"Everything is Plastic"

   My mother tells a story about me as a young child visiting my aunt's house. On one of the tables was an appealing fruit basket. I took one of the apples and attempted to bite into it, only to be told it was "plastic." Some time later, I allegedly composed an original song with the repeated line, "Everything is plastic." My childish brain could not comprehend what benefit there was in setting out fruit that did not nourish.

   This week I was visiting somewhere else and came upon this tray of plastic fruit on a counter. I was not deceived this time.

   Plastic fruit is a fitting metaphor when so many of the things that surround us are not real. The voice on the other end of the telephone is not always a real person, but a recording or sounds generated by a computer.  The so-called candid photos on our social media feeds are curated and embellished. Computers having what seem like life-like conversations with people was tested out as early as the 1960's [1], and many chatbots appear on websites to "help" us. We have an obsession with the virtual world and its technology, but it does not nourish us. Loneliness has recently been called an epidemic, and a social worker named Jake Ernst "blames technology and social deterioration for this trend" [2].

   Discerning what's real and what's plastic/fake or at best a representation of reality is not just a problem that started with personal computers or smartphones. Projecting an image of ourselves that is better than reality has been a temptation humans have struggled with from the beginning. Societies do the same, rewriting history to cover up the unpleasant parts and to kindle greater loyalty. 

  So, how to we wade through the media and the messages to arrive at anything resembling reality?French mathematician René DesCartes in the 1600's proposed doubting everything. He then rebuilt a system of reality based on his own senses and rationality: "I think, therefore I am." Maybe I'm not the only one that finds this human-centred, individualistic approach less than satisfactory.

  I offer a few ideas that have helped me.

• Whenever possible, connect with people face to face. Real people are not just voices, faces, or the words they generate. Real people are embodied, complex beings with emotions and histories. We're able to take in more of this complexity when we meet in person. We're also more able to take in this complexity when we listen at least as much as we speak.

• Interact with the real, created world whenever possible. Yes, Alexa or Google can tell you what the weather is like, but stepping outside and experiencing it is more real than their descriptions. Looking at photographs of birds and butterflies can be enriching, but looking out your window or walking in your neighbourhood and focusing your eyes on 3-dimensional wonders will nourish you in a deeper way. Allowing children to watch someone else play Minecraft or to play Minecraft themselves may have a place, but building with tangible objects like blocks or LEGO widens their sensory inputs and horizons.

• Remind yourself that everything presented to you comes from a limited perspective. It can never give you the complete picture because reality is so complex. Pay attention to the bias of the source. Sometimes, it helps to look behind the bias to see if there is something to be gained for the source by including particular details or ignoring or downplaying others.

• As a person of faith, I'm finding it increasingly crucial to be humble and to admit when I'm not sure or don't know enough to be an authority on topics outside my expertise. Even when I might be considered an expert by being an eye-witness of an event or situation, I can't claim to be the only authority. I need to admit that others have experienced it differently. If we disagree about some aspect, I need to give others the benefit of the doubt, unless there's evidence of malice.

My simple musical composition "Everything is plastic," was a reaction to being tricked by fake fruit. Some things are indeed plastic imitations of a real thing, so I keep seeking to better understand the complexity of reality in the light of God's grace.

   [1] Between 1964 and 1967, Joseph Weizenbaum developed ELIZA. It was a computer program that could carry on a seemingly natural conversation with a therapy client, who typed in thoughts and responses to its prompts.

   [2]Global News article about increasing loneliness consulted social worker Jake Ernst among others.

Waste Land?

   I'm sure most people have driven on a divided highway that has patches of grass between the lanes bound in opposite directions.  Many of us see the overgrown grass, Queen Anne's lace and red clover and think to ourselves how messy it looks.  Couldn't someone trim this wasteland to make it look nicer?
   Last month my husband and I had the opportunity to go to Iowa, a state in the mid-western United States.  We were surprised at how non-existent such wasteland is there.  As far as the eye can see neat fields of corn or soybeans fill the landscape.  The grass along the road side is not allowed to get out of control; most farmers cut and bale it into hay.  All this cultivation looks pleasing to the eye, but something is missing.  There are very few birds or butterflies to be seen as you drive along these paved roads where light traffic is the norm.

