A Fresh Start

The great thing about New Year's Day is what it represents.  A Fresh Start.  A new year yet untainted by my bad decisions, laziness, or failures.  Equally yet untouched by good decisions, thoughtfulness, and successes.  2012 will be whatever you make of it, make it the best!  Start the year off with us here at Hitts Chapel Sunday morning.  See ya next year!

Christmas Morning

This Sunday morning we will celebrate the blessed occasion of Christ's birth.  We will complete our Advent sermon series and light our final candle, the Christ candle.  I look forward to celebrating Christmas with all of you.  We will conclude our service taking the Lord's Supper.

Journey to Bethlehem

Tonight is the final night of our live nativity, Journey to Bethlehem.  It is open to the public 7-9pm.  Come take your own journey to Bethlehem!

Children's Program

I failed to mention the Children's Christmas Program is happening this Sunday.  Be sure to come out and support them.  They always do a wonderful job!

Looking towards Love

This Sunday will be the fourth Sunday of Advent.  We will light the candle representing LOVE and look into John's Gospel for the sermon text.  Narrowing down the Love of the Savior into a single sermon is a daunting task.  The scope of the concept is overwhelmingly broad.  Also, John's Gospel (like Mark's) does not tell the Christmas story, rather it begins by introducing us to John the Baptist.  However, John's Gospel is rich in material that magnifies God's love toward mankind.  That being said, I look forward to working through John's Gospel again.  The sermons of Advent have been foundational and theological for me.  Building sermons on the hope, peace, & joy we have as a result of Christ's salvation has brought me back to the most basic of motivations to accept Christ's invitation.  These are the elements of life I believe every human searches for in life.  Maslow places these needs toward the top of his Hierarchy of Needs.  That is to say, humans can survive without them, but live a frustrated and discouraged life at best.  Jesus said it this way, "I have come to give you life to the fullest!"  Many in our world just survive throughout their days fulfilling their own understandings of what life is supposed to look like, all the while missing out on a full and fulfilling life.  It has been my observation that such fulfillment is only found in communion with Christ.  I look forward to exploring the Love of our Savior with you this Sunday.

Advent

What is Advent?  Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve.  The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.  For centuries the Church has celebrated Advent with many traditions and rituals.  This year we will employ one of the oldest ideas: an Advent Wreath.  The Advent wreath has long been a popular symbol of the beginning of the Church year in many churches and homes. It is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center. Since the wreath is symbolic and a vehicle to tell the Christmas story, there are various ways to understand the symbolism. The exact meaning given to the various aspects of the wreath is not as important as the story to which it invites us to listen, and participate.  Each candle represents a theological truth brought forth by the Christmas story.  Last week we lit the first candle and explored the truth of HOPE that is ours through the coming Christ child.  Come this week to learn the meaning of our next candle.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Join us this Sunday as we begin a new series celebrating the Advent season.

Wrapping up TOXIC BAGGAGE

This Sunday will be the last of our series TOXIC BAGGAGE.  Last Sunday we dealt with insecurities, this Sunday we will tackle rejection.  Thanksgiving follows, then December.  This year we are issuing a challenge to the families of Hitts Chapel.  Have your entire family in services each of the four Sundays of December.  We are developing a special Advent series for those Sundays.  Christmas will be here before we know it and 2012 will be upon us.

We had a great day yesterday! Confronted bitterness head-on in the morning service. Last night's service around the bonfire & hayride was enjoyed by 85 of us.

The TOXIC BAGGAGE series has been awesome so far. This week we confront bitterness. Come dump your TOXIC BAGGAGE!