Emails claiming to be from Pastor Matt have been received again recently, but please note that these emails are NOT actually from him.  Please do not respond to such emails, as they are an attempt by a scammer to get money from you (often in the form of gift cards).  If you have already responded, please discontinue the conversation and DO NOT send any money or gift cards.  These scammers appeal to our generosity, and can seem legitimate.  However, they are not.

The bottom line is this: before purchasing gift cards or some other method of sending money, you should always attempt to contact by a different method the person supposedly sending the email (or phone call, as is sometimes the case). Or, you can check in with the church office to see if we have heard about any such need. It is unfortunate that we have to be leery of such requests for help, but we must do so in order to be able to help when genuinely needed.

You can learn about other email scams (often known as “phishing scams”) at https://techservices.illinois.edu/security/phishing. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a helpful page with information about a variety of different scams at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts.

We hope this information will help you to stay safe!

News…
Join the Nurture committee tonight at 7 PM for a virtual dessert gathering over Zoom. Bring your favorite dessert, Christmas cookie or yourself for an hour of conversation.  
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.

* * *

Advent Daily Reading Tuesday Psalm 33:20-22
Our soul waits for the Lord. God is our help and our shield.
We wait not for some unknown future or presence. We
wait for the Lord. When have you waited specifically for
someone or something? This sort of directed waiting shapes
our hopes, expectations and behavior as we wait. If we are
indeed waiting for our loving, saving Lord this Advent, what
attitudes and actions will characterize our waiting? Today,
notice the tenor and content of your waiting.
God you are our help and our shield. We wait knowing that
our waiting will not last forever and that you will surely come
with good news of great joy for all people. We wait with a
hope that motivates us to sing your praise and tend your sheep.
Our hearts are glad as we anticipate and experience now your
steadfast love that endures forever. Amen.

