Read thru the Bible in 2011

Bible Reading Plans: There are lots of ways to read the Bible in a year, and I won't try to capture all of them.... http://bit.ly/gmDxpZ

--from Justin Taylor

A Prayer for Year’s End

O Love Beyond Compare,

Thou art good when thou givest,

when thou takest away,

when the sun shines upon me,

when night gathers over me.

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,

and in love didst redeem my soul;

Thou dost love me still,

in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me another year,

leading me through a twisting wilderness,

in retreat helping me to advance,

when beaten back making sure headway.



Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;

I hoist sail and draw up anchor,

With thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past.

I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.



If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,

thou wilt be with me in them;

If I have to pass through tempests of persecution

and temptation, I shall not drown;

If I am to die,

I shall see thy face the sooner;

If a painful end is to be my lot,

grant me grace that my faith fail not;

If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,

I can make no stipulation;

Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,

as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.



--from Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan Prayers

Light

In all of the Bible's references to light, light is not self-generated.  It comes (usually unbidden) from outside the earthly and human sphere with a transcendent splendor.  As a symbol light thus pictures the simultaneous transcendence and immanence of God: it is from above, but permeates everyday life.

A survey of light imagery in the Bible illustrates the implied thesis of this dictionary—that the main outline of biblical belief and the feelings it generates can be traced by following the Bible's master images.  Light in its varied meanings is at the heart of such central biblical themes as creation, providence, judgment, redemption and sanctification.  It embodies much of the theological teaching of the Bible about God, which explains why light has been so prominent in the history of theology.  In its literal, physical manifestations, moreover, light contributes significantly to the elemental quality of the biblical world, keeping spiritual reality rooted in the lives that people actually live.

The text that comes the closes to summarizing the range of meanings of light is 2 corinthians 4:6…… For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ…… Here is the link between creation and new creation, between OT and NT, between the physical reality and the spiritual symbol.

From the Dictionary of Biblical imagery 

6:30 Christmas eve

Our Carols & Candlelight Service

6:30PM

Childcare provided

Invite friends and family.

Shall be great to be in our sanctuary for our 1st Christmas Eve.

As With Gladness Men of Old

As with gladness, men of old Did the guiding star behold As with joy they hailed its light Leading onward, beaming bright So, most glorious Lord, may we Evermore be led to Thee. As with joyful steps they sped To that lowly manger bed There to bend the knee before Him Whom Heaven and earth adore; So may we with willing feet Ever seek Thy mercy seat. As they offered gifts most rare At that manger rude and bare; So may we with holy joy, Pure and free from sin's alloy, All our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King. Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way; And, when earthly things are past, Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds Thy glory hide. In the heavenly country bright, Need they no created light; Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown, Thou its Sun which goes not down; There forever may we sing Alleluias to our King!

Friday, invite a friend

Congrats to Rick and Christina

Reagan Katherine Kingsley, born 4:14, 7 lbs even, 19 3/4 inches. Mom
and baby are doing great.

God is pleased with and kindly disposed toward us

"Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God's benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit…..If then, we would be assured that God is pleased with and kindly disposed toward us, we must fix our eyes…on Christ…We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ.  We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else." 

  John Calvin

The WORD

Scott McKnight: For John there are almost certainly allusions to Wisdom

 and Torah when he uses the word “Word.” It is entirely reasonable

 to think, also, that some would hear the Logos of the Greek world

— that by which all things cohere. 

Staff Change

I am writing about a change on Christ Community's staff. As of


this week, Justin Piazza is no longer on staff at Christ Community.

After careful consideration, prayer and a series of meetings together,

we have mutually agreed that it was not a fit. I have always been

encouraged by Justin's heart for God--this was NOT about any lack of character!--,

 and I am confident that this

decision is in everyone's best interest.



Christ Community will be drawing on volunteers to lead most of our

worship services in the near future, with youth director Nate Taylor

leading monthly. There will be no search for a staff replacement

before May.



While this change is not something we expected (when Justin joined us

12 months ago) I know that what God has in store for Justin and for

CCC is good. Please be in prayer for Justin and his family, and for

Nate and the volunteers who will guide our music over the next four

months.



Know that I am happy to talk through any questions or concerns with

you. I am available after the service as well as in the office this

week.



I am grateful for your dedicated service and your love for Christ

Community Church.





