Join Us to Welcome Regional Minister Rev. Donald Gillett - Reece's Peace's

On Sunday, January 8th, our new regional minister, Rev. Donald Gillett, will visit Hurstbourne Christian Church! It is always exciting for our church to host a regional minister, but hosting our new regional minister Don Gillett will be something even more special. Don has been working hard to build up the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky. Since being called as our regional minister on August 1, 2021, Don Gillett has helped to secure the regional budget, build up several struggling churches, plan a regional assembly, and a general assembly, and so much more.

Don has deep roots in Kentucky, having served 22 years as the pastor at East Second Street Christian Church in Lexington. Don is known for being a fiery and passionate preacher. As someone who has listened to his sermons, I can tell you that you can feel the spirit moving through him. But Don is more than just a fiery preacher. He is an extremely well educated man, and you feel that in each one of his sermons.

Theologically, he holds a Master’s Degree in Divinity and a Doctorate Degree in Ministry, but he also holds a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics and a Master’s in Business Administration. You will miss out if you don’t come in person to hear Don deliver our message on Jan 8 or at least tune in online if you are unable to come in person. It is an exciting time for our church and a great way to start the new year.

Why Do We Have Poinsettias at Christmas? - Reece's Peace's

Bright red poinsettias have become traditional in North America during the Christmas season, but why?

The tradition of poinsettias on Christmas Eve in Mexico can be traced to an old legend. A young girl, Pepita, was looking for a gift to give to Jesus on Christmas Eve. However, she was very poor and couldn't afford any gifts. So instead, she picked some weeds from beside the church and placed them on the church altar. From these weeds, a crimson blossom sprouted, and the weeds became a beautiful poinsettia. Beginning in the 17th century, Franciscan Friars in Mexico included poinsettias in their Christmas celebration. They viewed the star-shaped leaf pattern as a symbol of the star of Bethlehem and the bright red color as a representation of the blood of Jesus's sacrifice.

While poinsettias became integral to Mexican Christmas Eve celebrations, they were never seen as part of Christmas celebrations in the United States. That is, until an enterprising family, the Ecke family, decided to change that.

The Ecke family originally ran a vegetarian health spa in Germany in the early 1900s. However, they had trouble running a vegetarian spa in the sausage capital of the world. So, they moved to the United States where they began growing vegetables and flowers. They settled in California and became connected with the movie and television industry. They were looking for a flower to be marketed during the Christmas season. Unfortunately, not many flowers naturally bloom in the middle of winter. They noticed one flower that did blossom right around the Christmas season, the poinsettia. So, they began to market poinsettias as a Christmas tradition.

Their marketing campaign really began to take off in the 1960s. The family used their connections to Hollywood to make sure that poinsettias were featured prominently on all television Christmas specials. The family once claimed that poinsettias had even more screen time than prominent hosts like Johnny Carson. They even convinced popular magazines at the time to run spreads featuring Christmas trees, mistletoes, and poinsettias, saying that a Christmas spread needs more color than the Christmas trees and mistletoes can provide.

They began to advertise on television that they could ship you a poinsettia for free! Their family farm even bred their own kinds of poinsettias that would bloom three to four times more than a normal poinsettia, which would ensure plenty of red flowers for your house at Christmas. Until 1970, over 90% of all poinsettias came from the Ecke family farm.

In general, there is no biblical connection between Christmas and poinsettias. Even the creation of the tradition itself is a bit odd. Even still, Poinsettias do have an undeniable beauty and have become closely connected with Christmas. Whatever the reason, whenever we see those bright red blossoms, we know that Christmas is just around the corner.

What is God's Gift to Us? - Kayla's Korner

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” – 2 Corinthians 9:15

What is God’s Gift to us? The answer to this question is quite simple. God sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to earth to be the final sacrifice for our sins. I don’t know about you, but to me, that is one of the most special gifts I have ever received.

Let’s breakdown 2 Corinthians 9:15 for a moment to really understand what Paul is trying to share with us. “Thanks be to God…”, Here we read that Paul burst out in an exclamation of appreciation to God. “…for His indescribable…” The Greek word for indescribable is not used anywhere else in the New Testament and is translated as “Unutterable.” This means that words cannot describe, and no human can fully appreciate the magnitude of the gift.

