Looking Out : Giving to Others at Christmas
It’s hard to imagine that we are now in November and that Christmas is just six weeks away! Thanksgiving and Halloween are behind us, the Melbourne Cup has been run and we have reflected on Remembrance Day. I think that just leaves Christmas to focus on between now and the end of the year. (I must say I find it premature for the Christmas advertisements to have started on TV etc and the retailers to have Christmas decorations in the shops and malls already.)
Behind all the glitter there remains the reality that many people in our community find this a difficult period of the year. Pressures abound to spend! spend! spend! Sadly, these pressures have the hidden cost of creating family trauma which manifests in many ways with indebtedness often rising, mental health cases rising and expectations not being met, particularly amongst the younger members of our society.
As a community, we are blessed and able to show care and kindness to those less fortunate than ourselves. We are encouraged in Mark 12:31 to “love our neighbour”. By loving them as God loves us, we can show our neighbours in need of help that they are not forgotten.
Carlingford Uniting Church is a generous congregation as we have seen over many years. Most recently, we have forwarded $1,600 to Frontier Services, being the proceeds of the recent BBQ and stalls. We have announced the “Sox and Jox Collection” to help Parramatta Mission serve its clients with fresh socks and underwear (final day is 26 November). Our weekly non-perishable food collection for Hope Connect in Telopea is an important ministry to those less fortunate than ourselves.
The invitation will come shortly to focus our donations to this appeal towards Christmas goods. Shortly, you will receive an envelope from the Christmas Bowl inviting you to contribute to the work of Act for Peace (of which the Uniting Church is a member). Irrespective of which, or all, of the above opportunities to assist others, I invite you to be generous as we serve others who are less well off than ourselves. NRM