800 Juliana Drive, Woodstock, Ontario

Phone: 519-539-1492

     

December 2017

Joy

JOY
 
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
During the Christmas season one of our favourite songs to sing in SK is "Joy to the World". We all know the words well, "Joy to the World the Lord has come…" But what exactly is the joy of Christmas all about? Many people confuse joy and happiness. Happiness is based on your circumstances, but joy is a deeper emotion that lasts through good and bad times.
Sometimes joy can feel like an explosion of hope and excitement and at other times it is a strong sense of peace and a feeling that all is as it should be. During advent, we remember with joy the gift of Jesus, we enjoy His blessings now and we delight in the promise of His coming again.
Galatians 5:22-25 tells us that joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. This means that God is the source of joy, but the Holy Spirit helps us to see it, practice it and give it away. The Spirit draws our attention to beautiful things and helps us remember God's faithfulness in the stories of the Bible and in our lives.
In our Social Justice Leadership Team, we have had discussions on how we as Christians at WCS can promote joy and peace. We decided that we must always be praying for opportunities to "have our eyes opened" to those in need in our families, school, greater community and beyond.
The Spirit also helps us see people who are in need of God's joy, so that we can share it with them. When we are filled with joy, we know how to give it away. Christmas is a perfect time to remind others of good times and stories of God's faithfulness. We can show them examples of God's goodness and beauty all around us. We can share God's promises from the Bible and we can also bring joy to others doing simple acts of kindness and service. What a JOY to share God's good gifts! We pray that all of the WCS community will experience this joy this Christmas and into 2018!
(pieces taken from http://kidscorner.reframemedia.com/media/pdf/KC-Advent-Calendar-2017-1_%284%29.pdf)
 
Linda Westerveld and Jesse Duizer ( Social Justice LT)
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Joy

JOY
 
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
During the Christmas season one of our favourite songs to sing in SK is "Joy to the World". We all know the words well, "Joy to the World the Lord has come…" But what exactly is the joy of Christmas all about? Many people confuse joy and happiness. Happiness is based on your circumstances, but joy is a deeper emotion that lasts through good and bad times.
Sometimes joy can feel like an explosion of hope and excitement and at other times it is a strong sense of peace and a feeling that all is as it should be. During advent, we remember with joy the gift of Jesus, we enjoy His blessings now and we delight in the promise of His coming again.
Galatians 5:22-25 tells us that joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. This means that God is the source of joy, but the Holy Spirit helps us to see it, practice it and give it away. The Spirit draws our attention to beautiful things and helps us remember God's faithfulness in the stories of the Bible and in our lives.
In our Social Justice Leadership Team, we have had discussions on how we as Christians at WCS can promote joy and peace. We decided that we must always be praying for opportunities to "have our eyes opened" to those in need in our families, school, greater community and beyond.
The Spirit also helps us see people who are in need of God's joy, so that we can share it with them. When we are filled with joy, we know how to give it away. Christmas is a perfect time to remind others of good times and stories of God's faithfulness. We can show them examples of God's goodness and beauty all around us. We can share God's promises from the Bible and we can also bring joy to others doing simple acts of kindness and service. What a JOY to share God's good gifts! We pray that all of the WCS community will experience this joy this Christmas and into 2018!
(pieces taken from http://kidscorner.reframemedia.com/media/pdf/KC-Advent-Calendar-2017-1_%284%29.pdf)
 
Linda Westerveld and Jesse Duizer ( Social Justice LT)
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ADVENT

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SNOW DAY

SNOW DAY FOR WOODSTOCK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. Due to the forecast for snow squalls and high winds today, buses are cancelled for the day and the school is closed.

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Waiting in Joyful Hope

 

 

Waiting in Joyful Hope

 

 

 
How good are you at waiting? Waiting at traffic lights? In lines at the grocery store, ATMs or Service Ontario? There are amazing statistics about how much of our lives we spend waiting. Inevitably, we all need to wait. 
Is waiting an empty waste of time? If we believe it is, how can we reframe it to think otherwise? Each of us has experienced times we wait in dread and fear. Sometimes we wait in boredom. And there are times when we wait with excitement and joy.
Advent is a time of waiting - a time between the 'now' and the 'not yet'. We will soon celebrate Christmas and the knowledge that Jesus has come as Emmanuel - God with us - as promised.
As Christ followers, we wait during Advent and look forward to celebrating the fact that God loves us so much that he sent his Son into the world to save us. This waiting is far from empty; rather, it is full of the hope that God promises us as we prepare for Christ.
While we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus that has occurred, we also use the season of Advent to anticipate Christ's second coming. When Jesus comes again, the Kingdom of God will appear in its fullness. The just will reign with Christ forever and the earth will be transformed. During Advent, we wait in joy, in hope, and in anticipation for the wonderful event we are about to experience-the coming of Christ into our lives in new ways, the return of Christ in glory at the end of time. 
Consider using an Advent Calendar to help your family wait in joyful hope. Here is a link to 'not your usual Advent calendar' but one which challenges families to extend Gifts of Kindness.
 
Sources: www.loyolapress.com and kidscorner.reframemedia.com/media/pdf/KC-Advent-Calendar
Photo: tilecross.org.uk/wpimages/wp6c092427_05_06.jpg
 
C. Verbeek
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With-ness

Emmanuel, God with us. As we begin this Advent season, this time of waiting, "with-ness" has been on my mind. With-ness: God with us. What does this mean to you? What does it mean to you to know that God has dwelt among us. He's moved in. I love the way The Message translation portrays John 1:14. It says, "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son. Generous inside and out, true from start to finish." During advent, we anticipate the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World. Slowing down to recognize just what this means is something that I will be working on during this season. Spending time in prayer, silence and rest to reflect on all that God has already done this school year and standing in awe with what He will continue to do. With Parent-Teacher interviews fresh in our minds, we can celebrate the learning and growth that has taken place this year! And anticipate further growth throughout the rest of the school year. Confession time: Praying for God's will to be done in all areas of my life has always been a challenge for me. I like knowing, planning, organizing - and controlling. But, relinquishing this control into the hands of my Creator is my aim this Advent season. Would you join me in slowing down? How can we show the world that we have been with Jesus? 
K. VanderPloeg
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