The Heart of Mission December 8, 2020   The 2020 Angel Tree   I mentioned last week that the Community Mission Deacons hosts an Angel Tree every year for our community mission agencies. This is a picture of 2019 Angel Tree. Some of you have already contributed to the 2020 Angel Tree $25 gift card tree. This year we do not have an actual tree for you to take an angel tag off of and replace with a gift but we are $25 gift cards from Salt & Light, Target or Walmart to give to our mission agencies. You can identify which you would like your gift card to go to. Some of you have already done this. You can continue to bring the gift cards to the church office Tuesday through Thursday mornings before December 15 so we can deliver them to the agencies before Christmas.   There is more….   Community Mission Deacons is adding a gift, a large gift, to the Angel Tree that will be given to Eastern Illinois Food Bank, designated to the Champaign-Urbana area to help alleviate food shortage in our community due to Covid-19. Many of our agencies use the Food Bank in their food distribution ministries. You are invited to add to the starting gift of $4000 by going online or mailing your check to the church. We already have someone who has pledged $1000 to that amount. Don’t wait. We want to send our gift to them before Christmas.   Our agencies that we are giving gift cards to are CU at HOME CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE COURAGE CONNECTION DREAAM eMPTY TOMB, INC FAITH IN ACTION JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY THE REFUGEE CENTER RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY SALT & LIGHT (for their staff) Also for CANTEEN RUN we will be collecting gift cards or in kind items: large to 3x-l winter shirts, GLOVES, socks, LARGE-2 X-L MEN’S UNDERWEAR, coats, hats.   Peace, Rachel Matthews, Mission Coordinator   Mission Announcements:   Mission Team: Meets Dec.8, 4:30pm zoom       THE 2020 ADVENT OFFERING will be taken for the whole month of December.   Christmas is the season of Advent. What love, joy and redemption we have in the birth of our Savior! And so, it is with thankfulness that each year at this time we have our annual Advent Offering. This year-2020- the year that is like none other we have experienced, your World Missions Committee is asking that our Advent giving go to 2 organizations that will help many people. The first organization is our own Presbyterian Disaster Assistance that is comprised of 2 components: National Relief and International Relief.   Several months ago, as fires were raging across the west and Pacific coast areas, your World Missions Committee was able to send $1500 to PDA and earmark if for U.S. fire relief aid. If you Google “ Presbyterian Disaster Assistance”, you will see how aid is distributed to United States and to international countries that are in crisis situations. Each entity has vital needs that are being addressed by PDA. We are very thankful that our denomination is able to help alleviate pain and suffering in so many places and in so many lives through your generous donations. 2/3 of your Advent giving this year will go to PDA.   The 2nd component of our giving will go to our own sister church, Luyano in Cuba. This is a year of isolation between our 2 churches due, among other things, to COVID19. None of us is allowed to travel between our countries this year. We are not able to carry supplies to them nor can we send money directly to them. The Luyano church is in dire need of help. We are able to aid them through PCUSA and our own church’s Cuba Committee is requesting this help. It is in gratitude to our relationship with our sister church that 1/3 of our Advent offering will be earmarked for our Luyano brothers and sisters.   We know this has been a tough year for each of us. However, we also acknowledge that God has continued to be our source of strength in these times. May we also be a source of strength to those who need to rely on us.   In Hope, Peace, Joy and Love,   The First Presbyterian Church World Mission Committee   ESL Café Time    What? We miss seeing you and catching up like we did in person! This will be a monthly café time on Zoom for us to see our friends and tutors from other classes. We will be split into small groups so that we can discuss and catch up. This is a great opportunity to practice speaking in English. Bring your favorite hot drink and a snack to café time.    When? Second Thursday of every month at 10 am. The first one is December 10th at 10am. The next café times are:  January 14th at 10am February 11th at 10am  March 11th at 10am  April 8th at 10am  May 13th at 10am    Zoom Information: Please email jeanette@firstpres.church for the Zoom meeting information.    Faith in Place: Just a reminder to our Green Team and all those interested in God’s Creation: Join us at Light the Way, Faith in Place’s first ever virtual Annual Celebration and Fundraiser! Tuesday Dec. 8th | 7:00-8:00pm CT Join at 6:45pm CT for the Pre-Party with DJ Antonio Cesar. To register go to https://secure.everyaction.com/ZSDCSQkhsk6PVlhw_kvLZQ2    CU at Home: Update #5 for One Winter’s Night: One Winter Night 2021 is only TWO MONTHS away! We are thrilled that we already have nearly 60 committed Box Dwellers registered, five brand new Business Sponsors this year (23 total), and more than $30,000 has been raised thanks to a phenomenal response to our Giving Tuesday campaign!   As we move past the “early bird” phase of our OWN 2021 launch, we want to reach out to those of you who have participated in some way in the event in previous years with a personal invitation to join us again next February. Over the past nine years, hundreds of individuals have participated in One Winter Night. We would love to see this 10th Anniversary OWN become something of a reunion of all of you who have made this event an annual demonstration of faith, hope, and love to our friends and our community!   If you are already on board, be sure to come by our facility on any Monday to pick up your OWN 2021 yard sign. Of course, you can still join us with a simple click at our website: be a Box Dweller; be a Volunteer; or be a Business Sponsor. Keep the momentum growing! And now, here’s Rob . . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnuwn20feVo&feature=youtu.be&blm_aid=253367297 Friends of PEB – In case you missed it last week, Friends of PEB sends thanks with a special online Advent Calendar. All you do is click the link and begin. https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=b594e0aaf5cb14378b197c821b14b287 Frontera de Cristo Dear sisters and brothers,   We celebrate Advent in a time of darkness, both literally as the days grow shorter, but also figuratively as we are seemingly dividing up more in more into our religious, social and political clans unable to recognize the humanity of and divine image in one another or speak to one another a word of love much less form part of the peaceable kin-dom.   We have three events coming up in the next two weeks―on December 8, 10, and 15– to help us prepare to welcome anew the Christ Child into our lives who comes to us in surprising and unexpected ways throughout the year. Your presence with us will be a blessing. The Zoom links for each of these events are shown below.   Thank you for your partnership in ministry that helps us share hope, peace, love and joy throughout the year.   Peace, Joca and Mark   Join us on Tuesday, December 8, at 5:15pm MST (4:15 Pacific, 6:15 Central, 7:15 Eastern) for our 1,040th vigil, as we witness to the presence of Jesucristo with our sisters and brothers who are suffering and dying in the desert. Email mark@fronteradecristo.org to attend the vigil in person, or participate by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83852133901   Join this conversation by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83011050532   Let us keep all our mission partners in our prayers, those who are waiting to go back to their place of ministry and those who are able to work where they are. Listen for God’s call to you in their ministry.   Our PC(USA) Mission CoWorkers:   Mark Adams and Miriam Maldonado Escobar (Mexico) Farsijanna Adeney-Risakotta (Indonesia) Jeff and Christi Boyd (Central Africa) Jo Ella Holman (Caribbean and Cuba) – And, for the mission coworker you are preparing to take her place. Bob and Kristi Rice (South Sudan)   Our regional and global mission partners:   Kemmerer Village (and Camp Carew) Lifeline Pilots Marion Medical Mission Mission Aviation Fellowship Opportunity International Friends of Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan Presbyterian Cuba Partnership Special Offerings of the PC(USA) Theological Education Fund Young Adult Volunteers   Here in Champaign – Urbana:   CU at Home CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE CANTEEN RUN COURAGE CONNECTION DREAAM eMPTY TOMB, INC FAITH IN ACTION JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY THE REFUGEE CENTER RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY SALT & LIGHT   Here at First Presbyterian Church   FPCC Amateur Preachers FPCC Environmental Committee working with Faith in Place FPCC Presbyterian Women FPCC ESL FPCC Children, Youth and Families FPCC Mission Possible/Go and Serve         302 W. Church Street   Champaign, IL 61820   217-356-7238   info@firstpres.church           Attachments: The_Heart_of_Mission_120820.pdf

