The Fifth With First T-Shirts

The Fifth With First is right around the corner.

Here is a sneak preview of our Fifth With First t-shirts, which should be arriving any day now!

Pricing details, sizes, and availability will be forthcoming. 

Whiteboard: Christmas Sunday

Our fourth Advent candle is lit, which means that we are almost to Christmas.

As is our tradition, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Love we will be celebrating Christmas Sunday at First Christian Church Scottsdale. And this year are we in for a treat!

The Music Ministries at FCC Scottsdale have taken the lead in the service and have prepared a wonderful featuring all sorts of special music.

The service will feature portions of Handel's Messiah, guest musicians, guest vocalists, a youth trio, the Children's Choir, and more!

It is going to be a wonderful service as we sing out our praises to God and ready our hearts once more to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Whiteboard: Expecting Joy

With the third Sunday of Advent we add Mary's voice to the litany of stories in our season of anticipation and expectation.

In fact, "expecting" takes on a whole new meaning this Sunday with Mary's story. After all, she is the one who is "expecting" (literally) with the Christ child.

It makes her song of joy (known as the Magnificat) all that more remarkable, and even stronger testimony of faith.

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Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Hanging of the Greens

You are in for a pleasant surprise when you step into the Sanctuary this Sunday!

Thanks to our wonderful Hanging of the Greens Crew the Sanctuary (as well as other spots all over the church campus) have been thoroughly transformed for the Advent and Christmas Season here in the life of the church.

Honestly, I can’t thank the Hanging of the Greens Crew enough for their hard work. Last Sunday we had 30+ people stick around after Worship and Fellowship Hour. They made quick work of all the projects and have truly turned our sanctuary into something special.

We did things a little bit differently this year, and I dare say that it really worked. Usually we do all of our decorating on the Saturday before the First Sunday in Advent, but this year the Worship Team decided that we would help folks embody the spirit of anticipation and preparation that mark the Season of Advent. So we purposefully stripped the sanctuary bare (did you notice that we didn’t have any cloths on the pulpit or lectern and that I wasn't wearing a stole last week?) so that the explosion of colors, wreaths, lights, and flowers really would be a physical transformation emblematic of the spiritual transformation we are undergoing.

An extra word of thanks to Dorothy and Carrie (our Worship Team Co-Chairs) for getting everything to ready, to our “behind the scenes workers” who came in midweek to get out all the right boxes, and to Don and Kay for coming early to set up the Fellowship Hall.

Whiteboard: Sunday of Peace

This week in worship we will celebrate The Second Sunday of Advent, which is the Sunday of Peace.

Our assigned scripture readings this week are interesting pair.

Isaiah 11:1-10 makes perfect sense. This is the prophet's foretelling of the Peaceful Kingdom where the wolf will lay down with the lamb, the lion will eat straw like the ox, and a little child shall lead us. It contains the promise that there will be no more war or fighting and that our lives will be defined by righteousness and knowledge of the Lord. For the Sunday of Peace there couldn't be a better text to guide us.

Our second text is a bit trickier of a fit. But I suppose that was always the case with John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1-12 introduces us to John the Baptist. Throughout the Season of Advent we are introduced to these important characters who helped set the stage for the mission and ministry of Jesus. That is certainly John the Baptist's role. While he might not have the most peace-filled tactics for sharing the message (calling people a "brood of vipers" and warning of an "unquenchable fire"), sometimes you have to mix things up so that they can be made ready for the coming of the Prince of Peace.

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Isaiah 11:1-10 The Peaceful Kingdom

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Matthew 3:1-12 The Proclamation of John the Baptist

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.” ’
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

2014 CROP Walk

We had 22 members and friends from FCC Scottsdale walk in the 2014 CROP Hunger Walk at El Camino Park! We were able to raise over $500 to help Church World Services work to put an end to global hunger. 

Here are some photos of the day!

Our youngest CROP Walkers

The Rev. Al Beasley leading "The CROP Walk Song" right before
the walk. 

A dozen of our CROP Walkers posing for a photo after the Walk.

If you would like to make a donation to the CROP Hunger Walk and support the work of Church World Services click here.

Whiteboard: Give Thanks

Wait...what is a turkey doing on the Whiteboard of a vegetarian?

Well, it must be Thanksgiving Sunday!

Come join us this Sunday for stories about gathering around the table...as family, as community, as a people of faith!

Plus, you'll get to hear about this vegetarian's first Thanksgiving Dinner with my in-laws...who are Atkins diet people.

Come celebrating the centrality of the table, the challenges of diversity, and the ways we build community one relationship at a time.

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John 6:25-35

 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Operation Fix It

This past Sunday we formally announced "The Fifth with First" our new outreach opportunity at FCC Scottsdale. If you missed the sermon (or just want to hear it again) then you can listen to it on our website by clicking here.

"The Fifth with First" is our shorthand for "The Fifth Sunday with First Christian Church". On those months that have five Sundays (it happens four times a year) we'll worship God by being out in our community working on service projects in our neighborhood.

We have partnered with an amazing group in our community called Operation Fix It. Operation Fix It teams up volunteers and local businesses to provide labor and materials to help eligible residents maintain their properties. Click here to learn more about Operation Fix It, or you can watch the embedded video below.

Neighbors helping neighbors. Coming to FCC Scottsdale as a part of "The Fifth with First" starting on December 29, 2013!

Three Things: Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their last regularly scheduled meeting of 2013 this past Sunday after worship. As
always, here are the "Three Things" from that meeting...including an extra special bonus fourth thing!

1. Thanks to the success of the Matching Fund, Dinner with the Stars, and our other Nehemiah Project Fundraisers this year I am happy to report that our finances are in good shape and that (if your faithful stewardship keeps up!) the Nehemiah Fund  should end the year with a positive balance! After celebrating this fact, the Administrative Council decided to carry over any remaining balance from the Nehemiah Fund into 2014 to help support and underwrite next year's budget.
   
2. Nominating Committee gave a full report of the slate of slate of Ministry Team Leaders who have accepted nominations to serve in 2014. That full list will be released to the congregation shortly. In the meantime, please know that we are still seeking faithful, servant-minded folks to fill out our Elders for the coming year. If you have any ideas for folks to nominate please speak to our Vice Moderator Bob Stall.
   
3. Our Congregational Meeting is scheduled for December 15 with two formal items on the agenda: Approving the 2014 Budget and Approving our 2014 Slate of Ministry Team Leaders. More details to follow.
   
4. Bonus Thing! The Outreach Team passed out all 51 of their Christmas Bags! The generosity and spirit of outreach in our church is simply amazing. Please remember to fill up your Christmas Bag and return it to the church by Sunday December 8!

Whiteboard: New

We've been journeying with the Hope Partnership for some time.

Click that link above and you'll see eight articles (nine, now counting this one) from the Blog about the Hope Partnership...and that's without even mentioning the sermon illustrations, newsletter articles, Administrative Council Reports, and casual conversations where we've been talking about Hope Partnership.

Hope Partnership is helping us to boldly step into the future that God is preparing for us here at FCC Scottsdale. And our scriptures this Sunday remind that ours is a God willing to "do something new".

So this Sunday you'll be hearing from the Hope Partnership Team about the big dreams that they have been dreaming, and about the tangible steps we'll be taking start making them come true.

I'd tell you more but, well, then there wouldn't be much left for the sermon!

I'll see you this Sunday as we talk about our big dreams for the future, and celebrate a God who makes all things new!

peace,
Rev. Brian

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Isaiah 65:17-25 The Glorious New Creation

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.