Loading...
Times Advocate, 1984-12-19, Page 41 Page 4A Times -Advocate, December 19, 1984 imes- Times Established 1873 • Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager 1311 1 13A E iEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ' DICK JONGKIND Business Manager - Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' CCNA Can't obliterate that light By Peter W. Snell Expr United Church There is something about Christmas that weaves a spell of joy and tranquility over all our lives. When we were children, we thought time dragged on so slowly that the big day would never come. As we grew older, we began to realize that the anticipation of celebrating Christmas was an important and integral part of the process, and, even now, amid the frantic commercialism and frenzied activity there is the expectant feeling that a wonderful secret is about to be disclosed. Although the passing years bring many changes to our world, the heart of the Christmas message is still the same.... "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, A Saviour which is Christ the Lord." So many people, however, come to Christmas Eve so fatigued, so drained of physical energy due to overwork and all the activity involved with getting ready for the event, that they are unable to feel the peaceand happiness of the occasion. For some it is a time of loneliness and despair. But the central feature of our celebra- tion is the fact that Jesus' birth was the "good news" by which God affirmed once and for all the value of life. Jesus would later say, "I have come that men may have life, and may have it in its fulness." When Christians speak of the in- carnation they mean that the joyous secret is at last revealed. God has acted to affirm life, and tie has given man a chance to res- pond to His gracious love. What kind of response does God expect? Christmas should be a time of special gratitude. Weshould give thanks because of the love which sustains and enriches our lives. This is often expressed as gratitude for life as it is sympbolized in the birth of all children. The cry of Isaiah, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given," is the exultant cry of every parent. It expresses not only the wonder and gratitude that every parent - feels when he beholds the miracle of birth, but it is the shape of our hope and faith in the future. So it is proper that we respond with gratitude because we have received the gift of life. But it is not enough for mankind to merely receive life. A fur- ther expression of our response fo God is that we should cherish This 'book' Similar to most people whose job it is to put words on paper. they writer is periodically tempted with the thought of compiling a book. After pondering over a short column topic, however. the thought is quickly dispelled with the realization that it would be a task much too time consuming, even if one had such ability. However, i take some satisfaction each time the Christmas season rolls around to realize that dream has been fulfilled to a certain extent. This is the time of year (he writer joins with his cohorts in compiling the annual year-end review of the news highlights that have transpired in our readership area over the past 12 months. Although it lacks the decorative cover of the masterpiece of other authors, the volume from which we glean a few choice tidbits for that summary far exceeds the works of even the most prolific of hook writers. By year's end, our file of the papers published during the 12 months totals over 12,000 pages, each of which is five or six times larger than those used in most hooks. it contains well over 1.000 pictures in which upwards of 5,000 area residents are depicted. it is estimated that some 18,000 people read each issue, so in the course of the year that brings the total audience to almost one million. in any publishing terms, that's a best seller! • • • Compiling the year-end review of news highlights brings into sharp focus just how busy and active the residents of this area are over the period of one year and how complex their lives are. • Those of us in the news business are often criticized for featuring the negative, • life. For most of us, we are easily able to appreciate our own lives, but we should not stop there... we should cherish the lives of others as well. One of the basic teachings of true religion is that man should lode his neighbour as himself. This is the basis for all courtesy and consideration of others. But it is necessary to go one step further. Not only must we receive life with gratitude, not only must we cherish it, we must use our lives to accomplish good purposes. One does not live merely by avoiding death. One does not succeed simply by avoiding acci- dent or injury. No, life is to be received, to be cherished, in order that it might be used for the glory of God and in the service of our fellow man. We can glorify God every day, we can enjoy Him forever. The Jesus who was born that night in a stable long ago, glorified God. He glorified Him as a child. He glorified Him as a man. He glorified Him as a Saviour on a Cross. It is our privilege this Christmas and always to fit our lives into the pattern of a familiar spiritual, "Rise, shine, give God glory, 'soldiers of the Cross." The words of the angels' song, "Peace on each, goodwill toward men," have become our yearning and our desire. Can this dream become a reality? Once during the first world war on Christmas day, the German and Allied soldiers met in a neutral zone and sang carols and exchanged gifts. It was spontaneous and delightful acknowledgment that the celebration of Christ's