Monday December 7^th, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
Please share your Christmas memories with me. Here’s one from John Muirhead:
 
* * *
 
A Christmas Memory/ By John Muirhead
 
            For many of us the celebration of Christmas begins the night before, Christmas Eve.
 
            One memory that stands out in my 73 years of celebrating Christmas is from the events of Christmas Eve, 1968.
 
Our family was gathered in the house where we had all grown up.  My mother was there along with my older sister and her husband, my wife and me and my younger sister who was home from college.  A big part of this memory is the fact that my dad was not with us.  He had died in September and this was my mother’s and our first Christmas without him.
 
We had attended Christmas Eve services at First Presbyterian Church Danville and had just returned home.  Our neighbor, who was the Protestant Chaplin at the Veterans Administration Hospital, stopped over after his services to share Christmas Greetings.
 
As teens and then in our twenties, it was a custom that we would tune in to WCIA Channel 3 for their annual showing of “A Christmas Carol.”  This was the old black and white version starring Alastair Sim.  
 
On this particular evening as we tuned in there was a special news story airing on CBS.  It was a live broadcast from the Apollo 8 Astronauts who were orbiting the moon.  This was the first Apollo space mission to the moon and this crew’s assignment was to orbit the moon, take pictures and help to find the best spot for a lunar landing scheduled for 1969.
 
As we tuned in we saw and heard live pictures of the Astronauts. When we began watching the Commander of the Apollo 8, Frank Borman, was about to begin reading a passage from Genesis on creation.  He read verses 9 and 10 of Genesis Chapter 1 from the King James Version of the Bible.  
 
^“9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
 
            Before closing the transmission he wished us all a Merry Christmas and asked for God’s Blessings on All.
 
            What a lasting impression this made on all of us and such a fitting way to end our Christmas Eve!
 
Given the fact that this is a memory of long ago, I did go to the internet to confirm what I remembered.  If you Google “Apollo 8 Christmas Message” you will learn more.  An interesting fact is that all three Astronauts took turns reading from Genesis and they started with Genesis 1:1 and ended with Commander Borman reading the final verses.  You will find that it is estimated that a Billion people world-wide saw or heard this transmission, approximately one-fourth of the world’s population at the time.  
 
YouTube videos:
 
The message in black and white:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFUx_KC1bHQ
 
A CBS Sunday Morning Remembrance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL66BJdGQYw
 
* * *

Advent Daily Devotion
Simeon represents those stalwart, faithful people who
show up and serve week after week. Can you think of
someone who fits this description? The dutifulness of
these folks keep the congregation going through good
times and challenging ones. They serve out of loyalty to
God, not for accolades or attention. Today remember
and give thanks for the Simeons whose waiting to see
God is marked by consistent presence and service.

