The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
"Happy Birthday" Submitted by Pastor Scott Koop Flin Flon Mennonite Brethren Church We've all heard it said a hundred times before that we need to put Christ back in Christmas. While I agree wholeheartedly with that statement I think it needs to be more specific. How can we put Christ into this season? Here are a few suggestions: 1. For Christmas Day, bake a cake, put candles on it and sing happy birthday to Jesus. It is His birthday after all and having a birthday party for Jesus is not only appropriate, it's fun! 2. God gave of himself to us by sending His Son. We in turn should try giving of ourselves to others. Why not give some of your time to a Christmas charity. It's a great way to enter in to the true spirit of giving. 3. Giving to each other should be more than just buying gifts. Try making a small manger out of cardboard and cut small strips of yellow felt to represent straw. Each day leading up to Christmas Day, when you do a kind deed for someone else, place a piece of "straw" in the manger. See how full you can get the manger by December 25. 4. For many less fortunate people Christmas is a very depressing time, especially if they are alone. If you know someone who is all by themselves over the holidays, invite them over for a meal. 5. A birthday celebration is often held at the home of the guest of honour. This Christmas find a place of worship and spend some quality time with Jesus. Christmas is a season of expectation. It is the birthday of the Saviour Jesus Christ. He came 2000 years ago; He will come again one day in majesty and splendour. But between those two events He must come into our own hearts. His whole purpose for coming was to have a relationship with us and to mend the broken relationship between us and God. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, ... And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) God bless you this Christmas season.6/12/04
