Happy New Year 2018

Group Photo

CIS Coworkers (January 2018 - Tbilisi, Georgia)

71 members from 25 UBF Chapters from 8 Nations attended the conference.

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Native Shepherds

Native Speakers/Coworkers in CIS Area 2018


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Conference Theme Song

(True-hearted, Wholehearted)

1. 
   
2. Truehearted, wholehearted, faithful and loyal,
   King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be;
   Under the standard exalted and royal,
   Strong in Thy strength we will battle for Thee.
   • Refrain:
     Peal out the watchword! Silence it never!
     Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free;
     Peal out the watchword! Loyal forever!
     King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be.
3. Truehearted, wholehearted, fullest allegiance
   Yielding henceforth to our glorious King!
   Valiant endeavor and loving obedience
   Freely and joyously now would we bring.
4. Truehearted, wholehearted, Savior all-glorious,
   Take Thy great power and reign Thou alone,
   Over our wills and affections victorious—
   Freely surrendered and wholly Thine own.
5. CIS Directors' New Year Conference 2018 Program

Date: 1/2-1/4, 2018

Location: Tbilisi

Participants: 71 people from 25 chapters of 8 nations

Theme Title: Seek the Lord and Live (Amos 5:6)

Politically the USSR was divided (from 1940 to 1991) into 15 constituent or union republics—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (see Belarus), Estonia, Georgia,Kazakhstan, Kirghizia (see Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (see Moldova), Russia, Tadzhikistan (see Tajikistan),Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Of these nations Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are called Caucus Three Nations. We pray to send Bible Teachers to these nations. 

Caucus Three Nations

Georgia as a nation: 360 days No Visa for the U.S. citizens; they prefer the U.S. to Russia; there is an English learning boom, so English speaking people from the U.S. have an edge to go and open an English clinic self-support, and serve the gospel to students coming to the clinic. Rent is about one third of the rental level in LA area.

Prayer topics: 1. Send missionaries preferably from the U.S. UBF chapters to the Caucus Three nations. 2. Build House Churches from among the second gens. 

Dr. David Kim (left) and his son Samuel (right)

Samuel: Dentist (27; Single)

1. Bible Studies: Acts 1:8 and Amos (four lectures)
2. Speakers: Amos (Introduction) by Isaac Kim; Acts 1:8 by Dr. Abraham Kim; Amos Introduction in Korean language by Shepherd Shangwoon Kim of Kwanak UBF; Amos lectures by Native shepherds
3. Remark:

[I greeted the New Year at the tbs (Istanbul Int'l airport) on my way to CIS director's new year conf. Where they plan to study the book of Amos.]

LORD'S blessings on you this new year as you seek Him and line a blessed life.

Message:

Seek the Lord and Live

Amos 1:1-9:15

Key Verse 5:6

“Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.”

One of the cardinal principles in interpreting the Scriptures correctly for all of their strenuous purposes is to understand the ultimate purpose the author of the Bible (that is, God himself) has in mind. The sixty-six books of the Bible came from God. The whole Bible has one single message, not two or three. Although there are 66 books in the Bible the message that runs through them is one (1) and the same. One of the reasons why there are different books is because the audiences, the generations, and their environments are different.

Tonight we are going to cover Amos, the third book of the 12 Minor Prophets. In giving prophecy  through Amos, the Lord conveys the same message - the message which is not different from the message other books are conveying. But the people and their environments are different.

The single message all the books are conveying is the call for all fallen men to be saved into God himself by listening to the message of salvation and thereby forming the unity of love, becoming one with Him. The expression of this message varies, such as the message on the kingdom of God, the call to join the family of God, or the hope to come to the home of righteousness. But the point remains the same. God wants people to become like him.

Like other books of the Bible then Amos cries out to the people of his generation to repent and turn to God. The title of the message reflects the same message: "Seek the Lord and Live."

Now the questions we are going to consider tonight are: 1) Why did the people of Amos's day fall from their secure position? In other words what was the cause of their down-fall? Simply speaking, what was their problem? 2) How did their problem(s) become manifested in their lives? And, 3) Finally, what is the Lord's remedy to their problem(s)?

