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The Messenger - December 30, 2009 |
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First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro
December 30, 2009
The Messenger Table of Contents "Your Christmas Calling" ![]() by Rev. Neal
Neuenchwander
Last week, I sent you a very famous text written by a very obscure preacher named James Allen Francis. This week, I am sending another very famous text by a preacher who was far from obscure: Dr. Howard Thurman. You may not remember his name, because Dr. Thurman passed away in 1981. But he was a spiritual pillar of the African-American Community, a classmate of Martin Luther King Sr at Morehouse College, and a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. Thurman wrote dozens of books and scores of articles, and, near
the end of the "Jim Crow" era, Life Magazine considered him to be one of the 12
most important religious leaders in our country. In 1944, he co-founded
America's first racially integrated, intercultural church (the "Fellowship of
All Peoples") in San Francisco, California. And in 1953, Thurman became the
first African American Chaplain of a majority white college (Boston University)
in the United States. When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star of the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all people, to make music in the heart. Ruth Proctor read this passage during her opening prayer last Sunday morning, and I have received it in the mail several times. Now that we know a bit more about this famous text, may God help each of us to fulfill this Christmas calling, keeping in mind still another great text that Dr. Thurman wrote: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what
makes you come alive. Happy New Years!
Check out the latest multimedia from The
church website! Here's the link to the latest photos from The Family Christmas Music Festival also photos and videos from the Gospel Gang Christmas Musical.
Four Boyfriends This turned out to be so different from what I thought it was going to be. It is a wonderful message. Enjoy! Once upon a time there was a girl who had four boyfriends. She loved the fourth boyfriend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best. She also loved the third boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another. She also loved her second boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times. The girl's first boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him! One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, will I be a alone." Thus, she asked the fourth boyfriend, "I loved you the most,
endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that
I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" The sad girl then asked the third boyfriend, "I loved you
all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me
company?" She then asked the second boyfriend, "I have always turned to
you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me
and keep me company?" Then a voice called out, "I'll go with you. I'll follow you
no matter where you go." In truth, you have four boyfriends in your lives:
Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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