Monday, December 29, 2014

OUR WEEK-JANUARY 4TH TO JANUARY 10TH

R E M I N D E R S —
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31ST —
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This is Watch Night - and -
This is New Year's Eve.
I hope you conduct yourself in a 

manner that will make you and everyone 
else proud when tomorrow comes.  
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1ST —
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 4TH —
THIS IS EPIPHANY SUNDAY
COLOR IS WHITE OR GOLD
Happy Birthday Pam Fisher!
Happy Birthday Darla Cline!

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The preparatory season of Advent and
Season of Christmas culminate today,
the Feast of the Epiphany.
Epiphany for us, is sheer celebration of
God.  January 6 was one of the early
Church’s dates for celebrating the birth
of Christ, and with it the coming of the
wise men.  

"Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen
upon you.  For darkness shall cover the
earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you, and
his glory will appear over you" 
(Isaiah 60:1-2).

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SCRIPTURE READINGS —
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ISAIAH 60:1-6
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Isaiah prophesies to people just
returning from exile that the day would
come when all nations would stream to
their light.  

1-7 “Get out of bed, Jerusalem!
    Wake up. Put your face in the
sunlight.
    God’s bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in
darkness,
    all people sunk in deep darkness,
But God rises on you,
    his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    kings to your sunburst brightness.
Look up! Look around!
    Watch as they gather, watch as they
approach you:
Your sons coming from great distances,
    your daughters carried by their
nannies.
When you see them coming you’ll smile
—big smiles!
    Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the
reunion,
    a rich harvest of exiles gathered in
from the nations!
     
    And then streams of camel caravans as
far as the eye can see,
    young camels of nomads in Midian
and Ephah,
Pouring in from the south from Sheba,
    loaded with gold and frankincense,
    preaching the praises of God.
And yes, a great roundup
    of flocks from the nomads in Kedar
and Nebaioth,
Welcome gifts for worship at my altar
    as I bathe my glorious Temple in
splendor.
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PSALM 72:1-7, 10-14
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
In praise of the righteous king who
would receive tribute from all nations.

   A SOLOMON PSALM
1-8
Give the gift of wise rule to the king,
O God,
    the gift of just rule to the crown
prince.
May he judge your people rightly,
    be honorable to your meek and lowly.
Let the mountains give exuberant
witness;
    shape the hills with the contours of
right living.
Please stand up for the poor,
    help the children of the needy,
    come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—
    age after age after age.
Be rainfall on cut grass,
    earth-refreshing rain showers.
Let righteousness burst into blossom
    and peace abound until the moon
fades to nothing.
Rule from sea to sea,
    from the River to the Rim.

9-14 Foes will fall on their knees before
God,
    his enemies lick the dust.
Kings remote and legendary will pay
homage,
    kings rich and resplendent will turn
over their wealth.
All kings will fall down and worship,
    and godless nations sign up to serve
him,
Because he rescues the poor at the first
sign of need,
    the destitute who have run out of luck.
He opens a place in his heart for the
down-and-out,
    he restores the wretched of the earth.
He frees them from tyranny and torture
—when they bleed, he bleeds;
    when they die, he dies.
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EPHESIANS 3:1-12
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Paul says that his imprisonments are
enabling the Gentiles and even the
leaders of the nations to come to know
the mystery that they are invited to
become fellow heirs with Christ Jesus.  

THE SECRET PLAN OF GOD 
1-3 This is why I, Paul, am in jail for
Christ, having taken up the cause of
you outsiders, so-called. I take it that
you’re familiar with the part I was given
in God’s plan for including everybody. I
got the inside story on this from God
himself, as I just wrote you in brief.

4-6 As you read over what I have written
to you, you’ll be able to see for
yourselves into the mystery of Christ.
None of our ancestors understood this.
Only in our time has it been made clear
by God’s Spirit through his holy
apostles and prophets of this new order.
The mystery is that people who have
never heard of God and those who have
heard of him all their lives (what I’ve
been calling outsiders and insiders)
stand on the same ground before God.
They get the same offer, same help,
same promises in Christ Jesus. The
Message is accessible and welcoming
to everyone, across the board.

7-8 This is my life work: helping people
understand and respond to this
Message. It came as a sheer gift to me,
a real surprise, God handling all the
details. When it came to presenting the
Message to people who had no back-
ground in God’s way, I was the least
qualified of any of the available
Christians. God saw to it that I was
equipped, but you can be sure that it
had nothing to do with my natural
abilities.   
8-10 And so here I am, preaching and
writing about things that are way over
my head, the inexhaustible riches and
generosity of Christ. My task is to bring
out in the open and make plain what
God, who created all this in the first
place, has been doing in secret and
behind the scenes all along. Through
followers of Jesus like yourselves
gathered in churches, this extraordinary
plan of God is becoming known and
talked about even among the angels!

11-13
All this is proceeding along lines
planned all along by God and then
executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust
in him, we’re free to say whatever needs
to be said, bold to go wherever we need
to go. So don’t let my present trouble on
your behalf get you down. Be proud!
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MATTHEW 2:1-12
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Matthew tells of the visit of the Magi and
their participation in God's subversion
of Herod's plan.

    
SCHOLARS FROM THE EAST
1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem
village, Judah territory - this was during
Herod’s kingship - a band of scholars
arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They
asked around, “Where can we find and
pay homage to the newborn King of the
Jews? We observed a star in the eastern
sky that signaled his birth. We’re on a
pilgrimage to worship him.”

3-4 When word of their inquiry got to
Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod
alone, but most of Jerusalem as well.
Herod lost no time. He gathered all the
high priests and religion scholars in the
city together and asked, “Where is the
Messiah supposed to be born?”

5-6 They told him, “Bethlehem, in Judah
territory. The prophet Micah wrote it
plainly:

It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
    no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
    who will shepherd-rule my people,
    my Israel.”

7-8 Herod then arranged a secret
meeting with the scholars from the East.
Pretending to be as devout as they were,
he got them to tell him exactly when the
birth-announcement star appeared.
Then he told them the prophecy about
Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child.
Leave no stone unturned. As soon as
you find him, send word and I’ll join you
at once in your worship.”
    
