Online Worship Service (January 9/Baptism of the Lord Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

January 9

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (January 5) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Pastor’s Zoom Bible Study

Preview: The Bible & Social Issues

Sermon (January 2/Epiphany Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     According to the church calendar, this Thursday will be the last day that it is liturgically correct to greet each other with the words, “Merry Christmas.” January 6 marks the 12^th day of Christmas which is also known as Epiphany, the day that we celebrate when the Wise Men visited the Christ Child and offered him gifts.

      For some of us, we might be experiencing some of those post-holiday blues. It’s hard to believe that Christmas is coming to an end.

     Well, it depends on who you ask. 

     Matthew and Luke are the only two gospels that include the Christmas story. They describe the events that surround Jesus’ birth. For example, they tell us about who was the ruler when Jesus was born. They also describe the people who were there at the time of the birth; people like the shepherds, the angels, and of course, Mary and Joseph.

     So if we would ask Luke when Christmas is over, he might refer to the day after Jesus’ birth. If we would ask Matthew, he would probably say, not until the Wise Men visited the Christ Child which we observe on January 6^th.

     Mark doesn’t even include a Christmas story so all we have left is John’s Gospel. When would John say that Christmas is officially over? I think John would say that Christmas is never over. It’s something to be celebrated every single day of the year.

    No, it’s not because John is a fan of the Hallmark Channel. It’s because he sees the story of Jesus coming into the world in theological terms. For John, Jesus, who he refers to as “The Word” has been with us since the beginning of creation and will continue to be with us for all time.

     Listen again to John’s theological take on the coming of Jesus into the world. “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.”

     Now, I’m sure John had no problem with Matthew and Luke describing the Christmas story the way they did. Perhaps John felt that there was nothing left to add to their telling of how Jesus was born. And so, John does what John does best. He wants us to explore the theological meaning of who Jesus is.

     Yes, Jesus was born in a manger during a particular time in history, but Jesus also transcends history in a theological way. John connects Jesus to the creation story from the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Jesus and God are interconnected as the same entity. Jesus is both within our space and time and also beyond our space and time.

     So for John, how can we ever confine the celebration of Christmas to just twelve days beginning on December 25? It really should be celebrated year round. Since there is no time in which Christ did not exist, Christmas can be celebrated throughout the year.

     In a church I served, we celebrated Christmas in July. We thought of this idea because July 25^th fell on a Sunday that year.

     Our church even had a float that promoted our Christmas in July event in the city’s annual July 4^th parade. Here’s is a picture that we took before the parade.

   I felt bad for our Santa Clause because he had to wear his beard and heavy Santa outfit for two hours in 90 degree heat that day. We had to put ice packs his Santa pants to keep him cool. 

     Radio stations across the country found out about our Christmas in July focus and people were calling our church office asking about it. A former high school classmate who I hadn’t spoken to since High School lives in the state of Washington and he told me that he heard my name mentioned on the radio and wanted to make sure if it was the Robert McDowell he knew in High School.

     A family in the church decided to have a family Christmas dinner on July 25^thafter church. People in the congregation were sending Christmas cards to each other during the month of July. For our July 25 worship service, we had all of our Christmas decorations up including our Christmas tree in the front of the sanctuary. And during the service, we sang Christmas carols and I preached about the good news of Jesus’ birth.

     But really, the best part of having Christmas in July wasn’t the float in the parade or the Christmas carols we sang during worship. The best part was that we used this fun idea to raise money for missions. During that July 25^th worship service, Santa made a special appearance during worship. Here’s a picture of him.

     During our offering time, he went up to the Christmas tree in the sanctuary, pulled out a large gift wrapped box, opened it, and inside was a check of $10,000 that our congregation had raised for that special missions offering.

     By celebrating Christmas in July, not only did we have fun as a congregation, but we were also able to share the good news of Christ’s birth through that special missions offering.

     I think that John would be pleased that we celebrated Christmas in July. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

      Maybe we should celebrate Christmas year round.

     Will Wold, a United Methodist pastor tells the story of Jerry who was a member of one of the churches he served. Jerry was a gentle and loving man and was one of those people who never knew a stranger. Jerry had a heart to get to know people and love them. 

     During Will’s first Sunday at the church where Jerry was a member which happened to be in the month of September, Jerry greeted him for the first time after the worship service that day. Jerry introduced himself and his wife, and when he left, Jerry said to his new pastor, “Merry Christmas!”

     Will thought to himself, “but it’s September, why is Jerry wishing him Merry Christmas?”

     The following week, he saw Jerry sitting in the front office volunteering and the first thing out of Jerry’s mouth was, “Merry Christmas, Pastor Will!”

     Will was again confused why Jerry greeted a second time by saying, “Merry Christmas” since it was only the month of September. So he asked Jerry why he greets him with “Merry Christmas.”

