December2012
YELLOW LIGHT OF ADVENT
M
y little four year-old loves to play a game we’ve been playing for a while. It all began over a year ago when she started taking notice of stop signs on the road. She had known her letters for a long time and had loved to call them out whenever she saw them. As we would pass a stop sign in those days, she would spell out S – T – O – P. I, of course, would tell her those letters spelled “stop,” trying to get her to read the word instead of the letters. But she persisted in calling out the letters. So, I tried to come at it from another angle. I started pointing out stop lights, too, making the connection between the color “red” and the action “stop.” I came up with a little saying emphasizing the words behind the colors on the traffic light: “red means ‘stop,’ green means ‘go,’ yellow means ‘slow down.’” She likes the little saying still. We still invoke it along the way of our travels together in the car. And we don’t just say it when we take it up again (that’s no fun!). We shout
outthe main words. “Red means STOPPPP! Green means GOOOO! Yellow means SLOW DOWNNNN!”
Now, I know what you’re thinking here. Yellow doesn’t mean “slow down.” It means “speed up!” That, at least, is the way most of us interpret yellow lights when we are driving. We see one and hit the gas pedal to hurry through the light as fast as we can so that we’re not caught by the red light to come. Now, whether or not we are perverting the true meaning behind the light by hurrying through it is open to debate. I think it is fair to say, though, that the primary intention of the yellow light lies closer to the “slow down” school of reaction than the “speed up” one. When we see yellow, we know red is coming. We know the time to stop is fast arriving. We are, more often than not, to make ready to stop.
Well, I bring all this up because we are under a yellow light spiritually speaking these days, and most of us are speeding up rather than slowing down. Christmas is coming and we are busying ourselves with too much. We are going faster than we should, spending more than we can afford, and doing more than is good for us. As a result, we will arrive at Christmas all worn out and anxious. We will arrive never having taken time to properly reflect on the coming of the Lord. We will have violated the purpose of Advent. The meaning of the season is for us to prepare to stop and offer a proper celebration of the birth of the Savior. We do that by slowing down and coming more and more into a sense of wonder and awe as we approach Bethlehem.
Advent is about spiritual reflection. It’s about repentance. It leads us into this activity as it prompts us to focus on the full meaning of Christ’s birth. It does this by having us consider not just the first coming of Christ to the manger as a baby, but his coming again in power and glory at the appointed time in the future to bring to completion the work of the world’s redemption. The fact of the matter is that Christ came that first time in order to set the stage for his final and ultimate coming at the end of all things to establish the Kingdom of God. In light of the whole meaning of Christ’s coming into the world to reign over us, we are to consider the state of our faithfulness to the way of Christ today and make amendment.
We will not be able to do that unless we slow down. It’s a simple fact of the matter. We cannot take stock of our living and the call of Christ upon our lives if we are always in motion, always busy with something, always coming and going and spending. We cannot enter fully into the terror and joy of the whole meaning of God’s invasion of this world through Jesus Christ unless we come to a stop.
Now, I don’t want to come off as a Scrooge here. I love all the festive activity of the season as much as the next person. And I understand that there’s a lot to do and to get done. There are presents to buy and foods to cook and parties to go to. I’m not suggesting that we can, or should, forgo these things. What I am saying is that we can reign them in. We can bring them under control. We can say “no” to some things, or “stop” to others along the way so that we may gear down to a slower speed as we draw nearer and nearer to Christmas Day. What I am suggesting is that we be intentional about creating more quiet and reverent space around ourselves as we make our way to Bethlehem.
Let us ponder this truth at the beginning of this month: Advent is a yellow light season that calls us to slow down as we draw near to Christmas Day. Let us do this so that we may come to a stop and truly rejoice on the day of our dear Savior’s birth.
Dr. Stewart
TIFFANY’S TRUTH
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”…Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:26-31,38
T
his time of year I often find myself relating to the people present at Jesus’ birth. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and even the inn keeper all experienced Christ’s birth differently.Perhaps we each still experience Christ’s birth differently today. I often find Mary’s testimony most inspiring, especially as it relates to youth in today’s world. Can you image how afraid Mary must have been? A teenage girl, about thirteen, getting the news her life was going to change forever. As she was engaged to be married, she was going to be a social outcast. Would her fiancé stay with her? There must have been a million reasons for her to turn away and not let this happen, but she responded, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” This holiday season, as we celebrate Advent, take time to put yourself in Mary’s shoes. Do we not often find ourselves in life-altering situations? Does God ask us to do something and we turn our backs? I guarantee you that Christ has a plan for your life, and that it includes ways you can further his kingdom. The question is are you going to run or find the strength through your faith to say, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord”?