Lord, we give you thanks and praise this day for your
faithful servants, those whose loyalty to you is visible in
their service to Christ’s church and your beloved world. Sure
of your Word, they keep theirs and show up daily, expecting
to meet you face to face. Help us to do likewise, not only with
a sense of duty, but with an anticipatory joy. Amen.
 
* * * 

News

Prayer Time…
Our Sanctuary will be open for private prayer on Thursday, December 10, from 7 AM to noon. While there will be no organized service, you may come and sit in the space to pray and meditate. Physical distancing, masks, sign in with temperature check, and registration/contact tracing will be operative. Our worship team will greet and assist you. Only 10 people at a time will be allowed in. Bring your own Bible or hymnals if you wish, as the pew materials have all been removed as a safety precaution. See you on Thursday! 

* * *
 
Seeking a personal aide     
I am a widow in my mid-nineties, living alone in the home I have been in for over 65 years.  I am ambulatory with a walker and have no dementia, but I am increasingly concerned about falling.  I am hard of hearing and have issues with high blood pressure.
 
I am seeking a non-smoking woman to aid me in normal daily activities including personal care (such as showering and toileting), meal preparation, running errands occasionally, and helping me with other matters which may arise.
 
The woman may be of any age and background but someone with similar prior experience and perhaps a background or interest in nursing would be preferred.
 
I am very particular about how my kitchen and house are kept and my aide must be willing to accept my directions in this regard. 
 
Ideally, my aide would have a flexible approach toward hours but generally be able to spend two or three hours a day with me five or six days a week and also be able to spend an occasional night at my home if needed. 
 
Please be in touch with Pastor Matt if you are curious about this posting. And thank you in advance for praying for this ministry opportunity. 
 
Humor (Hard times really need godly laughter): 
 
What are doctors always calm? They have a lot of patients.
 
What trembles at the bottom of the sea? Nervous wrecks.
 
What do lawyers wear to court? Lawsuits, of course.
 
Good Word:
 
Mark 1:1-8
¹The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
²As it is written in he prophet Isaiah, 
     “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, 
          who will prepare your way; 
³   the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 
          ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, 
          make his paths straight,’” 

⁴John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
 
Let us pray: 

 
Our Father, who art in heaven, 
hallowed be thy name, 
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 
on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread; 
and forgive us our debts, 
as we forgive our debtors; 
and lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory, forever.   
Amen.
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
 

Friday December 4^th,  2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
Last week I spent time wandering up and down Folly Beach collecting shells in warm sun with Rachel and our boys. I got 500-keepers. I pondered what I was thankful for over that Thanksgiving weekend, those long walks, that soothing surf. I couldn’t count high enough to number my blessings. 
 
The week was framed by the death of an old friend from growing up years in Hampton. Alice brought light to her friends. Thank God I was among that number. You’ll hear about her again, I’m sure, in an essay or future sermon. For whom are you thankful this season? Who do you miss? 
 
My family watched four movies over Thanksgiving that were fun for lots of reasons. You know I like films that are small, independent, character-driven, and, ideally, funny. “Person to Person” is the one below that I suspect you will like the least. It’s the rawest. I’d be interested to know which of the others you like the most? Here they are: “Fisherman’s Friends” (Head Gear Films), “Onward”(the Pixar film), “Person to Person” (Magnolia Films), and “Song of the Sea” (StudioCanal).
 
I’ve been told that you can’t appreciate Christmas until you live through Thanksgiving well. Gratitude is the attitude. Sometimes I’m moving too fast through busyness to ponder my blessings. This year, not so much. I’m trying to go slower. I am thankful for you, friends. FOR YOU.
 
I’ve also been told that we can’t get to the manger without going through John the Baptist. So, on Sunday we jump into Mark’s gospel and meet John preaching at the side of the Jordan River. I hope you join me at 9:00 a.m. for worship. FirstPres.Live
 
Pay attention to God’s activity in the world around you. Be amazed. Tell somebody.
 
I’ll say it again: Pay attention to God’s activity in the world around you. Be amazed. Tell somebody.
 
