M o n t h l y N e w s f r o m F P C Ty l e r • Vo l u m e 1 1 , I s s u e 1 2 : D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6
Your Great Gift of Hospitality by the Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin
First of all, thank you. I am still overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and affection you showered on Amy and me at the gathering on November 13. As I said then, I am a bit ill at ease when the focus of attention is on me personally. But my slight discomfort was completely overshadowed by the warm feelings of the day. As Amy put it so well later that evening, it felt like the gatherings that have been held in our honor when we have finished our ministry at a church—only this time, we didn’t have to leave to be celebrated! You are truly a remarkable bunch of people. You are kind and generous, and you know how to show hospitality. You know how to make a person feel special. I don’t know if you realize what great gifts these are. And the truth of the matter is that these are gifts for ministry, not just to my family and me, but to one another
and to those who come into our church from the outside. As it turns out, that’s what Christmas is about: God’s gift of generosity to a broken and hurting world. Perhaps without even realizing it or even trying, you have become a congregation that reflects the pattern of God’s way of dealing with humankind in Jesus Christ. That way is the way of generous love reaching out and welcoming in the stranger and turning the stranger into a member of the family. As we journey through the days of Advent, we would do well to remember that we were once strangers to God, but that in Christ we have been welcomed into the household of God. (Ephesians 2:11-14) Because we have been welcomed into God’s household, it is our role to welcome others in Christ’s name.
i n t h i s i s s u e | H I G H L I G H T S & F E AT U R E S FPC Christmas Services | pg 3
Christmas Carols | Pg 3
Christmas Poinsettias | Pg 5
Read about Christmas services celebrated this season.
Lee Kohlenberg tells how you can find real meaning in Christmas carols.
Help support our Fine Arts program by ordering poinsettias for the Sanctuary at Christmas. First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com