MMC: Snow and the Word

Good morning on this snowy windy day

I hope that you all are safe and warm this morning and that your Christmas time with family and friends was wonderful. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Christmas Eve services possible, all the readers, choir members and percussionist, ushers, communion assistants, decorators, and attendees.  Both services were beautiful and I heard a lot of positive feedback.  Please let me know if you have any thoughts about what you liked or didn't like about worship so that everyone's experience can be improved in future years.

As many of you know, Bob and I will be head to the upper mid-west later this week (fortunately we are traveling after this snowstorm should be cleaned up and before another one reaches Minnesota).  Pastor Joan Breckenridge from Zion Lutheran in Stamford as volunteered to be on call in case there are any pastoral emergencies while I'm away.  She can be reached at Zion's church office 203-327-7751.  I will be gone Wed December 29th through Wednesday January 5. 

But who is preaching next Sunday?  Pastor Ned McMillen, the former pastor of Bethlehem, will be preaching and presiding on January 2.  Come join Pastor Ned in the first worship service at Bethlehem in 2011.

And mark you calendars, Tuesday January 4th at 7pm, people will be taking down the tree and other decorations in the church.  Please come and help out as many hands make light work. 

This week's book of faith puzzler is:   :  How old was Jesus when the Magi arrived to see Jesus?  A) just hours old.  B) 12 days  C) 3 months D) 3 years E) the bible doesn’t say  If you know the answer, send me an email by noon on Wednesday to be entered into this week's drawing. 

Now onto this week's text:  (Just because I won't be at Bethlehem doesn't mean that I won't hear the same text at whatever church I attend in the mid-west.

The first lesson is Jeremiah 31:7-14.  God promises to bring the Israelites back from exile and they will celebrate and rejoice.  When have you been brought back from exile whether, physical, emotional, spiritual or social?  How have you celebrated?  Or has a loved one been brought back to you?  Israel would celebrate with food and dancing; when you celebrate, for any reason, how do you celebrate?

The second lesson is Ephesians 1:3-14.  The author says that through Jesus all of God's plans have been made known, that we are to be saved through Jesus' death on the cross.  When has it seemed like you can't figure out what God has planned for you?  When has God's plan for your life seemed easy to discern?

The gospel is John 1:1-18.  The Word is important throughout the gospel of John, so much so that it gets capitalized.  This is more than a word, a part of language, but the Word which implies both the actions and greatness of God.  In this midst of winter, we hear the words "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."  Light is a greater forces than darkness.  How has darkness in your life been overcome by the light?  John is sent to testify to this light and the Word.  How do you testify to the light and the Word?

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I leave you with a blessing "May your snow-blower work, may your shovel be light, may your back not ache and may you have no where to go so you can enjoy the snow."