Celebrating Christmas Meaningfully

          This is my message preached last weekend. I realised while going for an evening walk earlier that this might be helpful so here is an excerpt.

Celebrating Christmas Meaningfully

My favourite time of the year is Christmas. I love the cooler weather, log cakes and family time. Many of you love Christmas season too.

There is a risk though that in the midst of all the marketing, Christ becomes an afterthought and frequently gets left away in the manger.

In one of his Letters To An American Lady, C. S. Lewis wrote, “ My brother heard a woman on a bus say, as the bus passed a church with a Crib outside it, “Oh Lord! They bring religion into everything. Look--they’re dragging it even into Christmas now!’

That letter was written over forty years ago and since that time things have not gotten much better. For many, Christmas is another holiday. Even those of us who know the real meaning of Christmas have to fight against the tendency to get caught up in the busyness and frenzy. What do diamond earrings and flat screen TVs have anything to do with the birth of Christ?

Christmas can feel like two months of frantic running all over the place, followed by two hours of feasting and two minutes of tearing up wrapping paper. So I remember telling myself, “this Christmas will be different.” It hasn’t quite worked out. 

Thankfully last Christmas was special. Here's the background. Every year I join Dinah’s family here as they celebrate Christmas. Her family is big. Many are Christians.

Our Christmas celebration last year was memorable. It started when my wife said she was tired of celebrating Christmas with the same eating, small talk and carol singing. She asked God for an idea to do Christmas differently and tastefully, without too much of a shock factor.

She got a download to pair everyone for prayer after dinner. So prior to the party, she and our daughter wrote down each person’s names on pieces of papers. Then they began pairing a mature believer with a younger believer. My son and I gave input.  

On the eve of Christmas, we arrived with bags of gifts and food for dinner. We said grace and began eating.  After dinner, the norm was to chat informally until 11:30 pm when we would sing carols. At about 10:30 pm Dinah called everyone together. She explained the idea and people warmed up to the plan.

My daughter came up and read the pairs. People began to pair up as their names were read out. Pairs began sharing. There was spiritual conversation and then praying. There were tears. The atmosphere changed. To our surprise, the younger ones found this especially meaningful. 

The family Christmas photo last year was the most radiant photo ever. It was not people trying to smile after overeating. It was a picture of people who were touched. What a blessing!

Today let's look at how we can celebrate Christmas meaningfully. Before that let's look at two Scriptures on Christmas. 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Christmas is a momentous point in redemptive history. Christmas is God with us. Christmas is God becoming man so that he might give His life as a ransom for many. Christmas means unto us a Saviour is born!

We can redeem the season. Here are 7 ways to celebrate Christmas. Some will speak to you more than others.

1. Give God one very special gift just from you to Him

Let this gift be something personal that no one else needs to know about, and let it be a sacrifice. David said that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing.

"… I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing…" II Sam. 24:24

Maybe your gift to God will be to forgive someone you've needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover that you've given a gift back to yourself.

Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and Forget, "When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself."

Perhaps your gift will be to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something God has asked you to give up. Make this your most important gift of the season. This is His birthday.

2. Set aside silent nights to read the Christmas story in Luke 1:5-56, 2:1-20

The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to go to the source -  Scripture - and learn about Christ: his birth, life, death, and teachings. Encountering the life of Christ, especially on a daily basis, will bring Christ into your life, especially at Christmas time.

If the story is too familiar, read it in a different translation, such as the King James Version if you are used to the New International Version (NIV).

Take time to read a passage from the Bible that tells of Christ's coming, and to ask Him to draw you closer to Himself as Christmas approaches. This is your silent night (or morning).

You can keep a Christmas journal expressing your thoughts about what happens throughout the season with your family and friends. Include your reactions to the news, sermons, Christmas events, parties, and gifts, as well as your reflections about Jesus.

3. Plan a project of goodwill this Christmas

Agape is the pure love of Christ and it means to love others unconditionally. Loving others is one of the ultimate ways to keep Christ in Christmas because that is what Christmas is all about. Through the Atonement, Christ served each of us on a level we cannot fully understand, but which we can emulate by serving others.

Practically, we can drop off a new toy at the Boys Brigade Share-A-Gift (formerly Sharity gift box). We can  find someone with a genuine need, involve your family and see how you can bless someone this Christmas. For example, replace a broken down washing machine.

Invite a low-income family to your home for Christmas lunch then give their children Christmas gifts. If your budget permits, give the parents gifts as well. It’s like welcoming Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus into your home. 

