Hello there,
And he shall reign forever and ever; King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Hallelujah!
I have been humming Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus this week, because Christ the King Sunday is coming up. Although, I heard a seminary professor say once that he preferred to call it the Reign of Christ Sunday, and to talk about the Reign of God rather than the Kingdom of God. His reason; when we use the term “kingdom” we often mean a geographical place with borders. When we use the term “reign” most of the time we are referring to a person, as in “the reign of Queen Victoria.” When we are talking about the final triumph of God the “where” is not as important as the “who.” We are looking forward to the day when Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!
Christ the King (or the Reign of Christ) Sunday marks the end of the church year. So Pastor Beth is preparing a very interesting worship service this week that will take us through the church year, beginning with Advent, the moving to Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. It will be a great way to wrap everything up. The Cherub Choir is singing at the first service, and Dave Mabee and Sue Kelly will be playing an organ/piano duet. We will be welcoming in new members at both services. It all sounds very exciting and you won’t want to miss it.
I am sure you have already noticed the Christmas decorations in the stores. It is time to get in to the holiday spirit and there is no better way than helping out. Following the second service, we will be decorating the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas, and we could use your help. If you normally come to the first service, perhaps you could come back a little after noon. If you come to the second service, perhaps you would be willing to stay and help. If a decent crew shows up, we should have it done in less than an hour.
If that doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit, then how about doing something for children? After the second service, we will also be packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child, downstairs in the social room. Many hands make light work. If you could spare a little time, we would really appreciate it.
Finally, due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a “Weekly Contact” next week. So have a wonderful holiday, hopefully with some good food and special people.
Stay in One Peace!
Howard