First Presbyterian Church of Middlesboro
  • Home
  • About
  • Mission
  • Contact
  • Photo Gallery
  • Give
Welcome!

Worship With Us

OBSERVING ADVENT AT HOME
The Worship Committee of FPC Middlesboro has prepared materials to assist you in observing Advent at home this season. We hope these guides will enhance your Advent season and preparations for the birth of the Christ. The guides include our traditional Advent litany, a suggested hymn from The Presbyterian Hymnal, the Gospel reading, and an Advent prayer. Click on the links below to download the guides. 

​Advent 2020 Full Guide 
​

Weekly Guides:
Getting Started
HOPE - The First Sunday of Advent
PEACE - The Second Sunday of Advent
JOY - The Third Sunday of Advent
LOVE - The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas Eve



COVID-19 UPDATE as of 9/18/20
​


At its meeting on September 16, the session of FPC Middlesboro voted to continue the suspension of in-person worship at this time. Our Sunday morning Zoom Bible study will continue while worship remains suspended. If you would like the Zoom link to the Bible study, please email fpc4me@yahoo.com. All are welcome! You may also request to receive modified bulletins and prayer lists, and/or the weekly children's Sunday School lesson packet. 

If you would like to contribute an offering to the church, it can be mailed to the church at PO Box 1796, Middlesboro, KY, 40965. The Presbytery also has a means to take online offering payments and distribute them to the designated church. The link is https://transypby.org/paypal/. If you choose to use this link, you will need to click the "other" button and then type in First Presbyterian Church of Middlesboro so the Presbytery knows which church to send the funds to.

Please visit our Facebook page for the most current worship updates.

*************************

First Presbyterian Church has been a vital part of Middlesboro, Kentucky, for more than 100 years.
We invite you to worship with us!

Our Typical Sunday Schedule (currently suspended due to Covid-19):

Choir Rehearsal: 10:15 a.m.
Worship: 11:00 a.m. 
Children's Sunday School: 11:15 a.m. 

Join us for a time of refreshments and fellowship after worship each Sunday!

*************************

January 2018 Pastor's Letter

1/9/2018

 
" . . . behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said . . . "
Matthew 2:13 NRSV

Epiphany is the season of the church year emphasizing the revealing of the nature of Christ as God's Son and His identity as the Savior of all mankind. The liturgical observance usually centers around the visit of Magi, strange visitors from a faraway country, recorded in Matthew 2:1-12, who occupy a special place at the center of the story of angels and shepherds adoring Mary's child, the Promised One of Israel.

But there is another meaning to epiphany which describes it in personal terms as "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience." This definition fits well with the portrayal of Joseph in the book of Matthew.

 Joseph is a powerful witness to the nature of Christ who stands in the shadows hovering  protectively over Mary and Jesus. Beyond the glitter of wise men's gold and the kneeling shepherds we see Joseph, the one chosen by God to exert a quiet but profound influence upon Jesus. Joseph doesn't speak in the nativity narratives, he simply adds dignity and honor to the story by his love and commitment to Mary and Jesus. It is easy to ignore him.

Matthew found a way to give depth to Joseph by recording the angelic visits Joseph experienced. Gabriel had met openly with Zechariah in the temple and Mary in her home according to Luke. But the unnamed angel who communed with Joseph invaded his dreams - dreams which certainly reflected his wrestling with the predicament in which he found himself: betrothed to a pregnant fiancé and father to a Child like none other ever born.

The angelic visitations during his dreams highlight Joseph's epiphany - his awareness of God's presence in his life. Zechariah and Mary had Elizabeth to turn to (and Elizabeth is a character also worthy of study), but Joseph was comforted only by the faith he embraced as a devout Jew. When he awoke from his dreams I have no doubt he thought of Genesis 28:10-17 where Jacob dreamed of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven with every rung seemingly occupied by an angel. In that dream Jacob received the promise, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go . . . " (28:15a). In each instance of angelic visitation Joseph needed and received assurance of God's presence as he faced new and unexpected circumstances. He accepted those promises without hesitation and according to Matthew 1:24 and 2:14 he immediately acted upon them.

The promise of Epiphany is that we can have our own "epiphanies" of God's presence in Christ. We will not be abandoned to our fears or uncertainty. Through the Holy Spirit God still speaks to us to bring courage and consolation and counsel. The Spirit has even been known to be accompanied by angelic activity (Acts 5:19; 8:26; 12:7) and to give direction in dreams (Acts 2:17). There is never a question in Scripture that God is active in the lives of His children. May 2018 be a year of dreams which bless us all. Amen.

Dr. Phil

Comments are closed.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Mission
  • Contact
  • Photo Gallery
  • Give