Karori Anglican Churches

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The Wrong

ChristmasReverend John Hughes

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Christmas can be a very commercial time of year with the focus on spending too much, eating too much, and spending too long paying for it all. Here are a few suggestions to help make Christmas about loving Jesus and loving each other.

The reason for the season• RememberwhywecelebrateChristmas!Readthestoryof

Christmas–youcouldstartwiththeoneinthisissuefromtheStorybookBible.OrwatchaNativityplayorfilm.

• Dosomeactivitiesthatfocusontherealreasonfortheseason.Keepitsimplewithanadventwreathandlightacandleeachnight.OrtrythisfreeadventresourcetomakeaJessetreewww.aholyexperience.com/2012/11/free-christmas-family-devotional-jesse-tree-ornaments/

• Attendyourchurch’sChristmasEveorChristmasDayservice.ThisisagreatwaytomakespacetorememberwhyChristmasisimportantandwhatwearecelebrating.

Sharing it together• PutuptheChristmastreeandChristmasdecorationswithfamily

orfriends.Makeaneventoutofit–thiscanbeassimpleashavingsomeChristmasmusicplayingandsharingahotchocolatetogetheronceyou’redone.

• DosomethingChristmassywithfriendsorfamilytogetinthemood.TrytheChristmasParade,alocalcarolconcertorvisitKirkauldiesandcheckouttheChristmaswindowdisplays.

• Bake,makeorbuyaspecialgiftforneighbours,family,friendsorothersignificantpeople.Itdoesn’tneedtobeexpensive—givesimplegiftsthathaveasymbolicmeaning–i.e.aplanttoateacherwhohasnurturedyourchildthisyear.Oracollectionoffavouritesongsorphotosthatyou’vesharedwithafriendthisyear.

• BeawarethatforsomepeopleChristmasisnotjoyfulbutcaninsteadbeatimeoflossorloneliness.Whodoyouknowthatmightbeinthisplacethisyear?Whatcanyoudotoletthemknowtheyarelovedandcaredfor?IfyouarefindingthingshardthisChristmas,seeksupportfromfriends,familyorprofessionals.Itisokaynottohaveitalltogether,andweallneedsupporttogetthroughthehardtimes.

Practicing gratitude• It’seasytospendChristmasfeelinglikewedon’thaveenough,or

comparingourselvestothosewhohavemore.OneofthethingsourfamilydoeseachyeartoremindushowmuchwedohaveistochoosesomegiftsfromtheTearFundgiftscataloguetoblesssomeoneelse.These‘gifts’gotopeoplewhohavefarlessthanwedoandmakeabigimpactintheirlives.Weprayforthosewhowillreceiveourgiftsandforourselvesthatwewillnottakeforgrantedtheabundancewelivein.Checkoutwww.giftforlife.co.nz/orwww.worldvision.org.nz/ways-to-give/smiles.aspx

• AnnVoskampwroteabookcalled1000Giftsaboutpracticinggratitude.EverydayshelooksforthingstobegratefulforandthanksGodforthem.Whatareyougratefulfortoday?WhatareyougratefulforthisChristmas?

Fun and frugal gift wrapping ideasInstead of spending extra money on wrapping paper, and creating more waste, think about trying some of these ideas.• Recycleyouroldmagazinesandusepages

towrapsmallpresents.TryfindingpageswithChristmasthemes,summerthemes,redandgreencoloursorotherthingsthatrelate.

• Declutteryourmaterialstashorscarfdrawerandusetheextrasaslovelyreusablewrappingpaper.

• Useplainnewspaperwithaprettyribbon.• Useplainpaperanddecorateityourself

withpens–youmightliketowriteaspecialChristmasmessagetotherecipient,drawapicture,writeaChristmasverse.

• Recyclekids’drawings–thesemakelovelyindividualgiftwraps.

• Insteadofstoreboughtribbon,tryusingwoolorstringanddecoratewithasprigofflowers,someleaves,unusualbuttons,spareChristmasornaments,orahandmadelabel.

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AdventAdvent is one of the ‘seasons’ of the church year. It

begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a way of counting down to and preparing for the celebration of the Lord God coming into our world as a baby. It is a time of preparation and as such the colour for this season is purple. So those leading services might wear a purple stole over their alb or cassock; there may be a purple cover on the front of the altar; and there may be a purple decoration on the lectern or pulpit.

