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Parker United
Methodist Church
DECEMBER MMVII
UNITED
METHODIST MEN
“Men are called to model the servant leadership of Jesus Christ”
The men of Parker UMC met on Sunday, November 4th and will meet next on December 2nd.
UNITED
METHODIST WOMEN
The
ladies of
- The Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner will be held at the Church on Thursday November 22nd from 2-4pm. The ladies decorated the fellowship hall for the occasion.
- The annual shoe box ministry has been completed, the drop off dates were November 12th-19th.
- We turned in raffle tickets and monies for the Rachel Frizzell Scholarship Fund. The drawing will be held at the Thanksgiving Day Dinner at the church.
- Sheri will get the ball rolling on the Fayetteville District Congregational Healthcare, after the Christmas holidays.
- The ladies would like to get feedback from the congregation to see if there is any interest in a "Parents Friday Night Out", December 7th, from 6;00-9:00 pm.
We would like to invite all of the ladies in the congregation to come and join us at our meetings. The busy holidays usually causes us to skip our December meeting. The next meeting date will be held January 20th @ 3:00 pm.
Sheri Runfola,
Interim President
UNITED
METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
The
youth fellowship attended the NC Conference Pilgrimage on November 9-11th
where they joined almost 6,000 other teens from around the state to sing
praise to our Lord and worship through guest speakers, multi-media events
and witnesses from other teens.
Upcoming
events for the youth are the District lock-in at
The
Youth Service Fund Task Force is searching for a design/logo for YSF
T-shirts and hoodies of 2008. YSF T-shirts and hoodies are made
available at Conference youth events Rally Day, Breakaway, ACS and
Pilgrimage to raise money for Youth Service Fund. The YSF Task Force
extends an invitation to youth in the
Requirements:
the design/logo should not use more than 2 colors and should fit on the back
of a T-shirt. The design/logo should in some way present and promote
Youth Service Fund and be undated. Designs/logos may be submitted for
front only, back only or front and back. The designs must be submitted
on 8 ½ x 11 paper and received by December 31, 2007. Designs may be
mailed to Sue Ellen Nicholson-Youth Ministry,
The
Youth Service Fund Task Force will select the design/logo at their early
January meeting.
Reward:
the artist of the design/logo selected will receive a free YSF T-shirt and a
scholarship to the Conference youth event of their choice (Kaleidoscope,
Breakaway or ACS only).
The Season of Advent
Advent
is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western
tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the
Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve. If Christmas Eve is a
Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve
proper beginning at sundown.
Advent
is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of
longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world,
first expressed by Israelite slaves in
It
is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He
sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who
will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in
His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated, and now anticipates
anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will bring peace and
justice and righteousness to the world.
Part
of the expectation also anticipates a judgment on sin and a calling of the
world to accountability before God. We long for God to come and set the
world right! Yet, as the prophet Amos warned, the expectation of a coming
judgment at the "Day of the Lord" may not be the day of light that
we might want, because the penetrating light of God’s judgment on sin will
shine just as brightly on God’s people.
Because
of this important truth, especially in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the
Season of Advent has been a time of fasting and penitence for sins similar
to the Season of Lent. However, a different emphasis for the season of
Advent has gradually unfolded in much of the rest of the church. The season
of Advent has come to be celebrated more in terms of expectation or
anticipation. Yet, the anticipation of the Coming of the Messiah throughout
the Old Testament and Judaism was not in connection with remembrance of
sins. Rather, it was in the context of oppression and injustice, the longing
for redemption, not from personal guilt and sin but from the systemic evil
of the world expressed in evil empires and tyrants. It is in that sense that
all creation groans for its redemption as we witness the evil that so
dominates our world (Rom 8:18-25).
Of
course, there is the problem of longing for vindication from an evil world
when we are contributors to that evil. This is the power of the images of
Amos when he warns about longing for the "Day of the Lord" that
will really be a day of darkness (Amos 5:18-20). Still, even with Amos’
warning the time of Advent is one of expectation and anticipation, a longing
for God's actions to restore all things and vindicate the righteous. This is
why during Advent we as Christians also anticipate the Second Coming as a
twin theme of the season. So, while some church traditions focus on
penitence during Advent, the spirit of that expectation from the Old
Testament is better captured with a joyous sense of expectancy. Rather than
a time of mourning and fasting, Advent is celebrated as a time of joy and
happiness as we await the coming of the King.
