Christ Became a Humble Child

"He was a baby and a child, so that you may be a perfect human.

He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that you may be freed from the snares of death.

He was in a manger, so that you maybe in the altar.

He was on earth that you may be in the stars.

He had no other place in the inn, so that you may have many mansions in the heavens.

He, being rich, became poor for your sakes, that through his poverty you might be rich.  Therefore, his poverty is our inheritance, and the Lord's weakness is our virtue. He chose to lack for himself, that he may abound for all. The sobs of that appalling infancy cleanse me, those tears wash away my sins. Therefore, Lord Jesus, I owe more to your sufferings because I was redeemed than I do to works for which I was created...

You see that he is in swaddling clothes.

You do not see that he is in heaven.

You hear the cries of the infant, but you do not hear the lowing of an ox recognizing its Master, for the ox knows his Owner and the donkey his Master's crib."

Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.41-42

Morning Musings on the Eve of Christmas Eve

"For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."
2 Corinthians 8:9


"Let us then rejoice in this grace, so that our glorying may bear witness to our good conscience by which we glory, not in ourselves but in the Lord. That is why Scripture says, 'He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head.' For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make his only Son become the Son of man, so that human beings might in their turn become children and heirs of God? Ask if this is merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace." Augustine. 


"Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth."
Charles Wesley, Hark the Herald Angels Sing 

Book Suggestions

Here it is, folks: my annual Christmas book recommendation list! If you're a book lover and want to read some good stuff about God, here are some titles you might want to check out. But don't take my word for it....

• Anything and everything by Tim Keller (an InterVarsity alum!) 
• Anything and everything by Francis Chan
• A Praying Life by Paul Miller  
• Subversive Spirituality (and other titles) by Eugene Peterson 
• Ancient Christian Devotionals and Living the Christian Year  (devotional books) 
• Memoirs and books by Donald Miller and Anne Lamott (if you're in the mood for something insightful, intuitive and a bit unorthodox) 

If you are looking for a suggestion for a particular topic, please let me know!

Merry Christmas!  

Advent: Resources and Poem

As a student, I always hated this time of year. My heart was pulled in too many directions. I needed to work hard at studying. I wanted to play hard at formals and Ugly Sweater Parties (except they didn't really exist when I was student). But most of all I wanted to be home with my family, preparing for Christmas. 

If your heart also feels divided at this time of year, please use some of the following resources to center your heart on Christ as we prepare to celebrate His birthday in just a few weeks. 

http://www.catholic.org/clife/advent/

http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/default.aspx?page=3684

I will leave you with a poem by Luci Shaw.

Salutation

Luke 1:39-45

Framed in light,

Mary sings through the doorway.

Elizabeth's six-month joy

jumps, a palpable greeting,

a hidden first encounter

between son and Son.

And my heart turns over

when I meet Jesus

in you. 

Thanksgiving Hymn

O give thanks to Him Who made

Morning light and evening shade;

Source and Giver of all good,

Nightly sleep and daily food;

Quickener of our wearied powers,

Guard of our unconscious hours. 

O give thanks to nature's King;

Who made every breathing thing;

His, our warm and sentient frame,

His, the mind's immortal flame.

O how close the ties that bind

Spirits to the Eternal Mind!

O give thanks with heart and lip,

For we are His workmanship;

And all creatures are His care:

Not a bird that cleaves the air

Falls unnoticed; but who can

Speak the Father's love to man?

O give thanks to Him Who came

In a mortal, suffering frame

Temple of the Deity

Came for rebel man to die;

In the path Himself hath trod

Leading back His saints to God.

Josiah Conder (1789-1855)

What's on Tap this Week with Greek IV

Today: Greek IV BBQ, 1-3, 3932-3934 Spruce. Burgers, dogs, games and more. Be there.
More details here.

Monday: Greek IV Core Group Dinner, 7:00-8:30, "The Bank" 4038 Spruce. Email Shelby if you can bring something to contribute to the pasta dinner. Ben will lead a table discussion over dinner.

Tuesday: Area-Wide Worship & Prayer Night for all Metro Philly/Delaware InterVarsity Chapters, 7-9, Ben Franklin Room in Houston Hall. More details here.

