Sunday 25th December, Front Page

Merry Christmas everyone! If you are visiting this morning a special welcome to you all.
I found it interesting during the week for our Prime Minister to make a call for Australia to put the “Christ’ back into Christmas.  Amongst all the racial and religious tension that has erupted into the ‘un-Australian” like violence that we have experienced in Sydney over the past couple of weeks, it is refreshing that John Howard has made a very political and cultural statement regarding the heritage and culture of our nation.
We are a country based on Christian values, our constitution is Christian based and it’s refreshing to hear a plea to return to our roots and to the values that has made this a great country. Part of that is putting ‘Christ’ into Christmas and celebrating not just a social event, but a religious one that has deep significance for us individually and as a nation.While we embrace and enjoy the cultural flavour of our migrant population, as a nation we are so much richer for their coming here; let us never forget to promote and to celebrate the real purpose of Christmas. In almost all cases our ethnic brothers and sisters either celebrate with us, or respect our right to do so. The real purpose of Christmas  is the coming of God in human form to be amongst His creation, and for goodwill and peace to be among all nations and all people  as well as leading to salvation for all those who would call him Lord.
Today as Christians we come together to celebrate, may each of us this year have the opportunity to put ‘Christ’ back into Christmas, We sing a song at this time of the year called “Lord Come this Christmas” and it goes onto say “Come bring your light”  May that be our prayer this year. That the light of our Saviour shine over all nations and over all people.
Have a great Christmas and God bless
Blair and Julie

Sunday 18th December Front Page

Like most churches at this time of the year we concentrate on the birth of Jesus and to do that we often revisit the Christmas stories as outlined to us in the Scriptures.
As I do that each year there is one group that I am always amazed about and that’s the Magi, the kings or the wise men as they are often referred to. These Magi, pagan idol worshippers, sorcerers, magic men, incredibly rich and powerful, sought out the one referred to by the Jewish prophets. When they eventually found the new born Jesus, they recognised Him for who He was, King of the Jews, and we read where they fell before Him and worshipped Him. How amazing? the last people you would expect to do that, the Jews didn’t, even their leaders who should have recognised the fulfilment of prophecy, didn’t. Yet the pagan Magi did. They came bearing gifts of great value and fell down and worshipped Jesus.
That tells me that Jesus draws the ones you least expect. Even today we read of amazing transformation in the lives of the worst of society as they recognise Jesus and fall on their knees worshipping Him.
Jesus came to bring Salvation to all who would respond and repent, no-one is too bad, or too rich, or too proud to be saved and as we approach Christmas we realise that this time represents the beginning of God’s amazing plan of salvation for His creation as Jesus, incredibly vulnerable, as a tiny baby, commences the plan of God to save the world from eternal separation from their creator.
My prayer this Christmas is that the God of Salvation will touch your heart this Christmas and may He present opportunities for you to tell others about the baby who was born to save the world.
Blair

Sunday 11th December, Front Page

Julie and I attended the local Ministers Association this week and for a time we all shared our childhood memories of Christmas. Most memories centred on gifts, Santa Clause, family events and the like. As each one shared I pondered on the real meaning of Christmas. Today so many take the ‘Christ’ out of Christmas, for so many it is merely Xmas. As I though about it I was reminded of a little song we used to sing, maybe we will sing it here in the next couple of weeks? It’s very simple.

Christmas isn’t Christmas, until it happens in your Heart.
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts.
So give your heart to Jesus,
And you will discover when you do
That Christmas is really Christmas
For you.

That little song really sums up the reality of Christmas doesn’t it?
Christmas is all about Jesus and when you strip away all the tinsel and trimmings, if you don’t have Jesus, well, you have nothing.
Let me encourage you today, wherever you are in the next couple of weeks, maybe you can help someone put the ‘Christ’ back into Christmas.
Blessings Blair