Hope, Peace, and Love – Then and Now

By Matt Sasso, Pastor of Student Ministries 

This Christmas, you are probably hoping that life will get better. We are hoping that life will look differently next year, even if we’re not sure how. We realize that no one person or group holds a solution, but we’re expecting something different, even if we’re not sure how that is going to work out. Words like hope, peace, and love have a new meaning this year, don’t they? We’re waiting to have hope, peace, and love in our lives, in our communities, and in our world, even if we’re not sure how it will all work out. And just like thousands of years ago, Jesus is the one who came to bring hope, peace, and love to our lives then – and now. Jesus taught us how to find hope, bring peace, and initiate love even when our circumstances are less than ideal.

This month in Exit 83 we want students to hear about what hope, peace, and love in our lives can look like. We hope that your student is challenged in their relationship with God as they see how placing hope in stuff and in circumstances often leads to disappointment. Learning to place our hope in God brings real satisfaction. We hope that they can be peacemakers this holiday season and gain a desire to experience love in action.

Children’s Christmas Choir Performs This Month

By Laurie Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry 

The Children’s Christmas Choir has been rehearsing for a month now and they are sounding great! We have a little more than 30 children this year participating and we are all excited to praise God during this wonderful holiday season. The children will be performing during all three services on Sunday, December 22. They will also be going off-site to Upland Rehabilitation and Care Center on December 22 to sing praises to God and share His glory with our community. We are all excited and looking forward to these great events!

Come to LBF’s Christmas Celebrations

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship 

Christmas time is almost here and we love to celebrate the Savior’s birth here at LBF! You can join us in a variety of settings and celebrations throughout the month of December.

On Sunday, December 15, join us at our normal service times for some exciting worship through music with an expanded worship music team, featuring our Christmas Choir. They will lead us in Christmas songs sure to inspire your heart and focus on the reason we have to celebrate! Sunday, December 22 is going to be another great weekend as our Christmas Choirs, both children’s and adults, will lead us in worship during the three Sunday services. We will praise God through traditional Christmas carols that paint the beautiful picture of Emanuel (God with us).

As we get to Christmas Eve, LBF will be having three services this year, beginning at 7 p.m. with our Family Christmas Eve service. This service is a great place for families with kids to come, sing some fun Christmas songs, hear a great Christmas story, and wear your pajamas to church! (Blankies are highly recommended also.) So parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends, get in your jammies, grab those blankies, and bring the kids up for a fun night of Christ-centered Christmas fun.

Our second Christmas Eve service will take place at 9 p.m. This service will be a Contemporary Christmas service with communion, Christmas carols done in a contemporary style (think Mercy Me, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, and Chris Tomlin), as well as some special elements to help us all consider the true sacrifice and gift that we received in Jesus. There is no childcare for this service.

The third service will be at 11 p.m., and will be a traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve service with communion and a reflective time of worship through acoustic-style Christmas carols and special music numbers. There is no childcare for this service.

We hope that you will join us during the busy Christmas season and that God blesses you with the knowledge of His presence and love for each of us, which was demonstrated by the sending of His Son.

Christmas Mash-up: Enhancing Combo or Watered Down?

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

Recently my son Jack has become very interested in Star Wars. He enjoys watching the movies, he loves to play with Star Wars toys, he frequently asks for Star Wars coloring pages, and he loves to have lightsaber fights. Yoda and Darth Vader are as common in his conversations as his two brothers are.

He is truly passionate about Star Wars. This newfound interest has coincided with another passion of his: Angry Birds. He loves to play Angry Birds games on our iPad. He has Angry Birds toys and Angry Birds are a frequent topic of conversation. So, with these two passions of his, you can imagine Jack’s exuberance when a new game was released: Angry Birds Star Wars. Not a joke.

For Jack, the only thing better than Angry Birds and Star Wars separately, is Angry Birds and Star Wars together.

This may seem like a leap, but this comical combination makes me think about Christmas. For those of us who are Christians, Christmas can feel like a mash-up of two separate passions. On the one hand, we love Jesus, we love nativity sets, we love “Hark! the Herald Angel Sing” and “O Holy Night,” and we love reading the biblical Christmas story with our families. On the other hand, we love presents, we love trees, we love songs like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and we love to watch “Elf” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” And each Christmas allows us an opportunity to combine these two passions as we celebrate throughout December.

