
Third Sunday of Advent
December 15 @ 10:00am
"Something Has
to Change" - Luke 3:7-18
Rev. Dr. Tracy
Keenan, Missional Presbyter of NCP, preaching
Pastor Eric is away
this Sunday, and we are pleased to welcome the Rev. Dr. Tracy
Keenan to our pulpit. Tracy serves as
Missional Presbyter of New Castle Presbytery. She sparks enthusiasm
and hope in member churches by helping them to connect their
dreams, ideas, and leaders with the work of the Ignite Team. Tracy
also serves as Co-Executive with the Connectional Presbyter. We are
grateful she can join us.
About the Art:
"The Good That Is Yours" - Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity
[Inspired by Luke 3:7-16] Ink dyes and gold resist on silk, with
digital collage. © a sanctified
art/sanctifiedart.org.
"As John
the Baptist preaches about transformation, he receives the
same question three times from those gathered by the river:
What, then, shall we do?
At the center of this quilt square
collage, a pinwheel of fire spins. It represents the Holy
Spirit impelling the world to turn. Surrounding it are
four petal shapes that bloom like a flower. They are each
filled with branches of fruit. When we align ourselves with the
movement of the Spirit, we can do the good that is ours to do.
Our actions can bear good fruit. The petals and pinwheel are encapsulated
by the outline of a blue cross. Four walls of the
cross contain broken fragments. In stark contrast to the
lush fruit, the fragments are like shards of glass.
They symbolize the sins John the Baptist sees present amongst the crowds: extortion, coercion,
and the hoarding of power and resources. And yet, these fragments
are linked together by blue arrows filled with the waters of
baptism. There is a way to begin again. From each cardinal
direction, a triangle of Holy Spirit fire faces inward, pointing us
to baptism and transformation. When we do the good that is
ours to do, we bear good fruit—fruit that repairs and
nourishes, fruit that grows into the four corners of the
earth."
Join us for
IN-PERSON WORSHIP on Sunday at 10:00am; doors open at
10:00am.
To join in WORSHIP ONLINE this
Sunday, December 15, click on the picture above to go
to our Concord website. Near the bottom of the home page, click on
the same picture to connect with the worship video. The worship
service will be available live at 10:30am Sunday morning or later
in the day to view at your convenience.
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J.A.M.
(Jesus and Me) for younger learners
&
SUNDAY SEEKERS (middle/high schoolers)
are combining forces to…
NAVIGATE THE BIBLE!

SUNDAYS at 10:15am
in the Sunday School hallway
(following
Wondering Time)
DO YOU KNOW…
…how many books are in the Bible?
…what they are called?
…who and what is in them?
…where/how you can find the Bible stories you have
learned about?
Join us as we put on our detective hats, collect clues, and
continue to search for the answers to these questions and so much
more through games and using our ever-expanding deductive skills!
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Wanted: Cookie
Bakers for the Messiah Concert Reception on Dec. 15
We will again have a cookie and beverage
reception after the Messiah, and we need
home-baked Christmas cookies. You can bake early and put cookies in
the church freezer. Please clearly mark them "MESSIAH"
since we are also baking for the Friendship House shelters. If you
do not have any time to bake, we would also gladly accept purchased
pound cakes. These can also be placed in the freezer ahead of time.
Please let Dottie Lund know what and how much you are
contributing (dottielund@comcast.net
302-230-1522). Thanks for your help!
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Many
thanks to all who made AdventFest a joyful fellowship event!


