Friday, December 26, 2014

FRIDAY NOTES for the week of December 28, 2014

Here's what's happening for the week of December 28, 2014:

1. Sunday's service will be a Song-Fest - including a time for you to choose 2 verses of a Christmas song from the blue hymnal. You will want to be there, so I hope to see you!

2. After the service, during coffee time, all of you who want to be part of the planning for the Valentine's Banquet will meet; we will be finalizing the menu and solidifying some ideas for the entertainment and assigning the various tasks. Please plan to attend and give your input!

3. I took some excellent photos of the Christmas Eve service and will forward them to Webmaster Ed, and some will show up on our Website. This is someplace you will want to start visiting - if you miss a Sunday, you can listen to the sermon - it's lookin' good! www.wedgwoodchurch.org.


And finally, GO HAWKS!!!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

2014 Christmas Eve Service Recording

If you missed this year's Christmas Eve Service, now is your opportunity to experience the entire event - All the music, the Bible Readings, and even a beautiful harmonica solo from Pastor Wim! Listen now and enjoy:

DECEMBER 24, 2014: Christmas Eve (FULL SERVICE)

For previous sermons, make sure to visit our WCC Sermons Section!

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Christmas Eve Service 7:00pm

ALL ARE WELCOME! Please join us on Wednesday, December 24th at 7:00 p.m., when Wedgwood Community Church celebrates the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:30-33

This Week's Sermon: What's In A Name

DECEMBER 21, 2014: What's In A Name

For previous sermons, make sure to visit our WCC Sermons Section!

Our Daily Bread: "Just The Right Time" by Julie Ackerman Link

READ: Hebrews 9:11-22
"Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come." - Hebrews 9:11

The conductor stood on the podium, his eyes scanning the choir and orchestra. The singers arranged the music in their folders, found a comfortable position for standing, and held the folder where they could see the conductor just over the top. Orchestra members positioned their music on the stand, found a comfortable position in their seats, and then sat still. The conductor waited and watched until everyone was ready. Then, with a downbeat of his baton, the sounds of Handel’s “Overture to Messiah” filled the cathedral.

With the sound swirling around me, I felt I was immersed in Christmas—when God, at just the right moment, signaled the downbeat and set in motion an overture that started with the birth of the Messiah, the “High Priest of the good things to come” (Heb. 9:11).

Every Christmas, as we celebrate Christ’s first coming with glorious music, I’m reminded that God’s people, like choir and orchestra members, are getting ready for the next downbeat of the conductor when Christ will come again. On that day, we will participate with Him in the final movement of God’s symphony of redemption—making all things new (Rev. 21:5). In anticipation, we need to keep our eyes on the conductor and make sure we are ready.

Sound the soul-inspiring anthem,
Angel hosts, your harps attune;
Earth’s long night is almost over,
Christ is coming—coming soon! —Macomber

The advent of Christ celebrates His birth and anticipates His return.

Friday, December 19, 2014

FRIDAY NOTES for the week of December 21, 2014

Here's what's happening for the week of December 21, 2014:

1.  This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent and after the worship service we will have our Christmas Potluck.  We will prepare the ham and scalloped potatoes (yummmm) so we can enjoy those, along with the side dishes, salads and desserts that the rest of us bring.  If you bring a friend with you, they can enjoy this bounty with us!  During the service, the ensemble will sing our perennial favorite, Halle, Halle, Halle, so be sure to join us!

2.  Our Christmas Eve Service will start at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday the 24th.  The program will be a gentle blend of scripture and music, and is a candlelight service.  This, too, is an excellent time to bring a friend, and folks from around the neighborhood are warmly welcomed!

3. And, last but not least, looking ahead to the Valentine's Banquet:  Several folks have had some thoughts about food and entertainment, and we need to make some decisions and start firming up the plans.  So, instead of laying out on the last Sunday of the year, all of us who plan to be involved in the Banquet will have a meeting during coffee time on the 28th.  It shouldn't take too long, and it is very important to not let time get away from us!

4. This Week's YOUR STORY: Tell about a time when someone called you a name other than your own.  Was it disparaging or delightful? What was your reaction? Was there anything you had done to deserve the name?

5. This Week's SERMON THEME: What’s in a Name?

5. This Week's SONGS OF PRAYER & PRAISE:
  • Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
  • Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
  • Crown Him King of Kings
  • Jesus, Name Above All Names

This Week's Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)


The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.  But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancĂ©, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.  For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.  25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born.  And Joseph named Him Jesus.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Today's Scripture: Matthew 11:2-11 (NLT)

2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way before you.’


11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!

Our Daily Bread: "A Special Birth" by Dave Branon

READ: Isaiah 7:10-15
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" - Isaiah 7:14

In the pages of Scripture, several baby-boy births stand out. Cain, the firstborn after creation. Isaac, the hope of Israel’s future. Samuel, the answer to a mother’s fervent prayer. All extremely important. All joyously expected. And all described exactly the same by the chroniclers of Scripture: In each case, we are told that the mother conceived and bore a son (Gen. 4:1; 21:2-3; 1 Sam. 1:20).

Now consider one more baby boy’s birth. The description of this arrival was much more greatly detailed: a few words were clearly not enough to tell of Jesus’ birth. In Micah, we were told where He would be born—Bethlehem (5:2). In Isaiah, that His mother would be a virgin (7:14), and that He was coming to save people from their sin (ch.53).

In the New Testament, we were given such key information as what His name would be and why (Matt. 1:21), where He was born in fulfillment of prophecy (2:6), and how both His birth mother and His adoptive father were part of God’s plan (1:16).

Jesus’ birth stands above all births. His coming changed the world and can change our lives. Let’s celebrate Him!

Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. —Wesley



Christ is the greatest gift known to man.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

FRIDAY NOTES for the week of December 14, 2014

1. This Sunday the special Advent/Christmas Ensemble will sing a sprightly piece of special music during the service; after the service, during coffee time, you will again have an opportunity to critique Pastor Wim's sermon. The Your Story question is"Tell about a time when you were reluctant to ask questions, but you did anyway and it turned out well: You felt welcome, smart and courageous for asking."

2. The following Sunday, the 21st, we will enjoy our Christmas Potluck after church. We will prepare the ham, and the rest of us will bring the side dishes, salads or desserts. This would be a fine time to bring a friend with you.

3. We put up a tree in the Fellowship Hall, and several folks have "decorated" it with a Christmas card to the congregation. If you have a card that you would like to add to the array, feel free to do so. The fellows have put up the big tree in the Sanctuary - all of the decorations look lovely - many thanks to all who worked on them!

4. Our Christmas Eve Service will start at 7 p.m. on Wednesday the 24th. Significant improvements have been made to the parking lot lighting, and that should help us all in our comings and goings after dark!