TOUCHPOINT The Marble Magazine One West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001-4596 212-686-2770 MarbleChurch.org
DECEMBER 2017 & JANUARY 2018
Mulligans & Expressions of Grace
It’s never easy writing a sermon, blog, or newsletter diligent in the year to article for January. That’s because you already know come than we were in what’s coming. Arthur Caliandro and I used to laugh the year past. about that over our frequent lunches. He said, “Every In a sense, New year I tried to give it a different title – `Starting Over,’ Year’s Resolutions are `You Can Start Over Again’, `Starting Anew,’ `You Can expressions of Grace. Start Anew.’ But once I got past the title,” he told me, It’s our way of saying “the sermons remained the same.” Arthur spoke with we believe God is a preacher’s wisdom. I’ve been doing this full time for always prepared to forty-four years, and I can tell you from experience that Dr. Michael Brown give us only the titles change in January. The another chance to get things right. Maybe message remains the same. “God is not we have failed in our yesterdays, but God
Perhaps, however, that is permisas interested in grants us new opportunities to learn from sible. In fact, it may be advisable. I’ve where we’ve that so we can succeed in our tomorrows. never met a person who didn’t need As you’ve heard me say so many times: God been as in where is not as interested in where we’ve been as a do-over from time to time, which is we’re going.” in where we’re going. what we traditionally preach and write about in January. It’s what golfers So, what’s the same old January text we call “Mulligans.” Once in a while you hit a shot that goes hear every year? Arthur and I laughed about that, too. off course, and you need a chance to hit again. You do “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) Every the shot over. Life is not unlike that. January is a great January we trot that one out … as, in fact, we should. time for Mulligans. It’s the promise of Grace I referred to. However tired or I think that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are essentially about. It’s not that we suddenly have an epiphany we’ve never had before. “Wow! Dieting – Exercise – Prayer – Going to church – Spending more time with my family – what a great idea! Why had that never occurred to me before?” That’s not how it works. We make those resolutions anew because in one or more of those areas, we have gone off course. We need a fresh start. A doover. So, we make a resolution to be more attentive and
flawed we may have been in 2017, it’s 2018 now. And our God has promised us a newness of mind and spirit, a fresh lease on life, that shatters our shadows with sunlight. When January rolls around, we get a Mulligan. And in thankfulness for that, we make resolutions to stay on course. Happy New Year!
DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 SUNDAY WORSHIP, 11AM DECEMBER 10
DECEMBER 24
Dr. Michael B. Brown Senior Minister preaching
4th Sunday in Advent
DECEMBER 3 1st Sunday in Advent
Life from a Stump Isaiah 11:1-9
Rev. J. Elise Brown, Ph.D.
2nd Sunday in Advent
Company’s Coming Revelation 3:20-22
DECEMBER 17 3rd Sunday in Advent
The Host and Hostess Gifts Psalm 126; Luke 1:46-50
A Light Shines in the Darkness
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP 6:15pm Every Week, except Dec. 27.
John 1:1-5
DECEMBER 31
Full of Grace and Truth John 1:1-14, 16-18
Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES See page 4.