Issue #20 - December 2007
Minister's Message
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Last year at Christmas, I was living at Lake Louisa (Blue Ridge Shores). Although our house was small and nearly impossible to keep warm, I really liked it there. It was so peaceful. One of my favorite things to do there was to lie in the yard at night and look up at the stars on a clear night. If I laid in the church parking lot here in town, I am sure someone would think I had lost my mind. I miss being able to do that. Looking up at the sky, the world really looked holy. I saw the possibility of it being a time when hope and joy could come to the world in a small baby.
I don't know about you, but I need Christmas. It is a shot in the arm to my broken soul. At times, I feel as if life just doesn't relent with the difficulties: war, violence, hatred, racism, poverty, and so on. I love that line: Long lay the world in sin and error pining. At times, even though the Saviour has come and gone, I feel as if we are still laying in sin and pining in error. I do it all the time in my own life.
That line captures the reality of our world. However, the next line is like a cool drink to a parched desert traveler: Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
If you don't feel that thrill of hope, you have missed the real Christmas. God has not forgotten us. All is not lost, all is not hopeless. Weary sojourner, look up, for Christmas brings us salvation, hope eternal, and a peace that is from Heaven ... all in a baby. God, what a miracle!
~ Matthew
Membership
The church would like to remind all visitors that we are happy to have people make their profession of faith and become church members. You can either become a full member or have an associate membership (where you are a member of Louisa Christian Church and another church). All that you have to do to become a member is come forward during the Hymn of Invitation. Of course, you are encouraged to take a Membership Class. If you would like to take part in a class, talk to Denny or Matthew.
Becoming a member of this, or any, church is an important part of the Christian life. It is a public commitment to being a disciple of Christ. It is an important step to becoming a part of the body of Christ. Membership is a public way of saying that you are committed to a church (and the church universal) and its life.
You are always welcome to talk to Denny or Matthew about membership and its implications.
A Christmas Poem
I have a wonderful cousin, Sarah Nester, who wrote a poem for a Christmas gift project that she likes. I started thinking about our own Christmas gift programs that we support. Currently, we support two. First, we give gifts to Louisa families through Angel Tree. Secondly, we help kids throughout central Virginia who are in foster care by giving to Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Without these two programs, a lot of kids would have absolutely no Christmas. I hope that my cousin's poem will motivate you to give to one of these programs this year.
~ Matthew
A Throckmorton Christmas
An interview with Steff Throckmorton about what Christmas is like for her:
Do you have any traditions that your family observes at Christmas?
We do not have any real traditions at our house to speak of. I always put the tree up the first weekend in December. We used to go to the Christmas tree farm, and we would walk and walk and walk and walk and Kenny would get so impatient with me trying to pick out the "perfect tree" and we would always end up at the first tree that I saw. Now, I send him out to get the tree and bring it home. He likes this so much better. We always have multi-colored lights on our Christmas tree. On Christmas morning we all have to go down at the same time to see what Santa has left.
What was your favorite Christmas?
Of course with me being the "baby of 6 in the family" my parents always made a point to have the tree overflowing with gifts, my mom would take such care in wrapping everyone's gift in the foil paper with handmade beautiful bows. So getting back to the question, all my Christmases as a child were wonderful, then it happened, I had children of my own. Every Christmas with them has been a favorite. I still love to make them go to bed early to wait for the arrival of Santa. I get their lists each year to give to Santa. I love watching their faces as they open up their presents. So I really cannot pin point my "favorite" Christmas. I am definitely still a big kid at heart.
What is the best present you have ever received?
I would say the year when I was around 6 or 7 I received a baby with a baby stroller. I just always thought it was the best gift ever. I would put my Pug, Tiger in the stroller and push him around the neighborhood.
Board News
Recent board news:
- The carport behind the parsonage was torn down via volunteers. Estimates are being received for the work to repair the carport and various projects at Denny's house.
- It was requested by the cleaners that someone be designated to continually purchase cleaning supplies for the church.
Correction
Last month, Bill and Laurel Patterson's last name was accidentally misspelled. Bill and Laurel's last name is Patterson.
Schedules
Acolytes
The Acolyte schedule for next year may need to change, but this is a start.
December: Andrew P. and Amber W.
January: John P. and Sam P.
February: Meagan C. and Ginny B.
March: Andrew P. and Meagan C.
