The First Sunday of Advent
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Innocence and Vulnerability - part 1
It's the beginning of the Christmas season! I love the collection of real-life photos from freebibleimages.org that bring the Bible stories alive.
The birth of the Lord into our world as an infant is such an amazing example of leadership. His willingness to show up in the same way as He created each one of us is remarkable. The Lord could have simply appeared full-grown and avoided all the challenges and dangers of childhood in those days. Instead He allowed Himself to experience the same innocence and vulnerability that we did. This Sunday and in the
coming weeks, let's explore what His example means in our own daily lives.
See below for a schedule of services.
A Delightful Thanksgiving Sunday!
Thank you to everyone for your part in last Sunday's church service and the delicious and delightful Thanksgiving luncheon and social time. We had 68 people in attendance, including 6 newcomers. It is such a lovely community activity to gather in Friendship Hall for this meal and getting-to-know-you time.
Concluding two Small Groups
Last Sunday Kelly Woofenden completed her series of Sunday morning small groups. This Wednesday will be Frank Rose's final small group in his recent series. These have each been very worthwhile and enjoyable sessions for everyone. Thank you for participating and experiencing more of the joy of spiritual growth! And thank you to the leaders and co-leaders of these small groups. We love you!
Christmas Daily Readings Available
Each year the pastors of the Glenview New Church in Chicagoland put together a collection of Christmas Readings around a different theme. They are very thoughtful, educational, and inspiring.
If you want a printed booklet of these readings, let me know and I will happily provide it.
To receive the readings via daily e-mail, go to newchurch.org and click on the green Christmas Readings button on the home page. Or click here
You will be subscribed from year to year. You may unsubscribe at any time.
With love and respect,
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Get Ready for our Path to Bethlehem!
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Our Path to Bethlehem is Saturday December 7 from 6-8 pm
Thank you to Sammie Alijagic for the new banner pictured here, that is installed above the road sign on the church property to welcome all who drive by.
Also, there will be various promotions coming out in the next few days that you can use to forward, post, or share with friends and neighbors.
Progress report:
We now have actors and animals for all the scenes! Yay!
The sets are going up in between rains!
Live music for the social time afterward is being arranged!
CAST & CREW SCHEDULE Saturday, Dec. 7:
4:00 pm Meeting and pizza supper for cast & crew in Friendship Hall
4:15 pm Start getting in costume (Elise will group people)
4:45 pm Pizza dinner over; clean up in Friendship Hall, continue prep
5:40 pm Deadline for everyone in place & ready for first group
6-8 THE PATH TO BETHLEHEM
8:05 pm Return costume… Celebrate! Enjoy refreshments in Friendship Hall
Thank you to everyone for your love and help. This event is loved and appreciated by many people in the community. It is one very special "community service" we provide.
I also want to give a shout out to Billie Baty! It was originally her idea to have an event like this on our property, and with lots of help, she has been keeping it alive for at least 14 or 15 years! Thank you, Billie, for your continuous support of the Path to Bethlehem!
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Christmas church services
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Christmas-oriented church services - Sunrise Chapel
Sunday, Dec. 1 - Innocence and Vulnerability part 1
Sunday, Dec. 8 - Day after the Path to Bethlehem
Sunday, Dec. 15 - Innocence and Vulnerability part 3
Sunday, Dec. 22 - Favorite Christmas Hymns & Carols
Tuesday, Dec. 24 - 5 pm Family-oriented Christmas Eve service
Tuesday, Dec. 24 - 8 pm Candlelight Christmas Eve service
Wednesday, Dec. 25 - 5 pm NOTE! This informal "living room" service will be held at Frank and Louise Rose's home
Sunday, Dec. 29 - Post-Christmas service led by Frank Rose (at Sunrise Chapel)
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Livestream and Archive Videos of our 11 am
Worship Services
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Thank you to our volunteers in the sound booth every Sunday for helping make our livestream happen. We are finding that it is a long learning curve to get all the sound levels tuned, so thank you for your patience. And please give me input based on your listening experience.
If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you can get an alert when we go live on Sunday morning. If you bookmark the link in your favorite browser, you can also easily view any available archived service anytime.
There is really no substitute for worshiping together in person with all the nuances of community, personal connection, and interaction, but modern technology does provide a great window into the experience.
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT SEASON
10 am Music rehearsal
11 am Worship Service - Nathan Gladish, preaching
12 noon Luncheon
MONDAY 12/2/2018
11 am Tai Chi class (Basic)
6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 12/4/2019
9:30 am Worship Team mtg
6:30 Final session of Frank Rose's Spiritual Growth Group
THURSDAY 12/5/2019
11 am Tai Chi class (Yang 10)
FRIDAY 12/6/2019
4:30 pm Teen Time at the church
OUR PATH TO BETHLEHEM SCHEDULE:
4:00 pm Meeting and pizza supper for cast & crew in Friendship Hall
4:15 pm Start getting in costume (Elise will group people)
4:45 pm Pizza dinner over; clean up in Friendship Hall, continue prep
5:40 pm Deadline for everyone in place & ready for first group
6-8 THE PATH TO BETHLEHEM
8:05 pm Return costume… Celebrate! Enjoy refreshments in Friendship Hall
SUNDAY 12/8/2019
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT SEASON
10 am Music rehearsal
11 am Worship Service - Nathan Gladish, preaching
12 noon Luncheon
THIS SUNDAY IS OUR FINAL DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS!
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Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our causes by buying tickets for the Jim Click Raffle! This Sunday is the final day to purchase tickets from The Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation. We will be taking all the ticket stubs to the Raffle Headquarters on Monday in preparation for the drawing on December 13.
Thank you also Carol Craft and her son-in-law for bringing the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit for display at Sunrise Chapel last Sunday for everyone to see!
We will continue to offer tickets for the 2019 JIM CLICK RAFFLE through this Sunday, December 1. So far your donations total $875
Purchase one or more chances to win one of three great prizes
If you buy one or more tickets through our Spiritual Growth Foundation, the entire purchase price will help with operational expenses for the Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation and for Sunrise Chapel. You can buy one chance for $25 or 5 chances for $100.
See Kelly Woofenden or Carol Craft for tickets and more information. Or write to kelly@woofenden.net
You can purchase with cash, or write a check to AZ Spiritual Growth Foundation, or use a credit card, or use PayPal.
Purchase tickets any time this month. You don't have to live in the area to participate. You don't have to be present to win. The ticket stubs will be collected until December 1 and then delivered to the Jim Click Raffle headquarters on Monday December 2.
The public drawing will be held on December 13, 2019. We will notify all our ticket holders of the final results by email. Good luck!
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Readings for this Sunday's 11 am
Worship Service
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A Prophecy of the Lord's Birth
Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
Luke 1:26-38 (New International Version)
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 are to 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.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
The Definition and Goal of Innocence
Heaven and Hell §341 - Swedenborg
Innocence is the vessel of everything heavenly. It is a matrix for all the affections for what is good and true. Innocence is wanting to be led by the Lord and not by oneself, so that the extent to which we are in innocence determines the extent to which we are freed from preoccupations with our self-image. To the extent that we are freed from this self-image, we gain an identity given by the Lord. Real innocence is wisdom because to the extent that we are wise we want to be led by the Lord; or
what amounts to the same thing, to the extent that we love being led by the Lord, we are wise.
Children are brought through from the outward innocence that characterizes them at first, which is called the innocence of infancy, to the inner innocence that is the innocence of wisdom. The innocence of wisdom is also characteristic of angels. The wiser they are, the more innocent they are.
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245 |
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