--

Rob Pendley

Christ Community Church

www.cccgainesville.com

today's notes

Crèche to Cross

The whole of Christ's life was a continual passion; others die martyrs, but Christ was born a martyr.  He found a Golgatha, where He was crucified, even in Bethlehem, where He was born; for to His tenderness then the straws were almost as sharp as the thornsafter, and the manger as uneasy at first as the cross at last.  His birth and His death were but one continual act, and His Christmas Day and His Good Friday are but the evening and morning of one and the same day.  From the crèche to the cross is an inseparable line.  Christmas only points forward to Good Friday and Easter.  It can have no meaning apart from that, where the Son of God displayed His glory but His death.

--John Donne

Colossians 1

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

for some reason I'm thinking--

--that there is only one service Sunday

and that it is at 10am

Matthew Henry comments

      Austin says (de Civitate Dei, lib. 10, cap. 29) that his friend Simplicius told him he had heard a Platonic philosopher say that these first verses of St. John's gospel were worthy to be written in letters of gold. The learned Francis Junius, in the account he gives of his own life, tells how he was in his youth infected with loose notions in religion, and by the grace of God was wonderfully recovered by reading accidentally these verses in a bible which his father had designedly laid in his way. He says that he observed such a divinity in the argument, such an authority and majesty in the style, that his flesh trembled, and he was struck with such amazement that for a whole day he scarcely knew where he was or what he did; and thence he dates the beginning of his being religious. Let us enquire what there is in those strong lines. The evangelist here lays down the great truth he is to prove, that Jesus Christ is God, one with the Father. 

True

The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to find the place where all the beauty came from. C.S. Lewis

Rob Pendley

Jesus is Lord

Revelation 1:8

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, 

says the Lord God, 

who is and who was and 

who is to come, the Almighty."

The Word

Change o' plans  

Sunday i'm preaching on "the word(s) of Christmas" (exile, immanuel, life, word). 

In English translations, John 1:1 reads, "in the beginning was the Word." The Greek term translated "Word" in this verse is the word logos. We see this word incorporated into a variety of technical terms such as biology (a word about living things) and theology (a word about God).

Though the translation of the term logosis the simple term word, it must be noted that logos carried a lot of philosophical baggage in the ancient Greek world. Ancient Greek philosophy was concerned with answering the ultimate questions of reality. They were seeking to find ultimate truth. They wanted to find the ultimate reality that lies behind all other things.

Over time, as the ancient philosophers pondered these questions, they came up with a term to describe this ultimate reality, and the term they came up with was logos. The logos came to be understood as that which gave life and meaning to the universe. Within the realm of Greek philosophy, however, this logos was largely understood to be an impersonal force, not a personal being.

--Robert Charles Sproul

http://www.ligonier.org/iphone/devotional/1496/

Isaiah 9:2

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who
dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

Draco Malfoy and the Mothers of Jesus

Sunday we're going to look at the women God selected to highlight in Jesus' family tree.

You'd expect Mother Teresa types, right?

Nope.  Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba

 

Not a "perfect" bloodline, we shall see.  But it is the perfect bloodline to highlight the gospel and to trample over any sense that we earn our way to special-ness through our own stuff.

 

stop reading here if you don't have a favorite quidditch team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While prepping this message I'm reminded of this quote:
"I really don't think they should let the other sort [half-bloods, muggle-born] in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families." - Draco

This is War

This is war like you ain't seen. 
This winter's long, it's cold and mean. 
With hangdog hearts we stood condemned, 
But the tide turns now at Bethlehem.  
 
This is war and born tonight, 
The Word as flesh, the Lord of Light, 
The Son of God, the low-born king; 
Who demons fear, of whom angels sing.  
 
This is war on sin and death; 
The dark will take it's final breath. 
It shakes the earth, confounds all plans; 
The mystery of God as man.  

random random

Like some people (myself included) would want to watch Kobe Bryant play basketball---just because he's so good at it.

 

I want to watch a round-table discussion on the question:
"What can we learn about God from grammar and punctuation?"

Addcox, Richard Horner, and Carter Davis

 

i'd pay to hear that discussion

Looking for cash

Shutterfly promised me a pricebreak if I blogged Christmas card, so I caved.

Rob Pendley

Luke 2

Luke 2:11

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Luke2.11.NIV84

Rob Pendley

got it

Holy Family Religious

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Wipe it out

"The main thing we learn from a serious attempt to practice the Christian virtues is that we fail.  If there was any idea that God had set us a sort of exam and that we might get good marks by deserving them, that has to be wiped out.  If there was any idea of a sort of bargain—any idea that we could perform our side of the contract and thus put God in our debts so that it was up to Him to perform His side—that has to be wiped out….everyone has the idea of an exam or of a bargain; the first result of real Christianity is to blow that to bits."   CS Lewis

J.I. Packer on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer/incarnation.html

 

ClAssic

Kids

Our guest this morning

Prayer:

Still need some support

Need sell house

Hearts of People for God to raise up church

 

There's Reed (almost 6), Meredith (4 1/2) Anna Kate (nearly 2). 