Each of the four Sundays usually has a particular theme – for example Joy, Hope, Peace, Love; or a focus on the prophets and their message of the one who is to come – for example Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Micah; or specific themes like these from the New Zealand Prayer Book: The Coming of the Lord, The Hope of Israel, The Forerunner, A God Near at Hand. The events of Christmas, the way the Creator of the Universe came among us as one of us is so amazing, astounding, wonderful that it is essential to take time to reflect and prepare in order to celebrate what it means for us now. Advent gives us this special time.

Advent WreathThis is another seasonal decoration used in many

churches. Most commonly it consists of four candles (white/purple/pink or a combination of these) arranged in a circle around a larger candle in the centre. Tying it all together is a wreath made from vines and leaves – often evergreens and sometimes including holly. One of the outside candles is lit each Sunday in Advent; a very visual way of counting down to Christmas. The centre candle is the ‘Christ Candle’ and is lit on Christmas Eve or the first service on Christmas Day.

As each candle is lit a prayer may be said or what

the candle represents may be outlined. Sometimes each candle is linked to the theme for the Sunday or sometimes it is linked to particular people or places that are part of the Christmas events (eg the Prophets, Mary, the Shepherds, Angels, John the Baptist, Bethlehem). The Advent wreath and its candles point to the coming of the one who is the light of the world.

CarolsThe people of God have always sung songs of praise

and thanksgiving to honour God. However around Christmas we sing some very special songs we call ‘carols’. It seems that the first specifically Christmas hymns appeared in fourth century Rome. Later Francis of Assisi is associated with popular Christmas songs being written in people’s native language. There is something distinctive about carols as opposed to hymns. Carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some like Good King Wenceslas and The Holly And The Ivy can be traced back to the middle ages and are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung.

For many people Christmas is not Christmas without the ‘good old faithful’ carols like O Come All Ye Faithful, While Shepherds Watched and Hark The Herald Angels Sing. These and other ‘traditional’ carols are perhaps the best loved, however new carols continue to be composed. It is the fairly rapid regular beat which distinguishes a carol from a song. The fact remains that this unique and distinctive genre of song came into being in order to highlight the most unique and distinctive event in human history: God being born as a baby and coming among us as one of us!

Wayne Thornton

Wayne Thornton

1. AccordingtoapopularNewZealandChristmassongofthe1960s,whowill‘pulltheChristmassleighinthesouthernhemisphere’?

2. HowdidCaptainCookandhiscrewcelebrateChristmasonboardtheEndeavourwhilebattlingheavyseasoffthenortherntipoftheNorthIslandin1769?

3. Whichorganisationsuppliedfreecigars,coffeeandcaketoNewZealandsoldiersatChristmasduringtheFirstWorldWar?

4. SantaClausmadehiscommercialNewZealanddebutinwhichyear?1865,1894,1902or1903?5. WhoiscreditedwithconductingthefirstChristmasDayserviceinNewZealand?6. WhatwasthemostwatchedTVshowinNewZealandthisyear?7. WhoisthetraditionalgiftbringerinAustria?8. WhatistheMaoriwordforChristmas?9. IntheNZversionofTwelvedaysofChristmas,whatdoesdayfourbring?10.Bytradition,onwhatdaydomostchildreninSpainreceiveChristmaspresents?

Quick Christmas Quiz

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A little trip down memory lane

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Want to get on top of your finances? CAP Money is for you. Injustthreesessionsyouwilldrawupandbalanceyourownbudgetandlearnasimplemoneymanagementsystemtohelpyousticktoit.CAPMoneygivesyoucontrolofyourmoney—youdecidewhatyouwanttospendyourmoneyonandhowmuchyouwanttosave.

Duringthethreesessions,delegateswilllearn:

1. Howtoliveonabudget2. TheCAPMoneySystem3. Howtolivefromweektoweek

usingcash

THE MARRIAGE COURSE

THE PARENTING TEENAGERS COURSE

CAP MONEY

• Puteveryone’snameinahatanddrawthemout.Eachpersonbuysonlyforthepersonwho’snametheyhavedrawnout.Soeachpersongivesonegiftandreceivesonegift.

• Havea“handmade”Christmasandagreeallpressiesneedtobehandmadeorre-purposed/secondhand.

