WEATHER ALERT:

Due to weather conditions, all in-person daytime and evening programs have been canceled across the church’s locations for Wednesday, except for the Recovery programs and Food Pantry at Overland Park. Decisions for Thursday daytime programs will correspond with local school district decisions and will be posted on the church’s website.

IMPORTANT:

Scheduled programming has resumed for Thursday, February 13 at all Resurrection locations.

Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - December 9, 2024

December 6, 2024
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December 6, 2024

Dear Resurrection Family,

This weekend we launch Resurrection Liberty in the Gano Chapel at William Jewell College! I’ll be preaching live there at 10 am. More on that below. This week is Christmas at Resurrection – our annual Christmas music program with over 200 musicians, vocalists and actors and actresses! It’s going to be beautiful and amazing. Ticket sales have been great with nearly 10,000 tickets sold, there are still some great seats available. Here is the link for details and ticket information. If you would like tickets but are struggling financially this year, please click here to reach out to Hope Crook.

THIS WEEKEND: THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

This weekend in worship we’ll be considering some big questions: Why do Catholics call Mary the Queen of Heaven? Or Mother of God? Or say the Hail Mary? All this as we turn to Matthew’s account of the Christmas story, focusing this Sunday on the Virgin Mary.

Matthew’s account of Mary is pretty sparse, his Mary is silent and does not speak a word. Luke’s account of Mary is more robust telling us of Mary’s thoughts, and includes 73 words Mary speaks, more than anyone but Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. It struck me this week that many Protestants have a view of Mary that, like Matthew, is a bit sparse. Luke’s account of Mary is the source of much Catholic devotion to Mary.

In the end, we’ll look at two things Mary says in Luke’s gospel that are essential for every Christian to know. To illustrate, I’ll share with you something Kansas City Royals Manager Matt Quatraro, and also Royals color commentator Rex Hudler shared with our staff this week at our staff Christmas party, and I’ll tell you about “the Crazy Goat Lady” who just joined Resurrection last Sunday!

Don’t miss worship this weekend as we sing the Advent and Christmas carols, light the Advent Candle, and turn our attention to the Virgin Mary.

GRAND OPENING AT RESURRECTION LIBERTY SUNDAY

As I noted above, this Sunday we launch our 8th location – Resurrection Liberty – with worship services in Gano Chapel of William Jewell College. I will be preaching there live at 10 am this Sunday, and by video everywhere else (I’ll also be preaching live at Leawood at 7:30 am and 5 pm). I hope to come to all of our locations live from Gano Chapel for a few minutes during worship so you can see the space and pray for our new launch! The chapel is beautiful and right in the heart of the college, with plenty of parking on campus, but can be a bit of a trek – you might want to check this parking map here before you go – we’ll have shuttles running back and forth to the athletic field parking. If you live in the Northland or have friends who do, please let them know about our new location and invite them to be there for our official grand opening! Share this web page with them for more information.

WELCOME NEW RESURRECTION MEMBERS

Last Sunday, we welcomed 283 new members to Resurrection. Some of these were already Christians transferring here, but I met so many last Sunday who were returning to faith for the first in years, and for some, the first time ever. So many amazing people! Welcome!

We had new members at all our locations, including our three newest – Spring Hill, Liberty and Lee’s Summit. With 15 at Blue Springs, 13 at Brookside, 18 Downtown, 139 at Leawood, 18 for our new Lee’s Summit location joining at Leawood, 16 at Liberty, 17 at Overland Park, 6 at Spring Hill, 33 at West, and 8 online. It’s so exciting to hear the stories of these people who are finding a church home at Resurrection. Here’s a link to the list of new members. Please take a look and see if there is someone you know so you can welcome them personally.

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE: THANK YOU!

We are continuing to receive 2025 Ministry Fund Commitment Cards. After week two, we are up 500 commitments received compared to last year! That’s awesome. Thank you to all of you who have made your commitment so far, and to each of you who were able to “step up” by increasing your commitment for 2025. I’m so grateful for, and proud of, each of you.

If you have yet to make your 2025 commitment, WE NEED YOU! We’ve received about 60% of the commitments we hoped to receive so far which is great for week two and far ahead of where we were this time last year. Yet if you haven’t returned your commitment, we need your support. For the last two years, we kept a flat budget due to the capital campaign. But with the opening of new or remodeled children and youth spaces at most of our locations, and the opening of new locations, and the growth in our ministries, your generosity is really important.

If you haven’t returned your commitment card yet, you can make your pledge online by clicking here, or we’ll have commitment cards in worship this weekend. When you make your commitment today, be sure to pick up your 2025 Resurrection Do Unto Others mug this weekend in worship! If you live out of town, we’d love to mail you the mug as a sign of our gratitude for your generosity and commitment.