Corn and soybean crops; the grass at the side of the road is also baled as hay.

   The reason for my being in Iowa in the first place was to take a course called "Issues in Education." My husband who joined me for the road trip seized the chance to ride his bicycle on the relatively even terrain for five days.  In the cultivated areas, even traveling at a slower speed he still did not see much wildlife except at an abandoned gravel pit. The photo below shows a variety of wildflowers. What the photo does not show were the ten plus varieties of birds he was able to see there, including red-headed woodpeckers that we don't see in Ontario, Canada.

Biodiversity in ... an abandoned gravel pit.

   This is more than a lesson in biodiversity or ecology.  Sometimes in our drive for efficiency, we squelch creativity.  Sometimes having packed schedules there's no room to notice someone who needs our help.  Productivity-driven mindsets can marginalize relationships.  Pushing students to study and cram from early in the morning until late in the evening makes them less than human. For life to flourish, there needs to be space for the unplanned, the spontaneous, the sometimes unruly.  It's something I need to take to heart.  How about you?

Guest Post by Lyndall: Internet Wrangling

My niece Lyndall has written this thoughtful piece about how to use the Internet responsibly.  Her title offers a helpful metaphor when dealing with something in our lives that requires us to have the kind of discipline and purpose that are also needed when herding unruly livestock. 

I struggle a lot with getting distracted online. As I write this, I’m fighting the temptation to go check Facebook. I’ll often go online for one specific thing, and before I know it I’ve gone down five different rabbit trails and spent an hour online. This has been an ongoing struggle for a number of years, but I’ve come up with a few suggestions that have helped me manage my time online. I’d like to share them with you. Now, this absolutely does not mean I have everything figured out, but I am learning.

So here are some guidelines and suggestions that I use to help manage myself online. (Note that I call them suggestions. If I call them rules, my sin nature automatically wants to disobey them. And then I’m fighting both the distraction of the internet and the sin nature, which is exhausting.)

1. Be intentional. This is what I consider the most important point. If I think about why I’m going online, and actually have a plan, I’m far less likely to get distracted and fritter away time. If I connect to the internet mindlessly, I’ll use it mindlessly. Forcing myself to think beforehand also reveals when I’m going online out of boredom or procrastination, and helps me to reconsider my decision. Go online with purpose.

2. Write a plan to keep you on track. This is closely related to being intentional. I find a list helps me to not be as easily distracted by links or scrolling through home feeds on sites like Facebook.

3. Recognize that the internet sucks energy and creativity from you. Generally, the internet takes energy rather than giving refreshment. This is not true in all circumstances, but if I am passively taking in information, or mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest, I find it has the same effect on my brain as watching TV. Also, reading articles online requires energy to process and think about what I’ve just read. This leads me to my next point. . . .

4. Go online to contribute, not consume. What is my aim for being online? Do I just want to catch up with the latest happenings on Facebook, or will I comment on other people’s pages and encourage them? Do I read this article just to add to a bunch of random facts in my brain, or will I think about it, work to understand, and contribute to my store of knowledge? Am I just collecting these craft ideas, or will I actually use them in real life? This point is related to being intentional.

5. Set certain days or times to go online. If I don’t have a certain time to go online, I’ll connect whenever the whim hits. But if I know I’m going online after supper, this gives me time to think about what to do, and compile a list. I also try to set Pinterest and Facebook days, when I allow myself to go on these websites and scroll through the home feed, and do a bit more browsing. Usually, not a whole lot has happened on the sites in the past 2-3 days since I last logged in, and I didn’t miss that much.

