EVER WONDER ABOUT CHRISTMAS & ITS TRADITIONS?

Transcription

1 EVER WONDER ABOUT CHRISTMAS & ITS TRADITIONS? I pray that the peace & mercy given by Father God, King Jesus & the Holy Spirit flows into each of your lives. I was gazing at the angel I have on the counter allowing thoughts of family, food, & Christmas traditions to wander around in my mind like garland that drapes around a Christmas tree. Being a person who likes to ask why as well as when, where, how, & what I started wondering when the church started celebrating Christ s birth & how all of the worldly traditions that accompany Christmas became part of it. I did some research & these are some interesting facts I have found. The word Christmas was derived from Christ s mass found in an old Roman Bishops list. It also stated 25 Dec.: natus Christus in Bethleem Judeae. Dec 25 th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea. This day in Dec. 25, 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. For the first 300 years of the church s existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis at all. Actually, No one knows for sure on what day Christ was born. There are many of speculations from fall to spring months. Many historians develop their theory on the time that Elizabeth, Mary s cousin, became pregnant when her husband Zacharias was taking his turn doing the high priest duties. The Bible says Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant with her son John when Mary having recently conceived thru the Holy Spirit visited her. Eionysus Exiguus, a monk was the first to date all of history from Dec. 25 th, the year of our Lord 1. Cultures around the Mediterranean & across Europe observed various feasts on or around that date. It is believed that a Christian bishop adopted that day to celebrate Christ in order to keep his people from indulging in the old pagan festivals. The custom of gift exchanges developed over the years becoming connected with the name of St. Nicholas, a real but legendary 4 th century Bishop in a province of Asia. He was was a charitable man & he threw gifts into homes of the poor. In different countries he is also known as Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, & Father Christmas. Around the 13 th century Christians added Christmas carols to celebrate Jesus. Trees & lights were added by various cultures & hence we have all of these items added to the Christmas celebrations. Unfortunately, as we can all see, the commercialization of Christmas has inundated people s minds & they have forgotten the true meaning. However, regardless of the traditions that have been adopted with the celebration of Christ s birth most Christians know exactly that Christ is the centerpiece & reason for Christmas. For Christians, giving gifts reflects the giving of gifts by the Magi to the Christ child. Everything in Jesus life was & is relevant & important; so were the gifts the Magi brought to Him. They were: Gold which spoke to Jesus Kingship (Jesus as the true King of Kings), frankincense was an incense used in priestly duties (Jesus as the perfect High Priest for us), & myrrh was an embalming spice, offered in anticipation of His death (Jesus as the supreme Savior, who came to die for the sins of mankind). The celebration of His birth is a holy & joyous time for all mankind. Luke 2: For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Celebrate this day giving God all the glory for Jesus coming down to earth to save the world of mankind! Thank you, Holy Spirit for putting this lesson on my heart to share with the WSCC church family. We praise You God & glorify Your name always! Mary Bowden A PLACE TO CALL HOME December 23, 2018

2 ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD (CONTINUATION) Whatever the Word of God says I am. I HAVE!!!! Pastor Bobby gave a sermon on this a few weeks ago, & it is well worth repeating to remind us of what we have in Christ! I have the faith of God residing in me. Mark 11:22 I have boldness & access with confidence before God. Eph 3:12 I have the peace of God that passes all understanding. Phil 4:7 I have redemption thru the blood of Christ. Col 1:14 I have joy unspeakable & full of glory. 1 Pet 1:8 I have God s love. 1 John 4:16 I have victory that overcomes the world. 1 John 5:4 I have the mind of Christ. Phil 2:5 I have all my needs supplied according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 I have godly wisdom & revelation. Eph 1:17-18 I have been given the spirit of power & of love & of a sound mind not the spirit of fear. 2 Tim 1:7 I have the right to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:16 I have Christ in me, the hope of Glory. Col 1:27 I have the tongue of the learned, so that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Isa 50:4 I have a world overcomer (Jesus). 1 John 5:4-5 I have the joy of the Lord, which is my strength. Neh 8:10 Everything we have is thru the grace of God. When Jesus arose to Heaven, He did not leave us alone. He left us with a Great Comforter, a Helper, One to convict our conscience to do what is right, One to help us pray, One whose groanings for us is beyond all understanding. John 16: 7-11 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don t the Advocate won t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin & of God s righteousness & of the coming judgment. The world s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father & you will see Me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. John 14:15-17, 26 If you love me, keep my commandments. I will ask the Father to give you another Helper to be with you always. He is the Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor recognizes Him. But you recognize Him, because He lives with you & will be in you... But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things & remind you of everything that I have told you. Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom & understanding, the Spirit of counsel & might, the Spirit of knowledge & the fear of the Lord.

