The word “advent” means coming. It is used by churches around the world to celebrate the four Sundays before Christmas…the Advent season. My goal is to assist our church family in the desire to keep Christ as the central part of the Christmas season. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with the magnitude of the world’s celebration of Christmas. Some stores start before Halloween to make sure they take full advantage of the Christmas spending splurge. Ok, all that aside, it is my goal to lead our church family to keep focused on the reason for the season.
We start with worship. As always, our worship is centered on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We include the beautiful seasonal songs that celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. It is a story worth remembering and celebrating. The Word of God has been the focus of our sermon series: Advent: The Whole Story. We will finish the series on Christmas Eve as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and baptism! The birth of the babe in Bethlehem resulted in our rebirth! From the Cradle to the Cross until He returns, we see the whole story of the advent of Christ. To God be the glory.
The third part of keeping Christ in Christmas is the outward focus of our mission effort. So far, you have given 113 packs of diapers (3,427 individual diapers!) for the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center; 76 pop up hampers for the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers; 196 jars of jelly for James Island Outreach (that represents sending love to 196 families); and 128 pairs of pajamas and 10 pairs of slippers for the Lowcountry Orphan Relief. That is Christmas at its finest! Thank you for being so willing to give love to our community. This is a better place to live because you reach out!
See you Christmas Sunday, good Lord willing.
Pastor Tom
Have you looked at your calendar lately?
I don’t mean the picture of the Kittens…I mean the dates? This is one of those years where Christmas Eve, Saturday December 24 and Christmas Day, Sunday December 25 present an interesting challenge!
Christmas Eve, Saturday night, not a problem…we got it. It often surprises people to know our Christmas Eve service is often our largest attended service of the year. Sometimes it is even larger than our packed Easter Sunday. No wonder, it is traditionally a lovely service of Christmas Carols, Communion and Candlelight. We read the Christmas stories and sing some of our favorite Christmas hymns and usually we celebrate a baptism by candlelight. This year we have three scheduled to be baptized. We do have a lot more seats available since our Chinese Church outgrew our facilities and Luz Y Verdad have grown to being able to have their own services. Of course they are all welcomed to come back…but isn’t it great they are doing so well?
Christmas Day is on Sunday. I mean what could be more appropriate than celebrating Christmas on a Sunday? But is does present a challenge. I suspect that many churches will just not have Sunday worship services. We have decided that we will meet for Christmas Sunday worship at 11:00. We will not have our Sunday morning Connection Groups that meet at 9:45. We are hoping this gives everyone time to enjoy a relaxed Christmas morning and still make it to Christmas Sunday Worship at 11:00. We will start at 11 and end at 12…he says with all the faith in the world. There will be a special children’s time during the service, we will sing great Christmas hymns and have a few special treats!
Back to back worship services will be a little different for us…but it will be inspiring. What a great way to set the pace for your Christmas Celebration. It will be a little different, but different is not always bad…it’s just different.
Join us Wednesday, December 21 for our Annual Evening of Christmas Caroling. It is always fun!
See you Sunday, good Lord willing.
Pastor Tom
Excuse me for sounding like a broken record, but I love Christmas time. It is a great time, not the only time, but a great time for the followers of Jesus to stand strong about the reason for the season. It is very easy to drift into a secular mind-set about Santa and the consumerism mentality of Christmas. So, as we say on so many occasions: anyone can curse the darkness, let’s light a candle! In this case, it is a Christmas candle or an Advent candle so to speak.
The entire reason for the Advent emphasis at JIBC is to call our attention to the stronger messages of Christmas. Let’s focus on Christ coming and the reason; let’s renew our emphasis on worship and Bible Study; let’s ride the wave of Christmas cheer and reach out to help those in need; let’s sing songs of faith and songs of joy! Sorry, you are not going to get a bah humbug from me. I love Christmas. I love Christmas joy, songs, charity, lights, Advent, musicals…I love the Christmas time. As I have said, about the only thing I don’t like about Christmas is seeing people go in debt to buy what they cannot afford or to bust a budget that is already strained. There are a lot of ways to show some Christmas love that does not cost you a penny! OK, one other thing I don’t like about Christmas…those who take it upon themselves to be an unofficially elected Grinch. The song lyrics go like this: “Every party has a pooper that’s why I invited you!” Why invite the Grinch…unless he needs Jesus and the joy of Jesus in his heart! OK, I even like inviting the Grinch!
