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The Centinel - December 1998, Issue 4
by Jerry Cooper
When we think of Christmas, our images are generally very earthly. We
picture Jesus as a baby; we think of the animals that surrounded the
holy family on that blessed day; we think of the shepherds and the wise
men that came to visit. Our images are very human, very tangible, as we
would have experienced them with our senses if we were there. But there
is another side of Christmas. It is the side that the angels would have
seen.
When we think of Christmas and the angels, we normally picture them as
either messengers or glorious singers. And that is the part they play in
the Gospel narratives. But the angels were much more than message
bearers and heavenly voices. They saw much more of the real Christmas
story than human eyes could ever see. You see, they saw the spiritual
reality behind the earthly activity.
In Revelation 12 we get another picture of Christmas. It paints the
birth of Jesus with images that are both strange and fantastic. Although
it is related to the earthly, historical events, it places the birth of
Jesus within its larger cosmic significance. This is the view from the
throne room of God, and it is not easy to adjust our perspective.
Without trying to identify each element in this new picture, the message
is clear. The birth of Jesus did not occur simply in the midst of a
peaceful Palestinian night as the stars shone bright around them. The
birth of Jesus happened in the middle of a cosmic spiritual battle where
a third of the stars were cast out of heaven by the rebellious Satan who
waged war against the archangel Michael and his angels.
And without trying to match each event in Revelation 12 to a
corresponding earthly event, the outcome is also clear. Satan is the
loser in this spiritual war, and you and I are the ultimate
beneficiaries. In fact, in verses 10-11 we hear a voice from heaven
announcing:
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
But even though the victory is ours in Christ, we learn from verses 13
and 17, that Satan is still seeking to harass the people of God who
remain faithful to their Lord Jesus. Yes, we are still in the midst of
the spiritual battle, and our observance of Christmas is really our
celebration of the decisive battle where God entered our world to show
us that he is the victor over all sin and evil, whether from Satan or
from within us. And we can share in that victory when we accept the gift
of his son Jesus Christ, who was born, lived among us, died at our
hands, and was raised again to life that we might have salvation and
fullness of life with God.
This year, are you looking at Christmas from an earthly point of view?
How about adding to that the view of the angels. Then we can more fully
understand this wonderful holiday - holy day - that we celebrate as
Christians.
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by Denise Simms
Is the Loch Summit Monster real? As the Scottish brogue of this year's
retreat speaker lilts through the mists, only the few (about 250 to be
exact) will know for sure - on 1999's Memorial Day Weekend (May 28-30).
Stuart McAllister, long a friend of Central and now with Ravi Zacharias
Ministries in Atlanta, has accepted the call to speak at Central's All
Church Retreat at Summit Lake Camp in Emmitsburg. Those who've heard
Stuart during his visits to Central know him for clear, thoughtful, and
memorable teaching with a warm wit and a deep love for Christ. Last
year's Retreat was sold out by the first part of May - and we expect
that this year's will fill up even earlier. Cost will be comparable to
last year's, with no extra charge for the bagpipes and haggis dinner
planned for the dining hall! So, mark your calendar now for Memorial
Day Weekend at Summit Loch (Lake) - May 28-30, 1999 - and look out for
sign-up materials coming in December. The clans of volunteers are
forming now - call Retreat Chair Denise Simms to join in!
We have more First Aid boxes (a total of 6). The two large white ones
are still in the main kitchen and the church office area, while the new
blue ones can be found on hallway walls throughout the building. Please
use them as needed.
There will be basic First Aid classes offered in the near future for
those interested. Starting in January, monthly blood pressure screenings
will take place in the concourse on the third Sunday after the 11
o'clock service
Saint Nicholas. Say it fast enough and you discover where "Santa
Claus" comes from. Which raises the perennial question for
Christians as we head into Advent and its culmination on Christmas Day.
What do we do with Santa Claus? This is especially problematic for
parents whose children run into Santa at the mall, on TV, literally at
every turn. Some have tried to ban Santa altogether. Others have tried
bringing out the dark side of the jolly old elf: "Rearrange the
letters and what do you get? S-A-T......" Others have just given up
and given in, hoping that one day their kids will out-grow Santa and
grow into the likeness of Christ.
Let me propose an alternative to all of the above. I'm a
"re-claimer", I believe that in this post-modern,
post-Christian culture we need to take back what rightfully is ours.
Santa belongs to us. Santa is Saint Nicholas, a Hungarian Christian of
the 4th Century who loved Jesus and who fleshed that out by providing
much-needed gifts for poor children. Why not tell our children and our
friends about who Saint Nicholas was (and is as a part of the Church
Triumphant) and what he did, and how this Santa business is all really a
take-off on the rightly-initiated-but-com-pletely-irreproducible
greatest Gift ever given: that of Jesus - the Gift of the Son, from the
Father, to us that we might become children of God. Yes, Virginia, there
is no Santa Claus - but there is a Saint Nicholas ... follower and
servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Merry Christ-mas
Ron Scates
We desire to do music well, but the ultimate goal must be worship.