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Prayer
List
Healing prayers
for Joyce Johnson, who
had a fall over the weekend. She is still a bit sore but no broken
bones. She is thankful for the prompt & efficient response from
EMTs, neighbors, Marj Johnson (who spent the night in the ER with
her), & family.
A joy that Nancy Tucker's son Ray & family
will be visiting for three weeks over the holidays.
Condolences for Christina's cousin Steffi &
family - her mother passed away last week following
a long illness.
Prayers for Wayne Stahl who is at Kutz Home
under hospice care. Prayers also for Wayne's brother
Gray, facing his own health issues.
Continued healing prayers for Kay Jewett’s friend’s
brother Bob - doing well after surgery for a
brain tumor.
Also for Nancy Tucker’s friend Amy,
who is recovering well after open heart surgery.
Traveling mercies for Pastor Eric & Cindy on
their long-planned trip to Europe.
Prayers for the
following list of people who are in our hearts as they deal with
ongoing health struggles - Lexi, Jo
Ann, June, Ginnie M., Dan V., Duane, Craig E., Sue, Eileen,
Rita & Dawn.
Prayers for peace - in our country,
among nations, in our homes, and in our hearts.
***
If you would like to add names/needs to this list
and our ministry of prayer, please email info@concordpc.org or
fill out a "Prayers of the People" card at the Sunday
service and hand to a greeter during the offering.
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Advent
Devotional Booklet Available

This devotional contains art, poems, hymns, commentary, and
reflection prompts. It is meant to be read at your own pace
throughout the season of Advent and Christmas; it concludes with
Epiphany. The booklet is great for older youth and adults of all
ages—and especially for those who are hungry for weekly readings
and prompts.
Pick up your copy in the back of
the sanctuary or outside the church office today
or our friends at Sanctified Art have provided a special e-reader version of this year’s Advent
devotional, which you can access on your computer and mobile
devices: online.flippingbook.com/view/811735764/ (In order to protect their work, please refrain from
sharing this link or posting it on social media.)
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No Mug & Muffin -
Dec. 18 & 25, Jan. 1
We will meet again via Zoom on Wed.,
January 8 from 10:00-11:00am, led by Pastor
Eric Markman. To join the Zoom gathering ONLINE,
click on this link.
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The Perfect Gift
When Jesus was born among us, he came as
a helpless baby destined to bring joy, peace, and salvation to
his people. The child, God's Word made flesh - fully human and
fully God - became one of us. One with us. In all our
vulnerabilities, struggles, and triumphs, Jesus became one of us
- leading us, knowing us, connecting us to himself and each
other, and offering us his gift of eternal life. The perfect gift.
Through the Christmas Joy Offering, we reflect God's perfect gift
to us with generous support of church leaders among us - past,
present, and future - who have pointed us to God.
We honor and celebrate leaders like retired pastors, church
workers and their families who have faithfully guided and led us
but who now find themselves in critical financial need. We honor
and celebrate emerging leaders like students in schools and colleges
equipping communities of color, who develop leadership skills as
they pursue their education and prepare to bring their gifts in
service to the world God loves so much.
Jesus’ example as a child born to be among us and lead us to
eternal life provides a pattern for us to follow as we celebrate
those who have led us in the past and will lead us into the
future. Through the Christmas Joy Offering, we come together to
support past, present and future leaders, embodying God’s perfect
gift to us, Jesus Christ.
The Christmas Joy Offering will be received throughout
the month of December. Envelopes are available in the pews or donations may be made
online. Please give generously...for when we all do a
little, it adds up to a lot!
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Contributions
for the Flower Fund for Christmas

If you would like to contribute to the
Flower Fund for the upcoming holiday season, please make your check
for $20/poinsettia payable to Concord Presbyterian Church, memo:
“Christmas Flowers.” Place it in a designated envelope in the
offering or the Church Office mailbox. Be sure to include a note
stating how you wish the acknowledgment to read in the bulletin.
Contributing to the grace and beauty of our Christmas decorations
is a lovely way to remember or honor a loved one.
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Advent Is the Season of Giving!