RECAP: The children have been enjoying Sunday activities. The youth attendance to Ignite has been fantastic and the kids enjoyed a youth lock-in. A special thank you to the church family for all the prayers, cards and support as I had gallbladder surgery and have been recovering. There are not words enough to truly express the love that I have experienced over the last couple of months while I have been sick.
UPCOMING: This month is definitely a busy one, but one of celebration. In addition to the mission study on Sunday nights, the children will have a Christmas party on Saturday, December 15, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Also, everyone is invited to participate in the Live Nativity.Please pray about how you can participate in this great ministry. The Youth Council is up and running; next meeting is December 2, at 4:15p.m. The youth are starting fundraising with childcare for parents to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, December 8, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m and again on Friday, December 14, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Also, remember to make a donation for the youth to go to camp as you send your Christmas cards to church members here at church (the mail box is in the overflow room). The youth will be celebrating Christmas together on December 8, from 5:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m.Also, they will be securing the sanctuary Christmas tree on Friday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m.; and then decorating the tree on Saturday, December 22, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
TIFFANY’S TRUTH: Concerning last month’s question, if you guessed “false” you are correct. One of the books that I enjoy is,Oh, the Places You Will Go, by Dr. Seuss. But my favorite book is,Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.
TRUE OR FALSE: (All children and youth find Tiffany and tell her your answer for a candy surprise.) I have a gigantic collection of nutcrackers.True or false?
Tiffany
YOUTH CAMP FUNDRAISERS FOR DECEMBER
NEED TO CHRISTMAS SHOP?
HERE IS YOUR CHANCE!
Parents’ Day Out
Saturday, December 8
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Childcare is provided by
Haymarket Youth Group
(Please feed your children lunch before they come.)
Games, Crafts, Snacks, & More
Cost: A donations to help our youth go to
Summer Camp in 2013
Parents’ Night Out
Friday, December 14
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Childcare is provided by
Haymarket Youth Group
(Please feed your children dinner
before they come.)
Games, Crafts, Snacks, & More
Cost: A donations to help our youth go to
Summer Camp in 2013
Please pass the word in the community!
Dear Church Family,
H
ow blessed we are to minister to this community and our families. The past few weeks have provided such rich experiences in giving, missions and ministry at Haymarket Baptist Church Preschool & Kindergarten. At the end of October we were able to support one of our preschool families with a collection totaling over $4000 in donations. This money went into an educational trust fund for the three children from our school whose mother had passed away (she had advanced breast cancer, diagnosed at 29, and died at 34).
Early in November we had the opportunity to reach out to an area of New York that was hit especially hard by Hurricane Sandy. Mr. David Leake, Haymarket mayor, organized a relief effort through his work. His company donated a generator, and he asked if our school wanted to help with canned goods. Well, the response from our preschool families and their friends and neighborswas so fantastic that Mr. Leake had to find a friend who was willing to loan his trailer! We were able to assist, thanks to social networking, and fill that trailer and several pick up trucks. The items were requested on a Saturday afternoon; by Saturday night they were enroute to Queens, New York, arriving at 5:00 a.m. We were able to be a part of helping a place that provides shelter to veterans, a soup kitchen and a food pantry. They had no power, and absolutely no food left. What a blessing to assist so quickly! Our mayor is a wonderful Christian man and we appreciate his willingness to take on a project like this and allow us to help! Because of Facebook, folks came from Warrenton, Bristow, South Riding, Manassas, Haymarket and Gainesville. They donated coats, food, water, gasoline, diapers, and many other goods! Some people even donated money and EZ-Passes for drivers. It was just a great effort, and was accomplished in less than 8 hours!
