We are officially on countdown for Christmas. We have one Sunday left in Advent. We entitled this year’s advent series “When Christ Came down”. We have given the Biblical story of when Hope came down, when Peace came down and when Joy came down. This Sunday we will look at “When Love came down!” This has been a great season for re-examining the story of when God became flesh. It has been an amazing theological story as well as an amazing practical story that impacts our daily lives. I pray you have been blessed. Don’t miss this Sunday as we celebrate baptism and remember when Love came down!
Now, on to Christmas Eve. We will have two Christmas Eve services. The first will be at 4:00 PM The second will be at 6:00 PM. They will be identical except for the baptisms. We have a confirmed baptism for the 4:00 service. Guess who is being baptized? If all goes according to plans and the flu does not derail the plan…my grandson, Beck. My son Bryon and his family are planning to be with us on Christmas Eve. They asked if Beck, their oldest son, could be baptized. Wow, what a privilege. There is another surprise. We can tell you about that one later.
For the past 20 years or so, the Christmas Eve service here at JIBC has been the largest attended service of the year, even larger than Easter. I think it is because we focus on Christmas Carols, Communion and a beautiful Candlelight service. Be ready to invite family and friends. If they do not attend worship or are not members of a church, invite them to be your guest. Christmas Eve is one of the best times of the year to invite our non-churched family and friends. One of our most faithful members, Bill Murray, started attending JIBC because Parker Kelly, working at Whole Foods, invited him to the Christmas Eve service. The rest is a wonderful history!
This is one of the years when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. I know that is a stretch for our usual Christmas morning routines. We will have a Christmas Worship service at 11:00. Enjoy your Christmas morning, then come on and join us. There will NOT BE a 9:00 service that day. There will only be one service at 11:00. The same schedule for New Years Day: one service at 11:00.
Well, here we go. Christmas time at JIBC. Don’t forget to consider making a financial gift to the Lottie Moon International Missions Christmas Offering. It is the first gift that Janie and I make every year. Did you pick up one of the Week of Prayer guides? What a wonderful way to support our missionaries. There are plenty still around. I hope you will pick one up.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing!
Pastor Tom
