Newsletter
January 2003
CHAIRMAN’S CHATTER
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and will call him Emmanuel’ Is 7v14
This is one of my favourite verses of Christmastime, mainly because of its meaning. The footnote in my Bible says that Emmanuel means `God with us’. I do find it amazing that the God of the universe chose to come and dwell with us.
I think the hymn writer Charles Wesley captures some of this wonder in the hymn `Let earth and heaven combine’ which contains the lines `Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made man’. But we won’t understand why he was made man unless we look ahead and see the purpose for which he came. An indication of this is in the message that the angels bring to the shepherds `Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2v11). As John Byrom wrote `Trace we the Babe who has retrieved our loss, From His poor manager to His bitter cross’ Jesus not only came to be with us 2000 years ago but to bring us back into fellowship with God now. For me fellowship with God means peace with God, as I know that He is there for me. As Paul says in Romans 8v31 `If God is for us, who can be against us?'
I know that the start of a New Year can be filled with apprehension for some of us, especially when we look and see what is around us – war and rumours of war! But I pray that as we start 2003, that we will hold onto the fact that God is with us and will always be so as he has promised `And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matt 28v20).
Take care
Julie
Thanks for visiting our site !
Please let us know you have seen our web pages by emailing the CRC WebWeaver