3 For more information about Western Star Cowboy Church, our ministries or spiritual guidance; please contact one of our church leaders. For Benevolence call one of the Elders. Western Star Cowboy Church P.O. Box 276 -Springtown Pastor Bobby Bowden WOLF Pack Minister & Newsletter Mary Bowden Elders Garry Tebbens Wes Robinson James Fraizer Tye Kinnibrugh Lay Pastors Kenny Woodruff David King Manny Cuevas David Sneed Wranglers Ministry (ages 1-12) Mary Bowden; Coordinator Open Gate Ministry (ages 13 to young adult) Sundays at 2:00 pm at the Bunkhouse Manny Cuevas WOLF Ministry (Woman Of Love & Faith) WOLF Pack Leadership Mary Bowden Cyndi Sneed PRAYER REQUESTS Please keep the church & all WSCC members in your daily prayers. Additional prayers are needed for: *ALL our church family & their extended families who are sick. *Pray for families who have lost a beloved animal. DeeDee lost her beloved dog this last week. *Pray for our Pastor Bobby, the Elders, Lay Pastors, Bible study teachers & our youth. *Pray for WSCC & for God to bring others to His church. *Pray for God to lead our government officials & to keep our freedom of religion, military members, fire, police & emergency responders & their families. *Glenda Smith is at Garden Terrace Nursing Home at 7500 Oakmont Blvd. in Fort Worth off of Bryant Irving. ANNOUNCEMENTS Wed Nights - Fellowship Hall: 6:00 PM Prayer Group 7:00 PM Bible study - Book of John (film & discussions Pastor Bobby) Every 3 rd Saturday of the month from 7PM to 9PM Worship night at WSCC Church Dec 23 rd : Sunday 10 AM Service Repeat of Saturday night The Story of Jesus Birth Dec 26 th : Wednesday - NO PRAYER OR BIBLE STUDY DUE TO CHRISTMAS Dec 30 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Jan 2 nd : Wednesday - NO PRAYER OR BIBLE STUDY DUE TO NEW YEARS EVE Jan 6 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Communion by tbd Jan 9 th : Wednesday Start back up Prayer & Bible Study sessions Jan 12 th : WOLF pack meeting in Fellowship Hall at 9 AM Jan 13 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Jan 20 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Grub Sunday tbd Jan 27 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Your monetary gifts to God are used to cover the various monthly & annual expenses/missions of WSCC. God in His ultimate wisdom brought us together to worship & praise Him. Pro 3:9-10 tells us we will be blessed for blessing God. Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018 attendance: 83 Donations $1, JESSE AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT HANDSOME YOUNG MAN.. WAY TO GO JESSE!

