This Week At Old South Haven Presbyterian Church

December 24             11:00pm       Christmas Eve Service

                                                         Lessons and Carols

 Once again we welcome Christmas with this candlelight service:

 candles in our church windows and as luminaries lighting the front walk  and, of course, lighting our individual candles from the Christ Candle at the close of the service.

 The choir will be singing two anthems and we again welcome Daryl Jordan,  soprano soloist, who will sing “O Holy Night”, “Come with Me to  Bethlehem,” and conclude the service with “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”

There will be an opportunity to give to the Christmas Joy Offering of our denomination or to our church’ local ministry.

The Legend of the Christmas Poinsettia

In a certain village in Mexico, many years ago, it was customary on Christmas Eve to take gifts to the church and place then before the Crèche.

One evening there was a small boy standing outside the church door. How he wished he could enter the church and present a gift to Jesus, but he was poor. He had nothing to give.

“I can at least pray,” he thought to himself. He knelt silently outside the church window and listened to the voices raised in song. When he rose to his feet again, he was amazed at what he saw where he had knelt. It was a beautiful plant with scarlet leaves and a yellow flower in the center. He had never seen anything like it. Realizing it was a miracle he carefully plucked it and took in into the church. As he placed the beautiful flower before the manger, he whispered, “This is my gift to the Christ Child. My own precious gift.”

The Mexicans call the plant “The Flower of the Holy Night.” Our first ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, brought it to the United States and the flower became known as the “poinsettia.”

Sunday, December 26     Morning Worship

                                         Sermon:  “The Morning After”

                                         Lessons: Isaiah 61: 10 – 62:3   Luke 2: 22-49

An Update:

     Last Sunday it was announced that Alan Steven had a heart attack the previous night and was in Brookhaven Hospital.  Monday he was transferred to Winthrop Hospital in Mineola and there received three stints.  He returned home on Tuesday.  Darcy reports that both she and Alan will be at the Christmas Eve Service and serve as readers. With joy we celebrate.