HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-15, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011.By Pastor Brent Kipfer
Brussels Mennonite Fellowship
A father once asked his young
daughter what she would like for
Christmas. She hesitated a bit and
then confided that she would really
like a baby brother. To everyone’s
surprise and delight, her mother
came home from the hospital on
Christmas Eve with a baby boy in
her arms. The next year, her father
asked the same question, “What
would you like for Christmas?”
This time she didn’t hesitate, “If it
wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for
Mommy, I would like a pony!”
What would you like for
Christmas?
I loved that question when I was
young. I never had any trouble
rhyming off a great wish list. My
mother faithfully wrote it all down
in a letter to Santa Claus. Christmas
is a time for wonderful surprises,
great expectations and a lots and lots
of waiting.
What happens though as we get
older? What hopes do you have for
Christmas? Have you scaled back
your expectations – maybe just a
little? It almost feels inevitable,
doesn’t it? As children, we easily
catch the mystery and excitement of
Christmas. As adults, we sometimes
lose that wonder somewhere in our
to-do lists, our dinner plans, our
grown-up pursuits.
It does not need to be this way.
Our expectations will change –
hopefully even mature. But I believe
that the more time we spend walking
with Jesus, the more intense our
hopes, the more eagerly we wait, the
more captivated we become by the
most incredible gift of Christmas:
the coming of our Messiah and his
kingdom. No pony under a tree
could possibly compete with that.
In Matthew 11 we meet John the
Baptist, cousin of Jesus, in prison.
He once had great expectations, but
they have all been shaken. John was
in crisis. Not so very long ago, he
was sure of his message. Crowds
gathered to hear him proclaim: “We
are at the dawn of a new era! Turn
from your sins; the kingdom of
heaven is near.” Men and women
came eagerly and were baptized in
the Jordan River. “The Messiah is
coming!”
John said, “I baptize with water,
but among you stands one you do
not know. He is the one who comes
after me, the thongs of whose
sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Imagine the excitement that
pulsated through the crowd – and
through John. Now – a few months
or maybe a couple of years later –
John is behind bars. His only crime:
honesty, a passion for what is right.
His confidence is shaken. If the
Messiah has come, why is his
messenger in prison? The Messiah is
supposed to make everything right!
Have you ever had a crisis of
faith? Can you identify with John’s
questions: What have I staked my
life on? Are the promises of God
real or have I believed a fairy tale?
Has the Messiah come? Is the gospel
true or am I just fooling myself?”
John sends messengers to Jesus,
“Are you the one who was to come,
or should we expect someone else?”
Have you ever asked Jesus a
question like that? How does he
respond? What does he tell his
cousin? He says, “Go back and
report to John what you hear and
see. The blind receive sight, the
lame walk, those who have leprosy
are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised, and the good news is
proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is
anyone who does not stumble on
account of me.”
John is in prison. He cannot see
any of this. There will be no pony
under his Christmas tree...and yet,
outside...how can you describe what
is happening outside? John is in
prison, but captives are being set
free. The dictator Herod is still
ruling Israel, but many of the poor
have a new sparkle in their eyes.
The world is at war, but Jesus is
tearing down dividing walls of
hostility. For John, it will take faith
to see it: the kingdom of God
breaking in, Jesus Christ reigning
with mercy and power. It also takes
faith for us, we who are also waiting.
Where do you see signs of the
kingdom? How is your faith in the
Messiah? Are your expectations
growing? Do you believe that he
will accomplish all that he sets out
to do? How is your patience holding
up?
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
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Sunday, December 18
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Dec. 24 ~Christmas Eve Service at 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 25 ~No service Christmas morning.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Dec. 24 ~Christmas Eve Service at 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 25 ~Christmas morning service at 11:00 a.m.
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
Sunday School Program
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH Celebrating the Birth
of our Saviour
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Bible Study
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women At The Well
Evangelical Missionary Church
Why Would God
Love a Sinner
Like Me?
December 18: 1 John 4:7-16
Dec. 24, 7:00 pm at BPS:
Christmas Eve Pageant
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
DECEMBER 18 ~ Sunday School Pageant, 11 am
Blue Christmas Service 3 pm, Everyone welcome
CHRISTMAS EVE ~ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24
~ Christmas Stories Series, The Grinch
CHRISTMAS DAY ~ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
~ Christmas Stories Series, It’s A Wonderful Life
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, December 18
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, December 18
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
Rev. Mark Royall, Sr. Pastor
9:25 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages
10:30 a.m.
HOW FAR IS IT TO
BETHLEHEM?
Christmas Musical
at Huron Chapel
Sunday, December 18th
at 6:30 pm
Everyone is invited to
experience this
heart-warming event.
A fellowship time will follow
with many Christmas delights!
From the Minister’s StudyWhat do you want for Christmas?BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED
School safety and contract talks
will be two key issues for the
Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board (HPCDSB) in the
upcoming year, says the board’s
new chair.
Speaking at the board’s inaugural
Dec. 5 meeting, newly acclaimed
chair Bernard Murray said he
expected the next year to be
challenging, “as most years are”,
singling out two issues.
“One thing I think is so important
now is the fact that we have to make
every student feel safe in our
schools and do whatever we can to
make the environment right,” he
told the board.
He also referred to upcoming
contract talks with teachers in 2012,
saying that “hopefully everyone
works together for the good of
all.”
Murray, who last served as
HPCDSB chair in 2008, said the
changes that have taken place over
the years have been “amazing” and
that he welcomes the chance to
continue working with the
HPCDSB.
“We serve these students first of
all academically, physically,
socially and spiritually,” he said. “I
think that the board has certainly
done a good job over the years and
will continue to if we work
Contract talks coming
By Rita Marshall
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 25