Christmas is coming!
Do you feel a sense of urgency when you read that? Visions of to-do lists thus far un-done? A reminder that your living room is still in not-ready-for-in-laws condition? A dread at what your checking account read out is going to say, come December 26th?
Most of us sense it. And yet, each year, we struggle against the flow. How are we to keep our heads in the frenzied pace of family obligations, school performances, shopping trips, decoration days, and church activities? It isn’t easy. In fact, it’s not something many (or any?) of us have figured out. Each year, we take new stabs at finding deep meaning in the Advent season, and turning back the strong tides of hyperactivity and consumerism.
Here at Peru First Baptist, we’re trying to help. This year we’re taking a “Christmas resource center” approach to Advent. We’re going to offer resources to help you connect and grow in the church, to make a place for faith in your home, and to re-think the idea of Christmas giving.
Connecting at Church:
During the Advent season (Nov. 27 – Dec. 25) our Sunday morning classes and Bible studies will all be studying the birth of Christ. Having the whole church studying God’s Word together helps to shape us as a people, and as people. In other words, it shapes our church and it shapes us.
We’ll be examining the events surrounding and preceding Christ’s birth. Those engaged in the study will learn why Christ’s coming was such a monumental moment in human history. We will spend advent encountering Christ in new and fresh ways. As we read about the preparations made for Jesus’ first coming, we will reflect on our own preparation for Christmas. This season of preparation will help you to keep focus on Christ in this Christmas season.
If you are not already in a group or class, all of the classes will be beginning this new study on November 27th. That means you have a great opportunity to jump in with a group. We always want to make sure to make room for people at PFBC to connect with God and others in a Sunday morning class or Bible study.
Our study of God’s Word this Advent has been chosen to help you navigate this season. If you are in a class, prepare to jump in to the study with both feet. If you are not plugged in yet, please pray about and consider joining up for this great study!
Bringing faith home:
I’ve talked in previous newsletter articles about how difficult it can be to make room for family spiritual life in our homes. We struggle to find the time. We’re unsure how to study the Bible. We’re not sure that our children or spouses are interested. It’s tough. But it’s IMPORTANT.
During Advent, you will more than likely spend time with family preparing for Christmas. Whether it’s in your home, or a relative’s home, you will spend time decorating, shopping, cooking, etc. We want to give you a resource that can make the Bible and prayer part of that in-home preparation as well.
This year, like last year, we are providing Buckner International’s Advent reader to you free of cost. This reader covers four advent themes – Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy – through 29 individual readings (one for each day of advent). This simple guide could be something read with your family before a meal, before dinner, after waking in the morning, or any other time that works for your schedule. Its colorful pages and thoughtful reflections will walk your family through a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you prepare spiritually for Christmas.
Pick up one of the Buckner Advent Guide’s at church any Sunday before Advent, and prepare your family for this incredible season.
Re-thinking Christmas Generosity:
Christmas is a time marked by giving. And getting. One of the greatest joys and greatest frustrations at Christmas is the tradition of gifts. Whether it’s the rush to knock out the list, the dent shopping leaves in your bank account, or the wondering if your brother-in-law really needs another tie; we’ve all felt the frustration of Christmas generosity.
That’s why this year, we’d like to give you a low-hassle, no guilt, high impact Christmas gift option. Buckner international offers a great service called their “gift catalog.” This catalog (unlike any catalog most of us are familiar with) lists many, many ways that through giving, Christians can bless the less fortunate at home and abroad.
The idea of the catalog is this – in the place of a normal Christmas gift for a relative, you buy something from the catalog. Options include things like a $10 food package for the hungry, or a $10 scholarship for a student to receive literacy aid, or $15 to provide a small farm animal for a family in a developing nation. After selecting the aid package you would like, you give the amount in honor of the relative you are Christmas shopping for.
Imagine that kind of Christmas morning. Instead of another Colts tie, your dad would get a note, or card, explaining that a child’s schooling for a year had been paid for in his honor. Can you imagine the joy of opening that gift?
So we are encouraging the congregation at Peru First Baptist to consider the Buckner Gift Catalog this year. You don’t have to stop your existing traditions, or totally stop buying gifts for loved ones. But consider mixing some Buckner gifts in to your Christmas generosity. The needy will be glad you did. And we think you will be as well.
To see the catalog in full, go to: http://www.buckner.org/give/giftcatalog.shtml
In Closing:
Christmas is a powerful season. It has the power to fulfill, and the power to disappoint. It has the power to bring peace and the power to overwhelm. It’s my prayer that this year, Advent is a powerfully good time for you, your family, and the spiritual life of Peru First Baptist church. I want to again encourage you to make use of each of these great resources that are available to you. May your Christmas season truly be blessed!
