Sunday Morning Welcome

Good morning and welcome to Christ Church! 

I hope you find a warm greeting here and that your experience draws you closer to God.

Where do you plan to serve?  I ask where, not if, because most of us crave to be of service in our world.  We want our lives to count, to know we made a positive difference to others.  This means that each of us is called into service. 

Today, our Ministry Fair is happening to help you find your place of service here at Christ Church.  In our sermon today, we will begin the new series The Power of U: Finding Your Place in God’s Plan.  May the Spirit speak to you today and may you receive a new vision for God’s call in your life.

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy

Preposterous!

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?                     1 Corinthians 1:20

The Christian faith is preposterous.  If we take a good look, we realize that Christians are called to believe and live some things that appear to be pretty irrational when viewed from the outside.  What a ludicrous idea it is to love the people who don’t love you, who are even enemies!  How crazy is it to follow someone who was executed as a common criminal?  And to believe that he came back to life?  Completely nuts!

The teachings of Jesus are pretty hard to swallow, even for those of us who already believe.  But who is really crazy here?  Jesus taught us to love, even when love was the last thing we felt like doing.  We have two very well known examples in Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. who show us that the way of love can be much more powerful than the way of coercion.   Modern studies have shown that forgiveness can lead to physical health.  As hard as they may be to practice, the lessons of our faith really can lead us to happier, healthier lives.

The Christian way of life probably appears insane to the rest of the world because we live in a completely different reality.   (The very admission of that might be reason enough to put some of us away!)  The reality of the kingdom of God stands in complete opposition to the “reality” experienced by the world we live in.  The teachings of Christ direct us toward wholeness.  Our fallen world leads us to practice the opposite of what is really in our best interest; to crave things that hurt us, to build division rather than community.  Which reality would you rather accept?  The one that is most visible and easy to follow or the one that is harder to see, but eternal?

All I can suggest is to own your insanity.  Accept that following Jesus Christ might make the rest of the world look at you sideways, and enjoy that.  Relish the bizarre and wonderful life we have in God.

Blessings,
Rev. Nancy

UPDATE ON SUNDAY SCHOOL - January 29, 2012

JESUS’ BAPTISM

John, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and kinsman to Jesus, was a charismatic preacher.  John called the people to repent in preparation for the coming kingdom of God.  John would then baptize them in the Jordan River.  This symbolic cleansing by water helped the people understand that God has washed away their old, sinful life.  Baptism prepared the people for the coming of the kingdom of God, which John believed to be imminent.  Many people believed that John was the messiah that the scriptures promised.  But John was quick to point out that he was not the Messiah, but he was a messenger.

Early Christians often had difficulty with Jesus coming to John to be baptized.  Why did he seek baptism? He had nothing to repent!  Perhaps Jesus had heard of John’s ministry through baptism and sought baptism as a gesture of doing what was right.  Perhaps Jesus wanted to identify with the people and their needs.  Maybe Jesus recognized that the time was right to begin his task on earth.  Baptism was s symbol of this be beginning where Jesus claimed his relationship with God.

Who was Jesus?  We tell stories about Jesus to help the children understand what Jesus did.  We tell stories about Jesus to help the children understand what Jesus was like.  We tell stories about Jesus to help the children understand what Jesus taught.  But too often we fail to tell the children the most important fact-Jesus is God’s only son.

Baptism has become a symbol of belonging to God’s family.  John used baptism as a concrete act that stands for a spiritual rebirth. 

Sunday your children will hear about the story of John the Baptist.  God gave John a special task.  He would help the people prepare for the coming of the promised Messiah.  When Jesus presented himself for baptism, John recognized him at once.  Jesus’ baptism became a revelation of who he was and marked the beginning of his ministry.  Baptism, a sacrament of the church, is an outward acceptance of God’s grace and our membership in God’s family.

Our story will be prepare the way, we will talk about the names of Jesus.  I would also like to read about John a bit and where he came from (Luke 1:5-24,39-80.  We will also practice our parts for presentation in church.

Bible Verse

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

Bible Story

Matthew 3:1-17;Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:15-23; John 1:19-34

Sunday Morning Welcom

Good morning and welcome to Christ Church! 

I hope you find a warm greeting here and that your experience draws you closer to God.

