Beloved Friends,
Perhaps my favorite memory of Advent emerges from the woods of Montana. As a young guy, serving a church in Missoula, we would go out into the forest and find a big old stump. With a fair amount of effort, we would move it from its well-rooted place to the front of our church’s chancel. This was our stump of Jesse! The stump had a place of honor, and we made sure it had a branch reminding us of Isaiah’s prophecy: from the royal line of David, a new shoot would grow – the Messiah! I can’t imagine a time of greater hope than Christmas! Sometimes it seems all around us, our hurting world is saying “there’s nothing here but an old stump.” But we are called to say, “Wait a minute…do you see that new shoot?” God is fulfilling His promise! Unto us a child is born; He is named Jesus because He has come to save us. God is with us – we have hope! Just like the angels in Luke 2:10, you and I have “good news of great joy!” to share with all people. This Advent and Christmas season, our sermon series, “Tidings of Great Joy!” will continue our wonder-filled look at the prophecies of Isaiah, and their fulfillment in the Gospel of Matthew. We will begin with the stump of Jesse and journey all the way to celebrating the birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve night! Special events will provide opportunities for inviting friends and neighbors to experience “the reason for the hope that we have.” (I Peter 3:15) In our Advent/Christmas calendar, on page 14, you will find events as diverse as Breakfast in Bethlehem for the whole family, Carols and Cocoa reaching out to the downtown area and men’s and women’s ministry gatherings! Christmas Joy! at the Pikes Peak Center will be our most celebrative yet! Joining us will be the great Legacy Quartet (heard at our Fourth of July concert), Soprano Lynelle Jonsson (coming from Germany) and Denver’s Ciorcal Cairde Irish Pipes and Drums. In addition, this year’s show will feature our beloved Children’s Chorale, Bells, Big Band, Orchestra and Big Blue! And, this year, we’ll feature Don Robinson, playing a new work for violin and orchestra that is one of the most exciting pieces I have ever heard! Join the scores of folks who invite their neighborhoods, offices, and families to celebrate our Lord’s birth with them through Christmas Joy! For me, our message of hope is exemplified by two songs we sing at First Pres each Christmas season: Welcome to Our World (this year, to be sung by Zoe Anderson and Matt Holtzman) and All Is Well. Those pieces come as healing balms amidst the heartbreaking struggles of our strife-filled world. The “hope that we have” is stronger than all the trouble this world can offer. Jesus is our Hope – in His name, let’s gather to worship and scatter to serve, throughout this most wondrous of seasons! With love in Christ,
Jim
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december 2015 contents Stump of Hope. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Rev. Katie Fowler A Joy-Filled Name . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Rev. Jennifer Holz Somebody’s Coming . . . . . . . . . . 8 Rev. Eunice McGarrahan The Joy and Mess of Christmas . . . . . 10 Rev. Nate Stratman The Lord is Come . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Rev. John Goodale Advent Season Roundup . . . . . . . . 14
Contributing Writers: Katie Fowler, John Goodale, Jennifer Holz, Eunice McGarrahan, Nate Stratman Contributing Editors: Matthew Fox, Alison Murray Graphic Design: Beryl Glass Proofreading Team: Mary Bauman, Deb Berwick, Christine Dellacroce, Betty Haney, Daisy Jackson, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Linda Pung, Chris Sebby All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, © 2011 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. First Pres Magazine December 2015, Volume Seven, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization. To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6175 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1392 or magazine@first-pres.org. Printed in the U.S.A.
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of Advent 1st Sunday of Advent
Stump of Hope
2nd Sunday
of Advent
Meditation by Rev. Katie Fowler
4th Sunday ou don’t expect a lot to come from a
stump. The tree’s days seem pretty much numbered. But Isaiah tells us that a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. Jesse is ofdad, Advent King David’s and from Jesse’s family line — and by the way, the family line is looking pretty bad at this moment – from Christmas this family will come one who will rule by the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God. In Isaiah 11, we are given a picture of His rule, and it is, in a word, beautiful. His is a reign of righteousness, justice and Eve peace. He will rule over a kingdom where the wolf and lamb will live together and the
earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Could it be that something this unspeakably good, this beautiful could come from a stump? As one scholar, Barbara Lundblad, wrote, this passage presents us with the image of “something growing where nothing should.” That’s what God does. The Lord brings life from unexpected places. There is deep joy in knowing the redeeming power of the Lord. It reminds me of the worship song Beautiful Things by the band Gungor. I first learned this song a few years ago
The first candle of Advent is the candle of Hope. The Gospel of John speaks of Christ as the true light coming into the world. In commemoration of that coming, we light candles for the four weeks leading to Christmas and reflect on the coming of Christ. And so we light the first candle, the candle of hope, and dare to express our longing for peace, for healing and the well-being of all creation.
