Tuesday - January 4, 2011
Weekly Meditation
This past weekend Alice and I travelled to Roanoke, Virginia to visit our families. My parents and sister live in Roanoke, and Alice’s brother, Marshal, and his family live in Christiansburg. One Sunday morning, we drove to Blacksburg to worship with Marshal at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church. I thought of all of you as we sat in the pews, heard the Word of God, and participated in the Communion service. It was a different experience to be part of the congregation with no responsibilities for the service.
I was especially glad when we sang one of my favorite Christmas hymns, “What Child Is Time” (UMH 219). I was looking for that hymn recently on the Internet and discovered that William Dix’s original is slightly different from the version we sing today. In place of the refrain, he has these words at the end of the second verse:
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Dix’s original words got me to thinking that even as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the cross is always nearby. The Word that became flesh at Christmas will bear the cross for me and for you on Good Friday. As we enter a new year, we cannot leave Jesus asleep in the manger. Jesus came as a baby to be “God with us;” Jesus died on the cross to take away the guilt of our sin; and Jesus rose victorious from the grave to open the gates of paradise.
So, as we start 2011, remember that Christmas is only the beginning of our journey with Christ, and remember that God has great plans for Providence-Fort Washington in the new year!
Pastor Stephen
This Week in Worship: Sunday, January 9, 2011
Baptism of the Lord
Pastor Stephen preaching
Sermon title: Baptized By The Spirit
Church-wide Planning Meeting
Mark your calendars: We will hold our annual church-wide planning meeting on Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. We will use the time together to plan our ministries for 2011. Everyone is encouraged to attend and committee chairs should come prepared with lists of dates and events for 2011. If the weather is bad, we will postpone the planning meeting until January 15th.
Wednesday Bible Study
The Wednesday Evening Bible Study gathers at 6:00 pm for a potluck dinner and for Bible Study at 6:30.The lessons for the Baptism of the Lord are:
Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
Office Closed on January 17th
The church office will be closed on Monday, January 17th in observance of
Martin Luther King’s Birthday
New Sermon Book Available
Pastor Stephen has just published the 2009-2010 Sermon Book. It contains all the sermons since the First Sunday in Advent 2009. Cost is $12.00.
Pastor Stephen has copies for sale.
It can also be ordered on-line at www.lulu.com/banquo
“May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!” (Psalm 29:11)
Blessings,
Pastor Stephen
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