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Dear Friends,

This is a huge week at Christ Church, and you all (y’all!) need to know what is going on.

Please Be Here This Weekend
First, I have some big news about our future to share with you this weekend. We are announcing a renewed plan that will help prepare us for our future. You will see it all come together in my message to you, and there will be some materials for you to take home as well. To complement this announcement, our Youth and Children’s ministries will host an Open House in Archgate Center between the 9:15 and 11 a.m. services. This is a chance for all the parents (hundreds of you) to connect with the dozens of teachers and leaders who are your partners in bringing up your children to know and love the Lord. I hope you will take the time to express your gratitude to them, and also see what our ministries are doing to make disciples of the next generation.

Anglican 1000 Summit
Next week Christ Church is hosting a major national conference called the Anglican1000 Church Planting Summit. There will be hundreds of church planters all over the campus on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We will welcome them with open arms. Our own Daniel Adkinson and I have been leading the effort for Anglican1000 and we are ready to welcome this important ministry of the ACNA. You can be a part of it, too. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, we are opening up the conference to anyone who would like to hear the lectures of Dr. Tim Keller and Bishop Todd Hunter. Go here for information; the doors open early for a 7:30 p.m start. Both speakers will have plenty to say that will be enriching and inspirational for every member of our church.

Next Holy Land Trip
Fran and I are leading another trip to the Holy Land this year. We will depart on October 18, 2011 for our 10-day pilgrimage. Over 150 members of our church have made such a trip. It truly has been the trip of a lifetime for all of them. We will host an information night on Feb. 17. Contact Cathy Carey to register for the info meeting or to request a brochure.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I lost track of where Robert lives now. I think he is in Houston, married to his wife of more than 25 years, with children grown and gone. He was one of our charter members of Christ Church. A few months ago, he happened to be back here for worship and I got to see him for a few minutes. We exchanged handshakes and tried to catch up with one another between services.

A few days later, he friended me on Facebook and I have seen a posting or two since. Today he left a message for me after watching last Sunday’s sermon, “What If We Are Not Good Enough?” (Sermon videos are posted here each Monday.)

Robert’s message was a great summary of what I have come to understand as THE amazing truth about faith in Christ. He wrote: As the years pass I have come to realize that it is not I who needs to invite Jesus into my life – it is that Jesus has already invited me into his LIFE and my part is to accept that invitation. For God has drawn me to Jesus and that makes me good enough for Jesus – accepting the invite requires repentance, forgiveness, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Paul had this idea in mind when he wrote the Christians at Ephesus this very thing. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

This is God’s Grace in our lives…inviting, calling, and drawing people to Himself.  Many, many people at Christ Church have seen this happen in their lives. They really have. They have felt something stirring in them as they sit in the pews. They sense God’s presence coming to them. They have answered this call and grown with Him and in Him.

This is the kind of work that we get to celebrate here. We have seen God doing this for 25 years. From the early days meeting at Carpenter Middle School to the most recent moments in church when the snow began to fall and we were reminded of Isaiah’s picture:

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

(Isaiah 1:18 ESV)

…I give thanks to God for these amazing days.

Now, here are some things you need to know.

Broken Minds
It all happened too fast for me to respond to this properly. It goes without saying that we should all be deeply shocked and saddened by the massacre in Tucson.  Pundits are passing around a lot of blame and accusations, but I am convinced they are missing the point. The point is that we share our world with some twisted people with broken minds. It is the price of living in a free and open society: Bad people will sometimes do bad things.

We should keep the families in our prayers and applaud the heroism of those brave men and women in the crowd. And we should thank the Lord for each day of safety and strength that we have.

Great News
There is some great news that I plan to announce publicly very soon. I shot the video for it today. Teams of people are starting to meet about it this week. It is about a door that is opening to an exciting future for Christ Church as we celebrate our 25th anniversary.  Stay tuned…and be sure to be in church on the weekend of Jan 22/23 (every week, actually).

