Wednesday, February 5, Childcare at Leawood, West, Overland Park will not be open during morning due to local public school systems announcing late arrival schedules. All church buildings will operate on regular schedule. However, at Leawood, West and Overland Park, programs requiring childcare will not be held prior to noon Wednesday.
On Sunday, February 9, we’re moving our regular 5 pm worship service to 4 pm so everyone can get home in time to watch the Chiefs play in the Super Bowl.
Dear Resurrection Family,
This has been a great week at Resurrection, with a couple of events that really helped put me in the Christmas spirit! We had a great turnout Wednesday evening at locations across the city for our Caroling Blitz. I felt such joy I couldn’t stop smiling – and I wasn’t the only one! I’ll tell you more about that in one part of the sermon this weekend – there’s science behind why singing actually brings us joy!
The second infusion of Christmas joy came yesterday, as we had our annual Staff Christmas Celebration. Our friends at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art welcomed our staff to breakfast in Rozelle Court and an opportunity to share fellowship and see some of the incredible works of art in the museum. I interviewed the Nelson’s CEO, Julián Zugazagoitia, who did a great job connecting their work and experiences over the last year with our staff and their work this past year. I shared with our staff that I believe Resurrection has one of the most talented and dedicated staff of any church in the country. They work tirelessly to make the ministry of the church possible. I am so proud of them, and I know you are as well!
Here are some of the things coming up at Resurrection as we prepare for Christmas.
In my message this weekend we’ll continue the Journey to Bethlehem by focusing on what Luke tells us Mary did during the first three months of her pregnancy – she traveled to the hill country outside of Jerusalem and stayed with her older and very pregnant cousin or aunt, Elizabeth. This story, which is a huge part of Luke 1, includes Elizabeth’s encouragement of Mary, and Mary’s “Magnificat.” This is joy weekend and, in the sermon, as we explore this story, I’ll be sharing with you three keys to finding joy found in Luke’s story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth.
I hope you’re following along each day in our GPS –Grow, Pray and Study Guide – that includes daily scripture readings from Matthew and Luke and a devotional from a book of daily Advent devotionals I wrote. You can sign up to receive the daily GPS in your email here.
After over 20 years of ministry serving at Resurrection, Pastor Jeff Kirby will retire at the end of the year. We’ll be recognizing Jeff in our worship services at Leawood this weekend, at 7:30 am in the Foundry, and 9 am, 11 am and 5 pm in the Sanctuary, and after worship, you’ll be able to stop by and thank him in person.
As a gifted teacher, Jeff has helped thousands grow in their faith through the study of the Bible. As a mentor with the heart of an evangelist, he has helped many come to faith or grow deeper in their faith. I’m deeply grateful for his ministry these last twenty years. As a way to honor and celebrate his ministry, we invite you to send an email to thankyoujeff@cor.org, and share how he has impacted your life through his ministry.
As we near the end of our 2022 Stewardship Campaign, many of you have completed pledge cards. The average commitment is up about 15% so far, which is amazing. I’m so proud of each of you who have taken a step forward in your giving!
For those who have yet to turn in your commitment card, we need to hear from you. We’re behind where we were this time last year in the total number of pledges returned. Not only does your giving make possible the ministry and service of the church, but it is a personal expression of your gratitude and commitment to God. If you consider Resurrection your church home, could you please take a moment to consider your pledge for 2022 and then make your pledge online here. Even if you have a recurring gift, completing a pledge card is a separate process and lets the Resurrection team know how to plan for next year.
We are excited to return to in-person Candlelight Christmas Eve services this year at all our locations. Each service will have beautiful Christmas music, a message of hope and the traditional passing of the candlelight while we sing Silent Night. If you are in the Kansas City area, we hope that you will join us in person. If you are outside Kansas City or not able to worship in person, we will continue to have services online and on television.
Every year there are people whose life is changed because someone invited them to Candlelight Christmas Eve worship. This year, we have gift boxes with 8 candles in a decorative box and an invitation note from me that you can purchase and give as gifts to your neighbors, coworkers, family and friends this Christmas season. They only cost $5 and they are a really terrific way to encourage them to join you online, on TV or in person for Christmas Eve. You can order a box online here and then pick it up at your designated location 24-48 hours after submitting.
