THE LORD S LIGHT WITHIN

Transcription

1 A monthly publication for Members of Macedonia Baptist Church Macedonia Baptist Church Southfield Road Detroit, Michigan Rev. Charles D. Twymon, Pastor Volume 14 Issue 12 December 2016 THE LORD S LIGHT WITHIN Lord, we reflect with thankful hearts On the wonder of your birth The love you expressed when you left Your glory to come to earth For your life was like a beacon, Lord Shining brightly in the night Filling the world with the radiance of The Father s Glorious light And we too, long to have inside Your light for others to see The beautiful reflection of your grace And the wonder of your majesty For as your life indwells our hearts, We can shine wherever we are And arise to take hold of each new day With your light ablaze in our hearts So rekindle the flame within us, Lord So it will not flicker nor dim Ignite us with the light of your love, So you will shine brightly within Source: M.S. Lowndes 2007 Inside This Issue Announcements... 2 Sermons/New Members... 3 Did You Know Church Membership Registration... 5 African-American Spending Habits/MBC Bible & Book Corner... 6 Invitation to Sunday School... 7

2 Bible Study, led by Rev. Willis, meets at 7:00 p.m. every Wednesday in Fellowship Hall. All members and guests are encouraged to attend. The Bi-Annual Business Meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. This meeting is reserved for church members only. Bible Study class will be canceled on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, and will resume on Wednesday, January 4, Wednesday, December 21, 2016 Sunday, December 25, 2016 Christmas Day will fall on Sunday this year. We are going to celebrate the Birth of Christ with a "Crimson Christmas Celebration." Everyone is to wear "Red" for the blood that Jesus entered this world to shed. We will have a dinner planned for after the 11:00 a.m. Worship Service. We will also be taking lots of photos all over the church on that day. Watch Night Service At Macedonia Usher in the spirit of a new year; usher in the spirit of the Lord! Macedonia's Watch Night Service will be held on Saturday, December 31, 2016, between 9:30 p.m. and midnight. Bring praises into the new year with the combined choirs. The service will close out the year with a prayer from our pastor. Come and worship with family, friends, and church members, and be prepared to be blessed in 2017! December

3 SERMONS CDs and DVDs are available through the Audio Ministry. NEW MEMBERS We welcome our new members who joined in November. Pastor Charles D. Twymon November 6, 2016, 8:00 & 11:00 a.m. Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the Lord, Psalm 33: 4-12 November 13, 2016, 8:00 a.m. "Lost in A Far Country" Luke 15: November 13, 2016, 11:00 a.m. "The Other Brother," Luke 15: BERNARD BELL LARRY HARDNETT LAKISHA WILLIS NATHAN WILLIS The New Members Orientation Class meets on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on the second floor in the Upper Room. November 20, 2016, 8:00 & 11:00 a.m. "Giving Thanks In A Storm Acts 27: November 27, :00 & 11:00 a.m. Order My Steps In Your Word Psalm 119: 113 December

4 Did You Know Submitted by Maxine Gardner Angels The Bible describes angels as dressing in white, gleaming like lightning, and wearing clean, shining linen with gold sashes around their chest (Daniel 10:5-6; John 20:12; Luke 24:4; Revelation 15:6). The only classes of angels clearly described as having wings are the Seraphim and the Cherubim who seem to guard or attend the throne of God (Isaiah 6:2, Exodus 25:20). Regardless, wings have become a standard feature in our depiction of angels perhaps an artistic way to portray the speed at which angels can travel. In the same way halos are an artistic way to portray the gleam of angels. Holly Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in the form of holly. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation, and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God s burning love for his people. Combined with the fact that holly maintains its bright colors during the Christmas season, it naturally came to be associated with the Christian holiday. As a Christmas symbol, holly is generally portrayed as a small cluster of berries and leaves, so it may be surprising to learn that holly trees can grow to enormous heights (over 50 feet). Some even grow in the familiar shape of the Christmas tree a spectacular sight when decorated by nature s own red berries. Bells By the eighth century, bells were viewed as an essential part of the Church. Bell turrets were built, bells increased in size, and many churches had claim to two or more bells. The ringing of church bells often signaled the time, and many communities depended on the bells in order to attend weddings, funerals or other services at the proper hour. In some cases, the sequence of tones and the number of bells rung could indicate several details about a service or feast that was about to commence. Interestingly, the word clock comes from a Medieval Latin word clocca which means bell. Bells have long had an intimate association with Christian churches. In many parts of the country today, their ringing can still be heard every Sunday, and throughout the rest of the year for various religious celebrations one of the most significant of course is Christmas. It comes as no surprise then that bells are a familiar symbol during the holiday season. Source: December