The phrase “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” has become so well known, that most people have heard it even if they have never set foot in church.  Jesus’ words speak a simple but timeless truth, that our heart will reside in the place where we have invested it.  This means that where we have invested our time, our efforts, our thoughts, we will find our center.  Regardless what priorities we express, our heart will be known by the tangible “treasure” visible in our lives.

Hearing Jesus’ words should call us to examine again just where our investments are.  Do our treasures reside in the place we would like our heart to be?  Today we will discuss the investment of our heart in the last sermon of our series “God, Money and the Global Economy.”

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy

Transition Averse

For people who like a lot of new stuff, we are surprisingly resistant to change.  As we have discussed for the past few Sundays, we all like having the latest electronic gizmos and we are quick to tire of old furniture or out of date accessories.  A quick walk down the street will take us past store after store with lovely items that could be ours if we just lay down a few dollars.  Very often, we are convinced to do it.  How strange is it then, that we are so “transition averse?”  We just don’t like change.

Last Sunday, we talked about the complaining Israelites.  They were in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, and were rather unhappy about the new circumstances in which they found themselves.  Now, I suppose we can’t blame them for having grown accustomed to, say, an adequate supply of food.  But we are probably more like them than we think, only without the crushing hardship.  Adjusting to new circumstances is challenging for any of us.

Still, this is a challenge that we Christians should be ready to meet.  Change is a central part of our faith, even if we don’t say so explicitly.  We speak of growing in our faith, being planted as a seed only to transform and develop into beautiful new life (see Matthew 13:1-9 or 1 Corinthians 3:6-7).  Scripture tells us about becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and Christ making all things new (Revelation 21:5).  Even Resurrection, central to our faith, points to the remarkable change from death to life.

Although we live in a fast changing world – or maybe because we do – we tend to cling to the past.  We try to keep things the way they have always been, the way they are comfortable.  Maybe it is because the challenges of yesterday have already been met and conquered.  It is the future that remains uncertain.

Our fear of change, therefore, has to be met with faith; with a belief that God will be present and will keep us no matter what trials present themselves.  Our part is to keep moving forward, to plant one foot squarely in front of the other on the winding path, and to walk with God into the new.

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy

Update on Sunday School

This Sunday it will be a bit different.  In anticipation for the presentation on the 29^th in the church, I am going to have the children in essence teach the Sunday school.  Each child will be given either a scripture to read, poem or prayer that they can discuss and read in class, and it will also give them the opportunity to practice what they will present to the congregation on the 29^th.  As you may know we have been learning about Jesus, so each presentation the children give will be linked to something we have learned or will be leaning in class.  For example, Luke 2:22-32 which is Jesus at the Temple, or Luke 2:41-49 which is Jesus goes missing.  Finally, they will show you one of the Bible Versus they have learned in sign language.

The following week, we will start to discuss Lent and it’s meaning, as well as breaking down different aspects of it.  I will also try to put together a small individual book for the kids to reflect on for each week of Lent.  In the same time period I will also incorporate Lessons about Jesus starting with the next topic of Jesus’ Baptism.

Sanctuary Building Clean Up

Purpose: 

Our mission in the United Methodist Church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ.  While we do this in many ways, one of the most important is through the hospitality we offer to those who are new to our church or even to the faith.  Because our building is the first sign of hospitality that a visitor receives, it is important to maintain its appearance.

 

Scheduled Clean Up Day:

February 4, 2012

  

Sanctuary Building Clean Up

In an effort to show the greatest possible hospitality to our visitors and guests, we have scheduled a day to clean and organize several areas of our sanctuary building.  On February 4, items that are no longer needed in public areas will be moved to storage or disposed of.  If you have any materials or property in the sanctuary building, you may wish to remove them before this date.  If you are interested in volunteering for the Clean Up Day, please call or e-mail the church office.

February 4, 9:00am – 3:00pm, Sanctuary Bldg.

Clean and Organize the Following Areas:

Sanctuary:

-          Store old hymnals currently sitting on or under pews

-          Remove boxes

-          Remove and store bulletin boards, calendars and other items left from previous displays

-          Move current glass hospitality table to be used for materials in the back of the church

o   Organize table in back of sanctuary

o   Organize materials that remain on table

Outside Sanctuary, upper floor:

-          Organize ushers stand and area surrounding, including all baskets and bags that are not being used every Sunday.

