Christmas Day – The Christ

Jesus is born

Jesus is here

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, glory in the highest and peace on earth.

Light the white or gold candle

Pray

Pray the Lord’s Prayer

God our Father, today the Saviour is born and those who live in darkness are seeing a great light. Help us, who greet the birth of Christ with joy, to live in the light of your Son and to share the good news of your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the light who has come into the world. Amen. Lord Jesus, Light of light, you have come among us. Help us who live by your light to shine as lights in your world. Glory to God in the highest. Amen.

People of God: shout and sing! Tell the good news of peace on earth. Lord, bring us today into Christ’s peace. All God’s people say: Amen!

Angels dance and the bright star shines. All creation bows to the Lord of all. Lord, bring us today into Christ’s light. All God’s people say: Amen!

One with us, yet born to save, he will show us the way to God. Lord, bring us today into Christ’s love. All God’s people say: Amen!

People of God: shout and sing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Look out

John  1.1-14    Jean   1.1-14 

Look out

Advent has been an ‘in-between time’.  Past and future, prophecy fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled, earth and heaven rub up against each other.  Christmas night’s gospel reading shows us where it leads.  Four paragraphs take us from eternity to a man named John and then back again to heavenly things like faith and rebirth.   Finally the stupendous statement: ‘The Word became flesh….we have seen his glory’.

John says that this is real; “we saw it”.   Not the fantasy of the Nativity play where angels and fairies are often indistinguishable; but God, present, here.

Have I seen his presence in my everyday life ‘in the world’; this Advent; this year?   Will I look out for his presence in the days and year to come?

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L’Avent était un temps ‘intermédiaire’ ; le passé et l’avenir, la prophétie accomplie et pas déjà accomplie, la terre et le ciel juxtaposés.   L’Evangile selon Saint Jean nous montre le but de cette saison.   Quatre paragraphes nous emmènent de l’éternité vers un homme, qui s’appelait Jean, et puis de nouveau vers les choses célestes ; la foi et la nouvelle naissance.   Et à la fin, la phrase extraordinaire : ‘La Parole a été faite chair … nous avons contemplé sa gloire’.

Jean dit que c'est réel ; nous l'avons vu.  Pas la fantaisie du spectacle de la Nativité où la différence entre les anges et les fées est souvent difficile  à distinguer; mais Dieu, présent, ici. Vois-je sa présence au milieu de ma vie quotidienne « dans le monde »; cet Avent; cette année? Et chercherai-je sa présence pendant les jours et l'année à venir.

John Wilkinson

L’amour et vérité

2  Jean    2 John

Ainsi comme Jean était un homme rempli d’amour et de vérité et il fait appel à l’église d’être également rempli d’amour et de vérité.

Nous aussi frères et sœurs de l’Église Holy Trinity cette parole est pour nous aujourd’hui !

Soyons remplis de la grâce, la miséricorde et la paix dans la vérité et la charité qui vient du Dieu le Père et de Jésus notre sauveur.

L’amour c’est quoi ?

Comment se manifeste l’amour ?

Quelqu’un peut parler ou dire la vérité mais sans amour.

Quand tu dis que tu aime quelqu’un sans lui dire la vérité, tu es hypocrite et tu ne lui rends aucun service.

Il aura les conséquences à cause de ce manque de vérité.

L’amour et la vérité doit être au même niveau de la balance .

Tu ne dois pas être brutale pour dire la vérité à quelqu’un parce que tu peux le pousser à s’éloigner de toi.

L’amour marche avec l’humilité.

L’amour attire les autres vers toi.

Faire un sourire à quelqu’un dans l’hypocrisie n’est pas de l’amour.

Dans ce cas, tu n’as pas Jésus en toi car Jésus est amour.

Jean  1.14 « Et la parole a été faite chair et elle a habité parmi nous, pleine de grâce et de vérité ; et nous avons contemplé sa gloire, une gloire comme la gloire du Fils unique venu du Père ». Jésus est rempli de grâce et de vérité.

