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Spiritual Practices for a Faith Filled Christmas · Centrally Speaking

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Centrally Speaking is the Central Schwenkfelder Churches podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: It speaks about issues that would be of interest to our society.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: In particular, it addresses how a Christian worldview intersects with Western secular culture.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: In the spirit of the church's founder, we take the perspective of the middle way, which is in agreement with the historic Christian Church.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Dr.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: Drake Williams, Minister of Mission and Theology at the Church.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Our website is www.cscfamily.org.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Today we're talking about spiritual practices for a faith-filled Christmas.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm pleased to have my friend and colleague, Dr.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: David McKinley, who's been the senior pastor here at Central Schweinckfelder Church since 2005 with us today on the program to talk about how we might have a more spiritual Christmas.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: So, David, so glad that uh you could join us and uh join us all the way from Italy on this trip where you are right now.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so glad that you could join us for this podcast today.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Drake.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'm uh accompanying my wife who's on business, but I've been able to see some great sites and it's been a uh wonderful experience.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: But it's also great to be with you on this podcast.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks for taking a little bit of time out to uh uh record uh while you're on uh your your trip.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about uh Christmas and the way that it's uh become secular.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: I know we're going to talk about spiritual practices, but uh in uh our part of the world, uh Christmas has become uh quite secular over the last uh number of years.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: How is it possible that such a religious holiday uh could uh become uh less so and become secular?
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: How do you see it from your many years of experience uh as a senior pastor at Central Schweincolor Church?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: It's a great question, Drake.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: I think originally uh when the country was founded, uh, Christmas was probably something fairly foreign to at least congregational reformed Christians who you know came over, separatist uh that came to this country to uh start a new way of life and uh practice their faith.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe Christmas was seen as uh something that had pagan origins that they didn't want anything or much to do with.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: But over time, I think that Christmas came to be seen as uh the spiritual holiday for what it is, uh, that it is a time to recognize the birth of Jesus Christ and to um worship him, to venerate him, uh, to recognize his value in our lives uh as the author of life.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: I guess my point is that there's been a bit of a tug of war over the history of our country of whether Christmas was going to be spiritual or secular.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that tug of war continues today.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: You know, today with the uh myriad of commercials and the emphasis on shopping, Black Friday is uh a shopping holiday in view of Christmas.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: I remember several years ago you preached a message and you talked about how funny it is that um the Lexus car company talks about you know giving your loved ones a car, and you said something to the effect, I didn't get a Lexus this year.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: And so I still haven't gotten a Lexus.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_02: Me neither.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: But it but it's it's you know, it's that emphasis on materialism and uh purchasing and even spending money that you don't have.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: I know that people uh sometimes fall into the trap of putting things on uh credit cards and spending money that they don't have uh so that their loved ones can have um a quote unquote nice Christmas.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I guess that's my point is that you don't have to get expensive gifts in order to have a nice Christmas.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: Going back to what the the the place that the scriptures put the birth of Jesus Christ, I think is is a test of faith and a mandate that we have as believers today.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it really has uh become uh wrapped up in a lot of uh materialism uh over these uh last uh number of decades.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: But of course, it never never used to be uh that way.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: There's much more uh attention on uh spiritual uh practices, and maybe might be able to highlight what some uh important spiritual practices uh are for celebrating the Christmas season.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think in the history of the church, any time an uh an event took place uh in in biblical history, it's been a time uh Christians afterwards have sought to see it as a focused time of prayer, a time of meditation, a time of reading scripture, uh, a time of reflection, uh a time of being with family and friends, expressing gratitude, a time of service, you know, giving to the poor, or doing something for s for others without any sense of payment, and a time to be generous.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: Uh these are wonderful actions that should be highlighted at Christmas time and at other important times of the year according to our faith, especially at Christmas time.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: That's why you know the Salvation Army, they have their famous, you know, bell ringers outside of different stores and things, because it's a reminder, hey, remember the poor, remember those who are less fortunate, and you know, don't be afraid to spare some change.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's definitely a time of uh generosity.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, of course, that uh has so little to do with uh the consumer mentality when you're when you're giving uh things away.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and it's also a time for joy.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um this is a festive uh season, uh time to uh whether it be uh to feast or to put out lights, um, in the right spirit.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus has come and let's uh take pleasure uh in that.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: I should say uh in your absence uh here on your trip, uh the sanctuary is all uh decorated uh very nicely with uh uh the garlands and uh the green and uh and red.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: And we're getting uh ready, of course, to um uh put the poinsettias up.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but that's all festive as we express uh uh joy and uh in God's plan working its way out.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can't help but to put yourself in a better mood when you see all those things.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then of course on Christmas Eve we uh light the tapers, the candles, and that's it, it all places one one's spirit in a in a positive way.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Thinking about uh spiritual practices though, um do you have a few uh uh biblical verses that come to mind about uh spiritual practices at this time of year?
