December 2012

This year, our four Sundays in December are the four Sundays in

Advent. We can reflect as the days get shorter and colder on the

coming light of Christ. As you reflect in your December darkness,

I would like to share this poem by Ann Weems:

In December Darkness

The whole world waits in December darkness

for a glimpse of the Light of God.

Even those who snarl “Humbug!”

and chase away the carolers

have been seen looking toward the skies.

The one who declared he never would forgive

has forgiven,

and those who left home

have returned,

and even wars are halted,

if briefly,

as the whole world looks starward.

In the December darkness

we peer from our windows

watching for an angel with rainbow wings

to announce the Hope of the World.

Join us as we journey through the December darkness together.

Shalom

Pastor Linda

Worship for December 2012

December 2 First Sunday of Advent – Communion –

Dedication of Memorial Gifts - Isaiah 40:1-8

& Matthew 20:20-28 – Longing for More:

We Want

9 Second Sunday in Advent - Isaiah 40:27-31

& Galatians 6:7-10 – Longing for More: We

Are Weary

16 Third Sunday in Advent - Isaiah 40:9-11;

Luke 12:29-40 – Longing for More: We

Worry

23 Fourth Sunday in Advent – Christmas

Pageant - Isaiah 40:12-26; Romans 4:18-

25 – Longing for More: We Waver

30 First Sunday after Christmas – Service of

anointing and prayers for healing –

Evangelists and Canticles: A Service of

Lessons and Carols

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 02 Nancy Moss 16 Heather Cameron DiScala

Toni Smith 17 Diane Vento

04 Joanne Creed 19 Rev. Ronald VanderBunte

06 Michael Cameron 20 Justine Marie Cornell

Joseph Vento Jason Trager

07 Giordano Marin 22 Robert Lauder

08 Michelle Kilian 26 Jennifer Toscano

09 Karen Marie Black 27 Ruth Sottolano

30 Peter Martin

Please keep the following in your prayers this week: Stacy Maeurer, Jimmy Vitale, Jeaanne Holden, Janet Flory,

Thomas Kenniff, Jennifer Cabral, Kayla Verdino, Greg and

Dorothy Doyle-Wandell, Mark Clingo, Lydia Marcantonio,

Thelma Whittaker, Joy Zomer, Rob Anderson, Audrey Steiner,

Barbara Stalmack, Betty Schulz, Henry Wegmann, Elizabeth

Artinger, Edward Troster, Tina Banks, Carmela Carillo and

family, Cathy Cunningham, Robert Zittel, Helen Torok and family,

Neil Troster, Elana Ficalora, Anne Johannson, Tina McKinley,

Charles Ayers, Paul Angenbroich, Richard Carboni, Ted Buhl,

Mary Weber, Judy Troster, Terry Hoffman, Mary McKeown,

Rosemary Ricken, Rachel Rojas, Ruth Sottolano, Maria Bateman,

Tony Artinger, Kathleen Hart Brumm, Betty Farina, Sabina

Cardali, Tom McDonald, Matthew Lotz, Danny McCaffrey, Vivian

Molnar, Billy Schmidt, Richie Schmidt, Catherine Raines, Jennifer

Piatek, Ed Duggan, Virginia Maresca, Dorothy Weis, Brian

Giordano, Arlene Bealin, Charles Kenney, Raymond & Cathy

Wegmann, Carmela Oppedisano, James Folmsbee, Tess Gold,

Millie Carboni, James Donaghy, George Egan, Nick Markoulakis,

Glenn Brown, Maryann Hernandez, Barbara O’Keefe, Frank

Basile, Christine Gallo, Don Bozzo, Lucille Smith, Laura Brady,

Kristy Breen, Pam Crabtree, Frank Priore, Pam Dobular, Rosie

Riollano, Tim Dolan, Grace Agunzo, Louis Werner, Renaldo

Weaver, Madalene Basile, Ralph & Zonia Seizinger, Maria

Negele, Ken Trautwig, Debbie Tanico, George Legaz, Angela

McIntyre, Tracey Baker Birch, Anna Lebel and family, Eric

Rivera, Ronnie Sowa, Joyce M, Catherine Norton, Barbara

Carson, Eileen Poll

Advent Evening Hymn (8th Century)

Come, Sun and Savior, to embrace Our gloomy world,

its weary race,

As groom to bride, as bride to groom:

The wedding chamber, Mary's womb.

