Merry Christmas from St. John's

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A Voice in the Wilderness

2019-12-24


Worth the Wait

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. 2 Peter 3: 14-15

Wait? Why should I?

Wait? Not if I can’t at least multi-task the hours away if I must be forced to wait. I hate waiting. Truth be told… I’m not very good at it…  and it looks like our society is really terrible at it too.  We are cursed in our waiting, aren’t we?

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things…

But we ARE waiting! And most of us don’t even remember what we are really waiting for. What are we aching for with all our heart and soul? Whether we know it or not, we are waiting for the return of Jesus in all his Glory. Not just Christmas Day but the day, His day, the day he “comes to judge both the living and the dead” The GREAT day where the Kingdom of God is fulfilled in glory and we are brought once and for all to our heavenly home with all the saints and all the angels. The day when the Kingdom is complete and God’s people are restored just as it was in the beginning and was meant to be for all time.

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…strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish…

Hmmm. Sounds like a Christmas carol, “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.” You mean while I’m waiting, I’m supposed to be doing some sort of spiritual housecleaning? Well, sort of. We can’t ‘clean up’ well enough to ever be presentable to God on the last day of time. But, if we know Jesus, really know him as our Savior and Lord, then we also know him AS our peace, our purity. We know that HE makes us clean, without spot or blemish, without sin! No need to fix my make-up to prepare for Christ’s return, for it is Jesus who has readied me, IS readying me daily as I strive to remain in His will and love him more day by day.


…and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation


Maybe, just maybe, we have been waiting such a long, long time because the Lord loves us so much. He wants each and every one of us to know him personally so that we can be with Him in the last, when the kingdom if fulfilled.

Preparing to celebrate Christ's birth reminds us to examine our lives and prepare a place in our hearts "where such a mighty guest may come." There is still time for our salvation! And if so, then we also have been blessed with time to share the Good News of the birth of Our Savior, born so long ago so that we (even now in our rushed, harried, impatient and multi-tasking world) may know Him as “He comes to make His blessings flow,” for all men and women, “far as the curse is found.”

And that is worth waiting for!

Blessings,

Matthew+

 


Coming up...

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Christmas Eve Services

Come celebrate the Christmas with us!

Cranmer Chapel at 4:00 PM

St. John's Granby at 8:00 PM

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Cranmer Dinners

Our next Cranmer Dinner is January 3rd. You can volunteer to help serve form 4-6 or from 6-8. You can also sign up to help provide our side dishes: green beans, potatoes, and brownies.

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Epiphany Celebration

Come bring the Christmas season to a close at 10:00 AM on Sunday, January 5th as we celebrate Epiphany together with at Trinity in Kremmling.  Communion, fellowship, fun, and King’s cake… a partnership event not to be missed. Mark your calendar and make plans to join the celebration!


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Hick’s Hall Transformed Into Santa’s Workshop

 

Sunday morning, December 8th was magical as members of St. John the Baptist rolled up their sleeves to wrap gifts for the five families and 12 children the church adopted as a part of our Giving Tree efforts to support those in the community seeking assistance. In spite of heavy snowfall in the early morning, hardy souls and members of St. John’s showed up for the festivities and enjoyed food and fellowship while working on making some children’s dreams come true during the holiday season. Although the gifts are blessings for the families receiving them, the gift of giving was a true blessing for those who participated either by donating gifts, or wrapping the gifts or simply praying for the process. It is true that in giving we frequently receive more than we give!  Gifts have been delivered to Mountain Family Center for the families.

You can find pictures on our facebook page here!


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City Market Rewards Program

Do you shop at City Market or King Soopers?  If you do, St. John's can benefit benefit every time you go grocery shopping. We are participating in City Market Community Rewards program. You can be part of this by enrolling here.  Once you enroll, look us up by our Organization name: St. John's Episcopal Church or Organization Number: TU289

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Church Directory

We are in the process of updating our church directory. Please click here to fill out your current information.


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