"All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished." Luke 2:18 (NLT) Advent is a time of preparation and expectant waiting. Preparing for the coming of the Christ child. Preparing our hearts, minds, and lives for God breaking into the world. It is a time of expectant waiting, not knowing the fullness of what God will bring for all humanity. It is a very special time. Christmas is one week from today. It is the culmination of the expectant waiting of Advent. The Christ child is born and the shepherds and others know the Good News of great joy for everyone has arrived. The angel was right. The child is born. The star led them right to him. For unto us a child is born and the shepherds could not keep quiet. Luke says they told everyone about what they had experienced. The waiting was over! The most amazing thing about the shepherd's story for me is the reaction of those who heard it. Luke tells us that "all who heard the shepherd's story were astonished." The story is amazing for sure. There also had to be something about them that made the story astonishing. I am sure that their faces lit up, their voices got excited, and they became more animated. They were sharing a story that literally changed them. All who heard it were astonished. So how do we tell the story? Do we tell the story? The move from Advent to astonishment is a journey from introspection to proclamation. We prepare ourselves for Christ's birth, waiting expectantly for the day to come, and then we are to do as the shepherd's did and tell everyone; to proclaim the Good News of great joy. So who will you tell this Christmas? Who will you take from Advent to astonishment this Christmas? I pray that this Christmas we can all astonish people with the story of what God has done for us!

St. Andrew’s Justice Ministry would like to introduce you to Jesid Acosta. Jesid is our new HOPE representative working with St. Andrew’s and other Brandon congregations. Jesid is a native of Ecuador and moved to Florida while a teenager. He recently moved to our area from West Palm Beach, Florida. Jesid is a graduate of the same High School as Pastor Tim (just a couple of years after) and earned his bachelor’s degree at Florida State University. He is very enthusiastic and has a lot experience in volunteer work with migrant students in the school system. He is now working to engage congregations in Hillsborough County to make our community fairer for everyone.

“He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18b-19 (NLT) When we are away from home our youngest dog (Lilly, a 110 pound lab mix) stays in her crate. It is better this way for her and for our house. She often times can be found in her crate when we are home and when I put my shoes on she goes in without even having to be asked. She knows I’m leaving and that is where she will be. When she was little we had to train her to know that her crate was her place to stay. At first, she wanted nothing to do with it. You had to coax her to even come near the crate. So we employed a very powerful technique, bribery. We used a treat and lured her into the crate. Once she was in, we gave her the treat and closed the door. From that point on she was confined. The lure of the treat was more than she could resist and she paid the price with her freedom. This is the way it is with the lure of sin. It’s difficult to resist because a lot of times it looks so tempting. We get fixated and in doing so get lured in. But before we know it we have lost our freedom. When we give in to the lure of sin we find ourselves trapped, shamed, guilty, and in bondage to that very thing that looked so alluring. We become captives, blind to the very sin that enslaves us, and oppressed by our own hurts, habits, and hang ups. We buy into the lie that being able to do whatever we want is freedom. In all reality it is exactly what causes us to be trapped. Advent is a time to reflect on God’s unfailing love for us through Jesus Christ, our Savior. God loved us enough to make a way to set us free, free from sin and death. That way is Jesus Christ. Jesus sets us free. How amazing is it to spend time anticipating the coming of the One who has set us free? Even more amazing is helping those who do not yet know what this freedom looks and feels like. Stop and think for just a moment how absolutely incredible it would be to be a part of leading someone who is trapped see the light. Freedom is an amazing reality that not everyone has experienced. It is our privilege to be sent by God to join with Jesus in leading people to freedom. Who are you sharing this Advent season with? Who are you showing the light? What captive are you helping to set free this Advent? I look forward to continuing our series, Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope, with you this week as we look at how Jesus was sent to set us free.

This Sunday we begin a new series and a new liturgical season! It’s Advent! We’ll be preaching a series based on Jorge Acevado’s book, "Sent- Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas." Many of our Sunday School classes as well as some other groups will also be studying the material. What a great way to connect with others during this busy holiday season and remind ourselves of why we celebrate. Traditionally, each year we begin Advent by singing the song O Come Emmanuel . Here are the lyrics: O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. As we gather and sing this hymn once more on Sunday may our hearts rejoice that Emmanuel has come and shall come again. Let us rejoice that the good news of great joy that was told to Shepherds in a field is still true – The Messiah, the Lord has come to reconcile us and ransom captive Israel. This is great news for ALL PEOPLE as the Angel said. Come Sunday as we listen to the familiar story of Shepherds and angels and hear once more the still small voice of God reminding us that God not only sent his one and only son for us, but also sends us out – just as he did those shepherds to share the good news with all.

