child: necessary perhaps for spiritual health, but not the kind of thing one looks forward to.

These days however I find myself grateful that my home congregation is willing to linger over the Advent texts and disciplines and not rush too quickly into Christmas. The turnaround for me has come about as I have been struck with a common but under-appreciated feature of the Christmas

message: God sent to us a Savior.

I think about all the different ways God could have reached out to our

world: God could have sent someone whose primary mission was to be a teacher to offer us guidance and instruction. God could have sent a life-coach to inspire and direct us, or a sage to provide spiritual wisdom and insight, or a counselor to help us distinguish clearly the times we've gotten things right from those episodes when we have strayed from the path. Jesus helps us with all those things, of course, but they are not what the angels proclaim. The emphasis of the Christmas message lies elsewhere.

God sends us a Savior...why? Evidently because we needed saving. The implications of that run deeper than we're comfortable with sometimes.

Admitting that we are the sort of people who need saving is a radical step.

People who need the occasional mid-course correction might benefit from an instructor or a coach, but they surely don't need a Savior. Neither do people who simply require the occasional reminder to live the way they should, or those whose lives get a little ragged around the edges and need to be re-centered.

No, one sends a Savior to people who are without hope. Saviors are for the really unfortunate persons who face challenges and difficulties that are simply too big for them to deal with on their own. Saviors are needed for people who completely lack the resources to meet the challenges at hand, the hopeless cases who would be completely lost if left to their own devices. Could God really be thinking of us in that way, even now, after all these years of trying so hard to be good disciples?

For me Advent has become, along with Lent, a time for reflecting on why I would need a Savior. This spiritual discipline collides head-on with my own pretensions: I have the sense of having done a pretty fair job of being a Christian and a decent human being, though like everyone I’ve experienced the occasional slip-up around the margins, which I will address in the coming year by buckling down and trying harder. In the face of my spiritual complacency, Advent comes like a bucket of ice water to the face, reminding me that God still considers me a hopeless case—someone who needs a Savior! It’s jarring to contemplate.

Surprisingly, though, I find this reminder, as unsettling as it is, can also become the occasion of joy. The assertion that I am one who needs saving leads me to reflect on all those aspects of my life and world that really are beyond my capacity to deal with. This Advent I have been thinking about the disruptive economic forces that have sent nations and families and businesses careening like tiny boats on a storm-tossed sea, and that so far seem resistant to anyone’s efforts to tame them. The anxiety which follows close on the heels of these reflections provides an unsettling insight into how much my own sense of confidence and hope for the future is tied up with financial security and material prosperity.

I have also found myself thinking about mortality. Though blessed with relatively good health, at age 53 I find the sense of life’s finite limits becoming increasingly vivid. There just isn’t the sense anymore of a limitless expanse of time stretching out before me for the embracing what life has to offer. An end is coming, bringing with it heaven knows what in the way of grief and suffering, and while a healthy lifestyle can perhaps postpone it for awhile, in the end there’s nothing I or anyone can do to keep it from coming.

Such reflections by themselves would be terribly depressing, but in the context of Advent they serve to highlight the stunning import of the Christmas message: God sent a Savior. All the situations we identify as hopeless are not so. He came as light in the darkness, and he is coming again in glory to make all things new. None of the forces bigger than ourselves has ultimate power over us.

What would it look like for us to start living more from the truth of that? I think the repentance to which Advent calls us is first and foremost about learning to live fully in the light of what God has done, allowing God’s gift to banish our hopelessness and the destructive anxiety which follows so closely on its heels. What does it feel like when God’s gift of a Savior starts to overcome our fear of all the earthly powers and forces and situations we assumed had control over us?

Such liberation, I suspect, may have us singing along with the angels before we know it!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." May God grant all of us grace this Advent to enter more deeply into this astonishing news!

Mark Achtemeier teaches Theology and Ethics at Dubuque Theological Seminary.