6. Read home feeds backwards. Pinterest and Facebook both have annoying home pages. The home feed seems infinite, like you could scroll down for days. To keep myself from scrolling for hours, I will click down a set number of clicks first (say, three), and work from that point up to the top (newest posts). As a bonus, you’re then reading things in chronological order!

7. Tell your friends and family your internet-usage plans. I’ve posted things on Facebook that say things like “For the next while, I’m only going to be on Facebook on Wednesdays and Saturdays”. Then, when I think about going on Facebook on Friday, I think, “Oh no, what if someone sees that I’m online and I’m not keeping my word”, and that helps keep me in check.

8. Set a timer, if you have to. I haven’t done this yet, since I don’t know where our timer is—but I’m sure it would be effective.

9. Don’t beat yourself up if you got distracted. Do better now.

10. Make it physically more difficult to go online. Turn off the WI-FI when it’s not in use. Log out of websites, so it’s harder to access them. I find that if I’m going on Facebook because I’m bored or lazy, then logging in can be a deterrent, or at least it makes me think about why I’m going online. Also, I changed my password to something that reminds me to use the internet intentionally.

11. Finally, and very importantly, Pray. James says, “You have not, because you ask not.” So many times I got depressed and upset that I got distracted again. But then I realized that I hadn’t asked God to help me use the internet intentionally. Try asking Him for help. It can be that simple.

Those are my suggestions. In short, Use the internet intentionally.  I’m still learning this. I hope you’ve found my suggestions helpful. What methods do you use to keep yourself focused online?

Trails, Paths and Roads

  

Trail sign in Elmira, Ontario

 Trails, paths and roads are common metaphors for life.  I reflected on this and more after a family bike ride along the "Kissing Bridge Trail" in Waterloo Region, Ontario.
   Where did this trail come from that I was riding on?  It used to be part of a railroad system that was vital to transporting people and cargo around the province.  How much work would it require in the days when the rail lines were developed to carve out each metre from the wilderness.  It would have been back breaking labour without chainsaws and backhoes and the ubiquitous biting insects.  Surely the trail-making in Ontario does not compare to the dangers of blasting the CPR lines through the Rocky Mountains or building the Canol Trail in the Northwest Territories. Nevertheless it is work done by people I am likely never to meet. Trails are easy to take for granted.
      Trails are so different from our manicured highways and roads.  Because vegetation is not mowed, other wild things are welcome and safe.  A Baltimore oriole, chickadees, chipmunks and a plethora of butterflies and moths were observed during our two-hour journey.  The trefoil, red clover, annual grasses and daisies brought me back to my childhood walks to visit my grandmother, who lived 1/2 mile away along a dirt road.
 

Trail view

Motorcycle Ride with a Difference

from the website: http://shore2shore2014.com/

   Between the Great Lakes, a motorcycle ride is raising awareness about the problem of pornography this summer.  From June 29 to July 12 the riders in Shore2Shore WITH A ROAR will stop in the following centres: Kitchener, Strathroy, Dunnville, Ancaster, Belleville, Williamsburg, Lindsay, Clinton, Sarnia and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
They will have gatherings in the communities to start a conversation about a topic not often discussed.
   Sexual images dominate billboards, films and websites.  On top of that, we are becoming desensitized to this content.  The fashion magazines at the check-out line and in doctor's waiting rooms have become more explicit, and yet they are there at the eye level of anyone who can walk.  As mobile devices become the norm for adults and children alike, the access to pornographic material via the internet has never been greater.
   Traditionally a medium that appeals to males, women have sought "equality" here too.  Whether it is images or written content, pornography degrades God's good plan for human sexuality between two committed individuals who love each other.
   It is time for the church to speak out, not just to the "world" but to its own members who have been caught in the destructive grip of pornography and need help.  The motorcyclists who are ROARING against pornography are sharing their stories and encouraging families to talk about how to safeguard their homes and minds.  Like any addiction, pornography initially promises great pleasure at a little cost; however, it eventually takes over one's life and mars marriage or dating relationships.  The message of these riders is also one of hope. It is possible to break free from the grip of porn by the power of the gospel, along with specific help and support.
   It was my family's privilege to provide lodging and breakfast to one couple taking part in this ride.  By staying at home on the Canada Day weekend, we gained the opportunity to support the message the riders are bringing on the roads they travel and the meeting places they enter.

