‘Twas the Week Before Christmas

‘Twas the week before Christmas,
And the schedule is full.
There are people to see,
Arrangements to make,
Events to celebrate,
Classes to teach,
And miles to drive.

These will not fill our hearts,
We need something more.
It is in those moments between
That we are offered true love,
True peace, true joy.
It happens as we stop, and
We think of the first Christmas.

The God Who made the universe,
And created everything in it,
Made Himself small,
So He could come as a baby
To rescue mankind.
An unlikely superhero,
But God excels in choosing the unimaginable.

He chose an infant to save the world.
He chose shepherds to tell the story.
He chose foreigners to bring gifts.
He chose an uninspiring shelter
In an insignificant town
To write a new chapter
In the greatest love story ever told.

Truths from the story break in
To the schedule of the week.
They call us to shift our concentration
To the One Who pursued relationship with us.
Those truths seem impossible, yet
They call us to once again accept the gift being offered.
They call us to move our focus to where it should be.

Praise and Prayer

• This past week, the two classes at the cram school went well.  There were good interactions with the students.  Please pray for God to direct the moments in the remaining 5 class periods on December 22-23.
• Praise the Lord that we are able to celebrate 40 years of God’s grace in our marriage relationship.
• Please pray that cold weather and listlessness would not prevent people from coming to attend the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day events at Baozhong Alliance Church.

Dressing to Be Royalty

During this Advent season, Lorne is using “One Baby for the World” as a devotional guide.  It is written by an international worker to Mongolia.  Today’s reading caused some deeper thinking.

When trying to help Mongolian orphans understand Christmas and its importance to them personally, one year they presented each child with royal robes.  The children had to dress in special clothes because Jesus was offering each one of them to become royalty.

The baby in the Christmas story is the King of the world, the Creator of all creation, and He came down for us.  He came to endow us with the position and title of royalty.  Through Jesus we become sons and daughters of the King of Kings.  We are all invited to be royal sons and daughters.

The clothes helped that truth in the story come alive for the orphans that year.

What Scriptural truth will help you and me to feel connected to the story this year?
What concept will help the Taiwanese people around me become connected to the love expressed in the story?

Please pray that God will break through and help people to connect with Him in a deeper way this Christmas season.

Praise and Prayer

• Sharing our own stories of receiving Christ’s help to transition from lost to found, and from darkness to light is important.  We are also inviting people to attend the Christmas Eve service.  The theme this year is: Receiving True Peace.  Please pray that at least some of the people invited will attend.
• Praise the Lord that Kathy-Lu’s health is improved.  It is wonderful that she can stop isolating from everyone.
• Please pray for Lorne as he prepares to tell the Christmas story and lead interactive learning activities at seven classes at an English Cram School (English tutorial school). Different classes need materials appropriate to their age level.  Please ask that the students will have receptive hearts and will remember the truths they hear.

Global Darkness

The headline caught my eye.  “On Dec. 6, a Minute of Global Darkness”

At 19:56 UTC on December 6, approximately nine of every ten people will at the same moment be in darkness. At that moment of this year, the greatest number of people will live in locations experiencing nighttime.  After hearing that 99% of the world’s population had sunlight at 11:15 UTC on July 8, the authors compared the data to determine the greatest number of people who will simultaneously experience darkness.  They estimate that it will include 85.92% of the world’s population.

There was a time when an even greater number of people were in darkness. It included everyone. It was the time before Jesus came to be our Saviour, when everyone was trapped in spiritual darkness.

We sing about it in the Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  The third verse includes the for the Saviour to “drive away the shades of night, and pierce the clouds and bring us light.”

Matthew 4:16 tells us that when Jesus began to preach, it fulfilled the 700 year-old prophecy by Isaiah:

“the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”

Jesus is the Light that shines, banishing the darkness.  Will you join us in praying that during the Christmas season this year, people will welcome Jesus to be Light in their lives.  And may we be aware of the light of His presence in both planned and unplanned activities.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for the successful children’s activity at Baozhong Alliance Church this past weekend.  Please pray that the elementary students will remember both the fun of interacting with their teachers and also the truths that were taught to them.
• Please pray for Kathy-Lu’s recovery from a rebound infection of Covid.  As we trust God to bring healing.  We also trust Him to comfort with his peace.
• Please pray for Lorne as he prepares to tell the Christmas story and lead interactive learning activities at seven classes at an English Cram School (English tutorial school). Different classes need materials appropriate to their age level.

Anticipation

The American Thanksgiving weekend has ended, and people’s focus moves from Black Friday deals to anticipating Christmas.  What are you hoping will happen during this Christmas season?