Friday: Call for Justice, 7:00-9:30, Blue Route Vineyard Church (my church). If you want to learn more about the enormous problem of human trafficking, here and abroad, this even will show the movie Call and Response, as well as sell arts and crafts to raise money to benefit Love146, an anti-trafficking organization. (Not a Greek IV event, but could be cool to get a group together to take the trolley, attend the event, and talk about it over dinner at one of Media's terrific restaurants.)  Email Jamie if you're interested.

Sunday: Church Visits. Check out the last blog post about local churches. Grab a friend, visit a church, go to brunch.

Got Church?

Curious about what the different local churches have to offer? Here is your go-to guide on University City (and beyond) local churches that we recommend you visit! All information was provided by the church's main contact for college ministry. They are listed in no particular order.

Vineyard Community Church - West Philly; Sundays at 10:00 am, 4115 Baltimore Ave.

We hope that you'll find our service welcoming, encouraging, and spiritually connecting.  The worship style is a mix of contemporary, gospel, and traditional influences, all presented in a way that is easy to relate to and participate in as much as you like.  Sermons are taken from the Christian Scriptures and our goal is to make them inspiring, practical, and relevant for those listening.  There are opportunities to receive prayer for those interested at every service and always opportunities to make a friend as well.  For a full description of what to expect, check out our website and click "What to Expect" on the home page, right under "New Here?"

College students often comment that they can relate to the sermons, love the worship music, feel comfortable bringing their friends, and can walk to church.

  

Contact info:

www.vineyardwestphilly.org

info@vineyardwestphilly.org

215.382.1130

Antioch of Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational church that is focused on the inerrancy of the Word of God, and expository teaching from Genesis to Revelation.  Our supreme desire is to know Christ and to be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday - 7:30PM
Sunday - 9:00AM & 11:30AM

Website - http://www.antiochphilly.org
Phone :: 215.474.1050

As a church that is "planted" near college campuses and understand that many are in need of a "home away from home," we desire to serve and help build the faith of those students.  We do this through providing a "Kampus to Koinonia" shuttle service (39th & Walnut on Sundays) to encourage students to attend if they have no transportation or are unfamiliar with the city.  We also try to provide some specific ministry tailored to the student experience (from feeling overwhelmed with work to attending an institution that can be hostile toward the Faith).  The congregation is very diverse, so it will be an opportunity to fellowship with believers of various nationalities and age groups.  And there are many occasions to serve if they choose to fellowship with us during their college career.

Liberti East

9 and 11 am

Casual and liturgical (but contemporary at the same time).  It's a PCA church.

• It's a young crowd (20s/30s primarily) 
• We are really interested in reaching out to our neighborhood and loving the city (incarnational ministry)
• It's pretty easy to get to from UPenn
• They connect with the teaching
• There are unique discipleship opportunities for college students (Spring Break service week in Philly and Summer Internship opportunity)
• Our values: WORSHIP, COMMUNITY, MERCY

http://www.libertichurcheast.org/

Director of Campus Ministry: Tara Atchison, atchison.tara@gmail.com

PENN NEWMAN CATHOLIC COMMUNITY at The Newman Center, 3720 Chestnut St. (behind Pottruck Gym)

Visit us on the web at www.newman.upenn.edu!

The Penn Newman Catholic community -- part of Saints Agatha and James Parish -- offers Penn students a number of ways to get involved with social events, community service, sacramental ministry, retreats, discussion groups and more.

Weekend Mass at Sts. Agatha & James (38th and Chestnut)

- Saturday vigil 5:30 pm

- Sundays 9:30am + 11:30 am + 5:30 pm + 9:00 pm

Daily Mass at the Newman Center

- Monday-Friday*: 7:30 am + 12:05 pm + 5:30 pm*

- Saturday 8:30 am

*No 5:30 pm on Fridays

Staff:

- Fr. Jim McGuinn, Director of Penn Newman and Pastor of Sts. Agatha & James Parish

- Jeff Klein, Assistant Director of Penn Newman

Contact: Jeff Klein, jeffklein@newman.upenn.edu, 215-573-8920

City Church

4:30PM, a liturgical service. Getting off campus to a church you can walk to gets you into West Philadelphia.  People like the music and the community is great.

Tuesday Nights are called Whitefield Society Meetings focused on worship and a study on vocation, calling, and identity in Christ.

Website: www.citychurchphilly.com