Ce verset est également complété par le verset dans Éphésiens 4.15 « mais que professant la vérité dans la charité, nous croissions à tous égards en celui qui est le chef, Christ. »

2 Jean 1.3 « Que la grâce, la miséricorde et la paix soient avec vous de la part de Dieu le Père et de la part de Jésus-Christ, le fils du Père, dans la vérité et la charité ! »                                                                                       

Frieda Mukanyangezi 

No hypocrite

 Matthew 23.1-12   Matthieu 23.1-12

"The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

After his rage against the hypocrisy of the pharisees - of not practising what they preach - we know how Jesus fulfils the very qualities he then exhorts, thereby categorically distinguishing himself from their hypocrisy. We do not follow a hypocrite. Jesus not only said ‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15.13); he also did it.

Jonathan de Leyser

Bountiful gifts

Isaiah 55    Esaie 55

God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His ways.

Have you noticed that those who carry on about "God's plan" are often really trying to foist their own plan on the rest of us? I find the very expression "God's plan" somewhat suspicious, because to me making "plans" is quintessentially human, rather than divine. We are so little, so vulnerable, so much at the mercy of forces greater than ourselves, that we naturally strive to get a grip on the situation, figure it out, map it out, make a plan that will work like a charm and order the world into something we can understand. Except that having a plan doesn't make it God's plan, and doesn't make us God. We remain little, vulnerable, and at the mercy of great forces.

The prophet Isaiah shows us another way. Inviting us to drink to quench our thirst and to eat to delight our soul, he tells us that we can buy food and drink without any money. How unlike our thoughts and ways! The word of God, the Prophet tells us, rains down on us, turning the barren soil into fertile earth. So let's not run for cover but instead accept this bountiful rain and let it nourish us and make us fruitful. Not constrained by a plan, but sustained by God's life-giving, loving covenant.

Tommaso Besozzi 

Be still

Psalm 46      Psaume 46

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In a few days’ time, we will be celebrating the birth of a baby, born to be exalted among the nations, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Born to be Immanuel, God with us. The Lord almighty; with us.

As the world hurtles us towards the festivities let’s take some time today to be still and worship.

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Il dit: «Arrêtez, et sachez que je suis Dieu! Je domine sur les nations, je domine sur la terre.»

Dans quelques jours nous célébrerons la naissance d'un bébé, né pour dominer sur les nations, Roi des rois, Seigneur des seigneurs. Né pour qu’il soit Emmanuel, Dieu avec nous. Le Seigneur tout-puissant ; avec nous.

Alors que le monde nous précipite vers les fêtes, prenons le temps aujourd’hui de nous arrêter et de l'adorer.

Susie Wilkinson

Walking with you

Isaiah 52.13-53.12  Esaie 52.13-53.12

I wasn’t initially going to pick these verses, because they speak of suffering and prophesy the death of Jesus on the cross. Not that appropriate for advent, the time leading up to the birth of our Messiah. However, they reminded me of our own suffering here on earth and how in times of pain and trouble, we easily lose sight of the Lord’s presence. It also reminded me of the difficulty we face as Christians when challenged by questions about how a good God can allow suffering in the world and why He does not always seem to come to our aid when we need it most.

Is He unconcerned by our struggles? Is He so divine that He cannot grasp that many of us have to deal with sickness and pain and darkness on a daily basis?

No. He is not unconcerned or too holy. Our Lord knows better than anyone the obstacles we face while on this earth, through the trials and sacrifice of His son. The life of Jesus, while filled with miracles and wisdom, also serves as reminder that our Creator knows all too well the hurt and pain that we may experience. Pastor and author Tim Keller puts it like this: ‘God takes our misery and suffering so serious that he was willing to take it on himself.’

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth.

