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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-12-24, Page 18Page 2a, The Weknow Sentinel° 1k eember 239 1986 eilifrommormiromionomomimpowasp— . . • A very special child AIL by Dwayne F., Welke Lucknow Christian Reformed Church The arrival of a child is almost always a cause for celebration. As these paragraphs are being written, our child is npt yet born, but my wife Gladys and I expect him or her by Christmas day, and for that reason we have a special sense of the joy of Christmas this year. Parents celebrate sometimes when their child is expected. Mary, Jesus' mother, did that, "My spirit rejoices," she told her cousin Elizabeth before her very special child was born (Luke 1:47). And parents celebrate when their child arrives. We know,. because we have seen the joy on the faces of other parents. A mother forgets the pain of delivery when she sees and holds the precious miracle of a living baby. A father struts around bursting with pride: "Have you seen my daughter?" Together they laugh as they wonder at the bundle of joy entrusted to their loving care. Grandparents celebrate, too. No matter hew often, it happens, there is a certain glow that comes to their hearts and their faces with every new addition to the family. Other relatives and close friends get involved as well, As a pastor, I have had a per- sonal thrill just sharing the joy of parents whose families have grown by one ( or two ). All of these parents, relatives, friends celebrate because they are close, because their lives are somehow made richer by the child who is born, because in a real sense he is born to them. When the relationship grows more distant, or when there is no relationship at all, it's hard to have any feelings of joy about a particular child's arrival in our world. He or she is a statistic to us, though we may hope that someone isvery glad. So then, why should we be happy about the birth of Jesus the original and most con- vincing reason for celebrating at Christmas? We are not his parents or grandparents, or even their relatives or friends. According to the Bible, arraugel brought the announcement about Jesus' birth to some shepherds as "good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). Then the angel immediately explain- ed why this news should be such an occasion for joy: "To you is born... a savior, Christ the Lord." This was not an announcement of a birth to Mary, or to a certain family. He was not born to Herod; in his palace at Jerusalem; not to Caesar Augustus, on his throne in Rome; not to priests and scribes and great ones of the earth. According to this news, Jesus was born to total strangers, "to you," to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, to the humble, to the lowly, to expectant hearts. The joy of Jesus' birth is, of course, that he is the savior, the one and only person pro- mised by God, sentby God, and equipped by God to do for sinful dying humans the one thing that they needed most -- save them. But the joy of his birth, like the birth of any other child, is not for anyone. It is for those le whom he is born. It is for those for whom his coming makes a difference in their lives. For you, this Christmas;the birth of Jesus could be no more than the arrival of a child – a stranger, born to strangers in another time and another place. You will be totally unaffected by it. You will miss the joy. Or it could be, for you, the birth of someone you have been expecting, someone you have been needing to make your life more full than it could possibly be without him. Gladys and I hope that our joy in the birth of our child will be juSt a faint hint of your joy as you celebrate the good news of great joy: "tom is born... a savior, Christ the Lord!' God offers joy and peace by Rev. Gerald R. McFarlane Lucknow United Church The most important month of the year, for all people has now arrived. Many people, like Scrooge will say "Hum Bug" to that statement. Some people will pause awhile to think about December being a specialmonth and then ask 1 -low Come?! The answer is because every December God renews his love and commitment to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Unfortunately many people only see this corrunitment of God's as an historical happening, but very, little if anything to do with the present.. This Christmas God once again offers to us the joy and peace that was discovered by many the first Christmas morning. You see God offers unto the world His Christmas Gifts too, not just once in history, but every December the 25th. You see without Christ in Christmas, this Holy Day has very little (if any) meaning. God gave us Christ. This is his first gift. If Christmas 1986 (and those in the future) is going to be worthwhile and have a. lasting meaning, Christ has to be in the centre of all our festivities. Without the important ingredient — Christ — our celebrations will loose that joyous spark and be just another secular day. This December the twenty-fifth God says to us individually, "I still love you and want you to follow the". The love of God is needed just as much in 1986 as it was 2000 years ago. The second gift God will send us this Christmas is a means of forgiveness. I don't know about you, but try as I do to live a life without sin, I fall short more times than I like to ad- mit. Without the forgiveness that God offers to the world through Christ at Christmas, this life would be very' meaningless and disheartening. What chance would we have of reaching the heavenly Kingdom without our Christ interceeding for us? The shepherds heard the angels say "Glory to God in the highest and Peace to men on earth". The third gift peace – The peace that was, offered then is sought just as much now. Peace of mind is needed by all of us if we are going to live a rewarding and healthy life here on earth. The peace that God offersto us on Christmas, gives us the courage and strength to go forward in life when everyone else wants to give up. This gift is strong enough to carry us through all kinds of hardships in this world. The fourth gift God offers us every Christmas is Joy. There is a lot of sadness in this world, but with help and support that Christ offers us we are given the ability to laugh and rejoice. As I travel through life I find a great deal of encouragement is given to me by some person's hearty laugh. Let us at this Christmas receive the joy that only God is able to give us through the re -birth of Christ in our lives-. -These are only a few_of the gifts that we receive from God every Christmas. The most encouraging fact is that everyone can receive them rich or poor .. healthy or sick.. We have to learn that the gifts God offers.. no amount of money can buy. All these and more are offered to us. So let us reach out and receive these presents this Christmas and every Christmas, that we may fully enjoy life here on earth: Merry Christmas everyone and may you find the love, forgiveness, peace and joy that God offers to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we remember once again this Christmas Season. Don't forget these gifts are offered to everyone, no matter who you are or where you are. 4116. We wish you yo merriest Christmas. and a holiday season filled with cheer. Blessed Be He May this holiday season hold a special meaning for you. Askes Bros. whom.° it 444s1 Origntest wishes T for a ha00y r1Oliaav SCaSC,r1 arc t:yel sent your Our very speia: r,anr.s are aiso gr,:".N.',r Merry -Christmas! Reavie Farm qm.pmen Construction BERT, JENNY, • MARIE AND KATHRYN Cameron Refrigeration JACK, NANCY, BRENT, ADAM AND DAVID ANIS STAPP before Christmas.. 'And 4.1l through the house, there was Loveandgood feel' ngs among one and all. We wish you the best this holiday season. 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