Midweek Check-in (Dec. 17, 2025)

Good evening, church family!

“Oh come, all ye faithful”

That is not just a proclamation. It’s the opening words to one of my favorite Christmas songs. It’s an invitation to all the faithful, joyful and triumphant people who wish to come and behold Him and come let us adore Him.

It’s a beautiful song with a beautiful thought. But there’s one problem.

What about the unfaithful?

Sure, the faithful and the joyful and the triumphant are invited to worship the newborn king.

What about those who haven’t been as faithful as they should have?

What about those who aren’t feeling joyful?

What about those who wouldn’t call their 2025 a year of triumph?

Santa Claus has a solution for this. He makes a list and checks it twice. The faithful, the joyful, the triumphant – they go on the nice list. The others? The naughty list.

The nice get the presents. And the naughty get a lump of coal.

I’m really, really glad Santa is not our God.

God acts differently than Santa. God invites the faithful AND the unfaithful. He doesn’t create a list based on our past. As I said this past Sunday as we focused on joy: God doesn’t look for those with joy. God brings joy to those who have none.

So, yes, come all ye faithful. But for the unfaithful, for the ones who aren’t joyful, for the ones who haven’t triumphed - there’s still room for you to come and behold Him.

But once you do – once you meet the Faithful One – you just may find the desire to be faithful, to feel joyful and to know triumph like you never have before. Because the arrival of Christ changes everything. And it’s not about your faithfulness or unfaithfulness – it’s about the God who loved so much that He put on flesh, proved faithful to His promises and demonstrated authentic, perfect love for each of us.

So that ancient hymn – Oh come, all ye faithful – is still one I love and sing. But I’m thankful for a new twist on it. It’s called “Oh come, all you unfaithful”. Check out this song. It’s worth a listen. Christ is born for you.

“Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord.”

-Luke 2:11

Jesus, to Thee be all glory given!

Your pastor,

Billy Byler

Gifts donated to Angel Tree families were delivered this week! Thank you!

ANGEL TREE: Big thank you to so many kind and generous donors who blessed dozens of families through our Angel Tree program. Sherilyn Elder and her team delivered the gifts this week!

CHRISTMAS AT WOODLAND LAKES! Mark your calendars for these festive events and services coming up at the church!

·CHRISTMAS POST OFFICE: Once again the youth have set up their Christmas Post Office Fundraiser this year. Instead of purchasing stamps to mail your Christmas cards to people in our church, you can simply bring your Christmas cards to the table in the church lobby and the teens will deliver them for 25 cents each! Drop off your Christmas cards any Sunday before Christmas to take advantage of this convenient service AND help the youth group raise some funds! Note: we have a list of regular church attenders available at the booth.

·CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE: Bring the entire family for Christmas Eve at Woodland Lakes, Dec. 24, 6-7 p.m. The candlelight service will include traditional Christmas hymns and a special reading of the Christmas story. And don’t forget to get a family photo at our Christmas photo booth!

BLOOD DRIVE: We are partnering with Angel Wings Learning Center and the American Red Cross to host a blood drive in January. However, we need to make sure we have enough people willing to donate blood. Potential donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health. We won’t be able to set a date until we know we have enough potential donors, so if you are interested, please sign up on the sheet at the welcome center in the church lobby. Thank you!

BAPTISM: Our next opportunity to be baptized is coming up in January. If you are interested in participating in the sacrament of baptism, please contact Pastor Billy.

JUST FOR FUN: Hey, you read Pastor Billy's midweek check-in all the way to the end! As a reward, check out these crazy stories I came across recently:

·It’s college football bowl season, and this year’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will feature a new item at concessions stands: the Cheez-It-crusted turkey leg. $25 per leg.

·A new movement is sweeping New York City: the grandma stand. Instead of little kids selling lemonade, grandmas are setting up stands to offer wisdom and advice to anyone who stops by.

·With only EIGHT days until Christmas, Denny’s has you covered. The breakfast chain just released a pair of shoes called “Sticky Kicks” that are made with clear plastic compartments on the sides of the shoes that contain real maple syrup. They went on sale today for $195 each.