This Month in Worship: December 2012, and a Recovery Update

In the midst of everything that has happened to us this week, I forgot to actually update with what we'll be studying this month in worship.  That will information will be pasted below from our December 2012 newsletter, in italics.

As for a real quick update on the building and its recovery: the professionals dispatched by our insurance folks have been absolutely fantastic.  They worked on the most heavily damaged bathroom on Thursday, on the sanctuary on Friday, and today removed all of the machines they were using to deodorize the place.  Meanwhile, volunteers from our congregation set to work on Thursday on the other bathroom, the sanctuary, and the kitchen.  We completely intend for our Sunday worship activities to continue as planned, with Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 am, worship at 11:00 am, and fellowship time after worship, plus our monthly ACTS prayer service at 6:00 pm in the fellowship hall.

To everyone who has been committed to and involved in our recovery--congregants, friends of the congregation, insurance and cleaning professionals, my own personal friends, family, and colleagues, the Disciples of Christ denomination, and the community at large--I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks for the grace and compassion God has shown through each and every one of you.

This has been a trying week for all of us, including me.  But we are determined to continue our ministry and mission, and we are already doing so.  With vigor.

Yours in Christ,
Eric

This Month in Worship: December 2012

According to the church worship year, it is time to be wishing each other a happy new year!  The church calendar, which revolves around the four seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter (as opposed to winter, spring, summer, and fall!) begins anew every autumn, as the four Sundays prior to Christmas make up what we call the season of Advent, which is meant to be a time of, as John the Baptist would say, preparing the way for the Lord!

In that spirit of turning our lives and plans towards Christmas, we’ll be exploring a new sermon series centered around the Old Testament prophet Isaiahfor these four Sundays of December.  The series is entitled “How Much is Enough?  Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture,” based on the book of the same name by Bread for the World founder Arthur Simon.  Much like last year’s “Advent Conspiracy” sermon series, we’ll be talking about where God is in the giant production that has become Christmas in the 21^st century!  It is a sermon series I have been looking forward to for a long time, and I am very excited to share it with you.  And after Christmas, you won’t want to miss a guest sermon by one of our former senior pastors, Tom Yates, on December 30^th!

I’ll See You Sunday,

Pastor Eric

Advent 2012: “How Much is Enough?  Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture”

December 2: “Fat Wallets, Empty Lives,” Isaiah 3:13-15

December 9: “Rushing to Nowhere,” Isaiah 5:18-23

December 16: “Saying “Yes” to Life,” Isaiah 6:1-8

December 23: “The Meek Inherit the Earth,” Isaiah 9:2-7

December 24 (Christmas Eve, 7:00 pm): “In the City of David,” Luke 2:1-20

December 30: Rev. Dr. Tom Yates, guest preaching