Sunday, December 28, 2014

Advent Season 2014


Have you ever stopped to think about the night Jesus was born?  I mean really thought about it?  We get this image (mostly from our Christmas carols) that leave us all warm and fuzzy as we song “Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm…”  Really?  Was it?  Was it really a calm night there in the cattle shed where Mary and Joseph were spending the night?  We get this image, “The cattle are lowing the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes…” Are you kidding me!?!? I have to believe that the night Jesus was born was anything but calm, and anything but silent. 

This season we are going to look at the birth, life and death of Jesus through the eyes of Mary – the one who was closest to him throughout all of his years of ministry.  And we’re going to do something a little different in that we’ll look at their lives in reverse. 
First, we will examine Christ’s death and how it affected Mary.  What did all of those promises given to her from an angel years before mean as she was watching them being fulfilled now?  Next we will examine the scene from Luke when Jesus goes to the temple and begins to teach.  Mary was surprised, astounded and astonished as she must have, maybe for the first time, realized there was something very different about her child.  Following that we will look at the miraculous announcement that she would be pregnant and what those first few months looked like as she went to Elizabeth’s house.

Overall, my prayer is that we, as a church, will engage the different texts that we talk about and that we will examine our own lives and what the coming of Christ means for us, even as we watch it unfold in Mary’s life as well.  I hope you will join us every week throughout this Advent season and allow the glory of the Lord to be seen in how you worship Christ, the newborn King.

Blessings,

Matt


DATESERMON TITLESCRIPTURE
11/30/2014The Piercing of Mary's SoulLuke 2:33-35
 12/7/2014It Was NOT a Silent Night Luke 2:41-51
 12/21/2014There's Something About Mary  Luke 1:39-55
 12/24/2014 Christmas Eve Message Luke 2:1-8
 12/28/2014 Another Year in the Vineyard Luke 13:6-9

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Confirmation Sunday

On Sunday, November 9, 2014, First Presbyterian Pascagoula celebrated welcoming the reception of 21 new Confirmands into membership. These young people participated in a Confirmation Class over the past few months led by Rev. Matt Mitchell assisted by several elders serving as mentors to the class.
 
At its October meeting the Session accepted the following new members by affirmation of
faith: Bailey Caroline Bass*, Betina Kruse Boland, Edward Vaughan Boland, Landry Wade
Cain*, William Spence Colmer, Jason Chadwick Crawford, Christopher Todd Daughtry*,
James Quinton Gammill*, Olivia Ann Gunn, James K'darius Jackson, Lorelei Anne
Mitchell, Annie Zan Perkins, Olivia Price Randle, Madison Nicole Scott, Andrew Russel
Summerlin*, Brantly Rath Torjusen, Damion Wiggins, Jacob Aaron Wiggins, Taylor Austin
Williams.
* Also, presented for baptism.
 
 
To listen to Rev. Mitchell's sermon during this services, please click the following link:
 
 

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