The Promised Light Is Here

Jesus love and faithfulness brings light to everyone.

John 1:1-14  In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

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Did you hear the good news? The light that was promised for hundreds of years (Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 9:2, Malachi 4:2) is finally here, that's right, the one that said at the beginning of creation "Let there be light" was now here in the world that he made. He had John come to get people ready (Luke 1:77-79) for his arrival, he is coming to bring light to everyone, but so many people didn't notice.

Jesus entered our world and was ignored like an artist that visits a museum to see his own masterpiece and nobody realizes that he is right there in front of them, the artist hears the praise and the criticism from the observers, they would probably be embarrassed if they knew he heard them.

Are you living in the dark?

John 8:12, 12:46 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness."

Jesus gave us the ability to exit the darkness and step into the light. I say he gives us the ability because he doesn't push us into the light, actually he said that a lot of us would love the darkness instead and they will hate the light, they don't want to face the facts that the light exposes. (John 3:18-21)

I want to stay in the light, in order to stay there comfortably requires that I stay away from sin, the light tells on us so we can't stay in it if we are up to no good. It is difficult to stay in the light if selfishness, gossip and pride are being exposed all the time.

Thank you Lord for bringing light to this dark world.

The Night That Changed Everything

Our relationship with God is totally different now.

Luke 2:8-12 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

John 1:10-14 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

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That night started out just like thousands of other nights, the shepherds pack their lunch, pickup their staff and their sling and head to the fields outside of Bethlehem. The sheep stayed in the fields during the night from Spring to Autumn when the grass was still available for grazing, a good reason that December 25th is not Jesus birthday.

The quiet fields burst into a worship service as the angel announced to the shepherds that Jesus was born which was followed up with a host of angels praising God. In their announcement the angels describe Jesus purpose and his ministry on earth, they said that he would be our:

Savior - Redeemer
Messiah - Anointed One
Lord - God

Finally the time was right for the next step in God's plan to set us free from the power of sin, now a new relationship with God is possible, a relationship based on family with God as our father. 

Peace with God!

Romans 5:1,11 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Thank you Lord for coming and giving yourself so that we can have a brand new way of relating to you.

A Not So Silent Night

Can you imagine walking into Bethlehem that night? I imagine that it wasn't a "silent night."

Luke 2:1-20  At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

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There were thousands of people that had traveled home to Bethlehem that needed a place to stay. No doubt there were people that had never left their home town that could offer a place to stay to their friends and family.

Can you imagine how much noise these two groups of people made as they were reunited with their family and friends? I imagine that there were a lot of parties, a lot of feasting and a lot of alcohol being abused. They probably walked into town and saw all of this partying, shouting, loud music and they probably had to step around some drunks in the street.

After three days of walking from Nazareth to Bethlehem, perhaps she was able to ride a donkey, the expectant mom is ready to lay down in a comfortable bed. Instead they walk into a packed town that wasn't set-up for tourist and of course there isn't a room available.

Imagine Mary laying in a stable, just on the outskirts of town, she must have been nervous, being in a strange place surrounded by a town full of people that didn't care. Why did she have to give birth here? Why not back in Nazareth with a mid-wife and her mother?

There was a much more pleasant noise that night. It was coming from the fields just across the way from the stable, it started out as one angel giving an announcement and ended up being a huge crowd of angels singing and praising God.

The shepherds work was more important at night because of the threats from thieves and predators but they didn't let that stop them from checking out the exciting news. After-all the angels told them that "The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" How could they possibly stay with the sheep, they hurried to see baby Jesus and after they left him the shepherds told everybody that they could about him.

This world is full of noise from everywhere, most of it isn't good news, rather it is bad news, confusion and lies. I need to make some noise about Jesus, noise that tells about the peace and forgiveness that he came to earth to give.

Thank you Lord for the hope that you give us. Help me to shut-out the noise of the season and celebrate your birth.

A Social Network Christmas

What if Mary and Joseph had Facebook?

The Christmas story found in Luke 2:1-20 with a social network twist.

Would you believe the post about Mary's pregnancy?

Would you unfriend them to spare your own reputation?

Would you be excited to see the new pictures posted?

Unbelief, indifference, joy, our reactions to Christmas is very much the same as the original cast of characters that were in Nazareth and Bethlehem during the time of Mary's pregnancy.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

Who would have imagined what was going on?

Sarah McLachlan performing 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem'

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

  

For Christ is born of Mary

And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love

O morning stars together

Proclaim the holy birth

And praises sing to God the King

And Peace to men on earth

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us, we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in

Be born to us today

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us

Our Lord Emmanuel 

Joseph Makes The Right Choice

Obedience may not be the easiest road to take.

