Central Christian Church Newsletter           

 

Dave's Corner

The Christmas Story

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him everything was made.  Without Him nothing which has happened would have happened.  He was the Source of life.  That life was light for people.  The light shines in the darkness; the darkness can never put it out! ...The Word became human and lived among us for a while.  We saw His glory, the kind of glory like that of the Father's one and only son—full of gracious love and truth."

 

"During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee.  The virgin girl was engaged to marry a man named Joseph, from the family of David.  Her name was Mary.  The angel came to her and said, 'Greetings!  The Lord God is with you.  He has blessed you.'  But Mary was very disturbed about what the angel said.  She wondered, 'What does this mean?'  The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid, Mary, because God has blessed you.  Listen!  You will become pregnant and give birth to a son.  And you will name Him Jesus.  He will be great.  People will call Him the Son of the Highest One.  The Lord God will give Him the authority of King David, his ancestor.  Jesus will rule over the people of Jacob forever.  His kingdom will never end.'  Mary said to the angel, 'How will this happen?  I have no sexual relations with any man.'  The angel said to Mary, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest One will cover you.  The holy baby will be called God's son.  Now listen to this:  You know that Elizabeth, your relative, is very old, but she is already pregnant with a son.  The woman who could not have a baby has been pregnant for six months!  With God, nothing is impossible!'  Mary said, 'I am the servant girl of the Lord God.  Let what you said happen to me!'  Then the angel went away.  Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the hill country of Judea.  She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the unborn baby kicked inside Elizabeth's body.  Then Elizabeth said with a loud voice, 'Mary, you have been blessed more than any other woman.  The baby to which you will give birth has also been blessed.  You are the mother of my Lord, and you have come to me!  How could something this good happen to me?  When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy.  You are happy, because you believed that what the Lord God said to you would actually take place.'  Then Mary said, 'My soul praises the Lord God; my heart is happy, because God is my Savior.  Though I am not important; God has looked upon me, His servant girl.  Listen!  From now on, all generations will be happy for me, because the Powerful One has done great things for me.  His name is holy.  God will always give His mercy to those who worship Him.  His arm is strong.  He scatters those who are proud and boastful.  He pulls men down from their thrones and He raises up the humble.  He fills hungry people with good things, but He send rich, selfish people away with nothing.  He has always helped His people who served Him.  He always gave them His mercy.  It was just as God said to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his children forever.'  Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, then Mary returned home. 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ occurred:  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before they were married, it was discovered that she was pregnant!  However, Joseph, her husband-to-be, was a fair man; he did not want to disgrace her.  So he decided to quietly call off the marriage.  He was thinking deeply upon these things when, suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, descendant of David, don't be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.  The baby inside her comes from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son.  You will name him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.  The Lord spoke about this through the prophet Isaiah.  All these things occurred to make this come true:  'Listen!  The virgin will be pregnant and give birth to a son.  They will name him Emmanuel (which means, God is with us)."'  "When Joseph woke up from sleeping, he did as the angel of the Lord had ordered him to do; he took Mary to be his wife.  He did not have sexual relations with her, until she gave birth to the little boy.  Joseph named him Jesus." 

"About that time, Augustus Caesar sent out an order to everyone in the empire that everyone must register.  This was the first registration.  It occurred while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  Each person traveled to be registered in the town where he was born.  So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee.  He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea.  This was known as David's town.  Joseph went there, because he was from the family of David—a direct descendant.  Joseph registered with Mary, because she was engaged to marry him.  (Mary was now pregnant.)  While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby.  She gave birth to her first son and wrapped him with cloths.  There were no rooms left in the hotel.  So she laid the baby in a box where cattle are fed.  Some shepherds were in the fields there, watching their flock of sheep that night.  An angel of the Lord God stood in front of the shepherds.  The glory of the Lord shined around them.  They were very frightened.  The angel said to them, 'Don't be afraid, because I am telling you some good news.  It will make all the people very happy.  Today your Savior was born in David's town.  He is Messiah, the Lord.  This is how you will know him:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a box where cattle are fed.'  Suddenly, a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel.  They were all praising God: 'Give glory to God in heaven, and, on earth, let there be peace among those who please God.'  The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven.  The shepherds kept saying to each other, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which has occurred, which the Lord God has revealed to us.'  So, the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph.  The baby was lying in the feeding box.  The shepherds saw the baby.  Then they revealed what the angels had said about this child.  Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds told them.  Mary was keeping all these things in her heart; she continued to think about them.  The shepherds went back, singing to God and praising Him for everything they had seen and heard.  It was just as the angel had told them.  When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised.  Then he was named Jesus.  (This name was given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary's womb.)" 