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I I think it's a a time of of reflection and meditation.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: There's so many verses that that hint at that.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: For instance, Psalm 1, the the blessed man, his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_02: So it's what you're filling your mind with.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: And there's so many distractions today, especially with the uh dawn of the of the smartphone and social media.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, how many hours do people in general spend on their phones combing over social media, which is a very empty practice?
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: But Psalm 119, verse 15, I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: I will delight in your statutes, I will not forget your word.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_02: The whole of Psalm 119 and the emphasis upon God's word, his law, his precepts, his instructions.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if we're to take that David wrote these, uh not everyone that would receive this instruction knew how to read.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, it was dependent upon uh those who would teach, but the mind has this capacity to memorize, to know, to hear, and to indwell.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: Psalm 119, verse 27, make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: Not only that, but uh if we flip over to the New Testament, you just preached a message not too long ago on Philippians 4.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: Finally, brothers, whatever's true, whatever's honorable, whatever is just, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:8, be sober-minded, be watchful.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that Christmas is a time to be sober-minded, to be watchful, to be spiritually minded in a heightened way.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: Be sober-minded, be watchful.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I could mention Colossians 3, how it instructs us to uh let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanks, thankfulness in your hearts to God.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: All of these things, you know, as the scripture says, out of the heart flow the rivers of life.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh it's what we occupy our minds with.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: It's also the practices of prayer and seeking the Lord in an active way.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's the opportunity to serve others, to love others, to practice proactive love and service.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, these are the things that I think the spiritual practices that enhance our Christmas experience.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, attending worship services and not just attending, but participating.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, singing with your heart.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: John Wesley had that list of instructions of how one ought to sing a hymn.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: We ought to fully give ourselves to, you know, when we attend a worship service, we're not just there to fill a seat, but to rather participate.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: And the more that we participate, the more we get out of it.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: So those are some things that I think that are important.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: No, those things are important.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I'm glad to hear that you're you listened to a message that I preach now and then uh as you're recalling all these uh these things.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I listen to yours too, but that's that's good to hear.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Let's turn to a a different topic, um, one that's uh not talked about uh frequently, but obviously uh the main participant in uh the Christmas story is Jesus as he's born.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: But Mary and Joseph, these are spiritual people.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: And uh what were some of their spiritual practices like even before uh the Christmas season?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because maybe they have something to share for us as we think about trying to gain back the the Christmas spirit in a secular time.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: Great question.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I I think it takes uh a thorough examination of of the scriptures that the the Christmas narratives that that tell us much.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: And although we we might not see their activity directly, we we we but we certainly see how Matthew portrays Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, the the the uh the stepdad of Jesus, if you would, uh, of course, uh his real father being God.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_02: But Joseph was considered a noble man.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: He in Matthew 1, 19, he's called a just man because he's unwilling to put Mary to shame.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think that that denotes uh a fair amount of piety and and righteousness, even though in his own frame of mind, he couldn't he couldn't understand why this woman that I love and I'm devoted to, why is she pregnant?