Text Box: Christ is coming, Jubilate!  Christ is coming, Hallelujah!  Sing glory to God! Those words come to us from an anthem our choir will be presenting the first week of Advent.  Word of jubilation, words of excitement, words of anticipation. Those words were used so many years ago by the Hebrew people who were waiting for God to send them a Savior, a Messiah, someone who would bring true peace in their lives.  For centuries, generation after generation, God’s people had heard how God would one day raise them to the glory they so deserved.  When the time came many of them missed the gift.  Many did not receive what they expected, but the long awaited Messiah came into the world.  When the Messiah came his grand entrance was not so grand.  Angels heralded his arrival not with pomp and circumstance to the rich and powerful but to the simplest of all people.  When those simple shepherds saw for themselves what had been told to them they went into the world glorifying and praising God. Sunday, November 30, we begin the Advent season—the coming of the Christ.  Will we welcome that good news with the same excitement and expectation as did the Hebrew people of the past?  Find in the next weeks the time to contemplate the significance of Emmanuel, “God with Us.”  Christ is coming, Jubilate.  Christ is coming, Hallelujah!  Sing glory to God.                 Christmas Joy Offering The Christmas Joy offering has a long history within our Presbyterian church.  The former Presbyterian Church in the United States and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America each had a special offering trying to meet the needs within the denomination.  In 1988 the two denominations joined into one offering.  In 1989 this special offering was called the Christmas Joy Offering.  The purpose of the offering is an offering to supplement inadequate retirement income and provide supplemental medical insurance for former ministers, missionaries, church workers, and their families, and for Presbyterian racial ethnic schools and colleges.  The Christmas Joy offering will be received Christmas eve.     Living Crèche The Living Crèche will be Sunday, December 7 at 5:30 pm.  A soup supper will follow with a free will donation.  The Sr. High Youth Group is sponsoring this event.  Money received will go to Youth Group activities.   Text Box: December Newsletter—2008 Text Box: Canady’s Chronicle Text Box: First United Presbyterian Church 2310 H Street Fairbury, NE  68352 729-6129—Church         587-0312--Pastor Don