The Brussels Post, 1977-12-21, Page 44---TH E BRUSSELS POST, DECEMBER 21, 1977
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Amen
by Karl Schuessler
A smooth show
THE NATIVITY — Margi,e Raymond, I, and Jackie
Burge, Grade 5 students at Brussels. public school,
played Mary and Joseph during one of the acts at the
annual Christmas Concert. (Photo by Langlois)
Maple Villa
Choir entertains
Members of 'the Brussels United
Church Choir entertained the
Senior. Citizens in the lounge at
Maple Villa on Thursday evening
with Christmas. Choir 'numbers.
At the dose everyone joined in
singing carols.
The choir members and their
partners later met at the home of
Eric • and Marie 'Le Drew for
enjoyable Christmas Jolly
Santa appeared and presented
each one with a gift from under
the Christmas tree, after which
lunch was served .by Luella
Mitchell, Anita Harison, Mary
Thomas. Marie Le Drew, Ruth
Hupfer and Betty Campbell.
Election of offices followed.
The executive will- remain as
follows; President, George
Cousins, Sec. Treas. Barb
McCutcheon, Social Committee
Betty Campbell, Ruth Hupfer
and Anita Harrison. George
Cousins thanked Mr. and Mrs. Le
Drew for inviting the choir to their
home.
Reg. $879.95
SPECIAL TO DEC. 24, 1977
TEAR DROP LAMPS
PLAQUES
POTTERY
New Year's eve is drawing near. Don't forget to get
your tickets for the New Community Centre.
Member B.D.A.
,8814305- BRUSSELS-
RISATMASf
At thss glittering
time of the year
we send wishes *
for your
happiness,
glowing with bright*
hope for the future.
We look forward
to serving you again
SINCE
1950
JEWELLERS LTD.
Waikett00- Clinton iSealatth ..„.
Atir- .04 .* 0.*.0.4246.420-*
How about decorating tubs, to protect the spirits
your tree with apples and of the woods and to bolster
- round wafers this year?
They may not be as color-
ful as the glittering balls
and ornaments you normal-
ly use, but they're more in
keeping with the early me-
thods of tree-trimming.
The tree is a symbol of
immortality, the apples
stand for sin, and the round
wafers mean redemption.
That, at least, is the way
Christians after the 15th
century saw it.
They took the Paradise
Tree (symbol of the fall of
man in the miracle plays of
the Middle Ages ), brought
it into their homes, and
used it as a lesson in moral-
ity for their children.
Over the years, the reli-
gious aspects of the tree
gave way to pu-., decora-
tion. The apples wet6 re-
'placed by ornaments; the
wafers, by stars, moons,
men and animals.
Evergreens alone attest-
ed to the return of light and
life and the revival of the
sun god, The primitives
brought them inside in
:Yuletide Tree • Has Orifius la Primitive -Beliefs
family courage through the
dark winter days.
I know most of you in these parts aren't
addicted to Toronto radio stations. Why listen
to all their weather and traffic jams, when
we've got problems of our own 100 miles
away? Who cares if the Queen E is
bumper-to-bumper for two and a half miles?
Or the subways are running on schedule
despite the rainy weather?
It could be blizzard and zero visibility with
all the schools closed down out here. And
that's what I want to know when it conies to
radio news.
But still. I keep the dial tuned fairly dead on
740 CBC Toronto. Of course I'm prejudiced.
What with a little stake in the broadcasting.
And then, of course, you get used to the
voices. And none is more welcome than
Bruce Smith between four and six o'clock in
the afternoon.
Bruce has been around the mike for many
years. His Bruce Smith Show is easy and
relaxed. He's getting everyone home into the
suburbs and out of the Toronto downtown
jungle. He doesn't bother you with any of the
world's headaches. You've heard enough
about them all day.
Bruce's program is on the light side--with
public service announcements, small talk
about new books and play openings, and some
easy joshing with the program's great man of
humor, Ian Laidlow.
And old as the format is, you can find out
what great men are celebrating their birthday
on that day and what momentous events
happened in . history on the days.
a You hear funny line or two. Like the other
day when Bruce said, "Nothing's impossible,
until you try to do it."
All this light touch of Bruce's slides down as
easy as a before-dinner drink. But then, that
could be the trouble, Bruce might make
things too easy.
You could say he's plain pollyanna -- one of
those rose colored glasses type -- one who
always sees the good in everyone and every
situation. Some one who accentuates the
positive and skips over all the negatives. He's
j ust plain trouble blind.
You and I both know it's hard to take the
bumps and blues of life and turn them all into
peachy creams. But that's Bruce's style. And
you figure -he's the nice guy kind, the swell
guy. And you can't really dislike a nice guy,
can y ou?
But the other day, Bruce said a few lines
with such conviction and assurance that he
realy surprised me. He lowered his voice and
spoke in a such a deliberate way I felt God
himself was delivering the message.
One of the sports announcers, George,
Duffield, had started to worry about Santa
Claus. George wondered if Santa would really
come this year. The snow storm of a week
before left enough snow to bring in millions of
Santa Clauses. But now with all the rain and
melting snow, Santa might get stuck in the
mud. How would the reindeer manage? It's
reindeer-and not ducks that pull the sleigh.
It was then that Bruce came through.
"Don't you worry your head about that,
George", Bruce said, "Santa will come. Of
course, he'll come. There's no question about
it. •
"And if a sleigh won't bring him, then a
helicopter will. Santa's going to manage. Just
you make no mistake about it. Santa's is
coming, • this
year."
And if saying it with feelingand sureness
ever made it so, Bruce made it so that day.,
Bruce had it right on. There was no question
about it. He knew Santa was coming. Santa'
had to come.
1 thought of all my talk about the Messiah's
coming. That's VHAT I've been saying these
many days in Advent. The Messiah is coming.
Maybe I've repeated it too often. Maybe I've
tried to say it enough times so you'll get that
feeling of conviction -- that same kind• of
conviction Bruce carried when he insisted
S •anta's coming.
I've wanted to say it -- full of hope. Real
hope, with none of this wishy-washy
"hopefully". You know, we've sapped hope of
all its meaning with that vogue and vague
"Hopefully" we start off so many sentences
with. We use that word as a very doubtful
wish--hoping against hope that somehow a
certain thing will come 'true.
That's not hope. Because the word means
"fullof hope -- not "full of doubt". It means I
know. It means I trust. It means I believe in. I
believe and trust and know the Messiah is
coming.
Filled with this kind of hope, I say once
again The Messiah is coining. And because of
Him, I can wish you all a joyous and Merry
Christmas.