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: There's only one way to get pregnant.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: And yet he still had the attitude that he didn't want to put her to shame, which could have meant, you know, Mary could have been stoned to death.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: I know the early evidence of the woman caught in adultery in John chapter eight is somewhat suspect, but nevertheless, adultery was looked down upon.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: You could be, if not ostracized, you could certainly be executed if you were found guilty of that.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_02: Well, well, Joseph loved her enough that he was able to sacrifice his own sense of being mistreated because he loved her and he thought enough about her.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: He wanted to put her away quietly.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: Also, you know, the angel appears to him in Matthew 1.24, and the angel says, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what's conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: And so the scripture says that he's obedient and he takes Mary as his wife.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, he obeys the angel's instruction.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, also he he leaves Jerusalem with Mary and Jesus in Matthew 2.13 and flees to Egypt.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: Then in Matthew 2.20, he goes back to Zion from Egypt at the angel's behest.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: And so all of these give us the impression that he's a man that walks in prayer.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: He's especially attuned to God and his will.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: He is a recipient of communication from the divine host, and his heart is is tuned to God first and Joseph second.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that is is important.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think you're making a good point.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, not only is the culture uh telling him something's wrong, maybe with Mary becoming pregnant, but uh this is somebody who also knew the Bible too.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, he he knew the Torah, he was in the synagogue and he would have he would have heard this regularly, not a disinterested person that all of a sudden gets wrapped up in this, like maybe some of us might be in a secular society or a secular culture, somebody steeped in the the knowledge of the scripture even before Christmas even takes place.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that's key, Drake, is that it is unfortunate when more and more people are becoming disinterested in God and spiritual things centered on the scriptures, that uh somebody like Joseph is inspiring.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: Mary is another one.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: Mary is always considered to be uh a noble figure in scripture.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: First, she was a virgin, and not everybody, not every young lady was a virgin at that time, but she she's a virgin, and a virgin in the truest sense, according to Luke 134.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: You know, she says to the angel, How can this be?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: For I've never known a man.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: Also, in Luke 127, she is called Favored One, Hell Favored One.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: Also, if you read in her uh magnificent, she obviously knows the Psalms.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: She praises the Lord from her heart.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: Her cousin Elizabeth calls her blessed, and uh Joseph, her betrothed, loves her.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so you get the impression that Mary was unassuming and humble but devout.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: She's always given a positive profile in the gospels.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, she's submissive to Jesus.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: You know, at the wedding of Cana, where she approaches Jesus and Jesus says, uh, it's not my time yet.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: What do I have to do with you?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then she goes to the waiter and he and she she says, what every single one of us who who are Christians should take upon ourselves.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: She says, Whatever he says, do it.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that also gives us uh a sense of who Mary was, uh pointing to Jesus, saying, Whatever he says, do it.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but these are characteristics that are, I guess, frequently forgotten that you know Mary and Joseph living in the Roman Empire.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I know you're getting a sense of that being over in Italy right now, what it would have been like to live under the Roman Empire.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Mary and Joseph, uh still very uh spiritual folks devoted to the scripture, to prayer, to obedience, uh, to submission.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, these are characteristics that aren't part of a secular age, are they?
