“In Harm’s Way”
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16:1
While looking through some of the Psalms this morning I came across this passage and my mind lingered on it. Does that ever happen to you? You read something, and for some reason your mind just gets stuck on it? You cannot really explain why, but the words keep playing through your mind. As I read these words, “Keep me safe, O God …” I had this thought: “Is the goal of life safety?”
Before I go any further, I want to be clear–I don’t think the psalmist is actually asking God to bubble wrap him and keep him locked away in some remote place where he would be protected from anything harmful coming his way. But this request for safety made me ponder what a life of following God truly is about. Is it about being safe from harm, or being protected when we are in harmful situations?
Sometimes we have this false belief that the life of faith is going to be an easy one. We have these sayings we attribute to Scripture like: “God never gives us more than we can handle,” or “Whatever God leads you to, he will lead you through.” But the reality is, not everything we encounter in life comes from God. We know this. There are other powers at play in the world. Powers of evil and darkness. Sin has such a hold on the world and it leads to so much harm. As those seeking to follow God, part of our call is to face the evil of this world and seek to overcome it with God’s love. To walk into even the darkest of places and let the light of Christ shine through us.
A couple of chapters later in the Psalms, King David writes these words: “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…”. (Psalm 18:4-5) These words make it clear that God provides us safety and protection, but not a life that will be without trouble. God is with us in the danger…as it says in Psalm 23 God will be with us even in the darkest of places. Our task in life is not to avoid the dark, scary, or dangerous places, but to remember we have God’s power on our side in the midst of those places.
It can be easy to avoid difficult or scary places. We can choose to isolate ourselves or stay in familiar and safe environments, but that is not the life to which God has called us. God uses these words to remind us that our walk will not be easy, but we will not be alone, and we have a power evil cannot overcome. As we continue these last 2 weeks of our Advent journey, I pray that the Light of the World may come to each of you and help you to shine it in the darkest of places.
It is an honor to be your pastor and to be in ministry alongside you to a God who doesn’t promise a life of ease, but never abandons us.
Blessings, Chris
Mission
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Vision
Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.
Priorities
Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth
Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups
Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond
Worship This Week
This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent. Our Advent Messages this year will be around the theme of “Hope: An Advent Journey.” This week, our Message is titled “When Angels Appear.” The scripture for this week is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26-33:
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Our services will begin with the song God With Us by Mercy Me. Our Opening Hymn is Joy To The World. Our other songs for the morning include In The Bleak Midwinter and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. At the 10:20 service, our Praise Band will lead our first 2 songs.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, each Sunday we will live-stream our 10:20 worship service. The service can be viewed on our Facebook Page. The service will start at approximately10:20 following our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our message each week to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Christmas Eve Services December 24 and Christmas Day – We will have two services on Christmas Eve: 3 pm, and 7 pm. This gives persons opportunity to worship before it gets dark, for families with small children, and for those who prefer a traditional time for Christmas Eve worship. Each service we will sing, and celebrate the birth of Jesus. The offering at these services will go towards the Boonslick Ministerial Alliance. There will be one service on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, at 10:20 am.
Living Nativity Help Needed – We will once again host our Annual Living Nativity this Christmas Eve. The Living Nativity will be presented from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. We are looking for volunteers to be our “actors” during this time. We will have 3, 1 hour shifts and are looking for up to 8 volunteers for each shift. There will be a signup sheet in the East Wing Narthex. We thank you for your help with tradition!
Salvation Army Bell-Ringing – Thank you to everyonewho has volunteered to help ring the bell on Saturday, December 10! We are providing a little extra help this year and are going to serve a second time on Saturday December 17. A sign-up sheet will be in the East wing narthex (where we serve refreshments after worship). The money gathered will be available to local residents in need. Thank you.
Children’s Christmas Program December 18 – Our Children’s Christmas program will be Sunday, Dec. 18, during the 10:20 AM worship service. The children will present “A Star is Born”. Invite family to watch the livestream at facebook.com/nelsonmemorialumc. There will be a dress rehearsal after worship services on Sunday, December 11.