9-10 Instructed by the king, they set off.
Then the star appeared again, the same
star they had seen in the eastern skies.
It led them on until it hovered over the
place of the child. They could hardly
contain themselves: They were in the
right place!
They had arrived at the right time!
            
11 They entered the house and saw the
child in the arms of Mary, his mother.
Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped
him. Then they opened their luggage
and presented gifts:
gold, frankincense, myrrh.

12 In a dream, they were warned not to
report back to Herod. So they worked
out another route, left the territory with-
out being seen, and returned to their
own country.

———————————————————
• 1885 - Dr. William Grant performed the
first successful appendectomy. The
patient was Mary Gartside.
• 1896 - Utah became the 45th U.S. state.
• 1948 - Britain granted independence to
Burma (Now Myanmar).
• 2010 - In Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
the Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) opened as
the world's tallest tower at 2,625 feet. 
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MONDAY, JANUARY 5TH

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• • THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY • •
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• 1781 - Richmond, Virginia, was burned
by a British naval expedition led by
Benedict Arnold.
• 1885 - The Long Island Railroad
Company became the first to offer piggy
-back rail service transporting farm
wagons on trains.
• 1914 - Ford Motor Company announced
that there would be a new daily minimum
wage of $5 and an eight-hour workday.
• 1925 - Mrs. Nellie Taylor Ross was
sworn in as the governor of Wyoming.
She was the first female governor in the
United States.
• 1933 - Construction of the Golden Gate
Bridge was begun.
• 1948 - Warner Brothers-Pathe showed
the very first color newsreel. The footage
was of the Tournament of Roses Parade
and the Rose Bowl football classic.    
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 6TH —
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• 1900 - It was reported that millions of
people In India, were dying of starvation.
• 1912 - New Mexico became the 47th
U.S. state.
• 1945 - The Battle of the Bulge ended
with 130,000 German and 77,000 Allied
casualties.
• 1994 - Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan
was clubbed on the right leg by an
assailant at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI.
Four men were sentenced to prison for
the attack, including Tonya Harding's
ex-husband.   
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7TH —
Happy Birthday Rex Noland!
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• 1558 - Calais, the last British
possession on mainland France, was
recaptured by the French.
• 1789 - Americans voted for the electors
that would choose George Washington
to be the first U.S. president.
• 1896 - The "Fannie Farmer Cookbook"
was published.
• 1935 - French Foreign Minister Pierre
Laval and Italian Prime Minister Benito
Mussolini signed the Italio-French
agreements.
• 1953 - U.S. President Harry Truman
announced the development of the
hydrogen bomb.
• 1959 - The United States recognized
Fidel Castro's new government in Cuba.
• 1996 - One of the biggest blizzards in
U.S. history hit the eastern states. More
than 100 deaths were blamed on severe
weather.
• 2009 - Russia shut off gas supplies to
Europe through Ukraine. Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the
move and urged great international
involvement in the energy dispute.  
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 8TH ————————————————————

• 1642 - Astronomer Galileo died in
Arcetri, Italy.
• 1790 - In the United States, George
Washington delivered the first State of
the Union address.
• 1815 - Battle of New Orleans began.
The War of 1812 had officially ended on
December 24, 1814, with the signing of
the Treaty of Ghent. The news of the
signing had not reached British troops
in time to prevent their attack on New
Orleans.
• 1877 - Crazy Horse (Tashunca-uitco)
and his warriors fought their final battle
against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana.
• 1900 - U.S. President McKinley placed
Alaska under military rule.
• 1918 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
announced his Fourteen Points as the
basis for peace upon the end of World
War I.
• 1958 - Bobby Fisher, at the age of 14,
won the United States Chess Champion-
ship for the first time.
• 1962 - Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
was exhibited in America for the first
time at the National Gallery of Art in
Washington, DC.
• 1998 - Scientists announced that they
had discovered that galaxies were
accelerating and moving apart at high
speeds.
• 2009 - In Egypt, archeologists entered
a 4,300 year old pyramid and discovered
the mummy of Queen Sesheshet.      
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 9TH —
Happy Birthday Wyatt Vais!
Happy Birthday Alex Gerhards!
Happy Birthday Ralph Sheeder!
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• 1799 - British Prime Minister William
Pitt the Younger introduced income tax,
(two shillings to the pound), to raise
funds for the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1861 - The state of Mississippi seceded
from the United States.
• 1902 - New York State introduced a bill
to outlaw flirting in public.
• 1951 - The United Nations headquarters
officially opened in New York City.
• 1972 - The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth
was destroyed by fire in Hong Kong
harbor.
• 2003 - Archaeologists announced that
they had found five more chambers in
the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first
emperor. The rooms were believed to
cover about 750,000 square feet. He
ruled as the First Emperor from 220 to
210 BC.  His public works projects
included the unification of many walls
into a single Great Wall of China.    
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 10TH —
Happy Birthday Alan Beattie!
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• 1840 - The penny post, whereby mail
was delivered at a standard charge
rather than paid for by the recipient,
began in England.
• 1861 - Florida seceded from the United
States.
• 1870 - John D. Rockefeller incorporated
Standard Oil.
• 1920 - The League of Nations ratified
the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending
World War I with Germany.
• 1971 - "Masterpiece Theatre" premiered
on PBS with host Alistair Cooke. The
introduction drama series was
"The First Churchills."
• 1984 - United States and the Vatican
established full diplomatic relations for
the first time in more than a century.   
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FUTURE FOCUS ——

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14TH —
• GOD SQUAD: 4 TO 5:30 P.M.
• A-C FOOD PANTRY: 6 TO 8 P.M.
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Thank you for your hard work this week.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas 
and I wish for you a magnificent new 
year  —  Happy 2015!

God Bless and keep you,
Donna

Sunday, December 21, 2014

OUR WEEK-DECEMBER 28TH TO JANUARD 3RD

R E M I N D E R S —
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH —
• CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES WILL BE
HELD IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 5:30 P.M.
We have Holy Communion today.
         
