text: Matthew 2:1-23

December 15, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – Mary Exults in Her Calling!
Message Text: Luke 1:26-56

December 22, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – A Savior Is Born!
Message Text: Luke 2:1-20

Here is the bulletin for Faith Fellowship Church of Tennessee, IL for December 8, 2013.

Thanks, Brenda!

• PDF Faith Fellowship Bulletin December 8 2013

http://bible.com/59/JUD1.17.ESV But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Bible.com/app

Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Samsung Galaxy SIV

This is how they will know …

http://bible.com/59/JHN13.34.ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Bible.com/app

Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Samsung Galaxy SIV

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/02/war-on-christmas-blog/3802231/

Not all Christians believe there is a ‘War on Christmas ‘
Heidi Hall, The (Nashville) Tennessean 2:34 p.m. EST December 2, 2013

A number of evangelicals distancing themselves from those concerned that the department store greeter said “Happy holidays,” instead of “Merry Christmas .”

Story Highlights 

• Author’s blog says being wished ‘Happy Holidays’ is not persecution
• Many remain convinced there is a national war on Christmas
• Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission says media overstating the war

Nothing in evangelical Christian author Rachel Held Evans’ five years of blogging has gone as viral as her simple little flowchart to determine if one is being persecuted during the Christmas season.

Simple little flowchart to determine if one is being persecuted during the Christmas season

• “Did someone threaten your life, safety, civil liberties or right to worship?” it asks. No. “Did someone wish you happy holidays?” Yes. 
• “You are not being persecuted,” it says.

At last count, the post had attracted more than 700 comments, the vast majority in agreement with her.

Call it the backlash against the “war on Christmas” camp — a number of evangelicals distancing themselves from those concerned that the department store greeter said “happy holidays,” that the Nativity scene is gone from the local courthouse, that classrooms are hosting “winter parties.”

“God became flesh and lived among us, and if that’s not enough for people, I think they’ve missed the point,” said Evans, who lives in Dayton, Tenn., and wrote last year’s best-selling book, “A Year of Biblical Womanhood.”

Still, the idea that there’s a national war on Christmas is going strong. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s new book, “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas,” is at No. 14 on The New York Times best-seller list for hardback nonfiction. “The ‘war in Christmas’ is the tip of the spear in a larger battle to secularize our culture and make true religious freedom a thing of America’s past,” the back cover reads.

The Fox News opinion site Fox Nation has a prominent War on Christmas page, inviting viewers to submit their own battle stories.

State Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, was thinking about Christmas well before the season arrived, introducing a bill last summer to assure that students and teachers could say “Merry Christmas” in schools. He said it was to protect them against the American Civil Liberties Union, which responded by saying Campfield was addressing a problem that did not exist.
Pastor urges peace
It’s strange that folks would argue about saying “Merry Christmas” in public when Jesus Christ himself instructed his followers to make peace with religious opponents, said Dan Scott, senior pastor of interdenominational, evangelical Christ Church in Nashville. There may be extreme cases where Christians in America face opposition for their beliefs, Scott said, but it’s more likely that some suddenly are realizing they live in a religiously diverse nation.

“We really need a way to treat the public square as the public square and private realms as private realms and not feel demonized because we come from a certain perspective,” Scott said. “It’s not a very popular viewpoint these days.”
Daniel Darling, vice president of communications for the Nashville-based Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, addressed the topic in the December issue of Homelife magazine, urging Christians to be joyful instead of judgmental this season.
He said on Friday that some media outlets are overstating the war on Christmas debate, and very few Christians actually engage in it.
“We advise people that, rather than trying to force that weary Wal-Mart worker to say ‘Merry Christmas’ against company policy, how about we be the bearers of joy?” he said. “Instead of taking offense, say, ‘Here’s the story, we’re the joyful ones. We’re the ones that have the greatest story.‘
“If we really believe Christ is the reason for the season, we shouldn’t force people to say it. It should be evident in our lives.”

Here is the bulletin for December 1, 2013 for Faith Fellowship Church.

Thanks, Brenda!

• PDF Faith Fellowship December 1 2013 bulletin

Announcements for Sunday December 1, 2013:

• Volunteers are needed to clean the church for January 2014 and March 2014.
• Choir practice Saturday December 7 at 9 am. Come join the choir as we begin preparing for Christmas.
• If you would like to help Pastor Dave provide music for Loaves & Fishes on December 10 from 1:30 – 3 pm, please give him a call or send an email. Thanks.
• Board minutes and financial reports in classroom off entrance.
• There is no congregational business meeting for December 1, 2013 as we did have a quorum on November 24, 2013 and were able to complete our business.
• Steve and Janet Sowers will host their Christmas Eve Open House from 4 – 6 pm. The Christmas Story will be read at 5 pm.
• Christmas Caroling on Sunday December 15, 2013 @ 3:30 pm.
• No Wednesday evening services on Christmas Day (12/25/13) and New Year’s Day (01/01/14).

 Message Titles & Texts through December 22, 2013

December 1, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – God with Us!
Message Text: Matthew 1:18-25

December 8, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – Herod’s Subterfuge Versus God’s Sovereignty!
Message Text: Matthew 2:1-13

December 15, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – The Child Lives and Herod Dies!
Message Text: Matthew 2:14-23

December 22, 2013
Message Title: The First Coming of Christ – A Savior Is Born!
Message Text: Luke 2:1-20

Here is the bulletin for Faith Fellowship Church for our Thanksgiving service on Sunday November 24, 2013.

Thanks, Brenda.

• PDF Bulletin FFC November 24 2013