Your pastor,

David Jones

Also this Sunday, at noon, immediately following the 11:00 worship service we will host a reception for Sylvia Campbell. Sylvia is retiring at the end of December. I know you will want to celebrate Sylvia's significant ministry with us.

And this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. the Sanctuary Choir will present in the sanctuary "Magnificat and Gloria" by Antonio Vivaldi. Our Sanctuary Choir will be accompanied by an orchestra and classical guitarist Marc Garvin. Following their offering a reception will be held in the Fellowship Hall.

So you can begin and end your Sabbath with your brothers and sisters at WCPC!

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Your pastor,

David Jones

Serving as a chaplain intern at Stanford’s Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital put her beside families in crisis. Specializing in practical theology, publishing lesson plans for youth, teaching Greek, and teaching adult Christian education classes strengthened her gift for teaching. Co-leading a mission trip to Guatemala solidified her commitment to serve a mission-oriented church. Two remarkable experiences in Ireland—an internship followed by a year-long position as Assistant Minister-- drew Christa deeper into her calling to ministry and allowed God to strengthen her commitment to a life of pastoral care.

She writes, “I bring myself—a follower of Christ, seeking to lead and accompany others on their paths of discipleship…fostering disciples among members and visitors, teaching and modeling spiritual disciplines, and encouraging people to use heart, soul, and mind as they seek knowledge of God and personal relationship with Christ.”

It's an exciting time for her and for WCPC.

Your pastor,

David Jones

This is not the only business we will conduct. The current Nominating Committee will place into nomination Amy Lothringer to fulfill the unexpired term of Rae Ward whose family recently relocated. They will also offer into nomination the following individuals to serve as at-large members of the 2009 Nominating Committee: Deanna Briger, Bill Duncan, Denny Kryder, and Jacque Somers. The 2009 Nominating Committee's Moderator will be Cheryl Schroeder, who was elected by your Session to serve. The Session also elected Linda Snyder to serve this year and moderate the committee in 2010. The Board of Deacons elected Jeff Keiser. The seven member Nominating Committee, composed of two members of the Session and one member of the Board of Deacons, along with four at-large members from the congregation, will have the task of discerning those individuals God is calling into leadership roles on the Session and Diaconate. Nominations from the floor are permitted for both the unexpired term of Rae Ward and for the four members at-large from the congregation who will serve on the Nominating Committee. Your Session is also asking that you dismiss and dissolve, with thanks and gratitude, the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Youth and Young Adults. The position of Youth Director was filled by your Session with Eva Sellman and is not a called position.

Also, this Sunday, as has been our tradition, we conclude our stewardship focus, "The Next Step..." You will have the opportunity to bring forward at the conclusion of both worship services your commitment/pledge cards for 2009. Please prayerfully consider your response. I think it is appropriate that this Sunday our Commitment Sunday is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, since our giving is a response of gratitude and thankfulness to God.

It will be a full morning but one that will enable this congregation and each of us individually and as families to take that "Next Step!"

Your pastor,

Davide Jones

We witnessed history on Tuesday night when Barack Obama was elected the next President of the United States. I grew up in southside Virginia and I have seen first hand growing up how demoralizing prejudice and bigotry can be. The divisions were clear and attitudes were often very ugly. That this country has now elected an African American to be our 44th President doesn't mean that we've overcome as a nation all the prejudice of our past, but it does reveal how far we have come and I find that inspiring as an American.

Let us pray for our President-Elect, for his family and for the team he is now assembling. He will face big challenges as he takes office. Let us pray for our other elected leaders, both locally, in state government, and in Washington.

One announcement -- We're having a Coffee House on Sunday evening in the Fellowship Hall from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. There will be lots of food, entertainment and coffee, as well as other beverages. No charge but donations will be accepted to assist with vaccinations for orphans in Burma. I've attached a flyer with more information.

Our "Next Step" in my message series this Sunday is "Service." The Old Testament lesson is Jeremiah 29:7 and the New Testament if Matthew 25: 31 - 46

Your pastor,

David Jones

Psalm 118 is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. Psalm 118 is a testimony to the strength and power of faith in the midst of fear and anxiety. Martin Luther, who gave birth to the Reformation, who faced many fears and had more than a few anxious nights, said it was his favorite Psalm for that very reason.