Central has changed since the last time our congregation hired a music
director, when we had one worship service with a predominately
traditional style of music. Now we have two equally well-attended
worship services of very different styles. As a result of Leo's vision
and leadership, we have a large children's program. Under Chris'
leadership, we have a rapidly growing youth program, whose involvement
in the music program will undoubtedly increase.
Hiring a director of music now means hiring someone who does not just
play the organ and lead the choir, but has an appreciation for and
experience with a variety of music styles. We have also faced the
reality that no one individual could be expected to play the organ,
direct the Chancel Choir, coordinate the music for 8:30 service, direct
the children's choir's), and develop a vision for and lead a youth music
program, and do it all well! Therefore, we anticipate hiring a "Director
of Music Ministries" to supervise all the music ministries and directly
lead some of those programs. We will then hire part-time staff for the
other ministries.
As a beginning, we have listened to the congregation to discover your
ideas and dreams for music at Central, as well as your concerns. During
December, we will write job descriptions for each component of the music
program. We have begun soliciting applications and resumes.
Advertisements will soon appear in several national evangelical
periodicals and we will use our website to advantage. We hope to be
interviewing by February. Our goal is to hire the full-time Director of
Music Ministries by late May and fill the part-time positions over the
summer in order to have a complete music staff for the new church year
in September. Thankfully, our interim music staff of Griz Gifford, Tom
Brantigan, and Terry Eberhardt make this much more than a "holding
pattern" year.
In addition to your patience, we ask of you the following:
- Continue to share with us your ideas and concerns.
- Help spread the word. Do you know potential applicants or churches
with similar music programs that we might contact?
- Finally, and most importantly, pray:
- for the committee as we seek God's direction.
- for our new Director of Music Ministries, whom God is already
preparing for ministry here at Central.
Richard Ames-Ledbetter, Music Search Committee Chair, and Liz Campbell,
Carol Corey, Pieter DeSmit, Lou Dicker, Debbie Dininno, Skip Harclerode,
Kathy Harp, Betsy Nelson, Carol Pallante, Steve Simms, Steve Turley,
Chuck Wetherington
by Steve Simms
It's SIN, just like your heart without Jesus - as illustrated by the
drama topping off Central's most successful All Saints Party in recent
memory. Over 250 youth, children and adults learned that having Jesus in
your heart is like a pumpkin, cleaned and with a light inside - and saw
the Gospel presented in a way they'd never seen before.
A spirited performance by the Worship Team (featuring the all-time
Central hit, Pharaoh, Pharaoh and a Reggae version of Lord, We Lift Your
Name on High), games, and crafts, topped off by all-you-can-eat pizza
(and all-you-care-to-eat salad), and lots of candy (including M&M's -
voted as the children's favorite), carried the enthusiasm throughout the
evening.
Among the costumed "saints" were Bob Shank and Rob "Toga,
Toga" Zeigler, Nathaniel "the Jester" Hill and his rubber
chicken, Peter "Batman" Vaselkiv, and the Fruit of the Loom
trio of Nancy Neary, Julie Sharun, and Denise Simms "undergirding" the event.
Thanks to the devotion of many, this Halloween meant something eternally different,
not just for Central's families, but for the families of neighbors and friends.
Core Value #3: Worship as the Center of Church Life
When we think of worship we frequently think of attending church on
Sunday morning. While we may actually worship at that time and place,
worship is a much larger concept.
Worship requires an object, and as Christians, we worship the living
God. Look at Psalm 63, in which the worshiper passionately longs for
God, beholds God and who He is, and responds with praise:
God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my
body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
(Psalm 63:1-5)
Worship is not just being present in the sanctuary - it is the seeing
and beholding. Worship is not just the singing and lifting of hands - it
is the response to the sight of God and the perception of His glory.
Sometimes we see God and truly worship, but not always. So how do we get
to that awareness?
We can start with our attitude. Consider: "Be joyful always; pray
continually; give thanks in all circumstances..." (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
This focuses our attention on God: it reminds us that our Creator
provides for us, listens to us, and is Lord over our lives. It reminds
us to seek God earnestly and to go to Him (in His sanctuary or anywhere
else). Then we can behold the unsurpassable glory of God. Then we will
praise Him. Then, notes the Psalmist, our souls will be thoroughly
satisfied.
Worship is the purpose of our time together on Sunday morning, a chance
to behold God if we have forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the week.
Our services are designed, first of all, to please God. He is our
audience. (God is watching and listening, just as parents watch and
listen when the children's choir sings!) So commit yourself to
excellence - your own excellence - at any time of worship. Be prompt,
alert, attentive. Prepare to come to worship by readying your heart -
don't just go to church' but seek God.
