From the Pastor. The Rev. Dr. Keith C. Alderman

Free Christmas Gifts!!!

In a tough economic season, everyone can use some free Christmas gifts. This Season:

Mend a quarrel. ✰ Seek out a Forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. ✰ Write a love letter. ✰ Give a soft answer. ✰ Encourage a child. ✰ Show your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. ✰ ✰ Forgo a grudge. ✰ Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Give up envy. ✰ Examine your demands on others. Think of someone else first. ✰ Appreciate. ✰ Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh. Laugh a little more. Take up arms against malice. say “no” to complacency. express your gratitude. ✰ Say a prayer. ✰ Welcome a stranger. ✰ Gladden the heart of a child. ✰ Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. ✰ Speak your love out loud. ✰ Speak it again. ✰ Speak it once again. ✰✰✰✰✰✰

These are gifts which can be given at any time, and can do much to bring peace to

yourself, your family, and the world.

Merry Christmas!

Rev. Keith

From the Associate Pastor Jonathan Elsensohn A few years ago, I missed several winters in a row. After seminary I relocated and found myself first in Hawaii then in Memphis, TN for a total of three consecutive winters. There is an oddness to seasonal change in Hawaii, where each day is much the same as the ones before and after it. Instead of the weather, it is easier (and tastier) to tell the seasons by what fruit is ripe on the trees. In Memphis, the winter is more recognizable, though there is little snow: merely dull grey skies, sullen slush, and temperatures that hover just this side of freezing. I’m a winter person, happiest when I can be out on either my snowshoes or backcountry skiis, trekking through a familiar landscape changed by the addition of a few feet of snow. So, my sojourn in southern climes was difficult, especially around Christmas. Christmas for me was the light of candles seen through frosted windows, not two for one specials on mai-tais. When I was finally able to make it back to New England, I treasured that “real” Christmas. Whether it was something iconic, like trudging through the woods to find a Christmas tree, or simple, like helping my mother do some last minute straightening up around the house, I finally felt home. For many of us, home is the heart of the Christmas season, the place from which we celebrate both the moments of haste and hurry as well as the times of stillness and anticipation. I’m looking forward to spending this Christmas invited into your home here at Pilgrim Congregational Church. Are you “coming home” for Christmas? In addition to the Hanging of the Evergreens (12/1, and be sure to stay for the Dish to Pass afterwards) and the Christmas Cantata (12/22), I do hope you will be able to join us for worship on the 15th, when the children of Pilgrim Church will perform their Christmas pageant. Come see an old, old story made new once again (and maybe stick around to pick up a few cookies). Blessings,

-Jon

Moderator’s Moment: (December) Pilgrim Church and Discipleship

This is my last thread on Discipleship before I go on to a new format for my Moderators

Moments. Change is good…

What is Christian Discipleship? My non-Webster abridged/non-Wikipedia definition is…

How we, as Christians, behave in this: “priorities totally messed up”, “lies are more exciting

than the truth”, “tromp on nature and Gods creation”, world, a world that never fails to remind

us everyday how not to be light, how not to be love and how not to demonstrate Christ like

discipleship. The same world that gives us every excuse to do anything we want but spend

time with our God and our church family. Yes, Satan knows how to kill discipleship! Don’t

blatantly confront God in the world like a Marathon Bomber (that just brings out the best in

people for a little while), it’s better to just crowd God out so there is no more time or room for

him anymore. Make God an old video game, make him boring.

It’s December again, and past “Moments” have been about light, love and discipleship. I could

write about other things I suppose, but I chose this because most of all I needed a way to remind

myself what my church life is all about.

To start, I am not perfect, and this world is not perfect at all, but God has promised to work with

his church (yes that is us, Pilgrim Congregational Church) if we “are” his disciples. There isn’t

a page in the Bible that disputes this fact. Working at being his disciples comes with a reward

too. The reward is that we will continue to be blessed and we will grow. Not for the sake of

growing, but growing so that more people will have the opportunity to be with God in a loving

church family and do the things that fulfill them spiritually. Disputing popular belief: It is

absolutely not a sin for a church to have fun growing! It is only important that all this activity

brings us closer to God and closer to each other.