I. Two years before the earthquake (1:1-2)

A question that arises in examining Amos is, "What gave rise to the prophecy of Amos?" In other words, why did the Lord find it necessary to send the Prophet Amos in addition to his contemporaries such as Isaiah, Micah, or Hosea? We can find an answer to this question in verses 1 and 2. Look at 1:1-2. “The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. He said: ‘The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.’ ” In many places of the Bible earthquakes hit people not just because of some earth movements; behind it there is always the hand of God. For this reason, even in a business world, such as insurance, they call disasters caused by earthquake or brush fires as “Acts of God.” Indeed, in many instances the Lord employs earthquakes as a means to carry out his judgment on the wicked. Examples include the earthquake that caused the wall of Jericho to come down, so that God's judgment fell upon the people inside [except Rahab and those who belonged to her]. When Korah rebelled against Moses, the Lord let the earth open its mouth to swallow up Korah and those who belonged to him. In the case of Uzziah, God's judgment fell on him when he burned incense in violation of the law of Moses. (2Ch 26:16) It was not unlikely that the earthquake mentioned in v. 1 coincided with the sin of Uzziah. Apparently, its magnitude was so big and extensive that it drew the Prophet Zechariah’s attention that he refers to it to describe the kind of earthquake that will hit Jerusalem at the time of the Lord's [second] coming. (Zec 14:5)

God is an all knowing God. In his eyes all the events that are to occur in the days to come are known as if they have already taken place. It is not inconceivable that the Lord was in apprehension of the sin Uzziah would commit. So it can be said that in anticipation of the wicked violation of the Lord's holiness two years in advance, the Lord established Amos and gave his words to the people of his days.

Describing the cause of the disasters that were decreed to hit the people of Amos' day, 2 Chronicles 26:16 states: "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." As we saw in covering the book of Hosea, the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy on the spot. In his pride he violated the Lord's holiness and the outcome was leprosy.

Let us stop for a moment and think about the nature of Uzziah's sin. In his pride he burned unauthorized incense. 2 Chronicles 26:18 reads, “They confronted him and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.’ ”

The priests' rebuke indicates that sinners cannot approach God without an intermediary. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." These passages tell us that all are sinners and that no one can approach God without going through Jesus, the only mediator. Jesus died for our sins. He rose for our justification. So when we humble ourselves, confess our sins to the Lord, believe in the grace of sin-forgiveness, we then can approach God with confidence.

The point of pride then is to reject Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. Speaking of this truth, Jesus says in John 3:18, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." In the case of the people of Amos's day, the priestly system given to Israel through Moses is a type of the reality to come, that is, Jesus Christ. But in his pride Uzziah rejected the necessity for a mediator. The Lord then struck him with leprosy.

From Uzziah's example we learn that a proud person is not someone who brags about his own abilities or his possessions. Rather a proud person is the one who does not admit that he is a sinner and is therefore in need of a mediator, who is Jesus Christ.

II. For three sins, even for four (1:3-9:10)

Amos can be divided into three parts: the first part (1:1-2) points out the cause (that is man's pride) of their downfall; the second part (1:3-9:10) describes God's judgment on the unbelieving nations; and the third part (9:11-15) concerns the vision of the work the Messiah is to fulfill.  

The second part can further be subdivided into two sections, that is, God's judgment on the unbelieving nations (1:3-2:3) and God's impending judgment on the house of Jacob, and the Lord’s call to seek the Lord and live (2:4-9:10). The phrase, "for three sins and even for four," refers to the Lord's long patience. Yet despite the Lord's long patience, when people keep rebelling, the Lord ensures that no sins will go unpunished. God is the God of mercy and the God of justice.

The unbelieving nations remain condemned. Using the law of the conscience the Lord revealed the right way to life, but when they violated the voice of their consciences, God was ready to mete out his judgment upon the unbelieving nations, such as Philistine or Edom.

Unlike the Gentile nations, the house of Jacob had the privilege to receive the way to have their sins forgiven and approach God. But in their pride they rejected the way of God's salvation. King Uzziah's sinful pride was the last straw to the Lord's forbearance. Would someone stand and read Amos 6:8?

Still, however, in his long patience, the Lord urged them to seek the Lord and live through the prophet Amos. Look at 5:4, “This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live...’ ” Again, Amos 5:14 reads, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is." Notice that the Lord exhorted them to seek him first, and then they can seek good. This is consistent with the truth that when one makes a tree good, one naturally sees the tree bearing good fruit, for a good tree cannot bear bad fruit; it is only a good tree that bears good fruit.