When you go through dark periods in your life, whatever they may be, remind yourself that Jesus is walking with you and that he has felt your pain and experienced your suffering for himself. And if we believe that Jesus is God and that he went to the Cross for our salvation, that offers us a deep consolation to face the sometimes painful realities of this life.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.

 Peter Paul Rubens [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen

Rudolf  Douqué

The Sign and God’s Plan is Always Better

Isaiah 7.10-16      Esaie 7.10-16

When Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign (v 12), the Lord gives him a prophecy with a double meaning. First a young woman, possibly Isaiah’s wife, will bear a son. When the boy has grown, Judah's two enemies, Israel and Aram, will be destroyed. Second, a virgin will be miraculously impregnated and bear Jesus, the Messiah. He will be called Immanuel, ‘God with us’ ( Matthew 1.23).

The virgin birth is crucial sign of the coming Messiah and later becomes an important part of Christian doctrine. Conceived  by the Holy Spirit , Jesus is wholly God. Born of a human mother, he is wholly man. With both qualifications, he perfectly fits the role of intermediary between God and humanity. He can, and does, redeem the world.

He is our advocate and redeemer, in him is all our hope.

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Matthew 1.18-25  Matthieu 1. 18-25

God’s plan is always better

The message here is about the true portrait of harsh reality of life. We do our best to make our plans, get things lined up as we want them to be and then something happens and all our dreams comes crashing down. When this happens we wonder why God allows it and wonder if God is with us.

But like Joseph we are blind to the fact that God is working behind the scenes. In  fact it was God who shattered our dreams ! The things that happen in life are sometimes not accident , but are carefully planned and arranged to help us grow in the Lord.

God works out his will in our lives in ways that we cannot understand , but his plans is always the best and come what may he is always with us. If we are to be used greatly of the Lord ,there will be some trials along the way.

Joseph was assigned to a very difficult task by God, but he embraced and completed it by faith knowing that God's plan is best.

May the Lord make us available for his divine assignment.

Grace West

Holy Family icon by Lukan

Yaryn4yk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Stand firm

Jude   Jude (fr)

Whistle-blowers are not always well-received.....many of us choose to show  tolerance or simply turn a blind eye to things that we sense are wrong.....but Jude is made of sterner stuff!

In his short letter (so how long did it take you to find it?) he is writing to those who are ‘loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ’ and he makes an impassioned plea to the believers to hold firm to their faith, trusting in God’s saving grace and forgiveness, and not using it as an excuse to carry on sinning. You may remember Paul making a similar plea in Romans 6.1. Godless men were around, ‘who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit’ and Jude needed to warn against them.

Test your knowledge of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha as you read vs 5-11 where Jude gives us examples from Israel’s history of the battle between good and evil.

Admire the poetic imagery of vs 12–13....condemning those who seek to deceive and divide the believers.

Jude’s message to beware of such people and movements is still relevant for us today as surely we are living in ‘the last times’ (v 18). However his letter is written also to encourage us to build ourselves up and stand firm in our faith, in the sure knowledge that God can keep us from falling.

Read again that wonderful doxology in vs 24-25 and thank God for his love!

Catherine Roberts

Simple and humble

Matthew 18.1-20    Matthieu 18.1-20

In Matthew 18 Jesus says ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’

For many, this teaching seems strange because childhood is a time of growing when we yearn to become someone important in life, someone bigger and greater than we are as a child. ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ is a question many of us associate with being asked when we were children. And of course we can all remember our own childhoods, with our own dreams, ambitions and desires of growing up and making our own way in life. But this is not what Jesus is referring to when he tells us to become like children. Jesus knows that little children have a special humbleness and are easily taught. A little child is enthusiastic and eager to learn, and has a love that is forgiving. Children have a simple trust, do not desire authority, do not regard outward signs of honour, are teachable and are willingly dependent on their parents. Most adults are not this way. When we grow up and become adults we 'mature' and become different, constantly comparing our lives with others. We have our own view on everything and it seems we often have little confidence in anyone or anything - we always think we know what is best for ourselves, our friends and colleagues.

