GBC Community Update: Immanuel means God is with us

​Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Lots going on as we move closer to Christmas.  I’m excited to see our Christmas choir perform this Sunday for the first time.  They’ve been working hard under Jamie’s leadership so it should be a special morning.
 
 
Last chance to contribute to our food mountain
Our mountain of food in support of Royal City Mission continues to grow!  If you’d like to contribute, your last chance is this coming Sunday.  Thanks to Helen and the Care Ministry team for leading this.
 
 
Christmas at GBC
While everything we are doing around Christmas has been announced and is on the calendar, I thought it would be good to put it all together in one place.  May we all engage in the joy of the season!
Friday December 22- 7:00pm-  Community Christmas Carol sing in the parking lot- invites friends, family and neighbors
 
Sunday December 24-10:30am- Our Christmas themed service with our choir singing and relevant message for the season
 
Sunday December 24- 6:00pm- Family Christmas Eve Service featuring carols, readings and a topical devotion. Come early for hot apple cider and a chance to connect with your church family!
 
The church office will be closed from Dec 21st to January 3rd but you can still reach Pastor Dan for any emergencies at [email protected]
 
 
Updating the church directory
Come to church this Sunday prepared to have your photo taken if you didn’t last week as we update our online church directory. We would be happy to send to you a digital copy of the photo for your own personal use if you would like, make sure to let our tech assistant know the email address you would like it sent after your photo is taken.
 
 
"You are to give him the name Jesus"...Redemption has come. Join us Sunday
We continue our closer look at the Christmas story. We will be looking at the prophecies telling of a coming savior and then the event itself with the idea of better understanding what this means for us as we prepare for Christmas and celebrate that redemption has come.
As I mentioned above, this is also a special Sunday as our Christmas choir will be performing.
Pastor Dan will begin to look at the Christmas story itself from Matthew’s gospel and its implications for today.
If you want to prepare, please read Matthew 1:18-24. 
If you can’t make it, you can connect through our website:  
www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE
 
 
Thought for the day: Immanuel means God is with US
Immanuel. I talked a bit about the word on Sunday and its often heard at this time of year. But what does this unusual word mean for the Christmas story? 
When the angel, quoting Isaiah 7, said to Joseph: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.'" This had implications for not just Joseph but for us as well.
I like how singer Michael Card put it: "The implications of the name 'Immanuel' are both comforting and unsettling. Comforting, because He has come to share the danger as well as the drudgery of our everyday lives. He desires to weep with us and to wipe away our tears. And what may seem bizarre, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, longs to share in and to be the source of the laughter and the joy we all too rarely know."
Why do we turn to God so quickly in times of sorrow and struggle, in danger and fear, and forget him in the times of joy and rejoicing? If God is the giver of joy and he is "God with us," then he must want to share in those moments of great joy, and even in those times of silly laughter and fun. 
God does that, really?
Yes, he does. He wants to share in our joy too, that’s another meaning of God with us. This Christmas, and yes, even when its impacted by inflation, war, illness and such, when those inevitable moments of joy and laughter break out, be sure to invite God in to share it with you because at Christmas, how can you not?
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris