Mosaic Community Church

Today we worshiped at Mosaic Community Church, 2801 North Charles Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15214, 412.321.3911, www.mosaicpittsburgh.org, Saleem Ghubril, Volunteer Presbyterian Pastor.

Scripture – Matthew 1:18-25 NIV

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Bob’s thoughts:

I was glad we could come worship with friends and hear the message from one of them. It is always an easy sell to get me to come here for worship. There is always a host of cute little ones running around and I truly enjoy the faith walk stories people here share.

Most times I look forward to singing in church where my voice is lost in the overall total, but today the harmony was so great I kept quiet so as not to spoil it. I walked around and thoroughly enjoyed the rendition from the Praise Team in different parts of the sanctuary. The building is a large high ceiling building with hard surface walls but today the acoustics were great.

One of the points our friend stressed in the message was that in receiving Christ, we receive a “full pardon”, a good phrase from a former lawyer. Our natural response should be repentance, but it is still a daily struggle for all of us.

Jan’s thoughts:

I was glad our friend invited us to worship here as it’s always a blessing to worship in this community. They provide a generous continental breakfast prior to the start of the service during which there is ample opportunity to visit with current friends and meet new ones.

The three lead vocalists sounded exceptional together, along with the keyboardist (who was a first-time visitor), the guitarist, and the drummer. The music was terrific.

The message was presented by our good friend, and the title was Salvation from Sin: God’s Rescue Plan for Humanity. He outlined God’s purpose for Jesus’ incarnation, life, and death, which was to save ALL people – past, present, and future – from their sin. This salvation includes complete pardon and should result in our repentance and sanctification (becoming more holy). He pointed out that we all have our own process of sanctification, so God deals with each of us individually…the process is unique to each of us.

Following the message, I was blessed by the invitation to come forward and participate in handwashing to symbolize Christ’s washing us of our sins.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray Your constant blessing on Your church that they may continue to joyfully welcome these little ones in Your name. Amen.

Valencia Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Valencia Presbyterian Church, 80 Sterrett Street, Valencia, PA 16059, 724.625.2002, www.valenciapresbyterian.com, Rev. James W. Kirk, Pastor.

Scripture – NRSV

Isaiah 9:2-7 –

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Matthew 1:18-25 –

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Bob’s thoughts:

Today we hoped to be led to a church that was celebrating Advent and it was a special treat to be here for the family candle lighting. It was done well, and I was grateful to be present.

The leader of the Moment for Ministry talked about addressing the physical and spiritual needs of those to whom they hope to minister, an important starting point.

The pastor brought up an often-overlooked piece of the Christmas story, the love of Joseph. What I liked: “If Joseph needed a savior, we do too.” And a favorite: “We are called to do more than we think we can do but not more than God can do.”

I enjoyed the harmony of the Praise Team, especially in the offertory Trust in You, as it was strong and powerful. A favorite line from that song: “When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through.”

Early in the service I was pleased to hear it identified as Christ’s church.

Jan’s thoughts:

We slipped into a back pew just as the service got underway so there was no opportunity to greet anyone prior to worship. The pew arrangement is unusual and we were on the far side but could still see some of the front.

I enjoyed the three ladies leading the Praise Team. Their voices blended and harmonized so well and their sound was distinctive.

The message was entitled Birth Love, referring to the love a parent experiences for their newborn. The pastor focused on Joseph and his love for Mary and Jesus, including a soliloquy and poem written from Joseph’s perspective. In one of them it was stated that Joseph was known to be a righteous, obedient man, and asked if Joseph needed a savior, don’t we also?

He pointed out that Joseph experienced God’s love even before Jesus’ birth and that God is with us, even today, from birth through death, and beyond. He loves us and He is trustworthy. Amen.

The beautiful offertory, Trust in You, was a new song to me, but one line struck me: “How could Heaven’s heart not break the day You came?”

This concept came to me when I dealt with our son’s death and realized that from my human perspective, I was sad to see my son leave his life here. But surely, even as we celebrate Christ’s entry into our world, God the Father must have mourned His leaving Heaven, especially knowing the horrific suffering He would experience. Wouldn’t God the Father have experienced the birth of our Savior as something of a death? That was when I began to take comfort knowing that my son suffers nothing now and into eternity, and I praise and thank Christ for His willingness to suffer to make salvation possible.

