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In this Issue Letter from Pastor Explore the Website Who is Dr. Eswine? Monthly Events · Marriage
Conference, Feb. 9&10 · Ladies
Bible Study, Tuesday Evenings and Wednesday Morning · December
17th, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, a time of fellowship followed by cookies and
punch. You are invited to share a
song, a skit, a reading, all having to do with Christmas. We also need your favorite Christmas
cookies! Sign ups will take place
through the morning of the 17th.
Please plan to join us!!! Bring some friends!!! · Men’s
Fellowship Group is starting back up in January. · Please
sign up to participate in Angel Tree Ministries. This ministry provides gifts to children of
incarcerated parents. · Thanks
from the Teen Girls Sunday school class for your help in donating coats and
shoes to those in need through the Salvation Army homeless shelter. · Join
us for a Christmas Eve Service! More
information will be provided soon. · Please
share your musical gifts! Contact Nikki
Wijnans for information about special music. December Birthdays •
David Boyer, Dec. 3 •
Andrea Stroh, Dec. 3 •
Lacey Trumbo, Dec. 16 •
Katherine McCash, Dec. 19 •
Hannah Schwartz, Dec. 20 •
Mary Elizabeth Stitt, Dec. 23 •
Marcus Gramling, Dec. 26 •
Nancy Profitt, Dec. 26 •
Anisely Trumbo, Dec. 28 |
Mary’s Song…And Ours This
time of year, I often think back to Mary’s response to the angel’s
announcement (Luke 1:38). It was absolutely
beautiful – yielding to the Lord’s purposes for her, trusting Him to carry
them out, depending on Him at each step – it’s a beautiful response. Especially when you consider what the
Lord’s purposes would demand of her – giving up any plans she had for
herself, giving herself over to the shame and the derision she would face as
an unwed mother in that culture. I
don’t think we appreciate what this meant for her. And I’m not sure she really knew either –
at least not fully at that point. It
doesn’t seem to be until when she pays And
so she sings what could only be called a “glorious song.” It’s a song filled with joy, confidence,
wonder, praise – worship – again coming though in the midst of difficult
circumstances. And what we need to see
is how this song in her circumstances points us to worship even in ours –
such that as we take this to heart, we too can then sing such a song
ourselves. Look with me at what we see
here. Mary
sings of God’s character (Luke 1:49-50). Think of the wondrous things she is
communicating here and how that lifts her up into song. She sings of a God who is “mighty” and who
does “great things.” But Mary goes on
to describe not only the power of God but His holiness as well (Luke 1:49). To speak of someone’s “name” was to
speak of their person. That is to say,
if God’s “name” is “holy,” then it means God is holy. He is separate from and
exalted above all creation. He is
radically different, completely “other.”
His ways are not our ways. Which is so important when we consider
the next thing she speaks of – not only God’s power and holiness but His
mercy as well, His compassion and kindness extended to those in misery or
affliction (Luke 1:50) – us. We
need to keep these three things balanced together – the power, the holiness,
and the mercy. To speak only of God’s
power is not enough. Hitler had
power. Pol Pot had power. Stalin had power. To rejoice that there is an all-powerful
Ruler will not give us any cause to rejoice unless we know something of His
character. To speak only of God’s
mercy is not enough. Ask any parent with
a sick child powerless to help them.
We need the power and the mercy wedded together. And that’s what we have here – a holy mercy
exercised with the greatest of power (READ Psalm
62:11-12). That’s
what gave Mary a song in the midst of the difficulties she faced. She was moving into uncharted waters and
what little she knew of those waters looked choppy. In the midst of that, in the throes of
that, she needed to know that while it seemed her whole world was completely
changing there were some things that were not changing at all – God’s holy
mercy exercised with the greatest of power.
No matter how bewildering things appeared, she could have clarity
there. And she did. It calmed her. It steeled her. It flamed within her. And that allowed her – no, even more – it
impelled her to sing. The
same can be true for us. When we find
ourselves facing uncharted and choppy waters the things that Mary sang of
here, the things that grounded her can ground us as well. And even enable us to sing. Merry Christmas to us all.
Explore the Website
There
are several recent updates to the website.
On the main page we will have links to current activities and
events. For example, we recently had
Abraham Nhial join us during our Sunday School class. You can hear his
presentation by clicking the image of his book on the main page. Also,
Pat Hawkins and Janet Haase join our children during the Sunday school
classes to teach them songs helping them learn the catechism. To help the children learn the songs, we
have put video clips of the children singing.
Click on the Ministry button and then the Children’s Ministry
Button. If you have a slower internet
connection, it will take a while to open the video.
Who is Dr. Zachary
W. Eswine?
On
February 9th and 10th, Dr. Zachary W. Eswine, Assistant Professor of
Homiletics and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Covenant
Theological Seminary, will be our keynote speaker for our marriage
conference. Dr. Eswine served as
senior pastor of Grace Church of the Western Reserve in Since
arriving at the Seminary, Dr. Eswine has also served as interim pastor for
Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Registration
details will be provided in the January Newsletter.
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