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25TH —
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!    

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28TH —
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
• COLOR: PURPLE OR BLUE
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SCRIPTURE READINGS —
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ISAIAH 61:10-62:3
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The prophet speaks of the restoration
of Jerusalem, and of its "vindication"
that "shines out like the dawn, and her
salvation shining like a burning torch."

10-11 I will sing for joy in God,
    explode in praise from deep in my
soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
    he outfitted me in a robe of
righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
    and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wild
flowers,
    and as a garden cascades with
blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings
righteousness into full bloom
    and puts praise on display before the
nations.
Look, Your Savior Comes!
1-5 Regarding Zion, I can’t keep my
mouth shut,
    regarding Jerusalem, I can’t hold my
tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down
like the sun
    and her salvation flames up like a
torch.
Foreign countries will see your
righteousness,
    and world leaders your glory.
You’ll get a brand-new name
    straight from the mouth of God.
You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm
of God’s hand,
    a jeweled gold cup held high in the
hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
    and your country will no more be
called Ruined.
You’ll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),
    and your land Beulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
    and your land will be like a wedding
celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin
bride,
    so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his
bride,
    so your God is happy with you.
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PSALM 148 (UMH 861)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
All the orders of creation join in praise
to God.

1-5 Hallelujah!
Praise God from heaven,
    praise him from the mountaintops;     
Praise him, all you his angels,               
    praise him, all you his warriors,
Praise him, sun and moon,      
    praise him, you morning stars;     
Praise him, high heaven,
    praise him, heavenly rain clouds;        
Praise, oh let them praise the name of
God—
    he spoke the word, and there they
were!
6 He set them in place
    from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders,
    and that’s it!
7-12 Praise God from earth,
  you sea dragons, you fathomless      
ocean deeps;
Fire and hail, snow and ice,                   
  hurricanes obeying his orders;
Mountains and all hills,   
  apple orchards and cedar forests;
Wild beasts and herds of cattle, 
   snakes, and birds in flight;       
Earth’s kings and all races,
  leaders and important people,
Robust men and women in their prime,    
  and yes, graybeards and little children.     
13-14 Let them praise the name of God
   it’s the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth
and sky;
   he’s built a monument—his very own
people!

Praise from all who love God!
   Israel’s children, intimate friends of
God.
Hallelujah!
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GALATIANS 4:4-7
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
God's adoption of all baptized into
Christ makes us God's children and
heirs to promises of God's covenant.

4-7 But when the time arrived that was
set by God the Father, God sent his Son,
born among us of a woman, born under
the conditions of the law so that he
might redeem those of us who have
been kidnapped by the law. Thus we
have been set free to experience our
rightful heritage. You can tell for sure
that you are now fully adopted as his
own children because God sent the
Spirit of his Son into our lives crying
out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that
privilege of intimate conversation with
God make it plain that you are not a
slave, but a child? If you are a child,
you’re also an heir, with complete
access to the inheritance.
———————————————————
LUKE 2:22-40
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Luke describes the song (Simeon) and
the prophecy (Anna) that accompany
the presentation of Jesus at the temple
at the time of his family's offering of the
sacrifice for the firstborn.

22-24 Then when the days stipulated by
Moses for purification were complete,
they took him up to Jerusalem to offer                  
him to God as commanded in God’s          
Law: “Every male who opens the womb
shall be a holy offering to God,” and
also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or
two young pigeons” prescribed in
God’s Law.

25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there
was a man, Simeon by name, a good
man, a man who lived in the prayerful
expectancy of help for Israel. And the
Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit
had shown him that he would see the  
Messiah of God before he died. Led by
the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the
parents of the child Jesus brought him
in to carry out the rituals of the Law,
Simeon took him into his arms and
blessed God:
   God, you can now release your servant;
    release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I’ve seen your
salvation;
    it’s now out in the open for everyone
to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish
nations,
    and of glory for your people Israel.

33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were
speechless with surprise at these
words. Simeon went on to bless them,
and said to Mary his mother,

This child marks both the failure and
    the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and
contradicted—
    the pain of a sword-thrust through
you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
    as God reveals who they really are.

36-38 Anna the prophetess was also
there, a daughter of Phanuel from the
tribe of Asher. She was by now a very
old woman. She was married for seven
years and a widow for eighty-four.
She never left the Temple area,
worshiping night and day with her
fastings and prayers. At the very time
Simeon was praying, she showed up,
broke into an anthem of praise to God,
and talked about the child to all who
were waiting expectantly for the freeing
of Jerusalem.

