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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