ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Advent
When I was younger – probably until I was about 13 or 14 – my mom’s family would have a family reunion on the weekend after Thanksgiving. On Thursday morning we would load up the car with all our things for the weekend and drive to Fort Worth to celebrate Thanksgiving with my dad’s family, and then when we were done we would get back in the car and drive on to Rusk, TX. Rusk is a very small town in East Texas and someone owned some land and a farm just outside of town so we all went every year and stayed in this same hotel in town.
It was a little bit of a free for all – or it felt that way as a kid. The hotel was on a lot of land and surrounded by lots of trees and a golf course. So there were plenty of places to run around or find a good hiding place and sit and read which is what I did. And we always rented one hotel suite as a common room where everyone would hang out and all the food got kept in there (it seemed like an endless supply of food at the time). And on Saturday night we all went out to the farm and had a big bonfire and roasted hotdogs and s’mores. It wasn’t the most typical Thanksgiving experience – but those days with my family are days for which I am very thankful.
The Lectionary text from the epistles for this coming Sunday is 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 and while I know that technically we’re in Advent and that the Lectionary Calendar isn’t created with Thanksgiving (or any American Holidays) in mind, I can’t help but think that this is a particularly appropriate text for the week after Thanksgiving. It says:
3 May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours. 4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives. 7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. - 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, The Message
I am especially taken by the way The Message interprets v.7-9 – “Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you…” I don’t think that I live my life like this every day – believing that I don’t need a thing because God has already given me all that I will ever need. I wonder how my life would change if I did. And not only has God already given me everything that I need, but also, “God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus.” Not only has God already given me all that I need, but also God is with me as I walk through this life – encouraging me, strengthening me, sustaining me at all times until all things are wrapped up in Christ.
I think that sometimes it is easier to be thankful for things that have already happened. Sometimes it is easier for me to be thankful for days spent with my family at a hotel in East Texas – but it’s a little harder to be thankful for an ordinary day in my ordinary life while it’s happening. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 encourages me to ask myself - how different would my life look if I lived every day with a sense of thankfulness that God had already given me all that I ever needed? How different would yours be?
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about this, feel free to email taylor@ubcwaco.org.
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UBC Parishioner of the Week
Chad May for being a #champion4thelord and making coffee on Sunday.
(December 5th and 6th)
UBC will be opening its doors from 10am-midnight, on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Overheard at last years Study Hall: “UBC is the best. I mean seriously, I have been here for 6 hours, but I feel like Ive learned as much as I do in 60. I also feel closer to Jesus. This is the absolute best place to study. I feel sorry for my friends who didn’t come here to study, they will probably fail their finals.”
We will have snacks and drinks out all day, and don’t worry, our pancake extravaganza will be happening at 10pm on Wednesday night. If you have any questions, email toph@ubcwaco.org #yourbestfinalsnow
Thailand Mission Trip - June 10-24, 2018
There are still spots open for the mission trip to Thailand in May. The cost of the trip is around $2500, and covers all meals, travel, lodging, and events. A $200 deposit is due by the 17th. If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org
Get To Know Your UBC Staff
7 UBC staff members: Val, Toph, Dilan, Josh, Jamie, Taylor and Kim have favorite movies.
They are: Elizabethtown, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Interstellar, Straight Out Of Compton, The Tree of Life, Cast Away, and Remember The Titans.
Be the first person to email josh@ubcwaco.org correctly matching 7 movies to the corresponding staff members and win a gift card to the local cinema. Email subject line should read "the movies."
Work is Worship
Greeters: Walters
Coffee Makers: Emmy & Caroline
Mug Cleaners: OOTP
Money Counter: Anna Tilson
Announcements
- Sermon Text: Genesis 38 "Good Biblical Family Values Part 1"
- finance team meeting 12-11
- "Christmas Eve Morning Service/Advent 4" 12-24 @ 10:30 AM. Carol sing and candle lighting at 5:00 PM.