Today is the last Sunday of the month that only
meant one thing for Tia, Rebekah and Elizabeth that it was time to go to
Sandhurst Baptist Chapel to do the evening book club. This month in November
the three young adults looked at the book called Thanksgiving Night by Richard Bausch.
They discussed the book and what they liked
about it and do not like about it.
I will not ruin the story in case you want to
read it. The story is set in the small Virginia valley town of Port Royal,
where several of Bausch is other novels and many of his stories take place. It
is 1999; predictions of catastrophe blare on the radio, and religious
fanaticism is everywhere on the rise. The millennium is approaching.
Oliver Ward and his divorced daughter, a young
police officer named Alison, and Oliver's two grandchildren become involved
with Holly Grey and Holly's aunt Fiona, elderly ladies with a marked propensity
for outlandish behaviour. Holly's son, Will Butterfield, and Elizabeth, Will's
second wife by that name, have been happily married for ten years but are about
to discover how fragile happiness is.
In addition, in the middle of all of them is an
old priest, Father John Fire, who is a good man, thinking of leaving the
priesthood. He is called "Brother Fire" by everyone who knows him,
after the famous words of Saint Francis when confronted with the burning brand
with which he would be martyred. Close to both Holly and Fiona, Brother Fire
also has a part to play in the rapidly unfolding family drama.
Now it's gets the exciting part where Tia,
Rebekah and Elizabeth chose the next book to read for December. They all
decided to read something about Christmas. Tia suggested too read the Nutcracker by Ivan Vsevolozhsky. Rebekah
suggested to read to The Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens. Elizabeth wanted to read A letter from Santa Claus by Mark Twain.
Tia said questionally “Why do we actually
celebrate Christmas?” Rebekah answers back to Tia “To celebrate the birthday of
Jesus”. Really Rebekah does not know why we actually celebrate Christmas. Tia
and Rebekah are extremely lucky to have Elizabeth, as she knows everything and
everything. Elizabeth goes on saying “Why do we not study the bible? That way
both of you can understand why we celebrate Christmas, instead of meeting up for
a big discussion at the end of the month. Shall we meet here at the Chapel with
cake and coffee at 8:00 A.M.? I will tell you the story of why we celebrate
Christmas.”
Rebekah said to Elizabeth, “We should call this
group, Hope is on the way!”
Elizabeth and Tia nodded their heads in agreement,
as that is what this book club name is.
“Do you know Tia and Rebekah today, is the first
Sunday of Advent?” Tia replied back say no, Rebekah goes YES!! Tia and Rebekah
said together “What is Advent?” Rebekah said jokingly “Is that the chocolate
thing? You know where each day leading up to Christmas from 1st
December you open the door and get a piece of chocolate.” Elizabeth replies
back “You’re on the right lines Rebekah, just not on the right track on
Christian path.”
Elizabeth then goes about saying, “As far back
as the fourth century, Christians have been observing Advent as a time of
preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. In fact, Advent prepares for
two different comings: the first is Jesus birth at Bethlehem two thousand years
ago, and the second in his final coming at the end of time.” Rebekah remembers
her Latin lesson from her Cousin Richard “The word Advent came from the Latin
word 'adventus' which means 'arrival' or 'coming,' but how does coming come to
advent does?
Elizabeth busted into a song. Of course it had
it be O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
Oh,
come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And
ransom captive Israel,
That
mourns in lonely exile here
Until
the Son of God appear.
Rejoice!
Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall
come to you, O Israel!
Oh,
come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who
ordered all things mightily;
To
us the path of knowledge show,
and
teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice!
Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall
come to you, O Israel!
Tia and Rebekah gave each other a look. Tia goes
on saying, “why are you singing Elizabeth?”
“I’m signing because that song came into my mind
when Rebekah asked me a question. My favourite bible passage is from Isaiah
7:13-14.” Tia, Rebekah and Elizabeth read the bible verse.
13
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the
patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the
Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a
son, and will call him Immanuel.
Rebekah bouncing up and down a bit like Tigger,
said “What if God lived among us?”
Tia copying Rebekah on being Tigger said “What if God was
one of us?”
Elizabeth had to gather her thoughts before she
could answer those two questions.
“Well, the person of Jesus Christ came and lived
among us. Jesus is fully God and fully human. He came, He lived among us, He
was one of us, and yet - He was more than just another human being: Jesus was,
and Jesus is, ‘Immanuel’ which means, GOD
IS WITH US.”
Tia and Rebekah wondered does God understand me.
Does God understand what I face in life? Can God know my struggles from a human
perspective?
The love of God is so powerful that He became
like us in order to save us, and even more powerful, God remains with us with
God the Holy Spirit.
All praise is to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ, who is God with us, Immanuel.
No comments:
Post a Comment