Andrew and Grace home is a shelter for teen girls who are juvenile delinquents that are beyond parental control or are victims of sexual and/or physical abuse. This is their homepage www.aghome.org.sg 

Bring gifts to the babies and mothers there. This way you are like the Magi who offered gifts to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. 

Mother Teresa said, "It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you…. Yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand."

4. Give a surprise gift of service to each member of your family

Jesus taught us to serve by washing the disciples feet. He also taught us that it is "more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35  

The idea of giving an unexpected gift of service to members of your family is to demonstrate Christ-like love and service. You might consider giving a back rub to your spouse or running an errand for your brother. There was one year when I cleaned out the store room for my parents.

Make it personal and meaningful then watch the blessings multiply.

5. Set aside a time of family devotions on Christmas Eve or morning

Before any gifts are unwrapped or holiday meals consumed, say a prayer of thanks for His blessings and love. And above all else, thank Him for the gift of Christmas!

 Read a few Bible verses aloud and discuss as a family the true meaning of Christmas. Here are some themes and corresponding Scriptures. 

The Birth of Jesus - Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-14

The Visit of the Magi and Shepherds - Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:15-20

Immanuel - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

The Birth of Jesus Foretold - Isaiah 40:1-11, Luke 1:26-38

Dedicate the occasion to Jesus.

6. Join a Christmas worship service together with your family

If you are alone this Christmas or don't have family living near you, invite a friend or a neighbour to join you.

We have two very powerful tools in our hands - the Bible and the mobile phone. One is the way God speaks to us. The other is how we speak with our friends and family.

Text a friend: “Christmas is coming and I thought of you. I was wondering if you would like to join me to a Christmas-Eve service at church.”

7. Write a Christmas letter to a missionary

For a church planter, receiving a letter feels like opening a priceless gift on Christmas morning, no matter what day it is. Many missionaries are unable to travel home for the Christmas holidays, so it can be a very lonely time. Write a special Christmas letter to a missionary of your choice, thanking them for giving their life in service to the Lord. It will mean more than you can imagine!

        In summary, a great way to ensure Christ is the centre of Christmas is to put Him first. Today we have looked at 7 ways to celebrate Christmas meaningfully. Some of the ideas need more lead time than others. We can put some into practice tomorrow. I do hope that Christmas will be meaningful for you.

Christmas celebrates the good news that God demonstrated His love for humankind by giving us his only Son, Jesus at the very first Christmas.  Although Jesus never did anything wrong, He willingly paid the penalty for our sins when He was crucified and buried.  Then, Jesus confirmed that He was God by conquering death as He resurrected from the grave.  Now, He is our advocate in Heaven at the right-hand side of God preparing for His future return. 

Because of these actions, we can receive forgiveness from our sins, restore an intimacy with our Creator, discover our life purpose on earth, and reserve an eternal home in Heaven. This is why we celebrate CHRISTmas!

The number one way to keep Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have him present in your daily life. If you're not sure what it means to become a follower of Christ, we'd love to speak with you. We'll be here at the front after the closing prayer later. 

If you’ve made Christ the centre of your life, keeping Christ in Christmas is more about the way you live your life. Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily revealing the character, love and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. Christ came to give Himself to others. Choose to build and nourish those you love in new ways.

So have a worshipful Christmas this year. Celebrate Jesus. Then go shopping.

As for me, I’m going to try and live simpler.  I’m going to prepare my heart to seek the true gift of Christmas – the peace of Jesus. Amen.

Eventful but in a scorching way

    October was very eventful. We celebrated birthdays for Dinah, the twins and Lawrence over 3 days. It was a joy catching up with Lawrence, Pat and Jono from Perth. My brother Stan and family were also here. Its always good to have family around. Then Nic was also in town. Oh yes, the O-level exams started before the twins' birthday.

 There were special times of ministry too. My son and I volunteered for Focus on the Family. Dinah and I served in marriage mentoring. We also volunteered at the night study programme at the school. Then it was special to minister at VFC Sembawang. And the atmosphere was just amazing at at the Hymn and Praise service at TSS.  

    We had good times with Paul and Cherline, Yeen Fun, Danny and Hazel, and Matthew Ling. And Wee Leng and Wan Phing had us over for a home-cooked dinner. Baby Celeste is so charming,
   Oct was eventful but in a scorching way. Had a sore throat incident in a hot, humid and glaring month. Only 4 rainy days the whole month. How I long for the cooler days in Nov.

Conducting Training

    September had a few scorchers of a day. Thankfully there was some rain too, unfortunately not on those scorcher days.

