Newsletter

December 2001

“They were overjoyed” (Matt 2:10)

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,

Greetings in the name of the Incarnated Lord.

Once again we are about to celebrate the love of God manifested through the Incarnation. As the nation is going through lots of stress and strain, lets reaffirm our faith in God who is ever present with us in all our life experiences – He is the Emmanuel. Now let us ask what is our personal response to the Advent events– shopping, vacation, being with friends and family, sending cards, that say holiday greetings! That’s all?

The wise men serve as a positive model of response to Jesus, even as Herod serves as a negative model. These foreign visitors came joyfully to the house where the little family lived. There they worshiped the Babe, and “opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts.” The gifts recorded are the traditional gifts given to royalty– gold, myrrh, and frankincense. More significant, however, is the pattern we see here. They worshiped Jesus. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts.

Too often we worship our treasures. Money, or the things money can buy, become the focus of our lives. When we worship wealth we have no room for Jesus, or for others. We hug our treasures close to us, unwilling to part with them for any cause. Worshiping Jesus forces us from materialism. Our “treasures” lose their grip on our hearts, and as we discover the joy of severing Christ, we willingly present our material treasures to Him as gifts. The greatest gift that Christ demands from us is ourselves.

Let us experience the joy of Christmas and make Christ a reality in our lives.

I wish you all a very meaningful Christmas.

In Christ’s Love,

Thomas Chandy Achen

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men! ” - Luke 2:14

Date

Day

Time

Worship

Dec

02

Sun

9:30 am

10:30 am

Adult Bible Class

Holy Communion Service, English

Dec

09

Sun

9:30 am

10:30 am

Intercessory Prayer

Holy Communion Service, English

Dec

16

Sun

9:30 am

10:30 am

Adult Bible Class

Holy Communion Service, Malayalam

Dec

23

Sun

9:30 am

10:30 am

Adult Bible Class

Holy Communion Service, Malayalam

Dec

25

Tues

10:00 am

Christmas Service

Holy Communion Service, English

Dec

30

Sun

9:30 am

10:30 am

Intercessory Prayer

Ordinary Worship, Malayalam

Dec

31

Mon

10:00 pm

12:00 am

Prayer and Witnessing

Holy Communion Service, Malayalam

Christmas
Caroling
24^th Christmas Eve Carol Service
25^th Morning Service
Northeast Regional Yuvajana Sakhyam Christmas Choir Competition
- Sat., December 15, 4:30 pm @ St. Thomas
Northeast Regional Yuvajana Sakhyam Reception to Thirumeni
- Sat., December 15, 6:30 pm @ St. Thomas
Northeast Regional Youth Fellowship Christmas/Year End Program
- Epiphany MTC—Sun. Dec. 30th at 5pm
January 1st—Youth Fellowship Dedication Night @ Church

IMPORTANT DAYS IN SABHA/DIOCESAN CALENDAR

Date

Day

Importance of the Day

Dec 01
Sat
25 Day Fast Begins

Dec 02

Sun

Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth—“Bearers of Good News”

Dec 09

Sun

Birth of John the Baptist—Hope for the World - Bible Sunday

Dec 16

Sun

Annunciation to Joseph

Dec 21

Fri

Thomas The Apostle’s Day—Mar Thoma Church Day

Dec 23

Sun

The Joy of Christ’s Coming

Dec 25

Tues

Birth of our Lord—25 Day Fast Ends

Dec 30

Sun

Celebration of Christ’s Sovereignty

Dec 31

Mon

God who always remain with us

LECTIONARY

Date

1^st Lesson

2^nd Lesson

Epistle

Gospel

Dec 02	Gen 33:1-17	2 Cor 1:3-11	1 Thess 3:6-13	St. Luke 1:39-45
Dec 09	Isa 55:6-13	Acts 11:19-26	Heb 4:1-13	St. Luke 1:57-66
Dec 16	Isa 11:1-10	1 John 5:1-12	Rom 1:1-16	St. Mat 1:18-23
Dec 23	Micah 4:1-5	Acts 13:17-41	1 John 4:7-21	St. Luke 1:46-51
Dec 25	Isa 9:1-8	Gal 4:1-7	Heb 1:1-12	St. John 1:1-14
Dec 30	Jer 23:1-8	Acts 2:21-36	Phil 2:1-11	St. Luke 10:21-24