Here is the question: Does this combination enhance these two celebrations or does it water them down? In other words, is this more like combining chocolate and peanut butter or is it more like watering down a soda? In an effort to get the best of everything, are we in danger of burying something beautiful?

Now, I love presents and carols and Christmas decorations. This article is not intended to convince anyone to shun these modern Christmas symbols. But there is a concern here. If we really believe that the biblical Christmas story is about God meeting our deepest needs through the gift of his Son, Jesus, then it makes sense that we would do all that we could to emphasize that reality and guard against anything that would water it down.

In 2 Corinthians 8:9, the apostle Paul describes the message of the biblical Christmas story: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The Christmas story is not about gaining presents, outspending each other, and experiencing warm fuzzies through family traditions and shiny decorations. This is not because these things are evil, but because they only address short-term, surface needs.

The story of Jesus’ birth, however, is a story about God meeting our deepest needs of forgiveness, hope, eternal life, and reconciliation with God. As much fun as our modern Christmas celebration is, none of us would think it wise to bury foods that meet our daily nutritional needs underneath a pile of cotton candy and pixie sticks.

This Christmas at Life Bible Fellowship Church, we will walk through a series called Christmas Mash-up. We will all be invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus, not only with songs and Scripture, but by reflecting and mimicking His sacrificial and hope-giving life in our own Christmas celebrations. Join us this month and consider inviting a friend, family member, or neighbor who needs to hear about the hope Jesus brings.

Advent is Coming. Are You Ready?

By Amanda Bixler, Worship Coordinator 

Well, whether you are ready for it or not, the holiday season is upon us! And as much as this season is about family, festive lights, gatherings, gifts, and warm drinks in Starbucks holiday cups, it is also a time to celebrate the birth and coming of a Messiah, Jesus. In fact, that’s exactly what the term Advent means – ‘coming’ in Latin. The season of Advent is literally a time to wait and celebrate Jesus coming to this world in love and setting up camp amongst us. One biblical translation even writes, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). This is a season that is set aside in the Christian calendar as a time to expectantly wait and actively prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Often times there are specific advent readings and themes of hope, peace, joy and love that are associated with the month of December and specifically the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Traditionally, Advent is an eager and hopeful time of the year where we countdown to the 25th, trade our traditional calendars for Advent ones, and read scripture passages that lead up to the birth of our Savior.

We are so excited for this season and the ways we get to celebrate Jesus’ birth in Worship Island! November was a heavily focused month on thankfulness – being thankful to God of all that he has done for us and given to us. Continuing on that momentum, each weekend in December will be focused on a different aspect of the biblical Christmas narrative and why we are thankful for Jesus coming. These weekends leading up to Christmas will be a time to read through the Christmas story, learn more about each person involved in Jesus’ birth, and how they all interacted with one another. Our first through fourth graders will have the opportunity to really engage with the Christmas narrative and hopefully encounter Jesus in a new way.

Our desire is that this journey through the Christmas story and celebration of Jesus’ birth would not just be something that happens in Worship Island on Sunday mornings. As you sign in your children each week, we will have packets available with supplemental advent information and scripture readings that we hope you will partake in with your children. It has been our experience that when families engage in worship together through the reading of scripture and discussion, a deep richness occurs. Our prayer is that as we all enter into this exciting, busy, and joyous season of Advent, we would all be drawn closer to the heart of God and to the reality that Jesus came and lived among us.

Celebrate Christmas With Us at LBF

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship 

Christmas time is almost here and we love to celebrate the Savior’s birth here at LBF! You can join us in a variety of settings and celebrations throughout the month of December.

On Sunday, December 9, join us that morning at our normal service times for some exciting worship through music with an expanded worship music team, including a bunch of vocalists and a horn line playing great Christmas songs you can really get into!

December 16 and 23 are going to be exciting weekends as well, with our Adult Christmas Choir and Children’s Choir leading us in worship during the three Sunday services. We will praise God through traditional Christmas carols, as well as some special music that you won’t want to miss!