At your great Name, O Jesus, now

All knees must bend, all hearts must bow;

All things on earth with one accord,

Like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.

Come in your holy might, we pray,

Redeem us for eternal day;

Defend us while we dwell below,

From all assaults of our dread foe.

Advent Prayer

Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan

you sent a messenger to prepare people's hearts

for the coming of your Son.

Help me to hear his words and repent of my sins,

so that I may clearly see the way to walk,

the truth to speak, and the life to live for Him,

our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"

His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?"

The son replied, "I do know!"

"Okay," said his father. "What does the Bible mean?"

"That;s easy, Daddy..." the young boy replied excitedly, "It stands for

'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.'

CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

A contribution to the Memorial Flower Fund & Christmas Decorations

Fund or Benevolent Fund

Deadline: December 16, 2012

The Poinsettias will be delivered to the homebound, needy and nursing

homes following Christmas Services.

The Christmas Bulletin will list donations

□ Donation to the Decoration Fund □ Donation to the Benevolent Fund

Please choose one □ In Memory of □ In Honor of

__________________________________________________________

Given by

__________________________________________________________

Little Boy's Explanation of God

Out of the mouths of the Babes--

I certainly don't think an adult could explain this more beautifully!

It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in

Chula Vista , CA .

EXPLANATION OF GOD:

'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to

replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take

care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I

think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he

doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and

walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to prayers An awful

lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things,

pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to

the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything,

there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has

thought of a way to turn it off.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere

which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his

time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something

they said you couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there

are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our

church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking

on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people

who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him

preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and

kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know

what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.'

'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his

hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the

road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he

helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which

are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take

care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary,

only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you

because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the

time.'

'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God

happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God!

Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like

going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't

come out at the beach until noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be

very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you,

like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you

when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you

get thrown into real deep water by big kids.'

'But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I

figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he

pleases.

And...that's why I believe in God.'

Church Chuckles

People want the front of the bus, the back of the church and the center of attention.

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a

meter. Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have

circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment.

"Forgive us our Debts." (It actually said trespasses) When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note. "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give

you a ticket I'll lose my job. "Lead us not into temptation."

Father O'Malley was driving down to Boston on Christmas Eve

when got stopped for speeding in Medford. The highway patrol

officer smelled alcohol on the priest's breath and then saw an

empty wine bottle on the floor of the car.

He said, 'Father, have you been drinking?'

'Only water', replied Father O'Malley.

The policeman asked, 'Then how come I can smell wine?'

The priest looked at the bottle and said, 'Good Lord! He's done

it again.'

Memorial Gifts

On December 2nd

we will be dedicating gifts given by family and

friends in memory of Don Moss. A new Communion service will

be dedicated, which we will use that morning as we gather at table

together. We will also be dedicating a new Santa suit to be used in

the Christmas celebrations of the church. For many years, Don was

our church Santa, and we remember his love of that job this time of

year.

A Christmas Poem

On Christmas eve they filled the house, some fifty guest all told,

(O little Lord of Christmas, were you left out in the cold?)

And ate and sang, played cards and danced till early morning light.

(O little Lord of Chrsitmas, did they think of you that night?)

Next morning came the presents on a glittering Chrsitmas tree.

(O little Lord of Christmas, was there any gift for thee?)

The dinner was a Roman feast, and how those guests did eat!

(O little Lord of Christmas, were you hungry in the street?)

Then came some teas, a movie, and at night the last revue.

(O little Lord of Christmas, what had these to do with you)

By midnight all were tired and cross and tumbled into bed.

(O little Lord of Christmas, did they think that you were dead?)

They all woke up with headaches and no joy in work or play.

(O little Lord of Christmas, did they mark your birth that day?)

The love, the joy were good, no doubt; the rest a pagan spree.

