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A Season of Delight - Newsletter
Turning this into a season of delight starts small. After all, Christmas started in a small town with a small baby, but it was deeply rooted in God’s great love for us. Knowing God delights in us allows us to find delight in the people and things he’s given us. Sherri Crandall is the Vice President of Global Ministries and Leadership Experience for MOPS as well as an author and speaker for women's events around the world. She encourages us to rest as God delights over each of us this season.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us for our Annual Family Christmas Party!
Kids of all ages are invited.
Join us for cookie decorating, crafts, fun holiday activities.......and of course.....SANTA!!!!!!
We can't wait to see you! (125 E Plant St.)
EXTRA INFO
Thank you for your desire to be a part of MOPS/MOMSNext Winter Garden! Here at MOPS, we gather and support moms. We believe in the simple but revolutionary idea that remarkable things happen when moms come together.
This is the year to make some moves. Say “Yes.”
Please refer to our Google Sheet for your POD assignments and food rotation schedule. When it is your turn to provide food, please put what you will be bringing or if you will be chipping in money to help contribute. If for some reason you cannot make it to the meeting, please drop off your food to someone else in your POD.
A SEASON OF DELIGHT - CONNECTION QUESTIONS
What do you find delightful during this season?
What are some delight-stealers during this season? How can you combat them?
How can you add some white space into your holiday schedule?
Has anyone ever used the word “delightful” to describe you? God delights so much in us, that he sent Jesus into the world. How does that make you feel? Do you have questions about it?
DEVOTIONAL
A Little Town
Kelli Jordan
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
The Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” paints the picture of a sleepy, unassuming town filled with people who didn’t have any idea that a young woman visiting their town was about to have a baby. They had no idea of the hope entering the world through Jesus. They were right there as God entered the world as a human being, but few of them knew how big this small moment was going to be.
You and I look at the birth of Jesus as the most remarkably important moment in history - and it is. Most of us have celebrated the day every year for our entire lives. For the people living in Bethlehem at the time, it was just an ordinary day. But this is the location God chose to bring the Gospel to life. It happened in a quiet, simple way amidst very normal circumstances. The shepherds witnessed an angelic chorus and invitation, but God didn’t use that same kind of fanfare to announce Jesus’ presence to the rest of the world.
The simplicity of Jesus’ birth is an example of how God works in our world - through the small, simple, sometimes mundane things. And throughout his life, Jesus continually used small, simple things to describe what he was doing here - and what he planned to do in the future.
What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. (Luke 13:18-19 ESV)
A grain of mustard seed, a pinch of leaven, a baby born in a little, sleepy town - things that start small often become something big.
This Christmas carol beautifully describes this town resting on a quiet night, but it also encourages us to think beyond the geography and look at the significance of the event. That is a good idea for each of us during this season. Look beyond our geography, our schedule, our to-do list, and focus on the thing that looked so small but actually changed the world - changed me and could change you.
O morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth.
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.
Questions:
What are some small, even seemingly boring, places where God is working and moving around you?
How has the birth of Jesus impacted your life?
How can you focus on the significance of that event this season?
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
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