• Setabudgetcapandagreetosticktoit.• Insteadofexchangingpresentshavea

luckydipbasket.Eachpersonputsagiftinandtheneachpersondrawsagiftout.Weliketolivenitupwithsomemusicandspontaneousdancingasthebasketgoesaroundthecircle!

The Art of GivingDifferent ways to manage gift givingIt’seasyforgiftgivingtogetoutofhand.OurextendedfamilycelebratesChristmastogether(aminimumof12people,oftenmore)andwefoundthatwheneveryoneexchangedpresentswitheveryoneelseitwasveryexpensiveandatadoverthetop(132presentsifI’veworkeditoutright!)Herearesomeofthewayswe’vechosenovertheyearstokeeppresentgivingsimple.

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A five week course to build the confidence of parents and caregivers of all ages; help create strong families and solid support communities; provide a forum for sharing best practice in parenting; and promote access to other points of community support.Withinaframeworkofpractical,positiveandfunlearning,thecoursecoversthetopicsof:

• ParentingStyles• ChildhoodDevelopment&Children’sSelf-

esteem(includingfaithdevelopment)• Buildingrelationships(Through

encouragement&listening)• Disciplinestrategies• FamilyGrowth(throughcelebrations&

spiritualdevelopment)

Exploring faith in the 21st century. Journeys is filled with amazing life stories of people who have been deeply impacted by faith in Jesus. ThecourseisidealforanyonewantingtoexplorewhatarelationshipwithGodisallaboutandtrulyinspiringforChristianstoo.

JourneysishostedbyjournalistRobHarley,produceroftheaward-winningTVseries“ExtremeCloseUp”–whichtellsinspiringstoriesabouttheroleoffaithandcourageinthelivesofordinarypeople.

Week 1: Isthereaspiritualsidetome?Week 2: IfGodandheavenexist,whataretheylike?Week 3: Doesthisfaiththingworkinreallife?Week 4:DoesGodhaverealpowertochangethings?Week 5:Crossingtheline-what’sthatlike?DoesGod haveapurposeanddestinyformylife?

DVDpresentationanddiscussionovercoffeeandcake.

PARENTING ENCOURAGEMENT

PROGRAMME

Stained Glass Biscuits125gbutter1/4cupbrownsugar1/3cupgoldensyrup1egg21/2cupsplainflour1Ttablespoongroundginger1teaspoonmixedspice1teaspoonbakingsodaColouredboiledlollies(ApparentlyHeards’colouredbarleysugarsworkwell!)

1. Beatbutter,brownsugarandgoldensyrupuntillightandcreamy.Addegg,beatwell.

2. Stirflour,spicesandbakingofsodaintocreamedmixture,mixuntiljustcombined.

3. Turnontoflouredsurface,knead1minute,addingalittleextraflourifdoughissticky.Wrapdoughinplasticwrapandrefrigerate30minutesoruntilfirm.

4. Preheatoventomoderate180C.5. Rolloutdoughonlightlyfloured

surfaceto4mmthick.Cutintolargeshapesasdesired.Cutouta

smallershapeincentreofeach.Placeonbakingtraylinedwithpaper.

6. Finelychoporcrushcolouredboiledlollies.Spoonchoppedlolliesinheapedmoundsintocut-outcentreofdoughshapes.

7. Bake10-12minutes.Allowtocool.Source: ohbaby.co.nz

Shopping lists are not the most effective way of budgeting for groceries. Often they result in you paying more than you have to (as you miss out on specials), buying stuff you don’t have to and limiting your ability to improvise.

Before shopping:• Makeaninventoryofwhatisinyourpantryandfreezer

(thisstopsyoudoublinguponitems,andallowsyoutogaugeconsumptionrates)-Doyouhaveanyperishablesleft?Whenmusttheybeusedby?-Howmuchfreezerspaceisleft?-Arethereany‘meals’youcouldmake(andenjoy)fromwhatisleft?

