Tinney Chapel Today

SERMON FOR OUR CHILDREN, a week ago, December 19, was delivered by Senior Pastor Rev. Duncan Graham on the edge of the stage in Tinney Chapel's Family Life & Christian Education Center. Children in this photo, left to right: Ashley, Kayle, Kylee, Matthew and John. Associate Pastor Rev. Gene Miller sits onstage. Photo by Angela Wylie.



SUNDAY WORSHIP TODAY:


MORNING SERVICE, 9:00 A.M.

Greeters: L. R. Kemp and Roger Schneider.

Ushers: Gerry Privette & L. R. Kemp.

MUSIC

Pianist: Pat Hollingsworth.

Songleader for hymns: Senior Pastor Duncan Graham.

Songs:

Angels We Have Heard On High; Hark The Herald Angels Sing; The First Noel; What Child Is This.

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Morning Prayer & Lord’s Prayer: Pastor Duncan Graham

LITURGY BY ASSOCIATE PASTOR GENE MILLER:

Call To Worship
Offertory Prayer
Doxology
Gloria Patri
Apostles Creed

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TODAY’S SERMON: Lessons From The Wise Men.

Senior Pastor Rev. Duncan Graham’s Scripture today was Matthew 2:1-12:

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' " 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. ---New King James Version

“We don’t know how long after the birth of Jesus all this [in the above Scripture] took place,” said Pastor Graham. “It could have been up to two years after His birth, but we don’t know for sure. We do notice that the Holy Family is no longer in a manger. At this point, they are in a house. Perhaps Joseph has elected to say in Bethlehem for a while, perhaps to do some work, and has taken a house for that period.

“We do know that these Wise Men, stargazers, have seen a sign that the King of Judah, Jesus, has been born, and they have gone to find and worship Him,” explained the Pastor. “They have gone to the king’s [Herod’s] palace. Why did they come? To worship. Something they saw in the sky was out of the ordinary because kings were being born all the time, so to speak. There was definitely something different about this situation that motivated them to go and worship.

“We may likely assume safely that there were more than three stargazers in the east, but only three came to worship,” added Pastor Graham. “Why did even the heavens declare this birth and glory? The trip itself must have been a hardship. They had to ride camels for weeks, possibly for months, and camels are contrary animals that will spit on you. Of course, it was still the main method of transportation, but it was definitely not like riding in a Cadillac or a Suburban. Thus, for them to travel in that manner to worship, deprived of life’s normal conveniences, it must have seemed a matter of importance to them. Worship demands that of us!

“These Wise Men were unselfish enough to make such a choice, despite such a great journey,” added the Pastor. “We don’t know all the dangers they faced, but they seemed not to mind that, and the great expense, all of which they realized at the start of the journey. Their gifts represented sacrifice, as worship itself involves sacrifice: a hit in the pocketbook! Yet, the Wise Men came to honor and worship the new King. Worship demands all that. Nothing is too valuable to give to our Lord.

“At their initial act of worship, the Wise Men fell down before Him, either prostrate on the floor, or on their knees,” explained Pastor Graham. “Such were the demands of worship in their culture: Worship acknowledges a Greater Being, revered and worthy beyond our own worth. Worship demands that we are not worthy to stand in His Presence. Rather, we are to fall on our knees to acknowledge His greater worth.

“Worship is unselfish as we must give up much,” said the Pastor. “The Wise Men had many demands on their time! They were counselors to kings and to others in authority. Kings called on the Wise Men for help in making decisions. But these three Wise Men laid all that aside to go and worship the new King. Similarly, we—you and I—have demands on our time, but we are not to avoid worship. These Wise Men set a good example in worship, an unselfish example.

“I suppose most of you are familiar with the story of the Grinch that stole Christmas,” declared the Pastor, somewhat rhetorically. “The Grinch planned to take away Christmas from all those in Whoville because he wanted all to be unhappy. He would dress like Santa, steal Christmas trees and gifts because, as Dr. Seuss said, the Grinch’s heart was too small. Finally, despite all the efforts of the Grinch, the people still sang carols and otherwise kept Christmas, proving that it is not ‘things’ that make Christmas! Rather, it’s love in the heart that makes Christmas. The Wise Men had love in the heart!

“And, according to reports, even the heart of the Grinch grew by several sizes and was transformed,” added Pastor Graham. “I believe the hearts of the Wise Men also grew by several sizes. I believe, with all my heart, that our hearts grow by several sizes when we gather to worship in the Family of God. Christmas is a very special time when our feelings and greetings take on a new dimension, time and time again. People are more willing to bless others at this unusually happy time. We wish we could be that way all year, but I guess that’s what makes it so special. It’s always something to look forward to the rest of the year, even if sometimes we get stressed out.

“Remember that a sacrifice for others is a blessing in the eyes of the Lord,” reminded the Pastor. “Because it reflects commitment and unselfishness, which are valuable parts of our being.”

In his closing prayer, Pastor Graham said, “Oh, gracious heavenly Father, we are so grateful for Jesus Christ as we think on the visit by the Wise Men. Would that we may be inspired to that same level of commitment to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. For all this, we thank You, and ask Your blessings as we continue in Jesus Christ. Amen.”

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CLASSES TODAY:

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS TOPICS:

WISE ONES, Frankie Brewer: Looking For Hope In All The Right Places.

LADIES BYKOTA, Peggy Boyd: Godly Use Of Our Goods.

Tinney Chapel Men, Bill Knoop: The Case For Christ, a study by Lee Strobel. (A multiple-week study.)

OVERCOMERS: Jenna Nelson: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. (A multiple-week study.)

YOUTH: Stephen Graham: Purpose.

CHILDREN: Linda Hallman: The Birth.

The Remnant Class, Joe Dan Boyd: NOAH PERSEVERES IN FAITH: Genesis 9:18-29

The Remnant Class handout is below:

REMNANT RIGHTEOUSNESS (Life Lessons # 249)

Take home lessons from Genesis 9:18-29:

1. The line of The Promised Son was narrowed in the New Testament to the line of Seth, SHEM, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah, writes Duane Garrett in the Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Each of these names is from the Old Testament book of Genesis, and we study Shem in the current Noah series.

2. That Noah was expert in husbandry, a tiller of the soil and an inventor of associated tools, we have encountered earlier in this series. (John Wesley says Noah “kept ground in his hand.”) But, in this lesson we learn that Jewish writers associate these achievements with Noah’s great wisdom.

3. After harvesting the vintage of his first vineyard, Noah sleeps off a hangover in partial undress, an act that many commentators regard as a sin. This suggests that the best of men may sin, repent and still receive pardon.

4. The larger sin appears to be that of Noah’s son Ham and Noah’s grandson Canaan. Ham takes sinful pleasure in viewing his father’s nakedness, perhaps in some way facilitated by his son Canaan, say some Jewish writers, since Noah’s curse is placed upon Canaan and not Ham.

TODAY’S DATE: 12-26-04

The Remnant
Sunday School Class
Tinney Chapel UMC
Winnsboro, Texas

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT SUNDAY, JAN. 2, 2005

READ GENESIS 10:1-32

Afterwards, reflect upon these things:

1. The sons of Japheth.
2. The sons of Ham.
3. The sons of Shem.

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