Riesel Rustler Article for 11.18.10

We’ve come now to the last week before the Advent season. That means that there are only a few weeks to complete your Christmas shopping, and less time than that to plan your holiday parties. Here at the doorstep of the new church year we celebrate the Lordship of Christ in our songs and sermons. This is the perfect time to consider just how we “live and move and have our being” in Christ.
It’s hard to talk of Jesus Christ as the King in our democratic system; our very roots are defined by rebellion against a foreign king in England. Singing songs about Jesus Christ being King of Kings and Lord of Lords is easy, but actually living with Him as King and Lord is something else entirely.
Jesus is not the president. He is not the governor, nor is he like any earthly king to which we might compare him. To celebrate Jesus as the Lord means to honor him in a personal and intimate way that is completely alien to our relationships to our political leaders. Jesus Christ is indeed King, even if that means little to us in the 21st century. Our Lord is the one on whom our spirit’s rest; he is the one whose Word informs our decisions and personal tastes. Jesus is the type of king who is owed our allegiance and honor not because of the army supporting him or because of his wealth and lands. Rather, we owe Jesus our heart-felt allegiance because of his victory over death, the great enemy of us all.
We’re about to enter into the season of shepherds, angels, and Jesus’ miraculous birth; before we make him out to be too soft and tender, let’s remember him as King and Lord of all creation.
Join us this week for worship at 11:00am as we celebrate Christ Jesus as King!

Rustler Article for 11.11.10

Although it may be too early to do so, I’m quickly getting into the holiday spirit. Not necessarily the Christmas spirit, but I’m definitely ready for Advent to begin. I the weeks from Sunday, November 28th through Sunday, December 19th churches all around the world will be preparing their hearts and homes for the coming of the Christ-child. We’ll talk about how Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love form the relationship that God has with men and women.
Beginning on November 28th our church will combine all of our various Sunday School classes into one large group where we’ll talk about the meaning of Christmas and celebrate the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love of God in our hearts. We’ll make Advent Wreathes and decorate Nativities as families, too! We’d love to have you and your family participate in this great season of expectation with us.
What has really gotten me excited about Advent is God’s word to the people of Israel who are suffering under the weight of the Exile in Babylon. Isaiah reminds the people that when God’s new work is revealed the old things will be remembered no more. So glorious is the coming of Jesus Christ that old glory, old shame, and even old suffering are remembered no more. We could use a serious dose of such hope in these days.
Come and join our community of faith for Sunday School and worship this week at 10:00 and 11:00am. We also host Sunday Night Bible Study in the Gospels at 6:00pm, and Bible 101 on Wednesday nights at 7:00. Everyone is welcome at any and all of our activities!