Dear Friends,

             Are you tired of turkey yet?  I saw a recipe on line yesterday for “Turkey Pizza”.    I haven’t tried it yet, but if you’re interested I’ll send you the recipe.  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, survived the weekend shopping ordeal, and found some real bargains.  Rosemary and I have a deal.  I go with her for a little bit of shopping and then she leaves me alone to watch football.  An hour of fighting the crowds is about my limit.

             Anyway, we are officially now into the Advent season.  We had a great first Sunday as our worship focused on the Hope of Advent.  Pastor Dale did a great job of reminding us in some of his song selections, that not only did Jesus come to the little town of Bethlehem, but one day He is coming again.  The question is will we be any more prepared than they were in Bethlehem and Jerusalem 2000 years ago?  One of the marvels of the Nativity story is that only a select few witnessed the  miracle.  Even more amazing, they were not the religious; not the powerful or rich, but simple shepherds, a couple of senior citizens, Simeon and Anna and some foreigners who followed a star.

             Richard DeHaan of the Radio Bible Class shares a story about a family in England who put their little girl to bed on Christmas Eve.  Suddenly there was the sound of trumpets in front of their home.  A Salvation Army Band had come down their lane to play Christmas carols.  The  little girl awakened by the trumpet blast came running into the living room shouting with joy …”Mommy, Jesus is here.  Jesus is here!”  Her parents had to explain it was not really the trumpet of the Lord, but merely the cheerful notes of an earthly trumpet.  This story of childlike exuberance and joy challenges us:  Would we be that that excited to see Jesus?

             I trust that we will see this Advent season as a time of spiritual preparation.  Are we ready for His coming!  Is our prayer life up to date?  Are there broken relationships that need mending?  Are there sins that  need to be confessed?  If Christ were to come today would we be ready or would we need time to prepare.  May the Lord find us watching and expecting His soon arrival! [READ Matthew 24].

             If you read your bulletin Sunday, you know that these next few weeks are jam-packed.  Here are just a few of the upcoming events.

   * Sunday School Worker’s Dinner … December 5th at 6:00 P.M. at Mrs. Rowe’s

   * BYF Fellowship at Tueting’s … Saturday, December 12th at 6:00 P.M.

   * “Angels Aware” Student Ministries Musical … Sunday, December 13th at 6:00 P.M.

   * Wedding Reception for Brian and Barbara Bonney … Monday, December 14th at 7:00 P.M.

   * Handbell Concert at Kings Daughter’s … Saturday, December 19th at 2:30 P.M.

             Please call the church office if you have questions about any of these events.  Have a great week!  Remember the reason for the season!                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                     Merry Christmas

                                                                                                                     Pastor Barry