Were you there? Did you see it?

On Saturday the 19th of December, Amberlea hosted a Drive Thru Nativity.  It was amazing to see the regulated number of people, safely transform the parking lot into a wonderful COVID safe Christmas activity. 

Were you there?  If you were, you would have seen the delight in the eyes of children and adults alike as they drove by the five stations. Each station had a corresponding narration that was accessed by a download or CD that people could hear from the comfort and safety of their vehicles.  The story of Jesus’ birth brought to life.  It was a brilliant day. Thank you to our Family Ministry team who put together this extraordinary event.  

On Sunday the children, youth and their families (and our illustrious Family Ministry team) put together the most wonderful virtual Christmas pageant. 

Did you see it?  If you did, you would have laughed, cried and had your advent calendar chocolate melt with all the feels.  Thank you to all who made Amberlea’s first ever virtual Christmas pageant such a success!   For those of you who have not yet had a chance to see it, check out it on our Amberlea YouTube page. You will be so glad you did! :).

Today is Christmas Eve.

It’s different. Yes.  Christmas Day will be different. Yes.

But the one thing that remains the same is why we celebrate. So please tune into the two Christmas Eve services this evening.  The Children’s service will have interactive components culminating in a Family Communion Experience.  Let us remember why we celebrate the babe born in a stable. King of Kings and Lord of Lords! This Children’s service will be available at noon, so you can access it whenever it best suits your family.

Then at 7:30 join me as we sing, pray and reflect on the birth of Jesus in our virtual Christmas Eve Service.

Tonight, let’s remember, reflect and REJOICE in the birth of the Saviour of the World!

Merry Christmas!

The Messy, Perfect Christmas Story (by Nancy Varga)

““But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.””

— Luke 2:10-11

One of the traditions in our family, like many other families, is to open two presents on Christmas Eve.  One is always cozy new pajamas to wear to bed.  The second present was a new Christmas book. Truthfully, as the kids got older the books turned into movies. One of the things we all still look forward to over the Christmas break is watching and reading Christmas stories.  The classics never get old, and we have a comfortable expectation of how the new ones will go.  (Hallmark Christmas movies anyone?)  Traditions fit like a well-worn slipper.

This month, at Amberlea the family ministry team has been working on how to tell the traditional story of the first Christmas for the upcoming Christmas events, the Drive-Thru Live Nativity (Dec. 19) and the ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ Virtual Pageant presented by the children and youth (Dec.20).  As I tell my version of the story from 2000 years ago when Jesus was born, it sounds much like a Hallmark movie. It’s quaint, simple and oh so romantic.  Somehow I have managed to imagine that Mary was pleasant and delightful while she gave birth away from home, with just Joseph present, surrounded by animals, after walking for miles, and then be visited by smelly strangers. It even comes with a happy ending when the Magi bring amazing gifts.

Even as I write this version, it sounds a tad ridiculous.  There was nothing quaint or romantic about how things went down. And the happy ending is all but snatched away, as Mary, Joseph and Jesus go on the run from an evil king. (Best laid plans for a sequel.)

As I retell the Christmas story, I easily collapse it to the narrative that is comfortable and familiar for me. (Much like the pajama pants we all live in at our house.) I conveniently leave out the messy, fearful parts.

I don’t want my story to be messy, heated and uncomfortable. I don’t want to be afraid. I don’t want to be in the midst of Covid. I want things to be normal again.

Jesus’ birth story, the first Christmas was far from perfect. It was messy, uncomfortable and scary.  

It was part of a perfect plan. God’s plan. A plan that is so much bigger than what I can see.

We are reminded through Mary, Joseph and the shepherd’s story that we are part of God’s bigger story too.  The end of the story is that all things will be made right. God’s love once displayed in the birth of a tiny baby will have the final word.  In the meantime, the story is messy, uncomfortable and even scary and Mary and Joseph and the shepherds show us, remind us how to be in its midst. Give our praise and worship to God.

This Christmas, as my heart and head go between two worlds, (gratefulness and fear), I will be grateful for the opportunity to share the Christmas story with my children and grandchildren and bringing it to life in the parking lot of the church and on a video screen.

This Christmas when I am lying in bed fretting… or sitting at the table with empty chairs… or trying to connect with family over Zoom, I’m going to remind myself that Christmas was never perfect, but God’s plan is.

“Glorify and praise God for all the things you have heard and seen.” Go and share the story of Christmas, in all of its messiness and perfection.

Nancy Varga
Family Ministries Director

Drive-Thru Live Nativity  - Saturday, December 19, 12-3pm

Go back in time and experience the first Christmas outdoors. See the animals, shepherds, angels and magi all from the comfort of your car!

Spots quickly filling up. Register for your time at www.amberleachurch.ca

‘Do Not Be Afraid’, Virtual Christmas Pageant  – Sunday, December 20, 11am

Don’t miss the wonderful re-telling of the Christmas story by children and youth. Enjoy the creative, hard work of families as they performed and filmed their parts at home, and brought them all together to make the Christmas story come alive.  

Find it at www.amberleachurch.ca and Amberlea Church YouTube

Hopes and fears are met!

How are you coping? Christmastime in a global pandemic… it still seems like something out a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it!

In our home, we are trying hard to try to maintain as much of our Christmas traditions as possible even though we may be eating in the garage, and no one other than those who live in the house will actually see our beautifully decorated tree.

Christmas music has been filling our house…the classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause can be heard from the “All Christmas, All the time” radio station….even the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem came on.

Sometimes songs come on and we just sing along without taking notice of the words, but a line in this classic carol caught my attention, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” It struck me, as I was puddering around the house, the truth that Christmas deals with our fears.

On that first Christmas, God revealed His Son to the world in the midst of all humanity. There, in the tiny village of Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years met in a Baby lying in a manger.

But Christmas is about shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking and over indulging right? It’s not about fear - but frankly fear, is one of the major issues we face when we first encounter God. There is the fear of the unfamiliar. And I would imagine that Joseph, the husband of Mary, had that kind of fear when the angel appeared to him in a dream.  This is what Matthew writes:

“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:19-20

Joseph would have been afraid of what was happening and he wouldn’t be human if wasn’t terrified about what people were going to say.  Imagine, being Joseph and your fiancee tells you that she is pregnant, but she was still a virgin.  Really?  This was definitely uncharted waters.

That’s why the words of the angel saying, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” are very important. When the angel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid,” the angel zeroed in on his main problem. It’s our problem, too. We are afraid of the unfamiliar. When God is at work and we don’t know what God is doing, we can feel a degree of fear.  Bottom line: the things we don’t understand make us nervous.

The angel says to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid.” Don’t fear for your reputation, don’t be afraid of what you don’t understand. God is in this!” 

I don’t know about you but knowing that God is up to something in my life and in our world is an effective antidote to fear.

The message to Joseph and to you and me is the same. Don’t be afraid! Christmas is God’s intervention in our lives to bring joy and hope not fear.  Because,

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

On that first Christmas night “the hopes and fears of all the years” were met with Jesus - Thank you God!