CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

Mystery will be partnering with First Presbyterian church of Webb City to celebrate Christmas Eve together Monday Night the 24th @ 7pm at our usual location at Broadway and Ball.
It will be a candlelight and communion celebration. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and worship together. It will be an enjoyable time of reflection, singing, scripture, communion and community with our friends of First Pres.

Luke 2:10

“The church today is calling people to God with a tone of voice that seems to confirm their worst fears.”
Tim Keller

YOU ARE INVITED

Mystery will be celebrating Christmas December 23rd at our Sunday Night service. Invitation cards are available in the lobby on Sundays. They are great ways to invite friends, family and total strangers to celebrate with you the birth of Jesus. Pick some up this week and hand them out. Start asking friends to join you Sunday the 23rd at 5:30pm for singing, sharing and teaching. Christmas is one of the best times to introduce people to church. Who knows... they might stick around.

Christmas just ain't Christmas without Jesus.

Enjoy

THE SHOW GOES ON

Well its been a crazy week around here. Rain, Ice and falling trees. Limited internet access so updates might not be coming regularly.

Please be in prayer for our city, the electrical workers and people struggling with loss of power and property.

It has been very encouraging to hear of all the people of Mystery banding together and sharing resources and warmth. These times really push us as people and show the strength of the gospel in our lives.

We are planning to continue as normal with home groups and Sunday service this week.

If you are in need of anything please do not hesitate or feel too proud to contact someone from the church or the church itself. We are a strong community and we have a loving, caring Father who provides for his kids through his church.

p.s. please do not forget in all the craziness that we are still raising support for the children of Uganda and India through our Give Love Christmas initiative. We have two weeks left to raise roughly $1200.00 for the kids.

A Golden Opportunity?

There is a new movie coming out this week called The Golden Compass. Its getting quite the stir from the Christian community, which until its seems just a couple weeks agao knew nothing about the books. Now it seems this movie is the new devil. Kind of like the Passion was the new Jesus. May I point out that neither of which deserves anywhere near those credentials.

The book is part of a series some have called the "anti-narnia". Pullman, who has admitted on his own, is not a fan of God and believes religion, Christianity in particular, is bad.

I would suggest though that rather than join the ranks of the picketing and loud protests of some of our "brothers" we might use this an an opportunity to engage people. Just as Christmas is a wonderfull opportunity to share love, truth and the message of Jesus so this too might be a gift from God to connect with people outside our normal sphere of life.

I am not saying go buy the book or see the movie even, that is up to you. I am however saying educate yourself. My wife is reading the first book now. My kids and I have been talking about the movie and watching the preview. Might be a great after of entertainment followed by long talks about Jesus. it might be just more smoke and mirrors to get the legalists riled up and the indifferent more distracted. Maybe i will just watch Lord of the Rings again and long for a day when the king truely does return.

For a well thought out commentary on the movie as well as some good advice on how to proceed and use this movie as an opportunity for living missionally and sharing the truth and grace of Christ with our friends.

Click to jump to Christianity Today article

By Faith

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

When you read these verses in Ephesians what comes to mind? What does it mean to you that that God has given you his grace. That despite our efforts and energy, despite our rebellion and insistence on being our own saviors God gives us himself. He saves us that we might boast in Him. That Jesus would be the source, focus and center of our joy.

It's December now. A time when we think about what to give others, what we want to receive, but have you paused today to ponder the gift of God- the gift of grace? How does this effect Christmas? By grace you have been saved, through faith, by God alone. Jesus died for sin, so that we might be set free. Free to revel and rejoice in Jesus.

GIVE LOVE

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