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Dear Friends,

What can I say? In two short weeks…a mere 14 days…it will be Christmas Day. And on that day, I would want you to have all the fullness of God’s blessing and joy given to you and to your family.

As you know, God uses the music ministry of Christ Church to touch thousands of people at their deepest levels. And for me, God uses this event, our Candlelight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols coming this Sunday evening, to actually bring me to a moment of JOY in the Christmas Season. Don’t miss it! It is something that God has used over and over again to reach thousands of people. I’ll see you all this Sunday night at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary.

Another important word for the season:

Fran spoke a word to me a few weeks ago that resonated in my spirit…and I want to tell you about it. She said, “David, there is great joy in this season… Preach it!” I am taking her words to heart this Sunday and the next (and of course on Christmas Eve.) As I have read and reread the Christmas story from Luke 2, a single line has struck a chord–a line that has echoed throughout history: “Behold, I bring you Good News of a Great Joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2)

That will be the basis of my message this week and even the week to come. The news all around us has been bad. There have been terrorist attacks, political corruption, ongoing financial worries, layoffs, and talk of recession. But into that kind of world, a world of danger and need, Jesus was born. Come this weekend and share in the JOY of the season.(And of course, this is the season to invite your friends to church.)

Now, there are a few things I want you to know this week.

1. The send-off for Fr. Greg and Steffanie Methvin was beautiful. The long line of well-wishers and supporters must have been a great encouragement to them. We will miss them and we do send them on their way with God’s blessings. Steffanie will remain until the end of the year to oversee The Bookstore through the holidays.
2. All 800 angels have now been taken from our Angel Trees. This is a sign of great hope in a variety of ways. It shows me that even when times are tough and people are worried, there is plenty of love and generosity in this congregation. Look at this tree in Fellowship Hall with all the gifts under it. There will be many more toys and gifts this weekend as they are all brought back for distribution. Please remember to bring yours.
3. After prayer and thought, I have tendered my resignation as the Chairman of the Board of Trinity School for Ministry. I completed eight years of ministry there, the last few of which were serving as the Chair. As I came back from Sabbatical and began to reassess what I believe I am called to focus on, I knew that God was drawing that chapter of my ministry to a close. I love the school and of course Christ Church still supports the school. We will continue to send students there (we have Jon and Amelia Parker there now) but I felt that my time and effort were better spent here at Christ Church.

As we approach the end of the year, I ask for your prayers and generous giving. Christ Church needs (as of last Sunday) approximately $735,000 to complete the end of the year in the black. It seems like a lot (and it is) and it will take the generous response of every church family to keep our ministries healthy and vibrant. Our ministry offices at 4516 Legacy Drive will be open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to receive your last-minute contributions.

‘See you this weekend.

David+

Dear Friends,

This will be Fr. Greg Methvin’s last weekend at Christ Church as Vicar. Steffanie will be staying through the end of the year for the sake of the bookstore. While we are very sad to see them go, they will not be far away and we will most assuredly see them all from time to time.

Greg is a friend and colleague.  I have trusted his counsel and work for the past seven years. As one person said in a staff good-bye lunch we had, his fingerprints are all over Christ Church. He has been a solid mentor and discipler to many of our men; he is a gifted communicator and teacher; he has the quickest wit of anyone I know; and he is beloved by many.  I hasten to add that what makes Greg authentic and strong is his authentic and strong love of God in Christ.

I know that his future is bright and I believe that the Church of the Incarnation will be blessed to have him. (Did you know that is where Fr. Ted Nelson got his start in ministry 40+ years ago?) Greg will preach at all services (except Chapel Hill), we will have a reception in the Fellowship Hall after the 9:15 service. I will make a formal presentation of appreciation for Greg during the 11:00 service. (Note to Chapel Hill attendees: Will you pop in to the Sanctuary at the end of your service to join in our appreciation?)

There are a few things I want to cover in this email:

There is a small contingent of Christ Church members traveling to Peru today (Thursday, December 4.) They are representing our whole congregation as Bishop Bill Godfrey and his clergy formally dedicate the Leadership Center in Lima. (Recall that the family of Christ Church gave $500,000 for the purchase of the building they are dedicating.) You can watch the video of Bishop Godfrey’s very warm and personal thank-you to Christ Church here. And here is the letter that our team is carrying to Peru:

December 7th, 2008
The Feast of St. Nicholas

To the Bishop, Clergy, Leaders, and the People of the Anglican Diocese of Peru

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We are delighted to join in the celebration of this grand and historic occasion in Peru.  Our partnership in the Gospel and our friendship in Christ has blessed us in immeasurable ways over the past ten years.  We have labored among you as co-workers for the advancement of His Church and the proclamation of His Word.

In our time together we have learned from you the joy of the Lord and we have received a peace that passes understanding.  We thank you for your faithfulness to Him and your love for us.

