ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Ordinary Time
What is Christ the King Sunday
You may or may not notice that I have "ordinary time" listed in the newsletter in the summers. That's a nod to the church calendar. A subtle reminder that even our calendars have a 1st allegiance to Jesus. This Sunday is New Years eve ... for the church. It's the last before a new year. Craig has written a thoughtful piece on the purpose of this Sunday that has been used in the liturgy of this Sunday in past years. As is often the case the revolving door at Baylor, we have a lot of new folks. I thought it'd be meaningful for Craig to share his thoughts with us.
The next couple of Sundays are special days in the life of the church, especially for us “Christian calendar nerds.” UBC has followed the Christian calendar to some extent for several years now and in earnest for two years. We do this for at least a couple of reasons. One, I spoke about at the beginning of advent last December—The liturgical year helps us make a statement: We are not like the rest of the world. Though we are affected by the seasons of our surrounding culture—The academic year, the fiscal year, the seasons of new television programs and awards shows, and the seasons dictated by the placement of the sun-- as followers of Jesus, the rhythm of our lives is ultimately dictated by the rhythm of HIS life.
But there’s another reason why Christians for centuries have followed the liturgical year. The Christian calendar is didactic. It is a tool that teaches us WHO Jesus is and HOW we should follow him. Following the Christian calendar is a tangible way of practicing discipleship. We not only learn how we should live by the songs we sing, the prayers we pray and the sermons we hear. We learn to follow Jesus after years and years of following his rhythm.
Last December 1st, the first Sunday of Advent, we represented all humanity by asking the tepid question-- Is there any hope to be found anywhere for our broken condition?
Over the course of the next four weeks the light got brighter until Christmas day when Immanuel—God WITH US—made his appearance into the world.
We followed the Wise Men giving gifts to the young Christ child and we walked with Jesus to his baptism.
In late February of this year we began Lent, a season of penitence, following Jesus into the desert. We followed him out of the desert on Palm Sunday, proclaiming that he was the one who came to save, and then on March 5th we rubbed ashes into our foreheads to remind us that the brokenness of the world ensures that we will all die. Two days later we followed Jesus to the cross, the ultimate symbol of shame and defeat.
The answer to our original question seemed to be this: No, there is NO hope for the world.
But on Sunday morning, April 20th, our hope was restored. We followed Jesus to an empty tomb and rejoiced that death has been defeated and our sins forgiven!
After celebrating his ascension into heaven and his promised return, we remembered the triune nature of God on Trinity Sunday and then began 25 weeks of Ordinary time. During ordinary time we asked ourselves this question—What happened on that first Christmas, the journey through the desert to the cross, the empty tomb, the ascension to heaven and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit onto the church… does any of that actually matter to our lives?
This Sunday, Christ the King Sunday, the last day in the liturgical year, the church answers that question and the first question—Is there any hope? With a resounding YES! Our hope is found in crowning Jesus the King of our Lives. And the implication is clear—if Christ is the King of our lives, then no one or nothing else is—neither wealth nor poverty dictates who we are, Jesus does. Presidents don’t dictate who we are, regardless of what party they represent, Jesus does. Our families are not our King and neither are we our own King, Jesus is.
Sunday we celebrate Christ the King Sunday by singing songs and hearing Scripture that proclaim where our allegiance lies. We also will celebrate it by hearing stories from those in our community as they reflect on the presence of God in their lives throughout the past year.
Made In Waco
Emily would like to offer a large thank you to all of you who helped with Made in Waco. I'd to add to that, a huge thank you to Emily for leading another great event.
Thanksgiving Love Feast
You're probably going to have Thanksgiving dinner with your family. You're probably going to have Thanksgiving dinner with your mi casa, but champions for the Lord, make sure you have thanksgiving dinner with one another. When? This Sunday night at 6:00 P.M.
Advent Workshop
UBC annual advent workshop for children will take place next Sunday (11-30-14) after church. If you would like more information on what this is about and how to get your children involved, contact josh@ubcwaco.org.
Advent Sunday School
Join us during the Sunday School Hour (Sundays at 9:30) for the four Sundays of Advent (November 30th, December 7, 14 and 21) for a special all-church Advent Sunday School. This will be a relaxed time of decorating the church for Christmas, getting to know each other better, and reflecting on the meaning for the season. We will be using the Advent Conspiracy model as a springboard for our time together. Oh, and there'll be donuts and hot chocolate.
Work is Worship 11-23-14
Mug Cleaners: Haines Family
Coffee Makers: Logan & Allyson
Greeters: Graham Dodd & Joy Wineman
Shutdown Team: Golden Glitter Girls
Announcements:
- Sermon Text: Christ the King Sunday Texts
- CCMSTCCE (Caesar Chavez Middle School Teacher Christmas Card Encouragement). Be on the lookout November 30th and December 7th for more information in the foyer.
Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?: 254 366 9779
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com
Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com
Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net
Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com
David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu
Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com
Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu
Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com
Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com
Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu
Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com
Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com
Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu
Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu
Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com