Shepherds, Angels, and St. Nicholas, Too?

James 1.17-18

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.




A kindly face, a gentle smile and a twinkling eye.  Not a “Ho! Ho! Ho!” exactly, but a white beard, red cloak, and mysterious gifts anonymously given in the middle of the night. Sound familiar? It must be St. Nick!

Nicholas was born into a wealthy Christian family in Turkey back in the 4th century, in a town called Demre. His parents died when he was a teenager, leaving him the sole heir of an immense fortune. He was appoint a bishop at a very young age, and having heard the words of Jesus as a youngster, to serve the poor, sick, homeless, and needy children all around, he put the scriptures into action. Many stories are told of Nicholas’ generosity. On three different occasions he gave bags of gold to poor girls needing dowries, saving them from being sold.  He was well known for his goodness, his compassion, and his secrecy. In the footsteps of Jesus, Nicholas gave, just for the sake of giving and helping all those without hope or dreams. He understood that materiel wealth and worldly fame, did not lead to prosperity. St. Nicholas knew who Jesus was and patterned his life of servant-hood to reflect Jesus’ teachings.

In these days of Advent, when our “Santa Claus and St. Nicholas Days” overlap, let us always remember The Christ Child that the real St. Nick worshiped and served. The gifts of unconditional love and forgiveness are waiting for all of God’s people. No lists. No charcoal. No empty stockings. It is an open invitation to share the true love of God through service, compassion and giving. St. Nicholas showed us the way, too. Not just in December, but all year long.

Family ACTIVITY: 
FirstActs of Kindness – FirstChurch Connection Point at Ross & FirstKids Web Page

Secretly, do a kind deed for someone. 
 Now share that deed;
1) write the deed only on one of the hearts in FirstChurch reception area 
2) place the heart in our Grinch’s heart, and watch our his heart grow OR
3) go to FirstKids Web page and list your FirstAct of Kindness


Gretchen Combs, Director of Children's Ministries

Teaching the Story

 Deuteronomy 6.6-9

Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In first grade when my mom would drive me to school in the morning she took the opportunity to teach me the Lord’s Prayer and what it meant. That was the first experience I remember of her sharing her faith and teaching me about it. Growing up my mom took many opportunities to teach me about Jesus and what he taught. Deuteronomy lays out two responsibilities for Christian parents, that they need to teach their children about God, Jesus, and the story of the Christian faith and this needs to be continuous. Advent is a time that invites all of us to share and remember the Christmas Story and what it means. It is in the sharing that our faith lights the world and lives on into the next generation of believers. 

Rocky Dwyer, Director of Youth Ministries

Arise!

Isaiah 52.1-10

There is a song by Flyleaf, a punk rock band (with a bit of Christian twist), called “Arise.” It’s a song about overcoming. It’s a song about being more than the world at this moment believes we can be. And it’s a song about remembering we are called to be something greater. A portion of the lyrics are as follows…

Hold on to the world we all remember fighting for
There's still strength left in us yet
Hold on to the world we all remember dying for
There's still hope left in it yet
Sing, sing…
Arise…
Arise and be
All that you dreamed
All that you dreamed

It’s funny how that same song echoes throughout history over and over again. In this passage from Isaiah, we experience the call of the prophet to “Awake, put on your strength…shake yourself from the dust, rise up.” Ancient Israel cried out to God for deliverance from exile. The people cried out for a better world than they experienced in their current reality. They cried out for a hope and a future.
But as the prophet reminds us, long before the exile, the people of Israel had seen dark days. “Thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause.”  And yet, through the power of the Living God, they arose and overcame.

How many times throughout history has this song from Isaiah been sung? Surely it was sung in the hearts of slaves and abolitionists; surely it was on the lips of the Jews held captive in concentration camps; surely it has rung true in the decades of struggle for human and civil rights all around the globe. And surely it rings true today – for countless children throughout the world who are caught up in modern forms of slavery, commonly referred to as labor or sex trafficking; for the 1 in 4 women who experience domestic violence sometime in their life; for millions of refugees forced out of their homes and native lands due to the horrors of war; or for the growing number of people who wonder where their next meal will come from.

But what does this song say to us? I must admit, I don’t worry about whether or not I will have enough to eat. I don’t live in fear of violence, death, or persecution. And I am certainly not held in some kind of captivity, or living under the rule of an oppressive military regime. I think the answer begins to appear in Verse 7:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation…”

You see, although we ourselves may not be the direct targets of oppression, violence, inequality, or injustice – until all God’s children experience the good news of peace, freedom, and salvation – we are, in fact, caught up in systems that rob each of us of the true freedom we are meant to live; the freedom of God’s dream for a world of peace. Until then, we are all citizens of a world in need of redemption; a world in need of a Savior.

So as we begin this season of Advent, a season in which we anxiously and joyfully await the coming of the Prince of Peace, I invite each of us to join the chorus of the messengers who announce peace. I invite us to share in the song of struggle and perseverance with our brothers and sisters who are desperately seeking hope. I encourage us to give hope to children affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria. I encourage us to bring inspiration to children living in poverty in our own city. I invite us to begin forming relationships with people who don’t look like us, or talk like us, or think like us. I invite us to reach out across the barriers of racism, classism, and sexism that still prevent us from being the beloved community God calls us to be.

And then, I invite us to “break forth together in singing” the song that lights the hearts of generations past, present, and future…

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Rev. Becky Walker, Minister of Adult Formation