-          Organize brochure shelves to be neat in appearance and to contain only material that is relevant and current.

-          Move big table into sanctuary to be used for hospitality after church.

-          Clear tables and floor of unnecessary items.

-          Restrooms –

o   acquire cabinets for cleaning materials – to be placed under the shelf inside each door

o   Add baskets with hospitality materials; Kleenex, aspirin, band-aids, etc.  Possibly generic changing supplies for baby changing areas.

o   Women’s restroom – lock needs to be repaired on second stall.

First Floor, Foyer:

-          Remove unused chairs.

-          Move/Remove extra bins (especially the one with juice bags)

o   Possibly place in hall by stairwell and make this an outreach area.

-          Remove items from prayer room that are not necessary to the purpose of the room.

Outside the restrooms downstairs:

-          Acquire a nice looking cabinet to replace the metal cabinet to hold extra paper towels and toilet paper

Fellowship Hall:

-          Remove additional chairs in Fellowship Hall

-          Move manger and other unnecessary items to storage.

-          Work with Nimble Fingers to organize and move all materials to closet.

-          Find alternative for open music shelves; they may be moved to a different area, or replaced by an enclosed storage area that looks appropriate to the room.

o   Build doors for these shelves.

-          Move/remove all items that are put on top of cabinets, refrigerator, etc.  Find permanent storage for those that need to be kept.

Sunday Morning Welcome

Good morning and welcome to Christ Church! 

I hope you find a warm greeting here and that your experience draws you closer to God.

Is security important to you?  Do you have an alarm system in place at your house?  Strong bolts for the front and back doors?  Or maybe national security is more your concern!  Do you keep an ear open for terror alerts or watch the news of foreign wars?  How about your financial security?  Do you have some funds stashed away for a rainy day?  How about a retirement account?

What makes us secure?  This is the topic of today’s sermon.  Security comes in all kinds of shapes and forms.  Today, we will discuss how they compare to the security we find in God. 

Blessings,Rev. Nancy

What Would Jesus Buy?

Our sermon last Sunday was a little unusual.  At least it was for me.  Money and economics seem to be among those subjects that don’t often get mentioned in the same breath as the practice of our faith.  And yet I can’t imagine a more important element in the lives of the people God created and loves!  So we’re going to keep going for a while in this same vein and continue the discussion for a little longer.

On Sunday, we talked about the stuff we buy.  We covered three main points:  1) We buy a lot; 2) Our purchases have consequences; and 3) it is often difficult to know those exact consequences when it comes to any given purchase; as a result, it is difficult to know the right choice to make. So the question “What Would Jesus Buy?” is sometimes (though not always) a hard one to answer.

But a better question might be “What DID Jesus buy?”  Not much, it would seem, if you look to the biblical text for specific purchases that Jesus made or lists of things that he owned.  The few times the Bible speaks of Jesus acquiring food or drink, he created it out of thin air – as in the feeding of the 5,000; or he transformed something else – as in the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana.  Interestingly, though he might have helped to consume these things, both of these stories are about Jesus making things for other people. 

In all of Jesus’ travels, I can’t think of a single purchase he made that was recorded, or any reference to any possession he might have had.  While Jesus didn’t appear to be anti-commerce, even he got angry enough to turn over tables when the buying and selling diminished the purpose of the temple, and by extension, the purposes of God.  That doesn’t completely answer the question of what we should and shouldn’t buy, but I think it does hint that less is more.  It should certainly make us question very deeply the necessity of our acquisitions, as well as their far reaching effects.
Also, while we can’t always know all that has gone into the production of some of the goods that we buy, it is important to know as much as we can.  Here are a couple of resources that can help you learn more about some of the issues involved.  The Story of Stuff (www.storyofstuff.org) is a set of videos that can be watched online and the website includes lots of additional resources and information, some of which I used in my sermon on Sunday. 