In regard to the judgment on all peoples on earth, the Lord distinguishes the house of Jacob from the Gentile nations, for as the Bible continually maintains, although a majority of the people in the house of Jacob were unbelieving, the Lord still left some remnants, such as Amos, so Amos 9:8 reads, “ ‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth--yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,’ declares the LORD.”

Let us then think about the call to seek the Lord and live. This exhortation teaches us that seeking the Lord is the key to securing life. Most people in the day of Amos sought to make a living by indulging themselves in buying, selling, planting, or building. They made super-human efforts to make a living by chasing after the things of this world, such as real estate; as a result, some were so successful that they built a winter house here and a summer house there. (Amos 3:15) But the Lord says that the efforts to make a living must be directed upward.

“Seek the Lord and live.” The word “seek” suggests that the presence of Lord is not obvious to carnal minds. So one must make efforts to find the Lord. This however does not mean that the Lord plays hide and seek. Rather the opposite is true. In order to help his children to look for him, the Lord intentionally sends troubles, such as locusts, so they would repent and turn to God. Let us read 4:6-13. It is interesting to note that the Lord gave them empty stomachs so that they could seek the Lord. The empty stomach is symbolic of an economy going bad, with people losing jobs. The Lord's approach in helping people to seek the Lord is very much revealing of what is going on in the U.S. for the last couple of years. When one's stomach is full one must be careful for he is in danger of being complacent and thus not seeking the Lord. No wonder that missionaries in less developed countries (such as Mexico) than the U.S. are all in good spirit; with great fervor they all seek the Lord. Each time they pray they all kneel down and offer prayers. In Guadalajara, the average annual income is $10,700. But for new college graduates the average monthly salary is below $500. Yet according to Msn. Hanna Rhee, in an effort to seek the Lord, the student-leaders attended the Purdue Int’l Bible Conference by paying not only for the round trip tickets but also the conference fees.  

III. I will restore David's tent (9:11-15)

Let us rise and read 9:11-15. This passage further elaborates on the prophecy Jeremiah proclaimed. The Lord established Jeremiah to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, and to build and to plant. Indeed, as Jeremiah prophesied the Lord uprooted the house of Jacob and sent them to a foreign land. Then about 8 centuries after Amos’s prophecy, the Lord God sent Jesus Christ, who in turn restored David’s fallen tent. Legally, Jesus is the son of David, for after being born of a Virgin Mary, he was registered into the family of Joseph, a descendant of David. When Jesus was about thirty years old he began his public ministry. The focus of his ministry was to build the kingdom builders. For this purpose, Jesus called the Twelve. Through his disciple making ministry the Lord restored David's fallen tent. Here "tent" is symbolic of a house where family members live together. In the day of Amos the Lord had to declare that the twelve tribes of Israel (collectively called “the house of Jacob”) had to go into exile. But when Jesus came the Lord established the Twelve disciples (who later were called the Apostles), who in turn worked to restore God's kingdom by preaching the gospel to all nations.

Thanks and praise be to God for sending Jesus as a kingdom builder.

One word: Seek the Lord and live

Class Exercise:

1.     In Amos 3:3 the Lord asks the whole family (who came out of Egyptian slavery), “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” What is it like for the two to ‘walk together’?

2.    Read 2:13-16. What do the following categories of people have in common?

1) The swift; 2) The strong; 3) The warrior; 4) The archer; 5) The fleet-footed; 6) The horseman; and 7) The bravest

3.    According to Amos, “a burning stick” refers to: _____________________________

4.    What is wrong with the way in which the following exhortations are arranged?

1) Hate evil, love good

2) Seek good, not evil

3) Seek the Lord and live

4) Seek me and live

5.    Fill the blanks: “He who made the _________ and _________, who turns ________ into _______ and darkens ______ into _______, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land --- the ______ is his name.”

6.    Amos 6:8 reads, “I abhor the pride of Jacob…” What does “abhor” mean?

7.    In Hebrew the name “Amos” means “a burden carrier”. What does the meaning of the name Amos and Jesus Christ have in common?

