Preparing for Sunday, 12/9/12

Our Christmas celebration as a local church continues tomorrow morning. Jordan will be preaching on 1 Corinthians 9:15-23, entitled "The Sweet Surrender of Our Rights." We'll continue talking about how our freedoms from the Law and legalism in Christ is never for our own selfish benefit, but for the sake of giving up our preferences and traditions for the sake of relationships with others, in and out of the Church. We are crucified with Christ, as Paul says in Galations 2, and often God reminds his people of that as we are confronted with opportunities to abandon our preferences for the sake of winning the heart of another person to the non-negotiables of the Gospel. Try to read the passage for tomorrow ahead of time, to prepare.

We also have one of our new "Missions Moments" during the first segment of the service tomorrow - make sure you're there on-time to catch this!

We'll sing the following songs of Christmas worship tomorrow. Pay particular attention to the version of "Hallelujah What A Savior" - this is a fresh take on a classic hymn. Aaron Ivey, a church music leader from a church called The Austin Stone in Austin, TX, wrote Christmas-themed verses to the hymn, and added a chorus. The essence and melody of the original are there, with verses that put the central repeated line "Hallalujah, what a Savior" into the specific story of Christmas and Christ's incarnation. It's a wonderful re-working of a hymn. Get ready to sing that one out with us tomorrow.

1. Joy to the World (Unspeakeable Joy)
2. The First Noel
3. Hallalujah What A Savior (Christmas version by Aaron Ivey)
4. O Holy Night

Preparing for Sunday, 12/2/12 (1st Sunday of Advent!)

Hey everyone,
Christmas trees are going up, lights are appearing on eaves, the rain and cold are coming more often, and the stores are gettin' busier and busier.  Here we are at the first Sunday of December, and the first Sunday of the Church season of Advent. If you're not aware, Advent has been celebrated by the Christian church since about the 6th century, over the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. "Advent" means "coming," or "appearing," and is a time when we reflect on the wonder of Christ's first coming into our midst to bear our sin, and we reflect with (hopefully) great longing toward his 2nd appearing, when He'll come to finally receive His Church to Himself, and establish His coming kingdom on the earth.

I don't need to get into all the liturgical aspects that some churches incorporate into their corporate gatherings for Advent, but I do want to encourage a purposeful time of reflection over the next several weeks, as we sing Christmas-themed songs of reflection and worship, and reflect on the Gospel in a unique way. Hopefully the month of December is rich for us as we gather to worship as a local church, and as we dive into the glories and depths of the Gospel. May the Christmas season for our church family last longer, and have even more significance than a one-day celebration.

I'll be posting more specific thoughts on Advent, and on Christ's incarnation, etc., as we go along. Check back often for Advent resources to aid your worship this season.

Looking forward to kicking off our Christmas worship gatherings tomorrow morning. Here's what we'll sing together:

1. Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)
2. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
3. Angels We Have Heard On High
4. O Come All Ye Faithful