As we approach closer to our celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ, I invite you to FOUR special services.

 - On Saturday night, Dec. 20, at 6:00pm there will be a Blue Christmas Service. For those unaware, a Blue Christmas Service is a quiet worship service held for people who find the holiday season difficult due to grief, loss, loneliness, or stress. It offers a space to acknowledge sadness, remember loved ones, seek and worship God in the midst of pain, grief, and anxiety, and find hope amidst the darkness.

All are invited to this service. Especially for those of you who might be experiencing grief, loss, loneliness, or stress this holiday season. Come experience the Presence of God in the midst of your darkness.

 - On Sunday, Dec. 21, at 11:00am you are invited to come to Sunday Morning Worship. When I was 17 years old, on my own, I moved from Southern California to Deland, Fl. (near Daytona Beach). When I did so, I experienced both culture and climate shock. It was an unknown place, with unknown weather, and unknown culture. Yet, God had led me there.

All of us have had similar experiences. We all have faced times in our life where we entered into the “unknown.” Yet, God is with us.

This is what the Wise Men learned. We know very little of them. But we do know that God led them into an unknown land that they might worship the newborn baby, Jesus Christ. The trek would have been long and arduous. But God was with them every step of their way. In their journey, they trusted God. They trusted God in the unknown.

You are invited to that same journey. To put your faith in God and trust God in the unknown.  

You can prepare for Sunday morning service by reading Matt. 2: 1-12.

 - On Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 6:00pm you are invited to a Christmas Eve Candlelight service, where we will focus our soul and attention on God. We will celebrate and worship Jesus Christ, Who, on one fateful night so long ago, was born amongst us. Come enjoy singing classic Christmas eve songs, hear a powerful message, partake of Communion, and reflect upon the birth of the Savior through Christmas Eve candlelight. Then, enjoy some hot cocoa and cookies after service! Invite your neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends!  

 - Finally, on Christmas morn (Thursday, Dec. 25, at 10:00am): what better way to celebrate Christmas than to come to Church and worship Christ, Who is the Reason for the Season! Invite your neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends!  Come and encounter God’s Presence before you open up those presents! Or, simply, “Presence before presents!”

We will sing Christmas Carols, hear a message, partake of the Eucharist, and dedicate the Nativity.

All are invited!

 Here are all the service times, for quick reference:

Dec. 20: 6pm @ Asbury UMC - Blue Christmas

Dec. 21: 11am @ Asbury UMC - Sunday Worship

Dec. 24: 6pm @ Asbury UMC - Christmas Eve Mass

Dec. 25: 10am @ Asbury UMC - Christmas Morning Mass

I hope to see you there if you can make it!

With love, compassion, and prayer,

Reverend Michael G. Whitcomb-Tavey