{"id":5133,"date":"2014-12-22T23:45:34","date_gmt":"2014-12-23T03:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=5133"},"modified":"2015-01-12T10:36:52","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T14:36:52","slug":"a-white-christmas-122114","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=5133","title":{"rendered":"A White Christmas (12\/21\/14)"},"content":{"rendered":"<address><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Today was the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and Pastor Jim wrapped up his Advent sermon series looking at the &#8220;Colors of\u00a0 Christmas&#8221;- tools we use to Look Up and to keep our focus on Christ during this busy season.<\/span><\/address>\n<address><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n<address><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Click the &#8220;Play&#8221; button on the following player to listen to the\u00a0 sermon, then scroll down and follow\u00a0 along.<\/span><\/address>\n<address>\u00a0<\/address>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-5133-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Sermon-2014-12-21b-A-White-Christmas-by-Pastor-Jim-Bolton-6kbs-stereo_BAK.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Sermon-2014-12-21b-A-White-Christmas-by-Pastor-Jim-Bolton-6kbs-stereo_BAK.mp3\">https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Sermon-2014-12-21b-A-White-Christmas-by-Pastor-Jim-Bolton-6kbs-stereo_BAK.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>The scripture reading was from\u00a0 Luke 2:8-15.\u00a0 \u00a0 Open the drop down box to follow along.\u00a0 Pastor Jim read from the New King James Version of the Bible&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Luke 2:8-15<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>Luke 2:8-15 8<\/p>\n<p>Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.<\/p>\n<p>9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.<\/p>\n<p>10 Then the angel said to them, &#8220;Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.<\/p>\n<p>11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:<\/p>\n<p>14 &#8220;Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, &#8220;Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>NKJV<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Dreaming of a White Christmas&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It was 1942.\u00a0 We had just entered the war.\u00a0 Young men and women were becoming soldiers and leaving home.\u00a0 The war was young, but the country desperately longed for a time where things would be &#8220;normal.&#8221;\u00a0 They longed for peace, and hope, and family.\u00a0 Into this atmosphere entered the now famous song, &#8220;White Christmas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It not only painted an image of a winter snowscape, but it\u00a0 also pictured a future time where the darkness would be driven away.\u00a0 Soldiers heard that song and thought, &#8220;I want that time when I can be home and joyful and secure with my family again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During Old Testament times people were &#8220;dreaming of a white Christmas.&#8221;\u00a0 Their dream\u00a0had nothing\u00a0 to do with snow.\u00a0 Their dream and hope was in the fulfillment of God&#8217;s promised Messiah.\u00a0Because they were looking ahead, they were prepared.<\/p>\n<p>We dream of &#8220;white&#8221; too.\u00a0 We wait for the promise of light and of a time when our scarlet sins will be white as snow&#8230; when we&#8217;ll be clothed in white before the throne of God.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 During\u00a0 this\u00a0 Advent season, we too are called\u00a0 to be prepared.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The Shepherds were Prepared&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>That night must have started out as a perfectly normal night of work for these shepherds.\u00a0 But they knew the scriptures that predicted the\u00a0 coming of a Messiah.\u00a0 They might have been subjected to Roman rule, but they knew that God had promised something better.<\/p>\n<p>The light appeared and suddenly none of the problems didn&#8217;t matter anymore.<\/p>\n<p>In verse 15, we see that the shepherds responded to the angels&#8217; message immediately.\u00a0 Like the disciples in Galilee 30 years later, they dropped what they were doing so they could see the Messiah.\u00a0 Verse 16 tells us that they &#8220;went with haste&#8221; and\u00a0 rushed off to see what the angels were talking about.<\/p>\n<p>The light chased away the darkness and they rushed off to see the gift of God.<\/p>\n<p>But if they didn&#8217;t know about God; if they weren&#8217;t prepared with the hope of a coming Messiah&#8230; would they even have seen the angels?\u00a0 Would\u00a0 they have believed?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Light Chased Away the Darkness&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Many people living in Old Testament times didn&#8217;t &#8220;get it.&#8221; They believed that the Laws would make them holy in God&#8217;s sight.\u00a0 That if they followed all of the rules, they would be forgiven and be perfectly right with God.\u00a0 But The Law was never able\u00a0 to make us righteous. In Romans chapter 3, Paul tells his readers that the Law can&#8217;t justify us before God. The culture made them walk in darkness.<\/p>\n<p>Darkness changes our perception.\u00a0 The story is told of a young marine and his commanding officer traveling on a train.\u00a0 He sat across from a young lady and her grandmother, and his CO sat beside him.\u00a0 The young man and young woman obviously &#8220;liked each other.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The train entered a tunnel and\u00a0 darkness covered them.\u00a0 Within this period of darkness was the sound of the &#8220;smack&#8221; of a kiss, shortly followed by the smack of a slap across the face.\u00a0 When the light returned, each of these four people had a different take\u00a0 on what had happened during\u00a0 that moment in the tunnel:\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-container et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_top_tabs'>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tGrandmother\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tCommanding Officer\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tYoung Lady\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tYoung Man\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;That man was brash to kiss her. I&#8217;m glad she slapped him.&#8221;\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;The young man showed some guts doing that. I just wish the girl hadn&#8217;t missed him and accidentally slapped me instead.