HILLSIDE NEWS. Hearing for the first time

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1 Published by Hillside Avenue Church of God HILLSIDE NEWS 2021 Hillside Ave., Springfield OH, hillsidecog.org Timothy Downing, Lead Pastor Michael Criner, Senior Adult Minister Eldridge Bucky Meadows, Minister of Music December 2010 Volume 1 Number 12 Hearing for the first time I must admit my sensitivities were smarting a little when I heard it... One recent Wednesday night I had just finished with the children s lesson about Abraham and Isaac. Most people in the church understand that story as revealing a beautiful truth about God s loving provision for our sin, about the substitutionary sacrifice God would one day provide through Abraham and Isaac s own descendant. To us who have grown up hearing about Abraham s dilemma in the valley (God said to do what with my only son?!) and the mercy he experiences on the mountaintop, the story is simply an example of what we already know about God s character. Our God is kind, merciful, full of grace. Abraham s valley experience was simply a test which, of course, he passed... All is well and we still trust God. But imagine hearing the familiar story of Abraham and Isaac for the first time. Imagine what it sounds like to Unchristian ears. I must admit my sensitivities were smarting a little when I heard it: What s wrong with God? one child said to another. The reply, He s on weed! another chimed in No He s on crack!. That night something burned within me. The nagging in my soul was not a result of an unintended offense aimed at my loving and merciful God. It was not even a realization of my complete failure as a teacher. The burning within me was a realization that our narrative, the Christian truth, the story of God is no longer the common narrative of our culture. In the not so distant past every school-aged child was familiar with Christian concepts and Biblical stories. It was part of our cultural DNA. Today it seems many people know about American Idol, 50 Cent, and alternative lifestyles, and know little to nothing about the Truth we hold dear. I encourage you to think through the familiar Christmas narratives this month. Hear them afresh, with new ears. Think about them as if you were not a Christian. Which stories might need a little explanation? Have you taken the time to explain what you know about the virgin birth of Jesus, the prophetic announcements found in the Old Testament, and the angelic proclamation (just to name a few) to your family and friends? We have the privilege of serving Christ in this culture as His truth bearers. Let s not miss our opportunity to enlighten those around us. Let us not assume they know, rather let us share the Gospel Truth as though our friends and family are hearing it for the very first time! -Pastor Timothy P.S. Angelita, Timothy, Esperanza and I want you to know we love you and are blessed to be part of Christ s body at Hillside. May you be blessed with the deep meaning of Emanuel this Christmas. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. God is with us!

2 I have been receiving little bells from an anonymous person ever since The Loy Wedding (they were used as part of the reception). The Monday after the wedding there were around fifteen bells in various places in my office including on top of my printer and on top of my clock. Today, Monday, November 22, I received a birthday present from that anonymous person and you ll never guess what it was? A bell from the wedding. So I thought I would tell you about one of the symbols of Christmas. That would be the bell. Small bells were in use among the Greeks and the Jews in ancient times. In the Old Testament tabernacle the high priest wore little bells of gold around the hem of his garment. They were used to ring when he moved about to announce his presence to God. And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates (for the priest). The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:25-26) At Christmas time bells the world over ring to announce the coming of the Messiah and are a reminder of His presence with us. They express the joy, the excitement and the expectancy of the birth of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year -Bucky And He shall be called Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. At Christmas time, the word Wonderful conveys a special meaning. It is an expression of the word wonder which is defined as astonishment, amazement, admiration and miracle. The coming of God in the flesh as a virgin birth was truly an astonishing miracle, too wonderful for words. Trying to explain to a pre-christian what it s like to share a personal relationship with Christ is much the same experience. Enjoying the abundant life, knowing the blessing of the care of a heavenly Father, is too wonderful to articulate into words. Sometimes all we can do is stand amazed in His presence. I look back over my life every Christmas season and wonder, Why was I blessed to have Christian parents? Why was I blessed to be able to serve in ministry? Why was I blessed to know God s protection in so many ways? Why have I been blessed to be a part of the Church of God Reformation Movement? Why have I been blessed to serve in two of the most loving congregations within the Church of God? It s all a wonder - an astonishing miracle too wonderful for words. My family and I want to thank you for being such a wonderful congregation to serve in, to grow in faith in and be served by. We wish you the most wonderful of all Christmases this year, realizing that God has laid His Son on each of your doorsteps to become that miracle in each of our lives. Mike, Tammy and the Criner Family Since the beginning of time, names and titles have been important to God. In the book of Genesis, God names His creation as it was brought forth. Throughout the Old and New Testament, Jesus is given a multitude of names describing His work and mission in our lives.