 

Chad and Erin Grindstaff

Serve 5 years at Faith Presbyterian

 

Going to Cincinnati church planting

 

Our vision is to see a church

that is a Gospel centered movement that forms

a community around deep love for God, deep love for

each other and deep love and care for the surrounding

community. In our first year in Cincinnati I will be

working at North Cincy Community Church

(www.northcincy.org) as a church planting intern

developing my strengths and weaknesses and forming

a core group for the new church. There are countless

communities in the greater Cincinnati area that would

be well-served with a Gospel-centered church. Erin

and I plan to spend much time praying and exploring

the area seeking to discern where the Lord would

have us start this new work. In that process we pray

that a core from North Cincy will join with us in our

vision to reach more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

One aspect of this move that is very exciting is the

opportunity to be a part of a group of men who are

currently starting churches in the Cincinnati area as

well. Walter Wood, the pastor of NCCC, has great

experience in church planting and will serve as coach

for the group.

Advent Poems on a PDF!

http://plaza.ufl.edu/stevexoc/class_poems.pdf

This class meets at 10 am Sunday December 12. 

Worship services are at 8:30 and 11:15

8:30 and 11:15 tomorrow

A special baby

It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it did ... for millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it. It is a truth that, for twenty centuries, there have been untold numbers of men and women who, in untold numbers of ways, have been so grasped by the child who was born, so caught up in the message he taught and the life he lived, that they have found themselves profoundly changed by their relationship with him.

    Author: Frederick Buechner
    Source: Listening to Your Life

Hope hope hope!

The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.    J.I. Packer

Sunday December 12, 8:30am & 11:15am

Worship Folder & CIA flyer


Sunday we have 2 (two) worship services,
at 8:30am
and
11:15am

Esther Sofia Adelaide Smith

Born at 9:29 PM EST on 12/09/2010
7lbs 11oz
20.5"
Esther Sofia Adelaide Smith

2 Sunday services

8:30 & 11:15

Politics

From tim Keller

We recently had an election season in the U.S. Every year, it seems, the amount of attention paid to the mechanics and outcomes of partisan politics grows. Thirty years ago there was nothing like this amount of attention given to politics. Many point out rightly that the 24-hour news cycle and the internet creates an appetite for political analysis. But I think there is more going on. It's not just that the political is given more air time, but that it's now seen as far more important to human life. The politically fragmented media, with outlets ranging from very liberal to very conservative, only seem to agree on one thing, namely, that nothing matters more than which American political party wins the most seats.

R.R. Reno recently wrote a blog post at the First Things: On the Square website that "Culture Matters More than Politics". He points out that, in Marxist theory, economics and political power are the fundamentals, while culture is "epiphenomenal." Literature, poetry, music and the arts are merely the supportive apparatus for power interests. Therefore, politics – who controls state power – is the factor that most sets the course of human life. On the contrary, Reno states, the deeper sources of public life are what we believe about human nature, human destiny, and the meaning of life. These beliefs are carried out into life by religion and philosophy, by high culture and popular cultural domains, by a huge variety of human institutions, the vast majority of which are not part of the government. These shared beliefs shape a people's vision of a good human community and a good life, and politics largely follows on from that.

James D. Hunter has been making the same point for years, though he invokes Nietzsche, rather than Marx. In On the Geneology of Morals, Nietzsche argued that Christian moral claims – of the primacy of love, generosity, and altruism – were really just ways for the early Christians to grab power from the people who had it. Christian morality developed out of the "ressentiment" by the weak of the strong and as an effort to wrest their position from them. This view will also lead to the conclusion that politics is what life is really about.

Hunter argues that ressentiment – "a narrative of injury" – has now come to define American political discourse. Both conservatives and liberals make their sense of injury central to their identity, and therefore in each election cycle it is only the group out of power, who therefore feels the most injured and angry, who can get enough voters out to win the election. Politics is no longer about issues but about power, injury, and anger. How Nietzschean! Hunter goes farther and argues that the Christian Right, the Christian Left, and even the neo-Anabaptist (think Dobson, Wallis, Hauerwas) are "functional Nietzscheans" in the public square, either because they see politics as too all-important, or (as in the case of the neo-Anabaptists) they think wielding political power is inherently non-Christian. In each case, Hunter says, Christians are being too shaped by Nietzsche's view that politics and power is fundamental.