Hand-up for a Ghanaian School

   A friend of mine is temporarily living in Ghana while her husband is employed there on a construction project.  Her four children are attending a Christian elementary school that lacks many of the resources we take for granted in North America.  One great need they have is adequate school desks.  These desks can be made and purchased in Ghana.

   Instead of just asking for money from the outside, the students were brainstorming about how they could raise money for desks.  One Ghanaian girl, aged about twelve, offered her sewing skills for this cause.  She will make small purses (with a zipper and strap) for $2 CDN apiece. 

The purse is 14 cm by 8 cm, with a longer shoulder strap 

She is also willing to makes dresses for $15 CDN.  Dresses can be made to the size of the girl (length & waist measurements) and according to a preferred colour for the skirt and matching bows (give first and second choice).  Based on the design, it appears that the bodice comes only in black.

Summer dress with skirt going down to the knee

Close-up of layered skirt

Close-up of bow

This is where I come in, as an advocate for fair trade and honourably assisting individuals in need.  If you would be interested in ordering one of these items, you may contact me by email harriette.edit@gmail.com.  Arrangements about how to exchange the goods and money will be made on an individual basis.  

Ice Photos

In my part of Canada there have been exactly six days where the average temperature was above the freezing mark since Christmas Eve.  The snow continues to accumulate; ice has formed in different ways and in different places.

Both photos taken on December 22nd by my husband, after the ice storm

   I was thinking that during this long winter we could pay a bit more attention to some intricacies of snow and ice.  Some of us may remember learning the hydrological (water) cycle and the unique way snow/frost is formed as opposed to ice.  Ice makes the simple transition from liquid to solid through cold temperatures, whereas snow and frost skip a step.  They are formed by sublimation, when water vapour responds to freezing temperatures.

   While it has become legendary that the Inuit language of Inuktitut has numerous words for snow and ice due to the fact that its speakers have the longest winters on the planet, English can also boast over 50 specific words related to ice and snow.[1]  Many of these words come from specialized fields, such as alpine skiing and meteorology.  Another specialized field that deals with ice is electrical engineering.  Until recently I had never heard of additional words for ice, namely soft and hard rime and glaze ice.  A researcher at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, whose thesis paper I had the privilege of editing, used these terms because various types of ice coatings on electrical equipment can have greater damaging effects than others.  Another fascinating adjective I learned from this study was “icephobic,” that which inhibits the formation of ice.

  Today I took a photo of the snow bank beside my driveway, which is anything but icephobic.  The grainy snow becomes liquid and then freezes as an icicle along the side.  

Another icicle (right) on the back fender of my van defies gravity.

---

[1] http://poetry-contingency.uwaterloo.ca/fifty-five-english-words-for-snow/ shares a list of words.

Guest Post by Janessa: Kindergarten Connection

This is the true story my daughter penned for a school assignment. Enjoy.

In 1949, schools in Holland would put candles on the desks to decorate for Christmas.  Although this was a fire hazard, it was still a common practice for all ages.

My Oma, Jannie, was in kindergarten and it was Christmas time.  Even in kindergarten, there were candles on top of each desk.  She had leaned back into the candle on the desk behind her.  Jannie’s hair caught on fire and it was frightening for everyone present.  Luckily, they got the fire out in time and her hair was only slightly singed.  My Opa, Rinus, was in the same kindergarten class and felt bad for the girl whose hair caught on fire.

