Monthly Newsletter — December 2012

 Family of Faith Christian Fellowship

London Newsletter

December 2012 / Issue 35

In this issue:

• Upcoming events

• December Letter

• Reflections on Being the Salt of the Earth

• Things to pray for

• Quotations Worth Thinking About

Upcoming Events:

• Communion – Sunday, December 9, 2012

  Our Communion service takes place on the second Sunday of each month.

• Discipleship 101 – Sunday, December 16, 2012

  Our discipleship course takes place on the third Sunday of each month. The topic this month is Salvation (Chapter 16 of the booklet).

December Letter

It was with sad hearts, but also with a sense of relief, that we said our good-byes to Dougall Clutton, last week. Sad because we will miss him and his quiet example and faithfulness, but relieved that his struggle with failing health is finally over. Dougall became a member of the Worldwide Church of God back in 1967. The family – he, his wife and five children – initially drove to Toronto from Goderich for services each week. He served as a deacon in the London church for many years. Dougall was pre-deceased by a son Keith (1966), wife Grace (1985), and daughter Valerie (Van Hende) (2007). He is survived by his brother, Ed; 4 children: Brenda (Knapp), Darryl, Lisa (Robbins), and Penny; 11 grandchildren; and 6 great-grandchildren. Please remember the family in your prayers.

This month we will again be participating with several other churches in hosting a Christmas Dinner for the under-privileged. We will need volunteers to help prepare on Saturday, December 15, and to serve and clean-up on Sunday, December 16.

We are continuing to work our way through the Sermon on the Mount on Sundays. I have included below some thoughts on what it means to be the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).

I hope that you and your families will have a wonderful time over the Christmas season as we celebrate the incredible fact that God has joined Himself to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. Our Creator loved us so much that He was willing to humble Himself and become one with His creation so that He might draw us into communion with Himself. What glorious news!

Warmest Regards,

Colin and Sue

Some Reflections on Being the Salt of the Earth

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13)

• Salt has two main purposes: it is used as a preservative (to preserve meat and fish) and as a seasoning. The role of the Christian is the same:
• to act as a preservative in society: This we do when we refuse to take part in any underhanded or dishonest schemes, when we refuse to join in listening to offensive jokes, when we refuse to use inappropriate language. We act as a deterrent to the corruption in our society. People no longer swear in our presence because they have noticed we never swear. The presence of ten righteous people in Sodom would have preserved it from destruction (Gen. 18:33).
• to act as a seasoning: when we are willing to wait patiently in line, treat the cashier kindly, are polite in traffic, patient and gentle with someone who is angry and unreasonable, we are making the world a more pleasant place to live.
• The efficacy of salt is not dependent on its being used in great quantities. Each grain of salt contributes to making a difference. This verse is speaking to us as individual Christians, not as a corporate body, the church.
• “You are the salt of the earth” – This is not something that we have to become. People know that we are Christians. The question is: what is their experience of Christianity through us? They either see that there is a difference in our lives or they do not.

• “But if the salt loses its saltiness” – Salt is a very stable chemical compound. It does not “just” lose its saltiness, even if it has not been used for a long time. The only way that salt can lose its saltiness is if it becomes contaminated with other substances which interact with it. In the same way, Christians only lose their “saltiness” when they become contaminated by the society around them. If people fail to see anything different about us, we have lost our saltiness. We are no longer making a difference.

Things to Pray for:

“Prayer remains one of the great and glorious mysteries of the universe – that the all-knowing, all-wise, all-sovereign God should ordain to run his world in response to our prayers is mind-boggling. But that is the uniform witness of Scripture. God hears and answers the prayers of his people. O do not neglect this amazing way of influencing nations and movements and institutions and churches and people’s hearts, especially your own.” – John Piper

Please pray for:

• Dougall Clutton’s family; Gabriella Hodgins (arthritis and tendonitis); Lisa Masse (health); Barb Dutton (health); Scott Blaine (MS); Ian Palmatier (rheumatoid arthritis); Sue Robbins (cancer).
• John Biswas, who is on a mission trip to Bangla Desh.
• Our local congregation that we might fulfill God’s will for us. Pray that we might each be a light in our community, manifesting the love of God to friends, family, co-workers and neighbours.
• Opportunities to share the gospel with others, the courage to do so, and the wisdom to know how.

Quotations Worth Thinking About

“What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks.”                                      – George McDonald

“The Christian hope is not the immortality of the soul (a shadowy, disembodied existence), but the resurrection of the body (a perfect instrument for the expression of our new life).”                                                 – John Stott

“There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.“

– William Barclay