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December 2015

A Word From Pastor Colleen: At the last luncheon, I kind of ranted (which may happen once in a while!) about how Christmas music was already on the radio and it was only November 19. While I don’t like it when the commercialization of the holiday comes too quickly, the truth is, I do love Christmas. I love the outward expressions of it--the lights, the gifts, the cookies, the traditions, the sappy movies. I love the way people go out of their way to be kind and how families come together. I love remembering holidays past and putting up all the decorations. I do love it all.

What I love most about Christmas is that Jesus came as a helpless babe to live as one of us. He is the most complete expression of God we have ever known. To come down from heaven from His throne so He might sacrifice His earthly life is the epitome of love. The baby in the manger grew up to be the resurrected Lord. . . to bring forgiveness and true hope.

So, my rant was a bit short lived. As I got in my car after the lunch, I turned on the radio and heard the gospel of Luke being read aloud while a chorus hummed in the background. All about how Mary wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes and put Him in a manger. Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory to God in the highest! If the radio station wants to celebrate Christmas a bit early and someone is inspired to think more about Jesus. . .then I will love that too.

May your Christmas be full of the love of God!

SENIOR NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2015 PAGE 2

State Street Ballet

Gloria Regan, one of our friends from the lunch, has a special opportunity for those in our community who would like to see the Nutcracker at the Historic Granada. They offer special group prices to our church for groups of 10 or more. The Nutcracker is, of course, an iconic ballet which is a holiday favorite for many. It is playing:

Saturday, December 19 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm Sunday, December 20 at 2:00pm

If you would like to go, please call Pastor Colleen at church. Her number is 965-1338, ext. 225. The tickets are $27 or $34.50 or $42, based on the seats. To take advantage of this marvelous production at these prices, we do need at least 10 takers by NO LATER than December 7th.

Christmas Services

We realize many people have a church they call home. If you do not, you are always welcome to attend the services where the lunches are held, the Free Methodist Church. We would like to extend a special invitation to the Christmas Eve Services, this year on Friday, December 24. We have three services: 4:30pm, 6:00pm and 11:00pm. The first two are family oriented and the last one is

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This Ministry Sponsored by:

Cliff Drive Care Center, Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church, The Balin Trust, and Valley Flowers Thank you!

SENIOR NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2015 PAGE 3

What merry little morsels are on the menu for this month?

Thursday, December 3 We will kick off the holiday in style, with our friend Gem Fiedtkou, who is one of our favorite musicians. She has an easy, melodic style and we are thrilled to welcome her again to come and sing for and with us. Gem likes to say her name means ‘Jewel’ and we believe this is certainly true. Since it’s Christmas, we will be singing some favorite songs as well. For lunch, we are going to have Louisiana shrimp, rice, roasted veggies with spinach, and crusty bread. Save your fork for dessert!

Thursday, December 17 Today will be our Christmas luncheon. This is one of our favorite days at our place, so make sure you come early to get a seat. The children will come up and sing. There may be a Santa Sighting. Pastor Denny will give a moving homily. Melanie will come to sing some carols with us. You will all receive a gift from our dear friend, Mary Lou Ardohain, who is with Mary Kay and will deliver something for both women and men. Michele will serve an astounding beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes and vegetables. There will also be stuffed pear with gorgonzola cheese and an old fashioned gingerbread with hard sauce. Not to be missed!

Gift for our Chef Each year, it is our tradition to express our thanks for Chef Michele during our Christmas lunch. So, for the month of December, we will be having a separate envelope available at the Welcome Table where you can give some money for a group gift. There is absolutely no obligation to give! However, if you would like to give a few dollars to show your love, this is the time of year we do that. One of the ways Michele shows her love for us, 22 Thursdays of the year, if by the time and effort to create such beautiful homemade meals for us. It is an honor to bless her back.

SENIOR NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2015 PAGE 4

Christmas According to the Bible 1. Which Gospel(s) speak of the events surrounding Christ’s birth? (a) Mark and John (b) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (c) Luke only (d) Matthew and Luke 2. How many magi visit Christ after his birth, according to the Bible? (a) Three (b) An undisclosed number (c) One (d) None 3. Where is Christ when the magi come to visit him? (a) In the manger (b) In a house (c) In the Temple (d) In the womb 4. The magi ask where Christ is born. Herod summons his priests and scribes, who know the location of the birth because of the prophecy of this man. (a) Joel (b) Jonah (c) Micah (d) Amos 5. In a dream, an angel tells Joseph to name his child Jesus, for it was prophesied that a virgin would give birth and call her son Immanuel. What does Immanuel mean? (a) Jesus saves (b) God with us (c) God is flesh (d) God is born 6. Herod’s slaughter of the children two and under, according to Matthew, fulfills a prophecy uttered by what man? (a) Micah (b) Joel (c) Jonah (d) Jeremiah 7. Where do we find “the magnificat”? (a) Matthew (b) John (c) Mark (d) Luke 8. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem, according to the Gospel of Luke? (a) He wasn’t; he was born in Nazareth (b) His mother went to visit Elizabeth (c) His earthly father went to Bethlehem for a census (d) That’s where both his parents lived 9. The Bible tells us Christ was born in December. (a) True (b) False 10.Christ was laid in a manger. What is a manger? (a) a barn (b) a cave (c) a feeding trough (d) a type of inn

ANSWERS: 1. d 2. b 3. b 4. c 5. b 6. d 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. c