Christmas in the Land of Shadows . . . Pastor Mike NOVEMBER 2010 The 1993 movie, Shadowlands, moves through the life of C.S. Lewis as he experiences the depths of loss and grief when his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, is taken by cancer. As the story unfolds, Lewis is taken by surprise as his heart gives itself away unaware in profound love for the American woman. As the shadow of cancer overcomes her life, Lewis is led on an unwelcome journey through grief in the ‘land of shadows’. As grief consumed him, Lewis saw life on this earth in a new way. “Beyond every door I hear your voice saying to me, ‘this is only the land of shadows. Real life hasn’t begun yet.”’ Not much has changed from the me of C.S. Lewis to our day. Life, and all of its twists and turns, can sll be aptly called ‘the land of shadows’. It is no coincidence that a major theme of the Christmas season is light. One of the great promises and assessments of Scripture is found in Isaiah 9, a foundaonal passage for Christmas. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. We see it again in the Christmas story of Luke 1, “whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The shadows of life are many these days. I don’t know exactly what they are for you, but uncertaines, fears and heartache are all part of a shadowy landscape of life. The message of Christmas is that the shadowland of life is not the ulmate reality. As Lewis concluded, ‘real life has not begun yet’. Christmas says that the Light of the World has come. Christmas says that the light of the gospel has the power to overcome the shadows. Like the repressed light of an eclipsed sun, the shadows will soon be overcome by the powerful, pure and consuming light of God. Perhaps the Apostle Paul was overcome with this idea when he considered the (cont’d on page 2)
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Christmas in the Land of Shadows . . . Pastor Mike
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0
The 1993 movie,
Shadowlands, moves through
the life of C.S. Lewis as he
experiences the depths of
loss and grief when his wife,
Joy Davidman Gresham, is
taken by cancer. As the story
unfolds, Lewis is taken by
surprise as his heart gives
itself away unaware in
profound love for the
American woman. As the
shadow of cancer overcomes
her life, Lewis is led on an
unwelcome journey through
grief in the ‘land of shadows’.
As grief consumed him, Lewis
saw life on this earth in a
new way. “Beyond every door
I hear your voice saying to
me, ‘this is only the land of
shadows. Real life hasn’t
begun yet.”’ Not much has
changed from the time of
C.S. Lewis to our day. Life,
and all of its twists and turns,
can still be aptly called ‘the
land of shadows’.
It is no coincidence that a
major theme of the
Christmas season is light.
One of the great promises
and assessments of Scripture is
found in Isaiah 9, a
foundational passage for
Christmas. The people who
walked in darkness have
seen a great light; those
who dwelt in a land of
deep darkness, on them
has light shined. We see
it again in the Christmas
story of Luke 1, “whereby
the sunrise shall visit us
from on high to give light
to those who sit in
darkness and in the
shadow of death, to
guide our feet into the
way of peace.” The
shadows of life are many
these days. I don’t know
exactly what they are for
you, but uncertainties,
fears and heartache are
all part of a shadowy
landscape of life.
The message of Christmas is
that the shadowland of life is
not the ultimate reality. As
Lewis concluded, ‘real life has
not begun yet’. Christmas says
that the Light of the World has
come. Christmas says that the
light of the gospel has the
power to overcome the
shadows. Like the repressed
light of an eclipsed sun, the
shadows will soon be
overcome by the powerful,
pure and consuming light of
God.
Perhaps the Apostle Paul
was overcome with this idea
when he considered the
(cont’d on page 2)
P A G E 2
Christmas in the Land of Shadows (Cont’d). . . Pastor Mike
Healthy Living From Around the World: Hummus ...Linda Kozicky, RN, Parish Nurse
Hummus or Garbanzo Beans is a
primarily Middle Eastern food that is
gaining popularity in the U.S.
What exactly is Hummus? It is
garbanzo beans (chickpeas) that have
been soaked for about eight hours,
cooked slowly for about one to two
hours and then mashed. Tahini
(ground sesame seeds), olive oil,
lemon juice, salt and garlic are then
added to produce Hummus.