April: Kris D. and Linda D.
May: Abbey S. and Corey S.
June: John P. and Sam P.
July: Katelyn P. and Jack P.
August: Andrew P. and Sarah C.
September: Abbey S. and Corey S.
October: Kris D. and Linda D.
November: Katelyn P. and Jack P.
December: Amber W. and Ginny B.
Nursery
December 2, 2007 ... Steff Throckmorton
December 9, 2007 ... Melonie Donovan
December 16, 2007 ... Sherri Davenport
December 23, 2007 ... Maureen Dodge
December 30, 2007 ... Nursery Not Available
Thanks to all of our nursery volunteers!
Comic Relief
Nativity Scene?
In a small Southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets. Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left.
At a "Quick Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You Yankees never do read the Bible!" I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible. She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage.
Sticking it in my face she said, "See, it says right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.'"
A Christmas Game
It's a matter of opinion that Yule love this game. In each sentence below, fill in the blanks with an expression commonly used at Christmas time.
1. On December 24, Adam's wife was known as _____ _____.
2. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Scrooge was visited by the ghost of _____ _____.
3. An opinion survey in Alaska is called a _____ _____.
4. What does Santa Claus do with his three gardens? _____, _____, _____.
5. What Christmas message is conveyed by these letters? ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. _____, _____
6. When the salt and the pepper say "Hi!" to each other, they are passing on _____ _____.
7. When you cross a sheep with a cicada, you get a _____ _____.
8. A quiet medieval armor-wearer is a _____ _____.
9. A cat walking on the desert is bound to get _____ _____.
10. People who tell jokes on December 25 might be called _____ _____.
11. Actor O'Connor and actress Channing are known on December 25 as _____ _____.
Answers: 1-Christmas Eve, 2-Christmas Present, 3-North Poll, 4-Hoe, hoe, hoe 5-Noel, Noel, 6-Seasons' Greetings, 7-Bah! Humbug!, 8-Silent Knight, 9-Sandy Claws, 10-Christmas cards, and 11-Christmas Carols
Lectionary
December 2, 2007
First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44
December 9, 2007
Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
December 16, 2007
Third Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 146:5-10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
December 23, 2007
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
December 30, 2007
First Sunday after Christmas
Isaiah 63:7-9
Psalm 148
Hebrews 2:10-18
Matthew 2:13-23
Take a moment and read these scriptures each week!
Volunteer Opportunities
- Come help with our Community Youth Night every Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:15 pm by driving, cooking, or just hanging around.
- Attend and help at the Youth Spiritual Retreat
- We need a Santa Claus at the Youth Christmas Party in December
- Someone would be doing a huge favor for the church if they would go by the county's voter registration office every other month and send letters to people who have moved to Louisa (Matthew has been doing this, see him for details)
- Serve as the 2008 Relay for Life team captain or co-captain. Talk to Matthew.
Upcoming Youth Activities
Dec 1 (Sat) ... Parents Night Out (Ages 3 and up) ... 6-10 PM
Dec 23 ... Youth Christmas party 1 PM
Dec 26 (Wed) ... No youth activities ... Merry Christmas!
Birthdays
Dana Hott Crickenberger 1/21
Kevin Bottke 1/25
Dana Hott Crickenberger 1/21
Katie Dessent 1/28
Virginia Elizabeth Fleshman 1/4
Marjorie S. Hackler 1/17
Dianne Keffer 1/5
Dustin Madison 1/5
Angela "Sissy" Moubray 1/7
Harold W. (Hal) Purcell 1/15
Helene P. Purcell 1/20
Janet V. Purcell 1/20
Virginia O. Purcell 1/21
W. A. (Billy) Seay 1/30
Robert L. Smith 1/25
Laura Sutorka 1/25
Matthew Throckmorton 1/3
Michael Throckmorton 1/3
Clifton T. Vawter 1/2
Justin A. Woodward 1/14
If we missed a birthday, let us know.
Worship
Sunday School every Sunday at 10 AM
Worship Service following at 11 AM
Prayer Service each Wednesday at noon
Every Wednesday we offer a Bible Study at 10:30 AM and 6:30 PM
Community Youth Night every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:15 PM
Louisa Christian Church
P.O. Box 1344
104 Elm Avenue
Louisa, VA 23093
Rev. Burnette: 540-967-4884
Email
Rev. Ricks: 540-748-4188
Email