Silent Night. A Child is Born. The Pathfinder

Transcription

1 Music notes to Silent Night Silent Night Silent night, Holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin, mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, Holy night Shepherds quake, at the sight Glory streams from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing alleluia, Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born. Silent night, Holy night Son of God, loves pure light, Radiant beams from Thy Holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at Thy birth, Jesus Lord at Thy birth. The Pathfinder The Children's Sunday School Magazine for the APOSTOLIC CHURCH of QLD {Northern District} Australia. December 2017 Vol 12/17 A Child is Born On a silent, holy night, some 2000 years ago, in a lowly stable, lit by a heavenly light A Child was born. Kept warm from the heat that radiated from the animals that lay around, His mother wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger. She looked down upon Him in gentleness and meekness, knowing, but maybe not understanding, that this was the Son of God. How could she fully understand or comprehend the miracle that she was blessed with on that night? This child that she held in adoration, as a mother does to her child. This child, whose tiny fingers she would hold, would be the same that would one day, touch and heal the blind, the sick and the lame. This child whose heartbeat she would hear and feel would be the same child whose blood would one day be shed to save nations. This child whose forehead she would kiss soothingly, would be that of the one who would one day carry the thorns of many. Could she know that she was holding hope, grace and salvation in her arms and that she delivered this gift to the world for all mankind? Glory to God in the highest, peace and goodwill toward men. As she looked down on Him in gentleness and meekness and laid Him in a manger, in a lowly stable, some 2000 years ago, on a silent, holy night, lit by a heavenly light Our King was born. Printed under the Authority of Apostle C. Flor PO Box 8077, Mt Pleasant Qld 4740.

2 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. Psalm 95:6 2 11

3 THE EVER-GREEN TREE In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began: Titus 1:2 10 3

4 PAPER CANDLE MATERIAL: 2 pieces of card (any colour) 2.5cm wide x 21cm long 1 piece of card (any colour) cut into 5cm diameter circle 1 piece of yellow paper or cellophane for the flame Glue Scissors Wooden peg INSTRUCTIONS: Cut out required pieces of card Using the two longest strips of card join one to the other at a 90 o angle as illustrated below. Then fold each piece back and forth across each other until you reach the end. Glue the one end to the circular piece of card as the base. Cut out the shape of the flame and glue to the top of the folded card Glue wooden peg to base. flame fold Folded card Follow through the events of Christ s life while He was on this earth in the order of which each event occurred. (You must use a different exit from which you entered in at each event) 1.The birth of Christ 2. Christ s baptism and sealing of the Holy Ghost 3. Christ begins His mission labour 4. His death by crucifixion 5. The resurrection of Christ 6. Christ s ascension into heaven as our High Priest Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 4 Glue peg to base For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Base 9

5 Luke 2:11 The Twelve Days of Christmas My true love God Me The Christian A partridge in a pear tree Jesus Christ Two turtle doves The old and new testaments Three French hens Faith, hope and love Four calling birds The four gospels Five gold rings The first five books of the bible Six geese a-laying The six days of creation Seven swans a-swimming The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit Eight maids a-milking The beatitudes Nine ladies dancing The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit Ten lords are leaping The Ten Commandments Eleven pipers piping The eleven faithful disciples Twelve drummers drumming The twelve points of the Apostle Creed 8 5

6 Christmas symbols and their Christian Relevance Mistletoe that is traditionally hung in the door-ways during Christmas time symbolizes love which derives and exists only because God loves us. Just as the mistletoe is sustained by the tree, people are sustained by God s love. The Candy cane while shaped like a shepherd s crook reminds us of our Lord as the good shepherd leading His flock home. The red symbolizing His blood shed for us and the white His purity. Candles and lights lit during the Christmas period are a constant reminder to us of Jesus Christ, the light of the world. The eternal brilliance of God. May His light be our hope. Everyone loves giving and receiving gifts at Christmas time and as Christians we are reminded of that special event of the birth of our Lord where gifts were presented to Him by the Wise Men; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But more importantly it reminds us of the greatest gift given to mankind where God gave His only begotten son, as our saviour. Everyone gets excited to see the Christmas tree but what as Christians does it symbolise? The evergreen of its leaves reminds us of God's eternal love for us and the eternal life that is promised through Christ our Lord. So this evergreen tree represents hope and its needle point reaching toward the heavens reminds us this hope is in our Lord. Because the tree is cut down and then erected again it can also be seen as a symbol of Christ's resurrection. As we decorate our tree, among the many trinkets that adorn it, you may often find the Christmas bauble. Years ago in some places it was a tradition to decorate the tree with red apples. These apples symbolized the forbidden fruit at God s creation of man. Therefore, with the downfall of man with Adam and Eve, so now was the deliverence of man through Jesus Christ. Baubles are believed to have replaced apples. Have you ever hung a Christmas wreath upon your door? Apart from its pleasant invitation to enter within the welcoming wreath represents true love and we as Christians know that true love belongs to our Heavenly Father. The unending love that He has for His creation and the love that we have toward Him because He loved us first. What truer show of love can be shown than that of our Heavenly Father by sending His only son to die for our sins. Just as the Christmas wreath is a warm invitation to enter our homes it is also a symbol of love that God invites into our hearts. The holly plant represents immortality, a trait that God has given to man. We are all destined to live forever either with the Lord or separated from Him. The sharp pointy shape of the leaves of the holly are a reminder of the crown of thorns that was placed on Christ at His crucifixion and the red holly berries represent the blood. So the holly plays its part during the Christmas period as a reminder to Christians that although we are celebrating the birth of our Christ we acknowledge the purpose of His life on this earth and that is to be our saviour by being the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of our sins. The well known shape of the poinsettia flower is found in abundance during our Christmas celebrations and is the symbol reminding us of the bright star that shone over the stable where our dear Saviour was born. Its dark red colour symbolises the blood of Christ that would be shed at His crucifixion. The sound of bells ringing at Christmas should fill our hearts as they are the symbol of joy and what joy we should feel knowing Jesus is our High Priest. "Heavenly Father we praise and thank You for the gift of Your Son, the great High Priest, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Let our lives joyfully proclaim that Jesus is Priest, Saviour and King, Amen". 6 7