See you on Sunday, 
 
PEACE,
 
Matt Matthews
864.386.9138
 
* * *
Here’s an important invitation for YOU to consider from a member of our community. Please give it thought:
 
Seeking a personal aide        I am a widow in my mid-nineties, living alone in the home I have been in for over 65 years.  I am ambulatory with a walker and have no dementia, but I am increasingly concerned about falling.  I am hard of hearing and have issues with high blood pressure.
 
I am seeking a non-smoking woman to aid me in normal daily activities including personal care (such as showering and toileting), meal preparation, running errands occasionally, and helping me with other matters which may arise.
 
The woman may be of any age and background but someone with similar prior experience and perhaps a background or interest in nursing would be preferred.
 
I am very particular about how my kitchen and house are kept and my aide must be willing to accept my directions in this regard. 
 
Ideally, my aide would have a flexible approach toward hours but generally be able to spend two or three hours a day with me five or six days a week and also be able to spend an occasional night at my home if needed.
 
Please be in touch with Pastor Matt if you are curious about this posting. And thank you in advance for praying for this ministry opportunity.
 
* * *

News…Sunday in the Park for this Sunday, December 6, has been CANCELLED!  Stay home and stay warm and join us on FirstPres.Live.

* * *

Daily Advent Readings for December 4, 5 and 6

Friday, December 4 Jeremiah 29:10-14
God has plans for us, plans for our welfare and future. God
promises to hear us when we call out and be found when we
seek our Lord. When have you struggled to believe that God
had plans – good plans – for you? Can you recall a time when
you could not discern God’s providence in the moment, but
could see how God’s good plans were evident in retrospect?
Can this remembering give you hope for today?

God of our past, present and future, when present
circumstances baffle and challenge us, test and upend us, we
struggle to see your good plans and we worry about the future.
We know you promise to hear us when we call. We know your
word is trustworthy and true. When we cannot yet perceive
your providence, sustain us and give us hope until that time
when we see your good plans for us come to fruition. Amen

Saturday, December 5  Luke 24:21
This verse comes in the middle of the discourse between
several of Jesus’ bereft disciples and the risen Christ. They
voice their dashed hope to the One walking with them who
fulfilled it. They cannot yet see that their hope is not lost, but
found and present right in front of them. How often is this
true for us? Today prayerfully ask God for the vision to see
God’s fulfillment of promises right in front of you.

Lord of all that is seen and unseen, even when we hope for
that which you promise, we often fail to see your present
and coming kingdom despite the fact that you are walking
alongside us. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the holy in
our midst. Do not let our human expectations blind us to
your divine inbreaking wherever and whenever it comes.
Amen.

Sunday, December 6  Psalm 62
Wait. Wait in silence. Wait patiently. Wait in hope.
Rarely, if ever, do we want the answer to be “wait.”
Rarely do we wait without engaging in distractions to
help the time pass. We stand in line and immediately,
most of us look to our cell phones to read the headlines
or check our email or play a game. We multitask. We
toggle from one website to another. Waiting makes
us anxious. Seeing buffering on the livestream causes
irritation. An image of someone frozen on Zoom
annoys us. Technology trains us to expect everything to
happen instantly, seamlessly, until it doesn’t and then we
get unduly angry. I always knew in my household the
moment the internet went down because my teenage
children would emerge from their room like whack-amoles
in an arcade game.
What is it about waiting that is so difficult for us? Did
generations before us tolerate waiting better or is our
impatience just more evident these days?
Of course, there are seasons of waiting that warrant
our fear and unease. Waiting for a medical test result.
Waiting for a loved one to come out of surgery. Waiting
for a job offer to come when we are desperate for
employment. Waiting for a family member to return
safely from military deployment. Waiting for a storm to
pass. We know this kind of anxious waiting, too.
But what are we waiting for this Advent and how
do our Advent hopes meet our current fears and real
worries? The psalmist writes: “For God alone my soul
waits in silence; from the Lord comes my salvation.
God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I
shall not be greatly shaken.” This liturgical season is a
pregnant kind of waiting — marked by expectation of
new birth and new life that brings change, a transition
that alters our priorities and schedules and reveals that
some of what we have previously valued does not really
matter anymore. We are waiting for God, not in vain,
but in certain hope that with the birth of Jesus salvation
for all creation comes and reorders our world and our
lives. However, we may need to wait in silence in order
to quiet our minds, discern God’s near presence, and
trust that God is with us in all of our waiting, all of our
worrying, all of our distractions, anxieties and fears.

