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Hugh Vol. 43 December 18, 2018 Number 50
THE NATIVITY SCENE SHAM
Derrick Coble
The scene of the nativity of Jesus is a popular icon during the Christmas
season. It is seen at residential homes, church buildings, and even government
buildings as a life-like reminder that Jesus came into this world to save sinners (1 Tim.
1:15). In general, the scene is characterized by eight essential elements: a stable, Jesus,
Joseph, Mary, three wise men, flocks, a star, and an angel. No doubt the scene is an
effort to promote the “spirit of the Christmas season” and is erected by good and
honest people. However, no one should forget the inspired charge that “whatsoever ye
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the
Father by him” (Col. 3:17). Thus, everything that is done in the realm of religion must
be done by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Upon examining the Scriptures, one will
find that the birthday of Jesus is not found anywhere and celebration of that day on
December 25 is anti-Biblical. Furthermore, the popular nativity scene (in at least three
of its elements) has also been an accomplice in perverting the Word of God.
THE ANGEL Concerning the life of Jesus, it is no secret that angels were
interested in Him. The angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth to Mary (Luke 1:26-35),
angels ministered to Jesus after His temptation (Mat. 4:1-11), and an angel
strengthened him in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). Yet, was there an angel at
the manger of the Lord? First, one should see that an angel of the Lord did appear to
announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by
night (Luke 2:8 -12). It was this angel, along with a host of other angels, who praised
God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”
(Luke 2:14). Nonetheless, it wasn’t until “the angels were gone away from them into
Heaven” (Luke 2:15—emphasis DC) that the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found
Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger (Luke 2:16). Therefore, there was no
angel at the manger of Jesus.
THE STAR Furthermore, in essentially every nativity scene, a bright star is
shining over the manger of Jesus. What is wrong with this? Consider the Biblical
narrative concerning the star (Mat. 2:2-11). It is in this inspired text that one can easily
see the following points: First, the wise men saw the star in the east (Mat. 2:2). Second,
when they departed from King Herod, the star went before them and stood over the
place where the young child (not babe) was (Mat. 2:9). Third, the star was standing
over the house (not manger) where the young child was with His mother, Mary (Mat.
2:11). Hence, one can only conclude that the bright shining star was not guiding
anyone to the manger but did serve to guide the wise men to the house where the
young child Jesus was.
--article continued on page 2--
ELDERS
Mike Childers..............397-6453
Dennis Hallmark .........255-5557
Mark Hitt.....................322-0917
Bobby Lindley.............260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan.................419-5552
William Harris.............416-8149
Ricky Lindsey .............255-8136
Jeff Mansel..................871-0357
Jimmy Spearman.........840-8957
Michael Wilson ...........891-0891
PREACHER
Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office...........................842-6116
Fax...............................842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship....................... 9:00 a.m.
Bible Classes............. 10:15 a.m.
Worship..................... 11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes .....7:00 p.m.
EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)
2. --article continued from page 1--
THE THREE WISE MEN Finally, one will
see the three wise men portrayed at the manger of the
Lord. However, the Biblical text does not state that
there were three wise men. It simply says, “There
came wise men from the east” (Mat. 2:2). Yet, man
cannot leave it at that. Around the eighth century, man
decided to give names to the wise men. These names
are: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. Where are these
names found in the Bible? One may search the pages
of Holy Writ for eternity and never find just one of
these names. Masses of people have been deceived by
this. In addition, these men were not even present at
the manger of Jesus. It is important to note that the
wise men entered the house where Jesus was (Mat.
2:11) and presented unto him three distinct gifts. Were
there ten men bearing these three gifts? Were there
only two men bearing these gifts? The point is that the
Bible is silent on this matter and if the Bible is silent
on this matter, we ought to respect the Scriptures and
observe that same silence.
Is it not strange how the plain and simple facts
surrounding the birth of Jesus are conveniently
overlooked? For years, many have accepted the
nativity scene as a Biblically true icon. It makes one
wonder if there are other shams, he has accepted
without thought in his own religion. For this reason,
everyone ought to search the Scriptures (Acts 17:11)
for the real truth and “try the spirits whether they are
of God: because many false prophets are gone out into
the world” (1 John 4:1).
Sr. Youth Caroling
The Sr. youth are invited to
meet at the building this
Thursday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
for pizza and then to go
caroling to some of our Senior
Saints homes. Please let
Heather DuBois know if you
plan to come so enough pizza will be ordered.
Congratulations
Congratulations to James &
Joyce Burney in the birth of
their grandson, Kemper Kolt
Burney, on Dec. 15. He was a
little early--weighing 5 lbs. 10
oz. and 17 inches long. His
parents are Adam & Kim
Burney. Jacob Bradley is a
cousin, and Brenda Beckner is
an aunt. Mother and baby are doing well.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Andrew Wynne in the
loss of his grandmother, Brooksie Lee Wynne, on
Dec. 13. Funeral services were held Tuesday in
Montgomery, AL.