birth was, and is, more important than man-made barriers of hatred and war. It was a perfect example, at least for one brief moment, of how we must cherish life.... our own lives and the lives of others. If this could happen between enemies on Christmas day, can we not pray that the thrill of such an occasion be found everywhere among all people? In this world of ours, riddled with fear and hate, burdened with greed and jealously, overcome with misunderstanding and lies, this is still the hope of mankind: Peace and Goodwill. If it is to happen in our generation it will be through the people who are fac- ing the challenge of being peacemakers here and everywhere. You will recall that Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." And so, as 1984 draws to a close, we again experience that long- ing, coupled with growing anticipation and hope, that God's answer to His children nearly 20 centuries ago may be our answer for to- day. Again we humbly approach the tiny babe in the manger to be bathed in the light that outshines the darkest night this world has ever known. We may obscure the real meaning of Christmas as much as we will, but we cannot obliterate the light that shines and keeps shining through Jesus. The child of the manger has been preached in all lands and con- tinues to be Saviour. As of old, it can be said of us: we seek a star... 0 may His light still guide us; we hear a song... a song of won- drous beauty that the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, Peace and Good will toward men; " we behold a manger... where the Saviour of the world was born. At Christmas we can make this prayer our own. 0 Holy child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today. indicates but that's just not so on a weekly newspaper. That's not so much our doing as it is that of you who make the news. Sure. there are accounts of court and other stories related to the antics of the small, unsavory element in our midst, but the overwhelming tone each week is of people enjoying themselves in' the BATT'N AROUND with the editor optimism multitude of events which take place. There is also a dominance of pictures and stories about people helping others. The "book" that was produced last year is no exception. in fact, it was probably one of the most interesting books produced last year because it featured people we know. There were no fictional characters re- quired to make it interesting. What the people of this area do each week provides all the necessities of any best seller. There is tragedy and comedy, the common place and the bizarre, the expected and the unexpected, the achievements and the disappointments. • • • . • While some would suggest there is nothing as stale as yesterday's news. a cursory glance back through the pages of the 1984 edition is a beneficial exercise. The events of the past can not be chang- ed. of course, but they do provide a basis on which we can tackle the future with more dedication and enthusiasrn because the past provides each person with ex- amples of errors that can be avoided or foundations on which one can build with confidence. Each of us, of course, will have a dif- ferent view of the past and it would be rather presumptuous of any year-end reviewer to make some sweeping com- ments in terms of the collective "we" in assessing the highs and lows of any given time period. However, on balance, the past year was one that saw much of the doom and gloom of the past four or five years dissipate con- siderably, to be replaced with a general attitude that things were starting to swing in a more positive direction. There are still mountains to climb, so to speak, but one can't help but be buoyed by the new sense of optimism that prevails throughout this district in par- ticular as we stand at the threshold of a new year. So. as we clear the pages to start writing the 1985 book on the activities in the area. the T -A staff extends a sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the past edition and solicit your continued support in compiling the on-going history of one of God's most favored areas. • • • • • • Looking back on the past year on a per- sonal note, the writer is happy to put some of the events in the past. To those who generously showed con- cern and caring when i was on the sick last, again a sincere thanks. And now, to you and yours, my sincere wish for a full measure of all the joys, fellowship and love of the season and a hope that your inclusion in next year's best-seller will be one of your 1985 highlights. "Mulroney stumped the country during the election campaign and he's STILL stumping the country!" Season vastly overdone Like practically everything else in the frantic 20th century, Christmas is vastly over- done. A day that was, for our ancestors, a simple observance of the birth of Christ combined with a family get-together of reasonable jollity, has grown to the proportions of a nightmare in which shopping for gifts, ex- change of cards, Christmas enter- tainments, high-powered advertising and a steady and relentless stream of so-called "Christmas" music make up the ac- cumulation of horrors. , In the good old days, the family rose early, and went to church, where the parson gave them a two- hour appetizer. Then they went home and took a nip of something to take off the chill. While the ser- vants were sweating in the kitchen, preparing the vast dinner to come, they took a bite of lunch. Then the ladies set off to distribute food parcels to the poor, while the men put their tails to the fire and went after that chill again. That's your ancestors I'm talking about. Mine were among the