- On Being Celebratory
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- A
year ago I wrote on the privilege we have as children of God to be
joyous at this time of the year. We can sing without hypocrisy
that wonderful carol "Joy to the World." not only in the
final weeks of each year, but every day we have on earth. Why?
Many people have to invent reason to celebrate. God has given us a
reason to overflow with joy - the gift of His only Son, Jesus
Christ. How do we properly celebrate this gift?
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- First,
it is appropriate that we have just observed Thanksgiving. Again,
giving thanks is no to be limited to the fourth Thursday of
November. Christians get to be thankful everyday and in all
circumstances. We give thanks to God for that indescribable gift
of His Son and all the spiritual blessing that accompany the
Gospel message (read Ephesians 1:3-14). So give thanks to God for
the Savior we celebrate.
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- Second,
as you will hear in my sermon on the First Sunday of Advent, we
must keep our focus on Jesus. Yes, the saying has become a cliche,
but it remains true - "Jesus is the reason for the
season." Sadly, a misguided overemphasis on the trappings of
Christmas (buying gifts, decorating, baking, etc.) will lead to
missing out on that joy that is ours. I am not saying not to do
the things in the parenthesis, just keep in mind why you are doing
those things. Celebrate the birth of your Savior with gusto!
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- Third,
do not let anyone steal you joy. There are many ‘Grinches’ out
there who are not truly celebrating our Lord’s birth and they do
not want you to do so either. They will try to steal Christmas
from you. Do not be a victim of this attempted robbery. Instead,
use it to share with them why you are celebrating and invite them
to rejoice with you.
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- Lastly,
worship is our proper response to God coming to earth in the form
of a man. Here is a quick list of the characters in the Biblical
accounts of the birth of Jesus - Joseph, Mary, Zechariah,
Elizabeth, angels, shepherds, Herod, and the Wise Men. What did
all of them except for Herod do? They worshiped the infant
Messiah. The refrain of "Angels, from the Realms of Glory,
says it well, "Come and worship, come and worship; Worship
Christ, the newborn King."
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- Celebrating
with you,
- Pastor
Gillikin
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Thank you notes.......
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We want to
stand and give thanks to the Lord for leading us to Weaverville
Presbyterian Church. Looking
back I do believe the Lord had been drawing us to your fellowship
for quite some time as I think back to when circle one began sending
gifts for the children and came and cooked for our first little
dinner theater for families which was held in a barn.
Several years ago I read the Jan Karon Mitford series and
thought to myself how I longed to find a community that was like
Mitford where reverence for the Lord and love for fellow man was
simply carried out as a part of life.
When Dave and I attended our first service with you two years
ago as we were walking back to our car I said, “I believe we have
found Mitford”. We are
so thankful to all of you. You have entered into our lives as active
co-burden bearers of the lives of the teens and families whom the
Lord has called to New Direction Farm.
Your heartprints are all over our history of these past 10
years. We are ever
thankful for you. In
Christ, Bridget
and Dave Walls
Dear Weaverville Presbyterian Church Friends,
Thank you for all your
prayers and kind thoughts for me during surgery and treatment for a
brain tumor. Our God has
heard the prayers and, although not an easy time, everything has
gone very well. Love,
Carolyn Glasgow
Thank you all so
much for your many cards, calls and prayers during my recent
hospital stay. I love
you all. Grace Ray
The
Choir wishes to thank all who participated in the Talent Night and
Dinner on November 8. Who knew we had so many gifted
members and friends? We raised $103 for New Directions.
Maybe we will do it again...when everyone has recovered!
We would like to thank our church family for the outpouring of
love during the time of our brother's passing. We appreciate
the many cards, e-mails and
food you so generously sent to our family. Losing a
loved one is never easy but having support and love from this
church makes our grieving somewhat easier. A special thanks to
Circle #3 for the wonderful dinner provided to us after the service.
May God Richly Bless You All. Love
in Christ, Tracy Emory & Carol McAbee
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