Advent at Grace — Immanuel:  The Presence of God With Us

As we continue our Advent focus this week, the sermon will be “The Liberating Presence,” followed by next week’s sermon, “The Transforming Presence.” The climax of Advent will be on Christmas Eve when we celebrate together in our Nine Lessons and Carols service. This year the Christmas Eve service at Grace will be the equivalent of a full regular Sunday morning service but it will take place on Christmas Eve. In other words, we will be moving our Sunday service from December 25 to Christmas Eve (Saturday evening, December 24, 6:30 PM). The service will include the choir, choral music, and all the scripture readings and traditional congregational music that makes this event so festive and memorable.  Pastor Lou will present a sermon on “The Glorious Presence.” Childcare will be available for infants and toddlers (0 to 2 years).  This Advent schedule will allow us to be sensitive to our 100+ Sunday morning volunteers who might desire to be with their families on Christmas day.  In addition, we will also be making available a special CD of Scripture readings and carols for you to use to celebrate Christmas morning at home with your family and friends (one per family/single person, available December 18). Immanuel – May God be with you and with us, his people.

On the first Sunday of Advent, you may have received a special Advent bookmark with a poem titled, “After Isaiah,” by Grace member Katherine Lo. Keep it handy and reflect on it during the week — especially on Saturday night — in preparation for Sunday mornings for the rest of Advent. You might even set aside five minutes to reflect on it, and let it shape a prayer before you fall asleep.  If you didn’t get a bookmark, you can also view the poem by clicking here.

Interested in Leading a Spring Life Group?

Life Groups are continually bringing life to the Grace community- they help people connect to the church, form meaningful relationships, and truly share life together. This Fall, all the Life Groups have been participating in a study through the Gospel of Mark- it has been absolutely wonderful. People are encountering Jesus. People are forming meaningful relationships. We are united as a church around the Word of God. It has been so life-giving for so many people.

This Spring, we believe God will continue to bless Life Groups and give life to our community through them. And guess what? You have the opportunity to lead one of these Life Groups. Have an activity or topic in mind? Perhaps you’re interested in leading a Bible study through Acts or Ephesians (in the same format as the Mark Life Groups),  or a Financial Peace University, Marriage as Priority & Friendship, The Gospel and Life, or Exploring Christianity group. Whatever it may be, if you are interested in leading or co-leading, then fill out a leader’s application here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CTSLH8S. Contact Wil Rogan for more information.

Christmas Weekend Offering

Our Christmas service, Nine Lessons and Carols, will be held Christmas Eve at 6:30 PM.  The offering for the fourth week of December will be taken at that service.  Please remember to bring any offerings for that weekend to the Christmas Eve service.

Church Giving for 2011

Please remember that in order for your financial gifts to the church to be included in your 2011 donation records (for tax purposes), it must be physically received by the church IN 2011 or postmarked IN 2011.  This applies to stock gifts as well.

By request, we are making available the reading from the service on the first week of Advent.

Thoughts on the Incarnation   

by Katherine Lo

A few years ago, I came across a poem called “Salutation” by Luci Shaw, which references the account in Luke where Mary enters a room to greet Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s baby leaps with joy in her womb in response to the baby growing in Mary’s.  Shortly after reading that poem, I got the call that my grandpa was dying.

I went to the hospital and sat for some time with him that night. I rested my hand on his head and leaned in close to his ear to tell him I loved him, to speak the names of family members who could not be there, to tell him the things about his life and his presence in my life that I was thankful for. I don’t know how much he heard or understood. His hearing was quite poor even at the best of times and he had just been given doses of morphine and Atavan to help him rest more comfortably. So I sat back in the chair and held his left hand in both of mine and slowly stroked the back of it, careful of the inserted tubes, noting the fragile crepe of his skin and the deep reddish blossoms of bruising climbing up his arm. As I watched his eyes droop closed in spite of his labored breathing and the fluttering pulse beating in his neck, I wished there were something more I could do. But there wasn’t. All I could do was be with him, holding his hand and praying for him, being a witness to this final struggle. And the longer I sat there, the more certain I became that this was enough.

When it comes to the incarnation, I think there is sometimes a tendency to focus primarily on the issue of personal salvation, where the incarnation of Jesus becomes all about asking Jesus into one’s heart and then being transformed by that indwelling so that one can become “better” and live a more fulfilling life. That act of indwelling becomes a ticket to heaven with the added bonus of one’s own personal Life Coach God. But reading Shaw’s poem again after the experience of sitting with my grandfather that night, the incarnation struck me in an entirely different way. Jesus’s incarnation doesn’t end with his own body dying and resurrecting but continues in the bodies of those who know and follow him, and he doesn’t indwell us to serve us but to serve those who surround us.

To so many people, Jesus is a fairy tale, a curse word, or a joke to make action figures out of. Christians might shake their heads disapprovingly at this, but we often distance and use him for our own purposes as well. Perhaps the packaging is more pleasing and seemingly respectful, but the act of usage is the same. In claiming to serve him, we use him to better our lives, to justify our judgment of others, and to name brand him in a separate subculture that divides us from the rest of society.  But in doing so, I think we separate ourselves from the true meaning of incarnation.

