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You Can’t Tell a Book by Its Cover

On January 14th the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, I will be preaching a sermon entitled, You Can’t Tell a Book by Its Cover. The scripture is Matthew 22:23-33.

The sermon is about the perceived value of the Bible in contemporary society, and how a book, parts of which date back to ca. 1,000 B.C., can be relevant to living our daily lives.

The illustration involves the relatively recent sale of the Sassoon manuscript (Hebrew Scripture only) at a Sotheby’s auction.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning! Next Sunday morning, I expect to be able to make an announcement about the coming Conference year.

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

A NOTE FROM THE PASTOR

In my December sermon, I mentioned the overwhelming lack of enthusiasm following the defeat of the Babylonians by the Persians in 538 B.C., resulting in the release of the people of Jerusalem and Judah from captivity. The Exodus from Egypt about 700 years earlier had a much different response—one that is continually mentioned in Biblical texts.

After some reflection, it is ironic that we experience a similar phenomenon in the Church of the 20th Century, and in the present Century. The Sunday after Easter is sometimes referred to as “Low Sunday.” The Sunday’s following Christmas also experience lower participation. It seems to me that just the opposite should be the case.

Easter and Christmas are the two most holy days in the Church’s calendar. They represent two of the most important and influential acts of God, probably since the Exodus—and these two celebrations certainly have greater significance. Reason or logic ought to dictate increased participation after the celebration of the two most important world events, at least from a Christian perspective. What’s going on?

It would be easy to blame the huge commercialization of Easter and Christmas; but it would not explain the general pattern that seems to have been set centuries ago. I, for one, am recharged after Easter and Christmas. My energy, enthusiasm, and dedication are highest after these two events, both of which have influenced my life in far greater ways than anything else.

My continued prayer is that we find the courage and enthusiasm to continue our witness for Christ in the coming days.

Michael O’Bannon, Pastor

Magi Visit

On January 7th the First Sunday after the Epiphany, I’ll be preaching an Epiphany sermon. Lead illustration is about Leonardo Da Vinci’s unfinished painting of the Visit of the Magi. The scripture is Matthew 2:1-12.

Be sure join us for our Worship Service at 9:30 am as we start a New Year.

Hoping to see you at worship on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

A New Thing

On December 31st the First Sunday after Christmas Day, I will preach a sermon tentatively titled, “A New Thing.” The scriptures are Isaiah 43:15-19 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-19.

Be sure join us for our Worship Service at 9:30 am as we look forward to the New Year.

Hoping to see you at worship on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

Christmas Eve

On December 24th the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I plan to speak on “Love.”

Come join us for our Worship Service at Kedron at 9:30 am and Christmas Eve service at Lock’s Memorial UMC at 6:00 pm.

I look forward to seeing you at worship on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

Would You Have a Party Without Making the Punch?

Decades ago, I heard my friend, the late Bishop Bos Spain, deliver a devotion in which he used the above phrase. While punch has fallen out of common usage in today’s entertaining culture, the point is still worth remembering: parties and celebrations take planning and involve some excitement while waiting. The same is true of the celebration of Christmas.

Advent is a time of preparation. No one knows when Christians started observing Advent; but it was known as an established practice by about 480 A. D. (Contemporary calendars have replaced the formerly used, “Anno Domini,” [A.D.], or, Year of The Lord] with C. E., meaning “Common Era.”) The term, “Advent,” comes from a Latin word used to translate the word from the Greek New Testament meaning, “coming Kingdom.” It simply means “coming,” or “arrival,” referring to the Second Coming of Christ. In Christianity today, Advent refers to (1) the first coming of Christ into the world at Bethlehem; (2) the present coming of Christ into our hearts; and (3) the future return of Christ.

Advent is intended to give The Church an opportunity to prepare for the coming celebration of Christmas. Even the secular world prepares for Christmas; and people who have no real belief in Jesus or intention to honor His birth make all kinds of preparations for many different forms of celebration. Christmas giving is in imitation of the giving of gifts by the Magi, commonly referred to as the Wise Men. Although the Bible does not mention a number, tradition has taken the number of Wise Men from the number of gifts mentioned: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The commemoration of their visit is observed in the Church on Epiphany. Epiphany literally means, “upon the face,” as in “to look upon the face.” It is a term that has come to observe the first time a Gentile looked upon the face of Jesus (meaning, of course, the Wise Men, who were probably Zoroastrian in faith).

And then, I’d simply like to add this word about Christmas. Christmas is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass,” or a time for observing the Roman Catholic holy communion. The term no longer carries that exact interpretation for Protestants and those who do not relate their understanding of the meaning of Holy Communion as it came to be observed in the Roman Catholic church. (Some denominations do not readily think of themselves as Protestants, but simply as “the one true church.” Historians and scholars now think that Jesus was born in a summer month, since shepherds were out in the field, tending their sheep. (I’ve been in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in January during the Orthodox observance of Christmas, and it snowed on us!) Historians think that the observance of the birth of Christ may have been moved to coincide with the Roman observance called the “Saturnalia,” a Roman festival for their god, Saturn.. December 25 was also the mid-winter solstice. Christians could have easily hidden their celebrations of the birth of Christ while the Romans were celebrating their festivals at the same time. Christmas has been attested since the Second Century, A.D.; but, there are denominations that do not observe Christmas in most forms (e.g., no Christmas decorations, including a tree, no gifts, no sacred music) since the exact date can not be known. For most of the rest of the Christian world, it is more important to celebrate the birth of the Savior than to know the exact date.

The reason I mention all of this is to help the membership understand why we are preparing to celebrate Christmas in the way we do. I am a firm believer in knowledge—not as a substitute to faith, but as a valuable resource in helping us understand many of the things we do and believe as Christians. Finally, I’d like to say something about “Xmas.” Many well-intentioned people condemn this usage, saying that it “X’s Christ out of Christmas.” In fact, it is one of the most ancient and original ways of referring to the time of the birth of Christ in that “X” was used as a kind of abbreviation for “Christ.” Christ is spelled, “Christos” in the original language of thee New Testament. The X, or “chi,” is the Greek letter for “ch.”

Michael O’Bannon, Pastor

Plimpton’s Surprise

Psalm 126

In the season of Advent, I will be preaching a series of sermons on, “All I Want for Christmas.”

The title of the first sermon is “Plimpton’s Surprise.” The theme is “joy.”

I look forward to seeing you at worship on Sunday..

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

How Does Heinz Sell Any Ketchup?

Isaiah 30:18-26.

On November 26th the Twentieth-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, my sermon title will be How Does Heinz Sell Any Ketchup?

The theme is anticipation, and the sermon is about anticipating the coming Advent and Christmas Season.

I look forward to seeing you at worship on Sunday..

Blessings,

Pastor Michael