We should not conclude that, really, politics is unimportant to culture. Hunter makes the case that culture is formed and passed on more by institutions than by individuals, and he calls Christians to maintain "faithful presence within" the cultural institutions of our society, counseling them to be neither triumphalistic nor withdrawn.

Reno and Hunter warn that culture matters more than politics, and I agree with them. We must reject the growing belief that power politics is what really matters. Nevertheless, Christians must not over-react. The government is one of the key institutions among others that reflect and shape the underlying beliefs that are the deepest source of public life. I recently wrote an introduction to a book, The City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era by Michael Gerson and Pete Wehner. The authors plead with Christian readers to not under-value the role of politics in culture-making, even as they acknowledge the danger of over-valuing it. It's an important plea. James Hunter makes the intriguing case that those Christians who counsel withdrawal from politics may have as nihilistic a view of power as Nietzsche.

Christians should be as involved in politics and government as they are in all other realms of life.

Login to leave comm

15th century carol

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

Bring it on Sunday

 WE WILL BE COLLECTING FOOD FOR GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY MINISTRIES ON  12/12, 12/19 AND TAKING UP AN OFFERING ON 12/24. ALL CANNED FOODS AND NON PERISHABLES ARE WELCOME, BUT SOME EXACT ITEMS THEY ARE IN NEED OF FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ARE:

CANS OF MEAT, CANNED VEGETABLES, CANNED FRUIT, SOUP, MACARONI AND CHEESE, DRY OR CANNED BEANS, CEREAL, POWDERED MILK, PEANUT BUTTER, RICE, PUMPKIN PIE FILLING, JELLO, FLOUR, SUGAR, AND STUFFING

GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY MINISTRIES IS SUPPORTED BY CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOOD, AND OTHER ITEMS.  THEY WORK HARD TO PROVIDE A HAND UP, NOT JUST A HAND OUT TO THE GROWING NEEDS OF FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. 

Modern Martyrs

Chip Stam's account of two Reformed modern missionary martyrs. http://bit.ly/g8YXgS Well worth your time and reflection.

Glory Be

It was the longest night, the world was waiting
Eager for the light, the world was waiting
O come, come Messiah
Sing for joy, all the earth, Messiah's come to set you free!
Join the angels in their song
Glory Be Glory Be
It was the longest night, my heart was waiting
Hallelujah, the Lord of life has come
To reconcile the nations to their God
Hallelujah, he's coming back again
To finish was began at Bethlehem
O Come, Come Messiah
Hallelujah

---from sojourn advent songs

Women's Event TONITE: dinner, bonfire & carols

Tonite at Stankunas home

 

Fun Fun and Cold!

Today's Advent Reading: Jesus is "the one forsaken by God"

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises [1] of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet [2]—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued [3] me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted [4] shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

Footnotes

[1] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises
[2] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet
[3] 22:21 Hebrew answered
[4] 22:26 Or The meek

Matthews to Mexico Announced

Yesterday in both services we made the following announcement:


God is at work, and it is bittersweet for CCC.

 

The Matthews family is accepting a call to serve in Mexico on a
leadership team that works with the Mission to the World (MTW)
missionaries and National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.  This is a
support-raising position so the Matthews will enter into a
support-raising process that can take 1-3 years.  The session of Christ Community is
looking at ways to support the Matthews during this process, as well
as once they move away. We will let you know what this will look like
in the Spring. 

 

 

2nd poem of Dec 5

 A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times when we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly.  Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wineskins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.  All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. 