SPREAD CHRISTMAS JOY THROUGH SERVING

Goats, School Supplies, and Uniforms for our Global Partners
This weekend we have the opportunity to experience Joy in Serving by supporting our global partners and making a difference globally. We have two opportunities: For a gift of $55 you can provide goat to a family in Uganda and create a sustainable cycle of support as each recipient family pledges to donate an offspring to another family in need. Or you can purchase school uniforms and school supplies for our kids in our Costa Rican partner schools. You can support all of our Holiday Joy opportunities by clicking here, or take one of the mission ornaments after worship this weekend for information on how to give.

Partner School Toy Drive Continues Through Dec. 22
We’re continuing to collect toys and other items that teachers can use as incentives in the classrooms of our 13 partner schools in KCMO, KCK, Olathe and the Shawnee Mission district. Your donations help kids in our community have a more positive and successful school year. You can find a list of items here to purchase and return to the church or purchase directly from our Amazon Wish List.

Find a Place to Serve in the Community
This holiday season is filled with opportunities to serve in our community. Take a look at the website here and find a place where you might want to serve.

PREPARING FOR CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE

Worship with Us
As you make your plans for Christmas Eve Worship, we will have 33 in-person services at 8 different locations, 13 online, 4 on Kansas City television, and on-demand on YouTube. Christmas Eve worship services begin a 5 pm on Sunday, Dec. 22, and continue through Tuesday, Dec. 24. We’ll also have special interactive services for children at some locations on the morning of Dec. 24. Each of our services will have beautiful Christmas music, a retelling of the Christmas story through scripture, a meaningful message and our traditional passing of the candlelight as we sing Silent Night and Joy to the World. You can go to the webpage: resurrection.church/Christmas for all the details, locations and times.

Invite Someone to Worship
This week, invite someone you know, who doesn’t have a church, to join you for Christmas Eve worship. The church will do some advertising and promotions, but we know that the majority of people come to a church for the first time because someone invited them. Be that someone.

Volunteer to Help Welcome Guests
Sign up to greet, usher, assist with candles, help in the nursery and be part of the amazing team of volunteers who will help create a welcoming space for people to celebrate Christmas Eve with their families and friends. You can sign up here.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERING: 100% TO CHILDREN IN NEED

It’s our cherished tradition at Resurrection to give away 100% of our Candlelight Christmas Eve offering to support children in need both locally and globally. This year, we’ll be focused on transforming the lives of children in our community through literacy and education programs for Pre-K and Elementary students, while also addressing critical family needs of food security and housing. Globally, your gifts will help alleviate extreme poverty through education, permaculture, economic empowerment, and healthcare initiatives. If you’re looking for a meaningful gift for someone, you can give a gift in honor of someone special, and we’ll provide a beautiful card to notify them of this meaningful gesture that you can pick up after worship Dec. 14/15. You can also download the card here and print it yourself. I hope each of you will consider contributing as together, we can share Christ’s love in powerful and practical ways this Christmas season.

DO UNTO OTHERS T-SHIRTS AND YARD SIGNS: GOING, GOING, ALMOST GONE!

We still have a few “Do Unto Others” t-shirts available for sale in the Leawood bookstore. We don’t have many Adult sizes M, L, or XL left, but we have a good number of sizes S and XXL+ and children’s sizes. Don’t miss this chance to pick up a shirt and spread this positive message. If you want to check on a specific size or style, you can email the bookstore at thewell@cor.org.

We also have some Do Unto Others yard signs and the Conversation Cards left if you have a use for these, please contact Cathy.Bien@cor.org.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST: WHEN GOD BECAME HUMAN  

This week we released the fifth episode of my new podcast – we release one each Tuesday. The idea is to explore faith questions in a conversational way. This week my conversation partner was Melissa Gepford. We talked about the meaning of Advent, the significance of the incarnation, and questions submitted by others like, is there a connection between Advent and the recent election? If God became human in Jesus, was he fallible? Did he sin? What do we make of the promise that Christ will return? And why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus on what had been a pagan holiday – the Winter Solstice? Click here to listen to this week’s podcast as you drive, exercise, or over a cup of coffee!

Next week we’ll talk about Beyond the Manger: The Hidden History Behind Jesus’ Birth. Bill Gepford will be my conversation partner. He and I travelled to the Holy Land several years ago, one of the many trips I’ve taken there, and we’ll talk about how being in the Holy Land shapes how we understand Christmas. Click here to sign up to be notified when a new episode is released and to watch or listen to the earlier episodes. You can also download Making Sense of Faith on your favorite podcast app.

So excited for this weekend and the week ahead!

Adam

Adam Hamilton

Resurrection Senior Pastor

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.

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