Thursday December 19, 2013
Colossians 3:15-17

Sue and I haven’t missed a Christmas Eve worship service for over 30+ years. It is the busiest and the best time of the year. We have shared Christmas Eve in a cold barn with cows and the commotion of kids. We have dropped in on worship while we were on the road. We shared Christmas Eve with friends we have known forever and with people we were just meeting. Along the way it has been a wonderful blessing to lead worship for many of those sacred and memorable moments. Above all, the best and most memorable part of Christmas Eve is the sound of Silent Night shared in the glow of candlelight.

The Bible invites us to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts. It instructs us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. And it teaches us to express our gratitude to God by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord.

Silent Night, Holy Night…all is calm…all is bright. We don’t sing the song often because we love to save it for the right moment. We want to hold it for just the right time when sisters and brothers are gathered with family and friends. When the time is right, we dim the lights, share the flame, lift our candles and sing. It tends to flow with a soft and gentle spirit as each voice melts into the next. We raise our candles high and close with
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord at thy birth! That is why we love Advent. That is why we are Waiting On The Word. That is the focus of our lives. Jesus, Lord at thy birth!

Memory Verse Of The Week:

Colossians 3:12 NIV
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Missional Prayer Focus For Today:
Please pray for the leadership and the servant ministry of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) around the globe. The task is to serve the world wherever disaster or destruction has impacted the lives of people.

Note: Be sure to join us tonight for a light meal and a group conversation about our Advent study from 5:30 to 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your bible, your questions, and an appetite as we dig a bit deeper and share our experience of Waiting On The Word!

Be sure to stay and join with our church family to enjoy this year’s Children’s program at 7pm following today’s study.