We also join with you in sharing a hope together: that this building, dedicated as Christ the King, would always be used to promote the cause of Christ as King.   We pray that you will use this building to proclaim the love of God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and thus bring blessing to countless others in future generations.

In Christ,
The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry, Rector of Christ Church, Plano, TX
The People of the Parish of Christ Church, Plano, TX.

If you are a reader of Christianity Today, please pick up the December issue and go to page 50 for an excellent article by a rising voice in American Christianity. The article is entitled, “The Advent of Humility” and I must say that it deeply moved me. As I have hinted at in many places in my sermons or writing, I am deeply and increasingly desirous of the discovery of Grace in my life.  That’s why I was eager to preach the series “Every Day Grace” upon coming back from Sabbatical.

It has been very busy here at Christ Church…happy and sad times.  First of all, our Thanksgiving Eve service was a beautiful occasion and it was wonderfully attended. If you were there, you know that it was a slightly different format, family oriented, and for some, deeply moving. I have left my Thanksgiving Eve sermon up on the web here in case you missed it.

But sadly, there have been four deaths in our parish in the past two weeks: Jerry Hall, Fred Hall (no relation), Max Dallman, and this morning I heard from Tom Muse that Carolyn, his wife of many, many years, had died.  Many of the Lay Eucharistic Ministers knew her from your service and ministry in taking the sacrament to her bedside.

It all brings to life the reality of life in a parish family. I am privileged to serve with a great team of clergy and staff to minister in such a wonderful church.

In the news this week is that the AMiA (Anglican Mission in the Americas) has joined with many other Anglican bodies in North America to create an organization called “Anglican Church in North America.” Read the AMIA’s announcement here. I have yet to read and study the constitutions and canons (found here and here) but it is an historic and timely movement. There is clearly a lot of hope for an organization like this. Its advent signals a new day for so many of us who care deeply about the Anglican Communion and its mission. After I take time to read and reflect on the founding documents, I’ll have more to say to you about it. Until then, please pray for our Anglican leaders and for this new structure. You can read a lot more here.

Finally, this week you should receive in your mailbox two publications from Christ Church. First, the Advent issue of fwd: magazine is a beautiful collection of articles and offerings that is perfect to hand to someone as you invite them to church (hint!)  Second, the Journey to Generosity newsletter is meant to serve as your reminder to check your end-of-year giving. I will say more about the budget later, but meanwhile, please prayerfully consider your giving in light of how the Lord has been faithful to you and your family this year, and then continue to give generously so that our ministry may bless others.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I had the privilege last week of spending some time with Bishop Bill Godfrey who was in town for a very brief stop. He was not able to stay long enough to address the church family in person, but we sat down with the video camera so that he could impart heartfelt words of thanks to you for our recent $500,000 gift to the diocese of Peru. Truly that gift has been a life-changing act for generations to come. Like I said in my recent sermon, there is no downside to generosity. Even in harsh economic times like we’re in now, God has promised that our faithful giving will rebound as a blessing in our own lives. I am very proud, and I hope you are proud, that we were able to keep our commitment to Peru—the one that we made exactly two years ago today, on Thanksgiving eve, when we pledged $500,000 out of our $9.2 million capital campaign proceeds to ministry in Peru. Click here to view Bishop Godfrey’s video thanks.

As you know, Fr. Greg and Steffanie Methvin and will be leaving Christ Church soon. In case you missed the recent announcement about his next step, you can read it here.  His official last weekend will be December 6/7 and he will speak at all services. We will all want to wish him and Steffanie and their girls the best of God’s blessings in the next chapter of their ministry. There will be a reception for them between the 9:15 and 11 a.m. services in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, December 7.

Greg has been a brother in Christ and an extraordinary gift to the family of Christ Church. You all have heard him preach on many occasions and many of the men of Christ Church have been blessed by his discipleship teaching. And Steffanie’s work in launching The Bookstore has been a blessing, too. They will both be missed.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent. As a child I can remember the great anticipation in church (and in my heart) for the lighting of the four candles of the Advent Wreath—one a week for the four weekends before Christmas. It would be years before I came to know what it actually meant: the designation of the four millennia covered in the history of the Old Testament.  Indeed, as we will see in the readings and worship at Christ Church, there is great history and tradition in the Season. Don’t miss it… 

I hope to see you at 7 p.m. tonight at the Thanksgiving Eve service.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

First of all, as I announced in a special email to our church leaders on Tuesday, Fr. Greg and Steffanie Methvin have decided to take their next step in ministry. They have been approached by the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas to serve there. After prayer and reflection, Fr. Greg feels that this is the next step for him. You can read my announcement here…but the good news is that we have a few weeks to say goodbye to this wonderful family who mean so much to us all at Christ Church. We will have a reception for them on the morning of the Dec 7. Until then, please be sure to let them know what a blessing they have been to us all.