There
will be time enough during the rest of the journey through the Church Year
to remember our sins. It begins in Epiphany when we hear about the
brotherhood of the Kingdom, and realize our failure to affect it. Then as we
move toward and through Lent we realize that the coming of Jesus served more
to lay bare our own sin than it did to vindicate our righteousness. There
will be time to shed Peter's bitter tears as we realize that what started
with such possibility and expectation has apparently ended in such failure.
It
is only as we experience that full cycle, beginning with unbridled joy in
Advent that slowly fades into the realization of what we have done with and
to the Christ, that the awful reality of Good Friday can have its full
impact. And in that realization we can finally be ready to hear the Good
News on Resurrection Sunday! That is the journey that the disciples took.
And so there is value in taking the same journey beginning with the
anticipation and joy of Advent!
So,
we celebrate with gladness the great promise in the Advent, yet knowing that
there is also a somber tone as the theme of threat is added to the theme of
promise. This is reflected in some of the Scripture readings for Advent, in
which there is a strong prophetic tone of accountability and judgment on
sin. But this is also faithful to the role of the Coming King who comes to
rule, save, and judge the world.
Because
of the dual themes of threat and promise, Advent is a time of preparation
that is marked by prayer. While Lent is characterized by fasting and a
spirit of penitence, Advent’s prayers are prayers of humble devotion and
commitment, prayers of submission, prayers for deliverance, prayers from
those walking in darkness who are awaiting and anticipating a great light!
The
spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are
anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom (Matt 25:1-13). There is
profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a warning of the
need for preparation echoes through the parable. But even then, the prayer
of Advent is still:
Come,
O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom
captive
Excerpt
from “The Season of Advent;
Anticipation and Hope” by Dennis Bratcher, http://www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html
E V E N T S
Regular Events
Sundays-UMYF
meeting at 5PM
Wednesday-Bible
Study at 6PM
Choir
Practice at 7PM
Thursdays-Young
Adult Bible
Study
at 7 PM.
1st
Sunday-UMM Meeting at 8:20AM
2nd
Sunday-Holy Communion
3rd
Sunday-UMW Meeting at 3PM
20th
of each month-newsletter
submissions
due.
December
24-Candle
light service
25-Christmas
January
1-New
Year’s Day
February
1-2
Youth Lock-in at MU
9-
Youth Lay Speaker training
In
16-Laity
training sessions at
Grace
UMC in
7:30AM-6:00PM
BIRTHDAYS
For November
4-Juliana
6-Jordan
9-Cleo
11-Clinton
23-Faith
28-Joseph
29-Brandon
For December
10-Helga
17-Amanda
20-Patti
26-Christofer
28-William
H. 30-Ty
For
January
4-Melissa
12-Jason
18-Gloria
Remember
our friends and family in
Ø
Ø
Eric Bechard
Ø
Scott Skala
Ø
Sonya Shaw
Reeves
ADDRESSES
659th
Maintenance Company
Eric
Bechard
B-Co,
82d DSTB
82d
ABN DIV BAF
January
Newsletter
Submit
ideas, columns, jokes, stories, or pictures by the 20th of each
month for the newsletter.
The
Real Christmas Quiz
True
or False?
Q1. The Bible says that Jesus was born in December?
Q2. Jesus was not born in 0 A.D.?
Q3. We are told that Mary rode into
Q4. Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day of his life?
Q5. Early Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus?
Q6.
The barn animals miraculously spoke the night Jesus
was born?
Q7. God is the real father of Jesus?
Q8. Jesus always celebrated his birthday?
Q9. Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in
Q10. Mary, mother of Jesus, did not remain a virgin for
the rest of her life?
Q11. God told people to remember the birth of his son?
Q12.
The angels told the shepherds
that they should worship the baby Jesus?
Q13. The angel said “Peace on earth to all men”?
Q14. The wise men were present at the birth site of
Jesus?
Q15. We are told that the angels sang at the
announcement of Jesus’ birth?
Q16.
The Bible tells us that three
kings riding on camels visited Jesus?
Q17. Mary gave birth on the night that she arrived in
Q18. The star led the wise men straight to Jesus?