39-40 When they finished everything
required by God in the Law, they
returned to Galilee and their own town,
Nazareth. There the child grew strong
in body and wise in spirit. And the
grace of God was on him.
———————————————————
• 1732 - "The Pennsylvania Gazette,"
owned by Benjamin Franklin, ran an ad
for the first issue of "Poor Richard’s
Almanac."
• 1832 - John C. Calhoun became the
first vice president of the United States
to resign, stepping down over
differences with President Jackson.
• 1846 - Iowa became the 29th state to
be admitted to the Union.
• 1879 - In Dundee, Scotland the central
portion of the Tay Bridge collapsed as a
train was passing over it. 75 people
were killed.
• 1908 - An earthquake at Messina in
Sicily killed over 75,000 people.
• 1945 - The U.S. Congress officially
recognized the "Pledge of Allegiance."
• 1991 - Nine people died in a rush to get
into a basketball game at City College in
New York City.     
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 29TH —
Happy Birthday Dorothy Dillinger!
Happy Birthday Randy Carney!
Happy Birthday Jason Hall!
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• • THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY • •
———————————————————
• 1813 - The British burned Buffalo, New
York, during the War of 1812.
• 1845 - U.S. President James Polk
signed legislation making Texas the 28th
state of the United States.
• 1851 - The first American Young Men's
Christian Association (YMCA) was
organized, in Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1940 - Germany began dropping
incendiary bombs on London during
World War II.
• 1997 - Hong Kong began killing 1.25
million chickens, the entire population,
to halt the spread of 'bird flu'. 
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30TH —
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• 1853 - The United States bought about
45,000 square miles of land from Mexico
in a deal known as the Gadsden
Purchase.
• 1922 - The Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR) was formed.
• 1924 - Edwin Hubble announced the
existence of other galactic systems.
• 1940 - California's first freeway was
officially opened. It was the Arroyo Seco
Parkway connecting Los Angeles and
Pasadena.
• 1953 - The first color TV sets went on
sale for about $1,175.
• 1980 -"The Wonderful World of Disney"
was cancelled by NBC after more than
25 years on the TV. It was the longest
running series in prime-time television.    
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31ST —
Happy Anniversary
Ray and Sara Young!
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This is Watch Night
———————————————————
• 1695 - The window tax was imposed in
England, which resulted in a great many
windows being bricked up.
• 1857 - Britain's Queen Victoria decided
to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
• 1862 - U.S. President Lincoln signed an
act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
• 1891 - New York's new Immigration
Depot was opened at Ellis Island, to
provide improved facilities for the
massive numbers of new arrivals to the
United States.
• 1897 - Brooklyn, New York, spent its
last day as a separate city before it
became part of New York City.
• 1929 - Guy Lombardo and his Royal
Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as
a New Year's Eve song for the first time.
• 1946 - U.S. President Truman officially
proclaimed the end of World War II
hostilities.
• 1961 - In the United States, the Marshall
Plan expired after distributing more than
$12 billion in foreign aid.    
• 1996 - NCR Corporation became an
independent company. NCR Corporation
(formerly National Cash Register) is a
US-based computer software, hardware
and electronics company that provides
products and services for businesses all
over the world. 
NCR was founded in 1884 in Ohio.
• 1999 - Sarah Knauss died at the age of
119 years. Sarah was the world's oldest
person. She was born Sept. 24, 1880. 
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1ST —
HAPPY NEW YEAR!    

May happiness and prosperity be yours
throughout the new year!
Happy Birthday Devin Hunter!
Happy Birthday Stephen Sheeder!
———————————————————
• 0404 - The last gladiator competition
was held in the Colosseum Rome. 
• 1622 - The Papal Chancery adopted
January 1st as the beginning of the New
Year (instead of March 25th).
• 1797 - Albany became the capital of
New York state, replacing New York City.
• 1808 - The United States prohibited
importation of slaves from Africa.
• 1863 - U.S. President Lincoln signed
the Emancipation Proclamation, which
declared that all slaves in rebel states
were free.
• 1898 - Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn,
Queens and Staten Island were all
consolidated into New York City.
• 1901 - The Commonwealth of Australia
was founded. Lord Hopetoun officially
assumed the duties as the first
Governor-General.
• 1902 - The first Tournament of Roses
(Rose Bowl) collegiate football game
was played in Pasadena, California.
• 1909 - The first payments of old-age
pensions were made in Britain. People
over 70 received five shillings a week.
(about .46 cents)
• 1934 - Alcatraz Island officially became
a Federal Prison.
• 1942 - U.S. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt and British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill issued a declaration
called the "United Nations." It was
signed by 26 countries that vowed to
create an international postwar World
War II peacekeeping organization.
• 1959 - Fidel Castro overthrew the
government of Fulgencio Batista, and
seized power in Cuba.
• 1995 - The World Trade Organization
came into existence. This group of 125
nations would monitor global trade.   
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2ND —
———————————————————
• 1492 - The leader of the last Arab
stronghold in Spain surrendered to the
Spanish forces of King Ferdinand II and
Queen Isabella I.
• 1788 - Georgia became the 4th state to
ratify the U.S. Constitution.
• 1842 - In Fairmount, Pennsylvania, the
first wire suspension bridge was open
to traffic.
• 1872 - Brigham Young, the 71-year-old
leader of the Mormon Church, was
arrested on a charge of bigamy. He had
25 wives.
• 1892 - Ellis Island opened as America's
first federal immigration center. Annie
Moore, at age 15, became the very first
person to pass through.
• 1910 - The first junior high school in
the United States opened.  McKinley
School in Berkeley, CA, housed seventh
and eighth grade students. In a separate
building students were housed who
attended grades 9-12.
• 1929 - The United States and Canada
reached an agreement of joint action to
preserve Niagara Falls.
• 1998 - Russia began circulating new
rubles in effort to keep inflation in check
and promote confidence.    
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 3RD —
Happy Birthday Sadie Peterson!
———————————————————
• 1496 - References in Leonardo da Vinci
notebooks suggest that he tested his
flying machine today. The test did not
succeed and he didn't try to fly again for
several years.
• 1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicated
Martin Luther.
• 1823 - Stephen F. Austin received a
grant from the Mexican government and
began colonization in the region of the
Brazos River in Texas.
• 1833 - England seized control of the
Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
About 150 years later, Argentina seized
the islands from the British, but England
took them back after a 74-day war.  
• 1924 - English explorer Howard Carter
discovered the sarcophagus of King
Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings,
near Luxor, Egypt.
• 1925 - In Italy, Mussolini announced
that he would take dictatorial powers.
• 1938 - The March of Dimes was
established by U.S. President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. This organization
fights poliomyelitis. The original name
of the organization was the National
Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
• 1959 - In the United States, Alaska
became the 49th state.
• 1962 - Pope John XXIII
excommunicated Cuban prime minister
Fidel Castro.    
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Thank you for your help this week.
You do make the wheels turn you know.

God Bless and Keep You,
Donna

Sunday, December 14, 2014

OUR WEEK DECEMBER 21ST TO DECEMBER 27TH

R E M I N D E R S —
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH — 

ESTHER CIRCLE MEETS AT 7 P.M.
Hostess is Ginger Spangler

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21ST —
Happy Birthday Sandra Farnsworth!
† † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †
This night, is “Longest Night,” the Winter
Solstice. . . the first day of Winter.
Today, the final Sunday of Advent, is the
segue to the Christmas Season. As a 

segue, this Sunday addresses not the 
birth, but the story from Luke’s gospel 
about the announcement to Mary that 
the birth will happen.
• COLOR: PURPLE OR BLUE
• FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
LIGHT THE FOURTH CANDLE OF THE
ADVENT WREATH.  


