TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN
We are offering poinsettias for purchase to place in the sanctuary for Christmas Eve. They may be taken home after the last service Christmas Eve.
Order your Christmas Poinsettia by completing the order form below and return it with payment to Jim or Anna Koehler (address and contact info is on the order form).
Order deadline is Saturday, December 1st, 2019
$9.00 each
I love clever and memorable ways of expressing deep truths succinctly. One of our EHMC preschool teachers shared such a saying with me: “Christmas is not about the presents, but about His presence.” True enough and most of us would benefit from improving our skill in detecting God’s presence for, as Dallas Willard has observed, “God does not ordinarily compete for our attention.”
Adoration Of The Magi, Hans Memling.
Dreams of Christmases past, while perhaps enjoyable or comforting, can blind us to the action of God in Christmas present. Making lists and checking them twice is great for Santa Claus and for accomplishing holiday tasks but similarly does little to reveal the Holy Spirit’s movement in our lives and the lives of others. Jesus was well aware of the spiritual dangers of excessive “future-tripping” – of being so focused on planning for what lies ahead that one neglects to engage the present. (See Matthew 6:33-34) If we would perceive God’s presence, we must engage the “now” with our undivided attention. It can be a challenge in the best of times but is an even more arduous endeavor during this busy, emotionally fraught season when so many forces compete for our attention and energy. Perceiving God’s presence requires dedication, patience, and purposefulness.
Early Christians continued and expanded upon the ancient Jewish practice of praying at dawn, midday, and dusk. This routine directed worshippers’ attention to God throughout the day and helped them comply with the Apostle Paul’s direction to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17.) Over time, this devotional practice developed into the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office which consisted of seven set times at which Christians were to “sanctify the day with prayer.” We don’t have to be monks or nuns to benefit from intentionally turning our thoughts to God throughout the day.
If we determine to fully engage the present, we can sense God’s presence. Such an epiphany is the best Christmas gift of all. I wish you a Merry, Mindful Christmas and a Holy New Year.
East Hills Moravian Church is offering poinsettias for purchase to beautify the Sanctuary for Christmas Eve services. They may be taken home after the last service Christmas Eve.
Poinsettias are $9 each and orders must be placed by December 9th. Order forms are in each Sunday’s bulletin, or you can download an order form here. (a new window will open when you click the link)
Do a web search or open any study Bible and it is pretty clear what Christians believe God wants from you, but what is it that God wants for you? Jesus provides an answer in his parable of the good shepherd: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” That Jesus is speaking of spiritual rather than material realities should be clear when we consider the evidence of his own life.
Gerard van Honthorst, “Adoration of the Shepherds”
For the One born in a manger, abundant life “does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Neither does it consist of a multitude of friends, social prominence or freedom from affliction. From birth, our Savior was intended to be “a suffering servant,” a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Just eight days into Jesus’ life the “righteous and devout” Simeon revealed to Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
So what then is this “abundant life” of which Jesus speaks? Abundant life is authentic life; it is living into the promise of God’s creation of humanity in God’s own image. It is sharing in the copious blessings of God’s own life. God became human so that those who follow Christ “… may become participants of the divine nature.” In his writings on 2 Peter Irenaeus (c. AD 130-220) wrote: God “became what we are in order to make us what God is.” Abundant life, authentic life, eternal life is ours when we accept God’s “…precious and very great promises …” embodied in the birth of our Savior.
That is what God wants for each of us – not only at Christmas – but every day of our lives.
The great Advent and Christmas hymns of Western Christian tradition celebrate the birth of Jesus by focusing on that from which Christ saves us. “He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free.” He brings the light of redemption into the world, releasing us “from our fears and sins” that “the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.” Few of our familiar hymns meditate on that destiny for which God saves us.
Will you accept God’s Christmas gift to you?
Will you embrace God’s desire for your life in the coming year?
-Pastor Derek French
Bible quotes referenced from John 10:10; Luke 12:15; Isaiah 53; Luke 2:35; Genesis 1:27; 2 Peter 1:4.
“See, I am making all things new … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 5:5-6)
For many persons the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions is an incentive to change some aspect of their lives or achieve some goal – an opportunity for a fresh start. Perhaps now is the time for you to consider growing in your relationship with God – to open yourself to God’s offer to drink deeply from the spring of the water of life and allow God to include you in Christ’s new creation.
What does a life in Christ look like? You may wish to consider the following:
We do well to remember that God is continually in the process of “making all things new.” Every moment of every day is a potential new beginning. We need not succumb to discouragement or resign ourselves to the status quo if we become distracted or find the going tough. God will work through us and through all who have open and willing hearts.
When it comes to resolutions in general, some persons will obtain their objectives in the coming year; many more will not. Commitment and will-power play their part but the outcome often depends upon whether one continues to believe the resolution is achievable.
What do you believe is possible with God?
It’s time once again to order Christmas Poinsettias to brighten the East Hills Moravian Church sanctuary for Christmas Eve. This is a wonderful way of remembering those we love or for blessings received in 2015.
The Poinsettias you purchase may be taken home after the last service Christmas Eve.
Plants are $9 each and your order must be received by Thursday, December 6th, 2015. Order forms are in each Sunday’s bulletin, and below.
EHMC POINSETTIAS ORDER FORM 2015. (download the Word document to your desktop when the window opens).
For more information contact Jim or Anna Koehler at nyaapa@aol.com or 484-256-5697.
Had Christ a thousand times,
Been born in Bethlehem,
But not in you, your sin
Would still your soul condemn.
– Angelus Silesius
Matthias Stomer, Adoration of the Christ Child, circa 1660.
One should not mistake decorating for the holidays as preparing oneself for Christmas.
Living in the “Christmas City”, it’s sometimes easy to confuse the two. Bethlehem does a great job decorating for the holidays and marketing itself as the American destination for Christmas merrymaking. Since mid-October, city work crews have installed trees with lights on all the lamp posts. They have strategically positioned oversized Advent wreaths at major intersections around town. Local shops – even grocery stores – flood us with cheery tunes about family, fellowship, snow, and celebration. Meanwhile we decorate, shop for gifts for friends and loved ones, and anticipate our favorite personal holiday traditions. We are ready for the holidays – but are we prepared for Christmas?
If you would learn the true meaning of Christmas, do not look to society with its holiday glitter. You will not find the Christ-child there. There is no room for him in crowded malls and streets filled with frenetic holiday shoppers. Nor can Christ be found online in the midst of special holiday offers. To prepare for Christmas, seek the birth of the Christ-child within yourself.
The highest worship is like unto God to grow,
Christlike to be in life, in habit, and love’s glow.
– Angelus Silesius
Christmas comes the day Jesus’ Spirit is born within us.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
– Phillips Brooks
Have a Blessed Christmas,
– Pastor Derek French
We are offering Christmas Poinsettias for purchase in the Sanctuary for Christmas Eve. They may be taken home after the last service Christmas Eve.
Poinsettias are $9 each, and orders must be placed by December 4th.
Order blanks are in each Sunday’s bulletin, or are available on the website here.
For more information contact Jim or Anna Koehler at nyaapa@aol.com or 484-256-5697.