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while preparing to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with a group of young adults and college students. It became the unofficial anthem of our trip. Again and again, we sang: All this earth Could all that is lost ever be found? Could a garden come up from this ground at all? You make beautiful things You make beautiful things out of the dust You make beautiful things You make beautiful things out of us All around Hope is springing up from this old ground Out of chaos life is being found in You I think we sang this song so much because it resonated within the deep places of our hearts — gratitude over what God had done in our lives, pulling out of miry pits and calling us His own. And it also spoke to the places in our lives where we long to see God make something beautiful. It spoke to the ache, the cry for the life that only God can bring. This advent season, may we look for life in unexpected places, and may we be reminded again and again that life is being found in Christ.
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of Advent 2nd Sunday of Advent 4th Sunday of Advent
A Joy-Filled
Christmas o you know what your name means? When we named our oldest son, Henry, we named him after two of his Eve great grandfathers. But also we knew exactly what his name meant: “ruler of the house.” We laughed about the meaning at the time, but in many ways Henry is living into his name. Henry has been wired by God with strength, many words and a capacity for leadership. As his parents, it’s our job to understand how God has knit
Henry together and to help guide him in the ways of God. It is also our job to remind him who is in charge of the house. The naming of a child was incredibly important to the people of God. In the birth narratives of Luke and Matthew, we learn that when an angel comes to you to tell you what to name your child, you do exactly what they say! That alone signals a special call of the Lord. In Isaiah 9:1-7, we read about a coming child who “was born for us.” God names
The second advent candle is the candle of Joy. This should be the easy one, because joy is all around us — in the children, the lights, the music, the gathering together. But how often do we let our preparations — or our memories — push joy to the side? Joy is like an underground spring that wells up within us, but joy is also a choice, an attitude. Like a muscle, it needs to be exercised. So today we open ourselves to joy, trusting that God has already planted it in us. All we need to do is give it care and offer it to share.
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d Name Meditation by Rev. Jennifer Holz
that child through Isaiah to give Israel a glimpse of who this child will be. This is no ordinary child: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Wow! God has big plans for this little one. When the time has come for this child to be born, the Gospel writer, Matthew, gives us another glimpse into the naming of this child. The angel says to Joseph, “…you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (1:21) The coming of the Christ child into our midst is an event that would alter history. God’s rescue operation for sinful humanity is underway. The fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah 9 is complete in the birth of Jesus. On Sunday, December 6, we will reflect on these Scripture passages in worship and come to the Lord’s Table to experience together the sacrament of communion. The One who came to save us from our sins invites us to feast at the table of His salvation. From birth to death to life everlasting, the baby Jesus has come to save.
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3rd Sunday of Advent 1st Sunday
Somebody’s
ofwith Advent he one the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the 2ndseventh Sunday month dies….and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live wile the other survives….The one with of Advent the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.” — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 4thInSunday the Harry Potter series, the Dark Lord, the evil Voldemort, knows that someone has been born who is a threat to him. Much as Herod seeks to kill all baby boys born during Adventseeks to find and a certain time,ofVoldemort destroy Harry. This prediction about the birth of one who Christmas could destroy the Dark Lord is given in a trance and is purely predictive and applies
only to one situation. It would be tempting to say that this is just like Isaiah predicting the birth of Jesus and Matthew writing that Jesus fulfills that prophecy. In one sense, the predictions about Jesus and Harry Potter have similarities. But, Isaiah’s and Matthew’s words to us contain so much more. First, Isaiah’s prophecy about a child was meant for the time of King Ahaz. Ahaz wanted to go to war to defeat the kings of two small countries who were about to invade. God sends Isaiah to tell Ahaz to just trust God, who will take care of these two weak kings. And graciously, God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign that this will indeed happen. Thinking he is being religious, Ahaz actually refuses to do this. His rejection is nothing less than a rejection of the presence, knowledge and grace of God in his life. A child is born in the time of Ahaz and by the time that child is old enough to eat solid
Eve The third candle is the candle of Love. With this flame we signify the love of God that surrounds and fills us at all times, but that we recognize in a special way in the Christmas story. There is no greater power than love. It is stronger than rulers and empires, stronger than grief or despair, stronger even than death. We love, because God loves us.
