HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-12-21, Page 411
From the Minister's Study
It's all about the p resence
By Pastor Ernest Dow
Living Water Christian
Fellowship EMC/Blyth
Huron Chapel EMC/Auburn
"0 come to us, abide with us, Our
Lord Emmanuel." The closing lines
of the popular Christmas carol
express a typical longing of the
human heart: a desire for
companionship. Implicit in the
phrase is a prayer based on one of
God's self -declared attributes that is
particularly relevant for Christmas:
the name "Emmanuel".
The first chapter of the New
Testament introduces a new season
in God's dealing with humans by
recalling a key prophecy from the
Old Testament: "'The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a
son, and they will call him
Immanuel' - which means, 'God
with us.- (Matthew 1:23).
The core meaning of Christmas is
not about office parties or
colourfully -wrapped gifts or even
family get-togethers or Santa Claus:
the core meaning of Christmas is the
birth of Jesus, God's Son, a once -
forever unique conjunction of
divinity and humanity.
The mere suggestion that God
might become human would be
absurd in some religions and
worldviews. For example, Islamic
scholar Isma'il Al-Furuqi writes,
"Allah does not reveal Himself to
anyone in any way. Allah reveals
only his will... Allah does not reveal
himself to anyone... that is the great
difference between Christianity and
Islam" (Christian Mission and
Islamic Da'wah) Atheist David
McAfee notes, "If there is a Creator -
God, it has used methods of creation
that are indistinguishable from
nature, it has declined to make itself
known for all of recorded history, it
doesn't intervene in affairs on earth,
and has made itself impossible to
observe." By contrast, Christians
maintain this mysterious concept:
that God did in fact become human
and walk among us, interacting with
people, teaching parables, preaching
sermons and even performing
miracles of healing and mastery over
nature. John announces, "The Word
became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory.."
(John 1:14)
Christmas is fundamentally about
the miracle of WITH-ness - God
taking on human form in order to
show Himself to us most clearly.
Christmas is not about presents but
about presence - God's being
present with us.
Rachel Stafford is a blogging
mother who recently described her
intervention in her teen daughter's
life regarding use of technology.
Tether Yourself: The Enlightening
Talk Parents Aren't Having Can
Keep Teens from a Damaging Drift.
Stafford sat down with her
daughter and walked through a letter
she'd written, which included the
following: "The inability to focus
will reflect in your grades and
impact the job opportunities you
have as you grow. Spending quality
time with friends and family will be
impacted by the need to check the
phone, making you believe what is
most important is on your phone
when it is really the person in front
of you."
Our age is very distracted, even
alienated, by the virtual world;
parents focus on their phones instead
of their toddlers, people in
restaurants have heads down gazing
at their devices rather than their
tablemates, etc. The more we
become "tethered" to our devices,
Blyth United Church
Est. 1875
Sunday, December 24
Celebrating Advent 4 - 9:30 a.m.
Candlelight
Christmas Eve Service
8:30 p.m.
December 31
Worship held at Brussels
United at 10:00 a.m.
Carols & Prayers
the more at risk we are of losing us - of missing being with them.
contact with the real people around
Continued on page 43
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24
We invite you to join our church family in:
Worship & Sunday School - 11 am
Coffee & Snacks following the service
Come out and meet our new minister, Rev. Charmila Ireland
Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2
- a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and
made possible by the Brussels churches working together.
Nursery care available
519-887-6687
Hillary MacDonald
OFFICE: 519-523-4224
re ,7ni'itec join
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24
Morning Service 10:00 am
No evening service
MONDAY, DECEMBER 25
Join us for a Christmas service at 10:00 a
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31
Morning Service 10:00 am
No evening service
MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018
New Year's Day. Join us for 10:00 am fellowship
and 10:30 am service.
,7n 7 ors�iit
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
• Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
(� Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph's
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017. PAGE 41.
BRUSSELS
United Church
Welcome to Sunday morning worship
& Sunday School
at 11:00 am
Hillary MacDonald (905) 246-7386
Macdonald.hillary@gmail.com
Everyone welcome
ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
BLYTH
Trinity
BRUSSELS
St. John's
No morning Service Prayer Service - 11:15 am
Christmas Eve Service - 7 pm Christmas Eve Service - 9 pm
Church Office Church Office
519-357-4883 519-887-6862
Officiant: the Venerable Allan Livingstone,
Archdeacon of Huron and Perth
Everyone Welcome!
COME WORSHIP WITH Us!
You're Invited
to come worsh p
with us
Sunday, December 24
at 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School)
Sunday School for children
4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers
during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service.
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Always A Place For You
Every Sunday in Auburn 9am & 11 am
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE @ 7pm
huronchapel.com