   

Warsaw Poland 2017 Christmas worship

On Dec 30, 2017 5:52 AM, "Jacob Lee" <jacobleeubf@gmail.com> wrote:

New Year Greetings from Warsaw Poland.

 I arrived at Warsaw safely crossing Atlantic Ocean all night. God blessed Warsaw weekend Missionary conference at M. Abraham's residence located near embassy rows with 25 people from December 25 to December 26 2017.

The theme was "Emmanuel" based on Matthew 1:23 delivered by M. Abraham Lee. 25 people attended with 4 Polish students from Warsaw Poland and M. Elijah and Deborah Park from Warsaw Poland with 3 children, Abraham and Sarah Lee from Warsaw Poland with 4 children, M. Henry and Hannah Lee from Pozdan Poland with 4 Children, and M. Moses and Esther Lee from Darmstadt Germany with 3 children. I was greatly encouraged by the work of God in Poland through American missionary family. All of them stayed Abraham's house which is big enough to hold all of them. M. Sarah Kisung Lee served every meal for 2 days conference.

I thank God for using Abe's family for Poland mission work. Among English class students, 2 people attended Christmas worship service. Samantha, Josiah, and Jakey served drama. Even 2 year-old Joshua was in the drama as sheep. From next week, Sarah Kisung will study the Bible with one student who came to Christmas worship service.

Poland adopted western Christianity in 966 by Duke Mieszko I. Poland is the 6th largest economy among EU members and the capital city is Warsaw. Poland suffered a lot during the World II by Nazi Germany and Red Army of Soviet Union. More than 2 million Jews died at Nazi concentration camps and six million people died during the WWII, one thirds of total population. Poland as a Christian nation endured a long-suffering and rose again after gaining independence from the Soviet Union through the solidarity movement by Lech Walesa and polish people. Poland produced famous music composer Chopin. Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest superstars, his association (if only indirect) with political insurrection, his love life and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era in the public consciousness. His works remain popular, and he has been the subject of numerous films and biographies of varying degrees of historical accuracy.
 
Poland also produced Madame Marie Curie-two time Novel Prize winning scientists. Born Maria Sklodowska on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person—man or woman—to win the award twice. Curie's efforts, with her husband Pierre Curie, led to the discovery of polonium and radium and, after Pierre's death, the further development of X-rays. Poland is also home of Pope John Paul II.

Please pray for Poland to rise again as the kingdom of priests and a holy nation by preaching the gospel of Jesus to all Poland through Missionaries Elijah and Deborah Park, Abe and Sarah Lee, and M. Henry and Hannah Lee.

May God’s Kingdom come to Poland! Amen!

From Warsaw, Poland

Jacob Lee

University Bible Fellowship Washington Chapter
Tel 301-538-4919
http://www.washingtonubf.org
3604 Metzerott Road, College Park, MD 20740

His name is Jesus

Christmas Play, 2017

Dec. 25
Evening Hours

Script: Marie, Jaime, and Christyn Kim

Characters:

Essential Characters:

Mary, Joseph, Angel, Shepherds, Wise Men, Jesus

Other:

 Sheep, Narrator, Innkeepers, Cat

Actors:

Jaime-  Wise Man 2, Mary, and Shepherd 1

Carolyn- Cat, Innkeeper 1, and Joseph

Christyn- Innkeeper 3, Wise Man 1, and Innkeeper 2

Marie- Shepherd 2, Mrs. Innkeeper, and Wise Man 3

Lisa- Person 1 and Angel

Aleeza- Bess

(the narrator’s lines are everything that is typed in Old Century Schoolbook)

This is the story of the Nativity. It all started with a special, young lady named Mary…

SCENE 1: AT MARY’S HOUSE

MARY: *minding her own business*

ANGEL: *appears dramatically* MARY. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD TO GIVE BIRTH TO A BABY KING. YOU SHALL NAME HIM JESUS. HE WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM SIN!

MARY: *scared voice* I will obey the Lord no matter what!

Later that day

SCENE 2:  JOSEPH’S HOUSE

MARY: *running to Joseph’s house* I have good news! God has chosen me to give birth to a baby and his name will be Jesus!

JOSEPH: *worried voice* Um… what? No, no, no! I can’t believe it! No!!!!

