Christmas is coming, and the temperatures show it. We've been down in the single digits the last few days (still no snow, though). Church has been going well. Last Sunday we had 39 people, with 19 of them being age 30 or younger! Jamie and two others are planning a Christmas kid's musical for the 17th. Right now 14 kids are participating! Jamie is going to have them to our house next Friday for a movie night.
On Wednesday the 13th we're having the first annual Hilty Christmas Open House. Jamie has been hard at work baking and decorating. The menu for the night includes two cheesecakes, angel food cake, fudge, oatmeal, chocolate chip, mint, peanut butter, and pumpkin cookies, snickerdoodles, ham roll-ups, veggies, chips, and reindeer made of pretzels. I know I forgot some, but this is most of it. She's got all the cookies prepared and frozen...just needs to bake them (my wife is such a great cook!). We sent out invitations to our congregation and some other friends, so hopefully we'll have around 40-50 people come.
We plan to go Christmas caroling on the 20th and have a candlelight/communion service on the 22nd. So, add one man's surgery, another woman in the hospital now, 3 more sermons to prepare, dinner with the whole church on the 16th, and all that's missing is the partridge in a pear tree.
We will get to see family this year, and Tiffany is coming up with us when we return so Gale and Janet can go to The Gathering.
I know I'm excited for all that December has. I think that God allows special things to happen at a greater frequency around this time. I don't know why, but for some reason God's presence and power is more visible to me in December than at any other time of year. Maybe it's because I'm expecting it. Maybe I don't take enough time to "look for" God January through November. It's not like God is silent or taking a break at other times, so it must be me.
My prayer for this December is that I would expect God to be God in 2007. Every day. Advent literally means "arrival." What better way to celebrate than to expect God to work now that He's here?
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2 comments:
Hey guys! Sounds like you will have a busy holiday season, but what pastor doesn't? I hope it all goes wonderful. The Hilty open house sounds nice :)
That is great that you are having that many kids participate and it sounds like your hard work (and God's grace) is bringing in a lot of people! That has to be exciting in the midst of so much struggle. Hopefully their commitment to the church will last through the holidays...it would be great to retain people your age!
Missed you on Saturday...hopefully we can see you soon...
Michelle
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