The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Thanksgiving Day Celebration. Jessica and Tom came for an extended weekend, and Laureen joined us for an extended weekend also. My sisters, brothers, and their families joined for the Thanksgiving banquet. We had two other friends from the area joined us for dinner and a time of sweet fellowship. Alice baked seven pies. Praise the Lord for His Bountiful blessings. We delivered some pies and sumptuous home made breads to some families. It was a great times of sharing in the blessings. Janice and her family stayed in Boston, with Jeremy's mom joining them. Sunita and Andy stayed in Washington, hosting several members of Andy's family. Alice and Jess took off on Black Friday early in the morning, for shopping and meeting people. Praise the Lord for the simple gifts and all other precious gifts of grace that money cannot buy.
The Lord blessed us with a full weekend of worship and celebration including Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship services. It is a great thrill to worship the Savior and Lord. The Union Center UMC is fully decorated inside and outside. We have a full Nativity setting in front of the Church with trees and lights in full display. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you look. In the Church Calendar the Advent season began yesterday. The term "advent" comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming" or "appearance." Advent is the season marking the four Sundays before Christmas. It has developed as a way of helping Christians prepare not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in his First Coming but also to help them look forward to his second coming.
Jesus comes to invade this world with Truth and Grace. He comes for us and transforms the grim reaper. This theme is illustrated in an Advent hymn which goes like this: “Wake, awake, for night is flying; the watchmen on the heights are crying. Awake Jerusalem at last.” The story of this hymn illustrates that God comes for us even in the midst of terrible and horrible suffering and surprises us with grand glory even when the times are ugly.
This hymn, “Wake Awake,” was written by Philip Nicoli in the year 1598. He was a Lutheran pastor in Germany. During six months in 1597-1598, 1300 of his church members died. I had conducted funerals in two weeks recently. This was the time of the Bubonic plague across Germany. It was one of the worst times of human history. To help himself live with the awful suffering around him, Pastor Nicoli wrote meditations. He wrote the following words, “There seemed to me nothing more sweet, delightful and agreeable than the contemplation of the noble, sublime doctrine of eternal life, obtained through Jesus Christ. In my heart, I dwelled on this day and night and searched the Scriptures as to what eternal life meant. Then, day by day, I wrote out my meditations. I found myself wonderfully well comforted in heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content.” 1300 funerals. 1300 deaths. 1300 moments of mourning. In all of that awful suffering at one of the worst moments in history, he composed a hymn based on his meditations about everlasting life. He wrote, “Wake, awake, for night is flying, the watchmen on the heights are crying, Awake Jerusalem at last.” He wrote: "Now the night is past and the bridegroom has come at last.” He wrote not about a Grim Reaper for 1300 people, but the Mighty Messiah who brought his people home.
Wake up. Be alert. Don’t fall asleep .. There is so much evil surrounding us. Best of all, there are so many miracles all around us. Wake up. Eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, wake up. See the world around you. See the blessings upon blessings of God surrounding our lives, grace upon grace that follow us. His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. Wake up. Watch. Jesus has come. Jesus is near. He is coming again in glory and Majesty.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RmknWYFr6Xk
This hymn, “Wake Awake,” was written by Philip Nicoli in the year 1598. He was a Lutheran pastor in Germany. During six months in 1597-1598, 1300 of his church members died. I had conducted funerals in two weeks recently. This was the time of the Bubonic plague across Germany. It was one of the worst times of human history. To help himself live with the awful suffering around him, Pastor Nicoli wrote meditations. He wrote the following words, “There seemed to me nothing more sweet, delightful and agreeable than the contemplation of the noble, sublime doctrine of eternal life, obtained through Jesus Christ. In my heart, I dwelled on this day and night and searched the Scriptures as to what eternal life meant. Then, day by day, I wrote out my meditations. I found myself wonderfully well comforted in heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content.” 1300 funerals. 1300 deaths. 1300 moments of mourning. In all of that awful suffering at one of the worst moments in history, he composed a hymn based on his meditations about everlasting life. He wrote, “Wake, awake, for night is flying, the watchmen on the heights are crying, Awake Jerusalem at last.” He wrote: "Now the night is past and the bridegroom has come at last.” He wrote not about a Grim Reaper for 1300 people, but the Mighty Messiah who brought his people home.
Wake up. Be alert. Don’t fall asleep .. There is so much evil surrounding us. Best of all, there are so many miracles all around us. Wake up. Eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, wake up. See the world around you. See the blessings upon blessings of God surrounding our lives, grace upon grace that follow us. His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. Wake up. Watch. Jesus has come. Jesus is near. He is coming again in glory and Majesty.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RmknWYFr6Xk
The St. Petersburg (Russian) Men's Ensemble will be in concert onSaturday, December 3, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Location: First United Methodist Church,53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott, NY
Sponsored by the Union Center UMC
128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY
More Information available at (607) 748-6329
Sponsored by the Union Center UMC
128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY
More Information available at (607) 748-6329
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