After the Moderators Moment you will find, as always, a whole bunch of activities and

announcements that demonstrates exactly our church in Light, Love and Discipleship. These

things continue to define us as long as we are a church. Obviously though, what defines us

even more, is what happens during these activities. What we are doing here is nothing less

than discipleship, pure and simple, and as disciples and as a church we need get serious and

be fantastic at it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Disciples of Christ! May this time remind us that “he

lives in our hearts” because we actually do believe!

Faithfully,

Janel Milner

3

Upcoming Events

Dish to Pass

The Christian Education Committee will be

hosting a Dish to Pass on Sunday, December

1st following the Hanging of the Greens

Service. Bring your favorite dish and share a

meal in community during the sacred holiday

season.

Youth Group Meeting

Sunday, December 8th at 11:30 in the upstairs

conference room. All high school students are

welcome to attend.

Living Nativity Trip

Sunday, December 8th

Watch and Listen for details in the weekly

service order and announcements.

Christmas Pageant

Sunday, December 15, 2013

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” will be

performed by the children of Pilgrim

Congregational Church.

Office Hours – Pastor Jon is in

on Tuesdays and

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

and can be reached through

the office at 978-534-5164.

Christian Education Committee Meeting Sunday, January 19th at 11:00 a.m. in the upstairs conference room. Sunday School Teacher Meeting Next meeting January 26th at 11:00 a.m. in the upstairs conference room.

Colette Vallee

for the beautiful Fall themed

Sunday School bulletin board.

Stephanie Palis,

Emily Davis and

Brittany Dauphinais for organizing the closets and costumes in

the Sunday School area.

Substitutes / Superintendents Needed Prayerfully consider volunteering as a Substitute/Superintendent for our Sunday School. We are asking for a commitment of one weekend a month of being on duty upstairs during Sunday School. Duties include substituting if necessary, distributing and collecting attendance, counting donations and miscellaneous duties.

DECEMBER

12/1 Ruth Bergman Beth Ortega

12/2 Helen Beauregard

12/3 Shane Nadeau Deb Walker Shaqim Walker

12/4 Tina Pilgrim

12/8 Sandra Grady Lisa Dauphinais

12/10 Jamie Cormier

12/11 Sally Hens Charles A. Milhans, Jr.

12/12 Donald Hicks, Jr. Brad Roy Colette Vallee

12/13 Debbie Dewhurst

12/14 Katie Maillet

12/16 Brian Kenney

12/17 Roland S. Hammons

12/18 Carol J. Claflin (Sr.) Lauren Dewey

12/19 Tim Nicastro

12/20 Aaron Clifford

12/21 Penny Faul

12/25 Dan Nicastro

12/30 Barbara Parker

COFFEE HOUR

The Christian Education

Committee will be in

charge of Coffee Hour

during the month of

December. Remember the Dish to Pass

Brunch after service on Dec. 1st – Friendship

Sunday/Hanging of the Evergreens Service.

DEACON OF THE WEEK -

DECEMBER

Dec. 1st – Pastor Jon is assisting Rev. Keith

Dec. 8th

– Rod Schaffter. Communion

Servers: Evelyn Jiménez, Bonnie Hathaway,

Shaqim Walker, Dave Kelly, Bonnie Clifton

Dec. 15th – Karen McNall

Dec. 22nd

– Mary Mullahy

Christmas Eve – Mike Palis. Deb Walker,

Joe Banda and Mary will be helping with

other duties.

Dec. 29th – Bonnie Clifton and Jon

Elsensohn

FOOD PANTRY

Our Food Pantry has done a brisk business

in November. Thank you for your

donations. For the month of December, we

are suggesting you bring in cans of tuna and

cereal.

