YELLOW LIGHT OF ADVENT y little four year-old loves to play a game we’ve been playing for a while. It all began over a year ago when she started taking notice of stop signs on the road. She had known her letters for a long time and had loved to call them out whenever she saw them. As we would pass a stop sign in those days, she would spell out S – T – O – P. I, of course, would tell her those letters spelled “stop,” trying to get her to read the word instead of the letters. But she persisted in calling out the letters. So, I tried to come at it from another M angle. I started pointing out stop lights, too, making the connection between the color “red” and the action “stop.” I came up with a little saying emphasizing the words behind the colors on the traffic light: “red means ‘stop,’ green means ‘go,’ yellow means ‘slow down.’” She likes the little saying still. We still invoke it along the way of our travels together in the car. And we don’t just say it when we take it up again (that’s no fun!). We shout 1 Inside This Issue: From the Pastor ......... p.1 Preschool News............ p.4 Missions Committee........ p.6 College Students.......... p.7 The First New Adventures Group .......................p.8 Children in Action & Mission Friends................p.8 Women on Mission ......... p.8 I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die; For poor on’ry people like you and like I, I wonder as I wander out under the sky. Haymarket Herald December 2012
Transcript
YELLOW LIGHT OF ADVENT
y little four year-old loves to play a game we’ve been playing for a while. It all began over a year ago when she started
taking notice of stop signs on the road. She had known her letters for a long time and had loved to call them out whenever she saw them. As we would pass a stop sign in those days, she would spell out S – T – O – P. I, of course, would tell her those letters spelled “stop,” trying to get her to read the word instead of the letters. But she persisted in calling out the letters. So, I tried to come at it from another angle. I started pointing out stop lights, too, making the connection between the color “red” and the action “stop.” I came up with a little saying emphasizing the words behind the colors on the traffic light: “red means ‘stop,’ green means ‘go,’ yellow means ‘slow down.’” She likes the little saying still. We still invoke it along the way of our travels together in the car. And we don’t just say it when we take it up again (that’s no fun!). We shout
Mout the main words. “Red means STOPPPP! Green means GOOOO! Yellow means SLOW DOWNNNN!”
Now, I know what you’re thinking here. Yellow doesn’t mean “slow down.” It means “speed up!” That, at least, is the way most of us interpret yellow lights when we are driving. We see one and hit the gas pedal to hurry through the light as fast as we can so that we’re not caught by the red light to come. Now, whether or not we are perverting the true meaning behind the light by hurrying through it is open to debate. I think it is fair to say, though, that the primary intention of the yellow light lies closer to the “slow down” school of reaction than the “speed up” one. When we see yellow, we know red is coming. We know the time to stop is fast arriving. We are, more often than not, to make ready to stop.
Well, I bring all this up because we are under a yellow light spiritually speaking these days, and most of us are speeding up rather than slowing down. Christmas is coming and we are busying ourselves with too much. We are going faster than we should, spending more than we can afford, and
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Inside This Issue: From the Pastor ................................. p.1 Associate Pastor.................................. p.2 Youth Camp Fundraiser.................... p.4 Preschool News.................................... p.4 Missions Committee............................ p.6 College Students.................................. p.7 The First New Adventures Group..... p.8 Children in Action & Mission Friends p.8 Women on Mission ............................. p.8 Living Nativity..................................... p.9 Youth Council..................................... p.9 Youth and Children’s XMas Party. . . p.10
Haymarket Herald December 2012
doing more than is good for us. As a result, we will arrive at Christmas all worn out and anxious. We will arrive never having taken time to properly reflect on the coming of the Lord. We will have violated the purpose of Advent. The meaning of the season is for us to prepare to stop and offer a proper celebration of the birth of the Savior. We do that by slowing down and coming more and more into a sense of wonder and awe as we approach Bethlehem.
