Sunday

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter/summer solstice holiday …

(practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all)

…..and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Australia great
(not to imply that Australia is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "Australia" in the western hemisphere),
and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.

It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.

It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

OR TO PUT IT ANOTHER (AND MORE CONCISE) WAY….

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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Just returned from my church’s Carol Service, which ran as follows:

Congregational Carols 9.45-10.00 a.m.
Choir “The First Nowell”
Welcome Isaiah 9:2, 6
Hymn 163 “Joy to the World Prayers”
Scripture reading Luke 2:1-7
Combined Choir “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”
Announcements & Offering
Dedication

Sunday School: “Noel, Noel”
“Mary Had a Baby”
Role play “Where’s Jesus?”
Sudanese Choir
Youth Choir “While Shepherds Watched”

Scripture reading Luke 2:8-20
Hymn 182 “Silent Night, Holy Night”
Message
Closing prayer
Hymn 187 “As with Gladness Men of Old”
Dutch Carol “Glory to God”



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One Christmas Pastor Clifford Stewart sent his parents a microwave oven. Here’s how he recalls the experience: ‘They were excited that now they too could be part of the instant generation. When Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frowns! Even after reading the directions they couldn’t make it work.

Two days later my mother was playing bridge with a friend and confessed her inability to get the microwave oven even to boil water. “To get this darn thing to work,” she exclaimed, “I really didn’t need better directions. I just needed my son to come along with the gift!” ‘

When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn’t send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out: he sent his Son.

~~

“If our greatest need had been education
God would have sent an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology
God would have sent a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure
God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness
So God sent us a Saviour.”


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And regrettably I should warn you there is a virus titled “Merry Christmas” going around – if you receive a message from a friend with a similarly titled attachment don’t open it!

I checked the church’s e-mail inbox after 2 ½ days and we had six actual messages, seven viruses and 183 pieces of junk mail. Aaaagh.