MARY: Joseph, are you okay? He’s God’s son! God chose us to raise him!

That night

JOSEPH: *sleeping*

ANGEL: *enters* JOSEPH. JOSEPH! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD. EVERYTHING WILL GO AS HE HAS PLANNED *disappears*

The next morning

JOSEPH: *pant, pant* AHHHH!

SCENE 3: A WHILE LATER AT MARY’S HOUSE (AFTER THEIR WEDDING)

JOSEPH: Everyone is supposed to go to their hometown. We must go to Bethlehem.

JOSEPH AND MARY: *packing*

MARY AND JOSEPH: *sets off*

SCENE 4: AT BETHLEHEM

MARY: I’m very tired. Let’s find a place to stay. I can’t wait much longer!

JOSEPH: Okay *goes up to inn door* Can we stay here for the night?

INNKEEPER 1: NOOO! Too crowded. No room. Sorry. *slams door*

JOSEPH:*opens door* It’s only one night!

INNKEEPER 1: Nope. Like I said, sorry. And by the way, don’t open the door again. Got it? Got it. *slams door again*

MARY: It’s okay, Joseph. We’ll find a place to stay.

JOSEPH: I don’t know Mary. But we can try a few more inns.

JOSEPH: *goes to next house and knocks*

INNKEEPER 2: *opens door*

JOSEPH: Hey, um, can you get us a room to stay in?

INNKEEPER 2: Go! Shoo! I can’t take any more peo-

CAT: MEOW!!!!

INNKEEPER 2: OMG! Nobody said you could bring cats!

PERSON 1: Huh? What… *falls asleep on ground*

CAT: *runs away*

INNKEEPER 2: People these days. *runs off after cat*

JOSEPH: Okay… Nice talking to you, I guess.

JOSEPH: *walks to next inn and knocks*

INNKEEPER 3: Be there in a minute! *chews on food* Hon? Can you answer the door? Thanks, sweetie pie!

MRS. INNKEEPER: Rggggggh. Okay, honey! *opens door* How ya’ doing?

JOSEPH: Can we stay the night?

MRS. INNKEEPER: Sorry, hon. No room. But we do have the animal’s shelter in the back. It might not be as nice, but it’s certainly better than sleeping in the streets.

MARY: OH! Thank you so much. We’ll go there right now.

JOSEPH: Are you sure, Mary?

MARY: Well, it’s the best we’ve got.

SCENE 5: IN THE SHEEP PASTURE

*put up the star*

SHEPHERD 1: Wow! Look at that star! It’s amazing!

SHEPHERD 2: Yeah!

BESS: BAHHHHH!!!!

ANGEL: *appears* COME. FOLLOW THE STAR. THE NEW KING HAS BEEN BORN! *leaves*

SHEPHERD 1: Alrighty then. Which direction?

SHEPHERD 2: Isn’t it obvious? It’s the biggest star in the night sky!

SHEPHERD 1: Oh. Yeah. I see it now. We can also take along our trusty sheep! Right, Bess? *looks down at sheep*

SHEPHERD 2: *sigh* Whatever. As long as we get there in time.

SCENE 6: WISE MEN

WISE MAN 1: Are we there yet? Do you think this new king will like our presents? Also, did I mention, are we there yet?

WISE MAN 2: No, silly. It’ll take us approximately 2.5 more hours until we get there and we just left the rest stops.

WISE MAN 1: What about the camels? They are probably starving. Did anybody bring the DeliciosoCamelloCielo treats?

WISE MAN 3: The camels got to eat just five minutes ago.

WISE MAN 2: Unbelievable! *glances up from book* According to my research, camels can go without water for up to six months! *looks back down at book*

WISE MAN 1: How did you manage to make that book survive this long? We’ve gone through sandstorms, snake pits, giant sand dunes, bandits, cacti, and sunburns! Plus, I bet it weighs, like, a million pounds!

WISE MAN 2: First of all, books don’t get sunburns. Secondly, this book weighs exactly 10.651749425 pounds. Thirdly, you were the one who fell into that pit of snakes and walked through that cacti, not me. You said it was a ‘shortcut’.

WISE MAN 1: I did?

WISE MAN 3: Guys, let’s get back on topic, shall we?