     Jerry than leaned back in his chair and with his hands on the back of his head and looking very relaxed he said, “I had a pastor once who told me that when Christ came to earth it’s too important to celebrate just one time during the year. It should be celebrated every day even in the month of September.”

     From that point on, whenever Jerry greeted Will with a “Merry Christmas,” Will returned the favor with the same greeting.

     Will goes on to say that four years later, ironically, on Christmas Eve, he got a dreadful phone call that Jerry had died of a heart attack. His heart sank when he received the news and all he could think about in that moment were all the times that Jerry had wished him a Merry Christmas.

     During the funeral for Jerry, Will began the service by greeting the congregation with the words, “Merry Christmas!” It was a very fitting funeral service for this church member who was known to celebrate Christmas throughout the year.

     Our Christian faith is an everyday journey in which we are called to share the good news of  Jesus Christ.  You know, come to think of it, Easter is meant to be celebrated year round as well. I love the verse from the Easter hymn, “Easter People Raise Your Voices” which contains the verse, “Every day to us is Easter, with its resurrection song.”  

     Martin Luther, the great 16^th century reformer who ignited the Protestant Reformation once said, “Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.”

     I’m glad that the Wise Men were delayed in arriving to Bethlehem to see the Christ Child. Most bible scholars say that they probably didn’t arrive until months after Jesus’ birth. The Wise Men remind us that it’s never too late to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world. 

     Whether it’s December 25, January 6, July 25, or some other day, John gives us permission to celebrate the good news of the coming of Christ into the world.

     Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention another fun thing that happened that year when we celebrated Christmas in July. After the worship service that day, a church member gave me a Christmas gift. When I got home, I unwrapped it. And guess what it was?

     Fruitcake!

     Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Sermon Discussion Questions

John 1:10-18

January 2, 2022

The church calendar lists the Christmas season as lasting from December 25 through January 6 which is known as “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The Gospel of Luke describes the birth of Christ in vivid detail as does the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is known for emphasizing the visitation of the Wise Men who offered gifts to the Christ Child. The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John do not even include a birth story?

Why do you think that Mark and John leave out the Christmas story? 

While the Gospel of John does not include a birth story, it does begin with words that link Christ (The Word) with being co-existent with God from the beginning of time. Read these verses found in John, chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

Why do you think John begins his gospel in this way? Are there any words and phrases that remind you of the Christmas story?

Perhaps John wants us to see the Christmas story in a larger theological context where Jesus has been present since the creation of the world. Even though John does not include a Christmas story, he does offer these words in his gospel, “But to all who received, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”  

What do you think John means to “receive?” 

Pastor Robert shared the story of one of his churches who celebrated “Christmas in July” because July 25 fell on a Sunday that year. The church had fun with this but more importantly, used that idea to raise over $10,000 for missions. He also shared the story of a pastor who had a church member who would always greet people with “Merry Christmas” throughout the year. The man said the reason he does this is because “Christmas is too important to only celebrate once a year.”

What are some ways that we can continue to celebrate the joy and good news of Christmas throughout the year?

Online Worship Service (January 2/Epiphany Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

January 2

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (December 29) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

New Year’s & Methodism

Online Worship Service (December 26) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

December 26 🎄

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Sermon (Christmas Eve) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     During these weeks leading up to Christmas, I’ve been remembering how I prepared for Christmas when I was young.

     For me, preparing for Christmas didn’t begin on the first Sunday of Advent. For me, it began when the Sears Christmas catalogue arrived in the mail. I would open it up to the toys section and dream about all the gifts I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas.

     Toy soldiers, an electric football game, a hot wheels race track, a space ship, a nerf football, a real football, spinning tops, dart guns, a GI Joe, board games. And while lying on the floor gazing intently at all of these pictures of toys from that catalogue, I would circle everything that I wanted. I did this all the time during those weeks leading up to Christmas!

     Of course, I never got all the Christmas gifts I wanted or circled in that catalogue, but somehow Santa knew which of those gifts to bring to our house on Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas morning… WOW!  I was able to find some of those gifts under the tree.

     In a similar kind of way, these four weeks leading up to Christmas have given us the opportunity to focus on thee most important Christmas gift we can ever receive which is the coming of Christ into the world. 

     Think of the Bible as the Sears catalogue that arrives in the mail. And instead of turning to the toys section, we turn to the pages of the Old and New Testaments and the various ways that the biblical writers describe the gift that God has promised to give to us, the gift of God’s Son.

     Like these past four Sundays of the Advent Season, our scripture readings tonight continue to describe the gift of God’s redemptive love for the world. 

     Here’s a quick summary from these past four weeks of some of the descriptive words that the biblical writers use in describing this gift.

     The prophet Jeremiah says that when this gift comes, we will be saved and live in safety.

     The prophet Malachi says that the Lord will suddenly come to his temple and purify us.