2022 Angel Tree – Thank you to everyone who supported the Angel Tree this year. We have gifts for 19 children as a result of your generosity. The Angel Tree party will be on Saturday, Dec. 10th at 11:00 am, beginning with a short message in the Sanctuary and lunch to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Please make plans to join us in this very special ministry to our church. As always, we are so grateful for the way in which our church family supports this Matthew 25 ministry to the children of incarcerated parents.
Christmas Poinsettias Orders Due – There’s still time to order your Christmas Poinsettia to help beautify our Sanctuary. Order forms are available in the office and in the back of the Sanctuary and East Wing. The list of Poinsettias donated and who they are in honor/memory of will be in the Christmas Eve bulletin. Please return your form to the church by Monday, December 12th or drop it in the offering box on Sunday. Please make checks payable to Nelson Memorial, UMC, in the amount of $14.00, and in the memo line write poinsettia. Thank you!
More Outreach Opportunities – Want to help NMUMC spread some holiday cheer this season? The Outreach Team has several opportunities for you to share God’s love with our neighbors. Here are three ways you can help in the next couple of weeks:
- Turkey Donations: We are partnering with Community in Schools (CIS) to provide Christmas dinners to a few families of students at LSE and BHS. Specifically, we are collecting funds to purchase 10 turkeys. If you’d like to contribute, please place money in the offering plate and designate it “turkeys.”
- Christmas Cheer Stockings: On Sunday, December 11, we will have Christmas cheer stockings to members of our congregation who are homebound or in nursing homes available for delivery. We’re looking for the following stocking stuffers:
- Homemade cookies—dropped off at church by December 10
- Fuzzy socks
- Hand lotion (small tube)
- Lip balm
- Puzzle booklets (crossword, word search)
Stockings will be put together Saturday, December 10 at 1 pm following the Angel Tree party. Volunteers are welcome!
Adopt-a-Family: We have been asked by the CIS (Communities In Schools) coordinator at BHS & LSE to help provide Christmas blessings for several families in the Boonville School District. Thank you to those who have already taken a tag off the tree. We have just a few tags left for those looking to help. Please return wrapped gifts by Sunday, Dec 18 so they can be distributed to families in time for Christmas.
Community Christmas Service and Hymn Sing – The Boonslick Ministerial Alliance will hold their annual Community Christmas Service on Tuesday, December 20, at 6:30 pm at the First Baptist Church of Boonville. This service will be in a Lessons & Carols format, with Rev. Chris Greenhagen offering a brief devotion. An offering will also be taken to support the Emergency Assistance Funds distributed by the Ministerial Alliance.
Library news – There are Christmas books for children and adults now on display in the library. Please stop by and check out one or two.
Christmas Cards for NMUMC Elders & Friends – We are asking the congregation to mail out Christmas cards to the following names below. The addresses for the names listed will be located on the table in the back area of the Sanctuary. We will also have a supply of Christmas cards for you, if you need them.
Florence Banion, Jack Bell, Frances Bradley, Virginia Brownfield, Mary Margaret Browning, Jan DeGraffenreid, Ada Gingrich, Ann Hartmann, Margaret Hopkins, Gene and Donna Reagan, Bart Riley, Carol Schenck, Leona Schmidt, Helen Taylor, John Tincher, Hessie Watts, and Dorothy Whitten
Giving Through Venmo – We can be found on Venmo at @NelsonMemorialUMC. If you don’t know what Venmo is and would like to learn more, information about giving through Venmo can be found on our webpage at https://nelsonmemorialumc.org/give/venmo/.
Events this week:
Saturday, December 10: Salvation Army Bell Ringing, 10 am – 6 pm, Walmart
Angle Tree Party, 11:00, Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall
Assembly of Christmas Cheer Stockings, 1:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, December 11: Dress Rehearsal for Children’s Program, Following Worship, Sanctuary
Youth Group, 2:00 pm, Jackson’s home
Monday, December 12: TOPS, 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, December 14: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15, Lounge
Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall
Administrative Board, 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Friday, December 16: Al-Anon, 7:00 pm, Lounge
Saturday, December 17: Salvation Army Bell Ringing, 10 am – 6 pm, Walmart
Sunday, December 18: Children’s Christmas Program, 10:20 Worship Service, Sanctuary
Closing Words of Wisdom:
The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that he might offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.” – Billy Graham
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