Christmas - A Celebration of the Incarnation

RPC Family and Friends, 

If you are like me, the Christmas Season brings mixed emotions.  I enjoy spending time with my family.  I also enjoy getting to see friends that come home for Christmas.  I am a sucker for Christmas, especially when Bing Crosby is singing.  I also like getting gifts and I am still praying that my heart would desire to give more than receive.  However, I have a great disdain for Christmas Shopping.  I also have a hard time with how capitalized and commercialized Christmas has become and how I add to this cycle.  I hate how the lights, music, and "hustle and bustle" of this season can take my eyes so easily of Jesus. I will be honest, it's easy for me to become a selfish, gluttonous, worldly man during the Christmas season.  So . . . why wait for New Year's to resolve to do something?  I am going to work hard to focus my attention on Jesus.  How?  By reading, thinking, meditating, and praying on the reality and the wonder of His Incarnation.  

The Incarnation is one of those words that keeps us lay folks guessing and Theologian's employed, but if you think about Chili, you won't forget what it's all about.  I know what you're thinking "I thought he said he was going to focus on Jesus!"  Well, don't just think about Chili, but think Chili Con Carne (Chili with meat).  During Christmas we celebrate the reality and wonder of the Incarnation - God in the flesh.  The Gospel of John gets to the heart of this when he writes "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).  Think about the God who has always been, who created all things, and upholds all things coming to earth to be born just as we were, crying as a baby just as we did, and who would be tempted in every way but would not sin.  This is miracolous.  All the miracles of the Old Testament, the prophecies of the Old Testament, the virgin birth . . . all these things pale in comparison to the reality that God became man and dwelt here among us.  This is truly AMAZING!  This truth demands our attention, it demands our worship, it demands our life.

Below I have listed  some links that you can read and or listen to regarding the Incarnation.  I hope that these will be helpful to you and your family as you think about the wonderful news of that the Angel of the Lord told the Shepherds, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  This is good news indeed!

Merry Christmas!

Jonathan

http://www.monergism.com/directory/search.php?action=search_links_simple&search_kind=and&phrase=incarnation&B1=Go

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/incarnation-god-comes

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1548_jesus_is_still_human/#SendToFriend

REDEEMER,

You all are invited to the "Behold the Lamb of God" Concert with Andrew Peterson and others . . . see below for more details!

The Concert is at Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, AL. See this link for a map:http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS291&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&um=1&q=southwood+presbyterian+church+huntsville+al&fb=1&cid=0,0,4220538744641611291&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

The concert start at 7 pm. You have 2 options:
1. PLEASE RSVP at rpcpca@gmail.com if you plan to meet us in Redeemer's Parking lot at 3:15 pm. From here wewill leave for Huntsville and eat at Qdoba Mexican Grill (see map andmenu below). Then we will go to Southwood and enjoy the concert.
Map to Qdobahttp://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS291&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=qdoba%20and%20huntsville,%20alabama&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl
Qdoba Menuhttp://www.qdoba.com/menuu.aspx

2. You can meet us at Southwood at 6:15 pm.

IMPORTANT:
Tickets will go on sale this Sunday, November 30th 2008. To get yourtickets, please go to:
http://www.southwood.org/beholdthelamb/Behold_the_Lamb_of_God/Purchase_Tickets_-_Behold_the_Lamb_Concert_-_Southwood_Presbyterian.html
After you purchase your tickets, then let us know on this event if youare attending so we can know who all to expect.

If you have any questions, please call me 256-483-2470 or email memckinney.jc@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
Jonathan

About Andrew Peterson... "…What I wrote is a concert that tells astory. There's no speaking--only songs, some of which are intimate,some epic, some humorous, all with a purpose, which is to convey thetrue tall tale of the coming of God into the world. What makes thisbunch of songs unique is that I wanted to remind (or teach) theaudience that the story of Christmas doesn't begin with the birth ofJesus. Many people tend to forget or have never even learned that theentire Bible is about Jesus, not just the New Testament. So themusical begins with Moses and the symbolic story of the Passover(Passover Us) and works its way through the kings and the prophetswith their many prophecies about the coming Messiah (So Long, Moses)to the awful four hundred years of silence before God told Mary she'dbe having a baby (Deliver Us). After the song called Matthew's Begats,which lists the genealogy of Jesus, the story picks up in morefamiliar territory with Mary and Joseph and the actual birth (It CameTo Pass, Labor of Love). The final song is called Behold, the Lamb ofGod, which ties together the Passover and the beauty and scope of thestory…" – Andrew Peterson

Meet RPC Ruling Elder - Jonathan McKinney

Jonathan McKinney has served RPC as a Ruling Elder since January 2007. It was during the fall of 1999 that God opened Jonathan's eyes to see that Christ was not only His Savior, but His Lord. Shortly after this time, he began attending Redeemer Church. Jonathan was drawn to RPC because the people he met there had a genuine love for God and they shared God's love with him. Jonathan says, "As a student I loved being invited into the homes of members and being able to see the Christian life played out in the context of the family. When I began attending RPC, God was building a gospel foundation of His word, His grace, His love, and His mission in my life and the people of Redeemer played a vital role in helping me cultivate that!" He joined RPC as a college student at UNA. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with a BS in Public Communications.  In 2002 he married his lovely wife Kristy Lemmond McKinney. Kristy became a Christian at UNA, was discipled, and joined RPC as a college student. They joined the staff of Campus Outreach in Lexington, KY and moved to Kentucky in January of 2004. In Kentucky they had their first son, Jon Andrew and became pregnant with their second son, Hudson Owen. After Jon Andrew was diagnosed with West's Syndrome, a rare form of Epilepsy, they moved back home to Florence and to Redeemer. Jonathan loves reading, but never finishing good books on Christian Living, Theology, and Leadership. He also can't believe that God has blessed him with such an amazing woman as Kristy. He loves seeing Jon Andrew smile and hearing Hudson laugh. He counts it a privilege to lead a discipleship group of 5 men who he believes will one day change the world. He is thankful to be at Redeemer and be loved by the people there!