We’ve all seen these kind of yard signs pop up from time to time proudly proclaiming the arrival of a new child. Parents and grandparents overcome with joy make a bold public display so the world knows that love has arrived making this house into a home. Christmas is just like this, or at least […]
When we think about the purpose of Christmas we often fall back on classic hymns, but they can often be misleading. Consider “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone […]
None of us get through life without a few detours. They come at times we don’t expect, they challenge us to say the course and they force us to realize that control is partly an illusion. Opportunity comes with so many different faces that we often don’t recognize it. That’s probably […]
God interrupts the monotony that is our day to day life and offer a new challenging way of life. Appointments to be kept. Tight schedules to maintain. Routines established. That’s how most of us try to live our lives. But what happens when life is interrupted with something totally unexpected? What happens when God steps […]
“To be inspired is great, but to inspire is an honor.” Stacey T. Hunt As we approach the Christmas gift, we must wrestle with the impact that God’s gift has had or will have on our lives. Jacob did not expect anyone on the mountain that night, but the unexpected showed up. Jacob wrestled with the […]
To say that Mary’s life was interrupted when the Angel came and spoke with her, revealed God’s plan and her purpose in it is a understatement. Mary’s plans of marriage, family and domestic home life was put on hold and God revealed to Mary that she was more than even she knew. She had found […]
Appointments to be kept. Tight schedules to maintain. Routines established. Projects to be completed… The list goes on and one. That’s how most of us try to live our lives in a seemingly endless cycle of doing stuff so we can buy more stuff, so people can envy our stuff. But what happens when life […]
Most of the time we settle for happiness when Joy is being offered. Happiness is circumstantial and depends on things going the way we expected. Joy is deeper and certainly longer lasting. Joy understands the ups and downs of life because its focused on the destination and know that trials and troubles are a necessary […]
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Luke 2:8-9 Christmas is pause. We’ve all heard that expression ‘You can’t see the forest for the trees’. […]
HOPE: to cherish a desire with anticipation, to expect with confidence, trust Read: Luke 1:16-38 NIV Immanuel – God with us. The Presence of God in our world radically changes the nature of how we see and live each day. The Light of Christ shows us the world as it is and brings us the HOPE […]
Christmas. How have we managed to make it so difficult? We have turned the most amazing time of the year into a maze of commercial enterprise, contradictory influences, and confused priorities. The season of celebration has become the most stressful time of the year for so many. Over the next couple of weeks I want […]
Advent, like Lent has strong themes of preparation, of waiting, of the coming dawn. And the story started a long time ago. Why did God decide to be born a man? Why was a rescue plan of this magnitude needed? It all started way back in at the beginning of beginnings: Read Genesis 3:8-19 We all […]
Who says you Christians don’t have a creative funny side! enjoy. Bethlehemian Rhapsody Related posts: That’s My King Just how far? Christmas Eve: The Great Story of Christmas Does God Ask Too Much?
We all have them, family members that cling desperately to the family tree you’re just positive dropped from a high branch at one time or another. We all have those crazy uncles, aunts or cousins that we just don’t talk about much, but you know they’re part of your gene pool. And if you can’t […]
We must never loose sight of the fact that God engaged Mary and Joseph in a life story they did not fully understand, after all who could understand what God was up to when He decides to use an unwed teenage girl to give birth out of wedlock. It is nothing less than… Scandalous! I’m […]
Our expectations are critical in giving us goals and standards for which to strive. Yet we can also be blinded by our expectations too! Each Year we prepare for Christmas with a flurry of activity, partly due to fear, guilt and competition to have the best dinner party, find the best gift or have the […]
Pastor’s letter for December 2009. Entire newsletter can be found at www.fumcwilliamstown.org What is your fondest memory of Christmas? Do you remember the excitement of childhood dreams that were so intense you couldn’t sleep the night before? Do you remember a Christmas Eve service with your family when the sanctuary is bathed in soft candlelight, […]