Sunday, December 4, 2022
2nd Sunday of Advent

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12
Message: “Connecting Peace”
Preacher: Rev. Lian Chin-Siong

***Special Notice***

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ! May the peace of Christ be with you! Due to the new developments of Covid-19, here are the updated safety measures of the church.

1. Prior entry to the Church, please make sure you have your masks properly worn. Disinfect your hands with alcohol if necessary. Lifts are only allowed a maximum of 6 people at a time and please refrain from speaking inside the lift.

2. Food and drinks are conditionally allowed inside the church compound.

Let’s do our very best to adhere to these regulations as we worship God on Sundays!

Electronic Sunday Bulletin
EM encourages its congregation to use the electronic version of the Sunday bulletin to save paper.  Please scan the following QR code to access the bulletin.

Or, click on this link for the bulletin:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F1WM652H2wmqYnT3OOZrsCnKtpC_QyWE

If you have any suggestion regarding the eBulletin, please let us know.  Thank you!

SERVE IN EM

Come and serve in EM!  You can join the Liturgy, the Audio/Video team, the Praise team, the EM Choir, the Homeless Ministry team, or the Kids Club.  Email: emcaresforyou@gmail.com for more info.

Living in Anticipation

(On Matthew 24:36-44)

When was the last time that you were filled with so much anticipation that you actually thought you might burst before the anticipated event arrived? Maybe it was a time when you were expecting a visit from an old friend or a present from someone special. Or maybe it was a time when you were so very proud of your keen selection of the perfect gift for that very special person and you wanted the time to arrive when you would present the gift. These experiences often describe time as slowing or standing almost still – far from the reality of time continuing forward.

The story of Mary and Elizabeth is a story of hope and of joy — of ancient longings for redemption and security finally fulfilled; of a future that can be faced with confidence and with excitement. Those two impossibly pregnant women-the barren wife of an aging priest, and an unknown virgin with neither royal blood nor an important family-began a song of praise that has continued through twenty centuries: “My soul magnifies the Lord,” Mary sings, “and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”

And both the world out there and our own souls desperately need this pure word of joy and of hope. For in the midst of all the Christmas spirit around us, we know there is also a lot of pain. We all know how Advent can be an especially difficult time, and an especially empty time, and an excruciatingly painful time, for so very many people — people out there, and people in here. That grim fact gets clearer every day. I hope the context of time and waiting leads you into a different place. And perhaps, as happened to Mary and Elizabeth, some new life will begin to grow within us, new life that can begin once more to transform us; and, through us, to renew our world.

Christmas is waiting, and listening and as happened to Mary and Elizabeth, some new life will begin to grow within us, new life that can begin once more to transform us; and, through us, to renew our world.

Rev. Dr Fei Taule’ale’ausumai,
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
(taken from “Sundays with CWM”)