Christmas

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THE MYSTERY REVEALED

(1 Corinthians 2:9&10) However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

In these verses, the Apostle Paul refers to the great mystery that had been hidden from the beginning of time and now revealed by his Spirit.  The advent of Jesus the Christ is the beginning of this great reveal.  God in his wisdom, that is far beyond what we can conceive, has always had a plan for our redemption. A baby, born to a common family, lying in a manger made for feeding animals, is the beginning of this astonishing miracle.  Jesus came that we might have new life, eternal life.

The great love of our Creator did not allow him to abandon us.  He would give his one and only son unto a torturous death, allowing him to take on the sins of the whole world.  But Jesus did not Just come and go; he grew up like a regular human child, and he spent his adult years teaching us a new way to live. For those of us who have received him, we have been given new life guided by the infilling of his Holy Spirit.

Christmas is a celebration of the reveal. A mystery that was long hidden until the time was ready for its release.  We are all given invitations to what God’s love accomplished for us in his redemption plan.  Don’t miss out! Receive this great gift that our creator has offered us and join in on the everlasting celebration!

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THE WONDERFUL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

(Isaiah 9:6&7) For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

This prophesy about the birth of Jesus, that Isaiah wrote some 700 years before he was born, refers to the eternal kingdom of God that Jesus will establish and rule over.  This is the kingdom that all believers will inhabit forever.  As I read these verses from Isaiah, I find excitement, great comfort, and peace for my soul.

Christmas always leads me to reflect on what Jesus accomplished during his time with us.  He taught us how we should live, and he showed us his power over creation. Most of all he paid for our sins and restored us to fellowship with our creator.  Yet this was just the beginning of what God has planned for his redeemed children.

Isaiah let us know that in eternity we will be governed by our loving savior.  Jesus will be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Can you imagine a king who loves his people and cares for them. There is comfort in knowing that our king Jesus is all powerful, a Father who will never leave us or forsake us, and one who insures eternal peace for all.  Jesus’ birth is the beginning of all our hopes and dreams being fulfilled.  Thank you Jesus for our salvation and, beyond our imagination, eternal life.

May your Christmas be filled with celebration as you explore the wonders of the wonderful meaning of Christmas.

       MERRY CHRISTMAS

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LEADING THE PERFECT LIFE

(Psalm 119: 1-4) Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the lord. Blessed are those who keep his statues and seek him with all their heart – they do no wrong but follow his ways.  You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

Ah, living the perfect unreproachable life.  Can you imagine being perfect in all your ways?  You would have to follow all God’s decrees, do no wrong, and therefore have no regrets.  Well, the Bible says that none of us have achieved this distinction.  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.

There are a couple of factors that stand in the way of the perfect life.  We are born with a sinful, rebellious nature, and we have an enemy that constantly works at tempting us to sin.  Even when we come to God and find his love for us, we still fight the tendency to go our own way.  The Apostle Paul sums up this dilemma in Romans 7:21-25, So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Psalm 119 verses 5-8, the Psalmist, like Paul, laments over his failure to follow God’s decrees.  Don’t all of us who love the Lord desire to be righteous in his eyes?  In Jesus, God made a way.  Jesus took our sins and the punishment for those sins upon himself.  Through the righteousness of Jesus, we now stand righteous in the eyes of God. Since we could not accomplish perfection on our own, Jesus did it for us.

As long as we are here on earth, the perfect life will allude us, but the time will come when all will be set right. For all who remain in Jesus, the perfect life will be ours forever.  As we enter this season of Christ’s advent, let us celebrate deep in our hearts the true reason for the Christmas season.  We have been reconciled to our creator; and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we are perfect in his eyes.           

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JESUS’ INVITATION

(Matthew 11:28-30) Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 This is one of my favorite scriptures, but like all the sayings of Jesus, I find that fully understanding and experiencing what he says can take a lifetime.  I’ve learned that his invitation, “come to me,” doesn’t mean drop by when you’re not busy.  It means come and stay forever.  When I take his yoke upon me, it is a permanent fitting.  I find that learning from Jesus is indeed a lifetime pursuit.  The very words that impact me today, may have a whole new meaning at a later time.  There is always something deeper for the Holy Spirit to reveal.