When Rinus was 12 years old, he immigrated to Canada with his parents, four sisters and three brothers.  Some family members occasionally returned to Holland for visits.

About 20 years later, Rinus’ sister, Ann, was spending a year in Holland.  Ann and Rinus were close in age and close in their relationship as well.  While Ann was in Holland, she met up with Jannie.  They spent much of their free time together.  The more Ann got to know Jannie, the more she thought her brother, Rinus, should meet her.  

Ann came back to Canada and when Rinus was going to visit Holland a few months later, she purchased a present for Jannie and asked Rinus to deliver it.  Ann was hoping that the two of them would get along well.

Rinus went to Holland and then he realized that he should deliver the present as his sister had asked.  So he went to visit Jannie and she invited him in for tea, joining her friends and relatives who were also at the house.  As their gathering came to a close, Rinus asked Jannie if she wanted to go sightseeing with him the next Saturday.  She accepted and they got together on the Saturday.  Rinus noticed her kindness and realized how she was much different than other girls who he considered to be “arrogant”.  After their sightseeing date was over, Rinus proposed to Jannie since he was leaving to visit another province of Holland.  That gave her some time to think about it while he was away for a bit.  When Rinus came back from the other province, Jannie accepted his proposal;  they got married in Canada on December 19, 1969.

It wasn’t until after they were married that Rinus realized Jannie was the girl whose hair caught on fire in kindergarten.

Thanksgiving 2013

This Thanksgiving was particularly memorable with special things to be grateful for on the weekend itself:

• A gorgeous autumn hike with my husband, children and parents on Saturday afternoon.  This combination of fisherman’s path and marked trail allowed us to see beechnuts, purple forget-me-nots, chestnuts, assorted pine trees and fall foliage.  My dad’s dog Skippy wanted to lead the way through his familiar territory.
• A Sunday morning worship service.  Being among the people where I was raised is always a highlight, but a Sunday church service is easily taken for granted.  There was electricity, a pastor to lead, instruments to guide our singing and a Bible to open and read.  The elder’s prayer was very moving.  The pastor’s message about the healing of ten lepers in Luke 17 gave new insights.
• A broken relationship took a first step in being restored through forgiveness.
• Holding the music while my son played trumpet for his grandparents; cutting vegetables while my daughter practiced the flute.
• A visit with my sister and her husband and two nieces.  The older niece enjoyed our company so much that she tried to stop us from leaving by two different methods!
• Thanksgiving dinner of local produce:  roast beef raised by my uncle, green beans planted by my dad and my daughter at the end of July, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and squash-apple bake (see previous post for recipe).  For dessert, we had custard pudding molded in the shape of a bunny and a fish with a fruit sauce made of red currants, a traditional Dutch treat.

Driving home along a scenic road on Sunday night to the sound of my three children singing along with the WOW Hits 2013 CD, including “The Hurt & The Healer” by Mercy Me, “Forgiveness” by Matthew West and “Live Like That” by Sidewalk Prophets.  Sometimes they complain if a sibling sings along, so when they have this kind of unity it’s wonderful.

Thanksgiving Side Dish: Squash Apple Bake

Squash-Apple Bake

This recipe comes from Simply in Season cookbook (page 201), in the “Autumn” section.  Since both squash and apples are plentiful, it is a good choice for Thanksgiving dinner.  It's simple and delicious.  My dad, who was never previously a fan of squash, requests it.  

2 pounds / 1 kg butternut squash (buttercup squash is also acceptable), peeled, seeded and with fibres removed.  Cut into ½ inch or 1 cm slices.  Place in ungreased baking dish.

2-3 apples (cored and cut into ½ inch or 1 cm slices), peeled or unpeeled.  Arrange on top of squash

Mix in a small bowl: 3 T melted butter or margarine, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 T flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and a dash of nutmeg or mace.  Sprinkle on top of squash and apples.  Cover and bake about 40-50 minutes at 350° F or until squash is tender.  Serve warm.

