Hail the Day – Cook
hail_the_day.pdf

Lent’s origin and purpose is expressed in the Invitation to the Observance of Lent which the Priest addresses to the People on Ash Wednesday:

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.

The Book of Common Prayer (1979), pages 264-265

MARCH:
Wednesday, March 7th  -  Youth Night from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Wednesday, March 21st –  Youth Night from 6 pm to 8 pm.

APRIL:
Wednesday, April 4th – Youth Night from 6pm to 8pm.
Wednesday, April 18th – Youth Night from 6pm to 8pm.
 

http://sojournkids.com/2011/07/watts-wednesday-advantages-of-teaching-children-through-song/

Come One, Come All - Mercy Me
For All the Saints – Hymn 287
By Faith – Getty/Townend
When Trials Come – Getty
You Will Never Change – Sczebel
I Will Rise – Giglio/Tomlin
When the Saints Go Marching In

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Joy to the World, the Lord has Come! 

This has got to be one of my favorite hymns of all time.  It is hard to sing this song frowning. Try it!  Pretty unnatural, right! Joy to the World! We can look back and celebrate the Lord’s coming.  But most people at the time had no idea “the Lord WAS coming.”

Besides Joseph, Mary, Zachariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist (in the womb), and a few others, most were not getting ready for Jesus. They got ready for the census, got ready for planting, got ready for new cattle and lambs but not for JESUS the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

 As I said, we have the opportunity to celebrate the coming of Jesus our King, and Advent is about getting ready for the KING. Time to get out the party lights and spruce up our homes– the King is coming!  We put on our best look, our best face!  After all, it is the King!

If you were going to have Martha Stewart to dinner, (I know that is a stretch), you would be concerned about decorations, menu, and how well the food is presented and tastes. If you were going to have Flozell Adams to dinner, #76 for the Cowboys, 6′ 7″ and 340 lbs., you might want to put on an extra roast.

The point is that we prepare differently, depending on the guest. Our King is coming!!  How do we prepare for the King? When asked the question about preparation by Martha, sister of Mary, Jesus responded that very little was needed, and that Mary was doing it.  Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, taking in every thing he was doing and saying.  She was opening her heart to Jesus: Teacher, Lord, and King!

As the song says, “let every heart prepare him room.”  We are to prepare our hearts for Him. It won’t be our electrical presentation, our culinary expertise, our wrapping paper or the number of gifts given away that will impress the King!  It will be your heart!  Take time to sit at His feet, take in His words, open your hearts, and prepare Him room!

And listen for Heaven and nature’s song!!! Have a blessed Christmas!!!!

fr. john

These past few weeks, it has been a joy to implement our new curriculum for our children at Faith. It has given them a variety of ways to learn the story of the day: a lesson, new songs, related crafts, games and testimonies. It has also given the adults more ways to pour into their lives and show them how loved they truly are by God and by us!

Last week, Father John gave each kid a key. He had only one lock and only one of the keys was going to fit into that lock. As each child had a chance to see if it was their key that fit the lock, I was amazed at how clearly this simple game taught the lesson that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. He truly is THE way, THE truth and THE life!

Loving adults teaching our little ones to worship our Lord!

God In Me – Doss
O Praise Him – Crowder
Devotion – Furler/Taylor
In the Shadow of the Glorious Cross – Ritter/Elliot
Death Has Lost His Sting – Watts/Dennison
All Creatures of Our God and King – Hymn 400/Crowder
This Is Our God – Tomlin/Reeves
You Lifted Me Out  - Tomlin/Reeves

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