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s Coming Meditation by Rev. Eunice McGarrahan
food, what God promised has come to pass. Second, Matthew, the Gospel writer, looks back on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and says, “You know, when I think about Jesus, I remember the prophecy about Immanuel, God With Us, being born in the time of Ahaz. God truly was with the nation at that time and that child was a sign that God would keep His promises. Well, I think that prophecy is also about my time. You see, in Jesus God, is truly with us. He is Immanuel.” In Isaiah, the prophecy applies to his time. In Matthew, the prophecy is fulfilled in his time, as well. But the promise — the prophecy — of Immanuel is not just historical…not just something that happened then. It is also a promise that is being fulfilled now, in our time. And ours is a time that needs to know that Immanuel is here. We need to know that God is with us. We certainly live in a time of despair. The promises of success, of progress, of politics are empty. They are promises that cannot be kept. And in our post-modern era, there is a cynicism as well because few believe that there is any truth that will give meaning or purpose to our lives. For the secular world, the only hope for the future is more of the present. That’s not only depressing, it is dangerous. But Isaiah and Matthew tell us the Good News that will reach our ears during Advent and Christmas…Immanuel is coming! Immanuel is here! And we may and should live as those who know that God is with us, doing new and unexpected things. Glory to God in the highest, and glory to God here and now.
Exploring the Passage Isaiah’s message of love was brought to God’s people during a time of darkness. As Jesus’ followers, we are called to share His love. Read the passage together as a family Isaiah 7:14
Family Discussion What prophecy did Isaiah share in his time, and why was it important? How was the prophecy fulfilled through Jesus? What would Mary’s son be called? What is the meaning of Immanuel? Share about some ways that we can bring Jesus’ light and love to people in our city.
Family Activity Bring Love to our “Neighbors!” Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our neighbors live next door to us, but who do you think Jesus is talking about? Think about some “neighbors” who might feel lonely or isolated this Advent season. Perhaps it’s a new friend or family at school or in your neighborhood, or someone at a nursing home. Introduce yourselves and learn each other‘s names. Invite them over for dinner, make and deliver Christmas treats or a meal, invite them to Carols & Cocoa, or to one of our Christmas Eve services. Your invitation is one that might bring great joy to their lives!
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of Advent 4th Sunday of Advent Christmas
Eve
The J Mess of Ch
hristmas day is right around the corner! My guess is that many of you are experiencing great anticipation of family, food and worship. I am also aware each year that many of you might not be as excited about Christmas for one reason or another. The celebration of the birth of our Christ is both joyful and messy. Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah the prophet informed the world that there is One who is coming to enter into the mess, confusion and divisions in our world. In Isaiah 11, the prophet reminds us that when Christ reigns over the entire earth
we will start to see unbelievable things. These unbelievable signs will give us a clear picture that Christ’s reign is present and active. Wolves and lambs will live together, leopards and goats will take naps, cows will feed bears and even infants will play near cobras and not be harmed. While you probably don’t have lambs, goats, cows, bears or snakes, you can think of examples of divisions and those who are at odds in your own life. What divisions would you love to see Christ enter in and bring healing to this Christmas season? Pause for a second and invite Jesus to these places of tension and brokenness.
The fourth Advent candle is the candle of Peace. We light the candle of peace knowing full well that peace is elusive, and, in some parts of the world, it is almost completely absent. Yet in this season of Advent, we trust that God is never absent from us. God is always preparing something new. And even where there is war and discord, whether between countries, within families or within our own hearts, God is present, gently leading us to new possibilities.