Good Question

  Even when he’s sleeping my teenage son carries around a question.  It is printed on a plain bracelet—IS IT HOLY.  This challenging query was given to him at a Youth Convention last May.  The speaker, Justin Lookadoo pointed out that as humans we like to justify our actions by saying something like, “Well, what’s wrong with it?” or “What’s so bad about that?”  As Christian believers we are called to the much higher standard of holiness, which is etched over 550 times in Scripture’s Hebrew and Greek pages.

   Holy has its origin in the triune God who created heaven and earth, ransomed sinners, and gives them a new life.  Time after time in the Bible, God calls his people to be holy, set apart, unpolluted, motivated by truth and goodness, marked by obedience. 

   The book of Ezekiel, which I just finished in my “Bible-in-One-Year” marathon, is especially interested in the concept of holiness.  One obscure verse in particular caught my eye this week:  “When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts next to my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 43:8).  This description of two buildings (God’s holy temple and one of Solomon’s other edifices) shows a duality of heart.  The entrance to human enterprise was set right next to the entrance to God’s presence, but that human enterprise gave no consideration to God’s laws and directions.  This kind of hypocrisy is offensive to God, not to mention loathsome to those who are looking from the outside.

   What we do from Monday to Saturday needs to be infused with holiness just as much as Sunday worship.  Keep asking IS IT HOLY, even if it makes you stand out.  Holiness does not trumpet itself, but it sure gets noticed.  To God be the glory.

Fresh Beans

   One of the top reasons I plant a vegetable garden, small as it is, is because of fresh beans.  If you have ever eaten fresh beans, you will know that none of the green (or yellow) beans offered by the grocery store can ever measure up.  Frozen beans usually have that waterlogged quality when cooked, canned beans are often tinny and over-salted, and supermarket “fresh beans” may have come from as far away as Italy or Egypt, depending on the season of the year.

   When I pick beans my family has planted myself, I think about my Opa.  When I was growing up, the first beans were often harvested around his birthday of July 30^th.  My Opa was the reason my parents had a garden to begin with.  He had been a market gardener for decades in the Netherlands before he came to Canada in his 52^nd year.  The farm my Opa bought a couple of years later and where I later grew up had a sizable garden plot to the west of the long driveway.  When my parents got married and my Opa and Oma relocated to a mobile home at another corner of the farm, my Opa continued to care for this piece of ground so that it yielded bushels of potatoes, heads of romaine lettuce and oodles of beans.  His presence during my childhood was something I took for granted.

   Although he has been gone for 20 years, I continue to be influenced by the values he lived.  Another story about my Opa can be found here.  Expect another story about him next time…

Montreal Musings 5: Lessons Learned

   When one of my uncles heard we had spent a week in Montreal, his first comment was, "Very educational."  He was so right on many levels.

• We learned about the unique culture of a cosmopolitan city through walking the streets, shopping at stores and riding the subway system with its residents.  Living in an apartment alongside regular year-round residents made for a more authentic experience than could be obtained by staying at a hotel.  We knew that sundown was approaching on Friday evening as a parade of orthodox Jews went by on their way to a Sabbath service in the neighbourhood.  The daily experience was augmented by a 20 minute multi-media show at the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum which told the story of this city since its founding as both a mission and fur trade junction.
• One line from the history of Montreal multi-media show that struck my husband and me was "The evening news replaced evening prayers."  Despite the towering basillicas and street names with religious references, the province of Quebec prides itself on being secular.  It was pointed out to us that Quebec is a legitimate mission field where only 1 percent of its population is evangelical.  Mali in West Africa shares the same statistic!
• Our visit to the Biodome, at the site of Expo '67 was a fantastic way to learn about and see all kinds of creatures, from the familiar otter and porcupine to the exotic capybara (rainforest) and three types of penguins.  We gained a fresh appreciation for the diversity of God's creation.