In Christ,
Pastor Aaron
Do you feel a sense of urgency when you read that? Visions of to-do lists thus far un-done? A reminder that your living room is still in not-ready-for-in-laws condition? A dread at what your checking account read out is going to say, come December 26th?
Most of us sense it. And yet, each year, we struggle against the flow. How are we to keep our heads in the frenzied pace of family obligations, school performances, shopping trips, decoration days, and church activities? It isn’t easy. In fact, it’s not something many (or any?) of us have figured out. Each year, we take new stabs at finding deep meaning in the Advent season, and turning back the strong tides of hyperactivity and consumerism.
Here at Peru First Baptist, we’re trying to help. This year we’re taking a “Christmas resource center” approach to Advent. We’re going to offer resources to help you connect and grow in the church, to make a place for faith in your home, and to re-think the idea of Christmas giving.
Connecting at Church:
During the Advent season (Nov. 27 – Dec. 25) our Sunday morning classes and Bible studies will all be studying the birth of Christ. Having the whole church studying God’s Word together helps to shape us as a people, and as people. In other words, it shapes our church and it shapes us.
We’ll be examining the events surrounding and preceding Christ’s birth. Those engaged in the study will learn why Christ’s coming was such a monumental moment in human history. We will spend advent encountering Christ in new and fresh ways. As we read about the preparations made for Jesus’ first coming, we will reflect on our own preparation for Christmas. This season of preparation will help you to keep focus on Christ in this Christmas season.
If you are not already in a group or class, all of the classes will be beginning this new study on November 27th. That means you have a great opportunity to jump in with a group. We always want to make sure to make room for people at PFBC to connect with God and others in a Sunday morning class or Bible study.
Our study of God’s Word this Advent has been chosen to help you navigate this season. If you are in a class, prepare to jump in to the study with both feet. If you are not plugged in yet, please pray about and consider joining up for this great study!
Bringing faith home:
I’ve talked in previous newsletter articles about how difficult it can be to make room for family spiritual life in our homes. We struggle to find the time. We’re unsure how to study the Bible. We’re not sure that our children or spouses are interested. It’s tough. But it’s IMPORTANT.
During Advent, you will more than likely spend time with family preparing for Christmas. Whether it’s in your home, or a relative’s home, you will spend time decorating, shopping, cooking, etc. We want to give you a resource that can make the Bible and prayer part of that in-home preparation as well.
This year, like last year, we are providing Buckner International’s Advent reader to you free of cost. This reader covers four advent themes – Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy – through 29 individual readings (one for each day of advent). This simple guide could be something read with your family before a meal, before dinner, after waking in the morning, or any other time that works for your schedule. Its colorful pages and thoughtful reflections will walk your family through a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you prepare spiritually for Christmas.
Pick up one of the Buckner Advent Guide’s at church any Sunday before Advent, and prepare your family for this incredible season.
Re-thinking Christmas Generosity:
Christmas is a time marked by giving. And getting. One of the greatest joys and greatest frustrations at Christmas is the tradition of gifts. Whether it’s the rush to knock out the list, the dent shopping leaves in your bank account, or the wondering if your brother-in-law really needs another tie; we’ve all felt the frustration of Christmas generosity.
That’s why this year, we’d like to give you a low-hassle, no guilt, high impact Christmas gift option. Buckner international offers a great service called their “gift catalog.” This catalog (unlike any catalog most of us are familiar with) lists many, many ways that through giving, Christians can bless the less fortunate at home and abroad.
The idea of the catalog is this – in the place of a normal Christmas gift for a relative, you buy something from the catalog. Options include things like a $10 food package for the hungry, or a $10 scholarship for a student to receive literacy aid, or $15 to provide a small farm animal for a family in a developing nation. After selecting the aid package you would like, you give the amount in honor of the relative you are Christmas shopping for.
Imagine that kind of Christmas morning. Instead of another Colts tie, your dad would get a note, or card, explaining that a child’s schooling for a year had been paid for in his honor. Can you imagine the joy of opening that gift?
So we are encouraging the congregation at Peru First Baptist to consider the Buckner Gift Catalog this year. You don’t have to stop your existing traditions, or totally stop buying gifts for loved ones. But consider mixing some Buckner gifts in to your Christmas generosity. The needy will be glad you did. And we think you will be as well.
To see the catalog in full, go to: http://www.buckner.org/give/giftcatalog.shtml
In Closing:
Christmas is a powerful season. It has the power to fulfill, and the power to disappoint. It has the power to bring peace and the power to overwhelm. It’s my prayer that this year, Advent is a powerfully good time for you, your family, and the spiritual life of Peru First Baptist church. I want to again encourage you to make use of each of these great resources that are available to you. May your Christmas season truly be blessed!
In Christ,
Pastor Aaron
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