Rob Pendley

Addcox class

Henry Vaughan 

---

The Shepherds

Sweet, harmless lives! (on whose holy leisure
     Waits innocence and pleasure),
Whose leaders to those pastures, and clear springs,
     Were patriarchs, saints, and kings,
How happened it that in the dead of night
     You only saw true light,
While Palestine was fast asleep, and lay
     Without one thought of day?
Was it because those first and blessed swains
     Were pilgrims on those plains
When they received the promise, for which now
     'Twas there first shown to you?
'Tis true, He loves that dust whereon they go
     That serve Him here below,
And therefore might for memory of those
     His love there first disclose;
But wretched Salem, once His love, must now
     No voice, nor vision know,
Her stately piles with all their height and pride
     Now languished and died,
And Bethlem's humble cotes above them stepped
     While all her seers slept;
Her cedar, fir, hewed stones and gold were all
     Polluted through their fall,
And those once sacred mansions were now
     Mere emptiness and show;
This made the angel call at reeds and thatch,
     Yet where the shepherds watch,
And God's own lodging (though He could not lack)
     To be a common rack;
No costly pride, no soft-clothed luxury
     In those thin cells could lie,
Each stirring wind and storm blew through their cots
     Which never harbored plots,
Only content, and love, and humble joys
     Lived there without all noise,
Perhaps some harmless cares for the next day
     Did in their bosoms play,
As where to lead their sheep, what silent nook,
     What springs or shades to look,
But that was all; and now with gladsome care
     They for the town prepare,
They leave their flock, and in a busy talk
     All towards Bethlem walk
To see their souls' Great Shepherd, Who was come
     To bring all stragglers home,
Where now they find Him out, and taught before
     That Lamb of God adore,
That Lamb whose days great kings and prophets wished
     And longed to see, but missed.
The first light they beheld was bright and gay
     And turned their night to day,
But to this later light they saw in Him,
     Their day was dark, and dim.

---

The True Christmas

So stick up ivy and the bays,
And then restore the heathen ways.
Green will remind you of the spring,
Though this great day denies the thing.
And mortifies the earth and all
But your wild revels, and loose hall.
Could you wear flowers, and roses strow
Blushing upon your breasts' warm snow,
That very dress your lightness will
Rebuke, and wither at the ill.
The brightness of this day we owe
Not unto music, masque, nor show:
Nor gallant furniture, nor plate;
But to the manger's mean estate.
His life while here, as well as birth,
Was but a check to pomp and mirth;
And all man's greatness you may see
Condemned by His humility.
     Then leave your open house and noise,
To welcome Him with holy joys,
And the poor shepherd's watchfulness:
Whom light and hymns from heaven did bless.
What you abound with, cast abroad
To those that want, and ease your load.
Who empties thus, will bring more in;
But riot is both loss and sin.
Dress finely what comes not in sight,
And then you keep your Christmas right.

---

The Nativity

Peace? and to all the world? sure, One
And He the Prince of Peace, hath none.
He travels to be born, and then
Is born to travel more again.
Poor Galilee! thou canst not be
The place for His nativity.
His restless mother's called away,
And not delivered till she pay.
     A tax? 'tis so still! we can see
The church thrive in her misery;
And like her Head at Bethlem, rise
When she, oppressed with troubles, lies.
Rise? should all fall, we cannot be
In more extremities than He.
Great Type of passions! come what will,
Thy grief exceeds all copies still.
Thou cam'st from heaven to earth, that we
Might go from earth to heaven with Thee.
And though Thou foundest no welcome here,
Thou didst provide us mansions there.
A stable was Thy court, and when
Men turned to beasts, beasts would be men.
They were Thy courtiers, others none;
And their poor manger was Thy throne.
No swaddling silks Thy limbs did fold,
Though Thou couldst turn Thy rays to gold.
No rockers waited on Thy birth,
No cradles stirred, nor songs of mirth;
But her chaste lap and sacred breast
Which lodged Thee first did give Thee rest.
     But stay: what light is that doth stream,
And drop here in a gilded beam?
It is Thy star runs page, and brings
Thy tributary Eastern kings.
Lord! grant some light to us, that we
May with them find the way to Thee.
Behold what mists eclipse the day:
How dark it is! shed down one ray
To guide us out of this sad night,
And say once more, "Let there be light."

---

To Christmas Poems Table of Contents

Rob Pendley

Praying to register 50 fellas @ $50 on Sunday

Sunday you can sign up for our Spring Men's Conference on Sunday. Look for the guys in the green shirts.

Schedule for December

December 5

8:30 Worship Service, with Communion

10:00 Poetry of Advent Class in Sanctuary

11:15 Worship Service, with Communion

December 12

8:30 Worship Service, with children singing

10:00 Poetry of Advent Class in Sanctuary

11:15 Worship Service, with children singing

 

December 19
10:00 Worship Service

 

Friday December 24

6:30pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

 

December 26
10:00 Worship Service

 

January 2

10:00 Worship Service

 

Men's b'fast gathering--6:30 tomorrow

Perkins on Newberry Road, east of I-75.

This is a once a month place for guys to hang out before starting
their workday. Happens the 1st Thursday of each month.

Advent readings, part 1

Today's advent reading, Gen 22

Genesis 22:14

"So Abraham called the name of that place, The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."