• Ifnot,whichingredientsaremissing?• Figureouthowmany‘meals’youneedtobuyforinthe

comingshoppingperiod(usuallyeachweek)• Putsomemoneyaside(eg$10)forperishablesyoumay

needtorestockduringtheweeksuchasbreadandmilk.• Figureoutwhatingredientsyoualreadyhaveandnote

theseonyourlist(e.g.youmayhavealltheingredientsforbolognaiseexceptthesauceandcheese);

• Makealistofitemsyouhavetoreplace,e.g.you’verunoutofdishwashingliquid,thelightbulbforthehallisblown

• Additemsthatmustbeboughtweekly:egBread,milk,butter,toiletpaper,perishables

• Writedowntheamountofmoneyyouhavebudgetedforthisshoppingtrip

• CheckwiththeothermembersofyourfamilytoseeifthereisanythingtheyNEED(asopposedtowant)thatyouhaveforgotten;

• StopListsarehelpfultoadegree,butbeyondthattheygetintheway.Whenshoppingyoumusthavetheabilitytoexploitspecials(whichisaverydifferentthingfrombuyingeverythingthatisonspecial).

Bynotspecifyingwhatmealsyouwillbuyforinadvanceyougiveyourselfthegreatestdegreeofflexibility.No-oneissayingthatyouhavetoeataweek’sworthoffishjustbecauseitisonspecialthatweek,butyoumightwanttochangeyourplanandhavetwofishmealsratherthanone.Buyingformealslotsallowsyoutoalteryourplansfortheweekif(forexamplepizza)isatanuncomfortablyhighprice–yousimplysubstitutesomethingelse.

Supermarketsattractcustomersbyhavingalowerpriceoncommoditieswhichtheyadvertiseas‘specials’.

Ifyoucanbuyand stockpileacommoditywhenitisonspecialandyouhavethecupboard/freezerspacetostoreitwithoutitspoilingthenyouneednever pay full price again!

At the supermarket:List items• Buytheitemsyoucanandmusthavefromyourlist;• Trytokeeparunningtotalinyourhead,deducting

purchasesasyougo;• Ifyouarebuyingperishables,allowforthefacttheywill

ripen(e.g.buyyellowbananasforthefirsttwodaysoftheweekandgreenonesforuseonthefollowingdays);

Meal slotsEachmealslotshouldideallyhaveitsmain(mostexpensive)componentonspecialthisweek(ieifcornedbeefisonspecial,thatisthebasisforthemeal).

Ideallymostoftheingredientsshouldbeonspecialtoo,butitisoktotakea‘hit’ontheodditem;

DiscretionaryOncethelistandthemealslotsarefilledyouareontothediscretionaryphaseofyourshopping;

• Buyanyfrequentlyusedcomponentsthatareonspecialwhichyouhavespacetostore(e.g.mince,pasta,etc.)This‘stockpile’willmakenextweek’sshoppingtripeasier;

• Don’tbuyanymorethanitwilltaketo‘rideout’therestofthecycle(e.g.ifpastaisonspecialfourweekly,don’tbuy50bags!);

• Ifitisinfrequentlyusedanditdoesn’tfitwithoneofyourmealsand/oritisnotonspecial don’t buy it!

• Buyyourselfatreat(ifyoufeeldeprivedyouaremorelikelytosplurgeondumbthingsnexttimeround);

• Onceyougetyourcountto‘zero’youareoutofcashandwillneedtoputsomethingback.

•Noteyoudonothavetogettozero.Havinga‘float’thatyoucanuselaterintheweekissometimesveryhandy!

After the supermarket:• Figureoutwhenyouneedtouseyourperishablesby–

usuallymealsinvolvingthemneedtobescheduledforthefirstfewdays(no-onelikesstalehot-dogbuns!)

• Putperishablessuchasfruitprominentlyinafruitbowlandmakesuretheygeteatenbeforetheyspoil–spoiltfruitiswastedmoney!

Thanks to Craig Mundy-Smith for sharing his wisdom on shopping on a budget.

How tospend less

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PARISH CAMP 2013

A TYPICAL DAY7.00am Early morning prayer9.00am Morning session in zones (including morning tea)

12.15pm Morning session concludesAfternoon Optional workshops or recreational activities6.30pm Evening session in zones8.30pm Supper9.00pm Evening entertainment Outside the programme there’s no chance for boredom. Enjoy a variety of great options including workshops, community missions, beach or river walks, family activities or chilling in the market place.

After the sun has set relax in the café, take in a movie or even sneak a late night stroll.

ImagesfromGoogleImagesHoward Shore

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