&#8221;\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;That was kind of cute that he kissed me. I just wish Grandmom didn&#8217;t slap him.&#8221;\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;What a life. I just got a chance to get away with kissing a pretty girl and then slapping my commanding officer!&#8221;\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .et-tabs-container --><\/p>\n<p>Their perceptions were influenced by the darkness.\u00a0 But Jesus is the &#8220;Light of the World.&#8221;\u00a0 Over and over, scripture tells us that God&#8217;s light brings comfort and hope and peace.\u00a0 But darkness and shadows bring doubt and despair:<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-container et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_top_tabs'>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tIsaiah 9:2\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tJohn 1:1-5\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tPsalm 23:4\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tMicah 7:8-9\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe people who walked in darkness Have seen a great <span style=\"color: #800080;\">light<\/span>; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a <span style=\"color: #800080;\">light<\/span> has shined.<\/p>\n<p>(<em>also quoted in Matthew 4:16 and applied to Jesus<\/em>)\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.\u00a0 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.\u00a0 In Him was life, and the life was the <span style=\"color: #800080;\">light<\/span> of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tYea, though I walk through the valley of the <span style=\"color: #800080;\">shadow<\/span> of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tDo not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a <span style=\"color: #800080;\">light<\/span> to me.\u00a0 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the <span style=\"color: #800080;\">light<\/span>; I will see His righteousness.\u00a0\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .et-tabs-container -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The light chases away falsehood.\u00a0 The shepherds &#8220;got it.&#8221;\u00a0 Because they were disposed to &#8220;dream of a White Christmas,&#8221; they were able to recognize the light of truth.\u00a0 They knew God&#8217;s\u00a0 promises.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They probably even knew that the Messiah would be born in their own town of Bethlehem (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Micah+5%3A2&amp;version=NKJV\" target=\"_blank\">Micah 5:2<\/a><\/span>). They knew that this Messiah is the eternal God Himself.\u00a0 They wanted that gift.<\/p>\n<p>In Acts\u00a013:47 Paul proclaims that\u00a0Jesus came to save all.\u00a0 All nations.\u00a0 Jesus isn&#8217;t some new idea that religious people dreamt up.\u00a0 This has always been God&#8217;s plan.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-container et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_top_tabs'>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tIsaiah 49:6\u00a0\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tMalachi\u00a01:11\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tZechariah 2:11\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tMicah\u00a04:2-3\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\t\u00a0Psalm 96:1-2\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tHe says:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"text Isa-49-6\">\u201cIt is too small a thing for you to be my servant\u00a0to<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"text Isa-49-6\"> restore the tribes of Jacob\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"text Isa-49-6\">and bring back those of Israel I have kept.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"text Isa-49-6\">I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Isa-49-6\">that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tMy name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,\u201d says the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span> Almighty.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t\u201cMany nations will be joined with the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span> in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span> Almighty has sent me to you.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tMany nations will come and say, <span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">\u201cCome, let us go up to the mountain of the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>,<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">to the temple of the God of Jacob.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">He will teach us his ways,<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">so that we may walk in his paths.\u201d <\/span><\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">The law will go out from Zion,<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-2\">the word of the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span> from Jerusalem.<\/span><\/span>\n<span id=\"en-NIV-22624\" class=\"text Mic-4-3\"><sup class=\"versenum\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">3\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>He will judge between many peoples\u00a0an<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"text Mic-4-3\">d will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. <\/span><\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-3\">They will beat their swords into plowshares<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-3\">and their spears into pruning hooks.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"text Mic-4-3\">Nation will not take up sword against nation,<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Mic-4-3\">nor will they train for war anymore. <\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tSing to the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span> a new song;<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Ps-96-1\">sing to the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, all the earth.<\/span><\/span>\n<span id=\"en-NIV-15468\" class=\"text Ps-96-2\"><sup class=\"versenum\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">2\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Sing to the <span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, praise his name;<\/span><span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Ps-96-2\">proclaim his salvation day after day.