From the
Vicar
When
there is pain in the offering….blessed be your name.
Beth
Geckenberger, in her book “Reckless Faith” describes an incident of two
brothers in her orphanage struggling with a toy.
Two
brothers. One remote control car. One holds the control, other the car. And at
the top of their lungs, each is screaming his own claim over their new toy.
At first,
she tries to reason with them, though it is hard to follow her logic over the
noise of their ruckus. Then she resorts to threats. It makes her feel
temporally powerful, but ultimately it’s ineffective. Then she acts
uninterested-but the fight continues.
Finally she
says to the brothers, “ What you can’t share, you can’t have”, and she takes
the car and the remote and walks away.
What we
can’t share, we can’t keep for long. This story brings us to the fact and
meaning of Christmas. Christmas means different things to different people. For
some of us Christmas is a cause for distress rather than delight, because it
charge your credit/debit card more on spending.
In fact, our distress and discouragement and sometimes even
depression are generally indications that we have turned away from what the
season really ought to be about. Each year we have the opportunity to behold
God’s glory as it was manifested to us in the incarnation of Christ, but if
we’re not thinking along those lines then we’ll miss what God has for us. In
the event of Christmas or Incarnation or at the birth of Jesus the pain of
offering is radically engraved, for it is God coming down to the human form and
conditions to share the nature and its vulnerability in its true sense. In fact
the glory of God is reveled in humility. Consider the humility of the
incarnation itself, the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God,
taking on humanity with all of its limitations, with all of its pain and sorrow
and suffering. Listen to how Paul describes it:“For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)
What does
that mean, “he became poor”? It means that he gave up his honor and glory, he
let go of his position, he relinquished all of the riches of heaven, in order
to become one of us, in order to save us from our sins. He gave up that glory
in order to become a human baby. Not even an adult. That would be humility
enough, to give up the glory of heaven to become a man. But instead he became a
helpless little infant. The
sovereign Lord of creation, had now become the very picture of weakness and
powerlessness and inability – a little baby. Not even a royal baby, not the son
of a king; not a wealthy baby, the son of money and privilege. But instead, a
peasant child born to poverty and want, raised in very humble circumstances.
Surrounded not by God’s holy angels and the glory of heaven, but instead
surrounded by sinful, fallen human beings and a stinking, dirty barn.
Just as
Jesus humbled himself by becoming a helpless human infant, just as he humbled
himself by honoring and obeying his parents, and ultimately, as he humbled
himself by dying on the cross for our sins; so we are to humble ourselves in
our relationships with one another. Jesus
was willing to give up the privileges of deity in order to become one of us, in
order to give his life for our sins. In the same way, we are to follow Christ’s
example, and respond to one another in humility. That’s where unity comes from.
Christmas
is certainly not a time to show up the glory of our money and power. The
message of Christmas cannot be communicated in electric display. The message of
God’s love can be transmitted only through the attitude of humility and sharing
in our lives. It is season for all of us to serve others in love. Serving one
another isn’t just a duty or an obligation. It’s a great privilege. It’s a
privilege to serve God’s people with the resources and abilities He gave us. There’s a difference between serving
out of duty and obligation, and serving out of love and humility. If you’re
just serving out of duty, you’re serving at your convenience. You make yourself
available according to your schedule. But if you’re serving out of humility,
you serve at the other person’s convenience, according to their need.
When there is pain in sharing….blessed be your name.
All the
weekends in December is busy and lot of carols coming up. We request your
prayerful participation.
With
Prayers,
Rev.Joseph
Samuel.
Website Reloaded
Ecumenical Christmas Carol
The
Ecumenical Christmas Carol will be held on Saturday the 8th December
5pm at the Main East High School, Desplaines. Our Choir will be presenting two
songs, one in Malayalam and the other in English. All are welcome.
General
Body Meeting
The General
Body Meeting to elect the Executive Committee (Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer) will be held on Sunday the 9th December immediately after
the service. All your prayerful participation is requested.
Chicago
CSI Christmas Carol
We host the
Chicago CSI Christmas Carol on Saturday the 15th December 5.30pm at
the main sanctuary of the St.Mary’s Episcopal Church. The 6 CSI churches in
Chicago will be coming together to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
Dinner will be served. All are welcome.
St.Mark’s
Christmas Carol Service
We have our
Christmas Carol Service on Saturday the 22nd December 6.30pm. Our
choir will be presenting special Christmas carols. Rev.Biju P Simon, the
Assistant Vicar of the Chicago Mar Thoma Church will be the chief guest of the
event. Dinner will be served.
Youth
Sunday
Sunday the
23rd December.
Christmas
Service
Tuesday the
25th December 9.00am at our Church
Watch
Night Service
Monday the
31st December 10pm- Testimony Service
11.30pm-
Covenant Holy Communion Service
Fasting
Prayers
Wednesdays
10am at the Church
Saturdays
10.30am
Almanac
12/02 1st Sunday in Advent
“Celebration
of Good News”
Holy
Communion in Malayalam
Genesis
18:1-15
Psalm 146
Hebrews
2:1-10
Luke 1:39-56
12/09 2nd Sunday in Advent
Bible
Sunday- “Word of God: Light of the World”
Holy
Communion in English
Genesis
1:2-2:4
Psalm 119:
105-112
Hebrews
4:10-13
John 8:12-20
12/16 3rd Sunday in Advent
“Deliverance
from the Bondage of Sin”
Holy
Communion in Malayalam
Isaiah
40:1-11
Psalm 51
Revelation
2:12-17
Mark 1:1-18
12/23 4th Sunday in Advent
“Maranatha-
Come, Lord Jesus”
Youth Sunday
Jeremiah 23:
1-8
Psalm 96
Revelation
22:6-21
John 14:
8-14
12/25 Christmas
“Celebrate
Grace and Truth”
Holy
Communion in Malayalam
Micah 5:2-4
Psalm 19
1Timothy
1:14-17
John 1:1-14
12/30 1st Sunday after Christmas
“Warmth and
Love in the family”
Holy
Communion in English
Genesis
27:1-29
Psalm 127
1John 2:7-17
Luke
15:11-32
12/31 Year Ending Service
“The Lord is
our Help and Redeemer”
Isaiah
55:6-13
Psalm 121
2Corinthians
13:5-13
John
12:35-36
Birthdays
12/01 Deri Christudas
12/6 Susy Cherian
12/7 Soma Lukose
12/7 Ryan Thomas
12/8 Danny Kurien
12/9 Mathew Prabha
12/15 Anna Devid
12/17 Ethan John Mathew
12/20 Tony Thomas
12/20 Sayona John
12/21 Anil Philip
12/24 Diana Oommen
12/30 Hannah Annie George
12/31 Susan Thomas
Wedding
Anniversary
12/27 Soma & Joe Lukose
12/29 Sheela & T A Joseph
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