Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
On this coming Lord’s Day, the final Sunday of Advent 2024, we will consider the words of 1 John 4:10, which serve as the Biblical text for the Advent hymn entitled ‘Within a Crib My Savior Lay.’ The hymn’s three simple stanzas are both dense and beautiful with Gospel truths:
Within a crib my Savior lay,
a wooden manger filled with hay
come down for love on Christmas Day:
all glory be to Jesus!
Upon a cross my Savior died,
to ransom sinners, crucified,
his loving arms still open wide:
all glory be to Jesus!
A victor’s crown my Savior won,
his work of love and mercy done,
the Father’s high-ascended Son:
all glory be to Jesus!
What I especially appreciate about this hymn is the way that the author has personalized the work of Jesus. He is “my Savior” who was found in the manger, “my Savior” who was led to Calvary to die, and “my Savior” who rose from the dead and reentered the glory of heaven.
As you compare the hymn text to the Biblical text, you can readily see the connection. The Apostle John writes that,
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Of course, these magnificent truths of the Gospel, or our Lord’s incarnation, His atoning death, and His bodily resurrection mean nothing apart from one’s personal faith in the One found in the manger. To become His is to confess that He is “my Savior,” not just a Savior.
As you prepare for the worship and the preaching of the Word, reflect prayerfully on the wider context of 1 John 4:7-11.
I love you all so dearly,
Mike
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Christmas Eve Service – Please make plans to join us for our Christmas Eve service at 5pm.
No Sunday School – December 29
Women’s Ministry
• Ladies’ Bible Studies will resume in January.
• Women’s next monthly luncheon is Thursday, January 2nd at 11:00 at Timbers Edge Clubhouse.
• Senior Sisters next monthly meeting is Thursday, January 16th from 10-11:30am.
• Senior Sisters weekly exercise class meets Tuesdays at the church, 10:00 to 11:30am.
Men’s Ministry
• Men’s Devotion/Prayer will resume Tuesday, January 7th at 6:30am at the office of Paul Matheny. Please contact Adam Turnbull with questions.
• Senior Fellows – Next breakfast will be at 9:00am on Tuesday, January 7th.
Youth Ministry
• The annual Providence Presbytery youth Roots retreat will be on January 24th – 26th at CampToKnowHim. Please contact Gannon Miles for details and registration.
Career Ministry – No meetings December 22 & 29. Regular Bible study/fellowship will resume January 12, 2025 at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry.
See christpreshamptoncove.org for detailed news and upcoming events.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Care and Healing – Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Collins Bailey, Maurice Belrose, Bill Cowley, Amy Fortenberry, Ken Galecki (brother of Leon Galecki), Sonny Henry, Elizabeth Holton, Ned Nuwayhid, Joe Sims, and Steve Terry
Expecting – Please pray for the Bucks and Butlers due in April.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries:
• Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland)
• Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand)
• Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand)
• Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH)
• Marcus and Jessica Nobles (RUF at Alabama A&M)
• Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA)
• Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada)
• Dieter and Marty Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL)
• The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center
• Adam & Lisa Venable (Southside Presbyterian Church)