Oh wow, God, you DID provide!

Amen! God help us keep this festival for Your Glory

Let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Savior's love never be forgotten!

But may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! May we chant forth the wonders of redeeming love, and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, for ever and ever!

And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, of the right way for the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

--George Whitefield, in a sermon entitled The Observation of the Birth of Christ, the Duty of all Christians; or the True Way of Keeping Christmas

Advent Poetry, 10am Sunday!

The Poetry of Advent Description: For three weeks we will be taking a look at encounters with Christ as told in the story of the nativity. Over the centuries writers, painters, performers, and musicians have dramatized these encounters in compelling ways. Our focus will particularly emphasize the rich poetic heritage of advent by examining a few of the Christ encounters as they have been imaginatively represented in verse. As companion pieces to the poems, we will read passages from the Christmas story to help us understand the messages and meanings from both the literature of the Bible itself and the literature it has inspired. Our hope is that these writings will urge us to more fully reflect on the profoundimpact that the coming of God's son into the world has hadon both our cultural heritage and our eternal condition. 


Session 1: November 28, 2010 Topic: Mary Poems: Yeats, "The Mother of God"; Shaw, "Mary's Song";Donne, "Nativity" Biblical Text: Luke 1: 39-56 (Read Mary's song inAuthorized Version) 


Session 2: December 5, 2010 Topic: The Magi & the Shepherds Poems: Crashaw, "A Hymn of the Nativity, sung by the Shepherds"; Madeleine L'Engle, "The Wise Men" Biblical Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:8-20 


Session 3: December 12, 2010 Topic: Ourselves Poems: Southwell, "The Burning Babe" and "The Nativity of Christ"; Milton, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity"; MacDonald, "That Holy Thing" Biblical Text: Luke 2:21-39

VerkDay

Work-em-day

Workday

Thanksgiving Prayer

 103rd psalm, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives ... heals ... redeems ... crowns ... satisfies ... works righteousness...." and more!

And may your prayers reflect the sentiments of such as we find in The Valley of Vision, when the puritans prayed,

"O my God,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou has created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express
for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
Amen.

Tomorrow, mañana

Inside outside, they've got work to suit your fancy.

7 b'fast
8:00 work

What do we do with these plagues?

The key to applying the plagues is found in struggling with the
theology of the plagues and how the significance of that theology is
given fuller expression in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

--Peter Enns

Crazy thing like Nile turning to blood is so practical!

When the great gods of the Nile failed, the Egyptians were left to their

own resources. This is what always happens [when we] worship false

gods. Sooner or later their gods fail, and the people are left scrambling to

make life work on their own.

--Phil Ryken

Here's a video on idolatry--under 2 minutes--by Tim Keller.  Watch it:
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What is our "Nile"?

2010 Americans-- what would have similar impact on us?

To understand how distressing this was for the Egyptians, one has to

appreciate how dependent they were on the Nile. The river was their

lifeblood, the basis for their entire civilization. The Egyptians used the Nile

for almost everything, and without it, their land would have become a desert.

The river provided the transportation system that helped them move goods

from place to place. It formed the irrigation system that enabled them to grow

their crops. It was their water supply, and also their food supply, because

fish was one of the staples of the Egyptian diet. The river's annual floods

set their calendar and gave them fertile topsoil. In short, the land of Egypt

was the gift of the Nile. The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484-c. 425 B.C.)

claimed that "even though a man has not before been told, he can at once see,

if he have sense, that that Egypt to which Greeks sail is land acquired by

the Egyptians, given them by the river."

--Phil Ryken

Saturday workday!

Work inside or out!

Give what time you can!

7am big breakfast
8:00 get to work!

Why the plagues?

God--in the plagues--turned things believed to be the specialty of
"the gods of Egypt" against the Egyptians, and showed Himself in
control of all events and powers they would have attributed to the
objects of their faith.

Exodus 12:12 states the summational purpose of the plagues:

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.

--Douglas Stuart

Plagues

In order to understand these plagues we need to understand that they were

directed against the gods and goddesses of Egypt and were intended to

show the superiority of the God of Israel to the Egyptian gods. There were

about eighty major deities in Egypt, all clustered about the three great

natural forces of Egyptian life: the Nile river, the land, and the sky. It does

not surprise us, therefore, that the plagues God sent against Egypt in this

historic battle follow this three-force pattern. The first two plagues were

against the gods of the Nile. The next four were against the land gods.

The final four plagues were against the gods of the sky, culminating in the

death of the firstborn.

-James Boice