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Weekly Greeting: Sunday 6 December
Submitted by Trevor Hudson on Fri, 2009-12-04 09:29
Dear Friends
We welcome you warmly to worship here at Northfield Methodist. Today we continue our Advent journey towards Christmas. Advent is the season of the church year during which we prepare our lives - heart, mind, our spirits - for the coming of Christ. During these few weeks preceding Christmas, we prepare our 'outside' lives. We buy gifts, make family plans, attend special services and clean house. We also need to prepare our 'inside' lives by sweeping out the corners of our hearts, cleaning out the clutter in order to make space for God's hope, joy and intimate presence. What a challenge this is for those who really want to prepare well!
This morning we prepare for Christmas as we focus on Mary's relationship with God and explore what it teaches us about living faithfully in today's world. Tonight we continue our sermon series on the Prodigal God. Our theme will be Searching for Happiness - a search that is both universal and deeply personal. Last week it was great to see Northfielders inviting friends and family to be part of this series. We hope that we will continue to do this as we seek to make Christ known in Benoni and beyond.
On this coming Friday night we will be hosting an outdoor Carol Service on our campus. This provides us with another wonderful opportunity to invite friends and family to be part of the Advent journey. Please don't forget to bring your own Picnic basket and Candles. The service will be hosted by Brian Smith and our new Minister, Gavin Landers. Welcome Gavin, Tania, Hayley, Joshua and Gabriella!! It's great to have you all with us. We hope that you will experience a warm welcome as you come and share your lives with the Northfield family.
In closing, we can invite you today into a deeper surrender of our lives to God. This is what Mary did when she prayed, 'Let it be Lord, according to your word.' Here is a prayer that you can make your own:
"God of presence, help me recognise when my thoughts, distractions, and fears keep me from being fully present to you and to those around me. I surrender to you all my tasks, my thoughts, and my distractions. For you are my peace, and the peace of the world. Amen"
God Bless
The Ministry Team
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