Maybe you are in survival mode.  There is so much to do: decorating, baking, planning, entertaining, gatherings, etc.  Sometimes the season can feel overwhelming. Although there is a sense that there should be more to the season, we find ourselves trapped in the effort to meet  expectations.  These feelings, and the accompanying busy-ness, are related to our desire to accomplish desired things for ourselves and for people we care about.

But, what about God?  We say we care about Him.  Maybe we should stop and ask:  “What are God’s desires for this year’s Christmas season?  What are we anticipating that God might do before the end of this year?”

One thing that God seems to have arranged for our church is a children’s event next weekend.

A former schoolmate of our pastor’s wife is the staff advisor for a university club.  The club members are all elementary education majors at a Taipei university and will benefit in their future job search if they have additional experience working with children.  They asked if they could come and serve on a weekend at our church.  The result is the elementary children’s activity that will happen December 3-4. (Poster above)

Will you pray that the 20 students who registered will attend?  Pray that Covid and other life happenings will not prevent them from coming.

Will you pray that the 20 students will have good interaction with the teachers.  Our desire is that through that relationship the students will discover the joy of trusting Christ.

Will you pray for those from our church who will be assisting?  Pray we will serve well, honouring our Lord.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that the elections for nine different kinds of local leaders on Nov. 26 was peaceful.  Please pray that those who were elected will lead in ways that benefit society and create freedoms for people to hear the gospel.
• Praise the Lord that Kathy-Lu’s health is improved.  We are trusting God to provide health and strength.
• Please pray that we will represent Christ and the gospel well as we talk with people during the Christmas season.
• Please pray that people who attend church-sponsored activities will be willing to explore more about being a Christ-follower.  May God add

Advent

The Christmas Advent season starts next Sunday.  We thought it would be a good time to share with you Christmas season scheduled events:

• Dec 3-4  Children’s Outreach – 20 children have registered to attend.  It will be held at our church building and a group of students from a university in Taipei will be the teachers.
• Dec 4  Decorating Party – The congregation is invited to stay after the worship service to help decorate the church building.
• Dec 24  Christmas Eve Service – The night before Christmas Day is called “Peace Night” (平安夜) in Chinese.  A service will be held at the church for members and invited guests.
• Dec 25  Christmas Day Worship Service – The worship service will be a special Christmas Worship event. We are hopeful that the Ukulele Class students will play that day.
• Dec ?  There are possible events that are still at the discussion and planning stage:
  • Telling the Christmas story to English students at a cram school in our county seat. There may be opportunities at other local cram schools as well.
  • Sharing about Christmas with the after-school Homework Club and the Ukulele Class students (and families).
• Dec 26  C&MA Canadian International Worker Team Celebration – The whole team, fully supported international workers and Global Alliance Professionals, have been invited to a potluck feast.

Praise and Prayer

The Women’s Coworker Retreat successfully provided opportunities for mutual encouragement and praying together.  The recreational walks seeing the beautiful scenery were also appreciated. A disappointing outcome was that Kathy-Lu brought Covid-19 back with her.  The result is that she is having to isolate for a week.  Consequently, we did not attend last weekend’s events and we will miss the American Thanksgiving celebration.  We are thankful she is recovering well and Lorne has remained Covid-free.

A Unique Moment in Time

Did you know that Taiwan uses a dating system that is different from the rest of the world?  While still using the Western Gregorian Calendar and the Lunar Calendars, Taiwan has its own calendar called the “ROC Calendar” or the “Minguo Calendar.”

The Republic of China was founded in 1912.  That is considered to be the first year of the Taiwanese dating system.  The current year, referred to as 2022 in the West, is year #111.

That means, that on the morning of November 11 at precisely 11:11:11 (11 seconds after 11:11 AM) on the eleventh of November of this year it is possible to write it as 11:11:11/11/11/111.  Of course, the Chinese system would write the year first and end with the seconds.  So perhaps you would consider 111/11/11/11:11:11 to be more correct?

It is a unique moment in time.

Praise and Prayer

• We are thankful for last week’s vacation rest.  We spent time in the Maolin National Scenic Area enjoying God’s creation. One highlight was seeing thousands of purple crow butterflies.
• A common error is to consider Christ to be similar to the pantheon of other gods that are worshipped by the Taiwanese.  But Christ is much more than the carved images and the spirits that indwell them.  Please pray that Christ will reveal Himself in ways that show that He is greater and uniquely different than those to whom they are accustomed. Please pay that people will be drawn to belief in Christ.  (John 12:32)

Staying Attached

Passing this farmer’s field, the pomelo are visible growing on the tree.  They grow and ripen attached to the tree.  Under the tree, not visible in the photo, some fruit was lying on the ground.  It was no longer connected to the tree.  It will not continue to grow.  If left there it will begin to decay.

Life is like that too.  Jesus explained the necessity of staying attached to Him as the source of life (John 15). We stay connected through personal habits of Bible reading and prayer.  We also stay attached to Him as we gather with other believers for worship, celebration, teaching, fellowship, and service.  All of these habits contribute to producing a healthy balanced Christian life.