As we get to Christmas Eve, LBF will have three services this year, beginning at 7 p.m. with our Family Christmas Eve Service. This service is a great place for families with kids to come, sing some fun Christmas songs, hear a great Christmas story, and wear your pajamas to church! (Blankies are highly recommended also.) So parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends, get in your jammies, grab those blankies, and bring the kids up for a fun night of Christ-centered Christmas fun.

Our second Christmas Eve service will take place at 9 p.m. This service will be a Contemporary Christmas Service with communion, Christmas carols done in a contemporary style (think Mercy Me, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, and Chris Tomlin) as well as some special music numbers to help us all consider the true sacrifice and gift that we received in Jesus. There is no childcare for this service.

The third service will be at 11 p.m., and will be a traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve Service with communion and a reflective time of worship through acoustic-style Christmas carols and special music numbers. There is no childcare for this service.

We hope that you will join us during the busy Christmas season and that God blesses you with the knowledge of his presence and love for each of us, which was demonstrated by the sending of his son.

Picture of the Week

Thanks to all (young and older) who participated in our choir this year. What a blessing you were!

photo by Tira Young

Reflections: December 26, 2010

This week’s “Reflection” by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor
The Day after…Now What?
Christmas 2010 is over – all the build-up, the preparation, the planning, and the day itself, is over. The tree looks sad without all the presents under the it, the turkey has been eaten, the toys have been played with, and visiting family is returning home. Many people have a let down when a big event is over. This is normal after a big event. How about you?
Whether you have a “let down” or not, now is a good time to take a step back and remind ourselves about God. Using Zechariah’s prophecy found in Luke 1, we pause and reflect some about what God has provided for us, what He has promised us, and where He is taking us.
If you were in church on Sunday, take your insert and put it on the refrigerator and use it to help remind you of God. (And if you weren't at church, download the insert, which is found at the top of this post and go listen to the message here.)
See you next year!

This Weekend's Message: The Day After...What Now?

The Day After…Now What?
Luke 1:68-79
By the time we gather for worship on Sunday morning, Christmas 2010 will be history. It will be over. All the presents will have been unwrapped. The tree will be looking dry and bare with no presents underneath. The leftovers will have been placed in the refrigerator. The toys will have been played with. Our family and friends will have all gone home. Now what?
For some people the day after Christmas can bring an after-holiday “let-down.” It’s hard when a big event, which we have looked forward to and prepared for, is over. It is normal to have a “let-down” feeling. On the day after Christmas, what do we do now? Let’s take a step back and remember some important things about God. This Sunday will be a day of encouragement as we look at God through the eyes of Zechariah.
On behalf of the staff and elders of LBF, we wish you a very merry and Christ-filled Christmas. See you on Sunday!
God Bless,
Gary Keith

Reflections: December 19, 2010

This week’s “Reflection” by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor
Deliberate or Distracted?
Being distracted at Christmas time is nothing new. It is not as much about our fast-paced society as it is about our awareness (remember the bear video?) of the distractions we all face. But I also think that being distracted is easier than being deliberate. As you start out a new week that leads us straight to Christmas Day, what will you do to not let the distractions rob you of adoring the reason we have Christmas in the first place? Will it be slowing down your schedule – maybe saying no to some things? Will it be a conscious decision to allow Jesus to be the King of your life – to let Him have control? Will it be to remind yourself of your need for a Savior and remove the indifference that can creep into our everyday life?
Remember, you’re not alone in this struggle – ever since that first Christmas, many, many people have had the same battles. Take some extra time this week and spend it with Jesus, building that relationship with the God of creation. Be deliberate in celebrating and adoring Jesus this Christmas. I think you’ll be glad you did!

This Weekend's Message: Deliberate or Distracted?