Advent is about spiritual reflection. It’s about repentance. It leads us into this activity as it prompts us to focus on the full meaning of Christ’s birth. It does this by having us consider not just the first coming of Christ to the manger as a baby, but his coming again in power and glory at the appointed time in the future to bring to completion the work of the world’s redemption. The fact of the matter is that Christ came that first time in order to set the stage for his final and ultimate coming at the end of all things to establish the Kingdom of God. In light of the whole meaning of Christ’s coming into the world to reign over us, we are to consider the state of our faithfulness to the way of Christ today and make amendment.
We will not be able to do that unless we slow down. It’s a simple fact of the matter. We cannot take stock of our living and the call of Christ upon our lives if we are always in motion, always busy with something, always coming and going and spending. We cannot enter fully into the terror and joy of the whole meaning of God’s invasion of this world through Jesus Christ unless we come to a stop.
Now, I don’t want to come off as a Scrooge here. I love all the festive activity of the season as much as the next person. And I understand that there’s a lot to do and to get done. There are presents to buy and foods to cook and parties to go to. I’m not suggesting that we can, or should, forgo these things. What I am saying is that we can reign them in. We can bring them under control. We can say “no” to some things, or “stop” to others along the way so that we may gear down to a slower speed as we draw nearer and nearer to Christmas Day. What I am suggesting is that we be intentional about creating more quiet and reverent space around ourselves as we make our way to Bethlehem.
Let us ponder this truth at the beginning of this month: Advent is a yellow light season that
calls us to slow down as we draw near to Christmas Day. Let us do this so that we may come to a stop and truly rejoice on the day of our dear Savior’s birth.
Dr. Stewart
TIFFANY’S TRUTHIn the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”… Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:26-31, 38
his time of year I often find myself relating to the people present at Jesus’ birth. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and even the inn
keeper all experienced Christ’s birth differently. Perhaps we each still experience Christ’s birth differently today. I often find Mary’s testimony most inspiring, especially as it relates to youth in today’s world. Can you image how afraid Mary must have been? A teenage girl, about thirteen, getting the news her life was going to change forever. As she was engaged to be married, she was going to be a social outcast. Would her fiancé stay with her? There must have been a million reasons for her to turn away and not let this happen, but she responded, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” This holiday season, as we celebrate Advent, take
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time to put yourself in Mary’s shoes. Do we not often find ourselves in life-altering situations? Does God ask us to do something and we turn our backs? I guarantee you that Christ has a plan for your life, and that it includes ways you can further his kingdom. The question is are you going to run or find the strength through your faith to say, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord”?
RECAP: The children have been enjoying Sunday activities. The youth attendance to Ignite has been fantastic and the kids enjoyed a youth lock-in. A special thank you to the church family for all the prayers, cards and support as I had gallbladder surgery and have been recovering. There are not words enough to truly express the love that I have experienced over the last couple of months while I have been sick.
UPCOMING: This month is definitely a busy one, but one of celebration. In addition to the mission study on Sunday nights, the children will have a Christmas party on Saturday, December 15, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Also, everyone is invited to participate in the Live Nativity. Please pray about how you can participate in this great ministry. The Youth Council is up and running; next meeting is December 2, at 4:15 p.m. The youth are starting fundraising with childcare for parents to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, December 8, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m and again on Friday, December 14, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Also, remember to make a donation for the youth to go to camp as you send your Christmas cards to church members here at church (the mail box is in the overflow room). The youth will be celebrating Christmas together on December 8, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Also, they will be securing the sanctuary Christmas tree on Friday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m.; and then decorating the tree on Saturday, December 22, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
TIFFANY’S TRUTH: Concerning last month’s question, if you guessed “false” you are correct. One of the books that I enjoy is, Oh, the Places You Will Go, by Dr. Seuss. But my favorite book is, Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.
TRUE OR FALSE: (All children and youth find Tiffany and tell her your answer for a candy
surprise.) I have a gigantic collection of nutcrackers. True or false?
Tiffany
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Christmas Card Delivery
Send Your Church Family Christmas Cards
Don’t waste the time at the post office, put them in the box in the overflow
room.
As a tradition the youth will deliver your cards for you!
Please consider a donation to help the youth go to camp this coming summer!