 Interestingly, Sunday night’s broadcast of This American Life (www.thisamericanlife.org) touched on this topic as well.  It included a radio adaptation by Mike Daisey of his one-man show “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.”  Daisey visited factories in China where electronics were being produced for western countries.  His delivery of the story is entertaining though some of his findings were sobering.  It’s worth a listen.
Living the Christian Life was never meant to be easy.  It is especially complicated in our multi-faceted, modern world.  We are called, however, to stay true to our calling no matter what; to honor God in every aspect of our lives.  This means that we think deeply about our actions that have far-reaching repercussions, and we take the time to know as much as we can about the things we do and the things we buy.   I realize this might be new territory for a lot of us, but I’m willing to try.  Are you?
See you Sunday! 

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy

Addendem to Sunday School Update

Other

 

Reminder there will be Safe Sanctuary training for those who signed to help in Sunday after church at 12:30.  The training will go to approximately 2:30 pm.  Pizza will be provided.

 

The following Sunday, also for those who volunteered for Sunday school, we will have an opportunity for you to come into the classroom and see how we conduct our classes.  Email reminders will also be sent out to those individuals.  We always have more room for volunteers, so please let Fez Saige or Lisa Wille know if you are interested .

 

 

 

Why is it important to become involved in Sunday school?

 There a number of benefits to your involvement which include:

 

 

 

·         People commit their lives to Christ (John 1:2)

 

·         New friends become a part of our lives.  Caring and fellowship takes place. (John 13:34-35)

 

 

·         Ministry is given and received. (Ephesians 6:7-8)

 

·         There is life changing Bible study for spiritual growth and development. (Peter 3:18)

 

 

·         Our children receive a Christian education. (Psalm 78:4-7)

 

·         Life needs are met in Sunday school. (Philippians 4:19)

 

 

·         People are encouraged and comforted in Sunday school. (Corinthians 1:4)

 

·         People find wisdom and direction for their problems. (Proverbs 1:7)

 

 

·         Bible study guides us as we live. (Proverbs 23:19)

 

·         Bible study warns us about things that will harm us. (Corinthians 4:14)

 

 

·         There is an opportunity to share prayer needs and pray for others. (Acts 1:14)

 

·         There is an opportunity to reach others for Christ.  (John 14:1-3)

 

 

 

Life Benefits of Regular Church Attendance and being in Sunday school:

(Real research by Neil MacQueen)

 

 

·         Increase the average life expectancy of your children by 8 years

 

 

·         Significantly reduce your child’s use and risk from Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs

 

·         Dramatically lower their risk or suicide

 

 

·         Help them rebound from depression 70% faster

 

·         Dramatically reduce their risk for committing a crime

 

 

·         Improve their attitude at school and increase their school participation

 

·         Reduce their risk of rebelliousness

 

 

·         Reduce the likelihood that they would binge drink in college

 

·         Improve their odds for a “very happy” life

 

 

·         Provide them with a life-long moral compass

 

·         Provide children with a caring extended family

 

·         Get them to wear their seatbelts more often

 

 

·         And will also statistically improve the odds that they will lead an active church life in their adult years

 

 

Lisa Wille

E mail:  lisa11675@gmail.com

Cell:  770-362-2175

 

Sunday School Update 1-15-2012

Jesus in the Temple

 

We know very little about the time in Jesus’ life from his early childhood until be began his ministry in Nazareth .  What happened in those years in between?  Today Bible story is the only story in the Bible that tells something about this time of Jesus’ life.  The trip to Jerusalem and the Temple in today’s Scripture probably tells about a time of Passover.  Passover was a special holy day when every person who was able to made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple and eat the Passover meal within the city walls.

 

Passover was a glorious time.  The city of Jerusalem fairly filled to overflowing with tourists.  During special celebrations the men would often gather in the Court of the Gentiles and discuss with the teachers major theological issues.  Sometimes these debates became quite animated and lasted for hours.  With these learned men Jesus found himself debating the meaning of scripture.

 

When persons read this story today, they might ask, “How could Mary and Joseph have simply left Jesus in Jerusalem ?”  Village life in Bible times was quite a bit different than life today.  Families from the same village often traveled together on these special holidays.  The women would start early in the day, and men would catch up with them in the evening, when camp had been set up.  Mary probably assumed that Jesus was with his father.  Joseph, likewise, could have assumed that Jesus was with the group, however, he would be safe.  It was when they discovered that Jesus was not with the group that a sense of unease arose.

 

Because of who he was, Jesus certainly knew much about God and had a sense of who God was.  But imagine the hunger to debate the religious leaders and to get a  better understanding of ho they viewed God and the Scriptures.  Who do your children turn to when it come to learning about the Bible?  About God?  About Jesus?  Sunday school is often the only place where they can get their questions answered and their spiritual needs met.  Be open to talking with your children about God and about the Bible.  Be willing to say, “I don’t know” and, “Let’s look it up together.”

 

In this week’s lesson your children will hear about the story of the fateful trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was left behind talking to the elders.  Scriptures say that Jesus was asking questions of the elders.  But perhaps what he was discovering from these learned men was how they interpreted God from the Scriptures.  Jesus learned as well as taught.  He learned from his parents, from the rabbis, from his disciples.  When the time came to take up his ministry, he would change the people’s view of God for all times. 

 

Our story will be when Jesus was a boy/Where is Jesus.  Activites will be can we talk, zippety zee, grow-growing-grown and a game we can play will be Dreidel time.  As you may now Dreidel was a game similar to Jacks and this games was played at Hanukkah.  This was a special celebration of a time when the temple lights burned for eight days on only a small amount of oil.  If we have time All About God in which we will reading versus out of Psalm, and I will have the children try to find those versus and finally Happy Prayer.

 

Bible Verse

 

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor

 

Luke 2:52

 

Bible Story

 

Luke 2:39-52

 

 

Lisa Wille

E mail:  lisa11675@gmail.com

Cell:  770-362-2175

 

Update on Sunday School

Jesus in the Temple

We know very little about the time in Jesus’ life from his early childhood until be began his ministry in Nazareth.  What happened in those years in between?  Today Bible story is the only story in the Bible that tells something about this time of Jesus’ life.  The trip to Jerusalem and the Temple in today’s Scripture probably tells about a time of Passover.  Passover was a special holy day when every person who was able to made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple and eat the Passover meal within the city walls.

Passover was a glorious time.  The city of Jerusalem fairly filled to overflowing with tourists.  During special celebrations the men would often gather in the Court of the Gentiles and discuss with the teachers major theological issues.  Sometimes these debates became quite animated and lasted for hours.  With these learned men Jesus found himself debating the meaning of scripture.

When persons read this story today, they might ask, “How could Mary and Joseph have simply left Jesus in Jerusalem?”  Village life in Bible times was quite a bit different than life today.  Families from the same village often traveled together on these special holidays.  The women would start early in the day, and men would catch up with them in the evening, when camp had been set up.  Mary probably assumed that Jesus was with his father.  Joseph, likewise, could have assumed that Jesus was with the group, however, he would be safe.  It was when they discovered that Jesus was not with the group that a sense of unease arose.

Because of who he was, Jesus certainly knew much about God and had a sense of who God was.  But imagine the hunger to debate the religious leaders and to get a  better understanding of ho they viewed God and the Scriptures.  Who do your children turn to when it come to learning about the Bible?  About God?  About Jesus?  Sunday school is often the only place where they can get their questions answered and their spiritual needs met.  Be open to talking with your children about God and about the Bible.  Be willing to say, “I don’t know” and, “Let’s look it up together.”

In this week’s lesson your children will hear about the story of the fateful trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was left behind talking to the elders.  Scriptures say that Jesus was asking questions of the elders.  But perhaps what he was discovering from these learned men was how they interpreted God from the Scriptures.  Jesus learned as well as taught.  He learned from his parents, from the rabbis, from his disciples.  When the time came to take up his ministry, he would change the people’s view of God for all times. 

Our story will be when Jesus was a boy/Where is Jesus.  Activites will be can we talk, zippety zee, grow-growing-grown and a game we can play will be Dreidel time.  As you may now Dreidel was a game similar to Jacks and this games was played at Hanukkah.  This was a special celebration of a time when the temple lights burned for eight days on only a small amount of oil.  If we have time All About God in which we will reading versus out of Psalm, and I will have the children try to find those versus and finally Happy Prayer.

Bible Verse

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor

Luke 2:52

Bible Story

Luke 2:39-52

Sunday Greetings

Good morning and welcome to Christ Church! 

I hope you find a warm greeting here and that your experience draws you closer to God.