At 220 calories, 15 grams of protein,
40 grams of carbohydrates, and 15
grams of fiber, garbanzo beans by
themselves are low in fat, low in
calories, high in fiber, and are
considered to be part of a heart
healthy, blood sugar stabilizing,
digestive health food diet.
Prepared Hummus is higher in calories
(435) and fat (21 grams) but is still
considered part of a healthy diet, since
the fat is heart-healthy olive oil.
Hummus, when served with pita bread
forms a complete protein and is a great
idea for a sack lunch!
Prepared Hummus can be found in the
refrigerated deli section of most grocery
stores. Garbanzo beans are also available
canned which makes preparation of
soups, salads or hummus faster and
easier.
Try this salad recipe taken from the book,
The Worlds Healthiest Foods by George
Mateljan:
Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad
1. In a bowl mix
together 1-15
oz can garbanzo
beans, 2 Tsp
extra virgin
olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, sea
salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently
until well mixed.
2. Combine chopped romaine lettuce
with 2/3 cup minced green onion, 1
diced tomato, 2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
and 3 Tsp fresh minced parsley.
Optional: Add feta, gorgonzala or
goat cheese.
3. Mix all ingredients for a quick and
delightfully healthy salad.
December Sermon Series
December 5—
Jesus has put a new song in our hearts and on our tongues. Because of Him we are free to worship and extol the name of the Lord. December 12—
Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection...EVERYTHING about Jesus’ life displays humility. Luke 1:51-52.
December 19—
God is an everlasting God spanning all of time. Your great,
great, great grandkids will worship the same God you worship today! What legacy are you leaving? Luke 1:50
December 24—
God remembered His people, had a plan, and sent His Son to redeem them. Luke 1:54
December 26—
Mercy...God shows mercy on those He loves. His greatest act of mercy, sending His son Jesus!
P A G E 5
During the months of October and November the Children's Sunday School classes at Valley collected school supplies, personal hygiene items and toys for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. On November 21, the children gathered in the lower level to pray for the children that would be receiving these gifts. We are privileged to be part of a ministry that is bringing the love of Jesus to so many needy children throughout the world.
Shoeboxes, Hats, Mittens, Scarves! ...Audrey Bentson On Sunday, December 19, our children will be singing “Happy Birthday Jesus,” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Children's Choir, during the worship service. The children are invited to bring a birthday gift for Jesus----a hat, pair of mittens, or a scarf that will be donated to The School Locker, a Gap ministry of Love, INC. This should be a very special time for our church family and we hope all of our children will be able to participate in this wonderful celebration!
W 1 6:00-8:00 pm Awana Club Night
TH 2 7:00 pm 8:15 pm
Christmas Choir Rehearsal Worship Team Practice
SU 5 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00-8:00 pm
Sunday School Worship Service—A New Song CruX
M 6 12:30 pm 7:00 pm
White Cross Men’s Bible Study
W 8 6:00-8:00 pm Awana Club Night
TH 9 7:00 pm 8:15 pm
Christmas Choir Rehearsal Worship Team Practice
SA 11 7:30 am Men’s Monthly Breakfast—Perkins
SU 12
8:30 am 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00-8:00 pm
Christmas Choir Rehearsal Sunday School Worship Service—A Humble Song – Christmas Choir Performance CruX
F 24 5:00 PM Christmas Eve Service—A Redeeming Song
SA 25
SU 26 NO Sunday School 10:00 am 6:00-8:00 pm
Worship Service—A Desperate Song CruX
M 27 12:30 pm 7:00 pm
White Cross Men’s Bible Study
W 29 NO AWANA
TH 30 7:00 pm Worship Team Practice
P A G E 6
families or individuals. You can also
sign up to sponsor dinner packages
for $30 each.
Sign up online at
http://www.loveincecc.org/
christmas_dinner.html.
For more information call
(952) 448-2508.
Your family can share the love of
Jesus this Christmas by providing food
for families in need. Love INC is
coordinating giving Christmas Dinner
packages to local families. Gather with
others at 9 AM on Saturday,
December 18 to wrap and deliver
food packages. All ages of adults &
children are welcome. Each volunteer
will deliver food packages to two
Give the Gift of Christmas Dinner!