SCENE 7: AT THE ANIMAL’S SHELTER

SHEPHERD 1: *both shepherds standing outside shelter* Yay! We made it! Look! We’re right under the star! I’m so proud of myself! Aren’t you proud of me, Bess?

BESS: Bahhh!

SHEPHERD 2: Yeah, whatever. Let’s go inside. *walks into shed/barn*

MARY: *looks up* Hi.

JOSEPH: Hi. What ya’ folks doin’ here, man?

SHEPHERD 2: What up?

SHEPHERD 1: We are here to see the baby!!! Bess wants to know some baby tips. She wants to have 10 kids! Or should I say lambs? Eh, Bess?

BESS: Bahhh!

SCENE 8: WISE MEN PART 2

WISE MAN 2: We are approximately 0.000001 miles away from our destination. Did anyone bring the scripts? I need to check it over again, make more edits, footnotes, dialogue, and the evidence. We must come prepared!

WISE MAN 1: We already came prepared, remember? You packed the beef, pot roast, medicine, cactus juice just in case we ran out of water, 3 gallons of water, 3 gallons of vitamin water, Vitamin C, D, and A pills, gummy bear vitamins, first aid kits, and the poison oak remedy. You also brought 10 gallons­­ of sunscreen!!!!!!!!!!

WISE MAN 3: I would call that prepared. Why do we need a script anyway? It’s not like someone is writing down everything that we say. We are not that important!

WISE MAN 2: Technically, we are wise men, I would call that very important because we uphold the wisdom and preserve it with our amazing minds. Other people would be mind blown.

WISE MAN 1: You two wise men are pretty wise, but I’m obviously the wisest in the whole cosmos with my infinite wisdom and whatnot.

WISE MAN 3: Yeah, right. This is coming from the person who fell into a snake pit and called it a nice, easy shortcut with no problems whatsoever.

WISE MAN 2: I would guess that your IQ is 17. That would be surprisingly smart for you. Of course, that is why it’ll never happen. In other words, impossible.

WISE MAN 3: Alright guys and girls, we have arrived at our destination. The star is hovering above that shed.

SCENE 9: JESUS

WISE  MEN: *enter*

WISE MAN 1: I claim bathroom. I gotta do Number 100! But, umm… Obviously, as a wise man, I know where the bathrooms are, but just to make sure you guys know, where exactly is it?

MARY: We don’t have a bathroom here. It’s temporary, though, don’t worry. You could go outside and relieve yourself. What is Number 100?

WISE MAN 3: Trust me, don’t ask.

WISE MAN 2: Even I don’t want to listen to his lecture about it. Anyway, we have brought highly valuable gifts to present to your son. I brought gold. *presents gold*

WISE MAN 1: I brought myrrh! *sets down myrrh*

WISE MAN 3: And last but not least, I brought frankincense! *sets down frankincense*

JOSEPH: Thanks, but I would have preferred a donkey.

WISE MAN 3: Oh, sorry.

MARY: What he means to say *glares at Joseph* is that you didn’t have to bring such amazing gifts.  Right, Joseph?

JOSEPH: Yes, of course, Mary! *looks at wise men* What she said.

SHEPHERD 1: The baby is so cute!

MARY: Thank you. His name is Jesus.

Participants: Christyn, Marie, Carolyn, Jamie, Lisa, Aleeza

Location: Living Room, 2106 Butte St. Redding, CA 96001

No Word from God will ever fail

Family Christmas worship service 

Redding
Attendants: Malibu family; Rocklin family; Grandparents

Sermon: Isaac H. Kim

For no word from God will ever fail

Hymn: Joy to the World

Opening Prayer: Isaac H.  Kim

Piano: Dr. Becky Y. Kim

Bible Reading: Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[b] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 Sermon:

Two that do not fail:

1. God’s word

2. Love

Math: 1+2 = 3 who is Jesus (He is the Word and Love)

Photos: Jesus’ birth; died on a tree; rose again

Today: foretelling of Jesus’ birth

No word from God will fail
- grandpa had a dream

-         word of God true and trustworthy:

-         the good news about the Lord Jesus:

-         3 words of God to remember and live by:

o      John 3:16

o      John 10:10

o      John 6:35-40

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus’ nicknames:

-          bread of life

-         resurrection

 

Closing Prayer: Grandpa