We were greeted and kindly invited to stay after worship for a luncheon, but were unable due to a prior commitment.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray You will continue to guide and bless this congregation as they strive to minister in Your name. Amen.

River Oaks Community Church

Sunday we worshiped at River Oaks Community Church, 1855 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, Clemmons, NC 27012, 336.766.0033, www.riveroakschurch.org, David Beaty, Pastor.

Scripture – NIV

Luke 1:26-38 –

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

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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

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 the Son of God. 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. For no word from God will ever fail.”

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

Ephesians 2:10 –

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Acts 1:8 –

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Bob’s thoughts:

We drove to North Carolina to see our southern granddaughters in a Christmas program and were blessed to be there for worship also. I really appreciated the wide aisle spacing where we were as I needed to stretch a bit to ease the pain in my legs.

I was pleased to hear the voice of the female lead during worship and later we got to hear our granddaughters sing in the program.

The pastor’s message wove around our supporting role in God’s plan. It is most humbling to realize God plans to use us, requiring our obedience.

A favorite thing to me about worshiping here, besides being with family, is the lead pastor’s style. He doesn’t have to get loud to emphasize his points. Worship is always joyful with this group of believers.

Jan’s thoughts:

We were in North Carolina visiting our daughter and granddaughters, so it was ironic that the pastor was just returning from two weeks away following the birth of a grandchild. Yes, grandchildren bring almost as much change as children do.

This is a large church with two services (three on Christmas Eve). They are very well organized with an abundance of volunteers and countless outreach programs. I’m thrilled our family members are part of this church family.

As I search for my new role in life, the message, Fulfilling Your Role in God’s Plan, was of particular interest to me. The pastor spoke of God’s sovereignty and our supporting roles in His plan to make known the name of Jesus everywhere (Luke 1:31-33). The Holy Spirit equips us for our roles and our part is to respond to God’s Word with humility, faith, and obedience. In this respect, our role model should be Mary, who responded to the news that she would give birth to the Christ Child with, “I believe; I am the Lord’s servant; I submit to Your Word.” This is a worthy heart-attitude and I hope I can live up to it.

We returned to the church at 4:30 for the Christmas play entitled “Back to the Manger” in which both granddaughters had singing parts. I was overjoyed to see this outstanding production! The storyline was imaginative (based on “Back to the Future”) and all the students were just marvelous.

By the time we left, the 11.5 inches of snow that caused the week-long school cancellation was mostly melted and the rain had stopped, but what an amazing day it had been.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray You will protect Your church from the demonic warfare that comes with obedience. Strengthen them, we pray. Amen.

Old Union Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Old Union Presbyterian Church, 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046, 724.538.8672, www.oldunionchurch.com, Rev. Dr. Peter de Vries, Pastor.

Scripture – NIV

Zechariah 2:10-13 –

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Malachi 4:1-6 –

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

Luke 3:1-18 –

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

Bob’s thoughts:

We showed up an hour early for the second time based on online information. Rather than wait an hour, we searched for a place to eat. We did eventually find the place we were looking for, but it caused us to be a few minutes late. Understandably there is no way to say if we would have been greeted.

I enjoyed the large wooden cross on the wall and an additional projection screen in the side annex where we sat. Signage was minimally-sized but adequate to locate the restrooms and sanctuary.

We were blessed to be here for a solo by a young woman and that the pastor got to sit with the congregation for a Sunday. I believe most pastors would welcome such a chance.

Thought the gentleman reading Scripture had an excellent recovery to a problem in the delivery.

We are called to complete repentance, not “I’ll try not to do this next time.” She quoted a statistic, that visitors decide to stay/return in less than one minute. Greet them that you don’t know, not just those you see every week.

We were once members of a small church that in one year took in 40 new members because someone spoke to them.

Mission and evangelism overlap, but one thing that works is to tell your story, one on one.

Jan’s thoughts:

We arrived during the announcements and quickly found seats in the back of the crowded sanctuary.