We live in anxious times. We always have, but lately the economic news has added to our anxiety. More and more people are worried about their homes, their jobs, their retirement. When you couple this anxiety with the personal difficulties I know that many of you are facing right now, it’s not surprising that more than a few are having trouble sleeping at night.

I think Psalm 118 can help us get to sleep at night. This Psalm offers us comfort and encouragement, reassurance that in the midst of any difficulty, God is present and at work.

Beginning this Sunday and continuing through October we’re going to take a look at Psalm 118. This Sunday we will look at verses 5 – 9 and verse 18 and I’m going to use Romans 8: 31 – 39 as our New Testament passage. The title of the message is “If God Is For Us …Then We Are Loved.”

Isn’t that good news? That God is for us! That we are loved! That no matter what you are going through right now God will never abandon or forsake you. That God seeks to help you as you deal with the messes in life, either the ones you’ve created for yourselves or those that are forced upon you by others. God can be counted on.

The Psalmists declares, “Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118: 29)

Let me suggest that our first response to what’s happening right now, either in the world or in your part of it, is to rest in the quiet confidence that you and I are loved by God and that nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever take that away!

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Your Pastor,

David Jones

Please know that from this point on if you have any pastoral concerns I want you to contact me directly, day or night. The best number to use to reach me is my cell – 832-326-2554. You can also email me at djones@wcpc-tx.org. You can also contact the church office at 282-363-2040 and they will make certain I get the message. I and your Session intend to do everything in our power to make certain that during this time of transition, as we search for our next associate, the pastoral needs and concerns of every member are met, just as they have been under Gene’s leadership. I’ve also recruited some internal assistance. Gayle Perkins, a retired Presbyterian pastor, who has been worshipping with WCPC and involved in our life since moving to The Woodlands, has offered to help assist me in the coming months. I am grateful for her willingness to do so.

The Board of Deacons is committed to the meeting the needs of this congregation. You will receive a letter from the Board of Deacons, Bruce Lee, in the next few weeks which will outline their ministry teams for the coming year. You will also receive a letter from a member of the Board of Deacons who for the next twelve months will be your Deacon. Don’t hesitate to contact your Deacon for any reason. While they may not be able personally to meet the need, they will know who to contact to assist. We also have a strong team of trained Stephen Ministers to provide ongoing care and support for members who are going through especially difficult seasons of life.

I’ve always believed that the true mark of leadership is what happens after you leave. Did you build the kind of foundation that last? I believe Gene Price has provided that kind of leadership, so I am confident as we move ahead that the nurture and care that has always defined WCPC will not only continue, but grow.

Your Pastor,

David Jones

Also, are you praying for that difficult person in your life? Ask God to love them through you. No promises of what may happen, but one. You will be living life the way God longs to see it lived.

I've had several ask me for copies of the Mother Teresa quote:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway

What you spend years creating, others can destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Hope you're having a good week,

Your Pastor,

David Jones

Everything rises and falls on leadership. That's not just true in the church. It's true in business, it's true in communities, it's true in schools, and it's true in the home. This Sunday is an important one in the life of WCPC as we ordain and/or install new officers for the coming three years. These men and women, elected by you earlier this year, have completed six weeks of training, been examined by your Session and now on Sunday will assume their new leadership positions.

Leadership in the Presbyterian Church, in the scriptures, is never about status, but about service. We will look at the heart of a "Servant Leader" in my message on Sunday at all worship services as we look at I Timothy 3:1-13.

Please remember your Session in prayer as they meet tomorrow for a retreat, which will be focused on the next twelve months in the life of WCPC. Pray for God's direction and discernment to be evident in all our conversations.

Remember you have three options for worship this Sunday—8:30, 9:45 and 11. Hope to see you at one!

Your Pastor,

David Jones