When Jesus says he is “gentle and humble in heart”, he is telling me that his teachings are not meant to place a heavy burden on me.  They are leading me to a place of rest for my soul.  He assures me by saying his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

I say that this is one of my favorite scriptures, yet be assured, I have wrestled with it throughout my walk with Jesus. At one point, I remember saying to Jesus that his yoke was not easy, and his burden was not light.  I’m very grateful that he is always patient with me.  I now find his words consoling.  It’s not that I’m required to do something on my own; I’m supposed to relax and receive from him direction, encouragement, and help.  Jesus loves me, and he desires to lead me toward a full and peaceful life.

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 WHEN THE TIME HAS FULLY COME

(Galatians 4:4-5) But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

I have always been fascinated by the idea that God has a plan. This quote from Galatians 4:4, “But when the set time had fully come…” tells us that the timing of Jesus’ birth was planned.  Even today, in the midst of our daily life, God’s plan is unfolding. 

From the Christmas story, found in the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we can read the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. As you may recall, they were the parents of John the Baptist.  Zechariah was a priest; he and his wife Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, yet they had been unable to have children.   In their daily life, they were faithful and trusted in God.  They desired to have a child, but they did not abandon God for his seeming failure to answer their prayers, even though they were both well along in years.

One day, at the appointed time, when Zechariah was ministering before the altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him.  The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John…” 

Have you prayed for something and thought that your prayer wasn’t heard?  Maybe, it just wasn’t the right time.  God has a plan that he is working out through history.  We only have a broad, very general insight into his plan, yet each of God’s children has a part in his plan. We are usually unaware of how we fit into his plan.  We just patiently trust in his infinite wisdom.  Don’t lose heart; stay faithful.  In faith we trust that God will complete his plan, and our part will happen as it should when the time has fully come.

Happy New Year!

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  CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

With the advent of Christmas, we celebrate the greatest event that ever happened on the earth:  God entering time and taking on human flesh.  He spent time as one of us.  He walked beside us, and with his eventual death and resurrection, brought new and eternal life for all who would receive him.  This is worthy of celebration.  No other event on earth has stirred the hearts of men to such joyous celebration.  People all-over the earth celebrate this wondrous occasion.

Our Joining in celebration helps us to focus on something bigger than our individual lives; something more real than the temporal.  Celebration sets a mood of happiness and oneness.  I remember singing in a community choir.  The usual human difficulties were present during rehearsals, but when the performance came, we were a unit of celebration.  Our hearts were lifted.  We experienced a oneness of joy and delight.

God delights when we enter into celebration.  The angels celebrated that first night when Jesus was born, and we have ever since celebrated with them.  Let us continue the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the wonder of God’s plan for our salvation begun that glorious night.

                   A promise has been fulfilled.

                   A reclamation for all the earth

                   A virgin has brought forth child.

                   A most miraculous birth

                   A prophesy from ancient times

                   A hope that’s now achieved.

                   A salvation to be realized

                   A redemption for Adam’s seed.

God bless you and have a Merry Christmas celebration!

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A CHRISTMAS PRAYER

I pray that we be full of joy and thankfulness as we celebrate the Arrival of your Son and the realization of your great love for us.  Father, we celebrate what you have planned for us and the grace and mercy you have granted to us.  We approach you in humble amazement as we join together in our Christmas celebration.  All glory, honor, and praise be unto you, our Heavenly Father. Amen!

Have a very merry Christmas, and may God’s blessings be yours throughout the New Year.

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CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

With the advent of Christmas we celebrate the greatest event that ever happened on the earth.  God entered time and took on human flesh.  He spent time as one of us.  He walked beside us, and with his eventual death and resurrection, brought new and eternal life for all who would receive him.  This is worthy of celebration.  No other event on earth has stirred the hearts of men to such joyous celebration.  People all-over the world celebrate this wondrous occasion.

