SERMON PREVIEW:
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Another one of the key words in the ‘Language of Christmas’ is the word glory. You may have recently heard or seen the phrase ‘The glory of Christmas,’ or you are now remembering the refrain in the familiar Christmas hymn Angels We Have Heard on High (‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’). We simply can’t talk about Christmas without mentioning glory!
In John 1:14, the beloved Disciple writes of God’s glory, and he makes a remarkable claim about it that has everything to do with the celebration of Advent:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Of course, you’ve read these inspired words perhaps thousands of times, and you’ve thought of them especially at Christmas. But let me ask you to read this verse again, and take note of the different ways we might emphasize what John is actually claiming here:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
Who saw glory and when?
Whose glory was seen?
Whose glory is this compared with?
I can’t wait to discover the answers as we worship together this Sunday!
Love and fervent prayers always,
Mike
2022 Advent Readings for Personal and Family Worship
Week Two: December 4-December 10
Sermon Text for December 4–John 1:14
Theme: “Glory in the Highest”
Additional Scripture Readings:
Exodus 3:1-9; 19:1-25
Psalm 3
Luke 2:9
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
1 John 1:1-4
Confessional Readings:
Westminster Confession–Chapter 2:1-3
Heidelberg Catechism–Q’s 50-51
Week Three: December 11-December 17
Sermon Text for December 11–John 3:16-17
Theme: “A Savior for the World”
Additional Scripture Readings:
Genesis 12:1-3; 22:1-18
Psalm 5
Luke 2:21-38
Romans 10:8-21
Ephesians 1:3-12
Confessional Readings:
Westminster Confession–Chapter 3:1-8
Heidelberg Catechism–Q 56
Week Four: December 18-December 24
Sermon Text for December 18–John 1:9; 8:12
Theme: “Light in the Darkness”
Additional Scripture Readings:
Genesis 3
Psalm 51
Ecclesiastes 1
Isaiah 53
1 Peter 2:9-10
Confessional Readings:
Westminster Confession–Chapter 7:1-6
Heidelberg Catechism–Q 60
Week Five: December 25-December 31
Sermon Text for December 25–John 15:11
Theme: “Joy to the World”
Additional Scripture Readings:
Psalm 14
Isaiah 25:1-9
Matthew 2:1-12
Romans 5:1-10
Confessional Readings:
Westminster Confession–Chapter 17:1-3
Heidelberg Catechism–Q’s 1-2
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Second Sunday Lunch: Please join us for our monthly lunch immediately after worship next week.
Christmas Eve Service: We will have our annual Christmas Eve service of worship on December 24 at 5 PM. Visitors are most welcome!
Children’s Ministry: Parents Night Out Christmas Edition on December 9th from 5:30-8:00pm for ages Birth – 5th grade. Register in the Church Center app. We need more volunteers, so please contact Ashley Turnbull if you are interested in serving at this event.
Book study on Christian marriage and relationships:
A six-week small group study in the winter/spring beginning in the new year. This study will be a focus on Christian marriage and relationships using Vernick’s How To Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong. Each evening will have a potluck style meal with study and prayer following. Childcare will be provided at the location for those who need it!
When: Wednesday nights (5:30-7:30) in winter/spring (January 18th/25th ~ February 8th/15th ~ March 1st/8th)
Where: Elliott residence
Sign-Up: Please click here to sign up for the small group study!
For questions or additional information, please contact Matthew Elliott at mattke@live.com.
Supper Clubs:
Will will form new Christ Pres Supper Clubs in the new year! Supper Clubs are:
· CPC adults, assigned to a group of 4 couples/singles, who meet together for a meal once a month, from Jan. to Apr.
· One couple/single in each group hosts their group one of these times.
· The hope is that you will enjoy fellowship and get to know one another on a deeper, more personal level.
It’s such a blessing to know our church family, to share meals together, and to be involved in each other’s lives.
Please sign up by Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
For questions or additional information, please contact Carol Cummings at tc44.cummings@gmail.com or 256-508-4477.
Second Sunday Lunch: We will have our monthly fellowship lunch December 11 immediately after church.
Fall Sunday Night Youth Group:
December 4th
December 11th (Christmas Party)
Sunday night youth group runs from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the church house!
Roots Retreat: We wanted to invite our youth to the annual Providence Presbytery Roots retreat on January 20th-22nd. Roots provides Gospel-centered teaching, worship, and fellowship for the youth in our presbytery. The retreat will be at Camp ToKnowHim and will be attended by various youth from churches in our Presbytery.
We are needing to know if your child (or children) plan to attend so that we can know if we have enough of our students to send a group from CPC! Please review the information below and respond by clicking on the link provided below letting us know if you plan to attend. Please let us know by the 14th of December so that we can ensure everyone is registered and that we can acquire chaperones.
Where: Camp ToKnowHim
When: Friday, January 20th – Sunday, January 22nd
Cost: The cost of the retreat is $145 which includes lodging, meals, and t-shirt. If the cost of the retreat would prevent your child from attending, please let us know to see if we can provide financial assistance!
Speaker: The guest speaker is Austin Lennox, the Director of Youth Ministry at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN. The theme for this year is – You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Age of Self-Belonging.
Let me know if you have any questions. You can email Matthew at mattke@live.com.Thank you!
Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows will have breakfast on December 6 at 9 AM at the church.
Women’s Ministry Monthly Lunch: Our next monthly luncheon will be on January 5 beginning at 11 AM at the Timbers Edge Clubhouse located at 1 Timbers Main, Brownsboro. It’s potluck – feel free to bring a dish or just yourself. If you have questions or transportation needs please contact Pat Galecki at 256-244-0612
Women’s Ministry Christmas Dinner: Join us for food, fellowship, and fun with singing and a raffle. Get in touch with your creative side and make someone smile with a handmade item or store bought gift. Dec 8th, 6-8 pm. Huntsville Country Club. Cost: $15
Men’s Ministry Book Study: There is a book study of Pilgrim’s Progress every Tuesday morning between 6:15 and 7:15 at the Cooper house in downtown Huntsville: 405 Randolph Ave SE, Huntsville, AL 35801. See Joseph Prinzinger for details.
Career Group: Our Sunday evening Bible study & fellowship meets at 5:30 PM at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry, 5726 Jones Valley Drive. To get on our mailing list for regular communications, please email Sharon at sdaughtry5123@gmail.com
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Collins Bailey, Ramona Edwards, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, and Elizabeth Holton. Additional details may be found in the Ministries/Prayer Requests section of the church website.
Expecting: Please pray for the Butlers (February); the Guytons (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 Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.
Online Donations:
If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so by clicking HERE.
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763