Christmas Through the Eyes of Little Munchkins

In our sermon series, we've been looking at Christmas through the eyes of various characters in the original Christmas story. We ended the series as a church on Christmas Eve with "Christmas Through the Eyes of Dublin Bible Church." Although we were out of town for this event, all reports I've had are that it was a great way to cap off our series.

Instead of being with my church family, Lynne and I were with her family in Kansas City (I'm in the KC airport as I write, waiting for my flight to Atlanta so that I can then drive to Dallas for a week of class). We brought Lynne's parents from St. Louis to her brother's family north of KC. We even got the treat of the most snow on Christmas Day in KC since before I was born.

The delight of our trip was being with our nieces, Elise (6) and Megan (4). We got to see Christmas through the eyes of these two munchkin bundles of fun. Of course they were excited about the presents (happily, they enjoyed giving as much as receiving). But at several turns throughout the week, we asked them in different ways what Christmas means. Without fail, they responded that we're celebrating the birth of Jesus, who came in order to pay for our sins on the Cross.

We thought we were teaching them.

After a wonderful Christmas dinner of prime rib, Elise asked if we were going to have some sort of party for Jesus' birthday. Quickly, their mother (Talli) said, "Sure!" I could tell that nothing was already planned, but that we couldn't miss this opportunity. So, we took the Christmas cake, put candles in it, and the girls led us in singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

How simply logical. If the holiday is really about celebrating His birth, we should do what we do for birthdays. You can't help but appreciate how their way of "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" is more immediate and rational than all the theologically didactic ways we can construct. We absolutely must teach them, and their request was born out of the more didactic moments. But Christmas through their eyes also means we should sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

They were teaching us.

May this be a wonderful birthday party for Jesus in your home this year.

A Silent Ministry Within the Church

For those in the DBC family, I want to make sure you're aware of something that our youth and children are doing this Christmas season.

You are aware that church-wide, we are "reverse decorating" our Christmas tree to raise funds for the Friends of Christ orphanage in Kenya. This has been a successful project every year to raise much-needed support for the many needs for our Kenyan orphans.

The youth and children have a project of their own this year. They have selected a family in Dublin (a mother with four young children) to help with their financial needs. They are collecting food items and small Christmas gifts to wrap and present to this family after the youth and children's Christmas party on Dec 20.

They want to be careful to not interfere with the Angel Tree project, but I'm sure they would also appreciate any help you can provide - some canned goods, a small toy, anything that a young family might need.

Mainly, though, I want to make sure that you are aware of one of the "silent" projects that the youth and children's ministries have taken on.

I'm grateful for that entire team. I pray that their leadership will instill a habit of giving and generosity in our young people, so that they learn these habits from the start (rather than having to "unlearn" them as adults in order to be generous).

Opportunities Before Us

This Summer, we have many opportunities for each of us to become more missional (which is what our recent Philippians series was all about). I look at these opportunities in two ways: 1) Of course, there is the goal to accomplish some tasks, but my primary motive is: 2) As we give of ourselves to God's mission, He changes us - He develops us more into the image of Christ. I would like for you to consider the following opportunities because I know what God can do both in you and through you when you serve Him in ways like these:

1. Pray for the Youth Mission Trip: In last week's bulletin, and in this week's bulletin, there is an insert of prayer requests for each day that the youth will be on this trip. Please take this insert, stick it in your Bible or on your fridge, and pray daily for them. I believe firmly that the report we get back will be far greater if we commit to pray.
2. Give to the Youth Mission Trip: Fundraising is not yet complete - as of this writing, they still need about $1800 for the entire group. Please considering donating or "hiring" one of the youth after they return to do odd jobs to raise funds.
3. Prepare for VBS: There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get the building and the teaching materials ready for VBS (coming up in less than two weeks!). This Saturday, starting at 9am, we're coming together as a team to get everything ready, from painting to constructing to preparing simple crafts. There's something for everyone. I appreciate those who turned out last Saturday, but to be honest - it was too few people. The return on investment of the prep work we do is enormous - children will discover truths about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please consider the importance of this outreach and help us with quite simple tasks to help make it happen.
4. Volunteer for VBS: Debbi still needs helpers - if you can play games, walk from one part of the building to another, move some chairs, throw away trash, haul away trash, we need your skills. Of course, we need those who are gifted in working with children, but we also need a lot people who don't necessarily have that gift.
5. Moving ABC Women's Clinic: ABC Women's Clinic is moving locations, and they need volunteers Monday and Tuesday. They must be out of their current building by Tuesday, so they need people who can load and unload supplies, people with trucks to provide more capacity, and so on. ABC Women's Clinic is the only clinic for several counties that offers a Christ-centered approach to unwanted pregnancies. To help, just show up at ABC on Monday or Tuesday (ask me if you have any questions).
6. Make Breakfast: We're having a breakfast before church on June 21. We need men who are willing to help make a simple breakfast. We usually get enough men to help with that - but please sign up so that we know what's covered. We often, however, don't have enough help setting up and cleaning up. Please plan to arrive early to help set up and stay a few minutes later to clean up.
7. Organize a Picnic: We'd like to have a few all-church summer activities, and I'm not the world's best at putting even a simple event together. I would love for one or two people to offer to plan a few simple events, like a Sunday evening picnic and volleyball game.

