The Cast of Christmas
King Herod
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. (Matthew 2:7)
What would you do if you were the wealthiest person in human history? Would you buy a nice house, standing on a high hillside overlooking the city? Would you buy influence in the political sphere with gifts of support? Would you travel the world viewing the magnificence of various cultures and their storied histories? What would you do?
Herod was perhaps the wealthiest human who has ever lived. With his wealth he decided to buy a kingdom, a kingdom at the crossroads of human endeavor, a passageway that was central in the formation of civilization. Herod bought the right to become the King of the Jews. Herod continued to use his great wealth to manipulate people into supporting his throne by creating massive building projects that he simply desired or thought would buy him favor with the people he governed through his purchase of power.
Rome seemed happy to have this arrangement because management of the region of Judea grew increasingly difficult. Those people there only believed in one God named JHWH and they were so adamant about their support of their God that they wouldn’t worship any of the Roman pantheon or bow to any Roman procurator.
Herod on several occasions had his kingship contested and according to historians he was willing to quash any uprising against him with devastating violence. Herod would easily shift allegiance from Antony to Octavius if he saw it to his benefit. Herod was willing to put anyone to death he deemed as a threat to his position or authority.
It was this readiness to destroy any contestant to his throne that alerted his attention when the Magi showed up searching for a king. This king was one they were prepared to worship which demonstrated that they believed this king was a deity as well as royalty.
Herod lied to these foreign seekers of the gods and claimed that he too was interested in worshiping this new-born king, but the proof of his heart was in his behavior when these dignitaries didn’t return to Jerusalem after they had worshiped Jesus and offered him their gifts.
In a shocking display of brutality Herod ordered the murder of all the male children in Bethlehem two years of age and younger. The gift of Jesus to the city of David became a tragedy of epic proportions because a wealthy king who was willing to do anything to preserve his power brought chaos to preserve his empire.
When you meet Jesus the Prince of Peace what will you do? Will you bow down and worship him as the king of your heart or will you rise up and establish yourself as the king of your own empire?
Prayer for today:
Jesus you are my King. You are the Lord of my life. To you and you alone I offer my worship. I proclaim you to be my Lord today and forever. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Wes
Newsletter – December 2025
SFNAZ UPCOMING EVENTS
CHRISTMAS LOVE OFFERING | If you would like to bless our pastoral staff with a Christmas Love Offering, mark your gift “Pastors’ Christmas Gifts” and place it in the offering box. – Your Church Board
CHRISTMAS STORY WITH CHIEF | Sunday, December 21st – 10:45a
This is a special family worship service that includes the whole family in the sanctuary together. The kids are invited to join Pastor Wes on the platform as he reads a favorite Christmas book to them.
HOLIDAY ON PIPES | Sunday, December 21st – 6p
Annual Christmas Concert & Sing-Along presented by the Spokane Theatre Organ Society. Donna Parker will be performing, and it is something that will be enjoyed by the entire family. Free admission.
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE | Wednesday, December 24th – 5p
Join us this Christmas Eve as we celebrate the true reason for the season. We will have something for every age during this candlelight service.
No Learning & Growth classes on Sunday, December 28th
ALL 2025 DONATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OR POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 31, 2025 (IRS REGULATION).
THANK YOU, CHURCH FAMILY | SFNAZ was able to provide a traditional Thanksgiving meal to 51 Evergreen families this year. The faculty and staff are very appreciative that we were able to help a lot of families in need. Several SFNAZ senior volunteers put together and delivered the baskets. Again, thank you so much church family. Without your donations, both food and monetary, this would not have happened. What joy and pleasure it is to help others.
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
December 17th | No Midweek Activities
December 21st | Christmas Story with Chief – 10:45a
December 21st | Holiday on Pipes – 6:00p
December 24th | Christmas Eve Service 5p
December 25th – Jan. 1st | Office Closed (Winter Break – No Activities)
December 28th | Morning Worship – 10:45a (No Learning & Growth Classes)
WINTER HELP NEEDED
We need YOUR help keeping the pathways clear of snow. If you can do some shoveling before 8am and are willing to be put on the call list, please contact the office.
HIRE A TEEN!