300 Church Planters

Later this month, Christ Church will host the 2nd Annual Anglican1000 Summit. On January 25-27, the campus will be brimming with over 300 church planters from the U.S. and Canada. The evening sessions are open to the public and feature two of America’s outstanding leaders in the church planting and cultural engagement. Plan to attend Tuesday night to hear Tim Keller and Wednesday night to hear Bishop Todd Hunter. Go here for more information.

How are you growing?
Just a reminder that unless you are in a Bible study, or a small group, or some other means of regular and steady immersion in the Word, you are missing out on one of the joys of the Christian faith: spiritual growth. Christ Church provides many, many ways for disciples to grow. If you have questions or need to get steered in the right direction, please contact Fr. Jason Bowman and he would love to speak with you.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

OK, so the first sermon of the year was interrupted by a fainting man. He wrote an email to some of the staff (and me) yesterday. In part, he said this: “Thanks for the wonderful care and concern that I received on Sunday morning during my health episode. Sorry David to make your first message of the year so dramatic. When I later came to consciousness I joked that the message was just too convicting.”

He is doing fine, as you can tell. But for those of you who missed the last half of the message, it was very simple (and by the way, you can hear it at 7:30 a.m. this Sunday on WRR 101.1 FM): Following Christ is not a matter of one simple decision. It is, instead, a series of thousands of choices to let Christ the Lord be Lord of everything in your life. He is fully capable and ready to lead you this year. I quoted a line from “Spiritual Depression” by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, found here.

It does beg the question a bit, though: What about your spiritual life and New Year’s Resolutions? My thoughts on this are as follows: Worship, Grow and Serve. That’s it. Pick three.

Worship. Make a week-by-week commitment to attend Christ Church to worship the Lord. It is the “chief end of man”, said the Westminster Catechism (here). Of course, to glorify God involves so much more than worship. It is not just something you attend. It is a life lived for God. But it does involve at least coming to worship.

Grow. Make a commitment to grow in your knowledge and depth of insight about God’s Word.  There is no more compelling or interesting book in the world than our Bible.  As its drama unfolds, there are thousands of applications of wisdom and truth into our life.  Join a Bible study at our church, join a small group, or begin a reading program of the Holy Scriptures.

Serve. People who are worshiping God and growing in their faith will want a place to serve.  Either in Christ Church or from Christ Church, you are needed. Check our website, or pick up the phone and call any one of our staff.  We will find a place for you.

Now, here are some things you need to know:

Number One
I got a text from Josh Havens, our artist-in-residence, this week. It said he’d just heard from his record label that the first radio charts of the 2011 were out and that

Chart-topper for eight weeks

their song,“Light Up The Sky” has now been #1 across various Christian music boards for 8 weeks! They are also seeing some international success in places like Canada and New Zealand. I am very thankful for Josh’s ministry to our church, and I thought you’d like to know of The Afters’ success.

Year-End Vital Sign
It is still too early to tell how Christ Church ended the year. The mail is still coming in every day. But I have heard from our finance office that the Lord has provided in a number of incredible ways. We may not quite hit the final revenue number, but we also are under budget for the year in our expenses. We will see how it all turns out, but I am (once again) amazed and blessed. Thanks to every family who went above and beyond. God bless you all. Our annual giving report will be available before the end of the month.

A New Liturgy

2004 Irish Book of Common Prayer

This weekend, with the start of the season of Epiphany, we will begin to use a liturgy taken from the 2004 Irish Book of Common Prayer. (We are not switching out our pew books…this will be printed in the bulletin.) One of the great joys of being an Anglican is that we have a worldwide family that worships in a very similar, or “common” way. Although each national church has its own Book of Common Prayer, both the form and words of worship are very similar. So, whether you’re worshiping in Plano, Dublin, or Nairobi you’ll feel at home with your fellow Anglicans.

We chose this new liturgy for two main reasons: The Irish Book of Common Prayer is not a significant departure from the liturgy we’ve always known and used, yet it very clearly emphasizes what is important to us at Christ Church: biblically based, evangelical worship. The liturgy calls us to celebrate our salvation made possible through the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We hope you come to love and appreciate this new liturgy. Please talk to one of the clergy if you have any questions regarding this change.