• My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he
has looked with favor on the lowliness
of his servant. Surely, from now on all
generations will call me blessed."
———————————————————

SCRIPTURE READINGS——————————————————
2 SAMUEL 7:1-16
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Nathan brings good news and a reality
check to David. The good news: God
intends to establish David's lineage
permanently, though conditionally. The
reality: God has been present with
God's people by being in their midst as
they have traveled (the tabernacle,
"incarnation") and has no need for
David to build a temple.
 
GOD'S COVENANT WITH DAVID
1-2 Before long, the king made himself
at home and God gave him peace from
all his enemies. Then one day King
David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look
at this: Here I am, comfortable in a
luxurious house of cedar, and the Chest
of God sits in a plain tent.”  
3 Nathan told the king, “Whatever is on
your heart, go and do it. God is with you.” 
4-7 But that night, the word of God came
to Nathan saying, “Go and tell my
servant David: This is God’s word on the
matter: You’re going to build a ‘house’
for me to live in? Why, I haven’t lived in
a ‘house’ from the time I brought the
children of Israel up from Egypt till now.
All that time I’ve moved about with
nothing but a tent. And in all my travels
with Israel, did I ever say to any of the
elders I commanded to shepherd Israel,
‘Why haven’t you built me a house of
cedar?’
8-11 “So here is what you are to tell my
servant David: The God-of-the-Angel-
Armies has this word for you: I took you
from the pasture, tagging along after
sheep, and made you prince over my
people Israel. I was with you everywhere
you went and mowed your enemies
down before you. Now I’m making you
famous, to be ranked with the great
names on earth. And I’m going to set
aside a place for my people Israel and
plant them there so they’ll have their
own home and not be knocked around
any more. Nor will evil men afflict you
as they always have, even during the
days I set judges over my people Israel.
Finally, I’m going to give you peace from
all your enemies.
11-16 “Furthermore, God has this
message for you: God himself will build
you a house! When your life is complete
and you’re buried with your ancestors,
then I’ll raise up your child, your own
flesh and blood, to succeed you, and
I’ll firmly establish his rule. He will build
a house to honor me, I will guarantee
his kingdom’s rule permanently. I’ll be a
father to him, and he’ll be a son to me.
When he does wrong, I’ll discipline him
in the usual ways, the pitfalls and
obstacles of this mortal life. But I’ll
never remove my gracious love from
him, as I removed it from Saul, who
preceded you and whom I most
certainly did remove. Your family and
your kingdom are permanently secured.
I’m keeping my eye on them! And your
royal throne will always be there, rock
solid.”
———————————————————
LUKE 1:47-55  (UMH 199)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The Song of Mary. If you don't hear and
feel Mary pregnant with the end of this
age and the hope for the coming one in
this song, you're not listening or
singing her song yet!


46-55 And Mary said,

I’M BURSTING WITH GOD-NEWS;
    I’m dancing the song of my Savior
God.
God took one good look at me, and look
what happened—  
    I’m the most fortunate woman on
earth!
What God has done for me will never be
forgotten,
    the God whose very name is holy, set
apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
    on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his
strength,
    scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses
    pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a
banquet;
    the callous rich were left out in the
cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
    he remembered and piled on the
mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
    beginning with Abraham and right up
to now.
———————————————————
ROMANS 16:25-27
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
A concluding doxology that joins the
eternal praise of God for revealing the
mystery of salvation intended for the
whole world in Jesus Christ.

25-26 All of our praise rises to the One
who is strong enough to make you
strong, exactly as preached in Jesus
Christ, precisely as revealed in the
mystery kept secret for so long but now
an open book through the prophetic
Scriptures. All the nations of the world
can now know the truth and be brought
into obedient belief, carrying out the
orders of God, who got all this started,
down to the very last letter.
27 All our praise is focused through
Jesus on this incomparably wise God!
Yes!
———————————————————
LUKE 1:26-38
THE MESSAGE MSG)
The angel Gabriel announces to Mary
that she will become pregnant by God
and bear the Son of the Most High
whose throne will be eternal. She
consents. Do we?
A VIRGIN CONCEIVES

26-28 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel
to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a
virgin engaged to be married to a man
descended from David. His name was
Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary.
Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

29-33 She was thoroughly shaken,
wondering what was behind a greeting
like that. But the angel assured her,
“Mary, you have nothing to fear. God
has a surprise for you: You will become
pregnant and give birth to a son and
call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
    be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
    the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
    no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “But how?
I’ve never slept with a man.” 
35 The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
    the power of the Highest hover over
    you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
    will be called Holy, Son of God.

36-38 “And did you know that your
cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old
as she is?  Everyone called her barren,
and here she is six months pregnant!
Nothing, you see, is impossible with
God.”  
And Mary said,
Yes, I see it all now:
    I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
    just as you say.

Then the angel left her.
———————————————————
• 1620 - The "Mayflower", and its
passengers, pilgrims from England,
landed at Plymouth Rock, MA.
• 1898 - Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie
discovered a radioactive element, radium.
• 1909 - McKinley and Washington
schools of Berkeley, California, became
the first authorized, junior-high schools
in the United States.
• 1945 - U.S. Gen. George S. Patton died
in Heidelberg, Germany, of injuries from
a car accident.
• 1958 - Charles de Gaulle was elected to
a seven-year term as the first president
of the Fifth Republic of France.
• 1991 - Eleven of the 12 former Soviet
republics proclaimed the birth of the
Commonwealth of Independent States.    
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 22ND —
———————————————————    