So why don’t we do this all year long? WE DO. We worship the Prince of Peace all year long; we do acts of kindness and charity all year long; we give to support missions all year long! That is one of the things I love most about JIBC…you are the hands and feet of Jesus all year long. You don’t just come to church, you are the church. You take the salt out of the shaker, the believers out of the building, all year long. You go to the homeless; feed the widows; bless the orphans; support cross cultural ministry; send out workers into the high schools; serve the poor; heal the sick; etc, etc. YOU DO THIS ALL YEAR LONG! I love His church known as James Island Baptist.
No bah humbug from me. If you can, bring a jar of jelly, a pair of p.j.s, some diapers or a pop up hamper to show a little love to our community.
Pastor Tom
One of the parts of Christmas I love the most is giving. Of course I love giving gifts to the children. I particularly love giving a gift that is just perfect…a gift they have wanted and hoped for. The practical side of me hopes they ask for tennis shoes or jeans but I understand monster trucks and ball equipment too. I love hearing the stories of those who still remember when Christmas gifts were nuts and fruit. A reminder of how far we have come and how blessed we truly are.
I also love the idea of our Advent “Giving On Purpose” emphasis. We are loving our community in ways that are practical, giving gifts that they have actually asked for. How cool is that? God so loved the world that He gave…we so loved the community that we gave! Susan Warren has provided us with four great opportunities to love our community. First, the pop up baskets for The Florence Crittenton Home. These are young girls from 10 to 22 who are pregnant and cannot stay at home. We have a group that occasionally goes to love on these girls. Second, The Lowcountry Orphan Relief ministry has asked for pajamas. These pj’s are for kids that have to be removed from their homes and often have nothing of their own as they start their new journey. Talk about true religion. You can volunteer to go and help pack these emergency kits. Susan will help get you connected. The third group we are loving is our friends at The Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. They have asked for baby wipes and diapers. Oh my, have you bought diapers lately? A pack of diapers represents a whole lot of love. The fourth group is our very own James Island Outreach. What do they want? JELLY, JELLY, JELLY. Look for the BOGO deals. Nobody on James Island goes to bed hungry unless we don’t know about them. By the way, like Christmas music? You can buy a Christmas CD for $10 featuring local musicians, including the Mayor of Charleston!
I am so happy to have a church family that gives generously. Would you like to make my joy complete this Christmas? Let’s give Susan so many volunteers to deliver these Christmas gifts that she cannot schedule us all. Hands on love, delivering gifts of love, because of God’s love. I love Christmas! I love giving to Lottie Moon International Missions and Salvation Army and….
Pastor Tom
I am so grateful for our talented volunteers who decorate the worship center for Christmas. I am four days from being in full Christmas mode! As I said last week, I try really hard not to get all Christmassy until after Thanksgiving. But come this Friday, November 25, my grandson, Noah, will join me in our official Christmas season kickoff…decorating the tree. It is a tradition that I love. By Saturday’s Clemson/Carolina game, the house will be decorated, Christmas songs will be the norm and presents will begin finding their way under the tree. I love Christmas and I love the Christmas season. I prefer for it not to start before Halloween…but I still love Christmas.
What is there about Christmas that I love so much? First, I am blessed by the story and meaning of the coming, the advent, of our Lord and Savior. Whether you celebrate His birthday or just the idea that God became flesh…I love it. Second, I love Christmas music. The only Christmas CD I have ever bought that I did not like was Destiny’s Child. I thought it had to be great if Beyonce was on it…WRONG. I love old the old crooners and the new contemporary singers; I love Manheim Steamrollers and the Trans Siberian Orchestra; I like 102.5 and my growing collection of CD’s; I love Christmas hymns and I love hearing it in the malls. Third, I love the charity of Christmas. I love giving to missions and missionaries; I love giving gifts to children and grandchildren; I love dropping money into the Salvation Army Bell Ringers Kettle. I love people who give money to help single moms and struggling families. I love a trickle down economy that gives a boost to so many. And last for today’s list, I love the lights. I love tree lights, James Island County park lights, the lights of those wonderful people who go nuts and decorate their whole house and yard lights. Thank you.