4 WSCC NEWS HERE IS A LETTER FROM MEMBERS LORI & TIM LIVINGSTON TO THE CHURCH. December 2018 GREETINGS TO WESTERN STAR COWBOY CHURCH Although we are recent members, we have been following your sermons for a bit longer. Dee Bledsoe brought the church to our attention, and we are grateful. We have always believed in God and trust Him for our daily care. We did however stop attending weekly services after we married, but attended our own Bible studies. When things escalated, we felt the need to pursue our studies and needed the help with more spiritual understanding. In 2016 they diagnosed me with cancer. I never believed nor accepted their diagnosis. Cancer to me is simply a word, and had no power over me. God is All and All, and is in control. Tim & I started reading the Bible again. We believed in the power of prayer & instant healing. Our results have been plentiful. We met Dee thru her work and became fast friends. This lead us joining the church, and so many blessings. Much love from Tim and Lori! Love and prayers from all of us.! We will see you again. God has blessed His church with many souls, so this is our Christmas message to the congregation: Pastor Bobby & I pray that bountiful blessings for your needs & wants flow from God to each of you this holiday season & thru We pray that peace & wisdom enter your souls giving glory to God! The greatest gift has already been given to all of us through our King & Savior Jesus Christ. The greatest gift Pastor Bobby & I can give each of you is our love, prayers & sharing the word of God. Prayers equal miracles & our little church has seen many of them thru your prayers & faith in God s word. His word continues to be taught from the Bible at WSCC. When we get to study His word & hear it being taught & explained, it is a daily gift from God to each of us. Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God. The gift of God s word comes freely to us thru a price that was already paid with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus. Let us not lose sight in the celebration of His birth that this baby boy rose to be a man, rose up on the cross to pay for our sins & lastly rose back to Heaven to sit at the right hand of His & our Father. We can celebrate His birth because it gave all of us the opportunity to be born again to everlasting life with Jesus. John 3:3, 16, 17 Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.for God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world thru Him. Blessed Christmas to you all! Praise glory to God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit. Amen! Pastor Bobby & Mary

5 JOY TO THE WORLD All band & congregation sings Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart, prepare Him room. And Heaven & nature sing, & Heaven & nature sing. And Heaven & Heaven & nature sing. Joy to the world the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ. While fields & floods, rock, hills & plains repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. He rules the world with truth & grace & makes the nation prove. The glories of His righteousness & wonders of His love. And wonders of His love, & wonders & wonders of His love. MARY DID YOU KNOW Adam sings Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water. Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons & daughters. Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new. This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you. Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to the blind man. Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with His hand. Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod. And when you kiss your little baby, you ve kissed face of God. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb. Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation. Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations. Did you know that your baby boy was Heaven s perfect Lamb & the sleeping child you re holding is the Great I Am! AWAY IN A MANAGER band sings Away in a manger no crib for His bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head. The stars in the Heavens looked down where He lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay. The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying He makes. I love thee Lord Jesus look down from the sky & stay by my cradle to watch lullaby. Beneath me Lord Jesus I ask Thee to stay close by me forever & love me I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care & take us to Heaven to live with Thee there. C.

6 GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN/WHAT CHILD IS THIS Rick sings What Child is this Who laid to rest on Mary s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping? God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from satan s power when we are gone astray. Oh, tidings of comfort & joy, comfort & joy, O, tidings of comfort & joy! This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard & angels sing; haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary. In Bethlehem in Israel the blessed Babe was born & laid within a manger upon this blessed morn. To which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn. O, tidings of comfort & joy, comfort & joy, Oh, tidings of comfort & joy! Raise, raise a song on high the virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the son of Mary. DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR Dave sings Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you see what I see. Way up in the sky little lamb. Do you see what I see a star, a star dancing in the night with a tail as big as a kite, with a tail as big as a kite. Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy. Do you hear what I hear ringing thru the sky shepherd boy. Do you hear what I hear. A song, a song, high above the tree with a voice as big as the sea, with a voice as big as the sea. Said the shepherd boy to the mighty King. Do you know what I know in your palace wall mighty king. A Child, a Child shivers in the cold let us bring Him silver & gold. Let us bring Him silver & gold. Said the king to the people everywhere. Listen to what I say pray for peace, people everywhere listen to what I say. The Child, the Child sleeping in the night he will bring us goodness & light. He will bring us goodness & light. OH HOLY NIGHT Mary sings O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior s birth. Long lay the world in sin & error pining til He appear d & the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new & glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O, hear the angel voices! O, night divine, O, night when Christ was born. O, night divine, O, night, O night divine. O holy night! The stars are brightly shining with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by the light of a star sweetly gleaming. Here came the wise men from orient land. The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger. In all our trials born to be our Friend. He knows our needs! Our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King, before Him lowly bend. Behold your King, before Him lowly bend. C.