    The highlight was conducting Marriage Mentoring Training for Focus on the Family SG. This was my first time ministering with Dinah to married couples (see pic). 46 persons signed up for this first-ever training, conducted over 2 days.

   Next I was off to Malacca. Conducting character-based training in a corporate setting was a first for me. Hanging out with colleagues was fun. It was also nice getting to know colleagues from the China office.

    Through September, this office laptop gave some problems. So after Malacca, this laptop spent 3 days in the service centre. Upon collection, the video-cam and motherboard became brand new after being replaced.

Space is getting low

   The first 3 days of the month was intense. I flew to Malaysia to conduct this first-ever training for new first-line managers. Course participants came from Malaysia and Vietnam. After training, we hung out and enjoyed PJ street food. Here's a pic. Then I flew home and felt a massive hangover for 3 days. It was no easy feat to design, develop and deliver a course virtually singlehandedly. And this course had 12 lessons.
   Another highlight was meeting with Pastor Ong Chooi Seng from the Church of the Ascension. Our appointment had already been postponed once. We finally met and after lunch, he was so kind to take me on a guided tour of the St Andrews Village. Memories of school days came flooding back at every turn. The last time I visited here was probably over 12 years ago.
   The final memory of August was the dreaded message "Phone storage space is getting low". This was constant, like every two hours daily. Only in September, did I realise I could move some applications to the SD card. There is a lesson somewhere here about reading PDF instruction manuals.

July this year

July was full. Need I mention that it was hot and humid? And there was much travelling too.
Dinah and I ministered in Seattle. The NA Annual Conference in Seattle featured many firsts. Most of all, it surpassed our expectations :) Our folks tell us that this the best one so far.
We were glad to spend some quality time with our NA leaders before conference and with our Seattle leaders after conference.

Here are 2 Seattle pics. The first is with Eric from Montreal, and SL and Sharon from Calgary. The second is with John and Monette from Altanta.

Shortly after returning, Marcus came to to Singapore. Those days were well spent with our German friend. Marcus, Dinah and I would catchup late into the night.

Much of July was spent developing a new training course. This 3-day course for new first-line managers in Malaysia and Vietnam, was to start on Aug 1. Tough to develop from scratch but I've learnt a lot. I flew out on the last day of July to go conduct this course.

The storm surrounding CHC

I felt saddened when news of the arrests surfaced yesterday. Last night I pondered about this whole matter. Here are three reflections.

It is important to discipline our selves to think the best of people. Contemporary culture can among other things be a culture of critics. “What do you think of that performance?” “What did you think of what the manager said?” If not careful, believers will have a shortage of enthusiasm and a surplus of cynicism.

From what I have read, the purpose was to engage society and to reach out. The goal was not personal gain. This is important. The issue is the means to reach this end. The charges are serious. And things will be much clearer in the weeks ahead. So we must not be quick to jump to conclusions or to presume guilt. But we do need to uphold the individuals, their families and the church in prayer.

During this time do watch out for negative and sinful dynamics in our own life. Avoid the judgmental spirit and self-righteousness. All the talents in the world cannot make up for wrong attitude. Our heart posture will want to be lined up with the Lord's heart in this matter. It is important to maintain a right attitude; regardless of circumstances.

May is hot

   May is quite hot and sticky. It only rained for a while for a few days. It was cool for the first 2 days in May because I was in Canada. But I spent the next 4 days recovering and overcoming jetlag.

   The highlight was a trip to India. This was my first time. I spent 6 days in Delhi and Gurgaon. It's hotter here at 41C but less sticky. Traffic is crazy. People are diverse. I was not used to the local breakfast but lunch and dinner is great. Here is a picture of Qutub Minar in Delhi.

   The low point was this 13-month printer cartridge stalling. The replacement only arrived a week later. Yes, I spend the month-end preparing for another long-haul trip in early June.

April already

   April starts with Passion week. This year, I speak at a bi-lingual Good Friday service and at an Easter Sunday service in English.
   A second highlight is George inviting us to the FourSquare Singapore leaders' meeting with Glenn Burris, and Jim and Melinda Scott. It was a blessing to learn from and to meet such Godly people.
    It was also fun to join Robert's 64th birthday celebration. The poolside barbeque party was pretty cool. Not long after, we joined the tenth anniversary celebration of Focus on the Family Singapore. I even learned about fostering kids in Singapore.