Maybe the only thing I don’t like about Christmas…if anyone goes into debt or unwisely strains their budget to buy Christmas gifts. I hate the old days when we would be tempted to use credit to buy something that would take longer to pay for than the gift would last. Please be careful. Be a good manager of your money. Be creative and be joyful. But don’t go into debt or bust your budget.
See you, good Lord willing, this Sunday as we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, the coming of our Lord.
Pastor Tom
I am trying my best to not do anything Christmassy until after Thanksgiving. I put my radio on FM 102.5 and heard two Christmas songs…I can’t do it! I love Christmas and I love Christmas music. Can’t wait to buy new Christmas CD’s…I know, most of you are downloading your music. I am still old school. Here is how close we are to Christmas. This Sunday, after our Thanksgiving meal, our team of volunteers will begin to decorate the worship center for Christmas! I will hold out and not put my tree up until Thanksgiving weekend, but after that it is on!
The first Sunday of Advent is November 27. We are encouraging everyone who can to get into the Christmas spirit by participating in gift giving for four of the ministries JIBC supports. Marty and the worship team will help keep us upward focused during Advent; Sean and the Connection Groups will help us strengthen our inward focus on fellowship; and Susan will help us keep our outward focus during the Advent season. Here is my Christmas wish…ready? I am hoping our church family will respond to giving gifts to the four ministries during Advent and will participate in going personally to distribute the gifts to one of the four ministries. Susan will be coordinating taking the presents to these ministries. Some of them will be taken after the Christmas season. Talk to your Connection Group and see if there is interest in visiting Lowcountry Orphan Relief, Florence Crittenton Home, James Island Outreach or Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. Whoohoo, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And I love it. By the way…if you have been really blessed financially, and you really want to put a big present under the Christmas tree, consider sponsoring an orphan in Burma. For $30 a month, or a gift of $360 for the year, you can provide food, clean water, uniforms and other basic needs for the children at Faith Children’s Home and Agape Children’s Home. If that is a little too big for your budget, how about a family or a Connection Group going together to sponsor a child? I so love our church family for be generous.
OK, I have talked myself into it…I am listening to Christmas music on the way home!
See you Sunday, good Lord willing. Plan to stay and enjoy the Thanksgiving Meal!
Pastor Tom
Tomorrow could change everything. By the time you read this we will have a new president of the United States. I think many of us agree with the cartoon that says “America has 350 million people and this is the best we could do?” I am not a betting man and I do not have a crystal ball. But tomorrow could change everything: health care, borders, size of government, debt, the direction of the Supreme Court, support of military, foreign policy, the future our children will inherit, etc.
Then again, tomorrow many things will remain the same. Almighty God is still on His throne; Jesus is still Lord; the Church still has a great commission to carry out; people still desperately need Jesus; the hungry still need bread; the lonely still need visits and the naked still need clothes. Jesus said it this way in John 9:4: “Work for the night is coming. As long as it is day I must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming when no man can work.” What I will do if Trump wins is exactly what I will do if Clinton wins…work. I will do the work of Him who sent me. As long as it is day, as long as He allows, let us, the Church of Jesus Christ, do the work of Him who sent us. There may come a time when we cannot…but today we can. Let’s continue to worship Him in spirit and in truth; let us continually reach out to those we know to lead them to the cross; let’s keep on our knees in prayer and in His Book for guidance; let’s serve His Bide, the Church with the gifts and abilities He has given us for that purpose; and let us serve our community, meeting needs, sharing His love until His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
Tomorrow could change everything…or not. Depends on how you look at it and what you are called to do.
Dear Father, all knowing and all wise God, You know today who will be president tomorrow. I acknowledge today and tomorrow and always, that You alone are the Supreme Commander; You alone are King of Kings and Lord of lords. You guide the nations to accomplish Your purpose. Make it so: Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Forgive us of our sin and our sins. Have mercy on our nation that we may continue to be a people who bless and steward the blessings of America. Thank you for Your abundant blessings to our land and to Your people. Bless those who serve you with strength and grace; with peace and joy; with courage and confidence. In the Name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen.
See you Sunday, Lord willing, as we continue our teaching series on Thanks-Not Just A Word.
Pastor Tom