At first I was perplexed, as worship leadership seemed to be provided by different people from among the congregation and the choir. After the service we learned that, in commemoration of the pastor’s 25^th anniversary at this church, the session had given him the opportunity to simply worship while they led the service. In the course of the conversation, he expressed his deep appreciation for this wonderful gift.

The sermon, Making Your Choice, was presented by a choir member. She asked, “What if John the Baptist (or Abram, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jonah, or Paul) had chosen not to do what God asked of them?” She quoted statistics indicating that just over 41% of the world’s population had not heard the Gospel in spite of Jesus’ Great Commission, and outlined five ways individual members could support missions:

1 – Pray, by far the most vital and most appreciated form of support.

2 – Connect, and make it personal.

3 – Welcome visitors. She offered the most recent statistic, that visitors to a church decide within the first 30 seconds whether or not they will return.

4 – Mobilize, and get others interested.

5 – Go. It’s not necessary to go to another country; you can almost certainly find people right down the street who don’t know Christ.

She closed with the reminder that we make a choice with every person we meet.

Several people welcomed us after the service and we were invited to attend the luncheon for the pastor.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray Your church will share their story and spread the Good News. Amen.

Christ Community United Methodist Church

Today we worshiped at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 205 N. Duffy Road, Butler, PA 16001, 724.287.4462, www.christcommunityumc.org, Bruce Gascoine, Pastor.

Scripture – NKJV

Malachi 3:1-4 –

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.

Luke 3:1-6 –

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Bob’s thoughts:

I drive past this church when I go to the VA and have wanted to show Jan the area and get lunch at a favored nearby restaurant. Seemed like a win-win to find a church that celebrates Advent.

It is a pleasant sanctuary with a modern low arch ceiling and light blue pews and carpet.

I checked and there is a large wooden cross behind the projection screen; I thought the screen might be up for part of the service.

They are planning for members to bring in favorite nativity sets for display for a Sunday. I thought of one of mine that includes some plastic zoo animals and Santa, that means a lot to us.

There were some square foil pieces on the wall like a crossword layout and today they turned over the first word: Prepare. Cute idea.

During the Passing of Christ’s Peace, a young boy came across the sanctuary to greet us with a smile and hand outstretched. There were a few adults who said hello, but his genuine welcome was special. When there are two service times, people frequently don’t greet people they don’t recognize.

We were blessed to be here not only for the start of Advent, but Communion and a baptism.

I believe the pastor was accurate in his reference to Advent as the “lost season” and many view it simply as a time to light candles. He had some quotes from a former pastor’s book and I think this line I liked came from there: “Do the good things and challenge yourself to do the hard things.”

Maybe God will direct us back for the traditional worship service sometime.

Jan’s thoughts:

Outdoor signage is a treat, as it allows visitors to determine the doors most likely to be unlocked. We entered near the Fellowship Hall to allow for something of a tour as we wandered to the sanctuary.

The worship area was appropriately decorated, of course, and looked lovely. I was especially fond of the shiny Advent banners decorating the walls. The super-sized projection screen allowed the display of words that were easy to read even from the very back.

When we entered the sanctuary, we noticed squares of shiny wrapping paper hung on the far wall. We were curious but there was not time to ask anyone about them. Toward the beginning of the service, a youth went to the front and recited a reading while the first Advent candle was lit. While this occurred, two others turned over some of the wrapped squares on the wall to reveal the word of the day: prepare.

During one of the announcements, members were invited to bring their own nativity sets to help decorate the church on one particular Sunday this month. I thought this was an imaginative way to involve everyone in the decorating.

We were privileged to witness a baptism following the Kids’ Time. After that, everyone was instructed to greet each other. Several folks nearby greeted us, and a few did so as they made rounds, but it was special when one youngster, perhaps 6 or 7, made his way over to shake our hands and welcome us.

The message, entitled Prepare, focused on preparing ourselves to experience Jesus’ Presence during this Advent season.

It was a joy to participate in Communion, offered silently by intinction.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray Your church is ready to follow You into the future, that preparation is complete and the time has come to act. Amen.