Now Is the Time
During one of my past year’s Christmas worship services, I watched the choir members assemble in front of the congregation as they sang a worship song, “Come, now is the time to worship.” The congregation expected to hear a traditional Christmas carol, but some people afterwards came up to me, and smiled and told me that they enjoyed the praise song. Earlier, I read Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth, and I noticed that the first Christmas lacked our modern-day parties, gifts, and feasting-but it did include worship.
After the angel announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, a chorus of angels began praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven” (Luke 2:13-14).  The shepherds responded by running to Bethlehem where they found the newborn King lying in a manger. They returned to their fields “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (v.20). Coming face to face with the Son inspired the shepherds to worship the Father.
Today, consider your response to Jesus’ arrival on earth. Is there room for worship in your heart?    
          Heaven’s choir came down to sing when heaven’s King came down to save.
Tina Clark

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE CROSS     A HYMNAL EXPERIENCE

 JESUS, REMEMBER ME, United Methodist Hymnal pg. 488 
Luke 23: 32-34
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.  When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

There Is A Wideness In God’s Mercy UMH pg. 121 
Canticle Of Covenant Faithfulness UMH pg. 125,
 
JESUS, REMEMBER ME UMH pg. 488 
Luke 23: 36-38    
The soldiers also came up and mocked him.  They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.”  There was a written notice above him, which read:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

To Mock Your Reign, Oh Dearest Lord UMH pg 285 
 Canticle of Zechariah UMH pg. 208
 
JESUS, REMEMBER ME  UMH pg. 488 

Luke 23: 39-43
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah:  Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked.  “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.  But this man has done nothing wrong.”
   
 Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross UMH pg. 301  
Behold The Savior Of Mankind UMH pg. 293

JESUS, REMEMBER ME   UMH pg. 488 

Luke 23:42-43 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
  
Just As I Am UMH pg. 357 
An Invitation to Christ UMH pg. 466  

JESUS, REMEMBER ME  UMH pg. 488     
Dianne Irvin - 2018

(If you don’t have a hymnal available at home, you can just Google the song titles and page number and it will show up for you!)

“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas….”

We lived in Flagstaff and the White Mountains for 11 years. There were several times that we had snow on the ground for Christmas but the snow came days before Christmas Eve. I always wanted to experience a White Christmas where it actually snowed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there but never did.

I did have a White Christmas experience in 1965. My parents and my brother Jimmy and I went to my Mom’s parents’ home for Christmas that year. It was a rough trip – my dad had his own Semi truck and trailer and he had to make a trip during that week. It snowed quite a bit. It even snowed on Christmas Eve! I remember being stuffed with my brother into the back window of the Volkswagen Bug a family member owned and watching the snow starting in Alleghany Oregon. What was so strange is that Alleghany is close to the Pacific Coast (about 15 miles inland from Coos Bay) and elevation is about 20 feet above sea level. So, you know it would have to be pretty cold for it to snow there. I think we woke up on Christmas morning to about 4 inches of snow on the ground there.

Even though it was a very rough trip (getting stuck in the snow in a semi isn’t my idea of fun!), we had a good Christmas spent with extended family. I still have a dream of having a White Christmas here in Arizona. One where I can watch the snow falling and not have to worry about going anywhere. One where I have extended family with me to celebrate our Savior and each other. 

Keep dreaming those dreams! Keep celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, not only this day and this Advent Season, but all days!

Mea Pomaikai (Blessings in Hawaiian)
Barbara Barcus

Advent Candles:

There are two types of candle(s) that are used to count down to Christmas Day in Advent. The first looks like a normal candle, but has the days up to Christmas Day marked down the candle. On the first of December the candle is lit and burnt down to the first line on the candle. The same is done every day and then the rest of the candle is burnt on Christmas day. 

Lutheran Churches in Scandinavia used 24 little candles to count down through December from the 1700s.

An Advent Crown is another form of candles that are used to count down Advent. These are often used in Churches rather than in people's homes. The crown is often made up of a wreath of greenery and has four candles round the outside and one in the middle or in a separate place. Sometimes a more traditional candelabra is used to display the five candles.

One candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, two are lit on the second Sunday and so on. Each candle has a different meaning in Christianity. Different churches have given them different meanings, but I was taught the following:

The first represents Isaiah and other prophets in the Bible that predicted the coming of Jesus. It also represents “Hope”. The second represents the Bible. It also represents “Peace”. The third represents Mary, the mother of Jesus. It represents “Love”. The fourth represents John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, who told the people in Israel to get ready for Jesus' teaching. It represents “Joy”.

The middle or separate candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Jesus, the light of the world. In Germany this fifth candle is known as the 'Heiligabend' and is lit on Christmas Eve.

In many churches, the color purple is used to signify the season of Advent. On the third Sunday, representing Mary, the color sometimes changes to pink or rose.


Taken from https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/advent.shtml.

I will be 80 years old in a few more years. I have seen much in my life. I have been blessed beyond measure, and tested fully by the life I have lived.  I approach a new Advent time, one in which I see the end of my days as an inescapable reality. When I think about that, I understand that life has always been about coming through my expectations into a time of newness, accepting its reality, and then opening the lens on the next future Advent.  


As I think about this, I think about the Gift of my Salvation, a Salvation that awaits me, as I complete my once and final Advent journey in time ... when I rise to the Christmas gift of life with the Lord ... and time is no more, as I come to understand that every promise He made has been fulfilled, my pains are gone,  I’ve  been set free.


As I think upon all of this, I accept that I have learned this new truth ... what Advent really means to me: A new thing seen, a new reality known, the greatest promise ever given—realized! Advent precedes Christmas until it becomes Christmas and then we resume the cycle of waiting expectantly ... until we are with Him. 


To be Home at last! Amen.
Amen.   Amen.     Amen!

Jon Elvrum

Luke 10:6 (NRSV)
And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.

When I think about Jesus and God, I have an overwhelming sense of Peace. I have this feeling of peace because I believe in God, the Father, in Jesus Christ His only Begotten Son, who died on the cross for you and me, and in the Holy Spirit who brings the gift of Peace to me and you.

My favorite part of the Christmas season is on Christmas Eve services when we pass the Peace to each other and light the candles before singing Silent Night. Sure, I like the gifts and I love being with my immediate family as well as my church family. But it is the passing of the peace where I have this true sense of peace and calm that descends from on high and settles over me like a warm cloak. And then we sing and then we leave, going to our individual homes. 

My wish is that I can receive that peaceful feeling every day and that you can also share that feeling. It doesn't have to be only on Christmas Eve that we pass the message of peace to each other. We should be doing it every day. Next time you see someone, just tell them “Peace be with you!” and see how they react. Do they look startled? Do they reply to you? And if they do, do they say “And with you”? It would be interesting to see what happens. We need more Peace in our fragile lives so go out and share it, one person at a time.

Mea Pomaikai (Blessings in Hawaiian)
Barbara Barcus

The calendar year seems to slip away, we are nearing the end of annual days. We arrive at a place in the year’s end when a beginning is suddenly the point of focus. As the year slips into its end, we celebrate the beginning.  Advent is here.

Before Advent we vaguely knew the Christ was coming, we did not know how we would be changed. Before Advent God seemed fierce and unapproachable, often we perceived Him as angry, as unsatisfiable.  

Yet with the coming of Advent we begin to know the less well-known story of God, not angry, but concerned and caring, a God deeply longing for relationship with us, His creation, we who are His children, His family, those from whom He cherishes the child-like title, Abba, or as we say, Daddy .

Advent opens the doors of our perception, allowing us to know that very loving God, who is with us always through the Holy Spirit, shepherding us through life’s dangers and uncertainties, always with us. In Advent we begin to know His story of entrance into our lives, His birth and His arrival in a stable, attended by shepherds and angels, eventually by the arrival of real kings, the Magi.

Take time this season to be reminded of all the steps covered in the Advent season. Put up an Advent calendar and open up each daily page and embrace the message. Be extra blessed and share it with a young child or grandchild. Watch for the true and exquisite excitement and joy as the child greets each day, and learns to wait for the next day until we reach that time when we celebrate the Christmas night. 

Share the delicious waiting for that celebration moment to arrive. You will be changed, and your grandchild and your child will be changed, as you most fully understand the meaning of “Joy to the World!”