Matthew 1:18-25  This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

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Pregnant! What do you mean? The wedding plans hadn't been completed yet, besides the wedding itself there was a big feast that lasted for six or seven days before Mary would go to live with Joseph, how could Mary be pregnant? He is in shock about it, after-all who would ever believe that Mary would have slept with a man before marriage, she wasn't that kind of girl.

Joseph had a decision to make, he could have kept this little family from ever happening if he decided to walk away, perhaps Jesus would have grown up in a single parent household, why should a righteous Godly man marry a girl that has been tainted? Joseph lived his whole life in accordance to the law, would he stick to the law and break off the marriage or even have Mary killed?

Joseph believed the angel and took Mary as his wife and raised baby Jesus as his own son. Joseph could have been concerned with his standing in the community, his reputation and his ego were hanging in the balance but despite the cost he chose to believe the angel and be obedient to God's will.

Joseph drops out of the story of Jesus life

We do not know much about Joseph, he was probably a quiet and humble man and would have echoed the words of John the Baptist:

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

Going against the norm is part of the lifestyle of a Christ follower, Joseph had rights that he chose to relinquish, our lifestyle should be one of obedience, love and mercy. We often look for the path of least resistance to determine our next step but sometimes God wants us to make the choice to get off of easy street and use our faith to follow him even when it doesn't seem to make sense.

Help me to follow your will Lord despite the consequences.

Handel's Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus

And he shall reign forever and ever!

Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Harlem Gospel Choir.

Christ reign will never end

Revelation 11:15-17  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 

 

Going From How? To Wow!

The angel announces the birth of Jesus.

Luke 1:26-38  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

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From How?

Mary asked the angel how this could happen, pretty fair question since she didn't have an intimate relationship with a man yet, she was engaged but she hadn't been with anybody yet. This child wouldn't be conceived by man and so therefore this child would be holy and he would be the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

To Wow!

Mary has plans just like every young lady, especially now that she is engaged to Joseph, a nice quiet life in Bethlehem was probably what she pictured for herself. But God has a way of changing our plans, upon hearing the news about her amazing child, Mary responds with surrender and gives her life to God.

Luke 1:46-49  Mary responded,“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

Mary's life was forever changed at this moment, that's how God works, you are going along minding your own business and then God sets you on a new course. Just like he did in Mary's life he doesn't give you a lot of information on the how, he just waits for us to say wow!

Help me to be surrendered to the plans that you have for my life Lord.

The Forerunner Of Jesus Is Announced

The angel announces the birth of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:5-7; 11-20  When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Forerunner

6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Luke 1:66  Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

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As one of about eighteen thousand priests, Zechariah serves in the temple only twice a year, and even more rare is the opportunity to assist in the daily offering by going into the sanctuary to present the incense offering.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were good people, they lived a lifestyle that was consistent with God's law, they would have been great parents but it wasn't time for that yet. God had a special child for them to raise, a child with a very important mission.

Zechariah and Elizabeth didn't realize that they were waiting for God's timing for a purpose that was grander than they could have possibly imagined. Special children often came out of long periods of waiting and this one was no exception.

Women in the Bible that had to wait for children:

Sarah Rebekah Rachel Samson's mother                 Hannah

Genesis 18:11 Genesis 25:21 Genesis 29:31 Judges 13:2, 5 1 Samuel 1:9-28

I have to remember that God has bigger and better plans than I can dream of and sometimes my prayers can be so wrong or the timing can be very different than what God has in mind.

Help us Lord to be ready for you to work despite the delays.

The King Is Coming

Are you excited about Christmas?

Zechariah 9:9-13  Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!

Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.

10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations.

His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

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I remember growing up that there was a lot of preaching and even a song "The King Is Coming" but there doesn't seem to be much talk about Jesus return anymore. I wonder how it was for the people that had waited for hundreds of years for his first time here on earth. Maybe the excitement was just on the part of the prophets. In today's verses in Zechariah he tells us to "Rejoice! Shout in triumph!"

Hardly noticed, Jesus made a humble entrance to our world, nothing like a new born king should receive. Just think of all the uproar that there would be if Prince William and Catherine were to have a baby. On this night there were only a handful of people that even acknowledged that he had arrived.

There was a lot of commotion thirty-three years later when Jesus made his final entrance into Jerusalem, notice that Jesus victories as king were not quoted in the New Testament, they sang these words as he entered Jerusalem:

John 12:15  "Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt."