  If you read the first post of this series, you may have been wondering what we did with the $50 that had been given to us.  We used $20 to repair the toilet at the volunteer apartment, and the rest we passed on to a homeless shelter in Montreal. Soli deo gloria.

 Narrow street approaching the harbour.  Horse-drawn vehicles were used for tourists.

Real king penguins in their snowy and rocky habitat at the Biodome

A Few of My Favourite (Handmade) Things

I'm a big fan of C.S. Lewis' Narnia series of books.  One of the landmarks in this fantasy world is a lantern in the middle of the woods.  For one my birthdays, my husband designed and crafted this lamp for my night table.

A wedding tradition from the Netherlands is that the bride carries a little purse made of the same fabric as her dress.  The silver clasp and chain are often passed down from generation to generation; sister to sister.  That means that after my wedding I could not keep the purse.  However, my mother kindly purchased a clasp and chain for each of us and at Christmas gave me the purse to keep.

My mother-in-law gave me this crocheted scarf she had made.  It shades of green match nicely with my white top and black pants.

The simple necklace with a ceramic charm bears the imprint of my son's running shoe from seventh grade.  A bookmark made by my daughter in Grade 2 still marks my place in the Bible.  

 The dragonfly on terra cotta clay made by my other daughter in Grade 3 hangs in our main floor bathroom.

A Christmas runner quilted by a parent of one of my students is too beautiful to put away for 11 months of the year, so I have hung it on my bedroom door.  She told me it was made with many prayers, so when I wake up each morning and see it, I feel inspired.

December 25: Christ the SAVIOUR is born

  Christmas has arrived.  As “Silent Night” says, “Christ the Saviour is born!”  But what is a Saviour?

   There are candies called lifesavers, and they can give us a clue.  On ships, there are many large things shaped like this candy.  If someone falls into the water, people on the ship throw out a lifesaver (also called a  life preserver) so the person will not drown.  The person is rescued!

   Did you know Jesus is a life-saver?  Maybe you know that Jesus is sometimes called our “Saviour”, but it really means the same thing.  If he did not come to earth, each of us would be lost.  We would drown in our own sin and the hurt that it causes.

   Jesus' name means life-saver.  The angel told Jesus' parents that they were supposed to give him the name Jesus because it means “God saves” (Matthew 1:21).  Jesus is the way God came to save you and me. 

            “Silent Night! Holy Night!” verse 3

                         Silent night! Holy night!

                        Shepherds quake at the sight

                        When they hear the angels sing

                        Alleluias to the King.

                        Christ the Saviour is born!

                        Christ the Saviour is born!

Preparing for Christmas #24: Messiah

   What kind of liquid is in this bottle?  What do we normally use it for?  We use oil for cooking.  In Bible times, olive oil was used for cooking, but the best olive oil was used for a special task of anointing.  A prophet, priest, or king would have this kind of oil poured on his head to show that God called him to do some special job.  The people were supposed to listen to this person because God had given them that task.

   The word Christ or Messiah both mean “one who is anointed.”  Jesus was given a special task by God to preach, to be a priest, and to reign as king.  He is in heaven ruling things right now.  There was no other man like Him!

   Tomorrow is Christmas, the day we remember Jesus coming into the world.  He came to be our Messiah—chosen by God-- to do a special task only he could do.  Let us praise Him every day of the year for all that he is and all he has done for us.

“God Rest You Merry Gentlemen” verse 1

            God rest you merry, gentlemen,

            Let nothing you dismay.

            Remember Christ our Saviour

            Was born on Christmas day,

            To save us all from Satan's power

            When we were gone astray.

Preparing for Christmas #23: Bridegroom

   What do the rings on this picture mean?  Why were these rings given?  They were given at a wedding.  On their wedding day, the woman is called a bride and the man is called the bridegroom.