Advent is upon us. O come let us adore him. Christ, the Lord.
​-Submitted by Jon Elvrum

Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (or sometimes from the 1st December to Christmas Day!). Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

There are three meanings of 'coming' that Christians describe in Advent. The first, and most thought of, happened about 2000 years ago when Jesus came into the world as a baby to live as a man and die for us. The second can happen now as Jesus wants to come into our lives now. And the third will happen in the future when Jesus comes back to the world as King and Judge, not a baby.

Advent Sunday can be from the 27th November (which it was in 2016) to the 3rd December (which it was in 2017)! Advent only starts on the 1st December when Christmas Day is on a Wednesday (which will happen in 2019)!

No one is really sure when Advent was first celebrated but it dates back to at least 567 when monks were ordered to fast during December leading up to Christmas.

Some people fast (don't eat anything) during advent to help them concentrate on preparing to celebrate Jesus's coming. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches, Advent lasts for 40 days and starts on November 15th and is also called the Nativity Fast. (Advent also starts on November 15th in Celtic Christianity.)

In medieval and pre-medieval times, in parts of England, there was an early form of Nativity scenes called 'advent images' or a 'vessel cup'. They were a box, often with a glass lid that was covered with a white napkin, that contained two dolls representing Mary and the baby Jesus. The box was decorated with ribbons and flowers (and sometimes apples). They were carried around from door to door. It was thought to be very unlucky if you haven't seen a box before Christmas Eve! People paid the box carriers a halfpenny to see the box.
In the United Methodist Church, we celebrate the four Sundays of Advent representing “Hope”, “Peace”, “Love” and “Joy”.

Taken from https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/advent.shtml.

 Christmas Lights!  In my neighborhood, they started coming out during the Thanksgiving Weekend.  Along with the lights, I also observed blown up Christmas characters, scenes of characters decked in Christmas attire and also a nativity scene or two.  But for me, I love the lights of Christmas.
This fascination with Christmas lights probably began when I was a young child and my family would gather together to decorate our Christmas tree.  Mom would bring out the decorations and Dad, along with my older brother, would magically appear with the perfect tree to decorate.  My sister and I would trim the tree with an assortment of festive decorations, and of course, lights. 
Once everything was in place and the room was dark, we would turn on the lights and that was when my heart jumped for joy.  Seeing our living room filled with those glorious Christmas tree lights instilled memories forever to a little girl living in Missouri.  To this day, I experience that same joy as I turn on our Christmas lights once everything is in place.  Of course, now because of the wonderful technology of timers, I get to walk into my living room every morning and be welcomed by Christmas lights filling the space.
As I have grown older, these Christmas lights still bring me joy, but they point to a greater joy.  These lights remind me of the true light of Christmas that shines forever and ever and extends a promise to you and me.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:3).  To me, this light of Jesus brings a greater joy than any Christmas lights shown in my living room or neighborhood. 
This Christmas season, may we all follow Him, live in Him, trust in Him, and be comforted in the truth that you belong to Him.  The light has come into the world, and it is Jesus. 
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Pastor Deborah Schauer

​
During this time of year my mind always does a little of wandering as I see the malls and stores filled to capacity with people rushing to get the latest and greatest deal, and I wonder if people really do realize what this special day is all about!  I see people with their arms full of items who may never darken the door of a church at any time during the year, but still knowingly or unknowingly celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  For myself, I can’t imagine Christmas without Christ. 
 
There is a wonderful story in the Bible of a man named Simeon who was finally able to see the fulfillment of prophecy and expressed his appreciation and gratefulness to God.  From the Gospel according to Luke (2:28-32) we read, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Many had prophesied for hundreds of years that a Messiah would be born which would bring help and deliverance to God’s people, and Simeon was walking in the Spirit enough to realize when He was in the presence of this Newborn King.  There were no doubt many babies going through the doors of the temple that day, but there was something about this child that was different than any other baby.  There was something different about these parents that set them apart from the others, and Simeon was able to recognize Hope that had made the Journey from the glories of Heaven to be born in a lowly stable.

I cannot even begin to imagine with my finite and limited mind the monumental leap Jesus took to come to earth.  Yet, if my heart, and yours, is open to the leading of the Spirit, then we will recognize Hope when it is made available in our lives.  In Christ “hope came down” to dwell among us, and continues to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit!  
I’m sure glad Hope came down!  
​
Pastor Deborah