Christmas Eve Service

I was very pleased with how this year's Christmas Eve Service turned out. We kept it fairly simple which made it very reflective and meaningful.

Even though it was simple in structure, we had several firsts:

• We setup the CLC with chairs around the stage which was in the middle of the room. I really liked the closeness it brought. I must say preaching to an audience that was all around the stage turned out to be more distracting than I had imagined. It would definitely take some practice. I found myself thinking more about where to look next, than on what I wanted to say.
  
• David led all of the carols a cappella. A very nice touch.
  
• We used individual prepackaged communion wafers and juice. It solved the issue of rounding up servers. Those who would normally serve were able to sit with their families. And it enabled us to partake in unison. The only drawback was the crinkling noise of opening them up.
  
• Though not a first, it had been a while since we had everyone light a candle at the end of the service…a nice final touch. Note to self: Next time make sure the candles are not individually wrapped in plastic!
  

What I love to see most of all are the families who come and worship together. What a great way to begin Christmas!

Pulpit Talk - Christmas Sermon Series

[Pulpit Talk will contain thoughts and comments about my sermons and sermon series.]

My sermon series this Christmas is about the salvation God offers through Jesus Christ.

I must confess I was a bit skeptical how it would be received, since it isn’t your typical Joseph, Mary, and baby in a manger Christmas series. Let’s face it, some people – correct that – most people expect to hear a traditional Christmas message around Christmas time, after all it is one of the greatest stories of all time. God the Creator steps into His own creation. As Michael Card wrote in his song To The Mystery, “No fiction as fantastic and wild -- a mother made by her own child!” The Christmas story is truly remarkable and people like to hear it told.

Even I, in doing some pre-sermon planning for the series, had a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit, because instead of studying the habits of shepherds and the plight of the Magi, I was in places like 2 Timothy, Ephesians and Hebrews. I had my own Christmas expectations and wishes.

We like to hear about the events that took place in the small town of Bethlehem – and we should hear them during this time, but my fear is that by focusing only the characters and events that make up the pieces of the Nativity we endanger ourselves of losing sight of the movement behind the manger scene – God wonderfully composing and orchestrating a plan that would turn the hearts of men back to Him.

So this Christmas I have dared to abandon (though not completely) the traditional Christmas story to talk about salvation – God’s offer, our response, and the assurance we have in Christ.

Preach the Word,
Phil

Give Me Your Sin

Christmas is about salvation. But what is salvation to the one who does not feel the need to be rescued? C. S. Lewis once put it like this: “Christianity has no message for those who do not realize they are sinners.” That’s it. We are sinners, God planned for our salvation, Jesus Christ was born to present the plan to man. The manger, the Babe is swaddling clothes, the shepherds, Joseph, Mary – it is all about salvation. Yes, the meaning of Christmas is Jesus, he is the reason for the season, but the reason why he had to come is sin.

That is a side to Christmas that the world won’t hear, because, quite frankly, they don’t want to hear it. They will gladly extract the appealing parts of Christmas – the decorations, the sweetness, the good cheer, the giving of gifts, etc. – but they have no concept of the deeper meaning and reason of the Christmas event – that the holy God has invaded our world to restore our brokenness of sin. That's a word our world needs to hear.

Jerome, a Roman Catholic scholar, translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. Near the end of his life, Jerome was living near Bethlehem translating some of the Bible when he had a dream. In the dream, the Christ child appeared to him. He was so overwhelmed by the appearance of the Christ child that he felt he had to give Him something. So he got some money and offered it, saying, “Here! This is yours.”

The Christ child said, “I don’t want it.” Jerome brought some more possessions. The Christ child said, “I don’t want them either.” Jerome said, “If there is anything in the world that I can give you, tell me what it is. Tell me! What do you want? What do you want me to give you?”

He said he dreamed that the Christ child looked at him and said this: “Give me your sin! That’s what I came for.”
That is what Christ came for — to take away our sin.
Christmas is about salvation!

Merry Christmas,
Phil

We Have the Hope!

I recently had one of those informal conversations with a friend about our nation’s economic woes. After discussing the financial crisis he turned to me and said, "But it's a good time to be a preacher."

At first I wasn’t sure what he meant. Was he suggesting that I or the church was somehow exempt in these difficult times? No, that wasn’t it. What he meant was that in the middle of hopelessness and uncertainty, it’s a good time to have the only hope and certainty there is. I’m not sure if he really believed his own words, but I couldn’t agree more. It’s not that the church could care less about the economy or the future – we do care. But this we know for sure – we have the only hope. God was in control way before our nation was strong economically, and he will still be in control when this world and its seeming importance pass away.

It is a great time to be a preacher. It’s a great time to be a Christian! It is a time when people are going to be looking for HOPE. It’s a hope that won’t come from a peace treaty in the Middle East, a tax stimulus check, a bailout, or even from a new President. It is a hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

It’s a great opportunity to live a faith that turns heads by following Paul’s instructions to Timothy: "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (I Timothy 6:18-19).

There has never been a better time to grab a hold of this concept than right now. God is and will be faithful. Just remember that God's blessings are not always financial. But his blessings are always amazing.

So here’s what you can do: Be generous this year, but don't borrow money to pay for Christmas. Spend less on those who don’t have needs, in order to spend more on those who need us.

We have the hope! Let's be the hope!
Merry Christmas,
Phil