CCC Gainesville | Blog
On Sunday morning our Children’s Christmas Choir performed for the first time! They did a wonderful job singing the song “Joy” (based on Luke 2:8-14) by Seeds Family Worship.
In cased you missed it, you can see it below. I love hearing their sweet voices proclaiming the word of the Lord. “Glory to God in the highest!”
Thank you to all the families who participated and helped to make our Christmas Choir such a blessing and encouragement. And a special thank you to our three helpers, Gracie Schackow, Nate Marshall, and Katie Marshall!
Our choir has one more performance this Advent season. On Christmas Eve they will be leading the congregation in “Silent Night” so you don’t want to miss that!
If your child (age 5 and older) would like to join us for that Christmas Eve performance, it isn’t too late! Our final rehearsal is on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 5:00 pm and we would love to have them! Contact Harmony Smith (harmony812@gmail.com) for more details and info.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Advent water color by Caeli Tolar
The season of Advent officially begins this Sunday. What is advent? Advent literally means coming. It is the time of the year when we remember and celebrate the coming of Jesus into this world. How is Advent different from Christmas? Advent and Christmas are closely related. They both point us back to a specific time in human history – the birth of Jesus. Advent, however, has a depth to it that is not implicitly recognized in the celebration of Christmas alone. Advent reminds us that Jesus came and that he came for a particular purpose. Furthermore, Advent reminds us that not only has Jesus come, but he will come again.
Here are some of the ways that we will celebrate Advent at Christ Community
1) The lighting of the Advent candles
The theme of Advent this year is “The Word Became Flesh”. We will follow the story of the coming of Jesus as it is revealed to us in the Gospel of John. Jesus is the Word. And the Word became flesh (John 1). This is what Advent is all about. Jesus, being fully God, humbled himself by becoming a man. His true identity as God Incarnate is revealed time and time again from his own lips as he confesses that he is the great “I am.”
And as the “I am,” Jesus announces that he is:
- the Bread of Life (John 6)
- the Light of the World (John 8)
- the Good Shepherd (John 10)
I want to encourage you to read these passages in their full context each week and seek to grasp the weight and glory of what is being said about Jesus.
2) Advent artwork series
You will notice a change in the bulletins during Advent series. Each week there will be new artwork provided by Caeli Tolar that will help illustrated the themes of the Advent readings. Pay attention as we progress through some of the great themes of the Gospel: grace, mercy, hope, and love. The original water colors will also go on display in the foyer.
3) Carols of the Coming King
Everyone is invited to gather together on the evening of December 7 for a special worship service starting at 6:30. This service will include readings and songs that will focus our attention on the wonderful truth the Jesus is the king that was promised from ages past. Special focus will be given to the prophecies about the coming Messiah found in Isaiah. There will be a time of fellowship with refreshments following this service. This will be a great time to gather as one family and to celebrate and worship the King who has come and who is coming again.
Here are some resources for you and your family:
1) Scripture Reading Suggestion
Advent is an opportune time to contemplate the reason for the coming of Christ. One of the best ways to do this is to study the many different passages in Scripture that explicit tell us why Jesus came. Here are a few to consider over the next several weeks:
- Jesus came to fulfill the Law & Prophets (Matt 5:17-20)
- Jesus came to serve and give his life (Mark 10:35-45)
- Jesus came to save sinners (1 Tim 1:12-17)
- Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:33-40)
- Jesus is coming again! (Revelation 22:6-21)
2) Books/Devotionals for Advent:
- Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas by Nancy Guthrie
- Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation by Joel R. Beeke
I have read both of these and there are excellent. Here are two new ones for this year that look promising:
- The Expected One: Anticipating All of Jesus in the Advent by Scott James
- Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas by Stephen J. Nichols
Online Resources:
- Good News of Great Joy| Desiring God just published a free e-book with daily Advent readings. It’s available in PDF and other formats for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and more.
- For Yonder Breaks a New and Glorious Morn!| Christ the King Presbyterian Church published this Advent devotional (PDF) in 2009. The dates may not be accurate for 2012, but the five weekly readings can be used this year just the same.