• THE OFFICE WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 
NOON TODAY •
———————————————————
• 1775 - A Continental naval fleet was
organized in the rebellious American
colonies under the command of Esek
Hopkins.  He was the only Commander
in Chief of the Continental Navy during
the American Revolutionary War.
• 1864 - During the American Civil War,
Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a
message to U.S. President Lincoln from
Georgia. The message read, "I beg to
present you as a Christmas gift, the city
of Savannah."
• 1941 - British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill arrived in Washington for a
wartime conference with U.S. President
Franklin Roosevelt.
• 1989 - Romania's hard-line Communist
ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, is overthrown
in a popular uprising.
• 1990 - Lech Walesa was sworn in as
Poland's first popularly elected president.   
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23RD —
Happy Birthday Jeremiah Betts!
———————————————————
• 1783 - George Washington returned
home to Mount Vernon, after disbanding
his army following the Revolutionary War.
• 1788 - The state of Maryland voted to
cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat
of the national government. About
two-thirds of the area became the
District of Columbia.
• 1888 - Following a quarrel with Paul
Gauguin, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh
cut off part of his own earlobe.
• 1913 - The Federal Reserve Bill was
signed into law by President Woodrow
Wilson. The act established 12 Federal
Reserve Banks in the United States.
THEY ARE DIVIDED AS FOLLOWS:
  Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
  Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
  Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
  Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
  Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
  Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
  Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
  Federal Reserve Bank of New York
  Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
  Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
  Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
  Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• 1942 - Bob Hope agreed to entertain 

U.S. airmen in Alaska. It was the first of 
his traditional Christmas shows.   
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH —
Happy Birthday Sandra Lundy!
Happy Birthday Charlie Carney!   

———————————————————
THE OFFICE MAY POSSIBLY BE 
CLOSED TODAY, IF IT CAN BE 
MANAGED.
• CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES WILL BE
HELD IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 5:30 P.M.
We will have Holy Communion.
———————————————————
• 1814 - The War of 1812 between the U.S.
and England was ended with the signing
of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
• 1818 - Franz Gruber of Oberndorf,
Germany composed the music for
"Silent Night" to words written by Josef
Mohr.
• 1851 - A fire devastated the Library of
Congress in Washington, DC, destroying
about 35,000 volumes.
• 1865 - Many veterans of the Confederate
Army formed a private social club in
Pulaski, Tennessee, . . . the Ku Klux Klan.
• 1943 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt
appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
supreme commander of Allied forces as
part of Operation Overlord.    
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25TH —
• THIS IS CHRISTMAS DAY •  

The office will be closed today and 
tomorrow.
———————————————————
• 1223 - St. Francis of Assisi assembled
one of the first Nativity scenes ever, in
Greccio, Italy.
• 1776 - Gen. George Washington and his
troops crossed the Delaware River for a
surprise attack against Hessian forces at
Trenton, New Jersey.
• 1818 - "Silent Night" was performed for
the first time, in the Church of St.
Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
• 1868 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson
granted an unconditional pardon to all
persons involved in the South's rebellion
that resulted in the Civil War.
• 1896 - John Philip Sousa finally titled his
melody "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
• 1962 - The Department of Commerce
Census Clock in Washington, DC,
recorded the U.S. population on this day
as 188,000,000.
• 1991 - Soviet President Mikhail S.
Gorbachev went on television to give his
resignation as leader of a Communist
superpower that had already gone out of
existence.     
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26TH —
———————————————————
• 1620 - The Pilgrim Fathers landed at New
Plymouth, MA, to found Plymouth Colony,
with John Carver as Governor.
• 1776 - The British suffered a major
defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the
American Revolutionary War.
• 1917 - During World War I, the U.S.
government took over operation of all the
nation's railroads.
• 1941 - Winston Churchill became the
first British prime minister to address a
joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
• 1947 - Heavy snow blanketed the North
east United States burying New York City
under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours.
Severe weather was blamed for 80 deaths.
• 1956 - Fidel Castro attempted a secret
landing in Cuba to overthrow the Batista
regime. All but 11 of his supporters were
killed.
• 1982 - The Man of the Year in "TIME"
magazine was a computer. It was the first
time a non-human received the honors.
• 1991 - The Soviet Union's parliament
formally voted the country out of
existence.
• 2004 - Under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0
magnitude earthquake sent 500-mph
waves across the Indian Ocean and Bay
of Bengal. The tsunami killed at least
283,000 people in a dozen countries,
including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sumatra,
Thailand and India.     
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27TH —
Happy Birthday Don Chesnut!
———————————————————
• 1900 - Carrie Nation staged her first raid
on a saloon at the Carey Hotel in Wichita,
Kansas.
• 1945 - The World Bank was created with
an agreement signed by 28 nations.
• 1978 - Spain adopted a new constitution
and became a democracy after 40 years
of dictatorship.
• 1979 - Soviet forces seized control of
Afghanistan. Babrak Karmal succeeded
President Hafizullah Amin, who was
overthrown and executed.
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Thank you for your blessings and
contributions this week.  They certainly 
make a difference.

God bless and keep you,
Donna

Monday, December 8, 2014

OUR WEEK - DECEMBER 14 TO DECEMBER 20TH

R E M I N D E R S —
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH —

• GOD SQUAD MEETS AT CASEY U.M.C. -
FROM 4 TO 5:30 P.M.

     

• FOOD PANTRY - CASEY U.M.C. — 
FROM 6 TO 8 P.M.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13TH —    

CHRISTMAS MALL IN CASEY U.M.C.
FROM 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.
Kids will find great gifts for Mom, Dad,
sisters, brothers, teachers, friends, and 

grandparents.
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14TH —
COLOR: PURPLE OR BLUE
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
LIGHT THE FIRST, SECOND CANDLES
  
This third Sunday of Advent is often called
“JOY SUNDAY.”

