Ministerial message by Pastor Kevin Sawatsky
Last week something happened in the midst of all the hustle, rush and bustle of the day and of the season… the power went out. Not sure what happened but I heard someone hit a power pole and they had to turn off all the electricity to fix it. So for one hour or so we had no electrical power in town. Now I know that the power going off for only 1 hour is not a big deal as houses were able to keep their warmth and refrigerators stay cool. It is true that it would not have taken too much longer without power and we would have had a serious situation on our hands. On side note, I was taken back at how ill prepared many are to handle a situation like this these days. Emergency items often are not close at hand and trying to remember where they are or to find them in the dark did not work so well. Just a few years ago, no electricity was normal and people did very well I might add. Life was more physically difficult for sure but they were a hardy people and not only survived a time without electricity but thrived. We have much to be thankful to that generation that paved the way for us to enjoy the lifestyle and the comforts we have today. Though in these days we depend on electricity A LOT and when we loose it, even for only one hour, we notice just how much we trust and depend on it. May I ask a question? What do you do for that hour when there was NO power? You couldn’t shop, work, buy gas, play on computers, watch TV or listen to the radio, play hockey or do much of anything we do daily now. So again, what did you do? Did you read? Did you rest, did you take some time to think or pray? Maybe you just sat down for a little while? When the power went out I, eventually, jumped in my car to go check on a few people in town just to make sure they were ok. They were. As I did, I noticed several other people doing the same thing and was thankful for them. It is times like this that we remember how much we need each other and how important people are. It was kind of strange to me to be driving around town as there were no lights on. The whole town seemed to feel abandoned except for the faint lights in the inside of the homes. There was no smoke rising from any houses (except those with wood fireplaces) and it was so quiet. When I got back home, I walked with my son over to another person’s house to just check in with them. As I was walking, it stuck me at how wonderful a gift this was to us. To be given an hour when I really had no where I could to be, no meeting to be at, nothing I could purchase and nothing that I could do about it. It was a gift of time… how wonderful. As I walked, the town was so quiet and the faint glow of the setting sun in the clouds filled the sky. It was beautiful. I wondered if the first Christmas felt like something like this. Mary, Joseph and their new born baby resting for a moment in a humble stable in great peace and joy. Just a short moment to reflect and be quiet within the presence of the living God… how wonderful. As the realization of what we all were experiencing began to fill my heart, I was so thankful for the gift of God, Jesus. He came to bring peace and joy and hope in the midst of all that we think is important in this life. He came so we could live in His presence everyday of our lives. He came to bring peace to our souls. He came to forgive and love and help us in this journey of life. Thank the Lord. Yes, the words of the angels are still true to this day…
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. … And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” ( Luke 2)
Jesus came to bring great joy, peace and goodwill toward men. Glory to God in the highest! Soon the power came back on and everything has gone back to normal. It is my prayer for you that not everything will be as it was before when the power went out. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
