He which testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
These words are found in the final verses of Revelation (Rev. 20:22), which are the final verses of scripture. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” is a response to the One who promises he is coming soon. It is a way of saying “we know you are coming Lord, and indeed, we desire for your coming to be soon at hand.” We need you Jesus, come into our world, our lives, our hearts.
These sentiments are the focus of our Advent worship. Jesus has come, is here, and promises to come again, and yet, often we see that this world, and our own lives do not align to God’s desires, and so we say, come, Lord Jesus. We desire for the peace, the true love, the compassion, and the generosity of Christ to fill us, to give us hope, and to change us to be more like himself.
Join us the evening before Thanksgiving for a special worship service, giving thanks to God for the good gifts in our lives. This service, which begins at 7:30pm will feature seasonal hymns and readings. This service will be in the Calvary chapel.
Join us on Saturday, December 7th for one of our most popular events of the year, Breakfast with Santa.
Enter through the downstairs, rear door of the building to find a festive atmosphere, a warm, hearty breakfast, crafts, and of course the arrival of our very special guest. There will be many opportunities for photos with Santa, as well as a chance to help give back to our community by organizing items for “Bags of Love” which will go to those in need this Christmas season.
The price for Breakfast / Admission is $4 per person.
This year we are adding one new way to help give back to others. We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys to donate to A Wider Circle, one of our wonderful community partners.
This Sunday is Calvary’s annual emphasis on Stewardship titled: Consecrated Stewards. Members are invited to place pledge cards on the altar as an act or worship and commitment of giving for the year to come. Pledge cards may also be mailed to the church office or placed in the offering plate on Sundays between now and December 1.
Many of us know the story of Zaccheus, if only because of the children’s song. He was a chief tax collector who had become wealthy by overcharging the poor. And because tax collectors worked for the Romans, it had become a source of national pride to despise those who did this work. For these reasons, Zaccheus was far from popular, and many considered him a thief. He would likely have been ostracized by others, and few would have wanted to be seen spending time with him. That is, until Jesus came to town.
Luke writes that Jesus sees Zaccheus in a sycamore tree. He had climbed up high, to attempt to see the teacher. And upon seeing Zaccheus, Jesus does what no one else is willing to do. He speaks to him with kindness and respect. And then, something found nowhere else in the Gospels: He invites Himself to dinner. From where He stands on the ground, Jesus calls up to Zaccheus, “Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5). Jesus has been the guest of notorious sinners, of self-righteous Pharisees, and of faithful supporters, but only here do we read of Him initiating the invitation.
In a sense, though, this little story sums up all that Jesus does. He has come for each of us, though we are unworthy. On our own we are all far from God, unable to see him, or get close. But Jesus calls to each of us, and even invites himself over, letting us know he has come to change our lives, rescuing us from our own sin, and its destructive work.
At the end of the story, Zaccheus proclaims he will give half his possessions to the poor, and repay four times over to anyone whom he cheated. Jesus did not direct him to do this, but having experienced grace, Zaccheus desires to change the way he lives. Generosity begets generosity and Jesus’ compassion towards Zaccheus leads not just to a changed heart, but also a changed life.
This then, is the starting place for our own generosity and desire to be good stewards. We have been given much by our God, and desire to be responsible with all God has entrusted to us. Because we have been shown grace and generosity, we are moved to extend the same to others. This is what stewardship is all about, using what we have, for the good of creation, and for one another, with thanks to God for his grace.
Fourteen members of Calvary gathered at Wheaton Regional Park last Saturday for a Holy Hike outing. It was a good morning enjoying God’s creation together. The next Holy Hike will take place in February. Please let Pastor Mike know if you have suggestions for the hike location.
A special food collection for Manna Food is being held during the month of November. This special collection effort is being led by Calvary Confirmation Student Hank Schwartz as part of the confirmation process. This Sunday, Nov. 17 we are asking for donations of canned meats and fish.
A service event at A Wider Circle will take place this Sunday, November 17th following the worship service. Please contact Lori Schwartz for more info or to RSVP if you would like to attend.
Breakfast with Santa will take place on Saturday, December 7th from 8:30-11:00am. Calvary members are encouraged to invite friends and neighbors to this morning of food and fun. Volunteers are needed to support this event. Please talk to Becky Johnson for volunteer information and sign up on the poster in the Narthex.
Save the date for the annual Women of Calvary Christmas Dinner on Tuesday December 10th! All women members and visitors of Calvary are welcome to attend, and guests are encouraged. Appetizers and fellowship begin at 6:30pm, followed by dinner at 7:00 and an Advent themed program to follow. This year we welcome as special guest the founder of A Wider Circle, Mark Bergel, who will talk briefly about the North Pole Project that we will again support with generous help from Thrivent. Please bring a dish to share and a new unwrapped toy for the North Pole Project toy drive.
The Wednesday morning Men’s Fellowship is meeting at 7:00am in the Fellowship Hall. All men welcome! Enter through the downstairs rear doors.
An online calendar has been established for Calvary events in order to provide a more user friendly experience when seeking information on our activities. You can find this calendar through the Calvary website, or by visiting: http://calvarysilverspring.view-events.com
This Sunday The readings for this Sunday are: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44