Q19. The tradition of giving presents at Christmas comes
from the wise men presenting gifts?
Q20. December 25th was originally the date of
a Roman festival?
Advent Message
Greetings and the peace of
the Lord be with you. We celebrated Thanksgiving just a few days ago and
just a few more days Christmas will be hear.
It has been said that time flies when we are having fun. I hope the
joy and the presence of the Lord be with you and become a part of your daily
life. As we shift from Thanksgiving to Christmas,
this can be a very stressful time. It
is my prayer that God’s peace, hope, joy, and love be with you during the
Advent season and everyday of 2007 and the New year to come. It is hard to
believe that the church year began anew with the First Sunday of Advent,
December 2, 2007. I don’t know about you, but over the years I have
come to love the Advent season. I love it because it is an exciting season
to commemorate the first coming of the Lord and to anticipate the second
coming of Christ to live with Him forever.
Advent is a special time of the year because it reminds us of God’s
love for us.
Advent marks the start of
the Christmas season. It
is a time of preparation and waiting for the return of the Lord. To the
believer everyday is Christmas when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.
As we make plans for Christmas, I hope that you will pause from time
to time and ponder that wondrous fact: God
is with us!
"Jesus
is the Reason for the Season".
Trite but true. If Christ isn't at the heart of our celebrations, we are
missing the true meaning of the season.
Christmas is a wonderful time. It is full of sentiment and happiness:
Giving presents, family getting together, delicious food, Christmas Carols,
and all that goes along with it. It
is a time that we celebrate the gift of God (Emmanuel, the Prince of Peace,
the Wonderful Counselor, the Son of God, Jesus Christ) and our relationship
with Him.
In short, Advent is a
season that invites us to think
seriously about the meaning of time and how we use it. Time is a precious
gift from God to us, let us use it to live our lives as people with the
Christmas spirit of peace, hope, joy, and love.
Merry Christmas!
Your
Pastor: Richard
The Real
Christmas Quiz - Answers
The
events surrounding the birth of Jesus have been retold so many times and in
so many ways, through poetry, plays, books and movies that the true events
have become distorted. The various misconceptions about Christ’s birth
show the need to always test everything we hear against the Holy Bible,
God’s Word, no matter what the
source,
and no matter how old the traditions and doctrines are. The Bible is the
final authority.
True or False?
Q1.
The Bible says that Jesus was born in December?
False
– The Bible does not mention when Jesus was born. The most likely date is
not the 25th December, with the best evidence pointing towards the end of
September or early October. The shepherds were still tending to their flocks
in the fields, but practice was that the shepherds would only keep their
flocks in the fields
from
April to October, taking them back home to shelter them over the winter
months.
Q2.
Jesus was not born in 0 A.D.?
True
– Jesus could not have been born in the year 0 A.D. as it doesn’t
actually exist historically – our calendar jumps straight from 1 B.C. to 1
A.D. with no intervening year zero. Also, Dionysus was commissioned to
establish the year of Christ’s birth and due to insufficient historical
data he arrived at a date which was a few years late. The birth of Christ is
generally accepted to be around 5 or 6 B.C. as Herod died in 4 B.C.
Q3.
We are told that Mary rode into
False
– Although perfectly possible that she rode upon a donkey, the Bible says
nothing about how Mary entered
Q4.
Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day of his life?
True
– Jesus was an Israelite (Jew) and therefore would have been circumcised
according to the law of Moses on the 8th day. (Luke 2 v 21)
Q5.
Early Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus?
False
– There is no mention of either the apostles or the early Christians
celebrating the birth of Jesus. There is no trace of Christmas until it was
first mentioned by the Roman Church in 336 A.D.
Q6.
The barn animals miraculously spoke the night Jesus was born?
False
– The barn animals talking is an ancient myth that has absolutely no
biblical grounding whatsoever.
Q7.
God is the real father of Jesus?
True
– Joseph was the stepfather of Jesus, but God is his real father.
Q8.
Jesus always celebrated his birthday?
False
– The idea of celebrating birthdays is a pagan one and neither the Jews,
the apostles nor Jesus celebrated them.
Q9.
Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in
True
– The prophet Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in
Q10.
Mary, mother of Jesus, did not remain a virgin for the rest of her life?
True
– Mary went on to have other children with her husband Joseph. (Mark 6 v
3, Matt 13 v 55 - 56)
Q11.
God told people to remember the birth of his son?
False
– We are told to remember Jesus’ death, not his birth. (1 Cor 11 v 23 -
26)
Q12.
The angels told the shepherds that they should worship the baby Jesus?
False
– The angels did not tell the shepherds to worship Jesus, the shepherds
merely went to ‘see’ the baby Jesus and when the shepherds returned they
were praising and worshipping God, not the baby Jesus. (Luke 2 v 15, 20)
Q13.
The angel said “Peace on earth to all men”?
False
– The angel said “on earth peace, goodwill toward men”. The word
‘peace’ from a biblical sense does not mean the absence of war or strife
between people, but rather a ‘peace with God’, a peace that
Jesus
was to make with God at his sacrifice. Goodwill looks back to the Hebrew
ratzah, which is often associated with acceptable sacrifice, thus
‘goodwill toward men’ means reconciliation through the greatest of all
Days of Atonement – Jesus’ sacrifice. The alternative textual reading
of: ‘to men of goodwill’, means the same thing: ‘peace to men who know
themselves reconciled to God through Jesus’. (Luke 2 v 14)
Q14.
The wise men were present at the birth site of Jesus?
False
– Almost every depiction of the nativity scene shows well dressed wise
men, surrounded by shepherds, presenting their gifts to Jesus while he was
in the manger. The Bible truth is very different for they clearly did not
visit Jesus while he was still lying in the manger (Matt 2 v 11). They met
in a house and Jesus was a young child. It is possible that he was walking
and talking by the time they reached him. Herod ordered the killing of all
the children up to two years old for he knew that Jesus could have been
nearly
two years old by then. (Matt 2 v 16)
Q15.
We are told that the angels sang at the announcement of Jesus’ birth?
False
– The popular Christmas carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” may
suggest they did, but the Bible doesn’t say anything specific about the
angels singing. (Luke 2 v 13)
Q16.
The Bible tells us that three kings, riding on camels, visited Jesus?
False
– The Bible does mention magi coming to visit Jesus, but does not say how
many or that they were kings riding camels. There were at least two as the
word magi is plural, but there could have been many more. The Bible simply
mentions three gifts, but does not imply that there were three of them or
that they were kings. There is no mention of camels either. (Read Matt Ch 2)
Q17.
Mary gave birth on the night that she arrived in
False
– The Bible would suggest otherwise (Luke 2 v 6). Arriving in town well
before her due date would make more sense.
Q18.
The star led the wise men straight to Jesus?
False
– The star led them first to King Herod, after which they saw the star
again leading them to Jesus, but they were two separate sightings of the
star and not continuous (see Matt 2 v 2, 9)
Q19.
The tradition of giving presents at Christmas comes from the wise men
presenting gifts?
False
- In pre-Christian
Q20.
25th December was originally the date of a Roman festival?
True
- The original significance of 25th December is that it was a well-known
festival day celebrating the
annual
return of the sun. 21st December is the winter solstice (shortest day of the
year and thus a key date on the calendar), but 25th December is the first
day that ancients could clearly note that the days were definitely getting
longer and the sunlight was returning. On this day the Romans worshipped the
‘Unconquered
Sun’ or Sun god. The date for Christmas was chosen by the Roman Catholic
Church. Because
good
one.
Summary
•
Christmas is a festival that has been instituted by man, not by the Bible.
Nowhere in the Bible are believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
required to celebrate Christmas.
•
December 25th was celebrated in ancient days as the birthday of
the Unconquerable Sun god, (variously known as Tammuz, Mithra, Saturn,
Adonis or Baal) centuries before Jesus Christ was born in
•
The early Christian church did not celebrate Christmas.
•
In order to win Gentile converts to the Christian faith, the Roman Church,
centuries after the apostolic era, attempted to displace the ancient pagan
winter festival of the Sun god with another man-made tradition, calling it
'Christmas', mistakenly thinking that it would honor the Son of God.
•
Scholars have for centuries known these facts. They can be confirmed in any
reference library.
This
quiz is designed to show you the real truth behind Christmas, looking at
some of the popular traditions from the biblical point of view and ensuring
that you don't celebrate Christmas in ignorance of the facts. But regardless
of its origins, the Christmas season is a time to glorify God and remember
His precious gift, His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
