Upward Basketball-- Opportunities to Serve

Check out this video by Caz McCaslin, founder of Upward Sports sharing the mission and vision of Upwards. The 2014 Upward season kicks off next week! There are still opportunities for you to plug in and be a part of making this season a success.

Opportunities:
1. Volunteer to serve as Host Commissioner. Learn more about the role of Host Commissioner here.
2. Volunteer to serve as Prayer Commissioner. Learn more about the role of Prayer Commissioner here.
3. Volunteer to referee. Learn more about the role of Upward Referee here.
4. Volunteer to be a Game Announcer. Game announcers help provide an atmosphere of fun and excitement on game day by announcing each player's name as they run through the tunnel.
5. Set up/Break down Team. Each Friday and Saturday of Upwards will have over 16 hours of games. A large team of volunteers Friday night, Saturday morning at 7 and Saturday night between 7:30 and 9:00 will help Upwards be a success and the church campus made ready to go for Sunday mornings.

The Nativity: Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:22-38) Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Dig Deeper

As required by the law of Moses, forty days following the birth of Jesus, He was taken by Joseph and Mary to Jerusalem, a 5 ½ mile journey, to be presented in the temple. (Luke 2:22; Leviticus 12:18) While among the crowds in the “Court of Wisdom” they encounter an elderly saint by the name of Simeon. Simeon had received a promise from the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he encountered God’s promised one (Luke 2:26). Luke states that Simeon was waiting for the “Consolation (or Comfort) of Israel” (Luke 2:25). What insights are gained from the following Scriptures regarding Jesus as “Consolation” or Comfort of Israel?

Isaiah 49:13--

Isaiah 51:3--

Isaiah 52:9--

Isaiah 66:13--

Following Jesus’ dedication Joseph, Mary and Jesus encounter the eighty-four year old prophetess Anna. (Luke 2:36) Similar to Simeon, Anna immediately begins to praise and thank God upon her seeing Jesus. In her praise Anna refers to “all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

Read Isaiah 62. Here in Isaiah 62 the prophet compares the redemption of Jerusalem with the joy of m the joy and promise of marriage. Compare this imagery with Ephesians 5:25-27. How was redemption accomplished?

Application

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10. In what ways are the examples of Simeon and Anna applicable to you? How is the Holy Spirit leading you to find comfort in Jesus? How will you seek to spread the good news of redemption?

Memorize This

Matthew 1:23— Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. KJV

"A Baby's Hug"-- Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"." Luke 11:13 NIV

As a father of two bright-eyed beautiful little girls one of my favorite things about Christmas morning is seeing the expression on their faces when they open their gifts. Three years ago Sherrill and I were able to get the perfect gift, a giant doll house!

I knew it was the perfect gift because for weeks before Christmas I would take the girls to a certain toy store in the mall and watch them play with this doll house. The entire time I watched them play I looked forward to their reaction Christmas morning.

In comparison of giving gifts notice what Jesus says about God the Father in Luke 11:13, “how much more will your Father in heaven give…” Can you imagine what God was filled with when He gave the gift of His Son that very first Christmas?

Today we celebrate the most amazing gift of all time... the gift of Jesus. The following is a short story I read on Dr James Dobson's web page, Family Talk entitled, A Baby's Hug. The author is unknown.

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, “Hi.” He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. 

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard, and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. “Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya’ buster,” the man said to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, “What do we do?”

Erik continued to laugh and answer, “Hi.”

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came, and the man began shouting from across the room, “Do ya’ patty cake? Do ya’ know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo.”

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the bill and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. “Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,” I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby’s ‘pick-me-up’ position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to those of the man.

Suddenly, a very old smelly man and a very young baby shared their love and kinship. Erik, in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder. The man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms, and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.”
Somehow I managed, “I will,” from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, “God bless you, ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”
I said nothing more than a muttered, “Thanks.” With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, “My God, my God, forgive me.”

I had just witnessed Christ’s love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment, a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, “Are you willing to share your son for a moment?” He had shared His only Son for all eternity. How must God have felt when He put his baby in our arms 2,000 years ago?

The ragged old man had unwittingly reminded me, “To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.”

If this has blessed you, please bless others by sharing it. Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back, or the car that you drive, or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are.

I don't know a parent who would not have the same reaction as Erik's mom and dad. Amid the laughter and celebration of this day, make sure you spend time in awe of God's gift of His Son. "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 1Corinthians 5:21 NLT