That’s all for now. Happy new year to you and your family.

In Christ,
David+

Last year due to winter weather and icy roads, our Christmas Eve services were cut short. This year it was a truly wonderful time to fully celebrate in praise and worship. Take a look at the photo slideshow. Also, if you missed it, the final sermon from the Believing Christmas series.

Photo Slideshow – Christmas Eve 2010

Trouble viewing photo slideshow? Click here.

Video – Believing Christmas: Jesus

Trouble viewing video? Click here.

Dear Friends,

Since our time together at Thanksgiving I have been reflecting on the many moments over the years where we have seen God’s hand. What a year it has been! I always look for a “theme verse” for a particular year, and last night it was given to me by one of our vestry members. Isaiah wrote: “Expand your tent stakes, Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtain wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2) In other words, get ready! God is doing some amazing work and we get to be part of it.

In the first part of next year I will lay out some very exciting plans for our church as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. The staff and vestry and a team of leaders have been busy making preparations for a new era in our church. I’ll let everyone know more about this in the first weeks of the New Year.

But first, here are a few things you need to know:

Your Year-End Giving
I implore you to help us finish the year strong. I ask you to be especially generous in your support of our ministry in the closing weeks of this year. We have been blessed year by year with sacrificial givers…and we need them now more than ever.  We need every family in our church to help us reach our income needs for 2010. Specifically, we need $654,000 by December 31 in order to make budget for the year. Please contact Stacy Mading if you have any questions about your giving, or about your statement which you should have received in the mail a couple of weeks ago.

Now, here are some things you need to know:

Nativity
The new Nativity set in the Sanctuary was a huge blessing to so many people.  Scores of people came forward to get a closer look. Here is a mini-FAQ from so many of you:

Q: How old is the tree and what kind of tree is it?
A: It is an olive tree from Samaria and is about 800-1,200 years old. I was told that olive trees are especially hard to judge in terms of their age, but it is very, very old.

Q: Are all the figures carved from that specific tree?
A: I don’t think so. But I have seen dozens of carved pieces of olive wood over the years of trips to Israel. I have never seen anything as absolutely stunning as these figures.  They are works of art and each piece is signed by the artist.

Q: Are there other pictures of it for me to send to friends?
A: Below are a few more pictures of the closeup work of the artist.

A Service Steeped in Anglican Tradition
This Sunday at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Services
“A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” originating at the cathedral of Truro in Cornwall England on Christmas Eve, 1880, is the retelling in scripture and song of the story of our redemption in Jesus Christ. In its original form, the service consisted of nine readers, anthems and carols by the choir, and congregational hymns. Nearly four decades later, the service was modified and introduced to King’s College, Cambridge in 1918 by Dean Eric Milner-White. A bidding prayer and Lord’s Prayer were placed after the processional hymn with a series of prayers and blessings to conclude. Since that time, the King’s College tradition of Lessons and Carols has been instituted in parishes and cathedrals throughout the Anglican Communion and adopted by other communities of faith around the world. This service would be a wonderful opportunity to invite friends to experience our Anglican worship.

The nativity scene from last Sunday's Christmas pageant

This year’s Children’s Christmas Pageant was a huge success. Isaiah, angels, shepherds, wise men, kings, Mary, Joseph and sheep were all represented on stage. In all, 67 children did a wonderful job reminding over 220 family members, staff and guests about the events leading up to, and the day of, Christmas.  Afterward, the festivities continued as families gathered with cider and cookies. If you’re children are not involved in our Children’s Ministry, I would strongly encourage you to bring them. Their Christian education is extremely important, and great things are happening here every week.

Vestry Nominations
Members of Christ Church are invited to recommend names of people to be considered for nomination to the Vestry. Please include contact information and a brief description of the person’s spiritual qualifications, leadership experience and background of service. Submissions should be emailed to Jan Trimble, Office of the Rector. Submission deadline is Monday, December 20.

