True Meaning of Christmas the Gift That Keeps Giving and Giving
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Inland Empire Edition Vol. 23, No. 12 December 2012 www.christianexaminer.com Special Report Cal Thomas Community Church van safety: Changing America Inland Empire seniors FREE Why so many have died by changing hearts hear Angels Sing page 2 page 5 page 7 The True Meaning of Christmas The gift that keeps giving and giving By Miles McPherson and Matthew 1:18-23) in And Bethlehem. We’ve heard one of f you accept the world’s view of this so many times we take the cool- Christmas you probably associ- this miraculous event for est things ate the annual holiday mostly I granted, but the signifi - about with retail therapy and a jolly cance is more than a scene character that is well known for on a Christmas card. this gift is hanging out in chimneys. Mary and her husband-to- that it gets Why do we celebrate Christmas? be Joseph had to trust God better with Certainly it’s not to stimulate the and believe what His angels told time. American economy. them about the child who would Accept the Sure, it is fun to enjoy a holiday be called Immanuel, or “God with gift of eternal life fi lled with feasting, football, shop- us.” Looking throughout all of through Christ this ping and sharing with friends and Jesus’ earthly life, we can fi nd spe- He’s year and watch Him family. But despite the plethora cifi c fulfi llments of what the Bible look- keep on giving. You will of worldly distractions this time of predicted would happen concern- ing at our have an entirely new reason year, there is something very sa- ing the Savior of humankind. It heart. We cred about Christmas that deserves was all in the plan. to celebrate the season, and His all need Christ’s lead our attention and refl ection. Likewise, God has a very specifi c name is Jesus Christ. forgiveness! to the You’ve probably heard or seen plan and promise for your life. For those who know Him, If you already know Him, take death of something valu- the catchy phrase, “Jesus is the Christ gives hope of the kingdom time today to talk with someone able in your life like innocence or reason for the season.” What does it Jesus was born to bear witness to come and a sense of peace here you know about the true meaning mean? For millions of Christians to the Kingdom of God on earth. a relationship. Jesus Christ was born to die in of Christmas. That’s an inex- worldwide, there are three reasons Christ came to teach us king- pensive gift, with transformative why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. dom principles (Matthew 5:7), Jesus came to implement our place. He gave His life so that power, which promises to bless which are very different from God’s plan of salvation we could have eternal life. both the giver and receiver. Jesus was born to fulfi ll worldly principles. Worldly prin- Salvation through Christ is an This Christmas you may receive promises and prophecies ciples tell us, “Don’t get caught.” eternal gift that will never fade. many gifts. But even the shiniest, Jesus’ birth fulfi lled more Kingdom principles tell us we’re Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages fastest, coolest, gifts will tarnish, than 300 prophecies in the Old already guilty and if we’ve thought of sin is death. Death was always break, or go out of style. Former NFL player Miles Testament. For example, Jesus was about doing something, we’ve the penalty of sin. Some sin may Salvation through Christ is an McPherson is the senior pastor of born of a virgin (see Isaiah 7:14 done it in the eyes of God, because result in literal death; other sins eternal gift that will never fade. the Rock Church in San Diego. Gifts with purpose Put inspirational items on your shopping list By Lori Arnold American cathedrals now have the mous features of the iconic struc- option of accessorizing home and tures, thanks to Christian Silks. Black Friday came a little earlier apparel with some of the most fa- The silks are the brainchild of this year, and with consumer confi - Angela Joy Coppola and were in- dence showing small signs of resur- spired by her visits to the cathedrals rection, retailers are hoping for a in Washington and London. The much more profi table season than line includes a tribute to the Crys- the past few years. There are plenty tal Cathedral in Garden Grove and of choices for the more traditional Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. gifts of Bibles, books, music and “Part of the beauty of owning movies. Many options are also avail- these gorgeous silks is to use them able for children and youth. to create a sacred space in the This year, we found an unusual home that is conducive to prayer gift idea in silk scarves and ties as and contemplation,” Coppola said. part of a nod to America and Eu- “As you can see from our website, ropean cathedrals. Knickknacks are Christian Silks offers colorful scarves these silks can also be worn in a va- also a great option. and ties designed from the stained riety of ways.” Fans of the spectacular stained glass showpieces of American and glass and painted architecture of European cathedrals. See CHRISTMAS, page 6 For information about advertising, subscriptions, or bulk delivery, please call 1-800-326-0795 2 • CHRISTIAN EXAMINER • December 2012 IE www.christianexaminer.com Popular church vans have propensity to roll, hundreds killed By Lori Arnold the rate of those that were lightly ing a bus or passenger van without loaded.” the inspection is a misdemeanor. YORBA LINDA — Mark and At least six more advisories have “If a church would go rent a van Cindy Smith were enjoying a late been issued for the 15-passenger and use it … for a week or a week- afternoon meal at a Southern Cali- vans over the years. The 2004 advi- end or something like that, and fornia restaurant, as was their habit sory noted that a fully loaded van they didn’t have a Class B driver in during their annual summer vaca- is about fi ve times more likely to it, then they are not following the tions here. Their daughter Malori, roll than when the vehicle contains law,” said Turner, a 29-year-civilian a recent high school graduate, was only a driver. employee with the CHP. “They are enjoying the return leg of her 17th operating illegally.” mission trip, this time to Mexico Hundreds of rollovers Any van that transports less than City. According to the 1982-2009 Fa- nine people is not monitored by Her father’s phone rang. tality Analysis Reporting System da- the state. There had been a crash near tabase maintained by the National “They are virtually unregulated Monterrey, Mexico involving the Highway Traffi c Safety Administra- as far as having to have a special passenger van that was carrying his tion, 1,183 people were killed in driver’s license and all that,” he daughter’s team back to Laredo, 740 fatal rollovers across the coun- said. “They don’t need the inspec- Texas. No more details were avail- try. An additional 1,990 people tion. They sidestep most of the able, so Smith immediately booked were injured in those crashes. regulations by getting down to less a ticket to Monterrey. On their Other factors complicating the than 10.” way to the airport the phone rang This Ford 15-passenger van, carrying musicians from Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, rolled four times on Interstate 5 in Kern County on April 9, 2004, killing safety of the vehicles include over- again. the driver and its front-seat passenger. The photo was used in a civil suit in loading the vehicles, loading cargo A church asset “The pastor on the other end of which attorneys from the then-law fi rm Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood won a $73 on roof-mounted carriers, lack of Turner, a resident of El Cajon, the line said, ‘Malori died,’” Smith million verdict against Ford Motor Company. training by the drivers and manu- said there are hundreds of church- said. “We just stopped in the mid- facturer guidelines that require dif- es using the vans in San Diego dle of the road and said, ‘OK now vehicles—there are an estimated California and Colorado, where the ferent air pressure for the front and County alone. They are popular what?’ 500,000 such vans on the road—by family was living at the time of her rear tires. In addition, most states with churches because they are less “It’s hard to let those words sort either putting extended bodies on death. A thousand people turned do not require a special license to expensive than hiring out buses of sink in. What does that mean, standard truck chassis or convert- out to honor her. operate the extended vans. and logistically easier than coor- especially for a Christian? We were ing cargo vans for passenger use. “Not because we were popular, California, however, is an excep- dinating multiple private vehicles. worship leaders for 25 years. We fi g- With a right side aisle, the weight but because she was,” her dad said. tion. Robert Turner, a retired su- Universities also use them to trans- ure, hey man, we’re protected and of the vans shifted to the left, rear Several months before Malori’s pervisor for the California Highway port students for a wide variety of Malori’s on the mission fi eld and tire.