Sunday January 3, 2016

Some notes from Sunday Night (Thanks, Jean)

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Dr. Barclay:

Theme: Sharing and promoting the greatest gift we can ever receive.

As Christians we celebrate the greatest gift we could ever get this time of year- which is Jesus. Yet some people are still caught up in all the trappings and decorations and anxiety of Christmas, they forget the religious and solemn celebration of Jesus coming to earth. Often when small children receive presents such as toys, clothes and games or computers, etc., they are happy to show off their gifts to others, demonstrate how they work and what they are all about. We Christians are to be like small children at Christmas time, show everyone our gift, be proud of it and talk about it to everyone. Jesus is greater than any material item we could ever possess. By reading and studying God's word we will learn about the greatest gift we can ever receive.

Pastor Caroline Barclay:

Theme: Having a willing attitude like Mary

This new year of 2016 is a gift to us forward. We cannot move forward if we are stuck in the past. We need to bring ourselves forward into a new day. Mary carried the gift of Jesus to the world.

Luke 1:26-38 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Mary graciously accepted Father God's challenge and did not falter in any way.

Please note the importance of these verses:

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

“be it unto me according to thy word.” -is the attitude and the mindset we should all have.

In our trials we have be like Mary. We need to be faithful and not give up. The Holy Spirit will lead us in the right direction. If we do not lean on our own understanding and go our own way.

Matthew 11:28 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We need to follow God's instructions and go his way. We need to stay close to God so we can receive his wisdom and not our own. We need to be continually thankful to God for everything.

James 1:17 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning

We need to live right obey Christ and avoid sin. With our Christian character we will efficiently be able to reach out to others and hear what their hearts are saying and care.