• If we seek Jesus, who is born in the 
manger, shouldn’t we:
…be at peace among ourselves?
…help the weak and the poor?
…not repay evil for evil, but always do     

   good to one another?
…in all circumstances, give thanks?
As we light this third candle, let us recall
that this is the will of God in Christ 
Jesus, who comes to us.
LIGHT THE THIRD CANDLE OF THE
ADVENT WREATH.
———————————————————
SCRIPTURE READINGS —
———————————————————

ISAIAH 61:1–11
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The Spirit of the Lord anoints a prophet 
to bring good news to the oppressed, the
brokenhearted, the captives,
the prisoners, and the mourning - - good
news that includes "the day of 
vengeance of our God."
Why? None of these folks will get much
good news unless the current social
order is destroyed.  When it is destroyed,
rebuilding of God's "ancient ruins" can
begin (verse 4).
In the meantime, the prophet rejoices,
clothed in the hope this good news 
brings (verses 8-11).


ANNOUNCE FREEDOM TO ALL 
CAPTIVES
1-7
The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
    because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the
    poor,
    heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
    pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his
    grace—
    a celebration of God’s destruction of
    our enemies—
    and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in
    Zion,
    give them bouquets of roses instead of
    ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
    a praising heart instead of a languid
    spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
    planted by God to display his glory.
They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
    raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
    take the rubble left behind and make it
    new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
    and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
    honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
    you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
    and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be
    doubled
    and your joy go on forever.
8-9 “Because I, God, love fair dealing
    and hate thievery and crime,
I’ll pay your wages on time and in full,
    and establish my eternal covenant with
    you.
Your descendants will become well-
    known all over.
    Your children in foreign countries
Will be recognized at once
    as the people I have blessed.”
10-11 I will sing for joy in God,
    explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
    he outfitted me in a robe of
    righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a
    tuxedo
    and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring
    wildflowers,
    and as a garden cascades with
    blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness
    into full bloom
    and puts praise on display before the
    nations.
———————————————————
PSALM 126 (UMH 847)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Psalm of Ascent, one of the Psalms sung
by pilgrims as they made their way to the
temple after it was rebuilt, after the return
from exile.   

A PILGRIM SONG
1-3
It seemed like a dream, too good to be
    true,
    when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
    we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
    “God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
    we are one happy people.
4-6 And now, God, do it again—
    bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in
    despair
    will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
    will come home laughing, with
    armloads of blessing.
———————————————————
1 THESSALONIANS 5:16–24
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Final greetings include a prayer that the
people may now be and remain "sound
and blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ"


16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all
the time; thank God no matter what
happens. This is the way God wants you
who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

19-22 Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t
stifle those who have a word from the
Master. On the other hand, don’t be
gullible. Check out everything, and keep
only what’s good. Throw out anything
tainted with evil.

23-24 May God himself, the God who
makes everything holy and whole, make
you holy and whole, put you together—
spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit
for the coming of our Master, Jesus
Christ. The One who called you is
completely dependable. If he said it,
he’ll do it!
———————————————————
JOHN 1:6–8, 19–28
THE MESSAGE MSG)
The witness of John the Baptizer
concerning his own identity. He is clear 
he is not the Messiah. The Messiah 
would have an even more radical ministry
than the one this baptizing prophet had
introduced. "I am not worthy to untie the
thong of his sandals" could be roughly
paraphrased as, "If you think I'm the
Messiah, you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

    6-8 There once was a man, his name 
John, sent by God to point out the way to 
the Life-Light. He came to show everyone
where to look, who to believe in. John was
not himself the Light; he was there to
show the way to the Light.

THUNDER IN THE DESERT
19-20
When Jews from Jerusalem sent a
group of priests and officials to ask John
who he was, he was completely honest.
He didn’t evade the question. He told the
plain truth: “I am not the Messiah.”

21 They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I am not.”

“The Prophet?”
“No.”

22 Exasperated, they said, “Who, then?
We need an answer for those who sent us.
Tell us something—anything!—about
yourself.”

23 “I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the
road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the
prophet Isaiah preached.”

24-25 Those sent to question him were
from the Pharisee party. Now they had a
question of their own: “If you’re neither
the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet,
why do you baptize?”

26-27 John answered, “I only baptize
using water. A person you don’t
recognize has taken his stand in your
midst. He comes after me, but he is not in
second place to me. I’m not even worthy
to hold his coat for him.”

28 These conversations took place in
Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,
where John was baptizing at the time.
———————————————————
• 1799 -1st president of the United States
George Washington, died at the age 67.
• 1819 - Alabama joined the Union as the
22nd state.
• 1903 - Orville Wright made a first 

attempt at powered flight. The engine 
stalled in take-off and the plane was 
damaged in the attempt. Three days 
later, after repairs, the modern aviation  
age was born when the plane stayed  
aloft for 12 seconds and flew 102 feet.
• 1911 - Norwegian explorer Roald
Amundsen became the first man to 

reach the South Pole.
• 1939 - The Soviet Union was dropped
from the League of Nations.
• 1946 - The U.N. General Assembly voted
to establish the United Nation's head-
quarters in New York City.
• 1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first
woman to lead a major American Indian
tribe as she formally took office as chief
of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.   
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 15TH —
———————————————————
• • THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY • •    

———————————————————
• 1791 - In the U.S., the first 10 

amendments to the Constitution, known 
as the Bill of Rights, went into effect 
following ratification by the state of 
Virginia.
•1840 - Napoleon Bonapart's remains
were interred in Les Invalides in Paris, 
having been brought from St. Helena, 
where he died in exile.
• 1854 - In Philadelphia, the first street
cleaning machine was put into use.
• 1877 - Thomas Edison patented the
phonograph.
• 1890 - American Sioux Indian Chief
Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members
were killed in Grand River, South 
Dakota, during an incident with Indian

police working for the U.S. government.
• 1938 - U.S. President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt presided over the ground
breaking ceremonies for the Jefferson 
Memorial in Washington, DC.
• 1944 - A single-engine plane carrying 
U.S. Army Major Glenn Miller  
disappeared in thick fog over the   
English Channel while going to Paris.
• 1961 - Former Nazi official Adolf 

