FBC@HOME
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 20 – December 27
WATCHWORD FOR THE WEEK:
“The mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Luke 1:49
WEEKLY INVOCATION:
“O almighty God, who by the birth of thy holy child Jesus hast given us a great light to dawn upon our darkness: Grant, we pray thee, that in this light we may see light. Bestow upon us, we beseech thee, that most excellent Christmas gift of charity to all, that so the likeness of thy Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever-brightening hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” - From “The Book of Worship.”
WEEKLY CALENDAR:
[Please wear a mask and maintain social distancing.]
12.20 Fourth Sunday of Advent
10:00 am worship/Romans 16:25-27
6:30 pm Advent study
12.24 Christmas Eve worship
5:30 pm
12.25 Christmas day worship
10:00 am
12.27 First Sunday after Christmas
10:00 am worship/Galatians 4:4-7
6:30 pm Advent study [final]
Advent Readings
Week 4- A Time for Joy
Sunday Romans 16: 25-27
Monday 2 Corinthians 7: 2-10
Tuesday Philippians 2: 25-30
Wednesday Philippians 4: 2-8
Thursday Thessalonians 2: 17 -20
Friday Revelations 7: 9 -17
Saturday Revelations 21: 1-5
Advent for Everyone Meeting
We will be meeting this Sunday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m. I will be sending everyone a link by Friday, December 18. If you haven’t received a link by then please communicate the error by emailing the pastor.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Because of the pandemic, this year’s Christmas Eve service will be different. We will present four programs at: 5:30, 6:10, 6:45, and 7:30. We are requesting that people RSVP for the one of their choice. Each segment is a stand-alone service and will end with our tradition of a candle lighting and singing “Silent Night.” Our goal is to allow a maximum of ten people per service. We hope this will allow for people who have not attended because of COVID to feel safe in the space and celebrate the birth of Christ in community. While people are free to attend any service, we would hope that the earlier times be filled with people who have reservations about gathering in public. You can RSVP by calling the church office [583-6289], emailing the pastor [revbees@yahoo.com], or signing up this Sunday in the foyer. My thanks to Emily for her hard work in making this a reality.
Christmas Day Service
We will gather again on Christmas Day with our traditional singing and video. Service begins at 10 am.
December Birthdays & Anniversaries
Matt Edwards 12.29
Bella Quintana 12.31
Retired Ministers & Missionaries Offering
During the month of December, we will be collecting for our denomination’s Retired Ministers and Missionaries. This offering assists retired missionaries and ministers. Many of these people need help and your gift can make a difference. Our goal this year is $750.
Bible Study Proposal
Have you been in Sunday school and had questions you just did not want to ask? Heard a sermon and just had more questions? Have you had questions about God, life, the Bible, the world, science? We would love to hear those questions and answer those questions!
Here is the proposal - Questions could be sent electronically to Linda OR dropped off in the offering plate. The questions would be collected and assembled by Linda and only the questions would be presented to Pastor Tim and Hector. There would be time to review scripture and study. Depending on how many questions there are, there is potential to start a study in February 2021 and share responses via teleconference for Bible study using GoToMeeting. Potentially three, four, or five questions would be covered depending on the depth and breadth of the question. This could be the second and fourth Sunday of the month going 6:30PM to 7:30PM. What are your thoughts? Are you interested? Please send your response to Linda with “YES” I am interested along with comments/questions, or “NO” and provide further information with potential ideas or suggestions.
Prayer Updates From Bangkok
Praises
- Two Uzbek women and two children returned home safely and are reunited with their families.
- Two women finally had their day in court for a pre-trial hearing. We are thankful for the prosecutor who heard our pleas to accelerate the process. We are grateful for the Christian judge, and for the translator who was compassionate and fluent in English. It was a really good day and we are so thankful for the answer to prayers.
Prayer Requests
- We will be having several Christmas outreaches and giving out over a 1,000 gifts. Pray that those who receive them will find hope and be encouraged to see the truth.
- Pray for Gomer-Sozo to stay sober and find an apartment to stay off the streets.
A Challenge for the New Year
As you may know, we have entered a new church year with the onset of Advent. The church year is set up in three cycles Year A, Year B, and Year C. Each yearly cycle focuses on one of the synoptic gospels [Matthew, Mark and Luke] This year the focus is on the gospel of Mark, considered by many to be the earliest of the three. That means that the main Gospel reading in the Lectionary would come from Mark. Here is the challenge. Why don’t we as a church community make a commitment to reading the gospel of Mark as least 12 times throughout the year ending on November 28, 2021, the first Sunday of Advent and the start of Cycle C? To augment our reading, I am planning on offering a year-long Bible study of Mark. I am thinking we would do this in segments with time off in between. Just something for you to think about as a tool to deepen your faith. We would probably start virtually and prayerfully be able to shift to in person meetings.