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) A couple of years ago Debbie and I purchased our first brand new vehicle as husband and wife. I don't really enjoy the car buying experience. It's a lot of pressure to make sure you are getting a good deal and not paying for things you don't really need. Our intention was to buy a car we could drive for a long, long time. We were at the end of the deal and we were stressed about one part of the deal when the salesman said, "I will personally take care of that." It was meant to assure us the matter would be done right. Call me crazy, but I believed him. That phrase seems so simple. It is simple and very reassuring. Of course, if someone is just saying it and doesn't mean it ... it's of no value. That's what I love about this Scripture. It's not just anyone who will personally go ahead of you ... it's God! Moses is telling Joshua that God will personally go ahead of him. How cool is that? God had chosen Joshua to go ahead of the people of Israel as a spy. Now God personally goes ahead and prepares the way for Joshua. That's pretty amazing. So what have you been afraid of doing? Where have you been afraid of going? What have you been afraid of saying? Who have you been afraid of seeing? Don't be afraid or discouraged! God personally goes before you. God will be with you, God will not fail you or abandon you. You don't walk into the unknown because God has gone before you and prepared the way. Be brave. Have faith in the Lord your God. Walk into those things that are uncomfortable with the assurance that God will personally take care of it. In The Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples that he goes to prepare a place for them- he will not leave them as orphans. The truth of Scripture is that God personally goes before, with, and behind us. That is God's personal touch toward us. Do not be afraid. Go with God.

“God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT) The passage in which this verse is found talks about being faithful to the end. The premise and the promise is that when the people of God remain faithful, God is faithful to keep God’s promises. In this passage the people of Corinth have been faithful to support Paul and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells them that because of what Christ has done, their devotion to the Gospel, and their faithfulness in living it out … God will be faithful to see them through to the end. He has invited them into partnership with God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I am reminded through the words of Paul that we are those same followers today. We are invited into partnership with God’s own Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I am continually humbled by the faithfulness of God’s people. Just looking over the past several weeks and seeing all the ways that the people of St. Andrew’s continue to be faithful to this invitation. Over the past several weeks we have provided blankets for families that cannot even afford coats, we have given change that will save over 750 lives from the ravages of malaria, we have hosted our Fall Craft Fair to benefit missions, sold pumpkins to benefit youth, hosted Trunk or Treat showing radical hospitality to over a thousand folks in our community, and hosted Jazz Under the Stars which has come to be a true community outreach event. The people of St. Andrew’s have truly been faithful in so many ways. I thank God each and every day for all of you. We have been called to the same mission. We are all to be found faithful in all that God has entrusted to us. When I look at the people of St. Andrew’s I see God’s gifts in abundance. There are gifts of musical talent, creativity, teaching, leadership, mercy and compassion, craftsmanship, evangelism, outreach, and more. I thank God for each of you every day. Keep on being faithful to use your gifts and talents given by the one who invites you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Do not let anyone, or anything, detract you from this faithfulness. The promise is clear... your faithfulness to God releases God’s faithfulness to keep his promise. God will do this.

We are so quick to discount our abilities and our leadership. We are familiar with our own shortcomings, familiar with our past. We can tend to focus on our mistakes and hold those up as proof to God that God selected the wrong person to lead. And yet, in every generation, God calls leaders to step out of the shadow of their past and lead with courage. This is what David did. A promising youth who made some terrible mistakes as a man returned to God and became the greatest king of Israel. He was known as a friend of God, the anointed leader from whom the promised Messiah would eventually come. David wasn’t perfect. He was flawed and yet he yielded to God’s work in his life to the very end. At the end of his life, the end of a long tenure, David stepped down from power and empowered his son – the son of Bathsheba – the one with whom David committed one of his greatest sins. He empowered Solomon – who rose to even greater heights than David. Solomon the wise king was empowered by King David, the friend of God, to build for God a home on earth, the temple. Part of that temple remains today (the wailing wall in Jerusalem). Can you imagine having a legacy like that? And indeed from David and Solomon comes Jesus the very one who sets us free from all those things we lift up as reasons we should not lead. Jesus sets us free from our sins and stands on our behalf. What will your legacy be? Who are you empowering to lead for you and continue the work God has called you to?