Lord, you are our rock and our salvation, our refuge and
strength, our hope and breath. As we wait with anticipation
and anxiety, with patience and with eagerness, even with
irritation and fear, silence in us any voice but yours. Grant
us confidence in your promises to never abandon us and
certainty in your power to bring light and life, love and
grace, to all places and all people. Amen.

* * *

From your Nurture Team — Lizz Pippin was the first to recognize last week’s photo of Dick & Carol Arnould (with many others close behind.) 

   
Here’s this week’s photo, another couple. 

Visit http://fb.com/groups/firstpreschampaign to make your guesses, or email them to photos@firstpres.church.  
 
Please join in the fun!  We are running low on photos, so we would like you to select a photo from your younger years (grade school, high school or early adulthood). Photos need not be professional. Candid shots are welcome. Please send your photos to photos@firstpres.church.
  
* * *
 
O Come, O Come…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOi0IP0DCo
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church

Thursday December 3^rd, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
This is worth saying again: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
 
* * *
 
An important word from our Confessional record. 
From the Confession of Belhar, 10.5–6 We believe 

• that God has entrusted the church with the message of reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ; 
• that the church is called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, that the church is called blessed because it is a peacemaker, that the church is witness both by word and by deed to the new heaven and the new earth in which righteousness dwells; 
• that God’s life-giving Word and Spirit has conquered the powers of sin and death, and therefore also of irreconciliation and hatred, bitterness and enmity, that God’s life-giving Word and Spirit will enable the church to live in a new obedience which can open new possibilities of life for society and the world; 
• that the credibility of this message is seriously affected and its beneficial work obstructed when it is proclaimed in a land which professes to be Christian, but in which the enforced separation of people on a racial basis promotes and perpetuates alienation, hatred and enmity; 
• that any teaching which attempts to legitimate such forced separation by appeal to the gospel, and is not prepared to venture on the road of obedience and reconciliation, but rather, out of prejudice, fear, selfishness and unbelief, denies in advance the reconciling power of the gospel, must be considered ideology and false doctrine. 

Therefore, we reject any doctrine which, in such a situation sanctions in the name of the gospel or of the will of God the forced separation of people on the grounds of race and color and thereby in advance obstructs and weakens the ministry and experience of reconciliation in Christ. 
 
News

Daily Advent Devotion
Thursday 1 Corinthians 13:7,13

This most familiar of Bible passages reminds us of the
intimate connection between hope and love. Love bears,
believes, hopes and endures all things. The love of God made
manifest in our human relationships tethers us together and
binds us to one another in ways that will not be undone by
life’s myriad challenges. Consider those you love this day,
those you are called to love, those you struggle to love. What
are your hopes for them?

Loving God, you unite us in Christ. Such intimacy is not
our doing and we cannot undo it. Nonetheless, we often
test this oneness and fail to bear, believe, hope and endure
in love. Knowing your unfailing love for us, we pray to
exhibit a love that hopes all things even for those we fi nd
hard to love. May our stalwart love bear witness to your
love for the world. Amen.

* * *

All are invited to the Presbyterian Women Christmas Tea on
TODAY 2 PM via ZOOM!

Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.

We will listen to the Christmas Story, sing carols, talk about Christmas memories, and have a wonderful time in each other’s presence. 

* * *

Humor (Hard times really need godly laughter): 
 
During the minister’s prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy’s mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked, ‘Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?’
 
Tommy answered soberly, ‘I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did!’
 
 
Good Word:
 
NRSV Jeremiah 31:31-34               
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt — a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, (1) says the LORD.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
 
LET US PRAY: 
 
Our Father, who art in heaven, 
hallowed be thy name, 
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 
on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread; 
and forgive us our debts, 
as we forgive our debtors; 
and lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory, forever.   
Amen.
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church