The only two kids in church, Matt and Owen, listen to Patsy's "Happy Birthday Jesus" children's sermon. She also shared the legend of the candy cane and Owen got to take Jesus' birthday cake home with him.
Laura Bennett, home from Dallas for the holidays, watches her parents Al and Ann present the final Advent Wreath Meditation.
Al Bennett reads Luke 2:1-20 as Ann lights all of the Advent candles, including the Christ candle.
Notice the Happy Birthday balloon in honor of the birthday child, Jesus.
Joys: Trey and Heather Carothers are pregnant with twins! Micah and Abby Moeller are pregnant with one baby!
We had a guest speaker today, June Tucker, because Patrick was gone to Nebraska for Christmas.
June's message was about the Magi, otherwise know as the wise men. These wise men were astrologers, they studied the skies. And in the skies they saw a message from God, an invitation to follow the star to Bethlehem and see the child King.
The wise men were curious gentiles, persistent (it took them 2 years to get to their destination) and are an acknowledgement that Jesus came to save the whole world, not just Israel.
June said that the wise men were the first missionaries to the gentiles because they returned home and shared what they had seen. I don't remember any great Christian evangelism in the Orient. Do you?
Lord give me a gentile and kind spirit so that I might be an epiphany* to others.
*epiphany: (a festival held on January 6 commemorating) the Manifestation of Christ to the gentiles (as represented by the Magi). (Epiphany with a capital E includes the entire definition.)
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