{"id":2062,"date":"2023-12-05T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T06:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2023-09-14T14:18:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T14:18:45","slug":"christmas-joy-offering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2023\/12\/05\/christmas-joy-offering\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Joy Offering"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Child Is This?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Why is the Christmas carol \u201cWhat Child Is This\u201d so meaningful to us? Yes, it links a beautiful tune with inspiring words. But it is more than that. It is in the vision behind and beyond the tune and text where we find the deeper truths.<\/p>\n

When we sing \u201cWhat Child Is This,\u201d we sing of a flesh-and-blood human, born under the most vulnerable of conditions. We sing of Emmanuel, \u201cGod with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we sing \u201cWhat Child Is This,\u201d we are reminded of infants born in our own life stories, our congregational communities and beyond, down the street and around the world.<\/p>\n

The words \u201cso bring him incense, gold and myrrh\u201d remind us not only of the gifts the Magi offered to the baby Jesus \u2014 the perfect gift \u2014 but also how we can support those whom God loves with our own gifts.<\/p>\n

With the words \u201cthe babe, the Son of Mary,\u201d we sing of all those who are vulnerable and in need, which includes those who receive support from the Christmas Joy Offering. Emergency and health assistance and educational opportunities are real, human needs \u2014 needs that we can help meet.<\/p>\n

The Christmas Joy Offering supports retired ministers and church workers and their families through the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions as they face medical and emergency costs.<\/p>\n

The Offering also supports students in Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color, as they pursue their education and prepare to bring their gifts in service to the church and world.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your generous gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering, and your ongoing prayers for all those it supports. Your gifts make a difference, and bring praise to the babe, the son of Mary.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let us pray~<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Loving God, we thank you for the good news of Christmas, and Jesus, the perfect gift. As we hasten to \u201cbring him laud\u201d with loving hearts, bless our gifts and bless our giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, that needs may be met, and that all may know your love.<\/em> Amen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What Child Is This?   Why is the Christmas carol \u201cWhat Child Is This\u201d so meaningful to us? Yes, it links a beautiful tune with inspiring words. But it is more than that. It is in the vision behind and beyond the tune and text where we find the deeper truths. When we sing \u201cWhat… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":333,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[17,1755,48,11,13,3752,1743,3751,146,3753,6],"class_list":["post-2062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas-joy-offering","category-special-offerings","tag-board-of-pensions","tag-board-of-pensions-assistance-program","tag-children","tag-christmas-joy","tag-christmas-joy-offering","tag-communities-of-color","tag-matthew-25","tag-racial-equity","tag-racial-ethnic-leadership-development","tag-schools-and-colleges","tag-special-offerings"],"yoast_head":"\nChristmas Joy Offering - Where Your Heart Is...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2023\/12\/05\/christmas-joy-offering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas Joy Offering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What Child Is This?   Why is the Christmas carol \u201cWhat Child Is This\u201d so meaningful to us? 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