On a third front of ministry, our students in the four-year-old program participated in Operation Christmas Child and brought in 156 shoeboxes to add to the church's total. Many of our students also contributed tothe canned food drive for the church baskets. All of this makes me realize what a wonderful place we have here at Haymarket Baptist Churchwhere we are certainly demonstrating the love of Christ in many ways. What a powerful lesson for the children to receive - the power of a simple gift, a shoebox, a can of green beans, a warm coat for someone who doesn't have one, and the gift of education to those three who lost their mom. Often it's not about letters, numbers and shapes, but about the importance loving others, which is the heartbeat of God.
What a blessed Thanksgiving time we enjoyed at our preschool! Four cute Thanksgiving programs were presented to parents on November 19 and 20. And we had a full house at each event. We focused our songs on being thankful to God for all things. The children recited Psalm 100:4, sang thankful songs and shared cute poems about Indians and good food. We retold the thanksgiving story and parents brought in many bread treats to share with us.
Now we are on toour Christmas program songs, the birth of Christ, celebrating Silly Sock Day and making lots of crafts. We will continue our missions and ministry in December by participating in the Town of Haymarket Tree Lighting to kick off the holidays. Our kindergarten students and our special performing choir (Cub Choir) will be performing on December 1 at 5:00 p.m. This event takes place in the center of town at the intersection of Old Carolina and Washington Street. Please stop by; you will be blessed. We take this opportunity to sing songs that reflect the real reason of the season. Kindergarten students will also be collecting coins and filling rice bowls for Lottie Moon. Mrs. Frances Kennedy will again become “Lottie Moon” for chapel time, teaching the children about her work in China.
On December 12, following the Live Nativity, we will sing for the church family and the community as you enjoy your cookies and coffee. This time our pre-kindergarten students and the Cub Choir will perform some of our program songs.
December 13 and 14 are the Christmas Programs. If you are able, we'd love to have you attend! (A schedule of the programs is provided below.) We have the cutest kids around, and they sing wholeheartedly. It would mean so much to us at the school to have church members come see what these little ones can do. We appreciate your support.
As a reminder to council members, our annual Staff Christmas Luncheon is from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. on December 4, in the fellowship hall. We hope that you have a most blessed Christmas, filled with memories, families, fun and reflection on all of God's favor and blessing on each of us. Merry Christmas, in His service,
Mrs. Laurie Frasz, Director
Haymarket Baptist Church Preschool & Kindergarten
Christmas Week Office Hours
The church office will be closed December 24, 25 and 28, Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
COMMITTEE
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5: 14-16
W
e here at Haymarket Baptist Church are blessed in so many ways and have so much for which to be thankful. We have homes, family, and friends. At this time of the year we are planning for the special dinners and celebrations that we will enjoy. In the mix of all this will be brightly wrapped packages that conceal wonderful gifts to and from loved ones. We are also blessed by the many opportunities that we have. We can worship freely in the manner and place of our choice. We can engage in the activities that we enjoy such as baking, shopping, or watching sports events. One of those opportunities was the Community Thanksgiving Dinner held at Haymarket Baptist Church on November 17th. Though we still have not reached all the people that we would like to, we did have more guests this year than we did the last time. In fact, the dinning room was never empty as the visitors lingered over the food, often returning for seconds, and enjoying the conversation provided by the deacons who were assisting with the meal. This was our opportunity to reach out to people who may not know the Lord as a personal savior. The guests left the church with a goody bag that contained candy, information about the church, and guidance for the road to salvation. Each diner had the opportunity to share their prayer needs with deacons who took note of those requests. Please keep these individuals in your prayers. I pray that the guests received a blessing from the physical sustenance and the spiritual food that was provided for them. I know that those of us serving them that day certainly did. It was wonderful opportunity to personally serve our Lord by meeting the needs of His children who are less fortunate than we are.
A hearty “Thank-you” from the Missions Committee is due to those who generously donated food and time to make this effort the success that it was. Though this event is led by the Missions Committee, there is no way that the committee could accomplish this without the support of the members of the church. So thank you to the children, youth, and adults who helped with the decorating, peeling potatoes (50 pounds of them!), serving food, visiting, and most especially, the clean-up afterwards. That is always the hardest job after a long day, so it was wonderful to see Jim and Sharon Jinks arrive with ready smiles to take over that part of the labor! If you did not have the opportunity to enjoy this opportunity this year, make the effort next year to join in this activity. You will certainly receive a tremendous blessing from the experience.