December 2015 s.com

December 2015

Advent: Anticipating Jesus

Astrange controversy this Christmas season focuses on Starbucks Coffee, one of the largest and most visible corporations in the world. Every year, Starbucks welcomes the holiday season with the introduction of its red holiday cup. The event is so anticipated that it has given rise to countdown clocks and photos of a Starbucks holiday cup shared on Instagram every 14 seconds.

In previous years, the Starbucks' holiday cup was red with a variety of designs like snowflakes, a snowman, animals, and a caroler. This year, however, Starbucks decided to pursue a new design and feature a solid red cup. In response, a self-described evangelist posted a video on Facebook criticizing Starbucks for trying to "take Christ and Christmas" out of the holiday by designing cups devoid of seasonal symbols. It is unclear how snowflakes and snowmen represent Christ. Even Donald Trump said: "No more Merry Christmas on Starbucks. Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know."

One person reacted in the opposite way. Robert A. Zupperoli says:

This year, the Starbucks cup could not be any more Christian.... The color red ... symbolize[s] the Holy Spirit and is the color of Pentecost. Crimson red also symbolizes the presence of God and the blood of martyrs.... Red is the color of The Passion of Jesus Christ.

Both of these responses miss the real point. Amy had a Jewish professor who said: "You Christians should be irate over how the culture has appropriated Christmas." And such concern has a long history within Christianity. Puritans banned Christmas celebrations objecting to a tradition of celebrating the holiday with drunkenness and debauchery. The world celebrates Christmas in ways that will never be consistent with the real meaning of the season. We cannot anticipate anything else.

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We Brethren in Christ never expected the world to support our beliefs and practices. Indeed, I am not as upset about the world taking Jesus out of the Christmas season as I am about Christians losing focus on the central event of that season ? the incarnation of God in human flesh. Indeed, the coming of Jesus into the world is the central event of history.

Some Christians seem to believe that God created the world and humans perfect but humans sinned and destroyed that perfection so that God had to send Jesus. The message seems to be that God's old plan failed, so God sent Jesus to be Plan B. No! Before the creation of the world God's plan was to send Jesus. The Old Testament anticipated the coming of Jesus, which we celebrate in Advent, and the New Testament fulfills that expectation with the birth of Jesus in the Bethlehem manger.

This year, in Advent, we'll look back by focusing on some Royal and Kingship Psalms that anticipate the coming of Jesus. Then, during the season of Christmas, we'll center on the Christmas story in Luke, and the season will culminate on Epiphany Sunday when we consider the coming of the Magi.

We do not expect the world to focus on the story of Jesus at Christmas. That is our task. Let them say, "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" and take Christmas symbols off coffee cups. We will continue to anticipate the incarnation of Jesus in Advent and the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

~ Pastor John Yeatts

Upcoming Sermons

This year during Advent focus on the themes of the season. Sermons will address the Royal and Kingship Psalms and tie each to the story from the birth or early life of Jesus. The children will learn and sing a song with each verse focusing on one of the Advent themes. We'll then place a bit more emphasis this year on Christmas, the twelve days between Christmas day and Epiphany.

Theme: Songs of Advent/Christmas November 29 Psalm 20; Matt. 1:18-25 December 6 Psalm 72; Mark 4:35-41 December 13 Psalm 96; Lk 1:26-45 December 20 Psalm 100 Mt. 11:1-11 December 24 Psalm 132; Lk. 2:1-20 December 27 Psalm 80, Lk. 2:21-52

Advent: Hope Light at the End of the Tunnel Advent: Peace Advent: Joy (Communion) Advent: Love Christmas Eve: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love Christmas: Savior

MINISTRY OPERATIONS STAFF John Yeatts Senior Pastor, Ext. 7075

Denise Fogelsanger Director of Children's Ministry

Ext. 7077

Otto Monroy Director of Worship Arts Ext. 7078

Ron & Barb Burwell Ministers of Pastoral Care

MINISTRY SUPPORT STAFF Melanie Schubert Office Assistant, Ext. 6705

Ray Dourte Facility Coordinator

Dan Bisbee Business Manager

MINISTERS All members of the Grantham Church

PRAYER CHAIN CONTACT 766-0531, ext. 2970 (during office hours 8:00 am ? 3:00 pm Mon.?Fri.)

