2017 - Watch Night Service and New Year Eve

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Announcement

Watch Night Service
Date:31 Dec 2017 (Sunday)
Time: 7pm - 12am
Details: BBQ Dinner, Games, Movie, Reflection Fellowship and etc.
All are welcome.

Covenant Sunday
Date: 7 July 2017 (Sunday)
Venue: Worship Hall
Time: 10:30am
Theme: Momentum 2018 - Make Disciples Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18

Wishing Each and Everyone of you a blessed New Year 2018

2017 - Junior and Senior Soldier Enrollment

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF WISH

No one knows what the future holds. We’re quick to wish a “happy new year” on January 1st, but we actually have very little control over how things will play out. “You do not know what a day may bring,” the Bible cautions. Over the past year, a number of my friends went through some very trying times, and wishing them happiness and success now feels slightly hollow.

It’s good to plan ahead and lay solid foundations in our personal and professional lives, but we know from the start that the year is going to be full of events and circumstances that we haven’t foreseen and that we will have limited ability to influence.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, if it reminds us that when all is said and done, the happiest and most secure place for us and our loved ones is in God’s hands. Perhaps rather than wishing the outward manifestations of happiness to those we care about, we should wish for them to be connected to the source of those blessings, the loving Father who promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Whether this year brings prosperity or hardship, health or sickness, love or loss, we can be assured of God’s love and presence, His ability to answer our prayers, and His standing resolution to make all things work together for good in the lives of those who are His children and who love Him. God never forgets His promises and He’s never unable to keep them. As Paul observed, “All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’”

God bless you with His presence and care in the coming year.

—

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

John 14:23 (NIV) Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

1 John 3:22 (NIV) and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE

How easily love seems to get lost in the shuffle of getting to where we want to go! It’s easy to get so preoccupied with “doing” that we forget to love.

We’ve all inadvertently done that at one time or another. We know that the right thing is to treat others with love, and we usually try to do so, yet in those moments when we’re faced with a need that requires a greater measure of love and unselfishness than usual, it’s easy to make choices that squeeze love out of the picture. But the right choice is always the loving choice. It pays to remember the importance of those little acts of love, being kind or courteous or simply taking time for others.

Taking time for love is an investment. You don’t “get your money back” the same day, but when it does come back to you, it has multiplied and appreciated in value. Not everything can be measured in immediate, visible results. Sometimes the best and most lasting things take time to get started and time to show their worth. That’s the way it is with love.

No matter what your to-do list says each day, imagine that written above your own top priority are God’s top two: love God, and love others. Getting your first priority done without doing God’s two means you really only did third best. Sometimes we forget that all our accomplishments are nothing without love.

If we make an effort to love God, then it will show in our interactions with others. Of course, we’re human and make mistakes, we have good days and bad days, and God understands that, but if we want to change the world for the better, we need to make an effort to put love into action. “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.”

How can we show love? One of the beautiful things about love is that it adapts to the need. There’s no set formula, so part of loving is finding out what the need is and how to meet it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

* Try to see others through eyes of love; find and encourage their good qualities.

* Build others up; commend people for doing a good job. Everyone appreciates being appreciated.

* When someone does something that bothers you, or you find yourself becoming critical, try to put yourself in that person’s position. What might have caused them to act the way they did? How would you want them to react if your positions were reversed?

* Connect with people. Something as simple and seemingly small as a smile or sympathetic word can be the turning point in a stranger’s day and possibly the start of a lasting and meaningful friendship.

* Do little “extras” to lighten the load someone is carrying, and thereby convey understanding and concern.

* Make an effort to get to know your friends and co-workers better. What makes them tick? What matters most to them? Who matters most to them? What do they dream of doing someday? What has been their proudest moment?

Maybe you already try to be loving, but sometimes you feel you don’t have any more love to give. Maybe you feel that you don’t receive enough love yourself, so therefore don’t have much to give. Those feelings are natural. And it’s true—our love isn’t sufficient. If human love were sufficient, we wouldn’t need Jesus so much, and neither would the world.

But when we run out of love, Jesus always has more. His love is wonderfully sufficient, unconditional, unlimited, and without end. The secret to having more love for others is to tap into Jesus’ love. Tell Him, “Jesus, I need more of You in my life. I need more of Your love.” Then put little and big deeds of love into action, and He will give you more of His love. The more you give, the more Jesus will give you in return. Keep it up, and you will not only become more conscious of His unfailing, ever-present love for you, but you will always have love to share with others. Like the widowed mother whose story is recounted in the Bible, whose little bit of oil and handful of flour, when mixed with faith, kept her and her son and the prophet Elijah alive through three years of famine, you will see your love multiplied many times over.

—

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV) If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

John 13:35 (NIV) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

FREE AT LAST

One by one the prisoners filed into the small meeting hall. Each one wore the same gray outfit and had the same closely trimmed haircut, but their faces showed that each was an individual with his own story of what had brought him to this place.

“I am arranging for the most hardened and dangerous criminals to watch your program,” the warden had told us. “Many of them will never see freedom again. They are the ones who most need to hear what you have to say.”

It was three days before Christmas. After passing through the many gates and checkpoints of this maximum security prison, our children were about to perform and speak to these inmates. One man in particular caught my attention. He was one of the last to enter the hall, and he seemed to be the oldest. His step was halting, his hair turning white. What is an old man like him doing in here? I wondered.

“Mom, did you see that old man in the back?” my son asked. “You should try to talk to him.”

“Yes.” But how? I wondered. We weren’t supposed to mingle with the prisoners. Please, Lord, make a way.
The children did very well in their presentation. It was beautiful to see the sullen faces light up with smiles and the men nod in agreement, reflect on the message of the stories being told, and finally bow their heads in prayer. Many were moved to tears. After final bows, Christmas greetings, and farewells, the long gray line of prisoners started moving again, this time in the other direction.

I quickly made my way to the back to try to find the old man. I knew I would only have a few moments before he stepped into the line. Our eyes met as if he had been waiting for me. “Your children were wonderful,” he said. “They have so much love, so much joy. When your daughter started singing Psalm 23, I couldn’t help but cry. I’m 68 years old, and I was a Christian myself once. I know that Psalm.” His hoarse voice started to sing in the local dialect, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not…”

His eyes grew red and watery, and he couldn’t finish the line. “I have done something very bad. That’s why I am here,” he whispered. I was close to crying myself.

I took his arm and said, “God loves you and His love is everlasting. Jesus has already forgiven you and will love you forever and forever.” It was all I could think to say in the moment I had with him, but this simple truth had a profound effect. A smile came over his tear-streaked face and he straightened himself, as though a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

“Thank you for reminding me of that.” Then it was his turn to join the line of prisoners filing out of the meeting hall. He waved as he turned the corner, and then he was gone.

As we were driving home, I thought, This man had committed a serious crime that no doubt hurt others, but God still wanted to remind him of His love and forgiveness.

How many people, I wonder, are walking around in the world today just like that man, imprisoned by guilt and remorse over past mistakes and wrong-doing? They feel condemned for things they’ve done, things they said, or the things they should have done but didn’t. Yet all it takes is a simple reminder of God’s unconditional never-ending love, mercy, and forgiveness to bring back hope and light the darkest place of the saddest heart.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

—

Mark 16:16 ESV / Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

James 2:24 ESV / You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Acts 2:38 ESV / And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2017 - Penang Children's Home Christmas Open House

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2017 Christmas Celebration and Lunch

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THE BABY WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.
—St. Augustine (354–430)

The Christmas story reminds us once again it was not man’s idea that the Son of God should be born in a stable. And so the first thing we learn from Jesus’ birth is that the Lord will not always be found where we expect to find Him.
—James F. Colaianni (b. 1922)

We look for the glory of the life of Jesus in His manhood’s years. Then He wrought great miracles, revealing His divine power. Then He spoke His wonderful words which have touched the world with their influence of blessing. Then He went about doing good, showing the love of God in all His common life and on His cross. …
Yet in no portion of the life of Jesus Christ is there really greater glory than His birth. Nothing showed more love for the world than His condescending to be born. We should say that the heart of the gospel was the cross, but the first act of redemption was the Incarnation, when the Son of God emptied Himself of His divine attributes and entered human life in all the feebleness and helplessness of infancy. In its revealing of love and grace, the cradle of Jesus is as marvelous as His cross.
—J. R. Miller (1840–1912)

Wander on life’s highway
Wait for a star so bright;
Wake with the angels,
Wonder at the light;
Watch with the shepherds,
Walk through the night;
Whisper by the manger
This Child will make things right.
—Abi May

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide-open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years.
—George Matthew Adams (1878–1962)

—

Hebrews 1:3 ESV / He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

John 1:14 ESV / And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Isaiah 9:6 ESV / For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

WHAT WOULD THE BIRTHDAY BOY LIKE?