Deliberate or Distracted?
Deck the Halls, Week Three
Last year while at the mall with his mom and grandpa, a little four-year-old boy watched as children lined up excitedly to see Santa Claus. Having been taught that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, the little guy asked his mom, “Where’s the line for Jesus?"
It’s pretty easy to get distracted and miss Christmas. Oh, we won’t miss the day of Christmas literally, but we might miss the meaning of Christmas. Distractions are all around and it is so easy to lose our focus. But if you think this is a new problem, you’re wrong. This week we will look at three particular people who on the very first Christmas became so distracted that they missed it. And as we see the reasons, we’ll learn some important ways we can be deliberate so that we don’t miss it.
If you want to get a head start, read both Matthew chapter 2 and Luke chapter 2.
Finally here we are at the last Sunday before Christmas (I hope to see you!); let’s not get distracted from the real meaning this year.
God Bless,
Gary

Reflections: December 12, 2010

This week’s “Reflection” by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor
Godly or Gaudy?
Luke 1:26-56
In week two of our series I asked how we should adorn our life at Christmas – will we be godly or gaudy? I must tell you that even though I’m very familiar with the birth story of Jesus, I learned some important new things this week. For the first time I clearly saw the theme of humility in both Mary and Elizabeth. Humility is one of those familiar words that are difficult to live out. How do we know when we are being humble? Mary showed us three things about humility and I hope this week you will consider those as we prepare for Christmas.
During the message I quoted Thomas Merton. He was a 20^th century Catholic writer who said, “Give me humility, in which alone is rest and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens.” What do you think of this quote? Have you ever experienced rest in humility? If so, what kind of experience was that? How was rest achieved by being humble? How about pride, do you see it as a heavy burden? How has pride  been a burden in your life?
By the way it was brought to my attention that during the sermon I said that John the Baptist wrote the Gospel of John. I quoted John 3:30 when John the Baptist said, "He (Jesus) must increase and I (John the Baptist) must decrease." It is true that John the Baptist said that, but it was John the apostle (the son of Zebedee), not John the Baptist who wrote the Gospel of John. Thank you so much to the person who caught this misstatement.

This Weekend's Message: Godly or Gaudy?

Godly or Gaudy?
(Not associated with the Gaudy family in our church!!)
Luke 1:26-56
Whoa! Only 16 more days and Christmas will be upon us. This Christmas in our “Deck the Halls” series we are looking at how to adorn our life with what matters. How do you prepare yourself for Christmas? Will you be godly or gaudy? What is the difference? Is there someone we can look at to see the difference?
This week we will look at the life of a key figure in the Christmas story and see how they reveal the true spirit of Christmas. During our worship time we will have the privilege of enjoying a combined choir of adults and children. Hope to see you this Sunday to learn how to be godly and not gaudy.

Reflections: December 5, 2010

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
I was speaking recently with a friend about how God speaks, and how He reveals Himself to us. We were talking about how so often it seems that if God is speaking it is in a soft whisper, and can sometimes be frustrating for us that He doesn't just SPEAK UP!! But as I reflected on the story of Jesus birth, I was reminded that God could not have spoken any louder than He did when He sent His son. And that loud message is for all of time, even in our moments when it seems like God isn't speaking. God has spoken clearly of His love and commitment to us, through His son Jesus Christ.
This season, as you maneuver through business, stress, and or even hurt, and it seems like God is not responding to your cries for help, be reminded that God responded loudly through the birth of Hid Son Jesus, who then promised us an advocate through the Holy Spirit who is with us and speaks to us today.
Have a great week,
Jeff

New Family Seeks Help With Christmas Traditions

By Heidi Rogers, Graphic Designer

Many of us grew up with traditions that our families performed religiously every holiday season. Perhaps your traditions revolved around church and the story of Jesus’ birth, or around the idea of Santa, and at least somewhat around family gatherings and food. Every year my mom would get my brother and I a new, personal ornament for the tree. And on Christmas morning, she’d arrange cinnamon rolls in the shape of a tree and bake them with maraschino cherries on top, to look like ornaments. It was these little things, among others, that I really looked forward to doing together as a family every December.

This year, my husband and I find ourselves spending a quiet Christmas without our extended family here in Utah, with our nine-month-old son. Having a child has caused us to think differently about a lot of things, including how our actions and choices affect the type of person he will become. It has renewed a desire in us to live for Jesus, because we don’t just want to set a good example, we want to emanate what it means to love God and others with all of our hearts.

So as I strive to follow the Holy Spirit more and more each day, in conjunction with the excitement I feel over creating our own, new, family Christmas traditions, I ponder how I can connect the two. What kind of fun memories can I create for my son? How can we enjoy some of our American cultural traditions at Christmas, while still focusing on the birth of Christ? How do we intentionally show him love through gifts, and at the same time maintain the spirit of giving and selflessness? How does God want our family to spend our time and energy during the holidays?

