Oxford Presbyterian Church

December 25, 2020

A Merry Christmas to you all on this Nativity of Our Lord Day! Today of all days, amid a world where we currently suffer absence, let us rejoice in the fact that the God who made us has taken up residence with us in the incarnation of Jesus Christ and granted us the presence of God forever.

Our live-streamed worship will again be broadcast from the sanctuary via Facebook Live. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. If you have a computer or tablet or smartphone with an internet connection, you should be able to receive the stream. You do not need to have a Facebook account to participate. Our stream appears on the church’s Facebook page which is here à https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/. If you miss the broadcast, the service will remain on our Facebook page for the next several days. If you have prayer requests or announcements, please email them to me (opcpastor@ncrrbiz.com) or text them to me (919-323-7192) and they will be included in the worship.

Our worship is also being broadcast on WCBQ 1340 on the AM radio dial at 3 p.m. on Sundays. If you are not a computer hound, then the radio broadcast of our worship is an easy way to listen in and participate. If you know of someone in our community that does not do computers or finds them frustrating to use, please let them know of this alternative.

The Sunday worship bulletin will appear in your emailbox late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, complete with hymns and sermon so that you may have your own house-church worship. Worship is always critical, but especially at a time like this. Our faithful witness in this difficult time and world is nourished by lifting our hearts to the Lord. As always, you can listen to sermons through our website right here à https://oxfordpres.org/media/#sermons, and at The Oxford Exchange, found here à http://theoxfordexchange.blubrry.net/.

Hey kids! A short Christmas series of Faith 4 Five begins in this week. As always, the video will be posted on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. Continue to tune in every week and watch for five minutes of fun and learning about God’s love. The video can be viewed on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/. You do not need to have a Facebook account to watch.

Our website, www.oxfordpres.org, has calendars, newsletters, the OPC WEEKLY, sermons, and even ways to give your offerings (right here à https://oxfordpres.org/give/). It is a great resource in times like these.

Oxford Presbyterian Church also has an offerings drop-box situated next to the door on the back side of the church at the top of the ramp if you want to drop off an offering. Or, you can mail offerings to Oxford Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 652, Oxford, NC 27565. They will be collected and deposited.

Here is our schedule for the week:

The First Sunday of Christmas, December 27, 2020:

Scripture readings: Luke 2:22-40

Sermon title: “Waiting for Now”

9:00 a.m. – Faith 4 Five video posted at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/

10:00 a.m. – Worship via Facebook Live. The stream can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/

3:00 p.m. – Worship broadcast on WCBQ 1340 AM

Mission of the Month – Our December offering is the annual Christmas Joy Offering that supports retired Presbyterian ministers here and current Presbyterian ministers abroad. For more information go here à https://specialofferings.pcusa.org/offering/christmas-joy/. Beginning in January, we will once again undertake our blanket drive with Church World Mission. Be on the lookout for more information.

Announcements:

There will be no Wednesday morning scripture and prayer this week. We will resume the following Wednesday on January 6, the Day of Epiphany.

 Volunteer opportunity: ACIM (Area congregations in ministry) is in need of volunteers who can unpack boxes of food and place food items on shelves. Times to serve are Tuesday and Thursday at 6PM. Saturday mornings are also a possibility. If you would like to serve, please call ACIM at 919-690-0961.

Happy Birthday to:  Woody Morton – 27th; Stephen Baird – 27th; Peggy Phillips – 2nd

Prayers for: Frank Anderson, Becky and Isabella Baird, Betty Baynes, Michael Boyd, Cynthia Broaddrick, Linda and Mike Diamond, Charlene Dickey, Randy Downey, Julie Gaydon, Marlene Grenier, Fred Heath, Hannah Hobgood, Marie Hobgood, Terry Hobgood, Cotina Jones, Barbara Laurent, Donnie Messer, Ally Milton, Jacob Parkin, Greg and Dottie Price, Mike Reavis, Lynn Stone,  and Alice Evans Woodlief.

Many thanks for all the wonderful gifts Michelle, my family, and I have received from you this year. A special thanks to all for the love gift. It is and will be yet another sign of your love and your kindness and your generosity. I am forever grateful to be a part of a church that so embodies the affections of Jesus Christ.

¹ The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name! (Psalms 97 NRSV)

All blessings in Christ,

Alan

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