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Windows
December 15, 2022
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Word from the Pastor:
Pan To Pleroma
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
—Colossians 1:19
I want to thank the members of the Colossians class for continuing to come and explore what I think is one of the richest of Paul’s letters. (I do, in fact, believe that Paul wrote the letter. Scholars like NT Wright and Douglas Moo think so too, for a variety of reasons.) The class has endured our closer examination of verses 15–20 and all the riches it contains. If you’ve thought about dropping in, please do! We have a great time, it is led by group discussion, and I try to keep the material accessible.
Last Sunday we took up verses 19–20, particularly Paul’s interesting phrase in verse 19 that “the fullness” was pleased to dwell in Jesus. There’s a lot that can be said here, but the key is the phrase “all the fullness” (in Greek, pan to pleroma). It’s almost as if Paul knows that if he were given an eternity, he couldn’t string together enough words to encompass the enormousness of the idea that the eternal fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit dwelled in Jesus. Paul repeats the point in Colossians 2:9: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
Of course, Paul hasn’t been alone in his struggle all this time. Church fathers and mothers from the very beginning have been trying to wrap their heads around this. In 451, the church had to convene an entire Council (Chalcedon) to try and spell out the implications of such a grand idea. If you’ve ever read what is commonly referred to as the Chalcedonian Definition of the two natures of Christ (hypostatic union), then you know that they didn’t fare any better. Although the definition they gave us has proved valuable to the church over the millennia, even their best attempts at the mystery of God made flesh (Immanuel) proved too difficult.
In the end, our words hover at the edge of the greatest mystery of the grace of God, that the triune God who brought the worlds into being was somehow, someway really present in a baby born in a manger. The eternal fellowship of Father, Son, and Spirit was there at Jesus’ baptism. God was there as the sick were healed. In a way that defies our best attempts to explain it, God was there at the cross as Jesus breathed his last. God was there, as Chalcedon teaches, in a way that doesn’t violate God’s being God, but God was there, nonetheless.
And beyond the quicksand that systematic theology often leaves us in regarding this matter, here’s why it matters at Advent and Christmas: We celebrate that 2,000 years ago, God loved us enough to do what seemed impossible. God became a child and tabernacled among us (John 1:14). Everything that was, is, and will ever be loved us enough to stand with us and, in the fullness of time, become our bridge back to that fellowship that sang our very being into existence. In Him was life, John tells us in 1:4, and His life is the very beating heart of our existence, lighting the way through whatever dark night we might find ourselves in.
Oh, thanks be to you, Father, Son, and Spirit for your love that not only gives us life but also loves us back to your very heart!
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Children to Present Christmas Play Sunday
Our children will present their Christmas play, The Innkeeper, this Sunday afternoon, December 18, at 5:30 in the sanctuary. The dress rehearsal is scheduled for 10:00 to 11:30 this Saturday morning, December 17.
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Worship
December 18
4th Sunday of Advent
Scripture
Isaiah 7:10–14
Matthew 1:18–25
Sermon
“They Shall”
Sam Weddington
Last Sunday’s Attendance
9:00: In person: 134;
Streaming: 26; Playback: 77
11:00: In person: 84;
Streaming: 15; Playback: 38
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Calendar
Sunday, December 18
9:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
Fellowship Hall
10:20 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
4:00 p.m.
Evangelism & Outreach Committee
Room 123
5:30 p.m.
Children’s Christmas Play
Sanctuary
Monday, December 19
10:00 a.m.
Staff
Room 123
7:00 p.m.
Christian Education Committee
Room 117
Session, Deacons & Trustees
Room 123
Tuesday, December 20
10:00 a.m.
Caroling & Chick-fil-A
7:00 p.m.
Boy Scout Troop 3
Scout Hall
Wednesday, December 21
9:00 a.m.
Staff Christmas Breakfast
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Practice
Room 212
7:15 p.m.
Sanctuary Choir Practice
Room 202
Thursday, December 22
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
Parlor
1:00 p.m.
Women’s Bible Study
Room 123
Saturday, December 24
5:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion
Sanctuary
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We Need Your
Stewardship Pledge
We are inching toward full funding for our ministries in 2023 with $$651,582 in pledges for next year. We are $63,798 short of our goal of $715,380. If you have not yet sent in your pledge, you can still submit the card you received in the mail (also available at the church) or access online giving through the QR code.
If you have any questions about stewardship, reach out to any member of the committee or read this. The members of the Stewardship Committee are Barb Duncan, Chase Mitchell, Matt Peltier, Karen Pennington, Jerry Poteat, Annette Tudor, and John Vann.
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Bidirectional Christmas Cheer
A couple of months ago, FPC was asked about partnering with the Boys & Girls Club to provide gifts for a few families. We reached out to Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and Home Groups, and around 60 people from five groups came forward to help in different ways with this project. The Christmas cheer didn’t flow in only one direction, though. This project spread Christmas cheer to the children through the giving of gifts, of course, but it also came back to us through the way we came together to support our wider community. The work breathed new life into each participating group and reminded us all of the greatest gift we have received: the grace of Jesus Christ.
