by George | Dec 25, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Christ Really Came!
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
It’s Christmas time again. Somehow those words don’t excite us this year. 2020 has been a rough year.
The late Tom Petty seemed to echo our sentiments in “Christmas All Over Again.”
“Well it’s Christmas time again
Decorations pearl hung by the fire
Everybody’s singing
All the bells are ringing out
And it’s Christmas all over again, yeah again.”
The next refrain seems relevant for the 2020 social distancing thing:
“Long distance relatives
Haven’t seen them in a long, long time
Yeah, I kind of missed them
I just don’t want to kiss them, no
And it’s Christmas all over again, yeah again.”
In spite of our feelings, and the inevitable stress and hurriedness of the holiday season… One central truth remains:
Christ, the Son of God, really did come to this Earth!
Read today’s verse again, this time with feeling.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
If we could hear John say these words, we would hear an exuberance in his voice! John not only states that Jesus came, he also stated that He dwelt among us. He lived here, and became like us, only without sin.
John said “…we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John saw Christ’s glory!
What about us? We’ve read this verse so many times that the significance of it has diminished for us.
Let’s try to keep out the distractions of the season for a moment. Read over the verse slowly and carefully as though we have never read these words before… Read it several times… Meditate on it…
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
Christ really came!
Merry CHRISTmas!!!
by George | Dec 24, 2020 | Community News
The Best Gift
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7
On a busy December afternoon, I discovered that a nail was making my tire go flat. So, I went to get it fixed at a local tire store.
While I was there, one of the young men recognized me and came over to greet me. I didn’t recognize him, but when he told me his name, I remembered. He was a child that used to attend the first church I pastored several years ago.
The young man told me he never forgot an object lesson I used one Christmas.
I smiled, amazed that he remembered my simple lesson after all these years. God had hidden His word in the young man’s heart….
Like I said, it was a simple object lesson.
I showed the kids 2 gifts. One was wrapped with fancy wrapping paper, ribbon and bow. The other, a plain brown paper sack.
I held them up for the kids and adults to see.
“Which one is the best gift?” I asked. (Some of the bright kids pointed to the brown paper sack!)
I opened the fancy gift, and there was nothing inside! Then, I opened the brown paper sack and showed them the contents, a miniature manger scene.
I explained the Christmas story to them. Reminding them that Jesus was born in something like a barn, not in a palace.
The Son of God left His home in heaven, came to this Earth as a little baby, born of a virgin. He was born to parents who were not wealthy. In other words, He became poor for us.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
II Corinthians 8:9
I explained to the kids and adults that Jesus became like us, identifying with our humanity. He grew up, lived a sinless life, and offered Himself for our sins.
I told them that the fancy box looked good, but it was empty, explaining that things of this Earth were like that. It’s empty without Christ. He came to give us life abundant.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
This Christmas, let’s rejoice and thank God for the best gift of all, His Son Jesus Christ.
by George | Dec 21, 2020 | Community News
Abide
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
Facebook memories are great, aren’t they?
If you’ve had a Facebook account for sometime, you probably know about Facebook memories. A whole section is devoted to the stuff you posted last year on this date.
So, the other day, Facebook reminded me of this post from a few years ago.
“My mind was preoccupied this morning thinking about the Christmas parties we are doing in the neighborhoods and about the Easter egg hunts coming up in March, when I heard this verse in my Spirit. “Abide in Me… Apart from Me you can do nothing.” It’s important to spend time at the Master’s feet… Abiding… Resting in Him. I felt a great peace come over me.”
For me, this was a timely reminder. We have crossed over into December and suddenly we are getting busier and busier.
We get so busy that we forget to start off our days with God. When this happens, I feel like I don’t have the energy and strength for the challenges ahead. I’ve become disconnected from the power source.
So, what does it mean to abide? Brad Baurain explains:
“Abide” is not a word we use much today, so translations often replace it with other words such as “remain,” “continue,” or even “reside.” Abide means to make a firm decision to “stay in place.” The key idea is that we “stick close” to Christ, understanding that our life and fruitfulness depend upon Him.”
So, let’s take a few moments with the Master, drawing on His strength. Carry on a conversation with God throughout the day. Keep abiding in Him!–