As the new year begins and plans are made for the twelve months ahead, we realize that there is much in our world that is still uncertain.  Our economy remains on the minds of most people, and many Christians begin to wonder where God is in all of this!  How does our faith intersect with economic conditions?  What does God think about money?   How can we as Christians honor God in our financial lives?  What does it really mean to be secure?

Today we start our new sermon series God, Money and the Global Economy.   In it, we will explore these and other questions about God and the economy.  May we all discover together how we can live as God intended.

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy

Children's Lessons for 1-5-2012

Good News to All

 

Tradition has called them wise men, magi and kings.  But what were they really?  Biblical historians tell us that they were probably Eastern astrologers, men of science who studied the stars.  For them the appearance of a new star was an exciting sign.  It symbolized the birth of a person destined to be influential in the world. 

 

The Bible is not specific as to how many men came to the house in Bethlehem that day.  The number three probably came from the list of gifts that the magi brought.  Also, how long did it take for them to get there?  Many scholars believe that the magi, or wise men, may have arrived as many as two years after Jesus’ birth.  Herod’s decree (after the wise men tricked him and went home by another way) to kill all male children two years old and younger to protect his kingship supports this theory.

 

Many churches celebrate the arrival of the wise men during the time called Epiphany.  Epiphany begins on January 6 and lasts until the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday).  It is the season of the Christian Year when we remember that Jesus came for all people – not just for Jewish people but for all people.

 

Al Christmas, gift giving has become a primary focus.  Many parents spend themselves into debt during this time of year trying to make their children’s list become a reality.  The race to outspend and outdo one another has almost become a manic.  However, the child we celebrate was born to a marginal family.  As we tell the stories surrounding Christmas, let us remember the focus of the season and try to bring the children to a similar understanding of what Christmas is all about.

 

Following Christmas there is sometimes a feeling of letdown.  Let us try to keep the children’s excitement over God’s gift alive for more than just a few days.  Sing a Christmas Carol at a totally different time of the year.  Remind the children that Christmas is not a single day, but a celebration that should be continued as we share the good news of God’s greatest gift every day of the year.

I also wanted this lesson to incorporate something about the meaning of the New Year.  At the beginning of each year many people reflect upon their life and what they can do to improve it.  We see slogans everywhere motivating people to “be the new you” through weight loss programs, financial planning, exercise regiments and home organization.  Yet most of us find by the end of the year we have slipped back into some of our old habits once again.  This occurs because people are striving for change in their own strength without seeking the help of the Lord.

Incorporated into this lesson, children will be encouraged to examine their life and identify one thing they need to give up at the start of this New Year.  What is the one thing in their life that is holding them back from having a closer walk with the Lord or having a relationship with him at all?  They will learn that this change they seek cannot be found on their own, but can only be made possible with God’s help.

Bible Verse

When they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him.

Matthew 2:11

Luke 18:18-27 (for the New Year teaching)

Bible Story

Matthew 2:1-15.

Question to ask yourselves and your children:

   1.  What is special about the month we are now      in?”  It is the first month of a new year!

   2.  “What year is it?” 2012

   3.  “Have you heard about making a new year      resolution?  What is a resolution?”

   4.  “A resolution is a goal.  Something      you want to do or be by the end of the year.”

   5.  “Do you have some ideas for a resolution      you could make?”  Take input from the kids.

   6.  “Did you know a resolution can be something      you choose to give up, too?  For example, you can resolve or make a      goal to give up eating candy because it is not good for your teeth.       Or you could give up playing video games after dinner because sometimes      you end up staying up too late.”

Our Story will be In Search of the King and a reading from Luke and if we have time One Starry Night and we will have an activity called God’s Gift to you, and make a names mobile as well as door hangers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisa Wille

E mail:  lisa11675@gmail.com

Cell:  770-362-2175

 

God, Money and the Global Economy

Happy New Year!  I hope that your 2012 is off to a great start and that God’s blessings be with you for the next twelve months and beyond.

This is the time for resolutions.  Did you make one?  Several?  It has become a popular trend to make resolutions every January 1.  Some people choose to set goals rather than make resolutions believing that it will bring a higher rate of success.   New year’s resolutions are funny things.  They seldom last very far beyond February and yet we make them every year anyway.  Statistics show that nearly half of us make resolutions each year, and nearly half of them fall by the wayside after the first month.  (Statistics also show, however, that there is a benefit to making resolutions.  People who made explicit resolutions were ten times as likely to reach their goals as those who did not.)