     The prophet Zephaniah announces that this gift leads us to rejoice because God is bringing us home.

     And last Sunday, the prophet, Micah announced that this gift will provide security and peace. 

     These are the words that describe God’s amazing gift… Safety, purifying, rejoicing, coming home, and peace. 

     On this Christmas Eve, the prophet Isaiah gets even more specific about this gift when he says, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

     The gift that has been described for us all of these weeks is the gift of God becoming one with us through the person of Jesus Christ. This is what our Advent catalog has been pointing to all along, the coming of Christ into the world. We no longer need to stare at the picture of this gift because as our Gospel reading says,“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

     Sometimes, it’s hard to shift from anticipating the gift to receiving the gift of Christmas, and this is what we are invited to do tonight. John says, “But all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”

     The gift is under the tree. The gift is here! No more waiting! This is the night to receive it, and not just tonight, but every day of the year.

     More times than not, when Penny and I clean out a drawer, we will find a gift certificate to some restaurant tucked away. Some of those gift certificates are over a year old! We like to save these for special occasions. The problem is that when we finally decide to go to that restaurant, we forget to bring that gift certificate with us and we end up paying full price!

     John is wanting us to not tuck this Christmas gift back in the corner of some drawer. John is inviting us to receive the gift of God’s Son now. Celebrate the gift of God’s salvation now! Don’t tuck it away for some future time when we might forget about it especially when we need it the most.

     Our Titus scripture reading encourages us to receive this gift as well when he says, “He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.”

     Everybody is wanting us to receive this gift! Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, Isaiah, John, Titus. All of these scriptures are inviting us to receive the gift of God’s redemptive love for the world. 

     Hearing about a gift and receiving a gift are two different things. And tonight, the scriptures are inviting us to receive The Gift that we have all been waiting, watching, wanting, and wondering about for these past several weeks, The Word made flesh and who now dwells among us.

     What does it look like when we not only wait, watch, want, and wonder about the gift of Christmas, but also receive it?

     In one of my previous churches, about everything that could have gone wrong for our Christmas Eve worship service went wrong that night. I’ll never forget it.

     First of all, about an hour before the service was to begin, the director of the children’s nativity play called me to say that she had a flat tire and wouldn’t be able to make it to the church on time. And so, we called some parents to see if they could do their best to cover for her.

     The service started ten minutes late because one of the worship leaders hadn't arrived on time. The soloist who was supposed to come on stage near the beginning of the service never appeared. 

     The bulletin listed the name of a former pastor as one of the leaders of the service. The main microphone hadn't been turned on making it difficult to hear what the worship leader was saying. It was also difficult to hear the children saying their lines during the play. 

     But then, an amazing thing happened. As we stumbled our way through the service with everything not going as planned, we finally made it to the end when it was time to light our candles. 

     As the congregation began to sing, "Silent Night" each worshipper raised their lit candle into the darkened sanctuary. In that moment, nothing could keep us from receiving the gift of Christmas. Somehow, we had forgotten about the microphones that didn't work, the bulletin that had several mistakes, the soloist who never appeared on cue.

     After the benediction and as people began to leave the Christmas Eve service, I was surprised to hear several people say what a beautiful and meaningful service it was. The Christmas Eve that I thought would be one I would want to forget, became the one that I will always cherish and remember. 

     If you think about it, that first Christmas didn’t go as planned either. An untimely birth while Mary and Joseph were traveling far away from Mary's home town. No-vacancy signs all over Bethlehem leading Mary and Joseph to their only option which was to use a feeding trough as a crib. A jealous king who feels threatened at the news of a newborn king.  Wow, a lot of things didn’t go as planned that first Christmas. 

     But notice how the shepherds who had the best seats for that first Christmas didn’t seem to let these problems distract them. No, we are told that they ended up returning to their fields that night  glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. And the Christmas story ends with Mary, not focusing on the things that didn’t go as planned, but instead treasuring all these words and pondering them in her heart. Treasuring and Pondering.

     Even if we were somehow able to offer our very best Christmas Eve service that has well prepared Christmas music, carefully worded prayers, and a sermon that is even a little better than above average, here is what I have learned about this holy night.

     As long as you have some candles or glowsticks and sing “Silent Night,” there’s not a whole lot more we need to help one another receive the gift of Christmas. And even if we attend a Christmas Eve service every year, and know the Christmas story by heart, there is just something really, really special about this story. It just never gets old!

     For a little girl named Jessica, she had a wonderful Christmas.  She got every single gift she wanted.  Her favorite cousins were there to share the holiday with her.  She had eaten her favorite foods all day long.  As her mother tucked her in for bed, she looked up, smiled and she said, “Mommy, I sure hope Mary and Joseph have another baby next year.”

     What a joy it is to receive the gift of Christmas every year!