Forsyth United Methodist Church News
	27 November 2005

This Weeks Scripture:

Luke 1:5-25

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

 ⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

 ⁸Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

 ¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. ¹⁶Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

 ¹⁸Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

 ¹⁹The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

 ²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

 ²³When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

This Weeks Sermon:

Gabriel and the Doubting Priest

Unbelief is a great sin and a grievous mistake. Many a person have heard the gospel and rejected it, much to their ruin. But this story is about a respected priest; a believer! There is nothing in the world that costs a saint so dear as doubt. If someone has disbelief in the actions of God, he most assuredly robs himself of comfort and deprives himself of strength. It was in response to Zechariah's own petition that the angel said to him, "Thy prayer is heard." I marvel at his faith that he should persevere in prayer for a dream which seemed, at his own and his wife's age, to have been out of the course of nature, and beyond the domain of hope; but I marvel a great deal more that, when the answer came to that very prayer, he could not believe it. Zechariah is a striking example of the ills a good man may have to suffer as the result of his unbelief. His period of silence was broken by the birth of his child. And if a good man, a saved man, a noble and a blameless man was nevertheless for months struck dumb for unbelief, what will become of those who have no faith at all? The silence will be eternal.

Word of the Week:

Advent

 

From the Latin, “coming.” The coming of or the arrival of something very important as in the advent of Christ’s return. Advent is also a Christian time of preparation preceding Christmas. Advent is a time to wait for the coming of Christ, God's gift to the world. In Jesus, God's love is revealed and God's word is spoken. God lives with human beings in a tiny child, dirt poor, and in a man who comes preaching God's presence. In Christ, we are given the free gift of God's grace: love unearned and undeserved. At Christmas, we celebrate the down-to-earth, in-the-flesh, love of God in Jesus Christ. Advent is also a time to prepare for Christ's Second Coming, when God will dwell with human beings and the world will be transformed in God's gracious love. It is a time to look around and to see in our own lives the astonishing gifts of God, which come full-term in Jesus Christ.

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, we give thanks that you are merciful to us. Thank you for creating us in your own image so that we may love you, glorify you and serve you. Thank you for the many blessings you give us. These graces show us how great and merciful you are to us, your children. We recognize that we are sinners and do not deserve such blessings except by your grace. Thank you also that you have revealed yourself to us through Jesus Christ. Thank you for loving us enough to offer us salvation. Thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit so that we may be guided in our Christian paths. We ask you to continue to bless us day by day, and give us courage, hope and strength so that we may continue to follow and serve you faithfully. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Question of the Week:

What is the importance of the Lord's Supper?

 

A study of the Lord’s Supper is a soul-stirring experience because of the depth of meaning that it portrays.  It was during the age-old celebration of the Passover on the eve of His death that He instituted a new significant fellowship meal that we observe to this day, and is one of the highest expressions of Christian worship.  It is an “acted out sermon,” remembering our Lord’s death and resurrection, and looking to the future for His return in glory. The accounts of the Lord’s Supper are found in the Gospels in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:17-25, Luke 22:7-22, and John 13:21-30.  The Apostle Paul wrote concerning the Lord’s Supper by divine revelation in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29.  (This was because Paul was not, of course, in the upper room at its institution.)  Paul includes a statement not found in the Gospels: “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. In keeping with Paul’s instruction, each should examine himself before eating of the bread and drinking of the cup so as to heed the warning. Communion is a celebration of God's grace.