Pastor Joel's mid-week reminders for 12/13/2011
This entry was posted on 12/13/2011 3:45 PM and is filed under Mid-Week Reminders.
'When the
fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a
woman, born
under the law, in order to redeem those who where under
the law, so
that we might receive adoption as children.' Galatians
4.4-5
Most of us adults are very
conscious
of time. Time is precious. Time passes. Time moves us
from birth to
death.
Children are not so conscious of time, and perhaps therein
lies some of
the envy we adults feel for children. Once upon a time we,
too, were
kind of oblivious to time. We operated on the rhythms of
the day:
waking, sleeping, playing, eating. But then we went to
school and
learned about time, about clocks, about school bells. Our
lives became
increasingly structured by the segmentation of time: class
schedules,
alarm clocks, yearly events like birthdays and Christmas.
God's time is different. He knew when the world was ready
for the
birth of his Son, Jesus. And in that birth God entered
fully into our
human time--to be born, to live, to die, to be raised from
death. Now
our time is in his hands. Now we are always children--God's
children,
adopted by God's grace into the timeless reality of being
eternally
loved, redeemed, and cherished. Now is the time to remember
God's gift
in "the fullness of time"--the nativity of Jesus and the
transformation
of our time here on earth.
P.S. Don't miss the Sunday School
Children's
Christmas program coming up this Sunday, Dec. 18, in our
10am worship!!!
MIDWEEK ADVENT
VESPERS AND
SOUP / BREAD SUPPERS: Our final Midweek
Advent
Vespers will be offered at 7pm
tomorrow, Dec. 14, using
the Holden
Evening Prayer liturgy. Preceding our worship, we gather
at 6pm
for a Soup and Bread
and Dessert supper.
A Sign Up Sheet has been posted, and we ask for your help
with hosting
these suppers. My preaching theme for this year's Midweek
Worship is
"Gifts for Our Souls." This week's focus: 'The Angels'
Gift'.
REDEEMER'S
'GIVING TREE':
Each year we
invite you to provide gifts for a local needy family. Please
see the Giving
Tree in the lobby of our church for names and
gift requests
for this
year's family. Questions: see Etta Mae Hitchcock or any
member of our
Social Ministry Team. Thanks for your compassion and
generosity!
10
MOST WANTED FOODS FOR MARION POLK FOOD SHARE:
Thank you
all so much for continuing to bring food for the growing
numbers of
hungry people in our Salem area!. Please remember to focus
your
purchases on the 10 most basic
foods MPFS asks for: soup...chili...mac
and
cheese...cereal...peanut
butter...tuna...canned fruit...canned
vegetables...pasta sauce...pasta. Bring your
food items to
worship with you and place them in the red wagon by our
worship area.
Also, thanks for your contributions to our own small food
pantry, under
the direction of Kathy Lisle. There is a separate and clearly
labeled
green bin for the same foods for our food pantry. Needed
especially
right now: TUNA.
FRIDAY MORNING BIBLE CLASS
will be on Christmas break for the
rest of December,
resuming on January 6.
REMINDER: All
Officers, Ministry
Team chairpersons, and committee chairpersons need to
submit their 2011
Annual Reports by the end of December. Please
email them to Pat
Haneberg, who will edit and publish them for our Jan 15
Annual
Congregational Meeting.
DATES
AND EVENTS TO NOTE ~
Wednesdays:
Dec 7 and 14....6pm:
Soup
Suppers and 7pm:
Midweek
Advent Vespers
Sunday,
Dec 11..........Worship with
opportunity
for healing prayers
Sunday, Dec
18..........Sunday School
Christmas Program during
worship
Saturday,
Dec 24........Christmas Eve:
12
noon and 7pm worship
Sunday,
Dec. 25.........Christmas
Day: 10am
Festival Worship
Sunday,
Jan.
15.........Annual
Congregational
Meeting with lunch
**Please
see
the weekly bulletin, Spirit Call, and
master
calendar for a complete listing of dates and events.