Eichmann was sentenced to death in 
Jerusalem by an Israeli court. He had 

been tried on charges of organizing 
the deportation of Jews consigned to
concentration camps.
• 1970 - The Soviet probe Venera 7 was
the first spacecraft to land softly on the
surface of Venus. The probe survived
the extreme heat and pressure for about 
23 minutes and transmitted the first data
received on Earth from the surface of
another planet.
• 1982 - Paul "Bear" Bryant announced 
his retirement as head football coach at 
the University of Alabama.    
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH —
Happy Birthday Carol Ann Schnobrich!
——————————————————
• 1773 - Nearly 350 chests of tea were
dumped into Boston Harbor off of British
ships by Colonial patriots. The patriots
were disguised as Indians. The act was 
to protest taxation without  
representation and the monopoly the 
government granted to the East India 

Company.
• 1809 - Napoleon Bonaparte was 
divorced from the Empress Josephine 
by an act of the French Senate.
• 1835 - In New York, 530 buildings were
destroyed by fire.
• 1850 - The first immigrant ship from
England, the Charlotte Jane, arrived at 
the Colony of Canterbury in Lyttleton,
New Zealand.  Three ships followed
within 24 hours with an approximate
total of 790 passengers consigned to

that new colony. 
(Children weren't counted). 
Passengers aboard these four ships
were referred to as "the Pilgrims". Their
names are inscribed on marble plaques 
in Cathedral Square, in the center of 

Christchurch, New Zealand.
• 1944 - During World War II, the Battle of
the Bulge began in Belgium. It was the 
final major German counteroffensive in 

the war.
• 1991 - The United Nations General
Assembly rescinded its 1975 resolution
equating Zionism with racism by a vote 
of 111-25.
• 1996 - England's agriculture minister
announced the slaughter of an additional
100,000 cows thought to be at risk of 

BSE (MAD COW DISEASE) in an effort to
persuade the European Union to lift its 

ban on British beef.
• 1999 - Torrential rains and mudslides in
Venezuela left thousands of people dead
and forced at least 120,000 to leave their
homes.
• 2001 - Cuba received a first commercial
food shipment from the United States in
nearly 40 years. The shipment was sent 
to help Cuba after Hurrican Michelle hit 
the island on November 4, 2001.   
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH —
Happy Birthday Erika Lundy!
Happy Birthday Jamie Christoffersen!
Happy Birthday Brenda Irlmier!
———————————————————   
ESTHER CIRCLE MEETS AT 7 P.M.
Hostess is Ginger Spangler
——————————————————
• 1777 - France recognized American
independence.
• 1903 - The first successful gasoline
powered airplane flight took place near
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and
Wilbur Wright made that flight.
• 1944 - The U.S. Army announced the 
end of its policy of excluding Japanese-
Americans from the West Coast which
ensured that Japanese-Americans were
released from detention camps. 
• 1975 - Lynette (Squeeky) Fromme was 

sentenced to life in prison for her  
attempt on the life of U.S. President 

Gerald Ford. She was released on parole 
August 14, 2009, after serving 34 years.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18TH ———————————————————
• 1787 - New Jersey became the third 
state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
• 1865 - Slavery was abolished in the
United States with the 13th Amendment 
to the U.S. Constitution being ratified.
• 1898 - A new automobile speed record
was set at 39 mph.
• 1912 - Discovery of the Piltdown Man
in East Sussex was announced.  It was
proved to be a hoax in 1953.
• 1916 - During World War I, after 10
months of fighting, the French defeated
the Germans in the Battle of Verdun.
• 1917 - The Eighteenth Amendment to 

the U.S. Constitution was passed by the
U.S.  It established prohibition of all 
alcoholic beverages in the United States.
• 1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret
directive ordering preparations for a Nazi
invasion of the Soviet Union.  Operation
"Barbarossa" was launched in June 1941. 
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19TH —
———————————————————
• 1562 - The Battle of Dreux was fought
between Huguenots and Catholics,
beginning the French Wars of Religion.
• 1777 - General George Washington led
his army of about 11,000 men to Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the
winter.
• 1842 - Hawaii's independence was first
recognized by the United States.
• 1843 - Charles Dickens' "A Christmas
Carol" was first published in England.
• 1984 - Britain and China signed an
accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese
sovereignty on July 1, 1997.
• 2003 - Images for the new design for the
Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center
site were released. The building slopes
into a spire that reaches 1,776 feet.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20TH —
Happy Birthday Ryan Morgan!

———————————————————
• 1606 - Three ships, "Susan Constant,"
"Godspeed" and "Discovery" set sail 
from London. The landing at Jamestown, 
Virginia was the beginning of the first 
permanent English settlement in America.
• 1699 - Peter the Great ordered that the
Russian New Year be changed from
September 1 to January 1.
• 1803 - The United States Senate ratified
a treaty that included the Louisiana
Territories from France for $15 million,
(about 4 cents per acre).  It is 828,000 

square miles (529,920,000 acres).
France controlled this vast area from
1699 until 1762, the year it ceded the
territory to Spain.   Under Napoleon
Bonaparte, France took back the territory
in 1800 in the hope of re-establishing an
empire in North America.  An impending
war with Britain, however, led French
officials to abandon these plans and sell
the entire territory to the United States 
in order to pay off their enormous debts. 
The land purchase included the entire
states of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, 
Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; parts 

of Minnesota west of the Mississippi 
River; most of North Dakota and South 
Dakota; north-eastern New Mexico; north 
Texas;  the portions of Montana,  
Wyoming, and Colorado east of the  
Continental Divide; Louisiana west of the 
Mississippi River, including the city of  

New Orleans; and portions of land that 
would one day become part of the 
Canadian provinces of Alberta and 
Saskatchewan.
How lucky are we that Napoleon was 

over drawn at the bank???
• 1860 - South Carolina became the first
state to secede from the American Union.
• 1963 - The Berlin Wall was open for the
first time to West Berliners. It was only 
for the holiday season.
It closed again on January 6, 1964.   
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FUTURE FOCUS ————— 

DECEMBER 24TH —
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE  
WITH COMMUNION 
IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 5:30 P.M.

Thank you for your church life 
contributions this week. Whether 
muscle or monetary, they are 
deeply appreciated.

God Bless and Keep You,
Donna