Merry Christmas Greetings!

“… the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

This past weekend our Carter clan celebrated a very early Christmas as Rob and his family wanted to get out of Moosonee for a while to take in some extra special events in the GTA area. Rebekah and her family in Kelowna BC were on Skype. Our ten grandchildren, ages 13 down to one (8 girls + 2 boys) are all changing – growing, developing and maturing – which is interesting to see. Small appetites are enlarging rapidly which keeps parents on their toes trying to keep up. All have their own likes and dislikes; all are individuals. Children are precious in everyone’s eyes. I guess that is why God sent His Son to catch our attention. Jesus’ birth was predicted centuries before in the book of Isaiah. God had it all nicely planned out for us even down to the name meaning “God with us.”

Please pray for Debbie Macdonald’s mother who had knee surgery with complication this past Friday.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ house at 7:00 p.m. when we will be reviewing the videos on Islam we have been watching for the past several months.

Enjoy!

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

Myanmar Update by Pastor Jake Stewart: Jake came by our church at 9:00 a.m. before his own service in Streetsville to show some of his 500 Myanmar photos and convey greetings from William and Richard and his family. This was a life-changing experience for him in a third world country with conditions not always the best but people living with a level of contentment and flexibility under their circumstances. Jake spent about 3 days speaking at a conference with William in Yangon. Then they travelled by bus 400 miles north to Richard’s orphanage where they spent 4-5 days. Jake spoke at their Bible School graduation and got to play soccer with the children. They were all very appreciative for the numerous supplies we sent over. The brick-making process is under way with the purchase of 5 brick forms, limestone and gravel. Just add water and sweat and allow for a few days drying time. The first two bricks have been made. Richard has a debt on his property that is mounting all the time because interest rate is 6%/month. He will be able to make monthly payments on this debt because of money made in their new business. Please continue to pray for these dear people who seem to have a new lease on life.

Revelation (part 9 – Revelations 5:8-10) by Steve Macdonald: We seem to have a brass and string section in Revelation. Previously trumpets were mentioned and now in this passage there are harps. Trumpets herald the arrival of a king, rally armies for battle, and warn of pending judgment. Harps are new. The earliest recorded harps were by the Egyptians around 2500BC. Moses writes about them in Genesis 4:21. Harps are used to accompany songs of cheerfulness and praise (Genesis 31:27; 2 Chronicles 20:28; Psalms 33:2; 137:2). David plays the harp to ease King Saul’s troubled soul (1 Samuel 16:23). The 144,000, standing with the Lamb on Mt. Zion, are praising their Redeemer with a sound “like harpists playing on their harps” (Rev. 14:2). The harp is associated with peace, joy, and praise so it follows that the elders and living creatures would use them in worshiping God.
Are all our prayers going up in smoke? No! The bowls full of incense are symbols to let us know that each and every prayer we have ever made has been presented to God and they are all pleasing to Him (Psalm 141:2).
A new song is being sung. Why? Because a greater deliverance requires a new and greater song. This new song depicts a new expression of God’s love. If in doubt let’s remember John is writing for people that are familiar with the Old Testament. The new song is always mentioned in reference to God’s redemptive and creative acts in history. This new song is recorded seven times in the Old Testament (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10). The elders and creatures are singing together or are they? Verse 10 reads, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,  and they will reign on the earth.” It jumps to 3rd person, which is different from the rest of the song (members of every tribe and language and people and nation). It was questioned earlier on in our study whether the elders were angels or redeemed humans. If the creatures are singing this part in response to the elders’ song, does this indicate that the 24 are redeemed humans?
Jesus not only saved us from sin, he “saved us to” (1 Peter 2:9; Galatians 4:7). Jesus has saved us to be kings and priests to God. God’s original plan for Adam has been lost but Jesus, has redeemed us and restored to us our royal priesthood (Romans 5:12-14). While it may be very easy to read these verses and imagine that they are explained by John, there is so much more to get from what is being described. Our prayers are pleasing to God and are heard by God. We are heirs to this new order. Jesus paid our debt with His blood. There will be peace and joy and celebration and worship.