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, they're not.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: They're not.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's so they're both and they're both united too.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: We could talk about them separately, but they uh they're united.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_02: For instance, in Luke 2.27, uh it records that Mary and Joseph did for Jesus according to the custom of the law.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: Also in Luke 2.41, they attend the Passover, which was a practice of every devout Jewish couple, but they were seen as devout individuals, but also devout as a couple in raising the Lord Jesus.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: In today's secular age, uh, where people are oftentimes disinterested in these things, Mary and Joseph are tuned in, they're focused.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess the implication is that if we're looking for that true Christmas experience, uh Mary and Joseph already have a pattern in their lives before God intervenes in an unexpected way, doesn't he?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's a very good point.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, so we've lived through a number of Christmases uh celebrating at the church uh together as serving on a pastoral staff, but uh maybe you can think of uh some Christmas experiences in your growing up time that helped you with spirituality.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh does anything come to mind, David, that you want to highlight?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I was raised in Southwest Missouri in a small town called Nevada that's about 90 minutes south of Kansas City.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: And just a few months ago, my home church, the facility burned to the ground.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: It was a large landmark in the middle of town, a large steeple.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it was heartbreaking to see that go away.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: But nevertheless, you know, God has provided for that congregation.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: They've purchased another building across town and the congregation's life will carry on.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what the church is the congregation.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: It's not a building, but it it does give pause thinking of so many memories that took place uh off of that large red brick building off of North Washington Street.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: So uh every Christmas there was uh what's called the Hanging of the Green service.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: This was uh maybe a couple of weeks before Christmas, maybe early December at the earliest, but it was sort of a in our frame of mind, uh a service that was meant to decorate the sanctuary in a worshipful way, and different decorations were highlighted and uh given their Christian meaning and uh with uh maybe a message, certainly the uh readings from the gospels and the singing of Christmas carols and was sort of a kickoff.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, the Christmas Eve service, which back in the in the 80s, this uh and the 70s and 80s, this this was a Christmas service where each congregant would have a small candle that would be lit from one candle.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so the whole sanctuary at one time would have 150, 200 candles lit, being held by young and old.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: Today, uh the fire marshal would frown upon that, but it it was quite quite an experience as we would sing silent night, uh holding that candle and thinking of God giving us his son at Christmas time.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: Those were special times.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've had some of those special times too at Central Schwankfelder having grown up here and think of the singing that has been uh so meaningful, not only the choir singing, but uh congregational singing of the carols, uh some of the traditional carols like uh Hark the Herald Angels Sing, uh you already mentioned Silent Night, Joy to the World.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and then one of my favorites, uh, once in Royal David City, sometimes we open up with that.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: And those are very stirring, particularly on Christmas Eve.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then um to take communion on Christmas Eve, I think is also a special, special thing that not it's not just the celebration of um of a baby, but uh it's the a baby who would come and give his life for us, and then anticipation of his uh coming again.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, Christmas Eve communion has always been special to me.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I I couldn't agree more.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: And and it's still special today to lead the congregation in that and to experience those carols and to hear God's word read and preached, and uh to hear the singing of a choir uh and the special music.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: But I I did experience something very unusual two nights ago as I was in St.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_02: Peter's Square in the Vatican, and it was the lighting of the Christmas tree and also the the highlighting of the nativity, and they had the Vatican band playing, and then also people were singing, and they would they they sung Go Tell It on the Mountain in Italian.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, of course, my Italian is really non-existent, but to hear people singing, go tell it on the mountain with the band playing was very inspiring.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yet another tradition of highlighting the birth of Christ.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe the Italian will uh improve for the next time.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: We can only hope.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: We can only hope.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so we've talked about secularism, we've talked about spirituality um and some of the things that we've experienced in our churches growing up.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Let's now come back to this Christmas.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, how can we keep Christ in Christmas, or at least in a spiritual matter, in a secular society uh or in a secular uh time period?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: You have some suggestions for us.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I think one is is just to avail ourselves to God.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: The Lord meets us as we desire to meet with him, he meets with us.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think to make these times times of highlighted prayer, to reenact the vigil, and maybe your church doesn't have a prayer vigil at this time of year, but if you have a personal prayer vigil, if you rededicate yourself to prayer and spend time with the Lord, if not on a daily basis, often, and uh to get into the scriptures.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we give out a Christmas devotional every year.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: You've even produced a Christmas devotional, Drake, uh, highlighting uh stories from all over the world through some of the students that you had at 10.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Dale Seminary in the Netherlands.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_02: I think that that is very special.