Are you in the Christmas spirit yet?

Are you in the Christmas Spirit yet?  

This year will be better than last year but this Christmas will still be different from Christmas’ before. Most office Christmas parties have been cancelled. The traditional Santa Clause Parade went virtual again this year. You can see the The Nutcracker Ballet at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto but you must be masked for the duration of the performance. It’s all different.

One thing that I have been able to count on — the one thing that has been consistent — is my guilty pleasure, Hallmark Christmas movies.  Yes, I said it. I love them. The movies are all pretty much the same— they're not entirely identical, but there is always someone who finds both love and the spirit of Christmas in the span of 1 hour and 55 mins. 

There was one story about a boy who promised his fiancee that he was always only a call away. If ever she needed his presence, all she had to do was call. One day while facing a difficult situation… I think her oven broke just before the big gingerbread bake off, she called and asked him to come over quickly. His response was basically, ‘Honey, I will climb the highest mountain to be with you. I will swim the deepest river to be with you. I will travel the longest distance to be with you another day. But sorry, I cannot come today’!!  She ended up falling in love with the repairman who showed up immediately. Incidentally he also loved gingerbread!

Corny, sure, but there is something about being there — particularly, being with someone in their time of need.   

The name ‘Immanuel’ means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). It tells us of how God identified with our brokenness and came down to be with us, in the form of Jesus. It tells us that our God was willing to live and dwell among us so that we could experience His love and grace first-hand! 

I can imagine the Father telling Jesus as he was about to leave Heaven to be incarnated among humanity, “Son, as you live among them, give them ALL my love”! 

That’s exactly what Jesus did as he spread God’s love extravagantly! The fullness of His love was eventually seen through His sacrifice on the cross.

On Sunday mornings we have been working through a series entitled Finding the Missing Peace.  Spoiler Alert:  Jesus, God with us, is PEACE and our missing peace.

The Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords is with us.  God is with you.  God promises that He will never leave you, and He will always be with you!

Join us this Sunday for A Very Special Family Christmas Pageant as we continue to journey through Advent together. Then on Christmas Eve we will conclude our series on Finding the Missing Peace!  

Be sure to register for one of the three services we are offering (4pm; 6pm; and 7:30 pm).  The services will be identical so pick a time that suits you and your family best.  

Finding PEACE in God's timing.

On Sunday I spoke with a lovely lady in the congregation who told me that her “Christmas baking had officially begun”.  

She is an avid baker and each year before Christmas she bakes a freezer full of delicious goodies. Something about our conversation inspired me.  During COVID lockdowns  I learned to knit socks, I learned how to make mugs and bowls on a pottery wheel, surely I could bake!  So I decided to try my hand at a Canadian favourite, butter tarts.

I found a recipe online and followed it to the letter.  It looked exactly like the picture provided.

The next step was to bake.  The recipe suggested 13-15 mins.

Okay so, I set my timer for 13 mins.  Nope. Not done.

I put the tray back in the oven and set the timer for another two min. 

Two minutes later. Nope. Not done. The recipe said that the filling should be bubbling. There was no bubbling happening. I began to doubt the validity of the recipe. Was the recipe wrong?  Was my oven working?

I set the timer for another two minutes and stood in front of the oven and peered through the glass.  Let me just say, two minutes takes forever when you are just standing looking into an oven!

Two minutes later and nope. Not done.  At least, I didn’t think they were done. I set the timer again and in frustration walked away. Mistake.  They were done.  Well done.

My timing was not at all perfect.

But here is the thing… God’s timing always is.
God gives us hope and dreams for certain things in our lives, but we are never privy to the exact timing of God’s plan. Not knowing the exact timing can be frustrating. Some of us get tired of the waiting and may want to give up.  Some of us question whether God is even listening or if God is even there.   But if we know that God’s plan for our lives is good and we trust God completely with our lives, we can experience joy and total peace.

I was not going to give up. Trusting the recipe and my baking skills, I made a second batch.  All I can say is YUM!!  :)

Join us on Sunday as we continue our journey to Christmas as we are in part 3 of our sermon series entitled: Finding the Missing Peace.

How to love difficult people.

So recently I found myself in a rather uncomfortable and emotionally unsettling situation with a woman that I just met.  We were having a pleasant enough encounter when something I said greatly offended her. I was surprised by her reaction and immediately apologized. She, however was not at all interested in accepting my apology and continued to berate me. 

What do you do when someone is unwilling to forgive or is just plain difficult?

Maybe it’s the in-law that is constantly critiquing your parenting skills or offering “suggestions” for improvement. Or the child that knows “everything”, particularly how to jump on your last nerve. Perhaps it’s the co-worker who is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead including sabotaging you. Or the passive aggressive friend who is loving one moment and gives you the cold shoulder the next. The list can go on and on.  

What do you do?

My natural tendency is to want to run in the other direction, or avoid them as much as possible. But is that what honours God?

In Luke 6:27-29, Jesus describes things difficult people might do: “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.”

And then in the next few verses, Jesus offers three radical ways to respond.

1. Give extravagantly.

“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” (Luke 6:30, NIV)

Our first step is to become acutely aware that Jesus loves us right where we are. He loves us when we’re prickly. He loves us when we fail to think before we speak. As hard as it is to understand, we don’t always deserve a loving response, but our Heavenly Father gives it in generous measure.

Being loved by Jesus allows us to love others. We are free to give a measure of mercy, even as we work through conflict to resolve differences.

2. Treat them the way you want to be treated.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31, NIV)

When we treat others the way we want to be treated, we give up the need to control them or the situation. We stop looking for flaws, as we realize how deeply flawed we are as well. We hold back verbal karate chops, choosing words that heal rather than heat up the situation, because that’s exactly what we’d desire if the tables were turned.

3. Love unexpectedly.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32, NIV)

Loving difficult people is the hard path of faith, but it’s also where God’s greatest work begins — in our own heart. Revenge or retaliation, as good as it might feel in the moment doesn’t make us stronger, quite the contrary. It is in loving that person and trying to find peace that makes us stronger.

So we love. WE love those who don’t love us back. WE love those who are difficult. WE love those who don’t and will never see eye to eye with us, not because it is easy, it’s not, but because that is who we are.

 And they will know we are Christians by our love.

Join us this Sunday in person at Amberlea Church, 1820 Whites Rd., Pickering ON (please register) or online Amberlea Church YouTube

 as we continue our series entitled:

Finding the Missing Peace.