The first Sunday in December usually means the beginning of a new sermon series on the birth of our Lord. Yesterday we had a guest speaker from the 1st century. One of the shepherds present the night Christ was born. A good looking guy and a sharp dresser. If you don't know already, it was me. I actually had a few people tell me they didn't know who it was. Trying to stay authentic, I didn't wear my glasses, which made my memorization of my notes even more important. I also preached barefooted (it felt nice). Several asked where I got my shepherd's tunic... the children's ministry. Our kids see things like this each week. Seriously though, this series is intended to help us see the birth of Jesus through the eyes, ears, and thoughts of the shepherds. The highlight of my day was something one of our teens put on Instagram (social media site). Here is the picture they posted and the caption.
Anyway, invite your friends to attend these next couple of weeks. This Sunday (shepherd #2) will talk about the things he heard that night. "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Now let's move on to Sunday night. The annual Christmas party was great! Sue Dean and Susan McGee did a great job planning out the evening. David Paladin provided the devotional, David Brooker the singing of some Christmas songs, and the rest brought the food (which was great!). Our children's program sang a few songs and we discovered no one has the spiritual gift of drawing a picture onto a paper plate while it is on top of their heads. Each year we realize we have the best Santa Claus of any church in the city. Lots of laughter and enjoying Christian fellowship with one another. Here are just a few pictures you might enjoy from the night.
The angels sang.
Some of the "art" from our drawing game.
One of these has been naughty and the other nice. I'll let you decide.
This is one of my favorite pictures of the back of Mike Mooney's head.
Notice the Rick Higgins photo bomb in the background.
Saturday morning several of our people participated in the "Strapped" yard sale. After my series, some had the idea of doing this to keep from debt over the holidays. Special thanks to A'Lana Cutshall and her volunteers for setting this up. You know the saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." Hopefully they unloaded a lot of junk... I mean treasures.
Saturday evening Joel and I participated in a unique event. Many of you know it was the one year anniversary of the tragic death of David Kolinar. The family invited me to participate in a somewhat adapted Jewish tradition. The family, especially the parents, are to grieve for a year and at the end of that year everyone comes back together at the graveside to refocus. It is to help the family move from grief to the celebration of their loved ones life. It is a very therapeutic and healthy way to deal with loss. Of course, our main objective was to be there for our friend and brother in Christ, Mike. Here is a selfie at the gravesite. As you can see, Mad Money Mike was happy to see us. The feeling was mutual.
This is a good place to wrap things up. Who out there is grieving the loss of someone they loved this holiday? It can be very difficult on families. While Christmas is a time of joy for many, it is also a time of sadness for others. Send a card. Hug their neck and let them know you love them. Most importantly pray for them.
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