Making sense of it all

What do you think about when you can't fall asleep? Sometimes we just can't turn the brain off. Mary had a lot on her mind that first Christmas night - things to ponder, things to treasure in her mind. She was trying to make sense of a mystery that defies explanation: that she would give birth to a son, and was to give him the name Jesus. He would be called the Son of God (Luke 1: 31,35). This Sunday we too will ponder the mystery of the incarnation - at the nativity scene but also at the cross in our communion meal.

Carolfest 2011

Lucknow Carolfest at the Lucknow Presbyterian Church, featuring six local church choirs, including ours (pictured here).

The Nativity Scene

In November a number of us went to Walkerton to see the display called "Thousands of Nativities." There were over 3000 nativity scenes on display, all of them unique, and yet all of them representing the same people gathered in that barn in Bethlehem on that first Christmas Day. This season of Advent we will be visiting the nativity scene, spending some time with the shepherds, and with Mary and Joseph, and the baby Jesus. After Christmas we'll visit with the wisemen (though they wouldn't have shown up until 2 years later!). Tomorrow morning, Dec 4, we meet the shepherds who heard the announcement of Jesus' birth. When they went to see the baby, they saw beyond the manger, recognizing the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We too, are invited to come and see, and to stand amazed.

Guest preachers for 2 weeks

Gerald and I will be on vacation for the next two weeks. While I am away guest preachers will be filling our pulpit. On November 20 Gareth Harker, from Cambridge, will be leading the service and on November 27 we welcome Stan Puklicz from Stratford. May our worship be pleasing to God wherever we are.

Pulpit supply...

We call it "pulpit supply." What it means is that I will be preaching in a church that doesn't have a pastor right now. I will be in Blyth on Sunday, Nov 13, and leading in worship here in Lucknow will be Rev. Brian Bork, Campus Chaplain at the University of Waterloo and Waterloo Laurier. May God bless our worship, wherever that happens.

Organ donor registration blitz!

Yesterday we invited anyone over the age of 16 to register as an organ donor. Many new donors were signed up and some who had previously consented to be an organ donor registered their consent. The event was held in memory of 7 year old Alyssa, who passed away this past summer - she was too weak to recover from her heart transplant surgery. Thank-you to all who registered, and special thanks to Mandy for organizing the event. If you have not yet registered, you can still do so at www.beadonor.ca

A note of encouragement

The prophecy of Haggai is all about encouragement. God had allowed the people to go home and rebuild the temple, but they grew tired and discouraged. Despite God's blessings, we too might despair of going on. God encourages us to "be strong." We do so with his promise of blessing. As a demonstration of how we can go on, even after dealing with sad and difficult circumstances, our congregation will be participating in an organ donation registration blitz. People will be given the opportunity to register as organ donors, in memory of a little girl, 7-year old Alyssa, who died earlier this year in the process of receiving a new heart. Join us this Sunday, Nov 6 at 10 a.m. or register online at beadonor.ca Respond to this post if you registered and we will count you in our tally.