One day, as I was perusing some of my favorite blogs, I came across some how-to’s on Jesse Trees. A Jesse Tree is similar in concept to an advent calendar, but way cooler. You start with a tree of some sort, and each day leading up to Christmas you read a devotional as a family – a passage (through the Old Testament and into the New) that points to the coming of Christ. With each day’s devotional, you have an ornament that represents the story that you hang on the tree. I love this idea because I can make it myself, utilizing some of those crafty/artsy skills God gave me. And it builds anticipation for Christmas and teaches us stories from the Bible all at the same time!

Another thing I’ve been challenged to think about is how we handle gift-giving. I think as we become more connected via the Internet and more aware of suffering going on in the world and in our own neighborhoods, people are thinking more about how they spend their money. I know several people who have decided to forego giving gifts within their family, and instead give a gift as a family to someone in need. Other people I know are very specific about how much and what type of gifts they give their kids at Christmas. For example, giving one practical gift (new pajamas), one educational gift (a book), and one fun toy.

If you’re familiar with The Five Love Languages, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say my main love language is gifts. It means a lot to me when someone goes out of their way to think of something I’d like, no matter how small. So I don’t think cutting gift-giving altogether at Christmas for our family is the right answer. Not just for my sake, but in the event that my son also feels loved through thoughtful gifts. While we have yet to decide our approach to Christmas gift-giving, we know we want to be intentional and thoughtful about it.

So I’m still dwelling and pondering and praying, counting on the Lord’s guidance through this adventure called “parenting,” particularly through the holidays.
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Is there anything your family does to tie in the reason for our celebration? How do you handle Christmas gifts? Help Heidi out and leave a comment with some ideas!

This Weekend's Message: The Wrapping Matters

How much does the wrapping matter to you when you get a gift? Everyone says it's the thought that counts, but sometimes the wrapping sort of influences what we feel the value of the gift is going to be.

The wrapping was one of the obstacles that people struggled with when it came to the Messiah. He was supposed to be adorned with royalty and greatness, and instead came humbly in a manger. The wrapping was not what people expected. But the wonderful message of Christmas is that there was a design in the wrapping. There was intentionality in the way Jesus came.

Come this weekend to discover what lies beneath the wrapping of Jesus' birth.

See ya Sunday!
Jeff

Christmas Eve Services @ LBF

@ 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 24: Family Christmas Eve Service

A family-friendly, kid-oriented service with fun songs and activities to celebrate the birth of Christ. Children are welcome to wear their PJs and bring a blankie. (Yes, adults can too!)

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@ 11 p.m. on Thursday, December 24: Candlelight Communion Worship Service
A tradition for many years at LBF, join us as we sing many of the traditional Christmas carols, take communion together, and usher in Christmas right at midnight by singing Silent Night in candlelight.

Reflections: December 20, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship

Where will you have the story of Christmas end? Who will you allow Jesus to be in your life? Just a baby in a manger, or the Lord of your life?

This Weekend's Message: A Christmas Tale

You do not want to miss this weekend as we have two very special events in store for each of the three Sunday services! First, the Christmas choir will be back, leading us in worship through music. This will be a great time of singing carols of worship to our Lord. Then, there will be a musical drama presentation telling the Christmas story in a way that will give everyone something to think about as we head into the celebration of Christ's birth.

So throw on a scarf, invite a friend, and come ready to be blessed by the Lord. See ya Sunday!

Pastor Jeff

Reflections: December 13, 2009

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor


This week we looked at Christmas through the eyes of the wise men. This part of the Christmas story is simply intriguing - why would highly intelligent men travel around 1,000 miles across the desert to visit a child king who was not even part of their ethnicity? What interest did they have in visiting this newborn "King of the Jews," when they were not Jewish?

 

What do you think? Why did the wise men travel all that distance to see a child who did not live a palace, but in a little town of Bethlehem, who didn't even look like or live like a king? Pretty interesting story if you ask me!

 

Christmas through the eyes of the wise men is a story of giving and worship. What gift will you bring to the Son of God this Christmas? How will you worship Jesus this Christmas? I found this story not only intriguing, but also challenging to my personal journey of knowing and loving God - How about you?