If Jesus really is indwelling me, then I do not need to have signs and proclamations declaring this. It should not mark me out in a divisive or condemning way or cause me to withdraw from the world. It should humble me and cause a joyful fear and trembling as it did in Mary, the first vessel of Jesus and his indwelling. Mary did not strive to do anything or announce anything to Elizabeth. She simply walked through a door with Jesus in her belly, and Elizabeth and her baby rejoiced.  That night in the hospital, I wanted to be able to do something for my grandpa but I couldn’t—at least not actively or tangibly in the sense of helping him breathe more easily or rest more comfortably. But I could be there. I could bring the presence of Christ through the doorway to his bedside and touch his head and hand with it.

Jesus isn’t just in my heart for my own comfort and guidance and to iron out all the petty wrinkles of my personal sins. He’s there for my Grandpa and for every other person I speak to, listen to, touch, or simply sit next to. His incarnation exists in me to bless others just as it exists in others to bless me, and it is in this way that God is glorified.

Advent Projected Images

Many have asked about the images that have been projected as part of the Advent candle-lighting segment.  The images were produced by Grace member, Kurt Simonson.  Below is Kurt’s artist’s statement:

“Broken Pixels”  -  Advent Diptychs

Most of my artwork revolves around waiting in the tensions of the “already/not-yet,” the beauty and the brokenness that coexist in our lives and in our world.  This waiting is at the heart of the traditions of the Advent season, when we mark the time in history that God acted upon His desire to be with us through the miracle of the Incarnation.  And yet, His work is not done, and we now wait with hope for the final communion with Him that is promised by the Resurrection.

These two movements of God toward us are depicted by the paintings in these pieces. They are scenes from Scripture that show how God has responded to the brokenness and groaning of our world through his Son.  This groaning then is represented through the pixilated images that are paired with each painting.  These abstractions come from our present era of digital media: they are literally broken pixels from news coverage of a local tragedy.  And yet, there is still a beauty in that visual chaos, a quiet thread of that future hope that we continue to wait for.       

Week 1:  God Wants to Be With Us

Week 2:  The Authoritative Presence

Week 3:  The Liberating Presence

Week 4:  The Transforming Presence

Christmas Eve:  The Glorious Presence

A Holiday Favorite is Back at Seka!

Delicious, festive Peppermint Mochas are back on the menu for the month of December as the featured drink.  Seka also offers a variety of hot and cold coffee and non-coffee drinks, and delicious baked goods.  Seka is open from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Grace Membership Seminar: This Sunday

“Why bother with church membership? It’s so old-school. I serve and give right now. What difference will it make to become a member?”  It’s the difference a covenant makes. To become a member of Grace is to make a covenant—to commit to some promises. It’s similar to vows one might make in marriage. To enter into a covenant is to be shaped by it. You become a promise keeper. A membership covenant governs the way you conduct your life in relationship to God, to the people of God and to the world. In the end, perhaps the more important question might be, “Will you allow something (a covenant) and someone (God and the people of God) to be a shaping influence in your life?” You can register for the Grace Membership Seminar by CLICK HERE.

A Friendly Reminder from the Children’s Ministries Staff

If you have children in our Children’s Ministries program, please remember to pick them up by 12:15 PM.  We know it’s easy to get distracted in conversations…and we love that you want to connect with each other! We would just encourage you to pick up your children first, then enjoy your conversations.  Thank you!

This Sunday’s Message

Pastor Daniel Long will bring the third of our Advent messages titled, “The Liberating Presence,” in the series called “Immanuel – The Presence of God With Us.” If you missed a previous message or would like to listen to one again, Click here.

December Men’s Breakfast

The last men’s breakfast of the year will be on Saturday, December 10, at 8:00 AM in the school lunch room.  Join with other men at Grace for a hot pancake breakfast and fellowship at this monthly event.

Last Fellowship Lunch of 2011

The next all-church Fellowship Lunch will be held Tuesday, December 13 at noon in the Social Hall.  Enjoy a delicious catered meal with others from Grace for just $7.00 per person.  Invite a friend and join us for lunch!

Junior Winter Camp:  January 27-29

God created the heavens and the earth, the stars and the sea, the birds and the trees. God created life.  He is a BIG God.  That’s the theme for Junior Winter Camp 2012 at Forest Home…BIG. All 4th and 5th graders at Grace are invited to explore God’s greatness and his BIG love for them, from January 27-29, at Forest Home.  Cost?  $146.  Contact Jo Anne Chung with questions or Ger Fore to register.  The deadline to register is December 15. (Correction to last week’s Community News: Winter Camp is for 4th and 5th graders only, not 3rd-5th graders as previously stated.)

Sanctuary Carpeting and Seating!

The new sanctuary seating arrived this week (in hundreds of boxes) and the carpeting has been installed.

Click here to view this week’s photos.