“I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means— that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.” Isaiah 41:20 (NLT) When I say I am excited about this Sunday… I mean I AM EXCITED!! I am sure you are asking why? Because I believe in miracles. Plain and simple. I believe God can spark a revival in the lives of our people when we humble ourselves, pray constantly, seek God’s face, and turn from all sin. God has placed truly amazing people at St. Andrew’s who have experienced God’s amazing grace through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. People who have experienced God’s grace long for others to do so as well. As a matter of fact, they will do whatever it takes to make sure others experience the same thing. So this Sunday is one Sunday out of 52 each year where we get to celebrate our united, passionate belief that our mission is to lead people to experience God’s grace through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. This Sunday is Commitment Sunday and we will provide you with the opportunity to return your Commitment Card during the worship service. I know that each of you has prayerfully considered how God is calling you to support the mission and vision of St. Andrew’s in 2016. We are all called to support the church through engaging in worship, connecting in Christian community, growing to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and serving each other and the community. In addition, we are called to support the church through our tithes and offerings. I give thanks in advance for your prayerful and generous commitments to support the mission, vision, and ministry of St. Andrew’s in 2016. This Sunday is also Miracle Sunday and we will provide you with the opportunity to give your Miracle Sunday offering during the worship service. You should have received an envelope specifically for the Miracle Sunday offering. We will have some available if you did not receive the envelope. I know that each of you has prayerfully considered how God is calling you to support the Miracle Sunday offering (above and beyond your normal offering), I, again, give thanks in advance for your prayerful and generous Miracle Sunday offering in support of eliminating our debt load on Disciples' Hall and paying 100% of our apportionments for 2015. This Sunday is also All Saints Sunday. This is a very special time in the life of the church where we take time to remember and pray for all those who have gone to heaven since this time last year. We have lost some amazing people this year and I am humbled to be a part of remembering them. I personally miss them all and I know you do too. This will be a very special part of our service this Sunday. I started this article with Isaiah 41:20 because Isaiah reminds Israel that it is the Lord who does the miracle. I have faith in the people of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church to be faithful to do their part in committing to support ministry and mission in 2016 and give generously through the Miracle Sunday offering. But here’s the most important part… I have complete faith that God will be faithful to do the rest and bring the miracle to Miracle Sunday. So I ask you… do you believe in Miracles?

“23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 I have a very similar verse on my desk. You could say it is my motto for my vocational life. It is also my prayer for every believer in Christ. When we work, in the church or in the marketplace, we only have one person we are serving, Christ. Jesus commanded us to give our all for God. When we do anything we do, we do it for God. It is with this mindset that I enter this weekend and coming weeks. There is a lot going on through the rest of the year. It all starts this week and goes through the end of 2015. Here is a list of all the things happening and why I believe they are important in accomplishing our Mission to lead people to experience God’s grace through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Andy Camping [Friday through Monday] This will be my family’s fourth year attending Andy Camping at Walt Disney’s Fort Wilderness. We have loved participating in this event. I have gotten to know people at Andy Camping better than I ever could week-to-week at church. We have around 200 St. Andrew’s folks who attend as we connect in Christian community around our campsites, at dinner, and through the activities that are planned. We engage in a lifestyle of worship as we worship together in the open air on Sunday morning. We serve each other as we help set up campsites, dinner tables, and more. It is a weekend where we live out our Mission and Vision in a big way. United Methodist Women’s Fall Craft Fair and Granny’s Attic [Saturday] The Fall Craft Fair and Granny’s Attic help fulfill our Mission and Vision by bringing 100s of people onto our church campus. We get to serve the community through showing radical hospitality and offering them an opportunity to purchase some amazing things. All of the proceeds from the Craft Fair and Granny’s Attic go directly to missions. I love this event because it gives our St. Andrew’s members another opportunity to love people. There is still time to volunteer for this event. The Pumpkin Patch The Pumpkin Patch will be open all weekend. All the proceeds from the Pumpkin Patch go to support our Student Ministry. As folks come on our campus to purchase a pumpkin (or two) they experience how wonderful our St. Andrew’s students and adults are. Another opportunity for radical hospitality. New Message Series – “Generations” This Sunday we start a new message series called “Generations” which focuses on investing in the next generation. This week we will look at Moses and Joshua. Pastor Bridget will give the message at Andy Camping and I will preach at all three services on campus. Trunk or Treat [Saturday, October 31st from 11-2] This is an outreach event that literally reaches thousands of people from our community every year. I absolutely love seeing all of the children and their families at this event. I love even more seeing our St. Andrew’s members helping people experience God’s grace through their love, smiles, and candy. I have spoken to dozens of people in the community who attend this event every year and many who have begun attending St. Andrew’s because of the radical hospitality and love they experienced. There’s still time to enter your car or volunteer. Jazz Under the Stars [November 1st @ 6 PM] This is an evening of amazing music, fellowship, and fun. David and Michele Pruyn call on their friends and colleagues in the music industry to offer a free concert for the community. We offer them love, grace, and hospitality as they spend an evening on our campus. I love the music and the fellowship the most. It is a unique opportunity to spend time together and welcome the community as well. It is such a blessing to be able to sit back and enjoy the wonderful talent of all of the professional musicians. 50 and Forward 2016 Stewardship Campaign Sunday, November 1st is Commitment Sunday for our 50 and Forward Stewardship Campaign. You will be receiving a mailing this week with more information about this campaign. We are asking all of our members and regular attenders to prayerfully consider making a commitment of support for 2016. On Sunday, November 1st we will have a special time during the service for everyone to bring their commitment cards forward. Please prayerfully consider how God is calling you to support the ministry of St. Andrew’s in 2016. Because of your faithfulness to give we will continue building on the foundation and fulfilling God’s purpose. You can find more information by going to www.saumc.net and clicking on the 50 and Forward button. Miracle Sunday Also on Sunday, November 1st we will be celebrating Miracle Sunday together. We are asking every member to make a one-time, additional offering for our Miracle Sunday offering. This offering will be used to pay the remaining, unbudgeted amount of our 2015 apportionments AND pay off the Disciples' Hall mortgage. The Church Council has authorized $150,000 as a matching gift and challenged the congregation to raise $150,000 through the Miracle Sunday offering. This is a total goal of $300,000. We know if is a God-sized goal and we know that our congregation will do our part and God will do the rest. That is why it is a Miracle Sunday. You can find more information by going to www.saumc.net and clicking on the 50 and Forward button. As you can see there is a whole lot going on. I love being the Senior Pastor of such an awesome church with such faithful people. As we work with all our heart, working for the Lord through all of these events and opportunities we will lead people to experience God’s grace through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s stay focused on the mission. Let’s love the communities we serve. Let’s be the church that God has placed at the corner of Bloomingdale and Bryan. Let’s be St. Andrew's.