We delivered all our Christmas gifts to the Boys & Girls Club December 12, and they responded with their deepest gratitude to the church for partnering with them. /Justin Miller
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Christmas Caroling Dec. 20
Please join us for our churchwide caroling event, scheduled for Tuesday morning, December 20, at 10:00. We will meet in the church fellowship hall and go out to sing at two or three nursing homes. If you can, linger, and we’ll have lunch together at Chick-fil-A.
Special Offerings in December
We are collecting a Special Offering for the Minister’s Discretionary Fund every Sunday in December and on Christmas Eve. Your contributions will aid a number of projects throughout the coming year, as they did flood relief and air purifier distribution this year. We will not pass a special offering plate during Sunday services but encourage you to give online to the “Christmas Offering for MDF” in the dropdown menu on our GIVE page. If you prefer to give by check, please note “Christmas Offering for MDF” on the memo line. The entire offering collected during the Christmas Eve service will go towards this special offering.
Women’s Retreat Feb. 10–11
Our ever-popular Women’s Retreat is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11, at Jubilee Retreat Center, 822 East Main Street, Abingdon.
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We Are Ready for Sharing Christ
Our church is truly blessed with many willing servants—we already have enough volunteers for food and service to provide dinner at Sharing Christ Worship Center on January 7! Our friends at Sharing Christ were so happy to learn that we could take this date, for now they have time to fill the rest of the dates in January. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!
Give Safely
As a variety of viruses swirl around, we encourage you to use text, mail, or our website to safely continue your faithful support of our ministries. You can give online by going to our website and clicking on GIVE in the upper right corner. You can also send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256, or mail your check directly to the church.
How to Join Us Online
You can watch the livestream of our worship services and other activities at FPC Bristol on YouTube. Click on the link and hit “Subscribe” to receive notifications of new videos. To connect to our Facebook sites, go to Facebook and type in FPC Bristol. Several accounts will show up. “Like” the page or ask to join a group.
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FPC Musicians Played in Concert Monday Night
Three members of FPC participated in Monday night’s State Line Wind Symphony concert at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Pictured from left to right are Jack Butterworth, Bob Greene, and Pat Flannagan.
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Join the Mass Choir to Celebrate MLK Day
Lend us your voice! It is time to gather, fellowship, and prepare for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Let’s swell the ranks of the Mass Choir for the January celebration. Please join us for our second rehearsal Monday, December 19, promptly at 6:00 p.m., at Lee Street Baptist Church, 1 West Mary Street, Bristol, Virginia.
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This week’s hymns are both French in origin and are reflected in the Opening and Closing Voluntaries.
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is a nineteenth-century paraphrase of a fourth-century hymn text. It is set to the tune PICARDY, named for the province of France where it is thought to have originated. The tune dates back at least to the seventeenth century and was originally used for the folksong “Jésus-Christ s’habille en pauvre.” Al Roberts (b. 1946) has created an arrangement (Opening Voluntary) that begins quietly but crescendos greatly by the end. Roberts (pictured) is Director of Music and Organist at St. David Lutheran Church in West Columbia, South Carolina.
We know the French carol “Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle” by its English title, “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.” Its message is to hurry to see where the Christ Child is laid. A new text (1996) by Ken Bible (b. 1950) allows us to sing this familiar French carol with a message best summed up as “Love is the gift of Christmas.” Christopher Uehlein (1931–2019) composed a short, playful rendition, which I am using for our Closing Voluntary. Uehlein was Organist and Choir Director at Blue Cloud Abbey in Marvin, South Dakota. /Bob Greene
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A Wedding
We celebrate God’s goodness in the start of a new family! Natalie Lugo and Peter Meredith were wed in a beautiful worship service in our church December 10. Natalie is the daughter of Ralph and Dawn Lugo, and Peter is the son of Tim and Alison Meredith. Let us pray for the bride and groom as they begin to live out their vows to love and cherish each other “in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse.”
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And a Baptism
On Sunday we rejoiced in the baptism of Bruce Rutherford, born September 14 to Brittany and Tyler Rutherford, and welcomed him into our church family. His proud siblings are Remington and Hank. Welcome, Bruce!
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In Our Prayers
Please also pray for the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.
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Keller Alexander
Jim Arnold
Wayne Ausmus
Ralph Booher
Olivia Bowen
Bud & Marg Branscomb
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Becky Busler
Tom & Nancy Carter
Rachel & Ben Cherry and Dean Millard
Bill Coleman
Russell Fogelman, Kelli Krajeck & Kendall
Harr family
Lou Hebb
Charles Hoilman
Allen & Sharilyn Jones
David & Andrea Hyde
Gwen King
Kirksey family
Nancy Lilly
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Toni Mari
Dot & Diana Mattison
Montana Indian Ministries
National & international leadership
Pastor Bruce Plummer
Cora Lee Raccioppo
Seymour Ray
Lynn Richards
Tom & Delma Slagle
Wendy Smith
Students’ exams, traveling mercies
Tate family
Teachers & school administrators
Scott VanNostrand
McKinley Wagner
Bill & Patsy Ward
Jim White
Marsha Wilson
Virginia Wilson
Stevie Wintz
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The session continues to encourage masks for those at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 or not fully vaccinated. The session encourages everyone to consult their medical professional about vaccinations and boosters. | |
Monday is the deadline for contributions to Windows. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter by sending your name and preferred email address to the editor. | |
701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org | | | | |
