Saturday, December 19, 2015

Listen! The Angels are Singing


Carols are a wonderful part of Christmas time, but do we ever stop to think about what we are singing?  The songs which many were penned years and years ago, hold wonderful truths and beautiful meanings behind the well-known lyrics.  Hark the Herald Angels Sing is one such carol.  It was written by Charles Wesley, in 1739.   I have re-written the lyrics to Hark below - Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!  :)








Listen!  The angels are singing
"Glory to Jesus, the newborn King!"
There is peace and mercy on earth now
Because Jesus brings God and sinners together
All the countries of the world stand and be joyful
Join all of creation in singing His praises
Join the angels and sing loudly,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Listen!  The angels are singing
"Praise be to Jesus, the newborn King!"

Christ is adored in the highest heavens
Christ is the everlasting Lord
We have waited years, now see Him here
He was born of a virgin, He is her child
He is God, and yet has become human
Welcome Him as the Holy God
He loves us enough to come among us and to live with us
Jesus, our Savior, God with us.
Listen!  The angels are singing
"Give glory to the newborn King!"

Welcome the Prince of Peace, who came from heaven
Welcome the Son of truth and righteousness
He will bring light and life to everyone
And he will rise from the grave with healing and power
As a baby, He lies quietly, setting aside His glory
He was born that we no longer had to die for our sins
He was born to raise us up from our lives of sin and despair
He was born to give us a second life, and a new birth 
Listen!  the angels are singing:
"Let's praise and give all honor and glory to Jesus, our new born king!"

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Gingerbread house night!

Last night was our Church's annual gingerbread house building night! After weeks of planning, days of ordering, shopping, and budgeting, hours of packing lollies, and many last minute jobs to complete - the night came together. Our car and house smelt like a lolly shop and bakery while our study became so packed with lollies and tablecloths you could barely move. This year was a lot bigger than last year: In 2014 we had 83 people attend, this year it was over 130! To give you an idea of what that is in reality, here are a few numbers:
I bought:
💮  19kg of bullets
💮 19kg of freckles
💮 50m of licorice
💮 1260 musk sticks
And the list goes on! We also packed over 700 individual bags of lollies and tied more twisty ties than I care to count! Anyway, here are a few photos from the night.  By the end of the night, we had raised about $800 for Missons. 
What 102 gingerbread houses flat packs look like

All set up, ready to go

Extra lollies and gingerbread men for sale

We had 16 tables, ranging from 6 to 13 people at each table

Decorating the houses!


Just starting to decorate...
 
We finished them off by dusting them in icing sugar and wrapped them in cellophane, tied with a ribbon
One of the 96 completed houses