When someone discovers Jesus, it means that they turn away from their old ways and start out brand new. Surely we need to be renewed daily in the spirit of our minds that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. We should not desire to be welcomed by others because we are great, wise, or mighty, but simply because we come in Jesus name.

Dave Harding 

Stand fast and read the word

2 Thessalonians 2      2 Thessaloniciens 2

The Apostle Paul's letter to the Thessalonians serves as a message to the church concerning the misconception of the coming of Christ being very near (vs 1-3). It also reflects the fallacy in human nature, like for instance, how as Christians we could be easily misled and swayed from the truth as we know it by the devil "the man of sin" whom the Lord will destroy at his coming

Clearly, misconception was prevalent among some Thessalonians who had the impression that the day of Christ had come or near at hand. Paul then took it upon himself to rectify the mistake and belief concerning the coming by reminding them of those things he had told them while he was with them. He pointed out that Christ will not come until a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed. This man, who is presently hindered from being revealed but once those restraints have been removed the man will be exposed and destroyed (vs 4-8).

There are a number of important lessons to be learned from this scripture. Among others, we learn that if errors/mistakes arise among Christians, we should take the first opportunity to rectify them and prevent them from spreading further. Christians will always face a subtle adversary in the form of Satan, who is always on the prowl, ready to use whatever means at his disposal to deceive us by distorting the truth even by means of words of the scripture or words innocently spoken by good men of God.

In addition to warning the church against apostasy and false beliefs about the coming of the Lord before the fulfilment of the precedents, Paul describes the characteristics of the man of sin and the fate that awaits him (vs 4-8); Paul further describes the coming of the lawless one whose coming will be in accordance to the working of Satan. He proceeds to point out that ''with all the power, signs and lying wonders" the lawless one will deceive those who have no love for the truth. Furthermore, God will send a strong delusion to those who deny the truth, that they might believe the lie and be condemned for condoning and enjoying unrighteousness instead of believing the truth (vs 9-12)

The Apostle Paul concludes his letter by giving thanks to God, he is grateful that God has chosen not only the Thessalonians but every church of Christ today for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth, having called them/us by the gospel to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (vs 13-14).

Paul therefore encourages or exhorts them/us to keep up the faith by standing fast and holding to the traditions taught by word or epistle, and he prays that Jesus and God the Father will comfort their/our hearts and establish them/us in every good word and work (vs 15-17). All in all, verse 16 in particular serves as a message of hope for us, indicating that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our father through their grace are a source of eternal encouragement and good hope.

In conclusion, I believe it is of utmost importance for Christians and believers in Christ to commit to their faith by worshipping God in spirit and in truth in accordance to what is written in the holy book, the bible. 

Be Blessed.

Bathokozile (Thoko) Nkonyane

Receive the gift

Psalm75    Psaumes 75

I will appoint a time; I will judge with equity (v 2). It is tempting to think of God’s judgment only as a distant tribunal that will finally set the world aright. But the Psalmist speaks indicates that God’s judgement is not far off: it is God who judges… he pours out (vs 7-8). Future judgement is prominent in the apocalyptic imagery of Daniel and Revelation. But the Gospels do not allow such thinking. Particularly in the birth narratives, God’s judgement has actually entered into history in the form of this infant born of Mary. This child is the rod that God is using to break the backs of the proud, to bring comfort to the poor, to announce a peace that transcends the pax Romanum, and to call Israel back to its worldwide vocation of blessing. And yet, unmistakably, we still await a time in which God shall set the world aright. From one perspective, it makes the now a bit dour. G.K. Chesterton memorably expressed the paradox:

                For the end of the world was long ago,

                And all we dwell to-day

                As children of some second birth,

                Like a strange people left on earth

                After a judgment day.