They left off the part that he hadn't accomplished yet, he hadn't brought peace or defeated death and paid the ransom for our sins yet, we will be able to finish the song when he returns.

Is Jesus your King?

Philippians 2:9-10  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

This world needs a new kind of king, one that will defeat our enemy Satan and restore our world and our lives, that will bring peace, forgiveness and justice. What a day of rejoicing that will be! Christmas should get us excited, the cares and distractions of this world shouldn't get in the way, they are so small compared to the incredibly good news that our king is coming!

I am excited about Christmas because it is the story of God's love. Jesus deserves to be my king and the ruler of my life, he gave me this brand new life and I should live the rest of my days in submission to him. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Thank you Lord for victory over Satan, I make you the king of my life!

Peace On Earth, Really?

Where is the peace that we were promised?

Isaiah 2:1-4  This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all, the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.

3 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.

4 The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.

Romans 5:1  Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

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Take a look around you and you may think that there isn't any "peace on earth." The message that we see in the media and from our own personal experience is just the opposite, all around us we see:

• ​economy going south all over the world,
• people losing their homes and jobs,
• earth quakes in unusual places,
• nuclear weapons being developed by scary dictators,
• the attack of our government on our Christian values,
• Christmas shopping is a combat sport,

Skeptics are quick to point out that Jesus did nothing for world peace, just look at the chaos all around they, but they aren't looking at the whole story. Jesus told us right up front that peace would not be a world wide phenomena for a long time to come. Take a look at the times that Jesus lived in, look at the plight of the disciples and the early church, obviously world wide peace wasn't in the plans right away.

The peace that the believers have available to them is the only real peace on earth right now. I say that it is available to the believer but that doesn't mean that he really has it. We have to choose to take our focus off of the evening news and put it on God, the victory that Jesus won is the only reason that I can live with peace.

Did Jesus give us peace?

​Yes, Jesus brought peace: Matthew 26:51-52 Luke 2:14 John 14:27, 16:33 Acts 10:36

No, Jesus didn't bring peace: Matthew 10:34 Luke 12:51 Luke 22:36 Revelation 19:11

Like the old hymn says, I need to "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" he is the only source for peace. Instead of the newspaper, I need to read the Bible, there is so much chaos recorded in the Bible but there is also the story of peace.

Thank you Lord for giving us peace in this crazy world, help me to choose peace each day.

Let There Be Peace On Earth

Let peace begin with me.

John 14:27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Christmas Explained By Kids

Another explanation of what Christmas is all about.

Everybody has seen Linus explain to Charlie brown about the meaning of Christmas. Here are some cute kids doing a good job of sharing the meaning of the season.

Carol Of The Bells

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Straight No Chaser - Carol of the Bells

Hark! how the bells

Sweet silver bells

All seem to say,

"Throw cares away."

Christmas is here

Bringing good cheer

To young and old

Meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong

That is their song

With joyful ring

All caroling

One seems to hear

Words of good cheer

From ev'rywhere

Filling the air

Oh how they pound,

Raising the sound,

O'er hill and dale,

Telling their tale,

Gaily they ring

While people sing

Songs of good cheer

Christmas is here

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

On, on they send

On without end

Their joyful tone

To ev'ry home

Ding, dong, ding, dong.

A New Branch Is Promised

Chopping down the tree for a brand new start

Isaiah 11:1–5  Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot, yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.

4 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

5 He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

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I love to use the pruning shears in my garden, you cut off worn out, ugly branches and in exchange you get bright new branches, it is like getting a new plant for free. God also likes a fresh new start, in the Book of Isaiah, he describes judgement as a cutting down of trees (Isaiah 6:13; 10:33-34).

The tree was chopped down because it was producing bad fruit, the lineage of David was marred by adultery, murder and idol worship, that's just a few of the reasons that God took out his axe. A new start was what God wanted, the same tree root but a whole new branch, a branch that has a different character.

A new King will come from the lineage of David

Acts 13:22-23  But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do."  And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!

The Spirit of the Lord will be on the new king, he will be a fair judge, full of wisdom and he will be powerful to save. He will be the ruler with integrity that Israel has longed for ever since God granted their request for a king, he will be the king that the lineage of David could not supply.

God will judge his people,they will not get away with disobedience for too long before he deals with them. God's purpose will prevail and if he has to chop down a tree and start over because his people are misbehaving then he will.    

Thank you for judging us fairly and treating us far better than we deserve. Thank you for giving us a Savior that can save us from our sinful ways.