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Joy and hristmas
Meditation by Rev. Nate Stratman
Isaiah is very aware of the many divisions around him, just as I am aware of the divisions in families, churches, government, race, gender and wealth. As I write this, I am struck by two major realities. Our world is becoming more and more divided, yet I trust fully in the One who will break down these dividing walls as every knee eventually bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. I have a deep hope that Jesus is going to do what He said He was going to do. I already see evidence of this. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that Jesus comes as a banner, not a sword. This gives me great joy as I continue to discover the riches of God through Jesus Christ. There is hope for strained relationships. There is hope for those who grieve. There is hope for the hopeless. As we survey our world, it is not how it should be, yet we see clear signs that Jesus Christ is on the move. Do you see these signs? The Kingdom that God wants to bring about on earth has come and is coming. May He bring more healing, more peace and more of Himself to all of us as we move towards the manger this Advent season. May you experience the Joy of Jesus this very day.
Exploring the Passage Isaiah’s message of peace was brought to God’s people during a time of fighting. Jesus’ followers are called to share His peace. Read the passage together as a family Isaiah 11:6-10
Family Discussion Why do you think Isaiah is describing animals in this passage? What is different about their behavior? Who will be leading them? Share about a time when you were in a fight with someone. How was it resolved? Was peace restored, or is there something that you could have said or done differently?
Family Activity Bring Love to our Community Helpers! Colorado Springs is home to several military installations where service men and women work hard to keep our country safe. We are also blessed to have police officers and fire fighters who keep our community safe. Take time to pray over our military and community helpers as they bring peace into places where there is war and fighting. In addition, think of ways that you might thank these men and women for the work they do. Writing a simple thank you card or letter will let them know that they are making a difference toward bringing Jesus’ peace to our world and our city.
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of Advent Christmas
Eve
The Lord i hristmas Eve culminates our lighting of Advent candles with the Christ candle. We’ve waited, throughout all the other candles that have been lit, to light this final candle celebrating Christ’s entrance into this world. And we’ve surely waited in other ways, during this season of Advent — though perhaps less anxiously than children eyeing gifts they know they can’t open yet! Waiting is hard. I suspect just about everyone reading that previous statement would agree with it. Today we live in a world that offers
immediate gratification in so many ways: instant food, instant communication, instant information and so on. These and other practices condition us to want things NOW. As a result, we’re not conditioned to wait well — and so patience goes unlearned, and can often be challenging. Consider, though, that God often does some of His formative work in our lives through waiting. Our waiting moves us to a place of dependence upon our Lord to provide resolution. It stretches our faith. And though we’d often prefer to avoid the tension of how that feels, God often uses
The final candle of Advent is the Christ Candle, which is typically found at the center of the wreath. The flame of the Christ candle symbolizes the eternal presence of Christ, light of the world in the midst of His people. May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.
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Exploring the Passage
is Come Meditation by Rev. John Goodale
our waiting to move us from a thinness of time to a depth of soul. What does God desire to teach you this Advent season, through waiting? Why not invite Him to show you? Perhaps He wants to use time in the check-out line while shopping to increase our compassion for others, by helping us better see His image in, and love for, the people around us. Perhaps our waiting for baking or cooking to finish can be spent pondering God’s own preparation of our lives and character. Perhaps, more than anything else, God desires to use moments of waiting during this Christmas season to grow our sense of joy within. On Christmas Eve, we revisit the angels’ pronouncement of joy at God’s entrance into this world. Oh, that our own expression of joy this Advent season would be more than just instinctive response to inspiring songs or message. May we allow God to use all that fills this season — even waiting — to marinate and deepen our joy within at the good news of what He has done. And in response, may our joy rival that of the angelic chorus, as we proclaim, “Joy to the world!”
Isaiah’s message praises God for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. We remember this precious gift and share the Good News so that everyone will know! Read the passage together as a family Luke 2:1-14
Family Discussion God is our salvation! What does this mean to you and for our world? What happened among God’s people when Jesus was born? How did they respond to His birth (the angels, the shepherds, the wise men)? What is something that’s been hard to wait for? Did you learn anything special during a time of waiting? How did it feel when the waiting was over?
