The Hope of Christmas

"Christmas means different things to different people. I wonder what Christmas means to the 80 yr-old man in Zimbabwe, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees. What does Christmas mean to him?... " - Rev. Edmund Chan

Below is a photo of our church, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, at Bukit Panjang. We have been attending this church since we returned from our sabbatical in June 2008. There are two services on Sunday, 9.00 am & 11.00 am. We usually attend the first service so that we have a longer day after the service.

In today's church bulletin, Rev. Edmund Chan, the Senior Pastor, shared his heartbeat on The Hope of Christmas.

"I wonder what it means to a group of little children in China, with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes, playing care-free in an open playground. What does Christmas mean to them? "

"I wonder what it means to those who have lost their entire life-savings, through little fault of their own, because of misguided investments. What does Christmas means to them? ..."

"I'm sure that Christmas means different things to different people. To merchants, it is perhaps the busiest time of the year... For some employees, it may mean overtime and a Christmas bonus. For some, it means a family vacation. For still others, Christmas means parties and fun. Even so, to many, Christmas is a season of giving."

What is the greatest gift you have ever received? Christmas is primarily about God's giving to us His greatest gift! How do we determine what the greatest gift is?

"Your greatest gift received is dependent on your greatest need realized. Humanity's greatest need is spiritual.... The Bible says that our greatest need is to be re-conciled with God. It teaches us that sin separated us from God. Therefore God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. The Bible also says that when we believe in Jesus, we have God's complete forgiveness for ALL our sins and we have God's free gift of eternal life. This then is the hope of Christmas! "

"And God's fantastic gift is still available today! It must be received. And it must be received personally. And that which is freely given by God must be received personally by faith! Right now, you can receive God's free gift of eternal life through a simple prayer of faith" "Dear God, please forgive me my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Lord Jesus, please come into my life. I receive you as my personal Lord and Saviour today." - Rev. Edmund Chan

What Christmas Means to Me & My Wife? First, it is about receiving the greatest gift God has given us and to thank Him for everything that He has done. Second, Christmas is a time for us to look back and reflect on what we have done for the year:

"A quick reflection on what we have done in 2008: The first half, we were in the US. We had fun in the cold and with the snow as well as the delight of spring flowers! The second half, we were back in Singapore. Adjustments are an unavoidable part of life; more so when you’ve been away for some time. On our return, we also started attending a new church nearer to our house. Looking back, we have actually done a lot of mileage in 2007-08. During our stay in the US, we practically covered most of the states on the East Coast (Vermont, Boston, Connecticut, New York, Washington DC, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, New Orleans, and Florida), plus Ohio, Pittsburgh and Chicago. We have just returned from Shanghai earlier this month."

After having visited so many places, we still find that the best part of travelling is not seeing new places but meeting people; making new friends as well as catching up with old ones, far and near. These are the memories that have stayed with us.

A former classmate (who travelled even more) added, "my own conclusion - the best place is still in Singapore."