3 Well, November has come to a close and December is beginning. We have entered the Advent season. As youth, you may wonder what exactly Advent is and what it means. Let me see if I can take a moment this month to explain. Advent is a word that finds its origin in the Latin word adventus. This word means coming. For churches of the Western world (if you do not understand the difference between the Western and Eastern world, take a moment to talk with your History teacher) Advent is the start of the Liturgical Year. The what!? The Liturgical year is something that many churches have moved away from. Unlike the normal calendar year that marks the passage of days and months, the liturgical year marks the passage of special church observances and celebrations. Advent typically begins four weeks before December 25, and is meant to mark the coming birth of Jesus Christ that we celebrate on Christmas. You may be familiar with the candles that you usually see getting lit every year at this time. Like many youth you may be too busy texting or talking during the service (we ll have to talk about that later) to really catch the significance of what the candles mean. Typical tradition places a significant meaning behind each candle that is supposed to help guide us in our remembrance of the Advent season. The first Candle is called the Prophets candle and is meant to put us in remembrance of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of a Messiah. In the lighting of this candle we are recognizing that these prophecies spoke of Jesus Christ (FYI: Christ was not Jesus last name Christ is simply a different way of saying Messiah). The second Candle is called the Bethlehem candle in honor of the town in which Jesus was born. The third Candle is commonly known as the Shepherd s candle which can serve the dual purpose of helping us to remember the shepherds who honored Jesus at his birth, and it serves to remind us that Jesus is our Great Shepherd the guide and protector of our lives. The fourth Candle is called the Angel s candle and is lit in reminder of spectacular angelic proclamation of the birth of Jesus. Often times we add a fifth candle that is called the Christ candle and is typically lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is the glorious proclamation that Jesus is the light of the world. So now you have a quick lesson on what Advent is, but that is not all. There is a dual purpose to the Advent season. As I just talked about, it is designed to help us remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Remember that I said that the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus? Well, that Latin word comes from the Greek word parousia. This is a Greek word that means presence, arrival, or official visit. Parousia is used in church tradition to refer to the Second Coming of Christ (the time when Jesus will come again to take us all to be with Him). Knowing this, we are able to see that in addition to helping us remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus, Advent is also a time in which we are to renew our anticipation of Christ s return. Many times in Christianity we spend all our time arguing over what will happen when Jesus returns that we forget to just sit and anticipate His return. Advent can help us to remember that instead of arguing, we should all come together and celebrate Jesus both in His birth and in His expectant return. God Bless, Michael and Rachel Galarneau Youth follow us on Facebook and Twitter Facebook: Hillside Youth Twitter: hacogyouth

4 Journey to Bethlehem Join us in the retelling of the birth of the newborn King. At the Church of God Campgrounds 3251 W. National Rd. December 3, 4 and 5, 2010, 6:00-9:00pm Outdoor walking tours begin throughout the evening, lasting approximately 15 minutes. Final journey begins at 8:45 In case of inclement weather please call (937) for cancelation. Worship the King Celebrating the birth of the King of Kings with Praise Choir and Congregation Sunday morning December 12 10:15 a.m. Handbell Concert at Grand Court Monday, December 6 7:30 p.m. Come join us! Friday, December 24 6:00 p.m. Friday, December 31 Friday, December 6:00 p.m. 31

5 December 6 - Helen Bowers Wanda Barker Genevieve Galarneau December 7 Gavin Riley December 8 - Jason & Cori Curtis Hope McKenzie Ray Chamberlin December 9 - Jim Swartzbaugh December 10 - Sandy Barker December 22 - Bucky & Cathy Meadows December 26 Joyce Loeffler December 28 - Lanita Nichols December 29 - Mike & Tammy Criner Mike Moore December 30 - Carl & Carolyn Davis December 12 - Darcy Anstine December 13 - Wayne Yoder Bobbie Stoll December 14 - Bob Kelley Ray & Jenny Gravitt December 15 - Brittney Perkins December 18 - Bob & Donna Greiner December 19 - Pam McKenzie Kristal Foster John R. McKeen December 20 - Daniel Morris Jon & Sheila Finney James & Alene Cox 2011 January 7 - Cathy Kemper January 8 - Larry & Regina Murray Erma Cox Jeanne Morris December 2l - Don Foster Mikayla Galarneau Please inform the church office if your name has not been listed. We want to keep this up to date. We are only listing church families and not extended members of families.