Home in Jamaica - a Valley Free
mission. Our display will be
open before and after church
and most Mondays 12:30-3:30
p.m. If you have a favorite
sweater you just can't part
with, but don't wear anymore,
bring it to us and we'll make
you a pair of mittens out of it!
The ladies of White Cross invite
you to come to the Sun Room to
see what we have done with the
sweaters you donated to our
wool mitten project The ladies
have made mittens - sized for the
whole family. The mittens are for
sale for a suggested donation of
$20. 100% of the proceeds will
go to Robin's Nest Children's
Mittens for Robin’s Nest...Shirley Sindelar
We need cutters, assemblers, and painters to complete the project and deliver the beds
by December 18! Please call Gary Kozicky at 952-448-9873 to join in this gap ministry for
Love INC families in need.
Christmas Care Packages for our
Freshmen in College! We need these items donated by
DECEMBER 10!
To help with postage, write “College Care Pkg” on your check memo line
and put in the offering. See display in foyer for more info or call
Linda Kozicky at 612-803-4954 LEAVE DONATIONS IN CHURCH
OFFICE WORKROOM
P A G E 7
Classifieds SNOW REMOVAL
Seasonal opportunity. Must be able to do heavy lifting. Responsible for sidewalk clearing one week per month throughout the winter season. Contact Ron at [email protected]. ______________________________________________
CHILDCARE Calling all Grandparents/Parents/Babysitters!Requirements include loving arms to hold babies, must be able to read books aloud and dispense snacks. Some floor play required, depending on the position. Contact Janis at [email protected]. _______________________
MEALS TO GO Do you consider yourself an amateur gourmet chef or a
professional lunch packer. Both are needed on an occasional basis to provide meals for new moms or recovering hospital patients. Contact Linda at [email protected] _________________________________________________
The Awana program needs handbook listeners. This is a 2 hr. weekly commitment that has the opportunity to reap eternal rewards. Contact Jan at [email protected]. ________________________
WRITERS Have a way with words? Share your talents by submitting newsletter articles on church events or join our team in creating new promotional literature for the
IT PROFESSIONALS
GOOD LISTENERS
church. Submit a sample of your writing ……just kidding! Contact Lanell at [email protected]. _________________________________________________
COFFEE BARISTA Short term volunteer position. Literally serve your fellow man. See Gary at [email protected] for more information. ________________________
Want an opportunity to put all those music lessons to good use? Practices are Thursday night and Sunday morning. Contact Doug at [email protected]. ________________________
COMPUTER OPERATORS Can you type? Able to push the enter button to advance PowerPoint slides? You are just what we need! Contact Adam at [email protected]. ______________________________________________________
Use your creative skills in electronic media to share life at Valley Free with the world. Contact Lanell at [email protected]. ___________________________ Do you compute? It may not be a spiritual gift, but your talents are in high demand in this technical age. Contact Jeremy for more information at [email protected].
MUSICIANS / WORSHIP LEADERS
WEB DESIGNERS
Greetings. . . Jim Bentson
We will soon be making a new weekly schedule for the “official”
greeters at Valley's front door. We could always use a few more
smiley faces to join in the fun. Greeting valley's people and
visitors is most certainly a pleasurable experience and a very
important one. Please consider volunteering for this ministry.
Whether you are on the greeting list or not, greeting others,
especially new or infrequent visitors, is a ministry that we all can
be a part of. It can make a real difference in the life of others.
To volunteer please call the church office @ (952)448-6144 or
Jim Bentson @(952)448-4697
Greetings in the Lord to the people of Valley: Grace and peace
to you.
Have you ever noticed how almost every letter in the New
Testament starts and/or ends with a greeting? Greeting our
brothers and sisters in Christ must be an important part of our
lives together in God's kingdom!
Isn't it a blessing when you enter a place where most
everybody is a stranger, but you are warmly welcomed?
Perhaps you are given a smile and a handshake. Or perhaps a
conversation is started, or a question is answered. Suddenly