5

FRIENDSHIP SUNDAY/HANGING OF

THE EVERGREENS SERVICE

Sunday, December 1, has been selected as

Friendship Sunday. What better time of the

year than the Advent season to invite a

friend to experience the anticipation and

beauty that we at Pilgrim behold on the

Sunday designated as “The Hanging of the

Greens Service”. Please plan now to invite a colleague, a neighbor, a friend, or a relative to be embraced by the spiritual family here at Pilgrim. We have post cards available for all who would like to send out invitations. Invite as many as you would like to this inspirational service.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE “MESSENGER” Pilgrim Congregational Church invites members and friends to advertise your business in our monthly newsletter. The cost is $25.00 per calendar quarter. Simply submit a business card or equivalent-size notice to the church office, along with payment, for however many quarters you’d like the ad to run. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote your business while contributing financially to the church’s operations. We thank the following for advertising in the “Messenger”:

HANNAFORD/SCRIPS FUNDRAISER

Upcoming order dates are Dec. 8th and Jan. 12th. Order forms are on the

Opportunity Table. Complete them and give them to Mary, or drop them in the

Vice Moderator’s mailbox in the church office with a check made payable to

Pilgrim Church.

► ►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►

BAPTISMS

Congratulations to Andrew

and Mireille Permatteo who

were baptized on Sunday,

Nov. 10th. Andrew and Mireille are the

children of Jason and Denise Permatte, and

are six years old. Welcome to our church

family!

CENTERING PRAYER FOR ADVENT

When We Return to the Source –

Healing Prayer for Advent

Advent is a time when we prepare our

hearts and minds and souls to receive the gift that God has given to us in our

Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas.

For some, the Christmas season is one filled with joy. Others find this season

difficult. While the commercial world marches toward December 25, many find

this time of year to be one in which feelings of loneliness and loss can take

center stage.

This year, on Tuesday evenings during

the Advent Season (December 3, 10, and

17 at 7:30 PM) we will offer “Centering

Prayer for Advent.” We will discuss ideas found in the book Centering Prayer and

the Healing of the Unconscious by Murchadh Ó Madagáin. We will also use

the work of Fr. Thomas Keating as a guide to Centering Prayer. Centering

Prayer can become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insights into

themselves and God which can be helpful to them and to bring healing to their

hearts and minds and souls. Remember December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30 PM. We

look forward to seeing you. – Rev. Keith

DEACONS

CHRISTMAS

CARDS TREE

Deacons will be in

the Narthex and

Fellowship Hall so you can purchase a Christmas

card from them to be hung on the trees. Names of

those sending greetings to fellow church members

will be printed in the bulletin each week through

December 29. Money is used to purchase gift cards

at holidays for those in need and other means of

support within the church community.

CHRISTMAS EVE

CANDLELIGHT

SERVICE

Please join us at 7:30

p.m. on Christmas Eve

(Tuesday, Dec. 24th

) as

we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. This

is a family service and we urge all families to

worship with us. Communion will be served.

Dec. 1 – 9:30 A.M. Hanging of the Evergreens Service/Friendship Sunday Dec. 3 – 7:30 P.M. Healing Prayer for Advent

Dec. 7 – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas Fair Dec. 8 – 2nd Sunday of Advent Christmas Craft Fair continues 6-8 P.M. Living Nativity, Westminster Dec. 10 – 7:30 P.M. Healing

Prayer for Advent Dec. 15 – 3rd Sunday of Advent 9:30 a.m. Pageant Christmas Cookie Walk after service Dec. 17 – 6:30 P.M. Council 7:30 P.M. Healing Prayer for Advent

Dec. 22 – 4th Sunday of Advent 9:30 A.M. Cantata Dec. 24th – Christmas Eve 7:30 P.M. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Dec. 25th – Merry Christmas!

'GOT SPPRAK

SPPRAK stands for SPECIAL PEOPLE

PERFORMING RANDOM ACTS of

KINDNESS. There are so many special

people in Pilgrim Church and Leominster who

daily do nice things for others without

expecting acknowledgement. Honor these

special people by writing their random act of

kindness on a sticky note and posting it on

the SPPRAK board in Fellowship Hall. In the

next few weeks, it would be wonderful to fill

the SPPRAK board with many random acts of

kindness.

► ►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►

Annual Christmas Craft Fair

Saturday, December 7, 2013

10:00AM - 4:00PM

After church on Sunday,

December 8

The Pilgrim Church elves have been busy

preparing items for the fair. Please leave all

items on the stage between Sunday, December

1 and Friday, December 6.

