We are blessed to have Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum, Regional Minister and President, preach today and Rev. Christy Drechsel, Regional Executive and Vice President preach on January 3. On January 10, under the direction of the Regional Staff, Rev. Ashley Dargai will be installed and preach as the new Senior Minister of Azle Christian Church. All of these services will be broadcast on Facebook Live.
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Join me in prayer:
God-with-us, as we enter Christmastide, we admit it has been a long, difficult year. We’ve lost so much: our beloveds, precious time, jobs and income and experiences-turned-memories. Many of us have lost a sense of safety and well-being. And God, we admit the pandemic, though affecting all, has reserved its harshest realities for the most vulnerable. It feels as though our collective mental health baseline has dropped several degrees, and some of us are barely hanging on. And the balm for grief, togetherness, is something we must forego for the time being in order to stave off even more loss. It seems so cruel. And I know it’s Christmas, God, but the only gift we got You this year is lament.
And yet, O God-with-us, just as Mary labored with Jesus, You have labored with us during this time. We are not alone and our cries do not go unheard. You are tender and attentive, grieving with us, alongside us, abiding with us. This is what Christmas means, isn’t it? You do not clutter our time of lament with platitudes and well wishes, or tell us that things could be worse or that everyone suffers at some point, not in our most fragile moments. But rather you stay with us and all that we carry. You trade Your love for our sorrows, You trade power for vulnerability. We ask for answers and You give us stories; we ask for solutions and you give us solidarity; we ask for a savior and You give us a baby.
So Holy One of Old, who has seen the world turn since its beginning, receive our tears and our aches and our longings. They are not gold and frankincense and myrrh, but they are what we have. May we trust that they are just as precious to You.
And just as You are patient and hospitable to our grief, may we turn that patience and hospitality inward toward the grief of our world, of our community, of our church, and of ourselves as we look forward to a new year and a new season at this church.
And so Holy One, we pray softly the prayer together that Jesus, our brother and redeemer, gave us to hold onto:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Children’s Moment
What do you want to be when you grow up? It's a question that adults ask kids all of the time. Do you want to be a doctor? A firefighter? Or maybe a teacher? There are a lot of different jobs out there to choose from.
Whatever job you have, you can use it to bring glory to God. Would you like to grow up to be a police officer? That's a job that can bring God glory. A police officer works hard to maintain law and order. They are there to protect the people who need it and to keep everyone safe. Nurses help you with your body when you get sick, teach you how to take care of yourself, and help you take medicine. Social workers and counselors help you when your heart hurts or your thoughts aren’t helpful.
Today's Bible story is about a man who protected the people of Jerusalem and kept them safe. He was sort of like a policeman, a parent, a mentor for them. That man's name was Nehemiah.
Years earlier, the people of Jerusalem had been captured by the Babylonians and everyone had been taken away to cities in Babylon to live. After much time, the people were starting to return to Jerusalem. But they had a problem: the wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed in the war with Babylon. The city was completely defenseless against their enemies.
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem with a plan to rebuild the wall. The people were excited that they would soon be safe again. But rebuilding the wall took a long time to finish. During that time, the people were still vulnerable. They needed someone to protect them and keep them safe.
That's when Nehemiah stepped in to help.
The enemies of Jerusalem were plotting to stop the wall from being rebuilt. When Nehemiah learned of this, he got to work on a plan that would keep the people safe.
The first thing Nehemiah and the people did was pray. Whatever our plans, we need to give them to God. And whenever we feel frightened or sad, we should turn to God first.
Nehemiah loved the people of Jerusalem and wanted to keep them safe. His plan to protect the people worked. The enemies of Jerusalem turned away when they saw how well protected the city was. The people were able to rebuild the wall and feel safe again in Jerusalem for the first time in many years.
If you want to help people feel safe and protected, then you might want to join the army, be a police officer, a nurse, or a counselor when you grow up. But you don't have to wait until you grow up to help people and bring glory to God. You can do that right now.
Maybe you know a friend who is getting picked on or bullied at school. You can help by letting your teacher know what is happening. Or maybe it's your friend who is doing the bullying. If you encourage your friend to treat others with respect, you're helping to keep everyone safe. And each of us can do what Nehemiah did. We can pray to God that he would keep our friends and family safe.
Just like God used Nehemiah to protect the people of Jerusalem and God can use you too – not just when you grow up, but starting today!
Dear God,
Thank you for this story teaching us the importance of protecting each other and keeping us safe. Use us to bring you glory, not just when we grow up, but today too.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen