The Pastor’s Garage December 13th, 2019

So I know there is often a sense in which the Christmas season
suddenly feels very busy and full and we look at our calendars and we look
at the days left and we can feel very overwhelmed. Stress about things to
do and things to attend sets in. Worry about money and worry about gifts
and worry about a special meal or an event can feel like too much. We get
busy with school stuff, or hockey or whatever and before we know it we are
on the doorstep of Christmas. Two things. While Christmas can feel busy for
some of us, there are always those who feel lonely and disregarded – for
them to be “too busy” would be their dream come true, so don’t be too quick
to feel frustrated with your calendar. Also, let’s stop being chased by our
calendars and look at everything we do through the lens of investment. For
example, I may not feel like attending a Christmas event I have been
invited to because I have three other things that week. However, that may
be an opportunity to deepen a relationship with a friend that I have not
seen for a while. We don’t know for sure but investments like this may end
up having eternal consequences and fruit. And to be honest, maybe there are
things on our calendar that we can cut out and that maybe we should when we
evaluate them through the right lens. There are some things that just have
no really long lasting value and we have to be brave enough to let them go!

Now saying all that it’s sort of ironic that I have a few more things for
you to add to your calendar 🙂 But I do feel these are all worthy
investments and I place no pressure on you to attend – do what brings you
joy and peace in this season.

– Potluck and family Celebration Service this Sunday. I’ll be sharing a
story about treating people equally based on James 2:1-7. This is a great
Sunday to bring a little extra AND invite a friend.
– Christmas Hampers: All the food and the gifts need to be in this
Sunday. Please have your gifts labelled as best as you can.
– This Saturday is Second Saturday at 7:00pm. Pastor Mike will be
leading us in prayer for our community during this holiday season.
– December 19th is our Family Hometown Christmas Dessert Night. See the
bulletin for more details.
– December 24th, Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 7:00pm.

I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of volunteering our church to
run the canteen and gate at the senior Spitfire game on January 10th, 2020.
We’ll need 6 people (or more) in the canteen and 2 at the gate. *Please let
me know ASAP if you can help* (as they like ot have the names ahead of
time). I think it’s a great way to be a blessing and to invest and to have
a little fun. The game is at 8:30 I believe.

Finally as we approach the years end please prayerfully consider your level
of giving at this time. As a church we have faced some unexpected
maintenance costs in the church and the manse this year and as such we are
behind in our budget.

That’s all for this week.

God bless,

Pastor Dave