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: I think folks need to be intentional.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: You get out of it what you put into it.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I think to avail yourself to the Lord to meet with the Lord in prayer and the study of his word, I think also to attend worship services because it's a special time of year.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: The church is going to highlight that uniqueness.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: And so whether it be, you know, last Sunday we had the United Choir Concert, The Winter Rose, that was a great production.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm sure that people were ministered to.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: In fact, I received, I received emails saying such that they really appreciated the concert this year.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: There'll be on December 22nd, the contemporary service at Central will be highlighting a special musical service, Messiah here with us.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: These are the things to attend worship and as I said earlier, to participate in it, give us a heightened sense of the Christmas season and the specialty of it.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: I I think too, if if we can practice hospitality and generosity, I think that that goes along because Jesus, Jesus said, for God so loved the world that he gave, then I think it makes good sense that we give as well.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe there's there's a person in need around you to be able to give to them in an anonymous way.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's serving.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we we're a church that participates in the Angel Tree project.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's being a part of that or serving at at the party.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Angel Tree is a wonderful organization that encourages the purchasing of gifts for children of incarcerated parents.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, that's a great thing.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: And there are other opportunities and activities and services to to do at the Christmas season that would certainly enhance one's faith, but it is a season of giving and it doesn't need to be centered around the secular or the material, but to highlight Christ and who he is.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think well said.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: And to hope that uh if uh our listeners are uh have a home church that they would certainly attend, uh they'd certainly be welcome, but uh at central um uh too.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're listening without a home church and are in the area, certainly welcome um uh at our church.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and trust that if you have a for your home church, you have a communion service.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: You take that time uh as special as to rededicate, uh as well as to uh anticipate Jesus' coming again.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: Speaking about our services, maybe you could tell our listeners what we offer in services, particularly for Christmas Eve, but uh throughout the Christmas season.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: So as as I said last Sunday was the United Choir concert that do you could you recall what year this was for the concert?
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this was uh the 93rd season for the uh United Choir Ministry, and uh we had a very good concert on uh Sunday afternoon, the 8th, uh, with well over several hundred people in the building.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's great.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_02: 93 years, that's amazing.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, although it's called the United Schwenckfelder Choir uh concert, it is made of different individuals from different churches in our area that come together for that.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: Well, that's uh unfortunately past tense, uh, but those who attended were, I think, were really blessed.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: We have a uh an opportunity to bless those who are homebound, that those that don't get out with our Christmas caroling activity that will take place December the 14th at 4 p.m.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, there'll be uh time of food and fellowship before we're divided up into groups and go out into the community, visit various nursing homes and retirement communities and individual homes of folks that just are not able to get out.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: And so to be able to bless them and to see the smiles on their faces, it's a it's a tremendous opportunity.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so folks are invited to that December 14th at 4.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: On Christmas Eve, we will have a full slate of services starting at 10:30.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: Pastor Julian Scavetti will be preaching, and uh it will be a Christmas service that will be uh contemporary in nature.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: 2 p.m.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: will be a family-focused service, and my understanding is one of the wise men is going to come and uh bring the message, uh first person narrative.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: So that will be good.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's at 2 p.m.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: And uh that's a fairly full house because not only is uh do we see uh our young people giving the music in that service, but a lot of our older folks they come out uh because they don't like to drive at night.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but that will be a communion service as well and is sure to be a blessing.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_02: And then at 7 p.m.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: on Christmas Eve will be our candlelight service with full musical offerings from many of our musical groups, and um, I will be bringing the message.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: So that is a sampling of what we're offering this Christmas season.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: I should say that on December 22nd will be the uh Messiah here with us.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: That's the contemporary musical service at 10:30 a.m.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: Just can't stress enough that everyone is invited.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: We'd love to see you at Central Schwenkfelder Church, 2111 South Valley Forge Road in Lansdale.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_02: We'd love for you to come and share your Christmas time with us.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, all are welcome.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Should say for the Sunday services, it's 9 o'clock uh traditional and then 1045 for contemporary.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: Well, David, thank you so much for taking your time out of uh your busy travels.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that you enjoy the rest of your time there in Italy and uh look forward to uh seeing you back here shortly.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, thank you, Dr.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_02: Drake.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: Arriva Derci.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: And Merry Christmas to all.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_01: Merry Christmas.