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town in Judea, during the time of King Herod the Great.  Some wise men from the east traveled to Jerusalem.  They asked, 'Where is the one who was born to be King of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and we came to worship him.'   When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed.  Everyone else in Jerusalem was too.  He gathered all of the most important priests and teachers of the law from the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.  They answered, 'In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, because this was written by the prophet Micah: "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, you are surely not the least important among the leading towns in Judea, because a Leader will come out from you.  He will shepherd my people, Israel."'  Then, in secret, Herod called for the wise men.  From them he added up the exact time when the star appeared.  'Go, search very carefully for information about the child.  When you find him, report to me, so that I, too, may come to worship him.'  After they had listened to the king, they left; Herod sent them to Bethlehem.  Suddenly, the star which they had seen in the east was leading them.  When they saw the star, they were very, very happy.  It finally stopped above the place where the child was.  They went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother.  They bowed down to worship him.  They opened their treasures and brought him gifts—gold, perfume, and precious spices.  But God used a dream to warn them that they should not return to Herod.  So they returned to their country by a different road.  After they had gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream.  The angel said, 'Get up!  Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I speak to you again.  Herod is about to begin searching for the child to kill him.'  So, Joseph got ready.  He took the child and his mother at night and left for Egypt.  He stayed there until Herod died, to make what the Lord God had said through the prophet come true: 'I called My Son out of Egypt.'  When Herod realized that the wise men had made a fool out of him, he was very angry.  He ordered his men to kill all the little boys in and around the town of Bethlehem—the boys who were two years old or younger (the exact time which Herod had figured out from the wise men).  Then what God had said through Jeremiah the prophet came true: 'A sound was heard in the town of Ramah, crying and loud screaming.  Rachel is crying for her children:  She will not let anyone comfort her, because the children are dead.'"

               

The church office will be closed December 24 – 28 and December 31. 

  

"Who Jesus Is"

Youth Christmas Program Sunday

 December 13^th.

 

Choir Christmas Presentation

Presentation:

Sunday, 11 A.M.-December 20. 

 

Sunday December 27, Steve Smith will be preaching. 

There will be no Family Night December 23 & 30.  We will resume on January 6. 

December Wednesday Night Kitchen Help

2	Orville & Brenda Lindsey
9	Dennis Satterfield & Carol Allen

 

December Birthdays

1	Liz Satterfield
2	Nicole Villano
4	Yorling Rodas
6	Kathy Zeigler
7	Brenda Capraro
10	Colton Turnbo
	Jonathan Tabb
11	Rob Carter
12	Mildred Dickson
	Caiden Phillips
14	Dave  Zeigler
16	John McKenna
17	Gracie Shadel
	Mark Allen
19	Marie Cox
20	Zoe Martinie
23	Jean Gryglewski
	Brittney Mushlock
	Margaret Bell
	Chris Phillips
27	Robyn Anderson
28	Danielle White
30	Jane McNaron
	Doug Anderson
	Anniversaries
8	Mylen & Helen Coble
15	Charles & Linda Soper

Debbie Hill is back-up for anyone that cannot serve on their date and for any extra dates. If you are scheduled to be in the nursery, it is VERY IMPORTANT to be in the nursery at least 15 minutes prior to assigned time. Thank you.

If you are willing to volunteer for the toddler's class during worship hour, please see or call Liz Satterfield at 381-0248.

	December  Nursery Bible Study Hour Volunteers
6	Dera Shadel & Jordan Carter
13	Dera Shadel & Heidi Hunt
20	Dera Shadel & Chaz Lindsey
27	Paula Lindsey & Debbie Hill
	December  Nursery Worship Hour
6	Debra Corey & Amanda Hill
13	Rita Atherton & Becky Latta
20	Lee Anne Schwartz & Emily Crampton
27	Kathy & Cara Blade
	December Toddler Worship Hour
6	Robyn Anderson & Lyndsey Curtis
13	Liz Satterfield & Hope Coble
20	Stefani Rauschenbarger & Taylor Hunt
27	Amy Barnhill & Brandy Hancock
	December Toddler Wednesday Night
2	Debbie Hill
9	Robyn Anderson
16	Becky Latta

December Front Door Greeters

06	Faye & Lisa Thurman
13	Selena Hancock & Cay McShurley
20	Brenda Capraro & Rita Atherton
27	Linda & Hannah Soper

 

December Front Parking Lot Attendants

06	Robert Petty & Frank Hancock
13	Steve Atherton & Dave Capraro
20	Mike Oldham & Ken Belsky
27	Sam Stephenson & Jack Gryglewski

 

 

 

December Information Booth

06	Kathy Blade
13	Liz Satterfield
20	Catherine Whitwell
27	Heidi Hunt

December Schedule for Weekly Key Duty (Call the church office on Monday the week you are scheduled)

12-7/12-13	Andrew Shadel
12-14/12-20	Ken Belsky
12/21/12/27	Steve Atherton
12-28/1-03	Steve Smith

December Bakery Goods & Juice

6	Larry & Ruth Deatley
13	Mary Criger
20
27

December Cookie Response Team

12/6	Toni Stephenson
12/13	Ken & Charlotte Belsky
12/20	Stephen & Rita Atherton
12/27	Frank & Selena Hancock

 

December Attendance

01	156
08	165
15	159
22	181

 

 

December Communion Trays

Amber Bair

If you are willing to help prepare communion trays for our worship service, please call Kathy Zeigler at 388-6522.

 

 

 

December Communion Meditation

6	Andrew Shadel
13	Mylen Coble
20	David Capraro
27	Brian Hunt

December Baptism Assistance

Ray & Debra Corey

December Communion to Shut-ins

Larry Deatley