TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN
We are offering poinsettias for purchase to place in the sanctuary for Christmas Eve. They may be taken home after the last service Christmas Eve.
Order your Christmas Poinsettia by completing the order form below and return it with payment to Jim or Anna Koehler (address and contact info is on the order form).
Order deadline is Saturday, December 1st, 2019
$9.00 each
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”.
Matthew 28:18
These words come at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel just verses after the account of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter morning and mark the handoff of the Savior’s earthly ministry to the disciples he has taught and trained. Jesus’ words embody both the church’s purpose and its marching orders. They are the inspiration behind our congregation’s mission statement:
Beginning October 13, we will start a six-week worship series exploring how each of us can better fulfill our role as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Hymns, special sharing, selection of scriptures, and the sermon will all focus on a sequence of six words which we believe can help guide our spiritual growth in practical, tangible ways.
• We believe that Christ wants each of us to live a richly fulfilling life, transformed and constantly renewed by the inflowing of God’s grace. On the first Sunday, we will explore how that is possible in these busy, fractured times and find inspiration for how to receive and share God’s blessings.
• We will then explore the importance of gathering together with other committed Christians in an age of growing unbelief, loneliness, and social isolation. Themes of gathering and connecting will occupy the second two Sundays. We will learn how other members of the congregation have drawn strength and insight from their interaction with each other.
• As we move into the latter half of our series, our focus will shift from ourselves to the important work which Jesus asks us to continue on his behalf. We will see how serving in Christ’s name changes the world and provides hope for a better future and learn how our financial giving not only makes the work of the church possible but also holds its own intrinsic blessing as it teaches us to trust God.
• Finally, we will embrace the task of sharing the good news with others through invitation and example.
Highlights of the series include a service of Holy Communion on November 10 and a Cup of Covenant service on November 17. The latter will provide each of us the occasion to renew our baptismal vows “to participate actively in Christ’s church, serving God all the days of our lives.”
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Being faithful followers of Jesus Christ is a shared endeavor. We best grow in our faith, our understanding of Jesus’ teaching, and our attempts to follow his example when we do so in community.
That is why, since the beginning of the church, those responsible for the spiritual care of its members have stressed the importance of regularly gathering with other Christians. The author of Hebrews writes: “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering… and…consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” (10:23-25)
Being the church is a matter of mutual care, encouragement, and accountability. The Joint Board and I have prayerfully considered how to elicit spiritual growth, “love, and good deeds” among members of East Hills Moravian Church.
We believe that encouraging all who are physically able to attend worship each month is a natural starting point. This fulfills promises made during the liturgy for Confirmation and Affirmation of Baptism used whenever persons choose to become part of our congregation. We take seriously the liturgy’s statement of our “obligation to love and nurture” each member “in Christ” and take you at your word when you affirmed your desire to “participate actively in Christ’s church, serving God all the days of your life.” We have covenanted to be intentional about encouraging you to take full advantage of the benefits of your church membership and will be reaching out if we have not seen you in a while.
We are aware that life together is complicated. As frail humans, we all have flaws and “fall short of the glory of God.” If you have been disappointed by unmet expectations or wounded by fellow church members or leaders we pray that God will bring healing to you and spiritual growth as you extend God’s grace to others in the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
I will close with Paul’s words to the Colossians: “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” (NLT)
Resolve not to let excuses and the call of the world stand between you and the blessings Godintends to provide through gathering together with God’s people.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the heart of Christian faith. According to the Apostle Paul, it was through God’s act of raising Jesus from the dead that God definitively identified Jesus as God’s Son and thus conferred the ultimate stamp of divine approval on Christ’s ministry and message. As Jesus’ followers, we share in the promise of the resurrection and eternal life. The blessings of resurrection are not restricted to the existence after death. God raised Christ from the dead so that our present lives might also be transformed and renewed. To embrace resurrection is to live a life of faith, open to new challenges of discipleship which God places before us.
Resurrection of Christ (Raphael)
As a community of faith, it is important that we are accountable both to and for each other. Writing to the congregation in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Apostle Paul advises believers: “Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. … admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” (Thess. 5:11, 14-19) This Spring at East Hills Moravian Church, we will be looking for ways to put the Apostle’s timeless advice into practice as we seek to grow into the promise of vibrant new life heralded by the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter morning.
“The Lord is risen.” “The Lord is risen indeed.”
“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” – Jesus (John 9:4}
In our own time, having light on demand at the flick of a switch is the expectation rather than the exception. However, for most of humanity’s existence, seasonal availability of light had a profound impact on activity and quality of life. The lengthening of days in early spring was something to be anticipated and celebrated. It is the origin of both an early English name for Spring, /encten, and the church season of Lent.
This year, as you prepare for Lent, I encourage you to consider new ways to welcome Christ’s light into your life.
We often associate Lent with rituals of self-denial such as fasting. That is especially true here in Eastern Pennsylvania where fasnachts, originally made to empty the pantry of sugars and fats forbidden during Lenten fasts, still are a favorite annual offering. A Biblical basis for this traditional Lenten practice is found in the story of Jesus fasting for forty days in the wilderness while being tempted by Satan. (See Mark 1 :12-13} .