Help them earn their way to NYC 2026. Call the church office to get their help today! 509-467-8986.
MONTHLY EVENTS
SENIOR LUNCHEON | Wednesday, December 10th – 12p
Join us at Old European. Call Roberta to RSVP 509-325-0711.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNERS | 5:30-6p
Come have a meal before church on Wednesday nights. $5 per person ($25 max. for families of 6 or more). NYC 2026 Fundraiser (They will begin again on January 7).
SFNAZ FUTSAL | Thursdays 7:30p
Inviting teens and anyone older that wants to come play indoor soccer (futsal) in the gym. For more information, contact Mark Snyder.
NYC FUDGE FUNDRAISER | Sundays and Wednesdays
SFNAZ Youth will be selling fudge during the holiday season for $10 per box. All proceeds will go towards NYC 2026. This fantastic fudge makes a great gift! Available Sundays and Wednesdays in the foyer.
SUNDAYS
- 9:30a
- Nursery for children 3 and under
- Learning and Growth – Nursery – 5th grade
- 10:45a
- Nursery for children 3 and under
- Children’s Church for Pre-K and K
- Grades 1st-5th will join parents in church for worship, then be dismissed before the sermon for Children’s Church
WEDNESDAYS
- 6:30p
- Nursery | 3 and under
- Pre-K – 6th grade | Small group lessons and games, Christmas musical practice and games
Needs in Children’s Department:
- Teacher for 4/5’s class Wednesday nights 6:30p
- Kids’ check in desk help needed Sundays at 9:30 on a rotation (1 hour commitment per time)
- Small group leaders for Wednesday night 1st-3rd grade
Upcoming Events
- No midweek December 17th, 24th and 31st
- December 28th – Family worship at 10:30. No learning and growth
We look forward to having you join us. If you have any questions, please email me jordanr@sfnaz.org
NEEDS IN YOUTH DEPARTMENT:
- EXTRA-LARGE picture frames. The youth group is looking for picture frames that measure up to 24 inches on one side and up to 48 inches on the other side to use for framed corkboards for displaying pictures. The teens will be happy to take the old frames collecting dust in your basement, new frames, or thrifted frames. Frames can be brought any Sunday or Wednesday or talk to Pastor Justine to set up a time to drop them off.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
Sunday – 9:30a
Sunday School – Deeper, more intentional conversations.
Sunday – 10:45a
- Worship Service
Wednesday – 6:30p
- Youth Group 7th-12th grade | Games, Snacks, and Fun!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Christmas Eve Service | Wednesday, 12/24 – 5p Bring your whole family to celebrate the birth of Jesus during our candlelight service.
- No Sunday School | Sunday, 12/28 – No Sunday School. Still plan on coming to worship service at 10:45a.
- No Youth Group | Wednesday, 12/31 – No youth group. Happy New Year!
NOT THIS MONTH BUT SOON
- Meet Up Monday | Meet at Carl’s Jr (423 E Hastings St)
- Sweet & Savory Fundraiser | Teens will be selling sweet (cookie/brownie) and savory (soup/dip) mixes to raise money for NYC.
- Winter Retreat | January 23rd-25th. Details are coming soon.
NYC UPDATES
Please be praying for the 21 teens and adults that will be heading to Salt Lake City in June for the Nazarene Youth Conference. Ask God to be at work, preparing each of our hearts for what God has to say to each of us at this incredible event.
NYCers, we have another $275 payment coming up on December 29th, bringing each person’s paid total to $1,050. Be sure to help with fundraisers and deposit some money into your youth account so that you are ready when that payment is due.
Questions, comments, concerns? Email justinew@sfnaz.org
YOUNG ADULT HANGOUT | Tuesdays – 6p
Calling all young adults (18-30) to come meet with Pastor Lake in the library for a weekly time to hang out and connect with other young adults.
