What Love Is

This is a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 that someone sent me recently. Please enjoy and think about it!

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china  and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of LOVE will endure.

                      -Author Unknown

These Things

Is this true that unto to us a Child is born, and unto us a Son is given?

If we accept this gift of salvation then we too are reborn, and we are given to the Son. To give Him honor and glory all the days of our lives should be our

Isaiah 9:6 declares: For unto us a child is born, for unto 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.

The characteristics and attributes of Jesus are described here with two word titles:

Wonderful Counselor - The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— Isaiah 11:2

Mighty God - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;  but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Isaiah 11:3-4

Everlasting Father - Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:9-10

Prince of Peace - “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

At this time of year, let’s remember who to focus on – Jesus, and to focus on - our relationship with Him. Amen?

Christmas News

News bulletins are for world events, and our Lord’s birth was in obscurity. The first people to hear were shepherds. There were senators in Rome, princes in Jerusalem, and philosophers in Athens. But there were shepherds living out in the fields, and to them the wonderful news was given. It was indicative of how God works even today. Notice three features from Luke 2:8-20:

1.     An Unexpected Surprise (v. 8). They were minding their own business, (or their own sheep) just another day in their lives, another night in their shepherding. Probably the most exciting thing that happened was a visit from a marauding wolf, which is why they kept watch. Suddenly an angel appeared, and a bright light, the glory of the Lord, filled the sky. The creation story in Genesis begins in a similar way, with God speaking in the darkness. Throughout history, God brings light into human darkness. The prophets looked forward to the day when the people walking in darkness would see a great light. But for these shepherds it was an unexpected surprise. God still breaks into human history in unexpected ways to bring light into our darkness. He comes to those not expecting or even seeking Him. He comes to those going about the ordinary business (and busyness) of living. Shepherds were not highly esteemed in those days. The very nature of their work precluded regular observance at temple and synagogue. Their honesty was not rated highly (they weren’t allowed to stand as witnesses in court). God still surprises people like that today (1 Cor. 1:27–29). Some of you can look back to last Christmas and you are surprised to find yourselves here today. Who would have dreamt that God would meet you and bring you into His family? Others here are perhaps still in the dark, going about your business with little thought of angels and glory and God. He longs to break into your life. This Christmas could be a great surprise for you as you understand for the first time what it all means.

2.     An Unusual Sign (v. 12). Bethlehem may have been a “little town,” but finding the right baby wasn’t easy, so the shepherds were given an identifying sign—not just a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, for most babies would be in that state. The identifying sign would be a baby lying in a manger. This baby was in an animal feeding-trough, His first bed. The New Testament word “sign” means not just an identifying mark, but something that has in itself significance. So what is the “significance” of the manger? It indicates the depths to which the Son was willing to stoop in love (2 Cor. 8:9). It marks the beginning of the life of one who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It marked the kind of lifestyle He would adopt in His earthly ministry (Luke 9:58). He was born a Savior in a manger, and He died a Savior on a cross. The manger also meant the shepherds could visit Him freely. Spurgeon says: “We might tremble to approach a throne, but we cannot fear to approach a manger.”

3.     An Unbelievable Story (vv. 17–18). These shepherds were the first Christian missionaries. They had seen the Christ, and they told everyone what had happened to them. The good news about Jesus is something to be shared, and the best people to share it are ordinary folk who have had a personal experience with Him. You may not know everything, but if God has unexpectedly broken into your life, you have something to share. We have someone to share—a baby in the manager, a man on the Cross, a returning King!

O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray;cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.

This Christmas and always praise God for sending Jesus! Amen?

Preparing

There are three things we can learn from Simeon and Anna as found in Luke 2:21-40 about how have peace and contentment. The third thing is that we need to prepare ourselves to receive God’s blessings.

Simeon was not a particularly important man, but he was known as a righteous and a devout man. In Greek that means “taking a good hold on something”. For him, God was at the center of this his life. Similarly, God was at the center of Anna’s life. She was constantly in the Temple day and night. She was known for her fasting and prayers. She was always worshiping God.

These were not CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) type of worshipers! Simeon and Anna were the type of worshipers who would have been present every time the church doors were opened. They were involved in nearly activity open to them, because they were dedicated people who loved God with all of their hearts, their souls and their minds.

It’s intriguing that it was ONLY to them that God revealed His message of peace.
You might be a Christian, but unless you commit yourself to putting God at the center of your life you’ll not only miss out on the peace of Christmas you’ll also miss out on a lot of other blessings from God.

Put Christ at the center of all you do this Christmas. Amen?

Looking for Christ

There are three things we can learn from Simeon and Anna as found in Luke 2:21-40 about how have peace and contentment. The second one is that we need to look for Christ.

We had a little nativity scene at my last church that was placed right in front of where I sat. My first Christmas there I found their tradition was that the manger was empty until Christmas Eve. No one told me so I thought Jesus was missing! Seriously it’s easy- to lose Jesus at this time of year. We must look for Jesus in what we do with our families, and truly keep Him as the reason for the season.

Simeon was looking for Jesus. He’d been promised by God and the highlight of his life is when he finally sees Jesus. Simeon prays in Luke 2:29; “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

What robs many people, including Christians, of the peace that Christmas can bring is that we get caught up in looking for everything but Jesus. And thus, the manger of Christmas becomes empty for us.

Where is Jesus at in your Christmas?

Today and throughout this season may we receive God’s peace. Amen?

Main Thing

There are three things we can learn from Simeon and Anna as found in Luke 2:21-40 about how have peace and contentment.

The first is that Money (or Stuff) isn’t important.

One of the BIG stresses of this season is gifts. Who to buy for, what to buy, the busyness, and how can I afford it - are great stressors. Simeon & Anna didn’t fall into that trap. They were looking for the Messiah and who did they pick? They picked Jesus, this baby being carried by Joseph & Mary., they were part of the ordinary crowd of people like those who came into the Temple every day. If ANYTHING distinguished them – it was the fact that they were poor. Luke 2:21-24: When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”.

In other words, according to the law, a person of means who gave birth to a child was required to bring a lamb as their sacrifice. But a poor couple brought what Joseph & Mary offered: a couple of small birds. But, this couple’s poverty didn’t phase Simeon & Anna. They weren’t distracted by appearances. The Holy Spirit directed them, and wants to direct you to Him as well. 

Look for Christ everywhere this Christmas. He can be found. Amen?

Living Lord

Christmas can be a very stressful time of year. Many people say they would love to escape Christmas altogether. Some parts of the world have gained a reputation for violence at this time of the year.  It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The angels proclaimed; “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

How can we assure ourselves of that peace?

Luke introduces to us two people who meet the baby Jesus. The way that these two react to Jesus that may hold the secret. We can learn from Simeon & Anna how have peace and contentment.

 Jesus Presented in the Temple

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. ²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” ²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” ³³ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” ³⁶ There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸ Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹ When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. -Luke 2:21-40

Always seek the living Lord. It will put a smile on God's face, and yours too. Amen?