In-Person Worship Service on December 6 at 9am
• Masks are required at all times and social distancing will be followed.
• Following the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines, we will limit participants to 25 at this time.
• Entry and exit will be through the North (2nd floor) main doors only.
• Participants are asked to line up outside and ushers will escort you to your seat following pre-defined paths to allow for social distancing and minimize crossing of paths.
If registration reaches it 25 participant limit, and you wish to be placed on a waitlist please click here. Waitlist registration does not guarantee a seat reservation.
In-Sanctuary Worship Guidelines
Please take a moment before attending indoor worship services to review the In-Sanctuary Worship Guidelines.
The Jesse Tree: Stories and Symbols of Advent
Advent devotionals based on the Jesse Tree were mailed to Salem members and delivered to Salem Sunday School families in their December boxes. The season of Advent began on Sunday, November 29.
What is the Jesse Tree? The symbol of the Jesse Tree comes from this passage in Isaiah:
Each branch – each leaf on the tree – is a story deeply rooted in Scripture that tells of the relationship between God and God’s people. The symbols on the Jesse Tree represent a Biblical “Family Tree,” and Jesus is grafted onto the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David. The branches of the Jesse Tree stretch all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and in those branches are familiar names like David and Ruth, and Abraham and Jacob.
As we have been studying Old Testament stories through our Sunday School curriculum and Wednesday night Bible study of The Jesus Storybook Bible, continuing these stories through Advent devotionals is a reminder of how we are all part of this “family tree” and the powerful love of Christ for this – our – family!
Please let the church office know if you did not receive a devotional or if you would like one (309-688-9212 or office@salemofpeoria.com).
December 2, 2020
December 2, 2020 – Genesis 6:11-22, 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of cypress” wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are
CHANGED AND YET THE SAME: JOIN US FOR ONLINE WORSHIP SERVICE
Thank you for your support, understanding and cooperation with state and local leaders who are urging cooperation to help limit the spread of the expanding COVID-19 pandemic. Online resources remain as an effort to continue to gather for worship and prayer. Pastor Craig conducts Services of Prayer and Reflection that will be found on YouTube and Facebook.
Stir up your power, and come! The psalmist’s plea in Psalm 80:2 has become familiar to us in the Advent prayers. Isaiah wants God to rip the heavens open. Both cry out for an apparently distant, angry God to show up, to save, to restore. When we hear Jesus describing the coming of the Son of Man with stars falling from heaven, it can sound dire and horrible, not like anything we would ever hope for. But when we really look at the suffering of people God loves, we can share the hope that God would tear open the heavens and come.
Readings and Psalm
- Isaiah 64:1-9Prayer that God would come with power and compassion
- Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19Let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved. (Ps. 80:7)
- 1 Corinthians 1:3-9Gifts of grace sustain those who wait for the end
- Mark 13:24-37The sudden coming of the Son of Man