I love my birthday and everything that comes with it—especially the many congratulatory phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook wishes, and greeting cards from family and friends. For that one day, everything is about me—my favorite food, where I’d like to go, what I’d like to do, basically whatever I want. I love to bask in the “birthday girl” glory.

Sadly, I know of a birthday boy whose special day is becoming less and less about Him.

Today, Christmas has largely been reduced to a holiday from work, a time to shop, and a reason for relatives to get together. The decorations, exchange of gifts, and parties bring some excitement and merriment, but the Christmas spirit has been replaced to a great extent by the “holiday spirit.”

I once read about a small child who accompanied his grandmother to the shopping mall at Christmas and was awestruck by all the decorations, the toys, and the replica of Santa’s shed. Slowly taking the sight in, the child looked up at his grandmother and innocently asked, “Where is Baby Jesus?”

That child’s question has a deep meaning. Amidst the glitz and glamour of modern Christmas, are we forgetting the true reason for the season? How many of us remember that Christmas is Someone’s birthday and stop to think what He would like us to do for it?

I am sure He is touched by the time and effort we put into decorations and buying gifts for our earthly loved ones, but how happy He would be if we also gave Him a birthday present!

If you’re looking for ideas for a birthday present for Jesus, consider these:

• Tell Him how much you love Him. You can never do this enough.

• Express your love to family and friends. You never know who might need to hear just that.

• Give to the poor. Reach out to them in His name and invite them to share in the Christmas spirit.

• Make amends with those you’re holding grudges against.

This year, let’s do something for the Birthday Boy!

—

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Luke 1:46-47 ESV / And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Matthew 2:2 ESV / Saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

1,001 GIFTS FOR JESUS

Last Christmas, the magical spark never came. I was bothered by all the commercialism that plagues our city months in advance. Somewhere between the flashy ads in magazines and feeling I didn’t have much to offer Jesus due to the limitations of our circumstances, I lost my enthusiasm. I wasn’t looking forward to decorating the tree, neither did I want the guilt and stress that would come from cramming and rushing to “make things meaningful.”

This year has been the opposite, though. In fact, we started preparing in July! So what was different?
Back then, the children and I came up with a plan to give Jesus 1,001 presents by His birthday, and we’ve been sending a few more His way every day since. The back of our kitchen door is covered with lists and charts, and now there are several hundred checkmarks and stickers indicating the gifts we’ve already given Him! There’s a chart for good deeds done to help others. There’s a chart for memorizing Bible verses. There’s a chart for making simple Bible story audios to post for other children. There’s a chart for writing letters to cheer the hearts of friends. There’s a chart for the times we have stopped to spend time with Jesus. These are just a few of the gifts we’re giving Jesus for Christmas.

This year, our Christmas season started months ago and it feels great. There’s no rush, no pressure, no guilt, and no lack of focus. We’re reaching our goals and using our time to make Him and others happy. The charts are nearly filled up, and when they are, we’ll place each list in a gift-wrapped box and place it under the tree. They are gifts from the heart—each one represents time, love, and effort we know He will be happy to receive.

We already know what the 1,001st gift will be—a simple birthday candle. We’ll light it for a moment each day while we pray for others around the world to come to know Jesus’ love. These prayers are also gifts we can offer the One who offered us His all.

—

Malachi 3:10 ESV / Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Proverbs 3:27 ESV / Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

John 3:16-17 ESV / “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

THOSE DIRTY SHEPHERDS

“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”—Luke 2:8 NIV
When I was a child, one of my favorite pictures of Jesus depicted Him as the Good Shepherd, carrying a lamb around His shoulders. If you’re like me, you might have expected that those shepherds watching their flocks on the hillside the night He was born would have been respected members of society, considered honest, dependable, believable witnesses, trustworthy and upright. Why else would the angels have entrusted them with such an important message as testifying of the coming of God’s Son?

The facts seem to be a little different: According to some historians, shepherds in first-century Palestine were considered the lowest of the low. The term used for them by the Pharisees is sometimes translated as “sinners”—a derogatory term meaning vile and ritually unclean. Their lives were spent handling animals, often sleeping outdoors surrounded by dung and possible disease. It seems they were not even considered worthy to offer a sacrifice to God.

From man’s limited perspective, God was sending a band of outcasts to be the greeting party for His Son and to spread the good news of salvation to all who would listen. By today’s standards, that might equate to an angelic choir appearing to a group of garbage dump scroungers. Yet God looks at the heart. It doesn’t matter to Him what someone’s occupation is or how they’re dressed.

The Bible says the shepherds ran to see the babe, so they didn’t have time to take a bath or change to a nice set of clothes, which they most likely didn’t have anyway. They ran as they were, straight from the hilltop into the presence of their Savior. We can imagine them excitedly recounting their experience to Mary and Joseph and being welcomed by them with love and acceptance.

Why would God choose the shepherds? Why would He offer this priceless privilege to these who were so unworthy in man’s eyes? Perhaps because He knew they would believe with pure and simple faith. They could be counted on to run to the side of God’s newborn Son with sheer enthusiasm.

Not only were the shepherds honored by God, but they were also given the privileged task of spreading the good news to others. In telling others of the Savior’s birth, the shepherds became the first Christian missionaries.

—

Philippians 2:3-11 ESV / Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. …

Romans 12:3 ESV / For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

James 4:6 ESV / But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

THE CHRISTMAS SHOES

The Christmas season—undoubtedly my favorite season of the year—holds many unforgettable memories. It was on a snowy December day when I was six years old that our family flew home to the U.S. from the Philippines, where we had been missionaries for the previous several years. This was the first time I met my grandparents and the first time I experienced snow. When I was 15, I spent the Christmas season playing percussion in a band that had come to Mexico from Washington D.C. to hold benefit concerts. I had a blast.

But the two most memorable Christmas seasons for me occurred in 2002 and 2003, and they are linked together by a simple song and its impact on my life.

Christmas 2002 was an especially joyous occasion. My mother had been declared cancer-free several months earlier and was feeling much stronger than she had in quite some time. One day in December, she was baking something for a gathering the next day. I remember the aroma filling our Southern California apartment. The radio was set to a station that played holiday favorites 24-7. The repertoire consisted mostly of lighter carols, such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” etc. Then suddenly the tone drastically changed when a song began to play that captured my attention. I put aside what I was doing in order to tune in to it. (I later found out that it was titled “The Christmas Shoes,” performed by Newsong.)

The song tells the story of a man who found himself in line at a fancy department store on Christmas Eve, trying to finish his last-minute holiday shopping. In front of him was a little boy, with an appearance that made it obvious he had no business being in that store at all, holding a pair of shoes. When his turn came to pay, he said he wanted to buy the shoes for his mother who was sick and didn’t have much time left—he wanted her to look beautiful if she were to meet Jesus that night. The boy put all the change he had on the counter, but the cashier shook his head and told him it wasn’t enough. He turned and looked at the man imploringly. The man in line behind him paid the difference and couldn’t forget the look on the boy’s face as he thanked him and left.

As I listened, tears rolled down my cheeks. I realized how fortunate I was to still have my mother by my side. I imagined how sad I would have felt if I were in the place of that little boy who was about to lose his mother. The song stayed with me through the remainder of the Christmas season, eventually fading as the new year was ushered in.

In the course of 2003, Mother’s cancer recurred and she again took a turn for the worse. By Christmas, she was in a nursing home, and the staff had informed us that the only thing they could do was try to keep her comfortable until the end. One day, I was running errands with my brother, listening to the radio as we drove around.
Suddenly, on came the same song, “The Christmas Shoes.” How true to life it rang this time around!

Moved by the song, my brother and I immediately bought Mother a pretty pair of shoes, which fit her beautifully and gave her great joy. She left us (in the physical, at least) only weeks later.

Today, this beautiful song helps me look beyond the hectic side of the Christmas season with all its activities, plans, and preparations for festivities, family get-togethers, and what have you. When the ceaseless activity threatens to drive me nuts and I find myself succumbing to frustration, I hear my mother’s voice whispering to me, Remember the “Christmas Shoes” song.

With this reminder, the stress and frustration dissipates, and I remember to count my many blessings. I think of my family and loved ones who are still alive and well and give thanks for my own life and health too. I say a prayer for the many who find themselves in painful circumstances during the Christmas season—as the little boy in the song did, or as my family and I did in 2003. I ask Jesus to lead me to such people and give me an opportunity to be of comfort to them. He often does.

Gone is the nervousness I feel over the approaching singing engagement I don’t feel sufficiently prepared for, the irritation I feel when important details are overlooked, and all other such cares, as I strive to simply appreciate the fact that I am alive and able to enjoy another Christmas.

