December 2011 - Jonah`s Call

The Calling
Join Us on
Christmas Eve
Friday, December 24th @ 6:30 p.m.
Jonah’s Call Christmas Eve Service
I
n the story of Christmas, we see
Jesus arriving as a light in the
darkness to bring salvation to the
world. Using ancient words that
fulfill the prophecies of old and take
us deep into the heart of a starry night,
this dynamic service will include
traditional Christmas carols, candle
lighting and readings from Luke’s Gospel.
Additionally, this year, Jonah’s Call will
welcome Bellefield Presbyterian Church
to join us for this special service.
Please join us for a service that will
include children and adults. Child care
for infants and toddlers is provided. A
complimentary Christmas buffet will
follow the service.
A Child ArrivesO Come Let Us
Adore Him
W
ill Farrel, the Saturday
Night Live actor, who
has become a
comedy icon in the 21st
century, epitomized the
American consumerist understanding
of Jesus in the 2006 comedy in which he
plays Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver
committed to taking everything he can
get in the world to benefit number
one- Ricky Bobby.
In this raunchy, but very funny film,
Ferrel blesses the family meal by praying
to his version of the baby Jesus, showing
us just how ridiculous we can be when we
make the world all about us. The Family
blessing goes as follows:
Ricky Bobbly: Dear Tiny, Infant,
Jesus...
Carley Bobby: Hey, um, sweetie...Jesus
did grow up. You don’t always have to call
him baby. It’s a bit odd and off-puttin’ to
pray to a baby.
Continued on the next page...
December 2011
A Child ArrivesO Come Let Us Adore Him
Ricky Bobby: Look, I like the Christmas Jesus
best, and I’m sayin’ grace. When you say grace,
you can say it to Grownup Jesus or Teenage
Jesus or Bearded Jesus or whoever you want...
Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby
Jesus, don’t even know a word yet, just a little
infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent. We’d just
like to thank you for all the races I’ve won and
the $21.2 million, LOVE THAT MONEY! That I
have accrued over this past season. Also due to
a binding endorsement contract that stipulates
I mention PowerAde at each grace, I just wanna
say that PowerAde is delicious and it cools you
off on a hot summer day and we look forward to
PowerAde’s release of mystic mountain
blueberry. Thank you, for all your power and
your grace, Dear Baby God, Amen.
Funny, silly, and ridiculous but indicative of a
very real problem in an era where we can
customise almost everything so that it
comfortably meets our needs without truly
satisfying us or fitting in with ultimate reality.
Thankfully, the Word of God and the way of God
presses into the human drama in a way that
reveals a God who is so powerful, loving and
good that He can and does compels us to
conform to Him and His Reality. Ironically, He
does it by becoming a baby. Further, His
incarnation has not become manifest so that we
can easily manipulate Him to do whatever we
want. Rather He has taken on flesh to help us
see the lengths He will go to overcome our
rebellion and addiction to false living.
In the Christmas story, we find the True God,
not the God of Consumerist America, being born
in our midst. This God, prophesied ages ago,
grows up, loves vigorously, destroys death and
evil and reigns over all things. And, it is this
reality that allows us to worship Him for who
He truly is- Come Let Us Adore Him.
Advent Make N’
Bake Give N’ Take
E
ach year Jonah’s Call reaches out to the
city with an Advent “Make n’ Give for the
men’s shelter in East Liberty- each
resident receives a hand decorated bag
filled with necessities as well as a Bible and homebaked goods.
This year there’s a new way to get involved- join a
cookie baking party at the church on Wednesday,
December 14, from 4 p.m. (or whenever you can
get there) to 9 p.m. (or whenever we finish- we
will make almost 100 dozen!).
Soup and bread will be available for a light dinner
while we work.
Novice bakers welcome- you’ll learn how to make
6 different kinds of Christmas cookies. Everyone
will take a plate home for themselves, along with
the recipe.
Let Liz Nilsen know if you’d like to come for part
of the evening (liznilsen@verizon.net, or she’ the
one wearing the Santa hat in Church!).
Bring along:
• a beverage to share
• if you are able, a donation to defray the cost of
the ingrediants
• wie cooking racks
• measuring spoons-cups
• rolling pins
• cookie cutters
• small spatulas for frostingw
Coming UP
December 14th
Wednesday 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Jonah’s Call Team Leaders Meet
(meeting at the Slocum’s)
December 14th
Wednesday 4:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Make n Bake n Give n Take
December 17th
Oakland Girls Choir Concert
“Love Came Down at Christmas”
7:00 p.m. at the church
see Catherine Slocum for more info
catintheburgh@gmail.com
December 18th
Advent Make N Give
Sunday after church in the back of the Nave
see Jen Brandenstein for more info
athomejenb@gmail.com
all invited to participate
December 24th
6:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship
complimentary Christmas buffet to follow
January 15th
Jonah’s Call Annual Meeting after church
all encouraged to attend
Re:Design at Pittsburgh
Urban Christian School
The latest Re:Design effort was completed on “Black Friday at
Pittsburgh Urban Christian School (PUCS). With newly DIY
screen printed Re:Design T Shirts (thanks to Rachel Myers for her
expertise!), the Re:Design Team created a beautiful reading nook
for the middle school with great trash finds (two plush chairs,
coffee table and book shelves), new paint and furnishing from
IKEA. Much thanks to Bea Thomas from PUCS for her partnership
in making the relationship between Jonah’s Call and PUCS
happen. Additional thanks goes out to Karl, Lydia and Ian
Thomas, Jay, James and Sarah Gilmer, Jessica and Matt Whipple,
Jen, Bill, Bryce, and Holden Brandenstein, Josiane Guilleux (Bea’s
mom), Rhonda, Molly and Davis Smith (PUCS parent and
members at Bellefield Presbyterian) and Dan (Davis’s friend).
If you would like to get involved with re:design, please e-mail Jen
Brandenstein at athomejenb@gmail.com.w
Jonah’s Call
4729 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213
jonahscall.com
jonahs411.blogspot.com
412-977-7751
Worship with us weekly
•• Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
•• Nursery available for infants 0-3
•• Kid’s Club for ages 4-12
•• Enjoy dinner after the service
•• Invite a friend!
Reuse: We reuse gently kept furniture
and household items donated by
generous people and businesses
throughout Pittsburgh.
Restore: Volunteers partner with families in need to restore interiors and
landscapes.
Renew: We are seeing life renewed
through beautiful design.