December 1, 2012 - Church At Worship

Sermon: "A Tale of Four Cities – Chapter One: Jerusalem" - Randy Roberts

Advent Call to Worship: Larry and Barbara Hundley

Pastoral Welcome: Joelle Reuer

Children’s Feature: Timothy Gillespie

Baptism: Kem Rene Smith, Madelyn Valentina Smith - Darold Retzer

Meditation:

There is no evil so dangerous as evangelical formalism. – J. C. Ryle
 
Repentance is what makes religion more than ritual. – David Smith
 
We Adventists don’t believe in tradition; it’s contrary to our historic position. – Anonymous
 
Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the death faith of the living. – Jaroslav Pelikan

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–2, TNIV - Lucas Mamier

Sermon Notes:

From the annals of Wikipedia, here’s a description of Charles Dickens’ classic book, A Tale of
Two Cities:

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London
and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200
million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of
fictional literature.
The novel depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralized by the
French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding
brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats
in the early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social parallels
with life in London during the same time period.

If a story of such importance can be told through the eyes of two cities, I wonder if the Story
of greatest importance can be told through the lenses of four cities?

Join me this advent season as we seek to once again hear the old, old story … in a different
way.

With Christmas wishes to all—

Randy Roberts, Senior Pastor