While we make resolutions about lots of things, from our physical health to the health of our relationships, many of us will resolve to improve our financial health.  We may resolve to lessen our debt, to build our savings or simply to spend more wisely.  Even our best efforts, however, rely on the cooperation of economic conditions.  In addition to resolutions, this new year brings many questions about what will happen in the state of the economy during the next twelve months.

This is why our upcoming sermon series deals with this very topic.  Beginning this Sunday, January 8, we will begin a new sermon series called God, Money and the Global Economy.  We will address many of the questions that arise in times like these.  How does God view money?  How can we honor God with our money?  And where is God when the economy crashes?

Whatever resolutions you have made or goals you have set for the new year, I hope they help you to grow as a follower of Jesus Christ.  May you mature with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  May you increase in wisdom, in patience and in joy.  And most of all, may to draw ever close to the God who created us.

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy


Learn more about this sermon series by clicking here, or visiting the Christ UMC website, www.christchurchumc.org/.

Update on Sunday School

Good News to All

Tradition has called them wise men, magi and kings.  But what were they really?  Biblical historians tell us that they were probably Eastern astrologers, men of science who studied the stars.  For them the appearance of a new star was an exciting sign.  It symbolized the birth of a person destined to be influential in the world. 

The Bible is not specific as to how many men came to the house in Bethlehem that day.  The number three probably came from the list of gifts that the magi brought.  Also, how long did it take for them to get there?  Many scholars believe that the magi, or wise men, may have arrived as many as two years after Jesus’ birth.  Herod’s decree (after the wise men tricked him and went home by another way) to kill all male children two years old and younger to protect his kingship supports this theory.

Many churches celebrate the arrival of the wise men during the time called Epiphany.  Epiphany begins on January 6 and lasts until the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday).  It is the season of the Christian Year when we remember that Jesus came for all people – not just for Jewish people but for all people.

At Christmas, gift giving has become a primary focus.  Many parents spend themselves into debt during this time of year trying to make their children’s list become a reality.  The race to outspend and outdo one another has almost become a manic.  However, the child we celebrate was born to a marginal family.  As we tell the stories surrounding Christmas, let us remember the focus of the season and try to bring the children to a similar understanding of what Christmas is all about. 

Following Christmas there is sometimes a feeling of letdown.  Let us try to keep the children’s excitement over God’s gift alive for more than just a few days.  Sing a Christmas Carol at a totally different time of the year.  Remind the children that Christmas is not a single day, but a celebration that should be continued as we share the good news of God’s greatest gift every day of the year.

I also wanted this lesson to incorporate something about the meaning of the New Year.  At the beginning of each year many people reflect upon their life and what they can do to improve it.  We see slogans everywhere motivating people to “be the new you” through weight loss programs, financial planning, exercise regiments and home organization.  Yet most of us find by the end of the year we have slipped back into some of our old habits once again.  This occurs because people are striving for change in their own strength without seeking the help of the Lord.

Incorporated into this lesson, children will be encouraged to examine their life and identify one thing they need to give up at the start of this New Year.  What is the one thing in their life that is holding them back from having a closer walk with the Lord or having a relationship with him at all?  They will learn that this change they seek cannot be found on their own, but can only be made possible with God’s help.

Bible Verse

When they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him.

Matthew 2:11

Luke 18:18-27 (for the New Year teaching)

Bible Story

Matthew 2:1-15.

Question to ask yourselves and your children:

1. What is special about the month we are now in?”  It is the first month of a new year!
2. “What year is it?” 2012
3. “Have you heard about making a new year resolution?  What is a resolution?”
4. “A resolution is a goal.  Something you want to do or be by the end of the year.”
5. “Do you have some ideas for a resolution you could make?”  Take input from the kids.
6. “Did you know a resolution can be something you choose to give up, too?  For example, you can resolve or make a goal to give up eating candy because it is not good for your teeth.  Or you could give up playing video games after dinner because sometimes you end up staying up too late.”

Our Story will be In Search of the King and a reading from Luke and if we have time One Starry Night and we will have an activity called God’s Gift to you, and make a names mobile as well as door hangers.