Mahon Methodist

Mahon Methodist Church
Mahon Road
Portadown
N. Ireland

Message from our Minister

Welcome to Mahon Methodist Church

Welcome to the web site of Mahon
Methodist Church.

Ding, Dong, Merrily On High, In Heaven The Bells Are Ringing.

So the Christmas Carol goes. It reminds us of the choir of angels who appeared to the shepherds on that first Christmas Eve, singing about the Saviour of the world. In Luke chapter 2, verses 8-14 we read they sang after the announcement by the angel, of the birth of Jesus.

What a Christmas present for the world! " Today in the city of David, a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." I wonder what is the best Christmas present you have ever received? Was it a toy when you were younger? A gift you always dreamed of receiving? A trip you had only imagined taking?

For me, the best Christmas present I ever received was some words spoken by my Father a few years ago.

Being a Methodist Minister it has not always been possible to visit my parents on Christmas Day, because I have had services to take,so as a family we would often journey to see them on Christmas Eve. This was also my mother's birthday so we were able to have a double celebration.

I had always wanted to speak to my Father about faith, but shied away from that responsibility. Year after year, I would pray for an opportunity to talk about Jesus but every year as my family journeyed home, we realized another year had passed and still there had been no spiritual conversation.

Then it happened. My Father and I were alone in the room and with a lump in my throat and a pounding heart, I said, "Daddy I want to speak to you about something". He looked at me and no doubt wondered what was coming.

I told him as a Methodist Minister I spent my life talking to people about Jesus and I wondered about his relationship with Jesus. There was a silence and when I looked at him, my Father had tears running down his cheeks. He responded by telling me that when he was a small boy there was a visiting missionary who came to speak in his church and he invited people to come forward to the communion rail, if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus in service and committment. My Father said He went forward.

Then he told me that he had let Jesus down on many occasions but when he landed in France in 1944, with the enemy in front and the sea behind, he threw himself on the sand and cried out, "Lord I am yours". My Father continued, I have often failed Him but He has never failed me."

That Christmas our family rejoiced as we returned home, ready to celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the world. We knew that my Father had a relationship with Jesus that was historic, rooted in a moment in his past, but it was Heavenly as well, because every day Jesus was preparing him for that moment when he would leave this earth and go to the place Jesus had prepared for him.

That day came in October 2009. Our telephone rang and I heard the news that my Father had gone to glory. A few days later as we gathered for a service of Thanksgiving, we praised God and rejoiced that though his earthly pilgrimage was now over, his Heavenly journey had just begun and all because of the babe of Bethlehem.

This Christmas all of us can discover again the joy that only Jesus can give and find in him, hope, light, and peace. He alone gives us the strength for today and the hope for tomorrow.

Wil you reach out and receive the greatest Christmas present there has even been? Will you accept Jesus as your Saviour? You may want to do that, but wonder how? The answer is to:

1) Admit to yourself that you need God.
2) Ask Jesus into your heart as Lord and Saviour so that God will forgive your sin.
3) Acknowledge him by telling someone what you have done, then
4) Join a church where you can learn more about Jesus and grow into the person God wants you to be.

Do that, and this Christmas will be the best Christmas you have ever had, as you discover the peace that God alone can give you.

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