Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.12.1995, Blaðsíða 5

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 15. desember 1995 • 5
Bænahúsib in Núpstaö
The Reason For The Season
— Continued —
can only know ourselves in part?
How then can we know God? The
answer is found in this, that we only
know God when God lets himself be
known to us. We don’t find God, God
finds us. It was through Jesus Christ,
that God found us. The child born in
Bethlehem was of such profound
importance, because in and through
him God Almighty came to us and
revealed himself to us. He came in the
form of a human being, because that is
the only form we can see and under-
stand.
The Mystery of God’s
Presence
Strange things happen at Christmas.
Somehow the lights get brighter, the
air we breathe seems to have a new
quality, the atmosphere in society
changes in many places. Christmas is
somehow associated with all the
warmest and best feelings we have.
Christmas brings families together
to celebrate the birth of Jesus of
Nazareth. Gifts are given and
received. This brings smiles and hugs.
The food is good. There are songs and
parties. Christmas is all of this, yet
there is something more to it all.
There is lots of glitter, noise and tacki-
ness, but Christmas survives all of
that. Somehow Christmas is more
than the sum of its parts.
When we gather and listen to the
Christmas story, we are not just listen-
ing to the agenda of the church, or a
religious platform someone thought
up. We can sense that the message we
hear is being passed onto us, delivered
so to speak. Somehow the person of
Jesus comes through the message and
the VOICE IS DIVINE: God loves
you and cares about you.
When we think about it and con-
sider what it is that creates this special
grace and charm of Christmas, we
know intuitively, that it is created by
God’s presence. Behind the birth of
the child in Bethlehem is the towering
presence of God Almighty. With the
inner eyes of faith it can be seen and
felt how God can and does break
through to us.
Experiencing this presence illumi-
nates the soul. Feeling the love of God
brings out the best in us. Through our
gifts and greetings we say to one
another: I love you and I care about
Qleáiletý #ál ‘tyaZiAœtt Afýtt
ALBERT W. EYOLESON, i i.b.
Barrister and Solicitor
INKSTER, CHRISTIE, HUGHES, MACKAY
7th Floor- 444 St. Marys Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3TI
Bus.: (204) 947-6801 Res.: (204) 888-2598 Fax: (204) 947-6800
Westbrook Medical Centre
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4- Dr. Gestur Kristjansson
Dr. Hermann Johnson
4- Dr. Oskar Olson
Logan & Keewatin
Phone 633-7281 Winnipeg
STEFANSON, PYRYHORA & ZEALAND
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
Brian Kristjan Stefansson, c.a.
66M Polo Park, 1485 Portage Avenue TELEPHONE:
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 0W4 (204) 774-7446
you.
It is this same feeling that we felt as
children, when our parents, our
grandparents, our afi and amma,
hugged us at Christmas and we could
feel the divine love of God shining on
others and then being bestowed on us.
It all came from somewhere. And
the strange thing was, that it seemed
to emanate from the baby in the
manger. It came from the miraculous
presence of God Almighty, now
among us in a new way in the child. In
this child we saw the glory of God. He
grew and was filled with grace and
truth.
God Chose to Reveal Himself
It is significant that St.John’s Gospel
starts with the same words as the first
book of the Bible, Genesis. The open-
ing words of the Bible are: “In the
beginning when God created the heav-
ens and the earth..” The opening
words of the Prologue to St. John’s
Gospel are: “ In the beginning was the
Word....”
Then this WORD came in the per-
son of Jesus. God was creating again.
This was a monumental event, to be
compared with the creation of the uni-
verse. God intervenes, God still cre-
ates. Now there is hope and a future,
now new life can and will be created.
There are of course those who do
not believe that Jesus was God’s reve-
lation, because they find the idea irra-
tional and therefore unbelievable. But
is it so irrational, that the God
Almighty, who has created the uni-
verse, chose to reveal himself to us in
a human being? Is it irrational or is it
simply a matter of a reasoning that
lacks depth and imagination?
It seems quite rational to me that
God would reveal himself in a human
being, because that is the form we all
can see and understand. Our percep-
tions are obviously limited, so God
must reveal himself to us in a way we
can all understand, if we are to know
him. And God did not spring this on
us unprepared. He led us towards this
during centuries of inspiration given
the prophets of Israel, preparing us for
the coming of the Messiah.
In Jesus we see love, wisdom,
grace, truth, honesty and hope. The
mark he has left on humankind dwarfs
the effects anyone else has had and
the very fact that his birth is celebrated
2000 years after his birth points to the
very unique quality of his presence.
So, what effect does Jesus’ birth
have on our lives?
The most profound effect is this,
that now we know that God cares for
us. That changes everything. Knowing
that God intervenes in life makes
room for miracles and for a new life
after death. Now there is hope and a
future. To those who can see this great
event through the inner eyes of faith
and see that God has come, it is like a
veil being removed, all of life is seen in
a new light. It is an inner enlighten-
ment that gives all of life that magic
quality of Christmas.
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MacKENZIE
FUNERAL SERVICE LTD.
Service With Dignity
DIRECTORS
ROSS MacKENZIE DEAN CROWE
Member — Manitoba Funeral Service Association
A
Chapels at
Stonewall, Teulon
& Arborg
Serving the Interlake Area
467-2525
STONEWALL
^Oj^alM^0^46^024.
TAYLOR McCAFFREY
Barristers & Solicitors
900 - 400 St. Mary Avenue Wlnnlpeg..................Phone 949-1312
Winnipeg, Manitoba Glmll....................Phone 642-7955
R3C 4K5 Wlnnipey Beach............Phone 389-2999
David King attends in Gimli and Riverton on the first and third Friday of each month and Mary Ann Stanchell in Winnipeg
Beach in the afternoon of the second and fourth Friday.
Office hours are held in Gimli at 3rd Ave. & Centre Street between the hours of 8:30 a.m. -12:00 noon & 4:15 - 5:00 p.m.
In Riverton, Mr. King attends at the Riverton Village office between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Office hours in Winnipeg Beach are between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Winnipeg Beach office of the Gimli Credit Union.
Toll Free Line from Intcrlake Area: 1-957-5464