- Born a Child and Yet a King| The second devotional from Christ the King Presbyterian Church was released in 2010. Just like their first devotional, the dates may not be correct for this year, but the weekly readings can be easily adapted for 2012.
- A Guide through the Advent Season| Redeemer Presbyterian Church created this guide (PDF) that includes three weekly devotionals.
- Advent Season Readings| A collection of readings from Redeemer Presbyterian Church that you can use and adapt for your own traditions.
- Our King is Born| A collection of devotionals, resources, family activities, and more by Love & Justice Church geared around Advent and Christmas.
I hope you and your family have a truly blessed Advent season.
Kyle
The schedule of guest preachers who will serve us through the end of Advent:
- Sept. 28 Brandon Lauranzon, Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church
- Oct. 5 Kyle Kockler, Interim Pastor
- Oct. 12 Richard Horner, Christian Study Center Director
- Oct. 19 Tim Carper, RUF Campus Minister
- Oct. 26 Kyle Kockler
- Nov. 2 Tim Carper
- Nov. 9 John Sittema (WorldServe Ministries)
- Nov. 16 Richard Horner
- Nov. 23 Kyle Kockler
- Nov. 30 John Sitttema
- Dec. 7 Kyle Kockler
- Dec. 14 Kyle Kockler
- Dec. 21 Richard Horner
This schedule is subject to change, depending on any changes in individual availability, but we will update this post as needed to maintain an accurate schedule.
Here is information on yesterday’s offertory. Text by Edith Gilling Cherry, Music by Brian Murphy and Patrick Bush.
We rest on Thee,
our shield and our defender
We go not forth
alone against the foe
Strong in Thy might,
safe in Thy keeping tender
We rest on Thee,
and in Thy name we go
Yea in Thy name O captain
of salvation
In Thy dear name all other
names above
Jesus our righteousness,
our sure foundation
Our prince of glory and our king,
our king of love
We go in faith,
our own great weakness feeling
And needing more
each day Thy grace to know
Yet from our hearts
a song of triumph pleading
We rest on Thee
and in Thy name we go
We rest on Thee our shield
and our defender
Thine is the battle,
Thine shall be the praise
When passing through the gates
of pearly splendor
Victors we rest with Thee through endless days
~
You can find it, along with sheet music and some background on the people who wrote it at the Indelible Grace website: http://hymnbook.igracemusic.com/hymns/we-rest-on-thee. (See also redmountainmusic.com.)
Yesterday, the session of elders announced that Kyle Kockler is serving as our interim pastor. I am personally excited to work with Kyle and look forward to getting to know him and his wife, Ginny. Please join us in welcoming them to CCC. Here is the announcement from the elders:
CCC Family,
We are excited to report that the Lord has provided once again for Christ Community. Kyle Kockler has been called and accepted our offer to be our Interim Pastor. Kyle has 12 years of experience as an ordained PCA Teaching Elder, including twice being the interim pastor at churches searching for a new senior pastor. It is clear to the elders that God has provided Kyle in our time of need and that Kyles experience will be of great benefit to CCC.
Kyle will be on staff with us on a half-time basis and his duties will include some preaching as well as assisting with many CCC ministries. Kyle will be working closely with the elders and current leaders to determine how he can best be an encouragement and help in this time of transition for our church. He started working on September 1st and has already participated in a session meeting and has met with some of our staff. Over the next few weeks he will mostly be working to better understand CCC and our ministries .
Kyle and his wife Ginny are coming to us from Faith Presbyterian, our sister PCA church in Gainesville. Kyle will not only be on staff, he and Ginny will also be joining our fellowship so please make sure we welcome them well to CCC. Kyle and Ginny already had prior commitments for the last 3 Sundays in September before accepting this position so we won’t see them on Sundays for most of September, but he will be meeting with leaders and staff during the week. We look forward to having them with us regularly on Sundays beginning October 1st.
Please join the elders in reaching out to Kyle and Ginny and welcoming them to our church family.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Your Session
