Vol 4 No 5 - Back to 'Normal'

Thank you all for making our Christmas Eve worship such a joyful time of anticipation and celebration.  It was a true joy to see and meet those who are so important to you.  I know that the days around Christmas are so busy and distracting; to take a little more than an hour to worship with the people of God is a wonderful statement of faith.  Both of our services (6:00 & 11:00) had a great mix of people and were a true blessing.

As you prepare for the new calendar year this week, I want to remind you that our church life is returning to its regular routine after the craziness that is Advent.  You will note in this e-mail as well as in the church newsletter which will be in your mailboxes later this week a number of opportunities to be involved in the kingdom of God, and I encourage you to resolve in 2009 to involve yourself in a ministry that you might not have in the past.  Mission opportunities, Bible studies, Sunday school, worship, joining or working with our youth ministry...these are but a few of the ways we can truly live out the calling that God has placed on our lives to work for the Kingdom.

I hope and pray that each of you has a wonderful New Year's celebration and that you truly live out all that God has in store for you in 2009.

See You Soon!

Lamar

P.S.  Please note that our New Year's Eve Come & Go Communion has been canceled for this year.  Erin had some complications from her sinus surgery and will be having another procedure in the morning.  My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Vol 4 No 4 - Dim Bulbs and Perspective

Some of you may have noticed just before worship on December 14 that the bulb in the projector in the sanctuary died.  It was a very frustrating thing not only because of the inconvenience but also due to the fact that the bulb did not last as long as we might have expected.  Thinking about all this earlier today while I was on the scaffolding replacing the bulb, my thoughts turned to our worship service tomorrow night as we kick off the Christmas season.  Two things that came to me (besides that fact it would have been a heckuva worker's comp claim if I'd slipped):

1) In re: the bulb blowing sooner than expected:  Yes, it is highly annoying when things don't happen on the schedule we expect - but then again, isn't that the story we proclaim at Christmas?  We worship a God who tells us over and over and over again that things do not happen on our schedule, but yet we insist on things happening as we want...and...

2) In re: being 15' off the ground:  Our beautiful house of worship is inspiring from our usual perspective, but as I looked around from high above I saw it from a whole new vantage, and gained an appreciation for it that I never had before.  The arrival of Christ demands that we look at life from a whole new perspective, a perspective we don't always get in our daily routines.

I hope and pray that you and yours will be with us tomorrow night at 6:00 or 11:00 as we celebrate again the arrival of the Christ child, gaining new perspective on this familiar narrative and being reminded that while our schedule can get frustratingly out of kilter, the Divine schedule is exactly perfect.

See You Soon!

Lamar

P.S.  Please note that our New Year's Eve Come & Go Communion has been canceled for this year.  Erin had some complications from her sinus surgery and will be having another procedure that morning.  My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Vol 4 No 3 - How is it with Your Soul?

Earlier this morning, I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues about the question, "How is it with your soul?", and as he and I were talking he made a wonderful observation that cuts to the quick of our Christianity.  My colleague made the observation that far too often we ask the wrong question.  Instead of inquiring as to how it is with our souls, my friend commented that we should be asking instead, "How is it with our walk [with Christ]?".

Today's message is very brief:  How is your walk with Christ?  How are you tending to your relationship to Him?  Is He someone you squeeze in when you can, or someone who you make a priority to be with?

Don't forget in this week before Christmas to help tend your walk with Christ by being with us for:

* - Our Feasting on the Word at the Table communion & prayer celebration TODAY from 12:15-12:40

* - Worshiping with us this Sunday morning as our music ministry presents the Word through their cantata

* - Participating in our collection of knit hats, knit gloves, and white socks for the January Reynosa mission, placing them (unwrapped) at the base of the Chrismon tree in the sanctuary

* - Joining in Sunday school for all ages at 9:00AM on Sunday morning

* - Bringing your friends, family, neighbors, and relatives to one of our Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion celebrations - 6:00PM or 11:00PM.

I look forward to us tending our walk with Christ together through each of these opportunities over the next week.  It is truly an honor to be able to engage in these activities with you.

See You Soon!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 2 - Christmas Absurdity

There are some days that I cannot get over the absolute absurdity of Christmas.  Not the absurdity of the commercialization of Christmas (that topic has been beaten to death), but the absurdity of Christmas.

A child born of a true virgin.  A child whose birth was foretold centuries before it happened.  A child whose life the world literally must depend upon.  A child whose birth would cause the ruling powers to decree that all children under the age of two were to be killed.  A child whose birth would change how humanity would keep track of time (literally).

The day this story no longer captures our imagination is the day that we need to re-think our faith and our approach to this time of year.

See You Sunday!

Lamar

Vol 4 No 1 - Advent Stuff

Advent is a unique time in the life of the church, for it is a time where we prepare our hearts and minds for the arrival of the Christ child.  It may not seem that way to you all, with all the logistical stuff you have to deal with in order to prepare for holiday celebrations.  To add one more thing here or there may seem to push your schedule beyond the breaking point.  However, there are two special events (one today, one Sunday) that I urge you to put to the forefront of your priority list, as they will go a long way towards providing proper perspective for your Advent season.

The first, our Advent Luncheon Series, "Feasting on the Word at the Table", is TODAY from 12:15-12:40 in the small chapel across from the church office.  Instead of the usual craziness of lunch, this is a time that is set aside for you to come and feed on the Word through a devotional word, time of prayer, and celebration of Holy Communion.  It has been structured in such a way as to honor the time commitment for we know that for so many of you the lunch hour is a compressed time of frenzy.

The second is our second annual A Night in Bethlehem celebration, coming THIS SUNDAY from 5:30-7:30PM in our fellowship hall.  Featuring new and updated settings, we will be taken back in time to what the birth town of our Lord's was like when he arrived.  There will be food, crafts, games, and other activites for ALL.  This is not a kids event - this is for all people, from 0-100+.  Dana Blanco and her volunteers have been putting forth a lot of time and effort to make this happen - we look forward to seeing you there on this special evening. 

 

Before you know it, this season can be taken away from you - be proactive by participating in the activities of the Body of Christ to make sure it doesn't happen to you!

See You Sunday!

Lamar