Announcements
SYMPATHY: to Jeannine Peregoy and family at the passing of her husband, Bill Peregoy, on Sunday, November 28. A grave-side service was held on Thursday, December 2, in Finksburg.
THANK YOU: Thank you so much for your prayers for my sister. She has gone to be with the Lord now. We will meet again someday. God Bless you all. Love, Trish & Ed Haugh
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS: Today is the last day to purchase poinsettias. To secure your poinsettia in memory and/or in honor of your loved one, be sure to stop by the Welcome Desk or place your order online today!
CHRISTMAS OUTREACH: Donations are still being collected if you would like to help with the cost of Bibles and/or hams for these families. You may place your envelopes designated for Christmas Outreach in the offering box located in the foyer.
LIVE NATIVITY: Our first “Live” walk-through/drive-through Nativity entitled “Creation to Calvary” will run for three days: Monday, December 20, Tuesday, December 21, and Thursday, December 23. We are in need of volunteers for this program, so please stop by the Welcome Desk to sign up. For more information see Pastor Shutt.
From My Heart
With Thanksgiving behind us, we now move into the Christmas season. I love this time of the year! I love to sing the Christmas hymns. Our new hymnal has several new Christmas carols that were not in our old hymnal. I also enjoy preaching from the Christmas story, both the Old Testament Scriptures that prophesy about the coming of the Lord and the New Testament Scriptures that tell the actual events of His coming. Those Scriptures are filled with so many wonderful truths!
I was looking at the “Coming Events” part of our bulletin and wanted to remind you to keep tabs on all the events that scheduled for the month of December. We have Sunday School class dinners and fellowships, the Cantata on Dec. 12th, the Live Nativity Scene, the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, and many other things for you to enjoy. I sure hope you will take advantage of these activities.
In I John 4:10 we read, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” This is such a clear verse that explains the whole reason for the Christmas Season. Christmas is about the coming of our Savior into this world, so He could become the propitiation for our sins. The dinners, the gifts, the decorations, the carols - all these things are wonderful - but the whole reason for Christmas is to remember the fact that God “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”
God loves the world and has given us the greatest gift He could ever have given! He gave us His Son! What a wonderful gift! And His Son, the Lord Jesus, became the propitiation for our sin. Jesus became the One who made peace between us and God. Jesus came from Heaven to this earth, so He could go to the Cross of Calvary and give His life as our atonement. Break the word “atonement” down and you will see its definition. Jesus made our “at one ment”. Jesus made us “at one” with God. He made our peace with God. With His death, burial, and resurrection - Jesus made our peace with God!
And that is what Christmas is all about! The world today misses the real reason for Christmas as people focus on Santa Claus, and reindeer, and all the fantasy side of Christmas. But the “real” meaning of Christmas is the fact that God loves all of mankind and loves mankind so much He sent His only Son to be our propitiation for sin.
Let’s make Jesus the reason for the season! I trust you will have a great day and allow the Lord to speak to your heart.
Pastor Norris