   Another highlight was family worship and prayer times at our home. Dinah, the twins and I hope to grow deeper in this.
  The last five days of the month happened in Quebec. Dinah and I travel a long way to visit our French-Canadian friends. We were mostly in the south-side of Montreal in Chambly with this pioneer group. Catching up with the individuals is worthwhile. We also lay hands on Eric. And Luc took a pic of Eric and I. We also visit some of Eric's contacts in the Gaspe peninsula.
   April has been a fruitful month indeed. No complaints about the weather. Though warm most mornings, the days became cloudy and cool in the afternoon.

March has been very good

   The start of the month was birthday time. This year's celebration was quite different. On the eve, Dinah and our twins took me out for a special meal. On the day itself, Charmaine took Dinah and I to a raw food workshop. It was a pretty unique. Then Jan prepared a nice dinner. Later in the night, Arsenal won against Liverpool in Anfield.

   Another March highlight was catching up with our Hope regional pastors in Singapore for two nights. Then there was a 10-day business trip to the UK. This is my fourth overseas trip of the year. There were management meetings plus corporate training. It was good that I could catch up with my brother on the weekend.
   It was such a blessing to get to know Pastor Adeola Mensah from Lagos. Jan invited me to get together. Here's the pic from Jan's camera.
  The month ended on a positive note. Glen suggested for our buddies to catch up over dinner at the Penang Place. It was just a fun time.
  Yes, I am thankful for kind weather this month. It is awesome to have cool weather when you work from home. March has been very good. 

Quite a good month

February was quite a good month. Looking back, there were 5 memorable moments.

The first was that I had to travel for only one overseas trip. The best part about this was that this was a day trip :)

The second was the story of our car. It has served us well for quite a few years. In February, it found itself needing a bit of care and some repair work. Shortly after our car episode came the story of Jeremy Lin. I found myself drawn to and inspired by his sheer humility and his unashamed testimony. Must have followed the Linsanity story daily for at least two weeks straight.

The ultimate highlight of the month was my daughter. She is not even 16 and she went for her first date. There was a buzz in our family leading up to her special day. Valentine's day weekend finally arrived. It was just amazing. Here is my memoirs of this perfect day http://focusonthefamilysg.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/date-with-dad/

Yes, there were some hot and steaming days but we won't go into that. Then the 29th itself was special. The world is not going to experience this date again for another 4 years. The day was also special in that I bought a guitar for my son. My son and his guitar will be a future story... All in all, Feb was a good month. And I am going to remember Valentine's Day in 2012 for years to come.

Its 2012

Dec 2011 and Jan 2012 were full months. There were so much preparation for the new business year and the new ministry year. January is always fun when we get to celebrate two different New Years. The down side is the lack of monsoon rains this time of the year. Jan does not feel as cool as this time last year.

The highlights fall on the first 5 days, the last 5 days of January and involve Australia. The first day of 2012 was very special. Dinah and I caught up with my dear friend Lloyd and family here from Australia. But Dinah was occupied for the charity premiere of the movie Courageous on the second day of the new year. Then the HIM Global Conference was very early in Jan this year. Yes, this involved flying to Chiang Mai on the fifth day of the year.

Five days from end of Jan was the departure of Lawrence, Pat and Jono. Charmaine organised a meaningful farewell on the second day of Lunar New Year. Two days later, our dear friends returned to Australia. On the day, Richard and I helped with the final clear-up in Sengkang and drove the family with all their luggage to the airport. I do miss this special family very much!

Saying Farewell 2011

Dec was a mixed bag in terms of weather and work. The month was not as cool despite several floods here. Weather-wise, I asked myself: Is this December? Then I was setting up a new office in SG. This meant visiting potential office spaces, advertising for and then interviewing candidates. And it's hard to interview in festive Dec. But it was fun to be in the MY office for our Christmas event and New Year briefing. The thanksgiving was having one overseas trip cancelled. This meant I had 6 instead of 7 trips in the quarter.

My personal highlight was our
family get away. The four of us took off for four days. With O-levels next Oct, it will be hard to go away in June so we went earlier. We are sure thankful for this memorable time out. Another family highlight was being at the movie premiere of Courageous. This is the ultimate movie on fatherhood... It was great having 7 Christmas and year-end celebrations with friends and family. Barely managed to squeeze time to ponder over decisions for the coming year.

Year-end was very meaningful.
On the night of 31st Dec, Richard and Yuet Mei hosted a farewell dinner for the Ongs. Our dear friends are relocating back to Perth very soon. The day was also Richard's last day of shift work and Pat's last day of work in SG.

That was the story of December and how we bade farewell to 2011.

You're still here?