Mission &
Congregational Life invites you to take part in this Reverse Advent Calendar activity to benefit our community! Instead of
receiving a little daily gift as we count down the days to
Christmas, we will give back
daily by placing a non-perishable food
item in a bag each day at our own homes.
Bring your items to church each
Sunday in December and place them by the empty manger in the
narthex. We will be sharing these gifts with the community by
placing them in the Blessing Box outside Concord Church.
Suggestions: SPAGHETTI SAUCE,
dry pasta, canned tuna & chicken, cereal, PB&J, canned
fruit & vegetables, canned soup & broth, oatmeal packets,
boxed mac & cheese, granola/ protein bars. Smaller containers
are best, as the box provides for short-term needs and space
inside is limited. (No glass or expired items, please.)
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Share the Spirit!
Cock-a-doodle-do!
Have we got a gift for you...
Give a gift that will
make a real difference in a woman’s life. Your contribution to the
Guatemala Chicken Project (Concord’s 2024 Share the Spirit) will
help women become more self-sufficient and raise their families out
of poverty.
This project of the New Castle Presbytery
started two years ago, and the first group just paid back their
$125 and are now able to continue on their own. A full starter set
of chickens costs $250, but you can make any contribution you wish.
Please make any contribution you wish through Concord (memo
Guatemala Chickens) or at https://mailchi.mp/637434c252f3/gift-of-chicks-advent-2024.
Beautiful gift cards are available on the
table in the Sanctuary if you would like to make this donation in
someone else’s name. (A limited number of Delaware
Blue Hens are also available during Gathering Time
for a donation of $15. Please see Dottie Lund.)
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WANTED:
COOKIE BAKERS

Once again Mary Circle will be making Christmas cookies for
the Friendship House transitional housing residents (mostly
women, but a few children). We are hoping some Concord members
would be willing to help by contributing five dozen or more. They
can be frozen if you bake ahead.
Bring the cookies to the kitchen at Concord by Monday,
December 16. Label your container with your name and that the
cookies are for Friendship House (FH). NO PEANUTS IN THE COOKIES,
PLEASE!
Thank you for helping make the
Friendship House Christmas Party a big success!!
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Concord Photo Gallery
Show
us your activities, vacations, special occasions, children
or pets being adorable...! If you have photos you'd be
willing to share with your Concord family, please send them to Margaret. We'll
try to include your photos in Concord Connects as space permits.
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A collection of Joyce Johnson family
Christmas photos. Thanks to her son Mark for sharing (left to
right):
- Three people - Mark Johnson, Phoebe Sutton, Sara
Johnson
- Little girl at Christmas tree: Rory Leddy
- Two little girls on steps: Rory Leddy on left,
Phoebe Sutton on right
These folks are:
- Mark Johnson: Joyce’s son
- Sara Johnson: Joyce’s granddaughter (Mark’s
daughter)
- Rory Leddy: Joyce’s great granddaughter, Mark’s
granddaughter of his daughter Emily
- Phoebe Sutton: Joyce’s great granddaughter, Mark’s
granddaughter of his daughter Leah
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As part of our Navigating
the Bible unit, JAM children and Concord Youth
Group members read Genesis 1:1-2:4. See their artistic responses on
display in the Sunday School hallway 🌍
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We are beginning work on a
do-it-yourself, updated photo directory. This Sunday,
December 15, Terri Jones will be taking photos in the front of
the sanctuary during Gathering Time. Stop by before or after
snacking to have your picture taken and to update your contact
information.
We will be continuing this process
for a number of weeks, so don't worry if you can't make it this
Sunday. Watch Concord Connects for future dates. Deacons will also be working on
getting current photos of our homebound members. Please don't
worry if you're not an "official" church member - if
you are part of our Concord Family, we want to include you!
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Each year, CEDEPCA (which partners with
the New Castle Presbytery) publishes an Advent Devotional Guide.
This year, it shines light on the theme of migration with content
that can encourage people to talk candidly about the intersections
of migration and the hope of Advent - and then take action in their
everyday lives to work for peace. You can find the weekly
devotional here: https://files.constantcontact.com/0b33f4e9201/0c351605-d2e4-412a-be32-e68d490f2aac.pdf.
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