Latest Update from SBLC Call Committee.

This week Nich let us know he has received a third call – this time from Lifeway in Sydney. Thus he now has 3 simultaneous calls - Ours, St Paul’s congregation at Caboolture in Queensland, and Lifeway in Sydney.

Nich is going on annual leave in the last two weeks of January. He has decided he will make a decision on the calls in early January so his family can have their holiday time without having to think about calls.

We ask that you pray for Pastor Nich and his family as they consider the three calls they have received.

Little Donkey 3rd Saturday in Advent Read: Luke 2:4-7

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) What do you call a donkey with one leg and a bad eye? A winkey wonkey donkey. Why didn’t the donkey cross the road? He saw what happened to the zebra. Where in the Bible does it say that Mary and Joseph travelled on a donkey to Bethlehem? Nowhere! We can read in Luke that they travelled to Bethlehem from Nazareth, a journey of 145 km. They could have walked or ridden a camel.

So how do we come up in most Christmas Nativity plays that Mary rides on a donkey to Bethlehem? It was a long journey and Mary was heavily pregnant and donkeys were quite prevalent, I think we like to think that Mary didn’t have to walk the whole way. Maybe there is also the association of thirty-three years later Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem as King on Palm Sunday (Zechariah 9:9). The Christmas Carol ‘Little Donkey’ was a one-hit-wonder by a British songwriter Eric Boswell in 1959. He wrote many other pieces of music about his home area in Britain, but none made it as big as this simple tune. It is a popular one to perform with children’s musicals and nativity plays. When Eric Boswell was wanting to write a simple song for Christmas, he decided to focus on the treasure that the donkey was carrying to Bethlehem. Christmas can be a time of worries – family, presents, celebrations, food, and the list continues.

Mary and Joseph had worries of their own in trying to get to Bethlehem before census day and before their baby was born… I rather feel they had more issues than us! Were their cares and worries gone with the birth of the baby? Maybe they didn’t focus on them immediately, but having Herod out to kill them might have later become real. As the song says this donkey carried Mary safely… our loving Saviour also carries us with our issues and burdens. Celebrate and enjoy a Christmas filled with joy at the birth of the little Jesus.

Sing or listen to: Little Donkey PRAYER Little donkey, little donkey had a heavy day. Little donkey carry Mary safely on her way. Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road. There are wisemen waiting for a sign to bring them here. Do not falter, little donkey there’s a star ahead. It will guide you, little donkey to a cattle shed. Amen. 2