Conversations with Jesus – at the Home of Martha & Mary – Luke 10:38-42 by Chris Burton: With Lazarus, Mary and Martha Jesus has a very familiar family like connection. There are three accounts of the meetings that Jesus has with them where they are mentioned by name and others where there is speculation - (Luke 7:36-50) A Sinful Woman Forgiven; Jesus Anointed at Bethany (John 12:1-8); Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead, (an event that takes place prior to this conversation.) (John 11:1-16). In the book of John the events take place in back to back chapters but we have no way of knowing how much time has passed between events. In John 11 we know Jesus left town because Caiaphas “put a hit” on Jesus (who left for Ephraim). In John 12 He returns 6 days before the Passover so it is likely that all this has taken place within the month There is a lot happening to this one family in a very short time which may add to the significance of what Jesus says in response to Martha, ““Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
From Martha’s perspective she is the more responsible/practical sister but we can’t know for sure if that puts her as the oldest. She is the first in each case to go out to greet Jesus. She is the vocal one; it is her words that are recorded the most often. She is the hospitable one shown serving, preparing and cleaning in the two passages. What’s on her mind? We don’t know the exact order of events. Her brother has died recently and has been brought back to life. Local officials are hunting Jesus whom she knows to be the Messiah and Jesus is now in her home (with the 12 disciples plus the 72). The passover feast must be prepared for the Messiah. Her sister Mary had possibly been a bit of a family embarrassment prior to meeting Jesus. “So excuse me if I’m a little stressed - can I get some help here!”
From Mary’s perspective she has all the same experiences as Martha but not the same reactions. If she is the women mentioned in Luke 7 she has had a shady past. In John 12 when her brother has died she is inside weeping and doesn’t run to Jesus until Martha tells her Jesus is here. When Mary gets to Jesus she falls at His feet weeping. She sits at his feet as He teaches. She weeps while anointing Him with expensive perfume and washing His feet. She is the emotional sister. She allows her thoughts/feelings to be seen by others; she’s not closed off. It’s not that she is lazy and doesn’t care about the work; she just has different priorities
Jesus’ response to Martha (verse 41-42) is that He is not rebuking Martha as He has others in the past for not “getting it” or saying the wrong things at the wrong time. He knows she means well and that her heart is in the right place. If Martha had said nothing there wouldn’t have been an issue. Jesus was not commenting that Martha should get out of the kitchen and listen to Him. She was doing her part as a servant and Mary was praising and honouring in her way. Did her possible past connect her in a different way to Jesus. Could she see His pain? The “better thing” that Mary has chosen is not loving the world (1 John 2:16-17). Hebrews 2:1-4 warns us to pay attention. Mary chose the good part, the holy words, truth and faith of Jesus Christ that which will never be taken from her.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: There are hundreds of names in the Bible for Jesus that all have deep meaning. Who else in history has had so many even counting nicknames? It is hard to get your head around how really big Jesus is. The New Testament people became familiar with the fish symbol, Ichthus. Jesus is a Latin word; Jeshua/Joshua is Hebrew. The total meaning is “Jehovah is salvation.” The name was not very common in Old Testament times but was somewhat common when Jesus was born
So who is Jehovah? David, about 1000 BC says in Psalm 23 that Jehovah is his Shepherd whom he needs as a lowly stupid sheep. But Jesus said He, Himself was the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). Isaiah said he saw the Jehovah as “King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). This was about 750BC. John the Gospel writer said that Isaiah saw Jesus glory and spoke about him. (John 12:41) In Isaiah 40:1-3 God promises “a voice” who would come in preparation for Jehovah. John the Baptist said he was that voice and called people to look to Jesus (John 1:19-23). In Luke 1:27-33 Mary was told to call her baby Jesus and that he would rule on David’s throne in a kingdom that will never end. (Luke 1:27-33) Jesus equals Jehovah who wants a relationship with us and provided a solution by laying down His life and then picking it up again. Jesus is not just a name. It has historical and prophetic meaning. He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is salvation.

Some Winter Tips for your Vehicles by Penny Spears:
1. Wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights to prevent that messy mixture from accumulating – last 6 weeks.
2. Squeak&streak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol.
3. Ice-proof your windows with vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your windows at night. Vinegar contains acetic acid which raises the melting point of water.
4. Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray. Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.
5. Fog-proof your windshield by spraying shaving cream on the inside of your windshield and wipe off with paper towels.
6. De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer.