Pulpit Message Introduction for Dec.9

Pulpit Message Introduction for 2nd Sunday of Advent
Once a frustrated parishioner asked his pastor “is Christmas coming? How come I don’t feel it coming?” The pastor replied, “Christmas means peace. Do you have peace? If you don’t have peace, you can not feel peace even though it is coming your way.”
This is precisely what happened to George Frederic Handel. Before he wrote the Messiah he was an angry man. Before Christ brought peace to his anguished spirit, he was frustrated with himself, cut off from other people, and at odds with god. He was sick; his eyes were beginning to fail him. He was out of money. He felt empty, dejected, lonely, hopeless and miserable, his creativity had disappeared. Then one day Christ was born anew in his heart and Christ stilled those storms in his life that were tearing him apart, and he became a new person. Where there had been strife, now there was peace. Where there had been fear, now there was courage. Where there had been emptiness, now there was incredible creativity. He grabbed his pen and paper and composed one of the most beloved pieces of music ever written—the Messiah.
Christmas has some wonderful things to say to us. Christmas has some wonderful things to do to us. Christmas has some wonderful things to give to us. But we have to have the ears of faith to hear them, the eyes of faith to see them, the heart of faith to feel them, and the grace and peace of Christ to accept them.

講壇信息介紹
一個很失意的教友到他牧師面前發問：聖誕是不是又要來了？為甚麼我一點也不感覺它來臨的呢？牧師回答說：聖誕代表平安，你有沒有平安？如果你沒有平安，就算平安來到，你也不會感覺到它的。
這正是佐治佛德烈韓德爾的生活寫照。在他未寫彌賽亞神曲之前，他是一個非常失意的人。在基督把平安帶進他那憤怒的靈魂之前，他對自己憤恨，對人割絕，對神敵視。他生病；他的眼睛模糊；他的錢快用光了。他覺得空虛，沮喪，寂寞，失望和痛苦。他的創作能力已經消失凈盡。這樣之後，有一天基督在他的心裏再次新生出來，基督使那曾弄到他生命撕裂的驚濤駭浪平靜下來。他於是成了一個新造的人。以前他爭戰，現在他和平；以前他懼怕，現在他勇敢；以前他空虛，現在他充滿創意。他拿起筆和紙，寫成了舉世不朽的音樂傑作--彌賽亞神曲。
聖誕有一些奇妙的事情要告訴我們。聖誕有一些奇怪的事實要做在我們身上。
聖誕有一些奇特的事件要賞賜給我們。但我們要有信心的耳朵去聽這些事，我們要有信心的眼睛去看這些事，我們要有信靠的心去領受這些事，再加上基督的恩典與平安，我們就必能感覺到聖誕的確是來臨了。