November is a tail-end month with that pre year-end atmosphere. Very early Nov it dawns on me that 7 overseas trips in this final quarter of the year is dreadful. It is exhausting just to think about it. Then the weather this time of the year is supposed to be nice. A few days was not as hot but it was mostly hot and humid. Nov in 2010 was nicer.

An interesting phenomena is happening more and more as I look back over the past 6 months. Dinah and I keep bumping into friends who go, "You're still here?'. They have obviously not been reading this blog. Or I have not been keeping in touch as regularly. So Dinah or I would naturally re-tell our tale of an extended transition. Most would marvel at the multiple transitions we are going through simultaneously. Our pastor friends are quite different. They would go, "So you can speak for us now". There are several doors opening. Now we ponder over the options.

Let me share some thanksgiving too. One thanksgiving this month was to spend one entire weekend with my brother and sister-in-law, in between a business trip to London (photo). Another was being part of the Ministering Spiritual Gifts workshop here with Serena Shim from Sabah. A third thanksgiving was to have spent one weekend with our Chiang Mai church in northern Thailand. Very memorable Nov weekends indeed.

A big thanksgiving is the privilege to journey with Vincent and Jenny as they leave an established church to plant a new church. It has been a joy to walk with them. I rejoice with them as they venture out to birth a new faith community right here in Singapore. There are exciting days ahead.

Oct in Montreal

Oct is still warm and humid. The first two weeks of October was year-end (final) exams for our twins. I joined them on the study mode on weekends to do thesis corrections. The third week was a business trip to South Korea. This is only my second time in this fascinating nation.

Month-end saw Dinah and I making a ministry trip to Quebec in Canada. This is our first time here. Missing the three flights is a long story. I'll stay with the ministry side of the story. It is cold here even in the autumn. The location is Chambly in the south-shore of Montreal. We spend informal time getting to know individuals and couples on Friday and Saturday. Sunday was the house church worship service. It was a meaningful day that ended with us sealing a covenant by partaking the Lord's Supper.

Over the next 3 days, Eric took us
to the Gaspe peninsula where we meet with new friends in 3 towns. The journey took 9 hours one way but the landscape and scenery was spectacular. We finally arrived back in Montreal and spent our final night on Wed in Chambly with the team. Two guests including Harry joined us. The next day Eric took us to the airport. This was already 3rd Nov. We had 3 flights back to Singapore.

So Dinah and I spent 20 hours flying and then 5 hours in two different airports on transit. We reflected on this amazing trip and were so encouraged and blessed by Eric and the people in this new house church.

Virtual Home Office (VHO)

September is the first month to work from home. I have done this before but now it is a daily reality. This new work environment is another transition. I am still getting used to the virtual office and constant skype conferences. One good thing is no more daily commute to work. Another is more time with our twins. The not so good part is that this was a mostly hot and humid month.

One highlight this month was to hear Gary and Barb Rosberg, a couple who are marriage coaches. Getting to meet them and getting coaching was quite refreshing.

Another high point was having extended time with my new colleagues. Port Dickson was hot and humid like Singapore, except for one rainy afternoon. But it was great getting to know colleagues, training and having fun together. It was so good that this multi-racial and religious team enjoyed each other's company.

One downer this month was having to write a 12-page Mission Outcomes Assessment. Its compulsory in order to graduate and we are given 30 days to complete. Thing is that no marks are awarded for this work! And this comes after completing the thesis, so psychologically you feel that you have completed.. then this comes along. So writing was very h-a-r-d going. But its finally done!

My daily September prayer was three-fold: a) Lord, save us from this heat and humidity, b) would you send cooler weather soon, and c) please help me with this 12-page paper.

Pretty Crazy

August was pretty crazy. Dinah and I spent the first few days of August furiously preparing for a super long ministry trip.

First up was the regional
conference in Manhattan. There was actually a pastors' retreat followed by the conference. I remembered to take a photo with first-time conference delegates from Quebec.

Next up was Chicago. The people of Hope Chicago were quite fun. They took us bowling and to a barbeque. Somehow we did not take any photos :( Thankfully some of our friends did and posted them on our Facebook page. You can check it out there.

Final stop was Colorado Springs.
The landscape was picturesque, the people were friendly and the meetings were fruitful. Here is a photo from Dinah's phone.

The last few days of August was spent frantically packing up my office in Singapore. The massive jet lag did not help but our twins were a massive help. Lawrence, Pat and little Jonathan showed up on one Saturday to help. When I moved out on Aug 31, only 7 cartons remained. Not bad after 16 years.

The transitions continue...