Wesley Word – November 30, 2022
To go along with service on: Sunday, December 4, 2022
Experiencing Grace
- Traditional Hymn: #196 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Exploring Truth – It’s Time to Get Ready
Romans 15:4-13 & Matthew 3:1-12
Continuing with our “It’s Time” Advent series, this week, It’s Time to Get Ready.
We all know that Advent is all about getting ready, preparing, for Christmas. It is a busy season of shopping and wrapping, cooking and baking, and decorating and entertaining. But in all of our preparation for Christmas, how are we preparing for Christ? How are we getting ready for Jesus?
To help prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, God sent John the Baptist. John is not exactly what we would think of a Christmas character, with his camel’s hair and locusts and talking about God’s wrath. But John tells us that the indispensable first step of preparing for Jesus is repentance, turning away from our sins, and turning to the new life offered in Christ.
While we are preparing our houses for Christmas, we need to be preparing our hearts for Jesus. Let every heart prepare Him room. It is time to get ready.
New Testament in a Year: https://wesleyonline.org/biblereading/
- November 30 1 John 1:1-10
- December 1 1 John 2:1-17
- December 2 1 John 2:18-3:6
- December 3 1 John 3:7-24
- December 4 1 John 4:1-21
- December 5 1 John 5:1-21
- December 6 2 John 1:1-13
- December 7 3 John 1:1-15
Expressing Love: Family/Mission Activity
Every day we prepare. We prepare breakfast, prepare to go to school or work, some of us prepare for our day when we no longer work outside the home (I know that even if you no longer have a job outside the home, you are just as busy as those that still are!). Now, I do not know about anyone else but preparing for company at my home is a big deal. I keep my house clean, but it is never as clean as it is when we panic clean an hour before guests arrive. This is the same as preparing ourselves for Jesus. Do you clean your heart daily with prayer and scripture, or do you panic clean your heart when your life is not working the way it should be working if you were always prepared? One must always be prepared for the “company” of Jesus in our hearts.
Let us purge our hearts of the dirt this week by writing it down, and then you can dissolve it in a glass of hot water, no one needs to see it so do not worry much about this. After you have purged (cleaned) your heart go ahead and take a deep breath in and then out. That fresh air you just felt was good after you dusted out your heart and made it clean again.
Announcements
- WOW is over until after the first of the year.
- Thank you to everyone who bought from the youth on Sunday.
- The Wesley Handbell Choir will play this Friday, December 2, from 5:30-6:30 pm, in the National Pearl Button Museum, 117 W. 2nd Street, on the 2nd This is part of Muscatine’s annual Holiday Stroll.
- Sunday School Christmas Program – Sunday, December 4 at 10:00 am during the Sunday school hour. Practice is Saturday, December 3rd at 2:00 pm.
- Sunday school children will be shopping for our senior we adopted on December 3rd at 11:00 am at the Muscatine Wal-Mart.
- Kids Christmas Shoppe – December 10, 9:00 am-Noon at the Wesley Family Life Center. Contact Mary Anne Alberhasky, 319-461-6609.
- Wesley’s annual Festival of Lessons & Carols is Sunday, December 11, at 2:30 pm. Come hear 7 Scripture readings that proclaim Jesus’ birth along with anthems by the Muscatine Littlest Angels’ Choir, Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, Wesley’s Chancel Choir, and an orchestra. Invite your friends to this free event, too!
- All-Church Caroling December 18 – Sign-up from now until December 11 on the back table. We’ll meet at the Family Life Center (FLC) at 2:45 pm on December 18, go caroling from 3:00-4:30, and return to the FLC for treats and fellowship until 5:30 pm. Come spread the joy of Jesus’ birth with our more homebound church members and friends! If inclement weather is predicted, the caroling would be cancelled by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 16. Contact Dan or Jessica with questions.
- Senior Resources Giving Tree – The items needed are now in the foyer. Please take one or more of the slips on the tree and help us make Christmas a bit merrier for a deserving senior. Thanks! Be sure to include the slip when you return your donation, so we know who is to receive it.
Worship with Us!
Christmas Eve – Saturday, December 24
6:00 pm Contemporary Candlelight Communion Service
9:30 pm Organ Recital by Sally Potter
10:00 pm Traditional Candlelight Communion Service
Christmas Day -Sunday, December 25
One Service at 10:00 am
Sunday, January 1, 2023
One Service at 10:00 am
The church office will be closed December 23, 26 and January 2.