December 2

 

Every Sunday in the month of November, we sang the hymn, Let There be Peace on Earth, as we prayed for peace for the world, the country, and our community. Now we begin the season of Advent as we ponder the coming of the Christ and what that means for a troubled world. I can't think of a better time for Advent to come knocking at our door. As our world experiences wars, hate crimes, and other forms of violence, we gather in the sanctuary to light the first Advent candle — the Candle of Hope. Gather with us on Sunday and be infused by the Spirit of God — the Spirit of Love — so your hope can be renewed.

Gregg and Jill Walther will be leading us in the lighting of the first Advent Candle. Rev. Steve Tisinger will be leading us in prayer. And the choir will be singing two wonderful anthems: African Advent Carol & Season of Promise. Here's something else that I know you'll be excited about:

We'll be celebrating Holy Communion, and we won't be using the Communion kits! You'll actually have the opportunity to come to the front of the sanctuary to receive the Communion elements. And, you'll have the opportunity to pray at the altar if you desire.

You'll also be receiving a strip of cloth to have with you throughout the season of Advent. The cloth represents the love and light of Christ. Some people tie the cloth around their wrist, some keep in their pocket, some put it in their purse, some tie it to their steering wheel. Put it where it will help you be reminded of this special season. At our Christmas Eve Service, we will bring the strips of cloth to the manger. We thank Linda Combs, Cathy Solomons, and Wendy Mason for preparing the strips of cloth for us.

To top off Sunday's special service, we will be welcoming new members into the church family! I hope you will be able to be present to show your love and support You can see and welcome them in Holliday Hall after the service as we will have a cake in their honor. The new members will have on a red carnation, so you can identify who they are.

I hope those worshipping online will join us for Holy Communion by having bread or crackers and juice or water with you. Also, you can also make a strip of cloth to have with you throughout Advent. If you would prefer to have a strip of cloth that we have in the sanctuary, email me at bghester3@comcast.net, and we will mail one to you this week. Just be sure to include your mailing address.

Hold off from making those great dishes you make for our 1st Sunday Coffee Hour. We won't be having our BIG Coffee Hour this Sunday because we'll be having our Christmas Party the following Sunday. Then bring all of your wonderful dishes to share for a Potluck Covered Dish Supper. We'll be starting at 5:00 pm, and after we've had all of those wonderful desserts, we'll have a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus.

The night after our Church Christmas Party, we'll have our Annual December Church Conference. This special "church-wide" meeting is for all church members and will be by ZOOM on Monday, December 11th at 6:30 pm. All members of Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak are encouraged to attend. 

Plan on joining us for Christmas caroling after worship on Sunday, December 17th. We will make sandwiches to have after church, and then we'll caravan to a handful of places to bring cheer to some of our older church members. I promise that you will be blessed by this event!

The Angell Tree is hosted by our Youth Group each year to provide both essential and fun items for kids in our community for Christmas. The tree is in memory of our beloved youth leader, Laura Angell, who poured her heart and soul into our young members and their families.

In addition to fun gifts, we have a large need for coats and clothing for kids this year. If you are able to help, please take a card from the tree this Sunday and return the card with the items by December 17th.

Thank you to those of you who stayed after church last Sunday to help prepare the sanctuary and social hall for Advent. The church looks beautiful! As we worship this Sunday and experience the beauty of the sanctuary and the large Christmas tree, I will be giving thanks to all of you who unpacked boxes, hung garland, and stood on ladders so the rest of us could better experience the glory of Advent and Christmas.

If you would like to have a Poinsettia in the sanctuary on December 17th and 24th in memory or in honor of a loved one, go to our website to order it. Once you reach the website at www.AsburyMemorial.org then click on the ASBURY MARKETPLACE ICON. The price of the Poinsettia is $15, and the deadline for orders is Sunday, December 10th at noon. Thank you for helping us remember and honor your Loved One whose name will be printed in the bulletin. And thank you for helping make the sanctuary even more beautiful at this special time of the year.

I began this email by reminding us how meaningful it's been to sing Let There be Peace on Earth each Sunday in November. I ask that you continue to pray for peace and to pray especially for those who are suffering from war — Jews, Palestinians, Ukrainians, Russians — all of God's children. Pray also for the three 20-year-old students who came to the United States, in part, for safety, but were victims of gun violence and a hate crime: Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, Taseen Ali Ahmad.

I had lunch today with Rabbi Haas and he shared that the war and the rise in hate-crimes in our country are constantly on the minds of his parishioners. He and I grieved that in our country we always seem to take two steps forward and then one step back. The rise of intolerance started in our country about seven years ago. It is now time to take two steps forward again. May the start of this new Christian year, inspire us to take those steps...and to help others take them too.

Love,
Billy