5 2017 Membership Registration Registration is extremely important! Since our last registration, members have left our church, changed addresses, phone numbers, and in some cases, last names. We must update our records to reflect these changes. In addition, members may need to take a new photo. If you value your membership with this church, please make every effort to preserve it. Registration will be held in the Atrium beginning Sunday, January 1, 2017, after the 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship services each Sunday for six weeks. A $1.00 fee will be assessed to defray the cost of registration. The By-Laws pertaining to annual registration, Article 1, Section 7, are as follows: Every member must register in person during the first six (6) weeks of every new year. Provisions will be made for members who are unable to register in person due to illness, military duty, and educational leave. Any person desiring to register whose name is not found on the current membership list, must offer themselves as a candidate under Article 1, Section 2. Your failure to register in person before Sunday, February 5, 2017, will indicate that you no longer consider yourself a member of this congregation. The termination of individuals will include the forfeiture of all rights and privileges associated with membership, including weddings and funerals. December

6 ARE AFRICAN- AMERICANS SPENDING HABITS KEEPING BLACK COMMUNITY POOR? By Wendell Smitherman There s been much discussion about the continuously frivolous spending habits of African-Americans. While still struggling to get ahead in terms of long-term financial gain and recent statistics on African- American buying power are painting a vivid picture of just how much damage this counterproductive trend is doing in our communities. Did you know that every time you make a purchase, it is being tracked by big companies? It is a trend for big corporations to purchase data research that is conducted by independent organizations on your spending habits. This makes it easier to market their products to you. For example, when our community runs out and purchases Michael Jordan shoes at consistent rates, that company no longer needs to spend their money marketing to our community. They will use that money to focus on getting new customers. A large percentage of the corporate budget is to collect this data, this information is very useful to the sales and advertising managers. We have a population of about 40 million people and buying power approaching $1.1 trillion in African American buying power is at the epicenter of our economy. Our consumerism keeps American corporations rich and our community poor. Source: MACEDONIA BIBLE & BOOK CORNER Submitted by Sonja Gray What is holding you back from being all God wants you to be? Are you still holding on to past sins? Do memories of your spiritual failures haunt you? Or maybe you want to stay in control and not become one of those "fanatical" Christians? But because of Christ's work on the cross we have been cleansed and are blameless before Him. "I Talk Back to the Devil" is a collection of sermons by A.W. Tozer on this, and similar themes that will encourage and inspire you to draw closer to Christ. Indeed, Satan has been in the business of intimidating and deceiving the people of God for a very long time. Tozer himself felt attacked by the devil even as he prepared the sermons distilled into this book. But as we press toward maturity in Christ, we are armed with great strength to engage in battle with that great Adversary. We can stand up to the Devil and shout "I am a child of God! I will not take this any longer, and I remind you that the forgiveness and cleansing I have freely received comes from Jesus Christ!" You can talk back to the Devil, but will you? December

7 Invitation to: Macedonia Baptist Church Sunday School Superintendent of Sunday School: Rev. Ronald Davis Pastor: Reverend Charles D. Twymon The Sunday School Ministry invites you, your family and friends to attend Sunday School classes. The classes begin at 9:30 a.m. We know you will enjoy the wonderful lessons that will be reviewed, and can apply these teachings to your everyday life. The list of lessons for December 2016 includes the following: UNIT I: The Saviour Is Born Date Lesson Scripture December 4 The Promise of a Saviour Luke 1:26-38 December 11 The Promise Affirmed Luke 1:39-56 December 18 The Forerunner of the Saviour Luke 1:8-20 December 25 The Saviour s Birth (Christmas) Luke 2:8-20 December

8 Macedonia Baptist Church Southfield Road, Detroit, Michigan "Come over into Macedonia and help us. ACTS 16:9 Sunday, January 1, 2017