Good News - December 2018

LOCAL 58 DECEMBER 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition While retailers would have you start preparing for Christ- mas in August, many Christian denominations begin the sea- son closer to December with Advent. This period a few weeks ahead of Christmas is filled with prayer and meditation on Christ. The four Sundays before Christmas are celebrated by church congregations and fam- ilies as they light candles each week signifying the four virtues that Christ brings us: hope, love, joy and peace. A treasured Palm Beach Atlantic University tradition is the Advent devotional guide, edited by Dr. Ken Mahanes, special advisor to the Presi- dent. Celebrating the 50th an- niversary of PBA’s founding, the guide this year takes an historic approach by sharing some of the best devotional submissions written by stu- dents, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators over the years. The guide opens with a piece by PBA’s first president, Dr. Jess Moody. Contributions also come from two other for- mer presidents, Dr. Paul R. Corts and Dr. David Clark. Other writers include Dr. Perry Hildreth, who receives the credit for almost single-hand- edly creating an annual theme and collecting devotionals for many years prior to Dr. Ma- hanes. The free Advent guide is published digitally. Daily devo- tions will arrive in the email boxes of those who register for this free service beginning on December 2. Devotions will be delivered each day culminating in a special message by current PBA President William M. B. Fleming, Jr. for Christmas Day, December 25. Good News readers who would like to receive daily devo- tions can sign up for free at www.pba.edu/advent-guide-2018 This devotion, written by Professor of English Dr. Susan Jones, was published in the 2017 edition of Palm BeachAt- lantic’s Advent Guide. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, yehavedone it unto me” (Matthew 24:40). You can spend lots of time looking for clothing with pock- ets nowadays. It seems de- signers think you don’t want to ruin their lovely garments by carrying your keys with your hands free. Gone are the days when you went to church with Grandma, and your pockets contained your offering twisted up in your handkerchief. And Grandma’s capacious pockets (and purse) brought forth a miraculous cornucopia of blessings to keep your attention from straying to “interacting” with your siblings during the sermon — peppermints, han- kies to make into baby dolls, or crayons to color in the bulletin. Grandma had deep pockets for loving and caring for everyone. And so does God. We are reminded at this time of year just how deep God’s love for us is. This is the time of year when God gave his only Son for us —what greater gift than that? This is the time of year when God came down to live among us, broken, bicker- ing brothers and sisters whose attention is too easily distracted and who need that Blessing Hand on our shoulders. This is the time to be thank- ful for the great gift of the Incar- nation and to look for Jesus everywhere in our lives — He told us He would be here in the hungry, the sick and those with- out covering and shelter. It’s a time to empty our pockets with the same generosity as Grandma, even if all we have to offer is thanksgiving. “Holy Lord, I thank You for this day and for the gift of life. Help me to reach deep and spread Your Love throughout the world. I ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.” Prepare for Christmas with PalmBeach Atlantic University’s Advent Guide Palm Beach County