As we prepare to welcome everyone back to in-person Candlelight Christmas Eve services, we invite you to share the joy of welcoming our congregation and guests to worship! If you would be willing to serve as a greeter, usher, nursery or parking volunteer at a Christmas Eve service, we can use your help!
Use this link to sign up at your location →
Join us for a special service for those who have experienced loss this year. On Wednesday, December 15, at 7 pm, at all locations and online at cor.org/live, we’ll hold our annual Longest Night service.
Christmas can be challenging when you’ve experienced loss. At this special worship experience, we’ll come together to honor the grief that so many of us carry and remember that we are never alone. God joins us in our sadness and holds us in tender care, and as a church family we support and care for one another.
Our Joy in Serving opportunities this weekend we will focus on supporting some of our global partners, through donations, to provide educational opportunities in Costa Rica, economic empowerment in Haiti, and a welcoming presence for refugee families in Kansas City. Learn more about these projects on our website and make your donation here.
Consider a $25 donation that could:
Saturday, December 18, will be our biggest Serve Saturday of the year! We have over 400 family friendly, COVID-cautious opportunities available for you to share joy by serving our neighbors throughout the Kansas City area. This is a great way to prepare for Christmas and focus on sharing the true message of Christmas.
Sign up for Serve Saturday today →
Last night LaVon and I dropped in on an Advent Dinner Group at an area restaurant. We so enjoyed meeting eight new people and hearing their stories. We still have openings to join one of our Open Table Dinner groups for fellowship and fun. Groups of 8-10 people will gather at local restaurants between now and December 22, to share a meal and talk about the sermon series and book.
You can use this link to sign up for a time and location that works for you. I misspoke last week – you are not committing to gather for three meals, one each week – just one meal together, meeting new people. I’ll be popping in several of these dinner groups.
Last week, on my Tuesday night Vespers, my granddaughter Stella and I read from my new children’s book, The Most Important Prayer of All: Stella Learns the Lord’s Prayer. I wrote this little book to help parents and grandparents teach their children the Lord’s Prayer. There were some problems with the video playback, but now it plays perfectly. It’s about 10 minutes long and you can watch it here.
Many have asked about purchasing this book or my new book for adults, The Lord’s Prayer: The Meaning and Power of the Prayer Jesus Taught. Both books just came out this week and are available at The Well – our bookstore at Leawood. I’ll be available outside the bookstore in Building B this Thursday night from 5-6 pm if any of you would like me to sign a copy of either book as a gift for someone. I believe we’re about out of the children’s books but have more coming this week. I’ll also be available to sign books on December 22 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
No registration is required but you may want to purchase your book(s) ahead of time to avoid lines and the books selling out. When you check out online simply select “Pick up at The Well on Leawood Campus” as your shipping method and your book(s) will be waiting for you at the book signing. Here are the links to purchase the books: The Lord’s Prayer and The Most Important Prayer of All (children’s book).
Join me at 7:30 pm this Tuesday on my Facebook page for Vespers: Pastor Adam Hamilton on Facebook. I’ll be sharing some a short reflection on my journey in Israel retracing the Christmas story. You can also watch on the church’s YouTube page after Tuesday night.
Finally, as we prepare for the Longest Night service on Wednesday, one of the things we remember during this season is that even in our darkest hour, God walks with us and forces good from tragedy. Pastor Tom Langhofer, who leads our Recovery Ministry, and his family continue to remind us of this. This Saturday, from 10 am – 1 pm, a group of family and friends will collect clothes at Resurrection Leawood for the Rose Brooks Center for Domestic Violence, in honor of Tom’s daughter, Erin. Erin, a social worker at Rose Brooks, was killed at a First Fridays event in 2019, but her legacy of doing good continues. There are specific items that are needed by the women and children served by Rose Brooks. You can find the detailed list at www.dogoodforerin.com.
It’s going to be a really terrific weekend in worship as we observe the Joy weekend of Advent. Join us in person if you can, or online or television!
Adam
Reverend Adam Hamilton is the senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection and the author of 22 books. He has been married to LaVon since 1982, and she has been a critical partner in every dimension of Adam’s work. They have two daughters and one granddaughter.
Adam’s writings are known for helping readers make sense of challenging theological questions, exploring the significance of the biblical stories, and equipping Christian leaders to be more effective in their work. He earned his MDiv from Perkins School of Theology and graduated with honors from Oral Roberts University with a degree in Pastoral Ministry.