Zion E-News (12-23-2020)

At lunch today, one of my kids quoted an old Vine. The Vine shows someone reading the ingredients of chicken broth and deciding it must be very healthy food. They say, “Chicken broth is so healthy. It has zero trans fat and OMG cholesterol.” Obviously, the should have read that is had zero milligrams of cholesterol and not the acronym my grandmother would rightly say was sputtin’. (I think that is some form of a Dutch would meaning disrespectful to God. I learned as a child that singing the song Amazing Grace to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme song is also sputtin’.)

What struck me in this vine is that someone could get almost all the letters right and still completely misunderstand what they read. In the same way, we can know the Christmas story, decorate our trees, wrap the presents, bake the cookies, go to Christmas Eve services and still miss the point of the story.

Christmas at its core is not about Santa or family time or presents or parties, it is the simple recognition that the God of the universe, out of pure love for us, has chosen to live with us, become one of us, and make clear for all to see that God is for us and not against us.

May we hear and believe this good news again this Christmas,

– Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather online at 9 and 11 am. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. This year is a great example of that. Now, we are at the end of this year. Most of us are ok with this change to a new year, but at the same time wondering, maybe quietly, what will next year be like? This morning, as we anticipate a New Year just around the corner, we look to Psalm 57 to remind us God IS still in control.

Christmas Eve is tomorrow. As your family celebrates Christmas this year, plan on joining us for our Christmas Eve worship service at either 4:00, 6:30 or 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve. The service will include a reading of the Christmas story for kids, some classic Christmas carols, and a message about the certainty of our God in uncertain times. Join us at zionreformed.online.church to start your Christmas celebration focused on our savior.

Grow in Community
Harv Berens was admitted to the hospital last week due to a hemorrhaging on his brain. He has had a couple of procedures and is beginning to recover.

Shelly Fahner had a stroke on Sunday afternoon and was able to return home last night. To quote her doctor, we give thanks to God for her miraculous recovery so far.

Mason Hart has been experiencing a recurrence of Crohn’s Disease and will be undergoing some tests over break to determine any next steps in treatment.

Marian Payne continues to deal with significant back pain after a recent fall. She is hoping to meet with a specialist on Monday to begin putting a plan in place to deal with the pain.

You can still join us in reading through the New Testament over the next year. We are encouraging everyone to use the Through the Word app on Apple or Android devices. This app not only has the scripture readings, but also a 9-10 minute teaching on the passage of the day. This could be a great way for our Discipleship Triads to study together or for a small group or family to do devotions together. If you are unsure how to install the app, we have made a short instructional video to show you how to do so on an iPhone. You can find that video here.

The reading schedule for this week is below:
Monday: Matthew 21
Tuesday: Matthew 22
Wednesday: Matthew 23
Thursday: Matthew 24
Friday: Matthew 25

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Beginning in January, Sheila Johnson will be leading a book discussion on the book The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby. If you are interested in thinking together about racial divisions in our culture and the role of the church, this would be a great place to be a part of that conversation. If you are interested in this book discussion, please contact Sheila at sheilaj2494@yahoo.com.

Serve the World
Many of you may have seen news stories about the rising homelessness issue in our Grand Rapids community. This year for our Christmas Eve Service we will be holding a special offering to support the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The IHN provides children and their families with shelter, basics needs, and assistance in finding housing. Unlike many homeless shelters, dads and older boys are able to stay with the rest of the family which is so important in maintaining the strength of their family unit. 90% of the families they serve find housing and 85% are still housed two years later. If you are able, we encourage you to give to this important work in our community at this time.

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.

Fiscal Year to Date Budget:  $304,681.12
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $292,163.35
Giving Last Week: $14,168.00