Weekly Updates from Pastor Adam - Dec. 2, 2022

Dear Resurrection Family,

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Resurrection! Our worship spaces are filled with greenery, trees and lights, our Children’s Ministry is hosting “A Merry Little Christmas” this weekend – a fun family Christmas event at all locations, and we’re preparing for the Christmas at Resurrection musical production next week, and the Longest Night service. You’ll find more on these below. But first, a word about my message this weekend.

THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: ANGELS AMONG US

This weekend, I’ll continue our sermon series on The REAL Christmas Story, as we take a look at the story of Christmas through the lens of a classic Christmas movie: It’s a Wonderful Life. The film was voted the most inspirational Christmas film of all time by the American Film Institute. Released in 1946 and 1947, the film is being re-released this month at theatres across America in honor of its 75th anniversary (December 18 and 21 only).

The film is about George Bailey (played by James Stewart) who, on Christmas Eve, is in such a state of despair that he considers ending his own life. Just then an angel named Clarence Odbody, AS2 (angel, second class), steps in to help George find a reason to live. The film touches on questions of angels (do they exist, who and what are they?), feelings of despair and suicidal thoughts, and God’s providence (how God works in our world). It ends with inspiration and hope and the Charles Wesley hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I’ll touch on all of these subjects in my message this weekend, including a brief section on despair and where to find help if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal as George Bailey was that Christmas Eve in 1946. (You can find those resources by clicking here.) Invite a friend to join you this weekend for an inspirational message of hope! Click here to send them the sermon series trailer.

TEMPORARY SPEAKERS IN LEAWOOD SANCTUARY

If you worship in the Leawood Sanctuary this weekend or attend Christmas at Resurrection, you may notice some temporary speakers suspended from the ceiling. The Sanctuary sound system, installed in 2017, includes two white units suspended from the ceiling with clusters of speakers, designed specifically for the space. The multiple speakers in each unit ensure quality sound everywhere in the Sanctuary.

Over the years, we discovered a manufacturing defect that caused individual speakers to fail, resulting in spots of poor quality sound. The individual speakers can be replaced, but it became increasingly costly. We were able to negotiate with the manufacture to completely replace the two clusters. Unfortunately, supply chain problems have resulted in significant delays. With our Christmas at Resurrection production and Christmas Eve services coming up, and the number of individual speakers not functioning, we decided to install some temporary clusters until the replacements arrive to ensure quality sound throughout the Sanctuary.

BRING YOUR FAMILY TO MERRY ‘LITTLE’ CHRISTMAS WITH SANTA!

I hope you plan to bring you kids, grandkids (and even the neighbor’s kids!) to Resurrection’s Merry ‘Little’ Christmas Event this weekend. All are welcome at this event where you’ll enjoy a visit with Santa, photo ops, service projects, treats and a meaningful craft. Each of our locations will be a slightly different. Click on the location name to learn more.

The Brookside event will be a community open house to see the church and learn more about Resurrection, in addition to Merry Little Christmas. We are excited to welcome you and anyone you may know who lives in the neighborhood to come by any time between 9 and 11 am on Sunday, Dec. 4 to check out our newest location – Resurrection Brookside at Historic Central.

If you know people who live in this area, share the invitation with them! LaVon and I and our kids will be there along with our granddaughter, Stella, who is singing at Leawood in the children’s choir’s brief Christmas musical called, “Star Stomp”. Don’t miss the fun!

• Blue Springs | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 9 – 11 am
• Downtown | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 9 – 11 am
• Leawood | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 9 – 11 am
• Overland Park | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 9 – 11 am
• West | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 5:30 – 7:30 pm
• Brookside at Historic Central | Sunday, Dec. 4 | 9 – 11 am (Open House)

CHRISTMAS AT RESURRECTION DECEMBER 8-11

We still have tickets available for this incredible musical production in the Leawood Sanctuary next week. Performances are December 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 pm and matinee performances on December 10 and 11 at 1:30 pm. The first half features music and scenes from beloved Christmas movies, and then the retelling of the birth of Jesus in the second half. Tickets are on sale online. If you can’t afford tickets, we would love for you to be our guest. Click on this link if you need free tickets and we’ll have them for you at will call.

EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF SERVING THIS DECEMBER!

We learned, two weeks ago, that those in a recent study who volunteered and served others were 44% less likely to die within five years than those who don’t serve. They had greater joy, lower blood pressure and reported a happier life than those who didn’t. The holiday season is filled with opportunities to experience the JOY of generosity and giving while blessing a child or family in need. Through our Christmas Joy in Serving activities, you can help sponsor Christmas for a local family, purchase incentives for children at our partner schools, or support students in South Africa and Haiti with your donations. Visit cor.org/joy to learn more and make a donation!

THE LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE DECEMBER 7

Christmastime, for some, intensifies our loneliness, magnifies our grief, increases our insecurity of unemployment, and aggravates our weariness of ill health. If this is where you find yourself, I want you to know that you are not alone. I want to encourage you to join others across Resurrection locations, or join online, for a gathering of connection, support and care. We’ll gather to remember that even in our darkness, on the longest night, the light of Christ can shine through.

Here are the service times and locations:

• Leawood- 7:30 pm in Wesley Covenant Chapel
• West- 7 pm in the Sanctuary
• Blue Springs- 7 pm in the Sanctuary
• Downtown- 7 pm in 1522 McGee Sanctuary
• Overland Park- 7 pm in the Worship Space
• Online- streaming 7:30 pm at cor.org/live

DON’T FORGET TO COMPLETE 2023 COMMITMENT CARD

If Resurrection is your church home and you haven’t returned a commitment yet, you can do so anytime online at cor.org/commitment or place a card in the offering during worship this weekend. Thank you to all who have returned your stewardship commitment cards for 2023. I’m grateful for you. Your giving makes possible everything this church does to be used by God to change lives, strengthen churches, and transform the world.

Our stewardship and generosity website has information about the impact of your generosity, some financial planning tools and resources, and details on ways to give to Resurrection.

VESPERS THIS TUESDAY

Join me on Tuesday at 7:30 pm CT on my Pastor Adam Hamilton Facebook page or check out the replay on YouTube after Tuesday. We’ll be focusing on John the Baptist’s Advent message, but we’ll also spend a little time discussing the question of suicide, capturing some things I won’t have time to cover in my sermon this weekend.

THANK YOU FOR BLESSING OUR STAFF

Every year, in December, you as a congregation bless our staff at our annual Staff Christmas Party. Yesterday morning your Staff Parish Committee took the staff to The Main Event in Olathe where our staff, from all locations, ate breakfast, then shared a short devotional, and then spent time bowling and playing games. You also provide them with gift cards to thank them for their work. They had fun enjoying great fellowship. Thank you for being a church that values and encourages our staff. Here’s our annual staff photo (click to enlarge). Our preschool teachers at our three preschools have their own parties so they can care for the children in our early learning centers, but next year we’re working to have a day they can join all of the staff for this time away.

Don’t miss Don’t miss worship this weekend, and if you can, join us in person. Our various locations are beautifully decorated, and there is something special about singing Christmas carols together with others!

Adam