Wayne Cassel, 697-1824 (after office hours & weekends)

CONNECTIONS Sherri Long Layout & Design

GRANTHAM CHURCH 421 Grantham Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone: (717) 766-0531 Email: office@



Grantham Church

Connections | A Grantham Church Publication | December 2015 ? page 3

MINISTRY

Children

Thank you so much to everyone for making me feel so welcomed as I transition into the Director of Children's Ministry position. I am so excited to be more involved with the children again. I wanted to share a picture with you of the children and Clubs teachers having a laying on of hands prayer for me during our first Wed. Clubs together. They are so precious!!

Youth serving you and your children

On Wednesday evening, Dec. 9th you may leave children who are potty trained through 5th grade with the youth and some parent volunteers while you go do what you need to do before Christmas. The youth will babysit the children from 6-8 pm. We will have multiple holiday related activities for them to do. We will also serve them a snack. If you are interested in using this service, please sign them up by Sunday, December 6 on the bulletin board

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outside of the youth room so we are prepared with the appropriate supplies and helpers." If you have any questions you may contact Denise Fogelsanger at dfogelsanger@.

Something new...Prompts

The first new thing you may have noticed, I put in place on Sun. Nov. 15th, is a more intentional use of the Kids Kits that are found in the sanctuary for use during worship when some children may get wiggly. I will be putting a prompt a month in the bags and the bulletin. This month's prompt is "My favorite part of Jesus' birthday". The children can hand it to me or put it in my mailbox. I have a basket full of little "rewards" for their participation. They may pick something out when they see me. I will then post them on the bulletin board outside the Learning Communities room C 10-12. I am looking forward to seeing what the children are thankful for.

UPDATES

Volunteers

We are blessed to have a great team of people who love our children to care for them in the nurseries, and teach them in learning communities Clubs, Kids own Worship, and Sing and Play. We have a couple of slots remaining for helpers if you know of someone you would like to encourage joining our team. Please have them contact me, and I would love to help them find a perfect spot to love on our great children!! My email at church is dfogelsanger@.

Clearances

Our volunteers all need to have current background checks by the State Police, Child Abuse department, and the FBI. We also are all now mandated reporters that are responsible to report any suspected child abuse to authorities. A big part of my time so far has been going through records to see who has what clearances, and see what we need to get caught up on. I will be putting notes, directions and forms in mailboxes in the next 2 weeks if we are missing something for you. I appreciate your timely response in helping us bring everything up to date. If you have done clearances recently for your child's school, or sports, let me see your original clearance form, which I will copy and return to you, so you will be good to go for a while. These clearances no longer cost us anything for volunteers, so don't be shy about getting these done. Thank you for your assistance in helping us to be in compliance with safety standards for our children.

Children's choir

I am looking forward to hearing the children singing in worship each Sun. in December. The children begin practicing at 10:00 each Sunday, for 20 min. in D20. Thank you for encouraging your children to sing for Jesus!! Although I am not a great singer, I love to sing, and hear others sing. My motto through life has been...God gave me this voice, and if he didn't like it, he would change it....so let everyone sing unto HIM!!

Advent

We are in the midst of a very special and blessed time of the year....Christmas!! This is a time called Advent, and is a time we are to be intentional as we think of the birth of our Savior. We are to be preparing our hearts for him. Some families create an Advent wreath to have at their homes. You may make one with 3 purple candles, 1 pink candle, and a white one, which goes in the middle of the wreath. Arrange your candles in a circle on a tray, or plate, maybe add a ring of greens that form a circle to represent God's continuous love. Then, on the first Sunday, light one purple candle to stand for Hope. The next Sunday you can light the first candle, and then light the second purple candle which represents peace. On the third Sunday light the two previously lit candles, but also light the pink one which stands for Joy. On the fourth Sunday before Christmas, light the three previously lit candles, and light the last purple candle which stands for love. On Christmas morning you light the white candle in the middle for Jesus' birthday.

In the business of the holiday it is easy to forget why we celebrate Christmas. Taking a few minutes at dinner each night, look at your advent wreath, and have the children help you come up with ways they have hope, peace, joy, and love in their lives. Maybe they could share how they have seen each of those qualities somewhere during their day. Another question for them may be how can you show others the hope, peace, joy and love characteristics in your life?

I hope this Advent season will be one full of special times and memories, and a chance to reflect on the blessing God has given us by giving us his son Jesus.

~ Denise Fogelsanger

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