Scalp Level Trinity United Methodist Church

If you would like to make your donation to Scalp Level Trinity UMC online, please use the link below: https://tithe.ly/give?c=1390938 You can select which fund from the drop down menu you would like your donation allocated to and/or you can choose to set up your tithe to be automatically transferred on a regular basis. Thank you for your continued support of the ministries of the church.

Please see the bulletin for Sunday, December 13th below. Due to the increase in cases of COVID19 in our area and the older population of our church family, it was decided at the COPA Meeting on December 7th that we will return to only virtual services beginning this Sunday, December 13th. It was not an easy decision to make, but the health and safety of the congregation is the top priority. Please spread the word.

The Wise Men are getting closer! Pastor Jim and his family spotted this one on Graham Avenue.

A wandering wise man has been spotted on Camp Drive. Let us make room in our hearts for the miracle of the season Matthew 1:20-23... An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us). See more

Read: Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. (Mark 1:4) My heart sank when he burst into tears. I had frightened my son when I shouted at him, and moments later he had fallen to pieces.... My initial self-righteous justification of he was in danger crashed against my agony at seeing his tears. I walked over to help him from where he was frozenone foot and hand raised, prepared to climb a bookshelf. I was trying to ensure his physical safety, but his emotional sense of safety had already been compromised. John issued a call to change hearts and lives to the people of Judea. Eccentric as he was, I always imagined this call to bethere’s no other wordwild. A wild cry from a wild prophet to a people in wild need of transformation. I imagine that a wild cry from John, no matter how well intentioned, might have reduced some of us to tears in fear that we had done something gravely wrong. Isaiah, the inspiration for John’s call, says this: Comfort, comfort my people! says your God. Speak compassionately to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her compulsory service has ended, that her penalty has been paid (Isaiah 40:1-2a). The call to transformation is a loving and compassionate. Jerusalem has been through some things this season. Her nerves are shot and her heart is tender. Most of us can relate. Even with an urgent call, God’s messenger speaks words of comfort, knowing that transformation and healing are intertwined. Prayer: Loving God, Comfort our hearts, calm our nerves, and whisper your invitation to loving kindness. Remind us that our words can be a burden or a balm. As we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord, may our hearts and words be full of compassion. Let this season bring the assurance of being gathered into your loving arms. Amen. Activity: Today, can you wrap your words in compassion? Can you send someone a message of comfort and encouragement?

Christmas Lights Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 When I was still a child living in Illinois, my father drafted me into his yearly Christmas decorating. Every December, with the snow heavy on the ground, the two of us would bundle up and tramp outside to begin putting up the Christmas lights. I hated putting up Christmas lights. The p...rocess always took forever, robbing me of my well-deserved break from school. To make matters worse, my father had a fondness for those icicle-styled lights that were supposed to drip down from the rooftop in merry "winter-wonderland" fashion. Except the high winds always blew the strands of light up into the gutters, so once again we would have to go outside and set them right. It got to the point where I would do anything to avoid putting up Christmas lights. I hid, I threw tantrums, I’d sulk, and eventually my father decided dealing with both me and lights was too much work and set me free. Looking back now, I regret how short-sighted I was. I was so upset at having to do a few hours' work that I never realized how beautiful our house looked when it was all lit up, or how fulfilling it was to know I had helped my father make it that way. It’s funny how our Christian walk can mirror the experience of setting up holiday decorations. At times it can be difficult, and we can resent what we believe we're being denied, but take a look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Life offers us plenty of easy roads, and when it comes to living out the Christian life, these paths can be especially tempting. The world will tell us to go with the flow of the current of culture, to follow the past of least resistance, but God calls us to do differently. Christians are meant to reflect Christ’s glory on Earth, and this cannot be done without hard work, sacrifice, and grace. So whether you serve God through ministry, or simply through your everyday life, remember to live in a way deserving of the prize. Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider whether you are running in such a way as to win the prize.