ADULT BIBLE STUDY | Sundays – 9:30a
- A Study of Romans – Rev. Doug Jones
- Hope for Creation – Don & Lorraine Chambers
REFUGE MEN’S GROUP | Tuesdays 6:15p – 8:00p
ADULT BIBLE STUDY | Wednesdays – 6:30p
- The Introduction to Everything – Pastor Wes Hershberger
- The Book of Daniel – Ed Richardson
- Celebrate Recovery Step Study
Are you looking for a way to connect with SFNaz? Life groups are the perfect way to build community that matters. We would love to have you be part of our life group family. Check out Church Center or contact the office. We’ll do our best to find a group that will work for you. Would you like to lead a Life Group? Please let us know by contacting the office. We’ll host a training session as soon as possible.
New Life Group – Monday evenings with Jeff and Jana Shea | If you are interested, please contact the church office.
CELEBRATE RECOVERY | Thursdays 6p – led by Richard Flatt Are you curious about Celebrate Recovery? We’d love to have you there. Whether you are interested in how we address hurts, habits and hangups for you or someone you know, or want to help support the program. We hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please contact Richard Flatt 509-499-6118.
TITHES & OFFERING
Thank you so much for your faithful support of our church! Here are a few options available to continue with giving of tithes & offerings.
- Online giving is available. Visit https://sfnaz.org/giving
- You may mail your check directly to the church
Spokane First Church of the Nazarene
9004 N Country Homes Blvd.
Spokane, WA 99218
Faithfulness in Giving
Income Expense +/-
- General $ 429,077 $ 484,508 $ – 55,432
- Missions $ 43,405 $ 36,045 $ + 7,360
(Giving March through October 2025)
Thank you for giving generously to your church general fund. Your faithfulness in giving help to meet our budgeted expenses.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER
Prayer Chain by Email
- Contact the church office to receive prayer requests by email (office@sfnaz.org).
Prayer for District Churches
- December 7 Richland El Senor es Dios and Ritzville
- December 14 Sandpoint & Selah
- December 21 Northwest District Churches and their Christmas services
- December 28 Spokane Bethel & Spokane First
Missions Prayer Request
- December 7 Ireland & Israel
- December 14 Kenya & South Korea
- December 21 Lebanon & Lesotho
- December 28 Mexico & Mozambique
PRAYER REQUESTS
| · Jim Engle
· Diana Hanna · Baby Jax Hansen · Josh Coffey · Lyn Miller · Dick & Vicki Sainsbury |
· Sheryl Valoff
· Doug Wold & family · Rose March · Janice Wilks · Bill Flatt · Jeanie Partee |
BEREAVEMENT
Susan Wold walked into the arms of Jesus November 20th. Let’s lift up Doug with our prayers during this time of sorrow and grief.
December NMI Emphasis: Compassion
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) works to support local churches around the world as they actively live out compassion as a lifestyle.
Following the example of Jesus, NCM partners with congregations across the globe to clothe, shelter, feed, heal, educate, and stand in solidarity with those who suffer under oppression, injustice, violence, poverty, hunger, and disease. NCM exists in and through the Church of the Nazarene to proclaim the gospel to all people—both in word and in deed.
NCM walks alongside local churches as they meet the needs of children, families, and communities. Through your partnership, congregations are changing the world. At SFNAZ, examples of this include continued giving to missions and participation in projects such as Crisis Care Kits, Peace Givers, and Work & Witness trips.
Key Missionary Emphases
- Global Prayer:
Nazarenes are invited to join a 24-hour period of united, continuous prayer from December 5th–6th.
This event, titled “To the Ends of the Earth,” will be hosted on Zoom and will focus on covering the entire world in prayer. - Local Involvement:
This emphasis encourages each local church to focus on both global and local missions—celebrating what God is doing and inviting each person to become personally involved. - Compassion and Service:
December is designed to inspire a spirit of compassion and active service, emphasizing “social holiness,” expressed through every local congregation. - Resources and Support:
Churches are encouraged to equip and support their members as they discover ways to serve within their communities.
Scripture Focus – Galatians 6:10 (NKJV)
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Missions Prayer Focus
Please continue to pray for the following missionaries and ministries:
- Tim & Michelle Eby – South Africa
- Yoan & Astrid Camacaro – Italy
- Bruce & Cinda McKellips – Portugal
- Monica Boseff & The Open Door Foundation – Romania
- Michael & Kailyn Wheatley – Undisclosed Location
Stay updated on Nazarene missions at: news@nazarene.org