Midweek 12-21-22
Christmas Calendar of Events
- Dec. 21: Service
of Comfort & Peace, 7pm
- December 24:
Christmas Eve service, 7pm, ONLINE ONLY!
- Dec. 25:
Christmas Day service, 10:30am, ONLINE ONLY!
In
This Issue:
·
IMPORTANT NOTICE
- Music Notes
- Candle Lighting for Advent
- Website! & Celebrations
- Live and Learn
- PPM Break
- A Christmas Prayer
- The Christmas Attic,
part 4 The Christmas Song
“. . . that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Romans 1:12
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to projected severe winter weather towards the
weekend, we will worship God and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior
via online at our safe place called Home. Please be safe and stay warm.
Music Notes: No Rehearsals this week for Presbyterian Ringers or
Chancel Choir.
Candle Lighting for
Advent: Due to service
being held online, candle lighting will be an individual choice. Perhaps you have
your own family traditions or special candle you can light. Thank you for
worshiping with us as we celebrate the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.
Website! We invite you to check out our website. Neal and
Pastor Je have done a wonderful job working on it. You can find a calendar of
events, Midweek newsletters, sermons – both written form and video form, and
more: www.lebanonfpc.org
“Congratulations to you!
We celebrate with you! Know that we love you, and God loves you too!” Happy anniversary to
Jim and Nancy Hendrickson, 12/26; Roy and Kathy Flanary, 12/30 & Scott and
Lisa Hutcheson, 12/30.
Live and Learn on Saturdays: There
is no Live and Learn Dec. 24th or 31st. We hope you enjoy the holidays with your
families.
PPM Break: PPM will have winter
break from December 19 through Jan. 2nd. They will resume class on
Tuesday, January 3rd.
A
Christmas Prayer
“Be still, and know
that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
“And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
Jesus.” Luke 1:30,31
Dear
Heavenly Father,
When the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would conceive,
carry, deliver, and raise the Son of God, her Messiah, I cannot imagine
her not taking time to be still and consider You. The Hebrew
word for “know” in this verse also means to recognize, to admit, to
acknowledge, to confess. When Mary heard the incredible news You had to share
with her, how could she do anything but acknowledge the great God You are,
admit Your sovereign control over her life, recognize that You are The Almighty,
and confess her undying affection and loyalty to You?
We have it recorded in
scripture that she responded with some of the most beautiful words, the most
magnificent words, of praise to You:
“And
Mary said,
My
soul doth magnify the Lord,
And
my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. . . .
For
he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And
his mercy is on them that fear him
From
generation to generation.” (Luke 1:46,47,49,50).
But her very first
reaction to the angel’s announcement was the following very simple, heartfelt,
humble response: “And Mary said, Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38).
Can I humbly accept
what You have laid before me? When You present to me the gift of Your will for
me right now, be it in the form of illness or loss, triumph or trial, change or
challenge, calm or comfort, do I choose to magnify Your name? Do I immediately
step away from my plans, my ideas, my goals, so as to embrace Yours? Or do I
cling to mine with fists of iron? How can I be still before You if I am busy
questioning and doubting, arguing or complaining? You are the same God today
that met Mary on that favored day. You have done great things for me. Holy is
Your name. Your mercy has been shown to me, generation upon generation.
Heavenly Father, I
pray today that we would each one be still in our hearts and recognize that You
are God Almighty: You know exactly what You are doing and You make no mistakes.
I pray that we would admit that You are sovereign and we can trust You with
every breath, every day, every heartache, every joy. I pray that we will
acknowledge You in all our ways, crying out to You in joy and in sorrow. I pray
that we would confess You as Lord today and every day.
Therefore, I say to
You, on my knees, with all my heart: Behold the handmaid of
the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
May
this be the prayer and the praise of our hearts today. Hallelujah. Emmanuel.
God reigns. Amen.
The
Christmas Attic, part 4: The Christmas Song
We have been hearing a story about an attic, a group
of toys who felt forgotten and forlorn, and an angel with a message of hope. This
newsletter brings the conclusion to the story. What happened to our rag doll?
Why is it called the “Christmas” attic? And what happened when the angel shared
a Christmas song with her attic friends? Read on and find out. Should you want
to read the story all together in one piece, it is attached to the email this
newsletter is sent out on.
They
all listened. They scarcely took a breath
While
to their ears, on angel’s wings, God’s hope and peace came yet.
A
tear slid down the rag doll’s face while a grin began to grow
As
the sound of hope newly heard stirred higher her once-drooping bow.
Each
toy closed its eyes, the doll house closed its doors,
The
swing tried hard as it could to lean forward a little more.
Peace
had come, it was sung, and glory to the earth;
Shepherds,
angels and wise men came to attend a new child’s birth.
This
child was someone special, the message shared was bright
With
hope and with promise that would live on past that night.
When
the song sung was still and the toys opened their eyes
What
they found around them was quite a happy surprise:
The
attic once bare and silent, the attic once dusty and still
Was
full of Christmas green and red and tidings of good will,
Tinsel
and lights and bows and ornaments on trees
With
shining stars and singing angels glistened beneath the eaves.
This
attic was not just a space for items forgotten and grim,
This
was now a Christmas attic and joy lived within.
But
what of the rag doll and what of the broken swing?
What
was the end of their story? (Or the beginning?)
The
last piece of news I heard, and this from a worthy source,
The
swing was mended and upon it sat the rag doll, of course.
Christmas
lived on in the attic, it remained throughout the year;
It’s
said, if one listens carefully, a Christmas song you’ll still hear:
A
song with the sound of hope, a song of the promise of joy,
A
song of the birth of a special baby boy.
There was once an old rocking horse, a teddy leaking at his seams,
A
tin dollhouse that had seen better days, a rag doll, and a little red swing.
They
all lived in an attic, a family beneath the eaves,
Now
filled with joy from the sound of hope thanks to an angel one Christmas eve.
Interested in
joining the
prayer chain? Contact Phyllis
Duff at (765)482-1485/
raduff2@att.net.
“O God, thou art my
God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for
thee, my flesh longeth
for
thee in a dry and thirsty
land, where no water is;” Psalm 63:1
Dear Heavenly Father, Happiness that comes
from You truly is like nothing else. When we are satisfied in You, we see so
many other things in a different light. It is incredible but true that we can
walk through the weary desert of this world and know a joy that does not come from
it. We can long for that joy more than anything else. We can search for it and
strive for it without realizing that is what we truly desire. But when it
comes, when we meet You, whether in a life altering encounter or a simple, quiet moment, there is a sense of: “That’s it!”
Thank You, Father.
In the sunshine hours when day is young,
In the waning hours when evening comes,
When light bursts
forth and clears the way,
Or when one bright ray
peeks through the clouds to stay:
You can be
found.
Early will I seek
Thee, for You are in the morn.
All day long I keep
Thee, and in me hope is
born.
Upon the eve when
I meet my bed, when upon my pillow I
lay my head,
In my heart, I
dwell on You, and find
when this I choose to do,
There You are.
When I wake You’re always
there,
For Heaven’s
sake.
With joyful
lips I praise You.
With grateful
heart I love You.
With pleading
heart I implore You:
Be just as near, just
as dear, to each one here. Amen.
Merry Christmas to you all!
In the words of Tiny Tim,
“God bless us, every one!”
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