Over the centuries, countless persons have deepened their relationship with Christ through these means. Yet any practice or discipline which draws you closer to God can be a means of Lenten spiritual enlightenment. For instance, you might …
Whatever you do, be aware that spiritual enlightenment is much more like the natural, gradual increase of daylight minute by minute each day than it is the sudden flood of artificial light which comes at the flick of a switch. Patience is not only a virtue; it is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
In 2019, Lent begins on Wednesday, March 6 and concludes on Easter Sunday, April 21. As always, we offer you the opportunity to contribute to the beautification of the East Hills Moravian Church sanctuary for our services on Easter morning by ordering Easter flowers: tulips, lilies, or daffodils.
Please download the order form here. Deadline to order flowers is March 31.
You can take your flowers home after the last Easter morning service and plant the bulbs in your garden where you can enjoy them for years.
Christ driving the money-changers from the Temple Cecco del Caravaggio (1588–1620)
North Americans live in the most highly individualistic society the world has ever seen. Here, personal liberty and self-determination reign supreme; so it quite likely rankles when others presume to tell us how to live our lives.
That’s a challenge for those of us who wish to follow Jesus, for authentic Christianity consists of a comprehensive way of life rather than an à la carte menu of beliefs, behaviors, and practices. Christian faith should inform all aspects of our lives, from how we interact with others to how we spend our time, energy, and yes – money. While many 21st century North American believers are uncomfortable with that last topic, the Bible does not shy away from it. In fact, by some counts, there are 2000+ verses of scripture in the Old and New Testaments that specifically focus on the relationship of faith to personal finance.
Perhaps discussion of finances in the context of faith is a stumbling block for so many because of our familiarity with stories like the one of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple, or warnings against greed. For many, the take-away is that finances are unspiritual and that money itself is evil. This is not true.
Money is only a tool, a convenient way to preserve the fruits of our labors or access one’s resources. What troubles Jesus, Paul, and others in the Bible is not money itself, but what happens when our relationship with money compromises our relationships with God and others.
Christ turned over the tables of the money changers not because they were making money, but because the money exchange fees they were charging represented a significant barrier for poor persons who came to purchase doves and other animals for sacrifice. In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul’s concern is not to condemn the use of money, but rather the spiritual well-being of believers who have embraced an idolatry of wealth.[1] Again, the problem is not money itself, but the danger of placing more effort into gaining, preserving, or enjoying wealth than in following Christ.
Like it or not, where and how we spend our money is a reflection of our faith and personal values. This is especially true of discretionary income.
When I was growing up and stores first began opening on Sunday, I knew persons who refused to patronize these stores because they believed that by doing so they would be making it difficult for workers at those stores to observe the Sabbath. They feared that this was the start of a trend that would decrease family time and hurt the church in the long run. In hindsight, I believe they were correct. Similarly, when I served at Lititz Moravian Church in Lancaster County, I was surrounded by Old Order Amish who refused to run electricity into their homes because it meant that someone would have to manage the power plant on a Sunday. Though they failed to influence the larger society, both groups of Christians were faithful in thinking about finances through the lens of faith. I might not come to the same conclusions as they did, but their witness challenged me to be more spiritually mindful of money.
The Apostle Paul writes of those whose “… destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” In other words, they are ruled by their desires and appetites. As I write this, I am drinking a latte I picked up on the way to work. Many of you know that I have quite the appetite for coffee of any kind. This latte was a rare treat and cost about four times the single dollar I used to put in the church offering plate as a child (ouch!). Were I still contributing at my childhood level and consistently chose lattes over an offering, Paul’s words would give me significant pause and I would have to ask: “Is coffee really more important to me than the work of Christ?” Where the cup meets my lips, the world of faith and finance intersect.
[1] (For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.)
“Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
We worship a God who is not only a Savior but also a Creator, a God who not only preserves but also one who transforms and renews. To worship this God is to embrace change as well as continuity. Perhaps no other span of the church year demonstrates this more clearly than the six weeks between the start of Advent and the Feast of Epiphany.
The season’s Bible passages reveal not only how Jesus’ birth fulfilled longstanding prophecy, but also how it marked a profound shift in God’s relationship with humanity. Most startling to pious worshippers of Jesus’ day was the idea that God would choose to become one of us – a human being. As the author of Hebrews says, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son … (who is) … the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being…” (1:1-3). And, once the Son of God got here, he soon broke with popular expectation. Christ came not to be served but to serve, not to reward the righteous, but rather to redeem the unrighteous.
Yet with the benefit of hindsight, 1st Century Christians soon perceived continuity between Jesus’ example and preaching and God’s action in the past. A good portion of the New Testament consists of authors trying to convey to their readers how Jesus’ ministry fulfilled prophecy and divine law. Matthew quotes Jesus as saying “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” When Jesus names the greatest commandments as love of God and love of neighbor, he is quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 and Leviticus 19:18. Though he didn’t fit popular conceptions of what the Messiah would be, Christ stands firmly within a Jewish tradition which insisted that true worship of God must be expressed in righteous action toward others.
As we enter a new church year, a new calendar year, and contemplate worship in a renewed sanctuary, it is good to remind ourselves of these things. If our relationship with God is secure, we can move confidently through change trusting that God and the essentials of our faith remain constant.
Merry Christmas and Wishes for a Blessed and Healthy New Year.
Please plan to be present for the Sanctuary rededication service on Sunday, January 20, 2019, when we will have ONE WORSHIP SERVICE ONLY at 10:30 am followed by our church council meeting.