   Jesus was never married, but he called himself “the bridegroom.” Why did he do this?  One time the people who hated Jesus asked why His disciples did not fast.  Fasting means that a person stops eating for a period of time to show how much God means to him or her.  Jesus said that people do not fast when they are with the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15).  Weddings are times of joy and celebration, and Jesus' followers realized that having Jesus with them was supposed to be a happy time.

   In Jesus' time, the bridegroom had to pay a special price to the woman's family in order for her to become his wife.  In a way, the people who love God are the bride and Jesus is the bridegroom who comes to live with them.  To show how much Jesus loved this “bride”, He gave up His life for them/us.  When Jesus comes back to earth again some day, Revelation 19 speaks of it being like a wedding.  After that we will always be with Jesus, our bridegroom.

Prayer:

Thank you, Jesus for all your love towards us.  Thank you for giving your life for us.  We look forward to the wedding feast when You return to bring us to Yourself.

Amen 

Preparing for Christmas #22: The Resurrection

  How does a butterfly come to be a butterfly?  Was it born that way?  No, it goes through different phases, beginning as an egg, then a caterpillar, and then a chrysalis.  If you found a chrysalis somewhere, you would think it was dead.  Even so, when the time is right, a living butterfly comes from that dead-looking case.

   The birth of a butterfly can help us understand the big word resurrection.  In resurrection, a person does not just seem dead, he or she really is dead.  And then, the person is made alive again.  Jesus called himself “the resurrection and the life” just before he raised his friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:25).

   Three days after Jesus died, God made him alive again, and he walked, talked, ate, and spoke again.  For forty days he showed people he was alive until he went up to heaven behind a cloud.

   Jesus promises that if we trust in him, he can and will do the same for us some day.  He gives us everlasting life that begins now and will continue even when our body is put in the grave.  It may sound unbelievable, but it is true!

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” verse 3

            Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace

            Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

            Light and life to all he brings

            Risen with healing in his wings.

            Mild, he lays his glory by,

            Born that man no more may die,

            Born to raise the lost on earth,

            Born to give them second birth.

            Hark! The herald angels sing,

            “Glory to the new-born king.”

Preparing for Christmas #21: Immanuel

   What is a house for?  Where does God live?  Does he need a house like we do?  No, he doesn't, but when Jesus became a man and lived on earth, he did stay in houses.

   Perhaps surprisingly, Jesus did not own the nicest house of His day.  Not at all!  He once told some men who wanted to follow Him that even though birds and foxes have homes, Jesus Himself did not have a place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20).

   Jesus was called Immanuel or “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) because he came to live with us—eating, talking, walking, crying, listening—doing all the things that people do from day to day.  He did all this while he was still God.

   Jesus is God who became a human like us in every way except for sin.  That is why he can totally understand our joys and troubles.  Wow!

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” verse 2

            Christ, by highest heaven adored,

            Christ, the everlasting Lord!

            Late in time behold him come,

            Offspring of the virgin's womb.

            Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

            Hail the incarnate Deity,

            Pleased as man with man to dwell,

            Jesus, our Immanuel.

Preparing for Christmas #20: "Amen"

What are these hands doing?[1]  How do we begin a prayer?  We mention God's name.  How do we usually end it?  We say the little word “Amen.”  Amen tells God that we truly mean what we have just prayed for, and we want God to answer us.

   Jesus is called the Amen (Revelation 3:14).  God made many promises in the Old Testament part of the Bible—to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to David, and others; all of those promises have come true in Jesus.  He came as the Amen to the prayers of God's people (2 Corinthians 1:20).  He makes it possible for us to pray to God as Father and to belong to His family even though we are humans.

   Next time we say “Amen” in our prayer, we can remember that Jesus came to earth to be the Amen who makes all our prayers possible.

Prayer:

Thank you that you hear our prayers, O Lord.  Listen to our heart's cry to you.  Please give us your peace. Amen.

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[1] These praying hands carved out of wood originally belonged to my grandmother and were passed on to me.