All your cards must be deposited in the box by Sunday, December 16, to insure
delivery before Christmas.
Thank you for supporting the youth!
YOUTH CAMP FUNDRAISERS FOR
DECEMBER
NEED TO CHRISTMAS SHOP?
HERE IS YOUR CHANCE!
Parents’ Day OutSaturday, December 812:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Childcare is provided by Haymarket Youth Group
(Please feed your children lunch before they come.)Games, Crafts, Snacks, & More
Cost: A donations to help our youth go to
Summer Camp in 2013
Parents’ Night OutFriday, December 14
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.Childcare is provided by Haymarket Youth Group
(Please feed your children dinner before they come.)
Games, Crafts, Snacks, & MoreCost: A donations to help our youth go to
Summer Camp in 2013
Please pass the word in the community!
Dear Church Family,
ow blessed we are to minister to this community and our families. The past few weeks have provided such rich experiences
in giving, missions and ministry at Haymarket Baptist Church Preschool & Kindergarten. At the end of October we were able to support one of our preschool families with a collection totaling over $4000 in donations. This money went into an educational trust fund for the three children from our school whose mother had passed away (she had advanced breast cancer, diagnosed at 29, and died at 34).
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Early in November we had the opportunity to reach out to an area of New York that was hit especially hard by Hurricane Sandy. Mr. David
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Leake, Haymarket mayor, organized a relief effort through his work. His company donated a generator, and he asked if our school wanted to help with canned goods. Well, the response from our preschool families and their friends and neighbors was so fantastic that Mr. Leake had to find a friend who was willing to loan his trailer! We were able to assist, thanks to social networking, and fill that trailer and several pick up trucks. The items were requested on a Saturday afternoon; by Saturday night they were enroute to Queens, New York, arriving at 5:00 a.m. We were able to be a part of helping a place that provides shelter to veterans, a soup kitchen and a food pantry. They had no power, and absolutely no food left. What a blessing to assist so quickly! Our mayor is a wonderful Christian man and we appreciate his willingness to take on a project like this and allow us to help! Because of Facebook, folks came from Warrenton, Bristow, South Riding, Manassas, Haymarket and Gainesville. They donated coats, food, water, gasoline, diapers, and many other goods! Some people even donated money and EZ-Passes for drivers. It was just a great effort, and was accomplished in less than 8 hours! On a third front of ministry, our students in the four-year-old program participated in Operation Christmas Child and brought in 156 shoeboxes to add to the church's total. Many of our students also contributed to the canned food drive for the church baskets. All of this makes me realize what a wonderful place we have here at Haymarket Baptist Church where we are certainly demonstrating the love of Christ in many ways. What a powerful lesson for the children to receive - the power of a simple gift, a shoebox, a can of green beans, a warm coat for someone who doesn't have one, and the gift of education to those three who lost their mom. Often it's not about letters, numbers and shapes, but about the importance loving others, which is the heartbeat of God.
What a blessed Thanksgiving time we enjoyed at our preschool! Four cute Thanksgiving programs were presented to parents on November 19 and 20. And we had a full house at each event. We focused our songs on being thankful to God for all things. The children recited Psalm 100:4, sang thankful songs and shared cute poems about Indians and good food. We retold the thanksgiving story and parents brought in many bread treats to share
with us.Now we are on to our Christmas program
songs, the birth of Christ, celebrating Silly Sock Day and making lots of crafts. We will continue our missions and ministry in December by participating in the Town of Haymarket Tree Lighting to kick off the holidays. Our kindergarten students and our special performing choir (Cub Choir) will be performing on December 1 at 5:00 p.m. This event takes place in the center of town at the intersection of Old Carolina and Washington Street. Please stop by; you will be blessed. We take this opportunity to sing songs that reflect the real reason of the season. Kindergarten students will also be collecting coins and filling rice bowls for Lottie Moon. Mrs. Frances Kennedy will again become “Lottie Moon” for chapel time, teaching the children about her work in China.
On December 12, following the Live Nativity, we will sing for the church family and the community as you enjoy your cookies and coffee. This time our pre-kindergarten students and the Cub Choir will perform some of our program songs.