It is difficult to make such an announcement in the modern world. Judgement has become a kind of social sin. But Advent reminds us that the judgement of God in Christ is fundamental to Christian identity because it is precisely in such judgement that God forgives the sins of mankind. From that focal point unfolds the mission of the Church, which is to invite humans to recognize their forgiveness in Christ. This is how God will finally set the world aright. But it is a process already begun, and going on right now. It is God’s means of levelling the proud and exalting the humble. To prepare for the coming of the kingdom during Advent is a fresh chance to declare that humans can belong to a destination—a coming judgement—that is not defined by earthly kingdoms and their grasping at comparison, but is rather defined by gathering around the table of the Lord and receiving a gift.

               

Samuel Pomeroy

Transfiguration

Matthew17.1-13     Matthieu 17. 1-13

‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ John 1.14, The Lord took a great descend from heaven to earth. Jesus - the Lord of the universe and creator of all things choose to dwell among us. 

Baby Jesus was a bundle of heavenly love which came to save mankind from all evil. He came to earth not to enjoy or relax  rather He took our sins, bore our shame, die on the cross and rose again defeating the grave. His resurrection opened the gates of heaven to all of us.

Do we really acknowledge His coming with confession or with confection during this Christmas season. It's the time to celebrate, to share and to enjoy but the real purpose should not vanish. Christ's advent  transfigures us to become the citizens of heaven. We should be prepared  to receive our Almighty Saviour to this world with the Hope that he will receive us when we enter His Kingdom of heaven. 

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee 

Born that happy morning 

Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n 

Word of the Father 

Now in flesh appearing 

Priscilla Alexander

I will not forget you

Isaiah49.14-25     Esaie 49.14-25

I said unto God, ‘The LORD has forsaken me, my lord has forsaken me.’

And he replied, ‘I will not forget you.’

(from vs. 14,15)

How often have we felt alone and abandoned in life? If mothers can forget their dearest care, and cold-heartedly turn away from their child… then how great must the love and faithfulness of our GOD be?

We are inscribed on the palms of His hands. Everything He does, He works for us. Can we see in the darkness of the night, the coming of the light of Christ?

O guiding night!

O night more lovely than the dawn!

O night that has united

the Lover with his beloved,

transforming the beloved in her Lover.

- St John of the Cross, 

The Dark Night of the Soul

GOD, the infinite mystery, seems to be impenetrable like night. Yet night, so often imagined as despair and the realm of the forsaken, leads mankind to the greatest love. It is in the despair of humanity that GOD leads us, the beloved, to our Lover, Christ, in the great miracle of the Incarnation. And Christ transforms us, by showing us the true face of GOD, and His faithfulness to His people.

Josh Peckett

Compassion and mercy

James 5.7 - 11         Jacques 5.7 - 11

« Soyez donc patients, frères jusqu'à l'avènement du Seigneur. »

“Zo zijt dan lankmoedig, broeders, tot de toekomst des Heeren.” 

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming.”

(v 7)

You have heard of the patience of Job? (v 11). If not, or to jog your memory, read Job chapter 19. He cries out words to the effect of Jesus’ own dying words: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Matthew 27.46). His dearly beloved God has pursued him (Job 19.22), struck him with His hand (Job 19.21), blocked his way (Job 19.8), drawn a net around him (Job 19.6), torn him down on every side (Job 19.10), stripped him of his honour (Job 19.9), alienated his family from him (Job 19.13), allowed his closest friends to forget him (Job 19.14), in a word, uprooted his hope like a tree (Job 19.10)... 

And yet, nonetheless, still, in the midst of it all, he cries out all the louder: ‘I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him, with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!’ (Job 19.25-27). 

‘Amen, come Lord Jesus!’ (Revelation 22.20). Oh dearly beloved Lord and Redeemer, You who are ‘all compassion’, come and finally bring about the fulfilment of all Your precious promises and of every genuine hope You have so graciously planted in us.