people the ladies were taking the food to. i can still see them kicking the pigs under the bed when her ladyship came in, tugging their forelocks, scraping their feet, and saying "f'ank yer, milady, f'ank yer mum" as she pulled one of the geese that had died of disease, and one of last year's bottles of blackberry brandy, which had turned vinegary, out of her basket. Today, of course, my ancestors' descendants will eat turkey on Christmas Day until they bear a resemblance to purple pigs, while the Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley descendants of milady, who have managed to hang on to the old home only by taking tourists through at a shilling a shot, will be dining meagrely, in the only room of the big house they can afford to heat, on a nice bit of brisket and some brussells sprouts. And serves them right. However, that's not what I started out to say, but I can't remember what it was, anyway. Oh, yes, about the old days and today. Well, despite all the wailing and throw- ing of hands in the air at the paganism and com- mercialism surrounding our Christmas today, i wouldn't trade it for the • old fashioned one of a hun- dred years ago. And don't forget, I said "surrounding" our Christmas. Sure our kids believe in Santa Claus. Sure our pre -Christmas preparations are getting more and more hectic and more and more subject to commercialism. But our kids grow out of Santa Claus, without any dire ef- fects. And we get over the pre -Christmas panic and celebrate the day with just as much reverence and just as much family fun as ever our ancestors did. I'll warrant our youngsters know just as much, and maybe more, about the story of Christmas, and the com- ing of the Christ child, as their counter -parts of a hundred years ago knew. Mine do, anyway, thanks to their Sunday School teachers. And I'll bet we're not half as smug and selfish, despite our much -touted materialism, as our Vic- torian great-grandfathers were, sitting on their fat rumps by the fire on Christmas day, and letting the poor worry about themselves. On this com- ing Christmas Day, in our own little town, the Band will be out in the cold, playing for the old people and shut-ins. Groups of ladies and men from a dozen different organiza- tions will be scurrying about with vast baskets of food and treats for the needy. And the needy are pret- ty few and far betwen these days, simply because we have a whole lot more social conscience than our ancestors had. Outside that warm, cosy, jolly Pickwickian Christmas of a hundred years ago lay a world of cold and hunger and degradation. We wouldn't let it exist today. So don't let the worry- warts spoil your Christmas, with their perpetual complaining that Christmas is being paganized. Nothing can sully Christmas, because Christmas is in your heart, in the simple story on that day, in the shining eyes of a child, in the loveliness of the carols. Yes, and it is in the Christmas tree, and the gay windows, and the col- ored lights against the snow and the perspiring Santa Claus at the Christmas concert, and the card from a friend you haven't seen in years. Just gird up your loins, plunge into your shopping, enjoy the giving of gifts, run yourself away into debt, be happy in the fami- ly reunion, go to church on Christmas Day, stay away from the hard stuff, and don't be a pig with the turkey, and you won't go far wrong. Many good aspects It's the week before Christmas and merchants are rubbing their hands in anticipation of selling more than ever before of all the pa raphanalia that the advertising eople would like us to believe is a necessity for a happy season. Like Santa Claus that sit in every mall and embrace unwilling little children pushed up there by doting parents. A Cab- bage Patch doll in a fake fur coat that sells for twice the regular amount. A set of candles that blinks forty-two times a minute and screeches out twenty- two carols in double time. If you think that I am a little turned -off by the commercialization of Christmas then you are probably right. if you think that I want to do away with the season because of that then you are wrong. There are too many good things being done by 1k? to Canada separated from the husband who was still being detained in Czechoslovakia, stood in Perspectives people this time of the year simply because they wait otbers to share their own good fortune or because they remember the original meaning of Christmas, a celebration of the birth of Christ, the giving and caring that his birth has meant to much of the world. An immigrant lady and her young daughter, new By Syd Fletcher Union Station in Toronto. Somebody had told them that it was beautifully decorated at Christmas and that it was free for all. It was. Huge trees, hun- dreds of lights. The two of them stood there in awe, and the little girl, thinking of her father, had tears streaming down her face. An elderly couple stop- ped and asked them what was wrong and the Czeck lady assured them that the tears were just a touch of sadness. The older couple nodded, then left. Only moments later, just as the mother and daughter were leaving the station, somebody tapped them on the shoulder. It was the couple, who handed them a gift, waved, then left as quickly as they had come, wishing Merry Christmas to the startled pair. I hope that each one of us takes the time to reach out to someone else less fortunate to give the gift of love in whatever form you can. If you can continue on with that same spirit of caring throughout the rest of the year, so much the better. May each of you have the best that life can offer at Christmas and far beyond that day.