December 13 and 14 are the Christmas Programs. If you are able, we'd love to have you attend! (A schedule of the programs is provided below.) We have the cutest kids around, and they sing wholeheartedly. It would mean so much to us at the school to have church members come see what these little ones can do. We appreciate your support. As a reminder to council members, our annual Staff Christmas Luncheon is from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. on December 4, in the fellowship hall. We hope that you have a most blessed Christmas, filled with memories, families, fun and reflection on all of God's favor and blessing on each of us.
Merry Christmas, in His service,
Mrs. Laurie Frasz, DirectorHaymarket Baptist Church Preschool &
Kindergarten
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December 13 Programs:Preschool:
9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.1:00 p.m.
Kindergarten:7:00 p.m.
December 14 Programs:Preschool:
9:30 a.m.1:00 p.m.2:00 p.m.
Christmas Week Office HoursThe church office will be closed December 24, 25
and 28, Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
COMMITTEEYou are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5: 14-16
e here at Haymarket Baptist Church are blessed in so many ways and have so much for which to be thankful. We have
homes, family, and friends. At this time of the year we are planning for the special dinners and celebrations that we will enjoy. In the mix of all this will be brightly wrapped packages that conceal wonderful gifts to and from loved ones. We are also blessed by the many opportunities that we have. We can worship freely in the manner and place of our choice. We can engage in the activities that we enjoy such as baking, shopping, or watching sports events. One of those opportunities was the Community Thanksgiving Dinner held at Haymarket Baptist Church on November 17th. Though we still have not reached all the people that we would like to, we did have more guests this year than we did the last time. In fact, the dinning room was never empty as the visitors lingered over the food, often returning for seconds, and enjoying the conversation provided by the deacons who were assisting with the meal. This was our opportunity to reach out to people who may not know the Lord as a personal savior. The guests left the church with a goody bag that contained candy, information about the church, and guidance for the road to salvation. Each diner had the opportunity to share their prayer needs with deacons who took note of those requests. Please keep these individuals in your prayers. I pray that the guests received a blessing from the physical sustenance and the spiritual food that was provided for them. I know that those of us serving them that day certainly did. It was wonderful opportunity to personally serve our Lord by meeting the needs of His children who are less fortunate than we are.
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A hearty “Thank-you” from the Missions Committee is due to those who generously donated food and time to make this effort the success that it was. Though this event is led by the Missions Committee, there is no way that the committee could accomplish this without the support of the members of the church. So thank you to the children, youth, and adults who helped with the decorating, peeling potatoes (50 pounds of them!), serving food, visiting, and most especially, the clean-up afterwards. That is always the hardest job after a long day, so it was wonderful to see Jim and Sharon Jinks arrive with ready smiles to take over that part of the labor! If you did not have the opportunity to enjoy this opportunity this year,
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December 13 Programs:Preschool:
9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.1:00 p.m.
Kindergarten:7:00 p.m.
December 14 Programs:Preschool:
9:30 a.m.1:00 p.m.2:00 p.m.
make the effort next year to join in this activity. You will certainly receive a tremendous blessing from the experience.
Several times I have been in places that either had experienced a loss of electricity or had no lighting at all. Navigating by flashlight or lantern is an interesting adventure for those of us who have become reliant on the bright lights of modern living provided by electricity. The narrow beam of the flashlight illuminates the path just in front of and around my feet. If I turned it so that I could see what was around my head, I no longer was sure of where to place my feet. While the lantern afforded a broader cast of light, it was still centered around
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the source of the light. Cell phones, though equipped with lighted screens, are almost useless in such situations. I even have a ball cap that is fitted with lights. These lights shine only where I am looking, however. So either the ground in front of me is in darkness or the place where I am headed is in darkness. A little bit of practice, generated out of necessity, brought a degree of success in learning to navigate in such poorly-lit situations. I learned quickly to move the meager light from place to place, checking ahead, beneath my feet, around my head, quickly to the sides, and then back to what lay in front of me. The situation was complicated on a couple of occasions, however, when I was accompanied by someone else. Now I not only had to light my own way, but also provide enough light for another person to navigate safely through the darkness. This meant that I had to redirect the light from my path to the way that the other person was traveling. Either I stepped forward into darkness or the other person did. Feeling responsible for the person accompanying me, I chose to shine the light so that their path was illuminated.