Our condolences also to Mike Childers in the loss
of his cousin, Jason Childers, to cystic fibrosis on
Dec. 16. Memorial services will be held in
Tuscumbia, AL.
Lectureship
The North Hillcrest congregation in Aberdeen is
hosting a Lectureship this Saturday, Dec. 22 from 9
a.m. until 12 noon on the topic “Go and Make
Disciples of all Nations.” A flyer is posted on the
bulletin board across from the library.
6th
Annual New Year’s
Eve Singing
The Plainview
congregation in
Fulton will host their
6th
Annual New
Year’s Eve Singing
on Monday, Dec. 31
with singing from
8:00-9:30 p.m., food and fellowship from 9:30-
10:30 p.m. and singing again from 10:30-midnight.
Community Outreach Item:
Toothpaste
John Duke is stationed in Long Beach, MS.
Caleb Williams is stationed in Norway.
Dylan Kelly, Steve Kelly’s grandson, is in Kuwait.
Ty Nichols, Patsy Nichols’ grandson, is in Oklahoma
3. Daily Bible Reading
December 19................................................. James 1-5
December 20................................................1 Peter 1-5
December 21................................................2 Peter 1-3
December 22.................................................1 John 1-5
December 23.............................................. 2 John-Jude
December 24..........................................Revelation 1-3
December 25..........................................Revelation 4-5
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Rommie Dilworth (Dec. 20), Ian
Willis (Dec. 20), Greg Lyle (Dec. 21), Suzanne
Long (Dec. 22), Laverne Raper (Dec. 23).
Anniversaries: None this week.
Our Sick
Jean Mounce is in room 375 at NMMC. Summer
Smith is home recovering from surgery. Lauren Lind-
ley will be transferred this week to NMMC to
complete her therapy. Kristie Webb has an
appointment with a neurosurgeon Thursday about her
back. Gail Geno will undergo back surgery in
Memphis on Dec. 26. Jill Rice, Debbie Vines’ mother,
has been moved to Sanctuary Hospice House. Tommy
Goff, Patsy Nichols’ brother, will begin three months
of chemo soon. Evelyn Willis & Caroline Willis,
Lynn Sanderson’s mother, continue to be sick at
home. Willie Topp’s sister, Elaine Ward, is very ill.
On-Going Illnesses
Laverne Raper, Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney,
Adam McCurley, Linda McCurley, Mary Jordan,
Bretta Robinson, James Goddard, Ray Scribner, Bill
Goff, Linda Bryan, Mitch Maclean, James Nichols,
Sheba Tuggers, Sherry Gregory, Shirley Owens,
Mickey Bailey, Sammy Carson, Nathan Hale, Leroy
Brown, Mike Stroup, Jadon Parish, Mary Ann
Wallace, Carol Nichols
Nursing Homes/Assisted
Living
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley
McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris
Home Devotional
In what chapter of the Bible do you find?
The Ten Commandments..........................Exodus 20
The Great Commission .......................... Matthew 28
Love ................................................1 Corinthians 13
Birth of the church .......................................... Acts 2
List the ten plagues in order:
❖ Water to blood
❖ Frogs
❖ Lice
❖ Flies
❖ Death of cattle
❖ Boils
❖ Hail
❖ Locusts
❖ Darkness
❖ Death of firstborn
Memory Verse:
❖ Who is Jesus?
❖ Matthew 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the son of the
living God.”
Put the following Bible characters in
chronological order:
❖ Noah
❖ Moses
❖ Eve
❖ Daniel
❖ Abraham
❖ Joshua
Can you tell a Bible story from the
following picture?
4. Put the following Bible characters in
chronological order:
Men to Serve Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018 a.m.
Announcements................................Michael Wilson
Bible Reading......................................Scott Childers
Opening Prayer ............................... Robert Kingsley
Lord’s Supper
Mike Ratliff & Larry Presley
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Zac Tucker, Jake Kennedy, Josh Kennedy
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Ian Willis, Aaron Willis, Sam Hood
Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt
Closing Prayer................................... Terry Kingsley
Ushers ............. Jason Dickinson & David Ramseyer
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer .....................................Wesley Bass
Closing Prayer..................................Andrew Wynne
Lead Singing....................................Michael Wilson
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Prayer ...............................................James Simmons
Lead Singing........................................John Mounce
Contact William Harris (416-8149) if unable to serve.
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Greeters ................................Lee & Heather DuBois
...............................Greg & Keisha Gholston
Prepare Lord’s Supper—December..................Perry
& Linda Hand
Nursery....Chevela Underwood & Twinette Wallace
Pantry..............................................................Cereal
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 12-12-18............................................179
Sunday 1st
Worship, 12-16-18 .............................207
Sunday Bible Class ..............................................184
Sunday 2nd
Worship.............................................168
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$7,539
The Christmas Card Envelopes
have been put on the bulletin boards down
the east hallway for you to place your holiday
cards in for the members here at East Main.
If anyone has accidentally been left off, please let Renee know and she’ll
get one up!