—

Luke 6:38 ESV / Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 12:33-34 ESV / Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV / The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

REPAINTING THE ANGEL

The statuette of an angel holding the hand of a little boy had been placed on a neglected back shelf in an antique shop. It was covered with soot and dust, lost amidst the clutter of jars, dishes, and ornaments. A man browsing through the shop discovered the figurine and had an inspiration: He would rescue it from oblivion, restore it, and give it a place of honor among his Christmas decorations.

At home in his basement workshop, the man covered the angel and the child with glistening white paint. Then he painted the wings of the angel and the hair of the little boy with sparkling gold. Each brush stroke worked magic. The old, grime-covered statuette vanished, and a shining, new one appeared. The statuette was transformed before his eyes into a thing of radiant beauty.

As the man painted, he thought, Isn’t this what happens to people at Christmas? They come to the end of the year dust-covered from the struggle. And then Christmas inspires them to repaint their nature with love and joy and peace.

The art of repainting the angel! This is our lifelong task: to never stay down in the dust and the dirt, but, heroically, to rise again after each fall.

Repainting the angel! We need never lose our ideals, dreams, and purposes. We can always make them gleam again with the glory of renewed hope.

This story reminds me how life takes on a special glow at Christmas. It starts with the wonder of a little baby who came carrying a message of love and hope. For those in families, it continues with the happiness and camaraderie of celebrating together with loved ones. For all people, alone or with others, it is completed when we contemplate what Jesus has done for us and thank Him for the blessings He has given.

Christmas is special because we enjoy not only what God has done for the whole world, but also for us personally. He has “repainted” us with new qualities that we couldn’t have given ourselves. He has put His love inside us. He has given us peace, as the angels promised. He has forgiven all our sins and failures, and now He accepts us as His children. He lets us feel the joy that knowing Him brings. We are transformed by Christmas.

—

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV / Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV / Let all that you do be done in love.

John 13:34-35 ESV / A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

HE CAME TO US

Recently, I was reading about the history of Christmas and where our various Christmas traditions come from, including ones that may have originated in pagan rituals or festivals, and it struck me that one of the most fundamental truths about Jesus is how He accepts each of us where we’re at.

Jesus says that He’ll never reject anyone who comes to Him. His circle of friends isn’t an exclusive club with strict requirements. In fact, He does more than just accept us; He often adapts Himself to meet our needs.

It’s interesting to see how Jesus did just that during His ministry on earth. When He was with Nicodemus—an educated high-ranking member of the clergy with a strong background in and grasp of theology—Jesus spoke in ways that piqued his interest and challenged his intellect. When Jesus was with children, He took them in His arms and gently talked with them. When He was in the company of tax collectors and sinners, He went into their homes and ate and drank and laughed with them. A couple of times after teaching large crowds, He knew that their most important concern was their hunger, so He fed them. Whether with a crowd or one on one, Jesus did whatever was necessary to reach each person and show them that He loved them.

This is how Jesus lived His entire life. He took on a human body and got down and messy with us. He dealt with daily life, hunger, and fatigue. He probably felt discouraged at times. But He went through our human experience so that He could feel what we feel and understand the things that are important to us.

He can take the things that you know and love—the things that are important to you, like your Christmas traditions—and give them even greater meaning.

This year, as you enjoy your Christmas celebrations, as you open gifts, sing carols, and eat good food, let those things remind you of Jesus’ deep love for you. Regardless of where these traditions originated, you can let them point you back to the great gift Jesus gave each of us by coming to earth, living, and dying for us.

—

John 6:37 (NIV) All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Mark 10:13-16 (NIV) People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Matthew 9:10 (NIV) While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

TIMELESS CAROLS

Something I’ve always loved about Christmas is listening to and singing the beautiful Christmas carols that have been written over the centuries. I like them so much that I often listen to them at other times throughout the year. Many are masterpieces and deeply moving. Recently, when looking online for the words to some of my favorites, I was impressed by the beauty of their poetry as well as the power of their purpose in a way I hadn’t been before.

What struck me was how in the midst of the rhyme and repetition that songs require, they deliver such powerful and nuanced messages. They speak deep truths about Jesus, His incarnation, mission, purpose, and power, along with His love and sacrifice for humanity. They are not only a strong witness to the message of the Savior and salvation, but are also a reminder to those of us who follow Him of the deep truths that we believe.