We are called by Jesus to do much the same thing. Christ referred to Himself as the “Light of the World.” When the infant Jesus was presented at the temple for purification, Simeon said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” We are in the season when we celebrate the coming of that Light into a dark world. Make no mistake, however; we were not and are not to keep that light only to ourselves. The Salvation of Christ, the Light that He is, was never intended for only a few people or for a privileged population. Israel was to be the city on the hill that pointed all other nations to the one True God. We are now to be the instrument of light that points others to the true Light of Jesus Christ.
Just as I should not hoard the beam of the flashlight for my own steps, but instead should illuminate the way for others, even if it means putting my own steps into possibly hazardous situations, we should all, through our lives, words, and actions, reveal the Light of Jesus Christ. Even if it means putting ourselves in risky situations such as speaking to people that we don’t know or opening ourselves to ridicule for believing in God in today’s anti-theological society, we are to be less concerned for our own well-being and more concerned about
being the shining light for others. We are blessed in that we know about the gift of Light and Life that has been bestowed on all mankind. Now we need to “put it [the light]on its stand . . . [so that] it gives light to everyone.”
Here in Haymarket Baptist Church we have many blessings, but those blessings are not to be hoarded close and kept only for ourselves. We are to be “the light of the world,” revealing the path so that others may see Jesus, the ultimate Light of the World.” So take up your light and illuminate the path to Jesus for others.
Edith Kennedy, Chairperson
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Pray -4- our College
StudentsExam Kits 2012
At the end of November and the beginning of December students in higher education face exam time as the semester ends. This year we are sending exam kits with some snacks and a short note to remind our college students that we have them in our thoughts and prayers. Please remember to pray for them, especially over the next few weeks as their semesters come to an end.
Also, we are excited to welcome them home for Christmas and hope to see them with their families here at Haymarket. College students…you can do it! We are thinking about you and praying for you!
CHILDREN IN ACTION MISSION FRIENDS
lease note that with the holidays coming there will not be any meetings on the Sunday before or the Sunday after Christmas. We
will resume in January, when the children return to school from the holidays. A special Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the children and to all the leaders.
P THANK YOU!peration Christmas Child: Wow! What a great outpouring of love in all those boxes from you. We collected 216 boxes
between our church family and our preschool family. A special thanks to each of you who prepared a box and for the ones who came and helped load the boxes to take to the collection center last Thursday. It was just such a special time, with smiles on everyone's faces. There will be many little children who will have smiles on their faces because you cared enough to fill a box.
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Thanks for your support and we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
Please join us December 24 at 5:30 p.m. for our special
Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service.
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THE FIRST NEW ADVENTURES
GROUP
December 1111:30 a.m.
Great American Buffett in Manassas
Bring a five dollar gift to exchange!
Congratulations to this year’s Youth Council members:
Marisa WorkmanCarter StewartHunter WorkmanTaylor LambertGrace Nelson
The next meeting will be heldDecember 2 at 4:15 p.m.
Christmas Cantata December 23
During Worship
A NIGHT FOR REJOICING A Cantata for Christmas
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Haymarket BC
Youth Council
Haymarket Baptist Church presents:
The Living Nativity
Wednesday, December 127:00 p.m.
EVERYONE is invited & Everything is FREE!
Live Animals: camel, goat, donkey, and sheep
Musical Caroling by Haymarket Baptist Church Pre-Kindergarten Students
Hot chocolate & cookies
Come share in a remembrance of the peaceful and majestic night that Jesus was
born!
***Haymarket family: Please sign up to help with program, make cookies, and more
on the bulletin board or contact Tiffany Slaughter at [email protected] or cell (703)220-8434. Be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to this truly special