(O little Lord of Christmas, let us keep the day with Thee!)

Henry Hallam Tweedy

Magic Bar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 cup (6 ounces) butterscotch-flavored chips

1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for glass baking pan). Line a

13x9-inch baking pan (including sides) with a sheet of aluminum foil. Coat foil

lightly with no-stick cooking spray.

2. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press

crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan.

3. Layer chips, coconut and nuts evenly over crust.

4. Pour condensed milk evenly over top of everything.

5. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

6. Lift up edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual squares. Lift off of

foil.

ANNOUNCMENTS

The December combined Ladies and Gentlemen Fellowship

Luncheon will be held on

December 11th at 12:30 pm

Baby Ray’s Restaurant

During the month of December, we will be holding an Advent

Bible Study, based on the book, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

by Mike Slaughter. We will explore the meaning of Christmas and

the desire we all have for something more from the holiday as it

has become celebrated in the culture. We will meet in the chapel at

9:20, and aim to be done with the lesson by 10:00am so that those

who need to may prepare for worship. Join us on December 2nd

through 30th

for a time of study in preparation for the coming of

Christ.

Throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons, we will once again

be holding a diaper drive for babies in need. We ask you to bring

diapers and other baby items to worship beginning December 2nd

.

We will be dedicating our gifts on Epiphany Sunday – January 6th

and will then distribute them to organizations who serve families in

need. Many low-income families cannot afford diapers for their

infants. As we remember our Lord’s entry into this world as an

infant in need, let us help to make their lives better.

ZUMBA CLASSES AT FIRST REFORMED

Every Thursday at 7 pm in the chapel

$10 per class, no pre-registration required

We are collecting winter coats and other warm items, such as

scarves, gloves, boots, etc. for distribution to those in need. Please

bring donations to the 119th

Street entrance on Thursdays, between

the hours of 9 am and 12 noon.

Please do not leave any clothes outside. All donations are very

much needed and appreciated. Thank you.

Magic Bells

It was two days before Christmas and there was a boy lying in his

bed staring blankly at the ceiling, not able to sleep. His name was

Brian and the anticipation of Christmas kept him up, following the fan

blades with his eyes, hoping to fall asleep. His eyes shut and he fell

asleep, knowing that the next day was his favorite day of the year,

Christmas Eve. It was his favorite day because the next day was

Christmas; everyone would be happy, a big dinner with great food

and not to forget, the presents.

Christmas Eve day Brian walked up to his mom and asked her to tell

him the story of the ‘ Magic Bells’. The mom said, as she sat down,

“On Santa’s sleigh, there are four hundred silver bells. Each one of

those bells serves a purpose. If and only if all four hundred of those

bells are on Santa’s sleigh will it be able to fly. If just one bell is gone

or misplaced then there would be no Christmas…”

“Wow!” said Brian, quite amused with his mother’s story. “So there

really are magic bells!”

That night after the family was all in bed and sound asleep, Brian

looked out his window, still thinking of his mothers story. He laid on

his back to stare at the fan blades again when he heard a soft clang

on the back patio. He was very quiet in doing so, or else he would

wake his parents.

He opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside. He wrapped

his arms around himself because it was very cold and he looked

around. At first he did not see anything, but then a shiny glimmer

caught the corner of his eye. He bent down and pulled a shiny silver

bell from the snow. He held it in his hand and looked at it. Strangely,

while he was holding the bell, he was warm, he was not cold

anymore. He was very happy that he found a silver bell when a

thought emerged in his mind.

“Oh no!” Brian said to himself with a worried look in his eyes, “no

Christmas…”. Brian decided to ring the bell and see what would

happen. After he rang the bell, with some magic sparks, the bell

disappeared and Brian was once again cold. He went into the house

and went to sleep.

The next morning everyone opened all of their presents and everyone

was happy. Brian looked at the tree and spotted one more present

with a card attached to it. He opened the present in excitement and

read the card. It said:

“I always keep a spare, thanks!”

St. Nick

Brian was very happy. He looked in the box and pulled out a magic

bell!