A lot of Christians want to experience more of Christ in their lives, and there are many ways to do that: regular Quiet Times, spiritual retreats, gathering with other believers, and so on. But the Bible is very clear that one of the ways we experience more of Christ is to serve Him and the needs of His Church. He's created a great Win-Win situation - when we serve Him, not only do we accomplish the goals that He has, but we also get to experience more of Him. Yes, it's a sacrifice - but it's a sacrifice that has tremendous rewards.

Please take 60 seconds right now to pray about helping with one or more of these needs.

Happy Resurrection Day!

As much as I love Christmas, I love Easter all the more. Having grown up to adulthood outside of Christ, I have vivid memories of what it is like to be lost, to not have Jesus' resurrection as my own, to have Easter simply be a day of tradition but not meaning. For me, Easter is not only the celebration of Jesus defeating death, but the celebration of Jesus defeating my death - celebrating the moment my heart was opened.

We must teach our children what Easter means. Most of them know that it's not about candy and eggs. Most of them know that it has to do with the resurrection of Christ. But they must know what the resurrection of Christ really means. Not just the theology of it (what it means for mankind), but what it means to us personally. Do your children know what special meaning Easter has for you, how the eternal truth of Easter has impacted you?

We will teach the meaning of Easter at church Friday night and Sunday morning, but we cannot teach your children what specific meaning it has for you. Take time this weekend to tell you children the personal impact the resurrection of Christ has had. Even if they've heard it before, tell them again. Pass on to them what Easter is all about, make sure they know, make sure they can carry on the meaning of Easter to their families one day. Let them see how Christ affects you.

Please join us for all the events this Easter weekend:

• Tenebrae service, Friday, 7-8PM. A somber, reflective service to dwell on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
• "The Passion" (after the Tenebrae service). Mel Gibson's movie about the last week of Jesus' life.
• Semi-annual workday, Saturday, 9AM-12PM. Put in an hour or two to share in the responsibility of maintaining our church property. (Not really an Easter event, but it is a family event where we can invest in the church Jesus created by tending to the place we gather as the church.)
  
• Easter Breakfast, Sunday, 9:30AM. Our annual event for the men to cook breakfast for the entire church family. Men - if you didn't sign up for what you want to make yet, please email me or call me.
• Easter service, Sunday, 10:30AM. Celebrate the resurrection with us - the one event that gives us our assurance for eternal life.
  

Kids, youth, Christmas, mission, skiing, ...

We have a packed next few weeks ... and almost everything involves Betty Ann! She has been working very hard for what's coming up these next few weeks, and I encourage you to show her as much support as you can (helping out, words of encouragement, notes, participating in one of the fundraisers, and so on).

The children and youth will be teaching us the Christmas story on Sunday the 21st. I've read the script, and think that they have a very interesting story to bring to us. Also, please join us Christmas Eve at 6:00 PM for our annual Christmas Eve service. This year will be time of traditional carols and celebrating the valuable gift of God sending His Son to us.

The youth have a Christmas party / progressive dinner planned for Sunday night - thanks to all the families who have opened their homes for part of the meal.

On the 31st, many of our youth are leaving on their mission trip / ski trip. They are taking one day of their trip to pack nutritious meals for the hungry around the world, and then spending some time on the slopes for a good winter break.

As you can see, Betty Ann has her plate full! Please help lighten her load with prayer, encouragement, and helping out.

One important event outside of Betty Ann's direct leadership is the Angel Tree project. We are raising money again this Christmas to provide financial support for the teachers of the Friends of Christ orphanage in Ahero, Kenya. Please take one of the envelopes, prayerfully consider an amount to give, and then put it into the brown offering box. As money is raised, we add ornaments to the Christmas tree in the sanctuary - a bit of a reversal of our normal method of taking ornaments off of the tree as we support more.