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11 When I read this verse of Scripture it takes me to a place and a person. Sometimes you hear a song on the radio and it takes you back to a certain place and time. Maybe it's your senior prom, your wedding, a special occasion with loved ones, or even a concert. I know I have a lot of those songs on my playlist. This verse of Scripture takes me to a place where I experienced some amazing worship with some amazing people. A place where everything was stripped away and the focus was in the right place. There were no pews, no organ, no altar, no robes, no candles, and no building at all. The place was about 20 feet by 20 feet square and nothing very special. The place was a cement slab in a very small town in Cuba. The cement slab was the foundation where a church once stood. Hurricane Michelle had come through a few months earlier and the only thing that was left was the slab, the foundation. The foundation was solid and lasted. The foundation withstood the winds of the storm. The foundation remained and gave people hope. Hope that they could rebuild and continue on the foundation they already had. This Scripture also takes me to a person. Yes, it takes me to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true foundation that was already present in that place in Cuba. Jesus was the reason the cement slab meant anything at all. Even if the believers that worshipped at that church never rebuilt the building, the foundation remained. Jesus is the sure foundation of the church, the body of Christ. It always reminds me to ask myself the question, "If the only place I had to worship was a cement slab, would I still worship Christ?" The answer is yes! No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus Christ. I look forward to celebrating the foundation of Jesus Christ with you this Sunday. We will be celebrating the foundation of our first almost 50 years and the future hope we have in Christ.

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 I remember an interview with Alabama head football coach Nick Saban where he was asked how Alabama was able to be so successful. Nick Saban's answer was memorable. His response was, "We have a system and we trust the system to give us the results we are looking for." That's a good plan worth considering. I love the verse above from 2 Chronicles because God gives a system, plan, or formula by which the relationship between God and God's people can be restored. The plan is clear: 1. humble yourself, 2. pray, 3. seek my face, 4. turn from sin. That's our part. God promises that if we do our part God will do God's part. God will hear, forgive, and restore. Seems like a simple plan, right? We are called to consider the following questions. How humble are we? How diligently do we pray? How deeply do we seek God's face? How concerned are we with turning away from our wicked ways? The answers to these questions are of utmost importance. I am looking forward to exploring this with you this Sunday. I believe God has great things in store for us.

"How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight." Hebrews 11:32-34 There is a saying that fills the eleventh chapter of The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament. It is a saying that has been important to the work of God in every generation. This phrase appears in past tense and refers to previous generations. The phrase is as much a tribute to the people to which it refers as the God they served. The phrase is, "It was by faith that..." At the very beginning of chapter 11 Paul writes, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." The rest of chapter 11 outlines the great characters of faith. They are people who had confidence that what they hoped for would actually happen. They had assurance about things they could not yet see. Their faith in God guided their actions. I am very excited to look at this Scripture with you this Sunday. It was by faith that St. Andrew's was chartered as a church. It was by faith that the charter members began the church on the corner of Bloomingdale and Bryan. It was by faith that ministry has taken place over the first 49 years of St. Andrew's history. It was by faith that we have come this far. Praise be to God. This Sunday we will look at the faith it has taken to bring St. Andrew's to where we are today. It was by faith for sure. We will celebrate that faith. I can't wait to see you all this Sunday.