Remember, worship is not just Sunday morning. It is every day. It is
seeking, seeing, and responding to the presence of God. Let us 'praise
Him as long as we live'.
- A Personal Relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord, and God
- Commitment to the Truth of God's Revealed Word
- Worship as the Center of Church Life
- The Great Commission - Near and Far in Word and Deed
- A Biblical World View that Speaks to Our Culture
- Kingdom Vision - We are One Part of the Whole Body of Christ
- Growing Mature, Ministering Disciples
- A Diverse, Loving Community
- The Nurture of Children and Youth
- Servanthood & Stewardship Inside and Outside of Central
- Prayer
* * * F E A T U R I N G * * *
Don McCurry - President of Ministry to Muslims and internationally
respected teacher and equipper of ministers and missionaries to Muslims.
B. Wilson - Our church planter among one of the largest unreached
Muslim people groups in the world.
Islam and its followers are a powerful force today for good or evil. We
will deepen our understanding of the religion and how it is influencing
our world. We will also learn how we (as individuals, families and as a
church) can make an immediate and eternal impact for Jesus Christ.
by Susan Smith
Throughout history God created many festivals and commanded us to
remember as we celebrate--the Lord's Supper and the Passover are perhaps
the two most well-known examples. The feast of Purim, too, while lesser
known, has something to teach us about God's way of celebration:
Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the
Jews..., both near and far, obliging them to celebrate ... annually, because
on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a
month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness, and from
mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and
rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the
poor. (Esther 9:20-22)
Now, living in a country (Cambodia) where people are hungry every day
has given me new eyes to see these verses. The emphasis on food stands
out to me, as well as the "gifts to the poor". This idea is
repeated in God's instructions to the Israelites for celebrating the
Passover and other feasts in Deuteronomy - the poor were to be included
in the festivities:
You shall celebrate...with a tribute of a freewill offering of your
hand, ...and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and ...[all
those]... who are in your midst...you shall be altogether joyful...shall
not appear before the Lord empty-handed... every man shall give as he is
able. (Deuteronomy 16: 10-17)
At Christmas, we Americans are already good at celebrating most of the
ways God describes: we are glad, we feast, we rejoice, we go on for
several days, and we send gifts and food to one another. But as a
Christian community, we also think of ways to take our eyes off
ourselves, to think of the hungry, to give to the poor. These verses in
Esther have reminded me again how it pleases God when we take time to
remember and celebrate, to be glad for His goodness and mercy to us, to
eat of the best He has given us, to give gifts to one another... and to
open our hands freely, to give gifts to the poor.
Merry Christmas!
Susan Smith is a missionary serving with CRM/InnerChange in Cambodia.
The book of Esther tells the fascinating story of Mordecai, the wicked Haman,
and the beautiful Queen Esther
by Carol Corey
And maybe you've wondered about the mysterious man behind the children's
voices, the man who has stepped into the giant shoes of Leo and has
charmed the children into singing praises to God with excellence and
enthusiasm. The Interim Music Search Committee is pleased to introduce
Terry Eberhardt. Terry was recommended to us by
Dan LeJeune, who has worked with Leo with the Children's
Chorus in past years. Terry is a native of Clinton, Md., and came to Baltimore
to study at the Peabody Conservatory, where he is finishing his Bachelor of
Music Education and Vocal Performance. Terry met Dan while doing his
practicum and Dan was so impressed that he invited him back as his student teacher the
following year. Terry has taught general music and chorus in middle
school and high school as well. Welcome Terry!
Commit to Read
Through the Bible in a Year
The FOLD: News about our Central Family
The Project Justice Choir:
How a White Presbyterian Woman Learned to Sway as She Sang
by Robin Stocksdale
Okay, I'm white. Very white. Physically so white that when I buy
make-up, I head for "Ivory". So white that when I worked for
the American Red Cross in Washington D.C. in a predominantly black and
Hispanic neighborhood, my ethnic coworkers used me as the example of
what white was. When non-Spanish speaking people asked what the words
"huera" or "mona" meant, my Hispanic colleagues
would say, "You know, pale, like Robin."
And I'm not only physically white, I'm experientially white. I grew up
in Stoneleigh in the late sixties/early seventies. It was a white bread
neighborhood then. Probably still is now. And at Towson High, everybody
I saw was white.
When I went to my predominantly white, Presbyterian college in rural
Ohio, I started out majoring in Spanish and sociology. I read novels by
and about Mexican Americans and decided to do an "Urban
Quarter" in San Diego. When I got off the plane, some of the
people working in the airport were different shades of brown. I was so
excited by the novelty of the situation!
