Happy Friday!
I have discovered there really is no sense hiding from God the fact that you aren't perfect. You can go ahead and admit to yourself and to God that you've made mistakes, and that you feel like the chips are stacked against you to break free from this misfit life. But the good news of Christmas is that God is here. God has come to you in Jesus, to be with you and tell you that you have not been forgotten, and that you are not alone. And God is calling you to a whole new adventure, in which you can follow Christ's lead, embody his example, and learn to love God and others. It does not matter how hopeless the world might seem to you. God is with you to give you an altogether hope, to set your soul on fire to go out and make a difference. It does not matter how conflicted or how broken you might feel. God is with you to give you an altogether peace, so that you can let your life shine with the glory of God. It does not matter what kind of life you have lived in the past. God is with you to give you an altogether love, so that you can have a chance at a brand-new start. And it does not matter how long your journey has been, or how lost you might feel. God is with you to give you an altogether joy, and to tell you: Merry Altogether Christmas. And welcome home, misfit. Welcome home! +++ We worship this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, at 8:30am and 10:00am. This week we will hear about "The Word Made Flesh - Light of the World". At our 10:00am service we will be treated to a special time of music and poetry offered by our choir. And we will celebrate Dan Miller's ministry here at Immanuel as he prepares to move into the season of retirement. AND.... you are invited to come forward at the end of the worship service to join the choir as we sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus! Let's raise the roof as we celebrate the birth of the Savior! If you can't be here with us in the Sanctuary.... look for us on the church's Facebook page for our live-stream at 10:00am. And, of course, we will upload the completed worship to our YouTube channel when it is completed. +++ On Christmas Eve we will worship at both 4:00pm and 7:30pm. While the 4:00pm service is geared toward families, both services will include the lighting of candles and singing of "Silent Night" to end our time of worship. We hope to see you at either of these beautiful worship experiences. And... we will be "live-streaming" on the Facebook page the 7:30pm worship service. +++ On Christmas Day you are invited to join us for breakfast in the Fireside Room at 10:00am. Please sign up and let us know what breakfast item you would like to bring to add to our breakfast table. We'll build a fire in the fireplace, sing some Christmas carols and enjoy fellowship together on Christmas morning! +++ The church office will be closed from 12/26 through 1/1 and we will reopen on 1/2/25! +++There will not be chair yoga class nor Bible study on Tuesdays, December 24 and December 31. Both will resume on Tuesday, January 7. +++ On Sunday 12/29 we will offer ONE worship service at 10:00am in the Sanctuary. This is also the deadline for donations for the 2024 year to be received in the church office. Thanks for your continuing support of the ministry work here at Immanuel! +++ The January/February editions of The Upper Room are available on the table in the Narthex. +++ On Sunday, 1/5/25 we will return to our 8:30am and 10:00am worship times as we celebrate Epiphany! Make this day a great day and may you always be looking for the star in the east at Christmas! Pastor Jack Today my reading took me to Luke's Gospel account, where Jesus asks us this question...
"Who then is that faithful and wise servant, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household?" (Luke 12:42 KJV) Jesus taught many parables on the significance of stewardship. In addition to servant leadership, it is one of the primary principles I think we must take hold of as Christians. We are called to reach out to the lost, perfect one another in love, be examples of righteousness, and to grow in our faith. But we don't often hear about taking care of what we already have --- our bodies, our finances, our families, our careers. We might pay careful attention to one area just to neglect another. Being a faithful steward is akin to being a faithful servant. It is in going about our daily responsibilities with inward faithfulness, but this attitude also becomes an outward expression as we take care of our homes, cars, physical bodies, personal appearance, and so on. Taking good care of such things is like tending a garden. We are called to keep them healthy and well. How are you keeping the garden God has given you? When you just don't have enough time or you receive a beautiful gift or you finally purchase something you've wanted for a long time, remember to join me in praying, Make me faithful, Lord. Amen. +++ We join together for our Living Nativity on Saturday night at 6:00pm in the parking lot as our kids reenact the Christmas story for us. We are planning on lots of music, some barnyard animals and Christmas cookies with hot chocolate to round out the evening. Dress warmly and bring your family and friends as we hear once again the story of Jesus' birth! +++ We worship this Sunday, the 3rd Sunday in Advent, at 8:30 and 10:00am. I will be continuing my Advent sermon series The Word Made Flesh and this week's installment is entitled, "Rock of Ages". How do we relate to Jesus being the Rock of our faith? And how are we called to be Rocks for others? Join me as I think these things through on Sunday morning. This week we will sing a couple more carols of Christmas as we move closer to the arrival of the beautiful babe of Bethlehem. We will, of course, be "live-streaming" on the church Facebook page at 10:00am and then "uploading" the completed worship service to both our Facebook and YouTube channels for you. Did you know that on