Hymn: The First Noel Bible Passage: Luke 2:8-14 8 There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were looking after their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said, 14 "May glory be given to God in the highest heaven! And may peace be given to those he is pleased with on earth!" (NIrV) 8 その夜、町はずれの野原では、羊飼いが数人、羊の番をしていました。 9そこへ突然、御使いが現われ、主の栄光がさっとあたり一面を照らしたのです。 これを見た羊飼いたちは恐ろしさのあまり震え上がりました。10 御使いが言いました。 「こわがることはありません。 これまで聞いたこともない、すばらしい出来事を知らせてあげましょう。 すべての人への、うれしい知らせです。 11今夜ダビデの町(ベツレヘム)で救い主がお生まれになりました。 この方こそ主キリストです。 12布にくるまれ、飼葉おけに寝かされている赤ん坊、それが、目じるしです。」13 するとたちまち、天の軍勢が現われ、御使いといっしょに神をほめたたえました。14 「天では、神様に栄光があるように。地上では、平和が、神様に喜ばれる人々にあるように。」(JLB) Introduction: Time is passing so quickly, isn't it? The end of the year is upon us and Christmas is right around the corner! We've only got 4 more weeks of classes till the school year is finished. And Christmas is coming in just 18 days! Here in Japan, December is called shiwasu (師走) or the time of the year when even the teachers are running! I've been running from school to school, from class to class and from lesson to lesson for the past several weeks now! I may be the busiest right now, but I'm having a lot of fun. Let me tell you about this, my favorite time of the year. 1. The Holiday Season - The end of the year is so very special to me. My heart holds so many good memories and feelings for this season. My mom always went in really big for the 3 major holidays leading up to the end of the year: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each one had it's own charms and joys. Halloween was when the Frank Family holiday season began. Mom always made sure we had special costumes. We'd help her decorate the house with all kinds of pictures of witches, ghosts and goblins. We'd dress up in our costume and mom would take us around to the different neighborhoods in our small town for "trick-or-treating!" We always got bags and bags of candy! Thanksgiving then came one month later. Boy, were we happy for this holiday to come! This meant spending the day at grandma and grandpa's house. We'd arrive at our grandparent's house late in the morning. Grandma was already in the kitchen preparing the thanksgiving feast. We'd relax in the living room and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV for 3 hours! Then grandma would call us to the dining table and we'd eat so much turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. Then came dessert! She always made 3 different kinds of pies: mincemeat, pecan and pumpkin! We stuffed ourselves until we were ready to explode! Christmas came just 3 weeks later. This was the biggest of all the Frank holidays! As soon as Thanksgiving was done, mom would start preparing for Christmas. First, she and dad would decorate the outside of the house with a big wooden Santa and his reindeer on the roof! Then next was the big Christmas tree in the living room. And quickly after that, presents began to appear under the tree. Then before we knew it, Christmas Eve had come. Mama was so excited! She was just like a kid! She couldn't wait to open the presents. But before that was a big Christmas dinner together: roast ham, potato soup, freshly baked bread and lots of desserts. Then it was off to the neighborhood Methodist church for the Christmas Eve worship service. Then back to the house for the big event, opening the presents. Everyone got several presents each. We all had to watch as one-by-one, the presents came out of their wrappings. It was such a happy and rich experience as we all listened to Christmas carols and spent such good time together! 2. The Reason for the Season - When I was 18 years old, I trusted Christ as my savior for the very first time! Everything in my life changed! The holiday season took on a whole new meaning for me. Of course, all the holidays still held wonderful family memories, but now I knew for the first time "the reason for the season!" Our Bible passage today tells us about wonderful story. First, this holiday was marked by the joyous announcement that filled the heavens - God's Son was born on earth! It wasn't that Santa Claus had come! It wasn't that the tree was decorated and it was time to open presents! It wasn't time to go on a Christmas dinner date and eat Christmas cake! This is Jesus' birthday celebration! Second, this holiday should be marked by all of us giving glory to God. Yes, it's a good thing to thank all of our family and friends. They give us so much happiness at this season of the year. But we should also give God the glory for the tremendous present of His Son! And third, because Christ's birth is truly the "reason for the season," then peace should fill our hearts completely during this holiday! God's Son came for the sole purpose of taking away our sins and giving us peace. If we trust Jesus, then He will give us a kind of peace that passes all understanding! Conclusion: Yet there are so many of us humans who haven't found the true joy. The end of the year is just a busy time of finishing our work, doing Christmas shopping and attending year-end parties. In the animation story, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown himself was so frustrated about this season. He cried in a loud voice, "Doesn't anybody know what Christmas is all about?" His friend Linus gives him the perfect answer! It's so simple that a child can understand it. This is the real meaning of Christmas! I hope and pray this Christmas will different than any other Christmas that you have ever celebrated. May God fill your heart with peace this holiday season because now you know the reason for the season! Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thanks so much for this chapel time together today. Give us your grace and strength, as we are so busy at this time of the year. God bless us with a very special Christmas this year. God I give you glory for the greatest Christmas present of all - the gift of your Son Jesus - and the peace He brings into our world even today. In His precious name I pray, Amen.
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About This PageThis is my personal space to share my messages and thoughts about Hokusei English Chapel and the things that God brings in to my life. Archives
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