I'm also culturally white. Culturally white Presbyterian. Which carries
with it a certain amount of reserve -- okay, let's be honest, stiffness.
So even though over the past twenty years I have been exposed to more
cultural diversity, I am who I am. And when the opportunity came up to
be in the Project Justice Choir, the prospect of singing and swaying at
the same time filled me with acute anxiety. But led by the Spirit
towards a new adventure, this member of the Social Action Committee
swallowed her fears and went to the first rehearsal of the Project
Justice (PJ) Choir on October 19.
What fun! I was totally out of my element. My experience with music had
been as a member of the Chancel Choir eons ago, under the tutelage of
Lois Steigerwald. Under her incredible talent, I learned to sight read
music, to count, and to focus on pronunciation, enunciation, dynamics,
and blend. So at the PJ Choir rehearsal, I approached our songs Let's
Give Him Praise and My Mind's Made Up the same way. I quickly was
hyperventilating with anxiety! My Mind's Made Up has more sixteenth
notes than I've ever seen, and a rhythm that fried my Presbyterian
brain! So I raised my hand and said, "Hel-Lo, I'm White! I'm
rhythmically challenged! HELP!" After some laughter, under the
encouragement of my new PJ Choir friends, I learned to approach music
another way - joyfully, exuberantly, feeling it, experiencing it, being
carried away by it.
Praise God for the rich diversity of the human experience! I hope those
of you who attended the Unity Celebration Worship Service on November 13
were as blessed in the hearing as we were in the singing!
by Jean Stuart
Elderhostel has always conjured up in my mind yodeling and the Alps -
now I know better! Our November Seniors luncheon program "All You
Wanted to Know About Elderhostel - and More," informed 49 other
interested people and me about the finer points of hosteling.
We began with a thought-provoking devotional by Ingrid Cooper. She
explained that in her native Germany, Thanksgiving is not celebrated,
but in October the church celebrates an in-gathering festival where the
harvest is shared with each other and the poor. Ingrid challenged us
with the Lord's provision of peace and contentment that is a by-product
of the personal Thanksgiving we celebrate in our own hearts.
Charming turkey centerpieces hand-crafted of fresh pineapple dressed in
felt decorated each table, and a hot delicious turkey lunch disappeared
as we fellowshipped together. After lunch, Wilma & Theo Berenthien led
us in some group singing of "oldies but goodies" to work off
some calories.
A panel of our friends at Central, led by Pat Merriman, told us
first-hand of their Elderhostel experiences in the United States,
abroad, and believe it or not, right here in Baltimore where one of the
country's most popular sites is at Peabody. We traveled out West, to the
Amish country, to Valley Forge, and to Provence France. After the
program, a "hands on" exhibit of materials was available,
giving details of how to sign up for any of the "zillions" of
opportunities to learn and travel.
We were pleased to welcome both new faces and faithful attendees. Watch
the Sunday bulletin for the next opportunity to "shine" in
fellowship with each other and with Him!
by Dave & Jan Turnbaugh, Christian Community Center
Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Thanksgiving Basket Give-away were
both held on Saturday, November 21. This year our dinner was at the
Wilkens Avenue Mennonite Church so that we could serve over 100 people.
Billy Robinson, who attended the Center as a child and dedicated his
life to Christ in prison a few years ago, was our speaker. Our THANKS to
all of our helpers!
"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with
thanksgiving." (Psalm 69:30)
Upcoming Christmas events are:
- Caroling and gift-giving (many made in craft classes) at a nursing home (12/12).
- Distribute bags of food (12/19).
- Adults' Christmas Party with soloist Susan Vetter (12/21).
- Children Programs: Preschool-grade 5 Debbie Dininno's Open Space Arts Puppet Show "The Peddler's Christmas".
Grades 6-12 with speaker Chris Ritchie, CPC Youth Director.
Ed.: When you thank God for your food and the other gifts He has
provided for you, remember to ask Him to bless the poor and needy in
this way also.
Be sure to check the bulletin each week for meetings and details.
| December 7: |
PW Christmas Gathering |
| December 13: |
Advent Songfest |
| December 24 |
Family Worship Service -5p
Candlelight Service -8p
Carols from the Balcony -10:30p
Candlelight Service -11p |
| December 31 |
New Year's Eve Communion -7p
Watchnight Service -11p |
| January 3 |
Murray Smoot preaching,
50 years + 1 day after first service on York Road. |
| January 31 |
Congregational Meeting -9:40a |
| February 6 |
All-Church Skate |
| Editorial Staff |
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Nancy Nasrallah
Mary Burkey Olga Gerkens Bob Hale
Susan Hula Karen McCaffrey Denise Simms
"For unto us a child is born...
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
- Isaiah 9:6
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Note that the Our Church Family section won't be
included in the web issue of this newsletter since the information doesn't meet our
privacy policy.