Family Activity Bring Christ a Gift! Before opening gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, ask each family member what they might give as a gift to Jesus this year. It could be a gift of time to serve a need in your family or in our city or deciding on a gift (books, toys, clothes) that you would like to donate to a local agency. Think about how you might put money aside (practicing waiting and saving) as a family to share as a gift to bless someone in the coming year. When you bless others through your giving, it’s like giving a gift to Jesus.
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The busy Advent season is upon us. In addition to special Advent services events this holiday season. The following is your guide to all that’s happen one, so mark your calendars accordingly.
Breakfast in Bethlehem Saturday, December 5 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $4 per person up to $15 per family This annual event for the whole family is a great kick-off to the holiday season. This year there will again be two seatings in Fellowship Hall. The morning will consist of a pancake breakfast, fun, simple crafts for young children, and an engaging play that will involve the kids in the Christmas story featuring the 5th through 8th grade choir. Seating is limited, so register online at www.firstpres.org/breakfastinbethlehem. Women’s Holiday Luncheon Saturday, December 12 Noon to 2 p.m. $15 per person, $5 per child for childcare This year’s women’s holiday luncheon, “A Delightful Christmas,” will feature a message from Christy Penley. Childcare is available for those up to age 5, and the cost is $5 per child. Tickets will be on sale November 22 and 29, and
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December 6 in the Narthex, as well as at the Congregational Support Desk throughout the week. For questions, call Lydia Van Dyk at 884-6233. Christmas Joy Sunday, December 13 2:30 and 6 p.m. Cost is $14, $17 or $22 This annual musical extravaganza will take place at the Pikes Peak Center. This year’s show features soloists Lynelle Jonsson, Matt Holtzman and Zoe Anderson, Don Robinson on violin, the Sanctuary Choir, a 17-piece Big Band, the Legacy Quartet, Celtic Steps Dancers, Pikes Peak Ringers, Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, Celtic Mountain Band and Ciorcal Cairde Irish Pipes and Drums. This is a special event that is fun for the whole family and is not to be missed. Tickets, which went on sale on November 16, are available at the Congregational Support desk, TicketsWest and the Pikes Peak Center Box Office.
and our traditional Christmas Eve services, First Pres has a host of ning at First Pres this Advent season! There’s truly something for every-
Men’s Christmas Brunch Saturday, December 19 9:30 to 11 a.m. $10 per person First Pres Men’s Ministry presents this year’s Men’s Christmas Brunch, open to men of all ages. This year’s speaker will be Skip Gray, a long-time staff member with the Navigators. Tickets must be purchased by Tuesday, December 15. You can buy tickets online at www.firstpres.org/men, at the Congregational Support Desk or by calling 884-6144. Carols and Cocoa Sunday, December 20 6 to 8:30 p.m. $8 per person without skate rental $9 per person with skate rental This year’s annual outreach event will begin as we gather at caroling outposts in downtown at 5:45 p.m. to minister to the neighborhoods around First Pres. Following a time of caroling in neighborhoods, we’ll gather at Acacia Park to conclude the evening with hot cocoa, caroling for our city and ice skating in the park. For more information, or to register, visit www.first-pres.org/carols.
Christmas Eve Services Thursday, December 24 Celebrate the reason for the season this Christmas with our special Christmas Eve services. There will be services and events for the whole family. The full slate of Christmas Eve services includes the traditional children’s service as well as the Celtic Christmas service to cap the day’s events. For a full list of services, see below: Thursday, December 24: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Service 2 p.m. Candlelight Service 3:30 p.m. Candlelight Service 5 p.m. Candlelight Service 7 p.m. Candlelight Service 8:30 p.m. Candlelight Service 10:45 p.m. Celtic Christmas Service New Year’s Eve Service Thursday, December 31 7 p.m. We will again be offering our traditional New Year’s Eve service. Christy Penley will offer a message entitled “A JoyFilled Year,” as we come together, worship, give thanks and reflect on 2015 as we prepare for 2016.
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SERVICE
REQUESTED
7 p.m. Candlelight Service 8:30 p.m. Candlelight Service 10:45 p.m. Celtic Christmas Service
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