Merry Christmas From Our Family

The Roseberry Family 2010

Fran and I wish you all a blessed Christmas. Our entire family came in for Thanksgiving.  Jed, Stacy, Haley, and Evan are doing well at Restoration Anglican Church in Addison. Taye and Tray, with Moses, Milan, and their newest girl, Finley, still live in Spring, Texas where he is the worship leader at Faith Bible Church. Daniel is working as a fashion designer in New York. Liz is a freelance artist and designer in Austin. Pictured also here is my mother and her husband, Martha and Keith Thorson, who live in Tucson, Arizona.

I hope to see every one of your at our next “Invite Night”, Christmas Eve services at 4 ,6,8, or 10.  (The first is the “family” service; the other three are “candlelight” services.) We have a lot to make up for from last year!

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I have been holding off on telling you this because I was not sure of the timing. The crate I was hoping would arrive in time for Christmas arrived this past weekend. I made a trip to DFW airport on Monday, ran the box through customs and unpacked it at the church. I am simply overwhelmed.

The artist captured deep emotion in the faces of this stunning Nativity set

In tribute for the Lord Jesus and for the 25th anniversary of Christ Church, I am presenting a beautiful work of art to our church: an amazingly beautiful and exquisitely hard-carved olive wood Nativity Set from Bethlehem. The figures are exacting in their detail and they beautifully communicate the miracle and wonder of our Savior’s birth.  They are arranged in a wooden “cave” that is carved out of an olive-wood tree from the northern part of the Judean countryside. The tree itself is nearly 1,200 years old. It is stunning.

Fran and I saw this set in a gift store in Bethlehem and immediately felt it would be a fitting gift for Christ Church to receive. After all, we have a giant boulder from the Sea of Galilee! A donor made the acquisition possible. When we set up the scene in Sanctuary yesterday, we praised God for this ability to honor His Son in this way.

Nativity Sets are common this time of year. The birth of our Lord is told in marvelous detail by Matthew and Luke. Many of you have Nativity Sets in your home that have been in your family for years. We do as well. But now, together, Christ Church has its own special set that will stay in our parish family for years and years to come.

After the services on Sunday, I will invite you all to come forward to see and appreciate this work of art. Parents, I would want you to bring your children forward as well, but please keep close watch on them. It will remain up through January 6, the beginning of the Season of Epiphany.  Here is a gallery of photos showing the individual pieces:

Here are some other things you need to know this week:

Year-End Financial Need
We know that many people will wait until the last month of the year to make their generous contributions or ‘”catch up” on their annual giving. This year is no exception. We are asking everyone to give generously between now and the end of the year. Our year-end goal is $735,000. This amount will allow us to pay all bills and end the year in the black, ready for a great new term. Please be generous…as you have always been. Prayerfully considering your giving and make sure it matches the gratitude in your heart for what God has provided for you.

The Virgin Birth
Many people asked me about my message last weekend. Some had never thought of the Virgin Birth as one of the most essential doctrines in our faith. I hope I clearly explained its importance. I quoted a bishop of the church from the 17th century, Bishop  Lancelot Andrewes. Read here about his life, his sermon, and the direct quote from the text of his Christmas Day sermon of 1606. The language might appear arcane to some, but I have included my own paraphrase.

Growth and Strength in Our Small Groups

Small Group leaders met Sunday night to discuss growth and strength for our Small Group ministry.

I was so blessed to speak to our Small Group leaders on Sunday night. They are gospel ministers to hundreds of people in our church. They gathered under the leadership of Fr. Jason to chart a wayforward for growth and strength. The ministry of our adult Small Groups is being reemphasized as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. I don’t know of anything that has been more important to the life and heart of our church than our Small Group ministry. If you would like to grow in your faith by joining or starting a new small group, I hope you will contact Fr. Jason.

This weekend, we will continue our sermon series, Believing Christmas, with the story of Zechariah. I’ll see you here.

In Christ,
David