<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .et-tabs-container -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Christianity has come from the Mind of God!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">White as Snow&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>God&#8217;s word frequently makes reference to our sins as being as &#8220;red as scarlet,&#8221; but to God&#8217;s righteousness (available to us) as being &#8220;white as snow&#8221; or &#8220;pure&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-container et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_top_tabs'>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tIsaiah 1:18\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tPsalm 51:7\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tDaniel 12:10\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tCome now, let us reason together,&#8221; says the Lord. &#8220;Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tCleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tMany shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .et-tabs-container -->\n<p>Snow forces us to slow down and &#8220;chill out.&#8221;\u00a0 It takes us out of the routine and forces us to look at each step differently.\u00a0 Freshly fallen snow is peaceful and quiet and bright.<\/p>\n<p>The first Christmas was a White Christmas!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u00a0Free Gift<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>God never forces us to take His gift.\u00a0 If we don&#8217;t embrace this Gift, we won&#8217;t see God.\u00a0 There&#8217;s no returning to &#8220;business as usual&#8221; after you&#8217;ve seen God.\u00a0 The shepherds returned rejoicing and telling everyone about Jesus.\u00a0 The Magi &#8220;returned a different way.&#8221;\u00a0 When you truly receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior you cannot be the same again.<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-info'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The story is told of a preacher who began his sermon by bringing out a poinsettia plant and telling the congregation that this beautiful plant was free for the taking for anyone who wanted it. First come first served.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But members of the congregation were unwilling to take up the offer.\u00a0 They had different doubts, fears, or even excuses:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Skeptical:\u00a0 &#8220;There&#8217;s no such thing as a free lunch&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Priorities:\u00a0 &#8220;I&#8217;ll get it later.\u00a0 I&#8217;m too busy right now.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Untrusting:\u00a0 &#8220;It&#8217;s probably glued down to the table.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But one woman finally did come forward to take the plant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But- after the service she handed the pastor some money.\u00a0 &#8220;It was too\u00a0beautiful to take home for free.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>This woman got a flower, but missed the gift.\u00a0 The white gift of Christmas is a free gift.\u00a0 God offers us peace, quiet, and pureness.\u00a0 But we can&#8217;t earn it.\u00a0 We can&#8217;t pay for it even if we wanted to.\u00a0 We must simply embrace and accept the gift.<\/p>\n<p>During this advent- are you prepared to accept the gift???<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Quiz Time!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As you reflect on what you&#8217;ve just heard\/read, give this quiz a try.\u00a0 If you don&#8217;t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the &#8220;correct&#8221; answer, post a comment&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id='quizArea'>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\njQuery(document).ready(function($) {\n$( function($){\nvar quiz = {\ntf:\n[{ ques: 'Initially, only one angel appeared to the shepherds.',\nans: true },\n{ ques: 'God forces us to accept Christ as our Savior.',\nans: false }],\nmultiList:\n[{ ques: 'According to verse 16 (not above&#8230; you&#8217;ll have to look it up), someone else went with the shepherds when they left for Bethlehem.\u00a0 Who was it?',\nans: 'Haste',\nansSel: [ 'Gabriel',  'Santa' ] },\n{ ques: 'What did the shepherds do after the angels went away?',\nans: 'Immediately went into town to see Jesus for themselves.',\nansSel: [ 'Talked with eachother saying, &#8220;what was that???&#8221;',  'Drank egg nog.' ] },\n{ ques: 'In the Bible, the term &#8220;white as snow&#8221; means___.',\nans: 'Pure.\u00a0 Forgiven and free from the effects of sin.',\nansSel: [ 'Cold and unfeeling.',  'Scared stiff.' ] }]\n};\nvar options = {\ntitle: 'A White Christmas',\nhelp: 'Enter or select the answer, then click &#8220;Check&#8221;.\u00a0 Once you&#8217;ve seen the right answer, click &#8220;Next&#8221; to try the next question.\u00a0 When you&#8217;re done, click &#8220;Review&#8221; to see the questions and answers again.',\nshowAns: false,\nshowAnsInfo: false,\nallRandom: false,\nshowFeedback: false,\nrandom: false\n};\nvar lang = {\nquiz : { tfEqual:'' }\n};\n$( '#quizArea' ).jQuizMe( quiz, options, lang );\n$( \".q-innerArea\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EECCAA\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".quiz-el\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#776655\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-ques\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-ansSel\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-result\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n});\n}(jQuery))\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\"><strong>+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?cat=50\">Click Here<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to view other sermons.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today was the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and Pastor Jim wrapped up his Advent sermon series looking at the &#8220;Colors of\u00a0 Christmas&#8221;- tools we use to Look Up and to keep our focus on Christ during this busy season. \u00a0 Click the &#8220;Play&#8221; button on the following player to listen to the\u00a0 sermon, then scroll [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[92,86],"class_list":["post-5133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-grace","tag-salvation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5133"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5182,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5133\/revisions\/5182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}