Before you shop any other place, invite your

friends and relatives to browse the

decorations, ornaments, food, jewelry, gifts,

knitted items, and raffle for a wooden train.

Free cookies and cocoa for shoppers.

In conjunction with the Winter Stroll, the

Rainbow Ringers Hand Bell Choir will hold

an open rehearsal at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

NEEDED: COOKIES to serve to fair

attendees and BAKED GOODS for the food

table. Please sign up on the Opportunity Table

or call Karen McNall 978 537-6351. Pick up

available.

► ►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►

ANNUAL COOKIE WALK

Sunday, December 15, 2013 in Fellowship Hall after church service

Cookies: $3.00 a Baker's Dozen. Bring your own container if possible

NEEDED: COOKIES - make a batch of your favorite Christmas cookies and bring in a container on Sunday morning. Please sign up on the Opportunity Table or call Karen McNall 978 537-6351 7

When We Return to the Source – Healing Prayer for Advent Advent is a time when we prepare our hearts and minds and souls to receive the gift that God has given to us in our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas. For some, the Christmas season is one filled with joy. Others find this season difficult. While the commercial world marches toward December 25, many find this time of year to be one in which feelings of loneliness and loss

can take center stage. This year, on Tuesday evenings during the Advent Season (December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30 PM) we will offer “Centering Prayer for Advent.” We will discuss ideas found in the book Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious by Murchadh Ó Madagáin. We will also use the work of Fr. Thomas Keating as a guide to Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer can become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insights into themselves and God which can be helpful to them and to bring healing to their hearts and minds and souls. Remember December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30 PM. We

look forward to seeing you.

10

WOMEN’S BOOK BASH

Due to the many wonderful opportunities available to us this month, the Women’s Book

Bash will take a break in the month of December. Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 12, 2014 at the home of Karen McNall, 267 Willard Street, Leominster. We

convene at 6:30 p.m. and end about 8:30 p.m. All women of the church are cordially invited to attend.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A

Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale

revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray,

honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of

those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris

to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

From a review of the book:

After two stellar novels set (mostly) in Kabul, Afghanistan, Hosseini’s third tacks among Afghanistan,

California, France and Greece to explore the effect of the Afghan diaspora on identity.

It begins powerfully in 1952. Saboor is a dirt-poor day laborer in a village two days walk from Kabul. His first

wife died giving birth to their daughter Pari, who’s now 4 and has been raised lovingly by her brother, 10-year-

old Abdullah; two peas in a pod, but “leftovers” in the eyes of Parwana, Saboor’s second wife. Saboor’s

brother-in-law Nabi is a cook/chauffeur for a wealthy, childless couple in Kabul; he helps arrange the sale of

Pari to the couple, breaking Abdullah’s heart. The drama does nothing to prepare us for the coming leaps in

time and place. Nabi’s own story comes next in a posthumous tell-all letter (creaky device) to Markos, the

Greek plastic surgeon who occupies the Kabul house from 2002 onwards. Nabi confesses his guilt in facilitating

the sale of Pari and describes the adoptive couple: his boss Suleiman, a gay man secretly in love with him, and

his wife, Nila, a half-French poet who high-tails it to France with Pari after Suleiman has a stroke. There follow

the stories of mother and daughter in Paris, Markos’ childhood in Greece (an irrelevance), the return to Kabul of

expat cousins from California and the Afghan warlord who stole the old village. Missing is the viselike tension

of the earlier novels. It’s true that betrayal is a constant theme, as it was in The Kite Runner, but it doesn’t work

as a glue. And identity? Hosseini struggles to convince us that Pari becomes a well-integrated Frenchwoman.

The stories spill from Hosseini’s bountiful imagination, but they compete against each other, denying the novel

a catalyst; the result is a bloated, unwieldy work.

11

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Each Christmas, a

family celebrated by holding a

birthday party for Jesus. To

remind themselves of Jesus’

presence, they placed a chair of

honor for him at their dinner

table.

The highlight of the

party was singing “Happy

Birthday” to Jesus and then

blowing out the candles on a

special cake.