There are more than a few things I want to mention this week. Read on:

As I began the series on Journey to Generosity this week, I mentioned the meaning of the word “opportunity.” It comes from an ancient Latin phrase “ob portu” which meant the perfect convergence of time and tide which harbormasters used to launch ships on their voyage. It was a perfect moment when things happened that launched new adventures.I think we are at that moment now…perhaps more so than at any other time in our lifetime. The “opportunity” that we have now is to get our thinking and actions right about money and trust God for the future. ’See you in church this weekend for week two of “The Trust Test”.

I spoke about Thanksgiving Eve as if it were a “vision” of sorts. And to some extent, it is. I have a sense that our God would be pleased to hear the praises of His people on the evening before Thanksgiving. We all know that the times and days we face are difficult for everyone…and yet we also know that our God is a faithful God who delights in the praises of His people. Will you come for a special night of worship on Wed, November 26 at 7 p.m.? This is what the people of God do…they give thanks to God for all things.

I don’t want to give this group any more advertising than they have really paid for, but I read an interesting article here. Note the tagline: “Be good for goodness sake.” This is a clear indication of a group of people who are misguided and simplistic in their view of the human condition.The call to be “good for goodness sake” is a total misread of humanity. Any cursory understanding of ancient history (biblical or otherwise) or modern history and all times in between yields the same conclusion: We are captives to sin. (Read Ephesians 2, Romans 1-2, or Romans 7)

Finally, I want to let you know of some work I have been doing with our staff and vestry. In an effort to focus our ministries on our core values and in order to maximize our budget and stewardship of our resources, we have been working to restructure the overall Christ Church ministry. We have reduced the staff by five positions in the areas of missions, youth and parish ministry, and are getting more focused on the essentials of our ministry. We will take opportunities in the months to come to say goodbye to these valued staff members who have blessed our ministries in so many ways. We are certainly responding to the economic challenges that many organizations are facing right now. But more than that, I have been trying to simplify our offerings and highlight our mission to make disciples and teach them to obey the commands of Christ.

Click here for a “fireside chat” video (3:55) that further explains our renewed focus on Worship, Growth & Service.

In Christ,

David+

Occasionally someone will ask me for a tip on how to liven up their spiritual life. What’s the secret code to get you into God’s presence and into the bank vault of his blessing? I haven’t come across any secret codes or magic spells worth repeating, but I have found two resources too good to keep to myself. These power sources have kept my spiritual lights on and engines humming.

One will come as no surprise. Reading, remembering, and responding to the Bible has been my most secure connection to God. F.B. Meyer says, “God’s voice most often travels along the thin wire of Scripture.” That has been, and continues to be, my experience.

But next to the Bible, I dial into God’s presence through music more than any other spiritual channel. I was 12 years old when I first heard Christian music in a popular form. I had sung church hymns and children’s ditties about God, but when I heard Russ Taff and The Imperials bolt out a rock ballad about God, I found myself humming the tune and meditating on the lyrics. What was pleasing to the ear soon became nourishment for my heart.

Throughout my adolescence, I developed a broad taste for different styles of music, but I continued to listen more and more to Christian artists. I soon had a catalog of songs that served as my own contemporary book of psalms. Whatever my mood or circumstance, I could find a song that lifted my needs to God and drew me into God’s presence where strength, comfort and hope could be found.

David was about 3,000 years ahead of me in discovering the spiritual power of music. He writes, The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation (Psalm 118:14). He mentions in numerous other psalms how God placed a new song in his heart. I think David and I experienced the same thing: the ability of music to open our hearts to God so that He can complete the good work He has started in us.

One of my favorite Christian songwriters and singers will be with us on Sunday, September 14. For over 30 years, Wayne Watson has produced beautiful songs that feed the soul and connect us to God. His songbook includes 23 #1 singles on Christian
radio—including “Friend of a Wounded Heart,” “When God’s People Pray,”
“Watercolour Ponies,” “Another Time, Another Place,” and “Home Free.” He has received dozens of awards and Grammy nominations, and has performed on NBC’s Tonight Show. He will join us for worship that morning, and perform in concert that evening at 6 p.m. Learn more about Wayne and listen to his music at www.waynewatson.com.

Mark the date on your calendar and prayerfully consider who will join you for this evening with Wayne. You will find some new songs for your heart that will strengthen your faith long after the concert is over.

And speaking of concerts, allow me to back up to last night and tell you what a wonderful time we had in the Fellowship Hall. It was, indeed, “A Beautiful Night.” It was the maiden voyage of our newly renovated space, and some of our finest instrumentalists and soloists were on hand to create a worshipful atmosphere that praised the Lord. The evening began with a summer shower and ended with ice cream in the courtyard under a brilliantly glowing dusk sky, complete with a double rainbow. Below are some photos of the event featuring soloist Mary Hannah McWilliams, vocal team (Mark Snow, Lorenzo Torres, Jill Nauta & Cathy Carey) and Danny McGee and our talented worship band.

‘See you this weekend
Fr. Greg