For hundreds of years, these carols have told the story of the One who left heaven to bring salvation to all people. They remind us, as they have done for centuries, of the importance of this day we celebrate—the birth of Christ—Jesus, God’s Son, who lived among us and laid down His life for us so that we may live forever. Embedded within the beautiful Christmas carols is the truth of what God has done to bring salvation to humanity.

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley. Originally set to solemn music, it was turned into the joyous and beautiful carol it is today by William Cummings, who based the music on a piece by Felix Mendelssohn. The message of reconciliation with God, the peace brought by the Prince of Peace, and the rejoicing that Jesus is King make this a deeply meaningful Christmas carol.

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

“O Holy Night” is my favorite Christmas carol—and in fact, my all-time favorite song. It is so powerful in both melody and word, and drives home the overall message of hope available to all who believe in Jesus and the effect He has on the lives of those who come to know Him. Here are a few excerpts:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth. …
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.

This additional verse, which is seldom sung, contains a touching word picture about comfort in difficult times.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need; our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Jesus is always there for us. Through the journey of our lives, through each of our tests and trials, He is there. As the carol says, He’s born to be our Friend. He’s no stranger to our weaknesses and frailties. He knows all about us—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and loves us in spite of how we are. He wants to be part of our lives, to share not just in our difficulties when we cry out to Him in need, but also in our times of joy and happiness, when we celebrate our achievements and those of our family and friends.

At Christmas, we are reminded about Jesus’ birth, and it’s a wonderful time of year to think about Him and all that He has done for us, which goes way beyond the Christmas season. He is an integral part of our lives and wants to be part of all we do—and He can be, as much as we’ll let Him.

As we sing Christmas carols this year, it’s a great time to reflect on what they mean, what Jesus did, and how deeply He loves each one of us and each one of our fellow human beings.—And to carry those thoughts and that love throughout the year ahead. Love Him, love His creations, and be grateful for all He’s done.
Have a wonderful Christmas in Christ.

—

1 John 4:9-12 ESV / In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:16 ESV / So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:7 ESV / Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Annoncement

Senior Soldier Recruitment Class
Date: 17/12/2017
Time: 2pm
Venue: Community Hall
Facilitator: Capt. Andrew Lo

Christmas Carolling
Date: 24/12/2017
Time: 6pm - 12 mid night
Details: Those who are interested, please contact Corps Officer

Sunday Service 
Date: 24/12/2017 (Sunday)
Time: 10:30am
Details: Sunday Service will be as usual. Please take note.

Christmas Service & Lunch
Date: 25/12/2017 (Monday)
Time: 10:30am
Venue: Worship Hall
Details: To those ladies who want to contribute dessert, please contact Sis Jacinta.

Christmas Open House
Date: 25/12/2017 (Monday)
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Venue: Penang Children's Home

Details: All are welcome

Sharing Christmas With Others

Date: 25/12/2017 (Monday)

Time: 9pm

Detail: Food distribution to the streets. If you are interested to be part of the special programme, kindly sign-up with Capt Fiona.

SHINY RED APPLES

Christmas 1984 was our family’s third Christmas away from Europe, and the remote village in eastern India where we had moved to help as volunteers had become a second home. After some initial difficulty in adjusting to such a different climate and culture, we soon came to appreciate the wonderful people we lived around and to embrace the new sights, sounds, tastes, and fragrances. I began to especially look forward to shopping at our local market, which seemed to have a year-round selection of fabulous juicy fruits—mangos, bananas, lichees, papayas, jackfruits, limes, and others.

It was on one of those trips to the market that we happened to see a stand that was selling—at an exorbitant price—some beautiful apples. We were told that these had arrived from the far north of the country, which explained the price tag.

Memories from my childhood surged, and of course, Christmas is a time when memories seem to carry special potency. My eldest daughter was accompanying me that day and put my feelings into words: “It would be so nice to have an apple for Christmas.”

That’s how the idea for our family’s Christmas surprise came about. My husband and I spent an evening wrapping small cardboard boxes filled with cookies, nuts … and one big, red apple!

On Christmas morning, the kids opened their boxes and jumped up and down at the sight of those apples! I think we parents had just as much fun watching them and—since we also got a Christmas box—savoring our own precious apple.

We returned to Europe a number of years ago and have since had plenty of apples, but our entire family still cherishes the fond memory of that one “poor” Christmas when we experienced that “rich” feeling of thankfulness for a simple apple.

May we always find a simple, humble reason to be grateful—not just at Christmas, but in every celebration and event all year round.

—

Colossians 3:15 ESV / And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV / Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 3:17 ESV / And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.