One Christmas, a

visitor asked the family’s 5-

year-old daughter, “Did you get everything you

wanted for Christmas?”

The girl paused and then answered, “No! It’s

not my birthday!”

***

God’s heart toward us

Bryon and Ruthie were unemployed one

December. Want-ing their seven children to have

gifts to open on Christmas morning, they took $20

and shopped diligently at the thrift store, finding

seven small items to place under a tiny tree they’d

found in a field. Feeling desperate about all their

other needs and guilty for praying for presents, the

couple asked God to bless their kids.

On Christmas Eve, a couple they barely

knew, friends of friends from church, called and

asked to stop by. They pulled up in a 15-passenger

van and asked if Bryon and Ruthie’s kids could help

carry in “a couple of things.” In fact, the rear seats

had been removed and the vehicle was filled with

packages and groceries. The next morning, the

family unwrapped goodies both practical and fun.

“We felt as if the Lord was saying, ‘This is

my heart toward you. I want to bless you,’” Bryon

writes. “It is the Lord’s heart to bless his children.”

—Adapted from Miracles: 32 True Stories,

Joanie Hileman

***

Special dates

• First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2013

• Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2013

• Third Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2013

• First Day of Winter, December 21, 2013

• Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2013

• Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013

• Christmas Day, December 25, 2013

• New Year’s Eve/Watch Night, December 31, 2013

***

• “I have a better Caretaker than you and all the

angels. He it is who lies in a manger, but at the

same time sits at the right hand of God, the

almighty Father. Therefore be at rest.”

—Martin Luther

• “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state

of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be

plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of

Christmas.”

—Calvin Coolidge

• “Life is like a camera: Focus on what’s important,

capture the good times, develop from the negatives,

and if things don’t work out, take another shot.”

—Source unknown

***

God among us

The claim that Christianity makes for

Christmas is that at a particular time and place God

came to be with us himself. When Quirinius was

governor of Syria, in a town called Bethlehem, a

child was born who, beyond the power of anyone to

account for, was the high and lofty One made low

and helpless. The One who inhabits eternity comes

to dwell in time. The One whom none can look

upon and live is delivered in a stable under the soft,

indifferent gaze of cattle. The Father of all mercies

puts himself at our mercy.

—Frederick Buechner

***

12

A tale of the

candy cane

The account of the

candy cane’s origins

circulates every Christmas

season and is more likely

a fun story than historical

fact. No matter; tales often

contain truth. This tasty

treat can convey important

elements of our Christian

faith.

The stripes remind us of the heart of

Christmas, our Savior, Jesus: white for his purity;

red for his blood shed on the cross. The candy cane

resembles the curved staffs of the shepherds — the

first people to visit the Christ-Child and worship at

the manger. And when the cane is turned upside

down, it becomes a letter J, for “Jesus.”

Indeed, Jesus turns our lives upside down

and inverts our presumptions: A poor baby born in a

stable becomes King of kings and Lord of lords;

enemies aren’t for hating but loving; blessings

aren’t for hoarding but sharing; the world works for

war, but Jesus calls us to live in peace; receiving is

better than giving; sinners are made saints; and

death is conquered as God grants us eternal life.

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing to believe that love is the

strongest thing in the world — stronger than hate,

stronger than evil, stronger than death — and that

the blessed life which began in Bethlehem [two

thousand] years ago is the image and brightness of

the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas. And if you

can keep it for a day, why not always? But you can

never keep it alone.

—Henry Van Dyke

***

Live to give

In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus as saying,

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

(Interestingly, that’s the only recorded statement of

Jesus that’s not found in one of the four gospels.)

The blessings of giving are profound and

lasting. Poet Maya Angelou says, “I have found that

among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of

the giver.”

***

Lessons from the angels

To frightened shepherds on the first

Christmas Eve, a host of angels sang, “Glory to God

in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward

men” (Luke 2:14, KJV).

Nineteenth-century minister Charles

Kingsley explained how these key words tell the

meaning of Jesus’ birth and give meaning to our

lives.

• Glory. “That little babe, lying in the manger

among the cattle, was showing the very highest

glory of the great God who had made heaven and

earth. To stoop, to condescend, to have mercy, to

forgive — that is the highest glory of God.”

