Pastor Brown's blog will resume after the holidays.

Good morning on this Saturday, December 17th. One week from today is Christmas Eve. This year Edgewood will feature two great services on Christmas Eve, one at 4:00 p.m. and the other at 6:00 p.m., and one on Christmas morning at 10:00 a.m. All of these services will be identical, making it convenient for you to attend the service which best fits your family's schedule. I would like to give you a preview of these services in today's blog. The service will be opened with a powerful Christmas video, will include the congregation singing several favorite Christmas songs, and a soloist singing one of the best known and loved Christmas hymns, will feature children reading the Christmas story, will include a brief drama to introduce the sermon, followed by a special Christmas message which will include a poignant video testimony from one of our Edgewood families about how their child asking one question about Christmas changed their lives. Communion will follow the message and lead into our closing song. The entire service will last one hour. I'm thrilled to hear many of you sharing how many family members and friends you have invited to attend this year's Christmas services with you. Christ will surely be honored with our many efforts on His behalf this Christmas. May all that we do glorify Him this Christmas and give us the best Christmas we have ever had at Edgewood!
I hope you will not miss these wonderful Christmas services as well as tomorrow's Christmas musical.

Mel Brown    

Good morning on this Saturday, December 10th. Every Christmas season at my request, my daughters make an appointment to have a series of group pictures taken of all of my grandchildren. They carefully coordinate the colors of their outfits and head off to the photographers for a sitting. They then carefully review the many poses taken and select the ones they are going to purchase, including the large portrait they intend to give to me as a Christmas present. I then place one in my office at church and one in my office at home. All through the year I continually enjoy those pictures, periodically looking at them as I work at my desk or computer. I confess that the pictures flood my heart and mind with warm feelings and memories each time I look them over. During the Christmas season there are many pictures of our Savior to warm our hearts and minds. The ubiquitous manger scenes remind us of His birth in humble surroundings in a stable and being placed in a manger which was a feeding trough for the animals. The Christmas lights which adorn both the inside and outside of many homes remind us that Jesus is the light of the world who came to light the way of every man. The Christmas carols remind us of all aspects of His coming as we sing words about His birth to beautiful and familiar melodies. The Christmas bread pudding reminds us that He is the Bread of Life. The gifts which we give and receive remind us that He is God's greatest gift to man and through Him the gift of eternal life. The gathering of family and friends at Christmas reminds us that through faith in Him we will gather in joyous celebration in Heaven together never to be separated again. On and on we could go with these reminders, but unbelievable as it may seem, many people miss them all and make Christmas just another holiday. May that not be true of any of us and may we see Christ in ALL of the signs of Christmas this year.
Tomorrow's sermon is another on the Incredible Christ.
I hope you'll be there.
Reminder - we'll have three great Christmas services this year and all will be the same: 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 10:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. I can hardly wait as I think of what's coming..
Mel Brown 

Good morning on this first Saturday of December. Since Christmas is three weeks away, many folks are now in the thick of Christmas shopping. The Friday after Thanksgiving marks the official opening of the Christmas shopping season. Merchants flood newspapers with sale ads, the television with advertisements, and snail and email with special offers. The competition is keen among the many stores and companies to capture a large part of the billions of dollars shoppers will spend on gifts during the Christmas season. Christmas decorations adorn many houses throughout our neighborhoods, Christmas trees are lighted in front of windows everywhere, Christmas music is being played on many stereos, and our televisions are hosting a variety of Christmas programs and movies. All of these things make for a festive atmosphere each Christmas. But I am writing to remind all of us that these things are neither the meaning nor message of Christmas - we are celebrating a birthday, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So Christmas is in reality a birthday party, remembering and honoring the greatest birth in human history - God becoming a man through His birth as a babe in Bethlehem. With all of the commercialism associated with Christmas, we as Christians need to keep our ultimate focus on the Christ of Christmas not the Christmas in Christ. Here are some suggestions to make this happen.
(1) Focus your Bible reading on the coming, person, and work of Jesus Christ
(2) Attend church regularly during this Christmas season. The sermons will be focusing upon the Christmas message now and through the end of December.
(3) Be sure to attend one of the three great Christmas services either on Christmas Eve at 4:00 or 6:00 p.m. or Christmas morning at 10:00 a.m.
(4) Invite and bring as many family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors as you can to hear the gospel this Christmas. Remember the very purpose of Christ's coming was to "seek and save the lost." We are never better fulfilling the meaning and message of Christmas than when we are part of the process of bringing people to a personal relationship with Christ.
(5) Give a special gift to Christ. Remember it is His birthday we are celebrating. While we use it as an occasion to give gifts to our loved ones, should we not give a special gift to Him whom we are honoring?
(6) Fill your heart and mind with gratitude and appreciation to God for sending Christ for you, saving you, and all of your many blessings.
These things will help you have a Christ-centered merry Christmas.
Tomorrow's sermon will be Great Expectations - The Incredible Christ.
I hope you won't miss it.
Mel Brown