7 THE FIRST NOEL sings The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay. In fields where they lay keeping their sheep on a cold winter s night that was so deep. Noel, noel, noel, noel, born is the King of Israel. They looked up & saw a star shining in the East beyond them far & to the earth it gave great light. And so it continued both day & night. C. And by the light of that same star 3 wise men came from country far. To seek for a King was their intent & to follow the star wherever it went. C. This star drew night to the North West o er Bethlehem it took its rest. And there it did both stop & stay right over the place where Jesus lay. C. Then entered in those wise men three, fell reverently upon their knee & offered there in His presence their gold & myrrh & frankincense. C.C. HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING Janee sings Hark! The herald angels sing glory to the new-born King! Peace on earth & mercy mild, God & sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies. With angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King! Hail! The heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail! Son of righteousness! Light & life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die. Born to raise the Son of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King! HALLELUJAH CHRISTMAS Adam sings I ve heard about this baby boy Who s come to earth to bring us joy & I just want to sing this song to You. It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall the major lift with every breath I m singing Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! A couple came to Bethlehem; expecting child they searched the inn to find a place for You were coming soon. There was not room for them to stay so in a manger filled with hay God s only Son was born, oh Hallelujah. C. The shepherds left their flocks by night to see this baby wrapped in light. A host of angels led them all to You. It was just as the angels said, You ll find Him in a manger bed. Emmanuel & Savior, Hallelujah. C. A star shown bright up in the East to Bethlehem the wise-men three came many miles & journeyed long for You. And to the place at which You were their frankincense & gold & myrrh they gave to You & cried out Hallelujah! C. I know You came to rescue me. This baby boy would grow to be a man & one day die for me & you. My sins would drive the nails in You, that rugged cross was my cross, too. Still every breath You drew was Hallelujah. C.

8 WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS Band & congregation sing We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas & a happy new year. Good tidings we bring to you & your kin, we wish you a Merry Christmas & a happy new year. Now bring us some figgy pudding, now bring us some figgy pudding, now bring us some figgy pudding & a cup of good Cheer. We won t go until we get some, we won t go until we get some, we won t go until we get some, so bring it out here. C. FELIZ NAVIDAD Band & congregation sing Feliz Navidad, feliz navidad, feliz navidad, prospero ano y Felicidad. Feliz Navidad, feliz navidad, feliz navidad, prospero ano y Felicidad. I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart. (sing all twice) SILENT NIGHT Everyone sings (by candle light) Silent night, holy night all is calm all is bright. Round yon virgin, Mother & child. Holy infant so tender & mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from Heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia. Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born! Silent night, holy night, Son of God loves pure light. Radiant beams from Thy Holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus Lord at Thy birth. 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COWBOY STYLE (SING SATURDAY ONLY) Everyone sings (COMPETITION) ON THE 1st DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: A MUSTANG NAMED WHOA IS ME On the 2 nd day: Two lariats On the 3 rd day: Three Cowboy hats On the 4 th day: four horseshoes On the 5 th day: FIVE VETS ON CALL On the 6 th day: Six Cowboys ropin On the 7 th day: Seven Shots of Rompin! On the 8 th day: Eight fences broken On the 9 th day: Nine bones a mending On the 10 th day: Ten crutches waiting On the 11 th day: eleven Cowboys laughing On the 12 th day: TWELVE TEETH A MISSIN