both of these channels you can go all the way back to the start of the Covid pandemic and view our recorded worship services? Technology is pretty amazing... especially when it works! +++ Following worship we will meet at Brookdale Summerfield Village on Velasko Rd. for some Christmas caroling at 1:00pm! And then a stop at Brookdale at Bellevue on Onondaga Blvd. will complete our afternoon of bringing cheer to our shut-in friends! You are invited to join us and bring your Christmas caroling voices! We will be ringing and singing together this Sunday! +++ This Sunday is the final Sunday to sponsor a part of our Heifer International Mission project and order your poinsettias for the Christmas altar. We have done great mission work this Advent and these projects will be completed this Sunday. +++ The deadline for articles for our January/February church newsletter is coming up on 12/20. Please make sure all articles are in the office by this date so we can meet our publishing schedule. Thanks! +++ Christmas Eve worship is at 4:00pm and 7:30pm again this year. We will be celebrating Communion and singing with candles at each worship service that evening! +++ On Christmas morning you are invited to join us for breakfast in the Fireside Room at 10:00am. Please sign up on the board outside the room and let us know what you might bring to enjoy that morning. +++ And a reminder that the last date for 2024 giving is Sunday, December 29th! All 2024 contributions need to be in the office by that date to allow us to close one set of the Treasurer's books and open another in a timely fashion. Thanks for all you do and have given to keep Immanuel on solid financial ground for those who will someday follow us in this place! +++ Angela Keida received the following email from Big Brothers/Big Sisters after they picked up the gifts we gathered for the children in their program: "Our most sincere "thank yous" go out to you and all the members of your church for the generous donation of toys and blankets and warm weather wear to our holiday party. Wow, the items were SO nice and they put smiles on the faces of a lot of kids that ordinarily would not have gifts such as this given to them. PLEASE pass our appreciation on to all of your people. Let them know what a positive impact they made with their generosity. Click on this link to get a brief look at all the fun we had on Sunday. Lastly, I hope all of you have a great holiday season. John F. Bruzdzinski, Director PEACE Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters 215 Bassett St. Syracuse NY 13210 315-470-3369 ext. 362 Make this day a great day and always remember to pray, Make me faithful, Lord. Amen. Pastor Jack Good Friday Morning, Friends!
Today's scripture reading comes to us from Proverbs... "When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." (Proverbs 3:24 NIV) It's midnight. You've been lying in your bed for two hours waiting for sleep to overtake you. You intended to get up early and pray, exercise, or maybe write in your journal. So these good intentions led you to turn in early, yet here you are wide awake another hour later. You count sheep, the things on your to-do list, the hours left until morning.... but nothing seems to help. Your thoughts cry out, Lord, how will I get up early to seek You if I can't go to sleep? When you are too tired to get up and pray, remind yourself that "he gives his beloved sleep," and "I will lie down and sleep in peace." (See Psalm 127:2 NKJV and Psalm 4:4 NIV) You can relax. The Lord is with you. He will grant you sound sleep and sweet dreams. Rest in His peace and fall safely asleep. So when your mind just won't quiet down... or you're anxious.... or the kids pile in bed with you, just pray.... Lord, grant me sound sleep. Amen. +++ Sunday we will celebrate the second Sunday of Advent when we worship at 8:30am and 10:00am. I will be continuing my sermon series, "The Word Made Flesh"... this week looking at Jesus as the Salt of the Earth. We will be lighting the second of our Advent candles and we will save you a seat in worship on Sunday. If you can't make it here in person, join us on line on the church's Facebook page for our "live-stream" at 10:00am. And, of course, the completed worship service will be available on both the Facebook and YouTube channels after worship is completed. So you have lots of ways to join us as we celebrate the Advent season! +++ Following the 10:00am worship service, we will enjoy our Second Sunday Luncheon provided by our Fellowship Team. Thanks for signing up and to the team for putting the luncheon together each month. +++ Next week...
+++ Next weekend...
+++ Look for the Mitten Tree project and Heifer International Project in the Narthex on Sunday. This is the last day for gifts for the Mitten Tree so that we can get them distributed before the holidays. +++ You can also order poinsettias for the Christmas altar on Sunday morning, as well. See Pam B. or Karen P. to place your orders this week. +++ The newsletter deadline for the January/February edition is on 12/20. Thanks for getting your articles in to meet our publishing deadline. +++ Christmas Eve worship is at 4:00pm and 7:30pm in the Sanctuary! Join us for this special night of worship! +++ Christmas morning breakfast will be served at 10:00am on December 25th. Please sign up and let us know what breakfast food you'll be bringing as we celebrate Jesus' birth with food and fellowship on Christmas morning. +++ And finally a reminder from our Finance Ministry... that all 2024 donations need to be received at the church by Sunday, 12/29/24. This will allow us to close the 2024 books and open the 2025 books in a timely manner! Thanks for your help! Make this day a great day and if you're having problems sleeping just join me in praying, Lord, grant me sound sleep. Amen. Pastor Jack |
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January 2025
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