 Our joining together in celebration helps us focus on something grander than our individual lives; something more real than the temporal.  Celebration sets a mood of happiness and oneness.  I remember singing in a community choir at Christmas.  Our hearts were lifted as we performed traditional Christmas music.  We experienced oneness of joy.

The angels celebrated that first night when Jesus was born, and mankind has ever since had the opportunity to celebrate with them.  As we continue the celebration of Jesus’ birth, we acknowledge the wonder of God’s plan for our salvation.  That glorious night of Jesus’ birth was the beginning of God’s renewal of his creation.

                   A promise has been fulfilled

                   A reclamation for all the earth,

                   A virgin has brought forth child

                   A most miraculous birth.

                   A prophesy from ancient times

                   A hope that’s now achieved,

                   A salvation realized

                   A redemption for Adam’s seed.

God bless you, and have a Merry Christmas celebration!

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 PSALM 82 AND GOD’S SOLUTION

Humans are at war all over the earth.  There is no peace on earth.  They kill each other and rob from each other.  Evil abounds!  The author of Psalm 82 laments the injustice on the earth.  He calls for God to intervene. We often hear cries for God to do something.  Why does he allow all this evil?

On the other hand there many acts of love and caring on the earth.  People sacrifice for the benefit of others.  They give their money and time to the needy.  Some have even given their lives for others.  Kindness and compassion do exist in the midst of daily life.

I recall that in the beginning we were created in the image of God himself.  Therefore, we are like God, beings of love.  I also remember that we chose to rebel against God and bring sin into the world.  Thus we have the by-polar existence of great good and great evil.  What can be done?

God in his infinite wisdom chose not to fix the symptoms but the cause.  His solution began with an infant born in a stable.  From this humble beginning, He brought about redemption from sin for all humans.  Yet, as in the beginning, He didn’t take away our right to choose.  He did give us the opportunity to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  We can choose to repent of our sinful life and accept Jesus as our savior or continue in the pursuit of evil. 

 Yes, peace on earth is a possibility, but it is held in the hands of each person who lives on the earth.  We can elect to return to God or remain in our sins.  Evil or good, we get to choose.  God has heard our cries, and Jesus his Son is the solution for our dilemma.

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RECEIVING BLESSINGS FROM OTHERS

(Romans 15:2 MSG) Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”

I have a large tree in my front yard.  In the fall the leaves of this tree turn yellow, orange and red.  It is quite beautiful.  Usually the leaves fall between the last two weeks of November the first few weeks of December giving me a nice period of time to pick them up.  This year was different.

November was unseasonably cold this year leading to a surprise event. The colder weather prepares the leaves to break loose from the tree and fall to the earth more quickly.  Sunday and Monday of this week, a strong northwestern wind presented itself. Within twenty-four hours, ninety present of those beautiful leaves fell to the ground.  Four weeks of work turn into a one day experience. The good news, I was blessed with unanticipated help.  As I faced my overwhelming task, three Good Samaritans passed by. 

The first was a young man delivering a package to my neighbor.  He stopped to verify the address, and I pointed him to the right house.  On the way back to his truck, he stopped and offered to help me.  He stayed long enough to load a large bag with leaves.  I thanked him, and he replied that he used to pick up leaves with his grandfather.  He smiled and said he enjoyed helping me.

It takes many weeks to dispose of so many leaves.  I can only fill up one lawn waste can per week which would have taken me more than a month.  Then the second Good Samaritan came by. I don’t know who this was, so they remain anonymous.  When I went into the house for a coffee break, I left two large bags of leaves lying in the driveway.  When I returned one of those bags was gone.  I can only assume that a neighbor came by and took one home to put in his lawn waste can.    

The third Good Samaritan was my neighbor from across the street.  He noticed me laboring there in my front yard and offered his green can for me to fill.  He probably would have stayed to help me fill it, but he had broken his wrist and it was covered with a large brace. Now getting rid of the leaves will happen in just a couple of weeks thanks to my neighbors.

Three people, out of the kindness of their hearts, made my arduous task less difficult and more enjoyable. Their acts of kindness blessed my heart.  With their simple acts of kindness, they embodied our scripture from Romans.