Merry Christmas Greetings!

“… the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

Gary and I attended two granddaughters’ special school concerts this past week. Kaiya Burton is in Grade 5 and probably the only white child in her class. The songs celebrated a mixture of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Her sister Carleigh’s nursery class, which rents facilities from a local church, consists of brown, black and a few white children. Her program was very organized by the staff and the children performed extremely well. However we were quite upset because the name of Jesus was not mentioned once. The children have spent several weeks learning about Frosty or Santa through song and were very excited when Santa actually popped in for a visit bringing gifts. What an opportunity this church is missing out on to meet these new Canadian families and tell them about Jesus’ story, the real meaning of Christmas. These children don’t know Away in a Manger. Are we as Christians once again withdrawing in fear of offending others? Not good!

Please remember to pray for the Burton family as they begin packing up their household for their move January 20 to a new house. A lot of decisions need to be made ahead of time for this move e.g. preparing a room and washroom with new shower for Ron, Chris’ brother who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Home Group happens this Wednesday at the Burtons’ house at 7:00 p.m. when we will be reviewing our study on Islam and praying for our world, our country and each other.

We are planning a New Year’s Eve party at the Burtons’ house at 8:00 p.m. Bring your friends and your table games along. Gary is celebrating his birthday this day as well. God’s best to you in 2012, Gary! May your See You Next Week! system affect many lives for His glory.

Enjoy being with your families during this special season of the year!

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.

Agape BrickWorks by Gary Carter: Would you believe that Richard and his crew in Myanmar have made 21,500 bricks since the beginning of December? They have certainly been industrious. Please check out this link - [1] Click Here – and pass it along to anyone you know that might be interested in hearing this story. (A couple of people have experienced an echo sound but not all.) We are raising money for a much needed truck so that all these bricks can be delivered to buyers in the new year.

Are you familiar with the biography of H. J. Heinz who established his ketchup/pickling business in 1890 in the U.S.? Were his pickles any better than anyone else’s? Not necessarily so but in order to brand himself Mr. Heinz always washed his trucks which were colourfully painted with a pickle on the side. When Gary and Steve visited Myanmar they did not notice much advertising in the whole country except for Royal Crown Whiskey. When Richard buys the mid-size truck he has found Gary will recommend that he engage his teenage boys in keeping the truck clean along with painting a sign, Agape Brickworks, on the side so that they can all make a name for themselves.

Gift Giving by Steve Macdonald: The RBC survey found that Canadian gift-givers are planning to spend an average of $640 on gifts, an increase from the $624 reported last year. A recent survey also found that Canadians expected to spend $612 on holiday frivolities, including entertainment, decorations and travel which is up from the $512 spent last year. Quebecers were the most frugal gift buyers, reporting a gift budget of about $461, while Canadians in Atlantic Canada had the highest gift budget $877. The BMO reports in Ontario and the Atlantic region, spending will be about $1,420 while Quebec is below the average, at $1,320. The increase, up $92 to $1,397 per person, will largely go on entertaining.

So what is all that money being spent on? Here are the top 10 items this year. Xbox 360 with Kinect, 3D LCD/LED, televisions, Apple iPad 2, Espresso Coffee Machine, Sports/Concert Tickets, Golf Clubs, clothes, Foot Massager, Pet, Amazon Kindle.

So what is the perfect gift to give this Christmas? It is not in the top 10 list. It does not involve driving everywhere to find it. It does not involve being shoulder to shoulder in crowded stores. It does not require standing in a long line up. After getting it, you are richer than you were before you got it. James 1:17-18 records, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” In Genesis, God created the heavens, the earth and all living things; He thought that this was good. According to James, the only good and perfect gift comes from God in heaven. He knows what we need and He provides it to us. In James 1:5 we are told that, “… He gives generously to all without finding fault…” What is the perfect gift to give this or any time of year? Give someone the chance to know Jesus. He will always fit. He will never break. He is always there. He will supply all your needs. You do not need to line up to get Him or see Him. Just explain to everyone you know about the truth and what happened when you received the Perfect Gift. An excellent Christmas song written in the last couple of years is called Where’s the Line to See Jesus? sung by Becky Kelley – http://bit.ly/urLLGq. Since he had been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, 4-year old Spencer asked this question when he saw kids lining up to see Santa in the mall.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: Are you familiar with Mark Lowry’s Christmas song, Mary Did You Know? The Carters heard it on the radio station CHFI yesterday as the were travelling in the car. Mary actually did know the role that her Son would play in the world and it is creatively described in the song.

1. Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.
2. Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
Chorus: The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.
3. Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.

The last letter in the word Icthus is sigma standing for Savior. It is also a symbol we use for sum. This term is mentioned 34 times in the Old Testament and 24 times in the New. The name Savior is surrounded by various modifiers in most instances.
1. Psalm 24:5 records the collective term, “their.” “They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.”
2. “Your Savior”, another collective term is found in Isaiah 17:10, “You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.”
3. Isaiah 43:11 declares that there is no other Savior, “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.” Christ’s role in our society today has been greatly diminished.
4. Micah 7:7 talks about “my Savior”, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” This depicts a personal relationship. It is not abstract.
5. The name Jesus is added to Savior as read in Acts 13:23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.”
6. 2 Peter 3:18 exhorts us, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” We are to submit as humble sinners to who and what Jesus is. We are surrounded by too many who don’t believe they need a savior. They look for solutions by e.g. following a politician, rock star, TV celebrity; but it is not working.
7. Jude 1:25 reflects that Jesus is the complete savior when he says, “..to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Life will beat us all up in this messy, sinful world at some point or other. We will be rejected. Who is the person who ever got the long end of the stick? We must never lose sight of the real truth and teach others to do the same. We all need a Saviour in the ordinary setbacks of life but moreso for eternity.
It’s Christmas! by Steve Macdonald:

Where does Santa put his suit after Christmas? In the Claus-et.
Why did Santa start sneezing after going down the chimney? He caught a nasty flue.
What is Frosty’s favourite snack? Brrrrrrrr-itos.
Why did the Christmas gift feel it was being teased? It took a lot of ribbon.
What did Santa say when he built a ski resort? I’m making a lift, checking it twice.
How does an Eskimo put Christmas decorations on his tree? Igloos them on.
Why did Frosty go to live in the middle of the ocean? Because snow man is an island.