As we approach Christmas, I am thinking that there is no better time for us to allow the light and life of Jesus to shine through us. We are called to be like Jesus. He wants us to reflect the glory of the Father in all we think, say and do. We are being fashioned into the likeness of Jesus more and more as we understand and come to know more and more His love for us. “Our lives are to be filled with his love. Our minds are to be transformed by His words. And our hearts are to be devoted to serving him alone.” (Craig Denison).
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree to another. “As we devote our lives to seeking the face of our Heavenly Father, we will naturally become more like him. We are created to be like our Heavenly Father.” (Denison). We are changed and transformed by devoting ourselves to the Word of God, and to being in His presence. This is where our identity comes from. This is where we discover who we truly are. Not from the world. Not from lobbyists or law-makers, or social trends. Our desire as Christians is to allow the love of to God transform us more and more into his likeness so we reflect more and more the image of Christ to the world.
I pray that as we approach the Christmas season, we will truly be reflecting that light and life into a worried, wearied world. May God’s love and peace be your portion as we set about planning and preparing for the festive season.
Glenda Noordam
Well, here we are in December. Exams are over for our high school students, the year is winding down, and preparations for Christmas are getting under way. It is going to be a different type of Christmas celebration this year for many of us, I am sure. So whether we have our tree up yet, or have finished our Christmas shopping, let’s keep focused on the real meaning and message of Christmas. We began the year with he message of “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” And this is how I want to finish the year out – keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. In Australia, we elect a Prime Minister every three years. It is an important day for our nation, and sometimes highlights the deep divisions in our society. In between times, we elect our state premiers, and then our local government representatives. As we draw near to Christmas in this Advent season, no matter what political party we vote for, or how divided we might be over our political leanings, or even our religious affiliations or denomination, this is a time for Christians to unite in worship and adoration and with the highest allegiance to our King Jesus, His life, message and ministry, His death and resurrection. This is a season to put aside the things that divide us, and look instead to the One who unites us with His love and kindness. Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the King.
Isaiah prophecies of a king who would come and reign in justice and righteousness. We see this hope in this well-known passage from Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT) “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulder, And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His Government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.”
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s armies will make this happen!
The gospels of Matthew and Luke both want us to know from the start that Jesus has come as the anointed one. The Christ, the promised King. Not born to nobility, not rich, or powerful. But born to a humble family and raised by a carpenter. He came to establish His kingdom here on earth, not by force, but through love, forgiveness and sacrifice. He calls us to yield our lives to him and offer Him our meagre gifts and talents for His service. Let all that we do honour Jesus, the Messiah, the King, and may we all receive a fresh vision for God‟s Kingdom coming here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Glenda Noordam
This week I think we are all feeling a little lighter as restrictions are eased, and life has some semblance of returning to normal. This means that as a church, we are able to begin re-grouping and gathering, even though numbers are still restricted, as a church community for worship services. Our Sunday services will return to being live streamed from this coming Sunday. We can accommodate about 30 to 40 people, with covid-safe distancing, signing in and sanitising. Masks still must be worn inside if distancing is not possible, but we hope to be able to provide enough space to allow some freedom. Please let us know if you are coming as there are limited places, but we look forward to seeing as many as are able to make it. Let us celebrate our faith as we worship together. “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord!!”
This month, we are raising funds for the Bible League, providing Bibles for persecuted Christians. The gift of $10.00 will provide one Bible for each family. Please use MNLCC bank details to make your donation, using the word “Bible” as your reference. Thank you so much.
We are also getting ready for our Christmas celebrations. Our main Christmas event will be on Sunday evening, December 20th. This will begin at 5.00 pm with a barbeque tea, the Love Gippsland Coffee van, and games and activities for the children. The service will begin at 7.00 with a children’s program followed by carol singing and lighting the Christmas tree. This year, the Christmas tree will hold some special ornaments – Christmas stars that represent the 14 children supported by the Murle Education Foundation. This year has been a struggle to raise the necessary funds for maintaining their school fees and requirements, food, clothes and accommodation. We are asking for families to commit to sponsoring one child for the next twelve months. We hope you can join us in this worthwhile project. As a special Christmas “bonus” we would love to send the students some “pocket money” in a card. This would be a treat they would rarely experience – having some money of their own to spend however they wish. We would like to send about $20 to each child in a Christmas card. The youth and girls group are helping with this project, so if you would like to give towards this, please either deposit through the MNLCC bank details, or you could drop off a cash gift to MNLCC on Friday evenings.
This newsletter seems to be full of projects that are calling to us for donations. I pray that you will prayerfully consider these requests, as each one will mean so much to the recipients, and your generosity is an expression of God’s love. This week Thanksgiving is celebrated in America. I am so glad that we do not need a special date to remind us to be grateful and give thanks for all of God’s abundant blessings. May God bless you as you give – pressed down, shaken together and running out all over.
God bless you each one and keep you in His loving care.
With love,
Glenda