Please pray for those who are disconnected due to their failure to create and maintain these habits.  Pray that they will be strengthened in Christ and will stay attached to Him as the source of their spiritual life.

Praise and Prayer

• We will be on vacation as you read this.  Please pray that we will find refreshment in our change of activities.
• Planning for Winter Camp during the Lunar New Year vacation is happening. Please pray for the short-term team as they prepare and for the arrangements that are being made here in Baozhong. Please pray that we will do things in ways that bring honour to Christ.
• For a variety of reasons, Sunday School students have become irregular in attendance. Some weeks there are no children to teach.  Please pray that teachers will not become discouraged, but will continue to be diligent in preparation.

Celebration

On Sunday afternoon, the Taiwan Alliance Theological College in Taipei held a graduation ceremony for the 32nd and 33rd graduating classes.  The 2021 and 2022 Spring graduation ceremonies had been postponed due to Covid restrictions on gatherings.

In the 32nd class, one of the graduates was YuanFang, a former intern at Baozhong Alliance Church.  He received his Master of Ministry Degree. He serves as the director of the OPERATION DAWN Addictions Treatment Program in PingTung Taiwan.

Pastor Joshua graduated in the following year’s class.  He also received a Master of Ministry Degree.  His wife Ilaine and his children were able to be at the ceremony to witness him receiving recognition for this achievement. Their son John is probably too young to remember, but he was there.

Our prayer for these two, and the other eight who graduated with theological degrees, is that God will use what they have learned to help them serve the Lord well.  May God give them creative ideas of how to use the divine opportunities given them to share the gospel with those who have not yet heard.

Praise and Prayer

• The church van is being delivered on Thursday. Please pray that this will enhance ministry and provide new opportunities to serve God and those around us.
• Covid infections influence people’s lives and church activities.  Parents of children in the Homework Club tested positive this past week.  That means the children must also isolate.  They are finding it very difficult.  Please pray for the children as they adjust expectations.  Pray that it will make them more open to listening to God’s truth when they are permitted to return.
• Please pray for breakthroughs in some long-term relationships we have with people. Sometimes they expect us to talk about Christ, and that becomes a defense against personalizing the truth for themselves. Only God can help take relationships to the next level.

Neglected

On a prayer drive, we drove past Chaurtsuo Elementary School.  A number of years ago we taught and told Bible stories to the students.  We even took short-term teams there to provide activities for the students.

The school has been transformed into a Waldorf School that teaches both elementary and higher grades.  As a part of the changes occuring on the school campus, a new main entrance was created.  The old entrance, pictured above, is both not needed and not used.  It is out of sight behind the building.  As a result, it has been neglected. One day, someone will organize a work project to clean it up. It will not take care of itself.

Sometimes life can be like that.  We allow something to lapse without caring for it. When we are reminded and are aware that the time has come to deal with the issues, we may feel it is beyond our ability to do what is needed.  Thankfully, God is there with His power, grace and mercy to do the needed cleansing and purifying work.

Please pray for those who are struggling to decide whether to welcome God to do this work in their lives.

Praise and Prayer

• The Taiwan C&MA will hold its annual business meeting on Saturday, Oct. 29.  Please pray that delegates are filled with faith and listen well to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  They will approve plans and the budget for the next calendar year.
• We are thankful for those who were able to attend the outdoor service yesterday.  Please pray for the truths of what they heard and saw to continue to work in ways that draw them closer in a relationship with Christ.
• Having friends with Covid infections provides opportunity to serve them.  Please pray that we will do this well so that God’s love is seen in our actions.

Creative Efforts

In this issue of our Monday update, we want to highlight two happenings at our church.

The dark blue poster is for the Elementary Student Ukulele Class that began this last Saturday.  There are six students.  Some of those have attended previous classes.  The classroom was filled with laughter and fun as the teacher interacted with the students. In addition to helping them learn some music, there is a goal to build relationships with the families of the students.  (One student is the grandson of one of our church members.)  The hope is that through relationship with us, they will find relationship with Christ.  Will you pray for that to happen?

The other poster is for our Outdoor Service on October 23.  Four Alliance Churches being started are joining together for worship, food, and recreation.  The cousin of one of our church members who does not usually attend church events has agreed to come and will ride with us in our car.  Please pray that God will use all the happenings of that day to glorify His name.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for health for our international worker coworkers as Covid has been active in their family this past week.  Pray for health so they can once again participate in activities outside of their home.
• Please pray for a Christian friend who is awaiting results of medical tests.  Please pray that he and his family will be filled with peace and faith during this time.
• Please pray for good weather for the outdoor service on October 23. Pray that we will all be aware of God and His work on that day.