• Peace. “God is not selfish. He sacrificed

himself for us. Sacrifice yourselves then for each

other! Give up your own pride, your own

selfishness, your own interest for each other, and

you will be ... at peace.”

• Good will. “God loves you, and he wills to

raise you out of this selfish, quarrelsome life of sin,

into a loving, brotherly, peaceful life of

righteousness. That babe in the manger at

Bethlehem is a sign to you and me that God will

freely give us that spirit of love if we ask for it.”

***

Gifts for a King

Bring him thy precious things

And lay them at his feet;

The gold of love, the hope that springs

The unknown ways to meet.

Bring him thy lovely things;

The joy that conquers care,

The faith that trusts and sings,

The frankincense of prayer.

Bring him thy bitter things;

The myrrh of grief and fears,

The aching heart that stings

With pain of unshed tears.

These for thy gifts to him;

And for his gifts to thee,

The comfort of his steadfast love,

His tender sympathy.

—Annie Johnson Flint

***

Bible Quiz

According to

Scripture, what does

the name Jesus mean?

A. “God is with us.”

B. “Anointed One of

God”

C. “[The Lord] will

save his people from their sins.”

D. “Son of the Most High God”

Answer found elsewhere in this newsletter.

***

The Light of the world

Early Christians celebrated both Jesus’ birth

and baptism on Epiphany, January 6. Only in the

fourth century did Roman Christians appropriate a

pagan festival to celebrate what we now call

Christmas — a contraction of “Christ Mass.”

But the origin of when we celebrate Jesus’

birth doesn’t detract from the day’s holiness. In fact,

God has always transformed things of the world to

serve his purposes and show his glory.

The festival honoring the “Unconquered

Sun,” held on what was then considered the winter

solstice, was deemed the perfect time to praise the

“sun of righteousness” (see Malachi 4:2).

By claiming this day as our own, Christians

profess that earthly darkness — winter’s seasonal

darkness and the darkness in our hearts and lives —

is brightened not by a heavenly body that will one

day cease to shine but by Jesus, the real

unconquered and unconquerable Light of the world.

***

Incarnation

’Twas much,

that man was

made like God before,

But that God should

be like man,

much more.

—John Donne, from “Holy Sonnet 15”

***

Christian symbol

Poinsettias

This shrub, native to

Mexico,is at the heart of a

legend about a poor girl who

wanted to bring Baby Jesus a gift one Christmas

Eve. As she walked to church, she gathered a

bouquet of weeds — which Jesus miraculously

transformed into lovely red flowers. Thus the

poinsettia (named for Joel Poinsett, the U.S.

ambassador to Mexico who first brought the plant to

America) is known in Mexico as la flor de la

Nochebuena (flower of the Holy Night). The

poinsettia is also an ideal Christmas symbol because

its leaves turn red when deprived of sunlight and its

flowers (the red inner buds) bloom in December.

BIBLE QUIZ - Answer: C (See Matthew 1:21.)

14

It’s a wonderful life

I love that movie. Jimmy Stewart represents all our dreams and Lionel Barrymore is a first class villain, the devil in the flesh. What’s more, I believe in its message, that we do not know how our lives touch others, nor can we see all the good we do. Is that all there is to wonderful life? Look deeper into the message and you see what’s wonderful. The Lord hears our prayers. He is always with us surrounding us with his grace and uplifting us in any situation, even if we don’t know it. Standing on that rock is what makes mine, and yours, a wonderful life.

— Mike Bell First United Methodist Church,

Willard, OH

Commit to resist commercialism

In response to God’s great Christmas gift, I will: Remember whose birthday is being celebrated. Earmark at least 25 percent of my Christmas budget for those who are truly in need of my gifts. Set aside time each day to read Scripture, pray, be still and prepare for

the coming of the Prince of Peace. Include the hungry, the stranger, the sick and the imprisoned in my Christmas celebration. Strive to be a peacemaker in my family, community and world. Take back my celebration of Christmas from the marketplace by resisting consumer pressures to spend beyond my means.

— St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Chardon, OH

15