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FAMILY NEWSTHE 2017 DOWAGIAC CHRISTMAS PARADE: Every year the city of Dowagiac has a parade, with active groups in the community preparing floats and special programs. The area bands, city and county departments, businesses and churches all participate, and there are usually over 100 different groups in the parade. Many years ago this congregation decided that as part of the community, we wanted to have a float; and, for several years it has been a hay wagon with the members sitting on bales of hay and singing Christmas songs and shouting greetings to the crowds as we pass through the parade route. It has been a free way to let the community know we are here and that we want to be a part of the community. There is no better or cheaper way to advertise the Lord's work! This year we are changing the hay wagon so it will have a manger scene with some of our young people surrounding the baby Jesus. We also have pre-recorded some Christmas songs to be played and we plan to sing along with those chosen songs as we travel the parade route. This Wednesday (November 29) after Bible class we plan to decorate the wagon and van and we need your help to decorate. We also need people on December 1 to sing along, and to greet the crowds. Some folks that usually are a part of this are out of town, so please come. TODAY'S LESSON
INTRODUCTION:
A. What did Jesus mean by this statement?
I. THE WAY — hodos — A road or a journey
B. What is the evidence that it is true? A. Proverbs 16:25 – 30 — People will mislead us.
II. THE TRUTH — aletheia — That which can be trusted
B. Jeremiah 10:23 — Why would we trust humans? What is the product of those who ....claim to have the way to live successfully? C. What kind of a world would it be if the whole world followed Matthew 5 – 7? D. We have to know the way — Psalm 86:11 A. Jeremiah 9:2 – 6 — Do not trust humans.
III. THE LIFE — zoe — motion, activity (Not psuche — breath)
B. 1 John 5:6 – 7 — Can God's Word be trusted. What is our experience? C. Revelation 22:14 – 15 — Does what God says work? Heaven is a place where there ....are no lies. D. Romans 1:25 — A description of the twenty-first century: 1. Changes truth into a lie.
E. 1 John 2:21 – 22 — Denying Christ is ignoring the evidence.2. Worships created things, not the creator. F. John 8:32 — Free of what? A. What evidence is there that the Christian life is the best way to live?
IV. WHAT DOES “GOSPEL” MEAN? — euaggelion — Good news! About what? You can haveB. 1 Timothy 3:1 – 7 — Who does not want these? C. Acts 2:46 – 47 — What was the effect of Christianity? D. Luke 8:29 and Mark 5:1 — The man of Gadarenes E. Jesus gives us a life that avoids corruption, evil. What kind of a life do you want? ....way, truth, life! A. Galatians 1:6 – 7 — There are other gospels out there, but they “are really not good
....news” at all! THE BACK PAGEWHY THE FLOAT?I am sure that there will be those who will question our choosing to have a float in the Dowagiac Christmas Parade. The fact that we will have a Nativity scene on the float will also raise questions in the minds of some. Are we honoring a day or an event that the Bible does not tell us to honor? Are we encouraging people to observe a holiday that is not in the Bible (Christmas) and that has pagan roots? Why are we doing this and is it scriptural? First of all, let us point out that we are not engaging in an act of worship by participating in a parade. Having a special day in which we remember something that is in the Bible, but which is not something we are commanded to do is not condemned in the Bible. In Romans 14:5 – 6 Paul talks about special days that some wanted to observe and in verse 5 he simply tells us to be persuaded in our own minds. We can have a special service to celebrate a biblical event any time we wish. We have no commands or example of Wednesday night Bible class or Sunday evening worship. In fact, the first century church met in the evening because Sunday was a secular day in that culture. In Acts 21:26 Paul underwent the Jewish rite of purifying himself at the advice of the leaders of the church (see verse 24). The purpose was to take away criticism of Christians and of Paul as a Christian. We, like Paul, need to demonstrate to the community we serve that we are not separatist, a cult, or extremist. Our participation celebrates a biblical event and puts the focus on something that is in the mind of most people in our culture. Like Paul, we need to take away any false challenges to our motives in what we do and how we do it. On a practical level, here is a way to bring the church before the community in a powerful way and without cost. When our float goes by the reviewing stand, the PA announcer will read a card we have given him which will tell everyone who we are, where we are, what we do, what we believe, and will invite them to come and worship with us. This is the best and cheapest advertising we can have and do. — John Clayton Our sign by the street!
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