  

“You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” 

“Gij hebt de verdraagzaamheid van Job gehoord, en gij hebt het einde des Heeren gezien, dat de Heere zeer barmhartig is en een Ontfermer.” 

« Vous avez entendu parler de la patience de Job, et vous avez vu la fin que le Seigneur lui accorda, car le Seigneur est plein de miséricorde et de compassion. »  (v.11)

(Louis Segond, Staten Vertaling, New International Version)

James Pitts

Faithful and wise

Matthew 16.1-12  Matthieu 16.1-12

This passage reminds me of two of Jesus’ characteristics: faithfulness and wisdom. Jesus is faithful (by providing the 5 loaves and two fishes), and wise (by seeing the disciples misguided thoughts), and a lot of the time, I am not. For example, I know that at times I tend to have ‘spiritual amnesia’ or spiritual forgetfulness, where something utterly divine occurs, but I soon forget the event and move on with my life. Sometimes these divine interactions are small: the sun breaking through on a cloudy day and shining on my face, or my dog and his joy when I get home from work, but sometimes these divine moments are massive: a job coming through, a restored relationship, a disease being healed.

His divine ways intersect with my everyday life, and I am immediately changed, shaken, and in awe of the goodness of Christ himself. Yet, almost with a blink of an eye, sometimes before even a “thank you Lord” can come out of my mouth, I proceed to forget this encounter, enter back into my same old habits (worry, greed, selfishness), and fail to walk as if I’ve intimately encountered Christ.

I am comforted by this passage, as I see the disciples having the same spiritual amnesia that I struggle with. They have forgotten all about the abundant feast God provided them with the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Christ, seeing their spiritual amnesia, redirects their thoughts to what really matters.

I am thankful to serve Christ who knows I have this spiritual forgetfulness, who can see that I am flawed and broken. But even more than that, I am thankful that He will gently wake me time and time again from my forgetfulness and redirect me towards His thoughts and His higher ways, as long as I choose to listen.

Ask yourself today: What are ways (big and small) that I have seen Christ enter into my life?  How have these moments changed me? What are ways that I can fight spiritual forgetfulness in the future?

Bailey Douqué

Has the world gone mad?

Psalm86,  Isaiah 48.12-22, 1 Thessalonians 4.1-12, Matthew15.29-39

Psaumes 86,  Esaie 48.12-22, 1 Thessaloniciens 4.1-12,  Matthieu 15.29-39

How can this possibly have happened?  We shrink away in horror as we watch scenes from the latest

Tragedy, as we read today's Headlines, or hear of yet another political Upheaval . . . Wherever is "the Peace of God that Passes all Understanding”?

Well, the Psalmist seems to know: - "In the day of my distress I call upon you" (Psalm 86.3). And then: - "All nations will come and adore you" (Psalm 86.9). So God IS in charge!  Isaiah knew that too - "He is the First and the Last" (Isaiah 48.12), and he "teaches us for our own good" (Isaiah 48.17).

Our job is to follow Paul's advice to the Thessalonians, to "live in a way that pleases God" (1 Thessalonians 4.1), . . . "quietly attending to our own business, and earning our living" (1 Thessalonians 4.11  ).

But what did Jesus do, in the troubled, enemy-occupied land of his life-time ?  St. Matthew tells us of his ministry of healing, and caring for those in need ( Matthew 15.31), and of feeding the hungry ( Matthew 15.35-37 ).

So God  really IS in charge !  He's given us some very clear instructions about what to do, even as we cry out to him in our distress.  But won't it be interesting to see what he does next !

PRAISE THE LORD !  AMEN !

Imagine (Fantasie)

1 Thessalonians 3  1Thessalonicenzen 3 

1 Thessaloniciens 3

When I was reading this passage I was reminded and slightly struck by the lack of possibilities to communicate with people back in the days when Paul was around. There wasn’t anything like a phone or a telegram or WhatsApp so you can communicate with people near and far away from you. Paul uses letters to communicate with his churches, but in this passage he uses a physical person namely Timothy to actually travel to the church in Thessalonica and report back to him in Athens. This is something we absolutely couldn’t imagine today. How different would Paul’s teachings be if he had Skype or Facebook to keep up with his churches? He could even hold a conference call with all his many churches at once and have a service with them all together. That way they would all be much stronger in their faith knowing that they aren’t alone in the world. Social media is such an important part of modern day life. Even Archbishop Justin Welby and the Pope have Facebook and actively use it to spread the Good News. We shouldn’t be afraid of showing our faith to others so that together we can stand strong.

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Tijdens het lezen van deze passage, werd ik eraan herinnerd en een beetje getroffen door de weinige manieren om te communiceren met mensen ten tijde van Paulus. Er was niets zoals een telefoon of telegram of WhatsApp om met mensen, die dichtbij of ver weg waren te communiceren. Paulus gebruikt brieven om met zijn kerken te communiceren, maar in deze passage gebruikt hij een fysieke persoon namelijk Timotheüs om naar de kerk in Thessalonica te reizen en verslag uit te brengen aan hem in Athene. Dit is iets dat we totaal niet kunnen voorstellen vandaag de dag. Hoe verschillend zouden Paulus zijn leer wel zijn als hij Skype of Facebook had om contact te houden met zijn kerken? Hij zou zelfs een conferentiegesprek kunnen houden met al zijn vele kerken tegelijk en samen een dienst beleven. Op deze manier zouden ze allen veel sterker in hun geloof staan, wetende dat ze niet alleen op de wereld zijn. Sociale media is een zeer belangrijk onderdeel van het moderne leven. Zelfs Aartsbisschop Justin Welby en de Paus hebben Facebook en gebruiken deze om het Goede Nieuws te verspreiden. We moeten niet bang zijn om ons geloof aan anderen te tonen, zodat we samen sterker staan.

Jenny Freeman

Silence is golden?

Psalm62, Isaiah 47

Psaume 62, Esaie 47

What do you do with the silence? Do you run from those quiet moments, fearing what memories or feelings may arise from the heart? Do you rest in the silence, those quiet moments, knowing that the presence of God is washing over you? Or do you avoid the silence as much as possible, knowing that whether thoughts or feelings you’ve hidden from yourself or the presence of God could change everything? I know I do. Living into silence, into stillness, exposes who we are and what we do with who we are. In Psalm 62, the psalmist gives us a model of waiting in silence for the love and the mercy of God, while in Isaiah 47, it is the silence of anger and pride that condemns the Babylonian empire. May we this Advent live into the kind of silence that welcomes the coming presence of God. As we prepare for Christmas, may our silent and still hearts be open to welcome that coming and transforming presence of Jesus Christ, for from him comes our salvation.

Jeremy Heuslein

I will sustain you

Isaiah 46  Esaie 46

This summer, the Huffington Post reported on the fact that there has been a huge rise in global employee depression, stress, and anxiety since 2012. And studies show that these three indicators correlate significantly with people's sense of control or lack of control over their own lives.

 

Certainly, the outside world is full of unknowns. In times of change (be it familial, political, economic, social - local or global), it is human nature to look for a means of exerting control. We are conditioned to believe that we can insulate ourselves by aiming for good physical health, a comfortable home for our family, and success at work.

 

But when life is firmly in our hands and we take control, we have no need of God. We have everything we need, and we even take time to remind ourselves of it. Yes, we give thanks to God for all these good things – but each time we weigh out our ‘gold’ and ‘silver’, we end up holding those things a little higher in our estimation, devoting more and more of our time and energy to bolstering their importance in our life, and crossing our fingers that things continue to go in our favour.

 

There is a better way:

³ ‘Listen to me.....,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
    and have carried since you were born.
⁴ Even to your old age and grey hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Laura Bispham