Gift giving is something that I love to do, gift giving brings joy to my heart. Seeing the other person open their gift from me, and seeing their reaction warms my heart with Joy. I know gift giving isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok. Jesus and His sacrifice is the most indescribable gift we could receive. Christmas time can be stressful, but it can also be a joyous time. While you are gift shopping this season, remember God who gave the most incredible gift to each one of us and maybe this year gift giving will be a little more joyous for you. I can’t begin to imagine how God feels each time someone accepts His gift of Christ.

Blessings Kayla Hass

Dear God,

We thank you for giving the gift of grace. For giving us the opportunity of receiving a relationship with you. As we move into the Christmas season this year, let us remember all you have done for us and continue to do. Let us not get wrapped up in the gifts, but rather focus on you and the gift you have given us. Amen

Kayla Marie Hass

Thanks and Giving - Reece's Peaces

November starts our stewardship campaign. It is time as a congregation that we take note of what God has given us and what we want to give toward in the future. I think this year is an incredibly important stewardship campaign because we just finished deciding our vision and our mission for the next 5 years. We are giving toward that mission and the vision that we have for the church.

Starting this quarter, we have refocused our Care-Share groups. We now have three Family Ministers, each headed by two of our church Elders. These family ministries will meet quarterly to create solid relationships and connections within each family. They will care for you and you will care for them, just as you care for your relatives now. You will support one another in good and bad times with cards, meals, and whatever else is needed. Our families will make sure that every member of Hurstbourne feels loved and supported.

Additionally, on January 1st, we will begin to examine how each one of our projects, events, and activities align with our new vision. Every event will be reimagined with our new vision and mission in mind. This will make every segment of our church aligned with our greater goals. We will continue to grow our Christian education program, expand our service to the community, and become a welcoming place for all.

This year, 2022, showed the resilience of our church. It was our first full year without a COVID-19 shutdown and it reminded us how good it feels to be back in church. It also shows us the possibilities of the future.

2023 will be a year of great and amazing changes to our church: changes as we continue to grow in membership and become a welcoming place for all God’s children changes as we continue to grow in discipleship, and changes as we seek new and unique ways to serve the community of which we are part.

So, as we start our stewardship campaign, let us remember what it is we are thankful for and what it is we are giving toward.

The Theology of the Russian War in Ukraine - Reece's Peace's

I was halfway through writing a wonderfully fun article on the turning of the season when I saw a report that the Russian Orthodox Patriarch stated that all Russians that die in battle will have all of their sins forgiven.

It stopped me in my tracks. Russia invaded Ukraine for no valid reason. They have spent months killing civilians and military personal fighting to defend their home country. Now the Russian Church has turned into a mouthpiece for this genocide and promises eternal salvation for those who die in this offensive war. Patriarch Kirill went so far as to compare the sacrifice of Christ to that of Russian Soldiers. This is against all Christian reasoning and theology. Christ never fought in a war. Throughout all of Christ’s ministry he fought against the oppression of good people by tyrannical authorities. The idea that Jesus offers salvation not because of faith in God, but instead because of participation in a vindictive war brought on by petty individuals, is completely inappropriate.

Even more troubling is the fact that more than 90% of Christians in Russia are members of the Russian Orthodox church. For almost all Christians inside Russia, this absurd theology is the only opinion they hear. They will not hear Pope Francis’s public address stating, “In the name of God, I ask you: stop this massacre,” calling the invasion an act of “unacceptable armed aggression.” They will not hear the number of other ministers and priests around the world that have condemned this act. They will not even be able to read this article.

In their own country, religious voices have been silenced as Russia continues it mobilization for war. In the beginning months of the conflict Russian parishes independently began to rid themselves of connection to the Russian Patriarch, removing Kirill’s name for church worship. However, inside Russia, those churches have now too been silenced.

I wish that I had a better topic to write about for this article. I wish I could have written a loving piece about the changing colors of leaves, bonfires, and hayrides. However, I couldn’t. It is not that there is much any of us can do to stop this, but still, we must acknowledge the problem with religious statements like this one. Jesus is not for war. Hopefully, we can come together as a community of faith and pray for a peaceful end to this senseless war.