Worship Preview 12.29.24 "After Christmas..."

This Sunday: 10:30am – “The Sunday After Christmas: Christmas is More than a Day.” Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching. Scriptures: Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52.

During our Advent series, I’ve used the Peanuts cartoons of Charles M. Schulz to illustrate how joy is more than happiness, hope is more than longing, love is more than a feeling and peace is more than quiet. We talked about the moment in the Charlie Brown Christmas special when Linus recites part of Luke 2 – and drops his security blanket just as the angel says be not afraid. On Christmas Eve we gathered around the little tree Charlie Brown picked up and how it helps us focus on what is both real and unexpected. We sang beloved carols, heard wonderful hymns and anthems, shared communion and Candlelight with the singing of Silent Night. It is a tradition that fills us with joy, hope, peace, and love – and then suddenly for many of us, Christmas is over!

Schulz drew on the way we anticipate and then lament Christmas – one strip shows Lucy talking about how she counted down the days, hours, and minutes – and now it’s all over she shouts. Some of us might point out that by the Christian Calendar Christmas only started on the 25th and lasts 12 days until Epiphany on January 6th. But our culture has already rushed ahead. I heard one report that a grocery store nearby had valentines candy out already. And yet being insistent that is is still Christmas seems to take us out of the very sense of wonder the season is supposed to be about. 

Another of Schulz’s cartoons, Charlie Brown says “Christmas is over but I still feel joyful. I think I’m going to be able to keep this good feeling about myself and everyone for a real long time…” Lucy responds “Who cares?”

Charlie Brown responds “And a Happy New Year to you too!”

How do we hold on to feelings of joy, that sense of wonder, the light that we celebrated. How do we move into the new year on the secular calendar and continue to experience, tell, and share the story of Jesus. This week we’ll talk about that, drawing from the texts of the lectionary – Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, and Luke 2:41-52. In the gospel, we’ve rushed ahead. After the stiring story of the infant Jesus’ birth – we already find ourselves with a 12 year old, holding his own in temple discussions while his Parents, Mary and Joseph, search for him thinking him lost.

Jesus is prepared for the new day – this Sunday we are invited to continue to experience Advent – that is anticipation, awareness, fully conscious. We are invited to continue to encounter God, revealed in Christ and to again renew our own discipleship. The light of Christmas isn’t extinguished when we put the candles away, it lives within it us, if we make room for it. To quote poet Amanda Gorman again, "there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it." This is our call as Christians.

We hope you will join us Sunday at 10:30 we will consider these things and look ahead to the new year, to Epiphany Sunday on January 5th, and to the celebration of the Baptism of Christ on January 12th. The celebration continues!

If you do not have a church home, or if it’s time for a change, we invite you to take this Advent journey with us. We meet each Sunday at 10:30am at 301 S. National. Come as you are, wear what you have, and join with others as we sing, pray, and seek to to find our path and share our journey! Blessings in this holy season. 

Upcoming Events: 

A Reminder – Since New Years falls on Wednesday our volunteers are taking the week off – we will return with our weekly free meal on Wednesday, January 8th. We’ve served over 170,000 meals with the help of our many partners since this ministry launched about 13 years ago and average around 400-450 meals per week. If you would like to support this ministry, you can make donations online at: www.firstumcfortscott.org/onlinegiving. 

2025 FELLOWSHIP SOUP LUNCHEONS –will usually consist of 2 types of soup, chili and pies. A freewill offering  is requested to help fund our mission and ministries as designated below. Each meal begins at 11:30am and runs until we run out or 1pm.  

Friday, January 24th will benefit the Mission Committee and Friday, February 29th will benefit Feeding Families. Then Friday, March 14th will be the United Women of Faith Potato bar instead of a soup lunch. 

After that, in April, our Aging Forward: Adventures in Learning sessions will return with speakers on all sorts of topics. Look for details soon!