SHOUT FOR JOY TO THE LORD!

Psalm 100
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!


I love the whole season of Christmas songs. I’m not particular when there are played for they all speak to me in pretty much the same way. Granted there are many who would disagree with me, but I don’t mind. The songs of Christmas are not particularly welcome before Thanksgiving nor after December 25. But for me, any time is a good time. I can almost see you shaking your heads in disbelief.

My favorite is “Angel’s We Have Heard on High” . You know, the one with 2 lines of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”. There isn’t a single number in “Handel’s Messiah” that I don’t find favor with, culminating of course in the “Halleluiah Chorus”. What a gift Handel was given, both the words and the music are so expressive.

I remember the very first time I heard carolers, a carollin in a church bell tower, the Salvation Army Brass playing in front of a store, the first time I sang a Christmas hymn I loved playing any and all Christmas music on the piano and later on the organ. But my favorites were the church hymns. Sometimes I can’t sing them loud enough. They are etched on my heart. The words are so meaningful:

“Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown when Thou camest to earth for me.”
“O come to my heart, Lord Jesus—there is room in my heart for Thee.”
“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow … “
“He comes, a Child, from realms on high, He comes the heavens adoring; He comes to earth to live and die, A broken race restoring.”
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
“All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace: good will henceforth from heaven to men, begin and never cease.”

We are thankful for this season that reminds us of our blessings, inspires us to be better people, encourages us to care about our world, and gives us opportunity to shout to the Lord! He is everything we could ever need or want, forever, Amen.

THE GREATEST GIFT

For to 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.”
Isaiah 9:6

Just a pregnant young woman…

Just an expectant new father…

Just a baby born in a stable…

and the people went about their sleeping and waking, not realizing that the world had been changed forever.

It’s Christmas Eve – again. Every year it comes, the same but yet different as our lives change year by year. For some of us it will be our first one without a loved one, for some it will be our first with a new baby in the family. For some it is a more joyous year as a job has been found, for some a struggle as a job has been lost. Some of us have found a closer relationship with God; some of us have fallen away this year. Many of us will repeat the same family traditions that we have done for years, and some will begin new traditions to celebrate.

Where ever we are, however we are feeling, whatever we are doing, it’s Christmas Eve today! Just as God promised through Isaiah, “today a child is born”. How blessed we are that that child is our beloved Jesus; “Wonderful Counselor” when we need guidance, “Mighty God” when we are weak, “Everlasting Father” when we need to remember there is life beyond earthly living, and “Prince of Peace” when our hearts and minds are troubled!

What a gift we are given each Christmas, what a gift we are given again today! As you celebrate remind yourself, remind your children: wherever you are in your life we have received the gift of Jesus, and there is no better.

“God, you have sent the One who is with us in all places in our lives. The One who is all we need in all our needs. We thank you for such a perfect gift, the baby who would be our Savior. Be with us as we celebrate the birth of Your Son Jesus! Amen

GOD CONSCIOUS!

John 3:16-17
"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."


Most Christians have spent some time wondering what happens to us after we die. Scriptures gives us glimpses into the afterlife as very few concrete details about heaven are revealed to us. The prophet Jeremiah talks extensively about the rewards and various crowns we will receive in heaven as we await those precious words from our Lord – “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21) - Shortly before we begin living our promised eternal life.

As we trod through the here and now I believe we occasionally wish that the Lord would come today so we can begin this new eternal life with Him in heaven. Whether our present day worry is steering our children into adulthood, hoping they will make good and prayerful decisions or whether it’s the subtle changes in our bodies as we get older or the horrid state of the economy and its effect on our retirement plans, we sometimes dream of hearing the trumpet sound and moving up and in with our Lord.

But as I read John 3:16 -17 and other related scriptures, I’m beginning to view eternal life in a different manner. Jesus taught that those who come to Him “have eternal life”. Right now, we have eternal life in our spirits. It is possible, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to change our thinking and live eternally now if we become “God conscious” instead of “time conscious”.

As we begin to live eternally or “God consciously” we view our children not as mini projects, but as a blessing from God and during difficult times be reminded of Proverbs 20:7 – “The righteous man leads blameless life; blessed are his children after him” or Psalms 115:14 - “May the LORD cause you to flourish, both you and your children”. As we content with getting older, eternal living will remind us of Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness”. Finally, “God consciously”, we should realized that if we are already living eternally retirement is somewhat moot. Further the Lord instructs us in Matthew 6 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ….. “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you……? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ……..
your heavenly Father knows that you need them”. Wow! Enough said, huh?

As we open our many gifts this Christmas let us be reminded that God has given the greatest gift to the world—eternal life—and that life is in his Son, Jesus Christ. We should start living that eternal life now!

Getting Weary?

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

Imagine! Here we are, just 3 days before Christmas, and our passage comes to tell us that we need not grow weary, even that we can soar on wings like eagles! As the “big day” begins to bear down on us… all those last minute things to buy, shopping and cooking to be done, have to make the cookies, and don’t even get me started on the wrapping… renewed strength sounds too good to be true.

But yet have we not heard? Do we not know? He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Why yes, we have heard, but were we listening? Yes we know, but do we believe? With all the lessons, all the scripture, all the devotional pieces that have been made available to us through this Advent, did we get it? Or are we still trapped in the silly human thinking that if we don’t “get Christmas right” somehow it will mean less?

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

The good news is that it is never too late for God’s children. We still have time to get it right! I encourage you to hope in the Lord, and be prepared to greet Christmas with renewed strength and joy. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will get Christmas right just fine without our worrying every detail!

Jesus = Peace

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. Micah 5: 4-5

I love this passage. The promises are so great, he will lead us, we will live securely, his greatness will be known to the ends of the earth and peace will be ours. So why are we still in search of Peace?

We waste so much time trying to find or create peace, when all we need is Jesus. The reason that peace is so elusive is that we are looking for the wrong kind of peace. We are looking for world peace, calmness in our daily lives, harmony with others..., but that isn't the peace that we are promised. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.(John 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives to us is a life without fear.

So many places in the Bible you could exchange the word peace for Jesus. The angel promises the shepherds "Peace on earth and goodwill to men". In other words, Jesus is now on earth and brings goodwill to all. Even when we share the peace on Sunday mornings you could say "Jesus be with you".

If we make Jesus our peace - what a wonderful world it will be.

Trying singing this famous hymn with some different words as a prayer because Jesus = Peace

Let Jesus be on earth,
And let him live in me.
Let Jesus be on earth
The Jesus that's meant to be.
With God as our father,
Brothers all our we.
Let me walk with my brother,
In perfect harmony.

Let Jesus begin in me,
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment,
And live each moment,
With JESUS eternally.
Let Jesus be on earth,
And let him begin with me. Amen

WE CAN BE THE LIGHT

Matthew 2: 9-12

“When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

I know this part of the story has to do with Herod and his using the wise men as his personal spies if you will. But, I love this part. How many of us look without seeing?, Are practically hit up the side of the head and still don’t get it. He is the light in the darkness. He is our joy. We should be bowing down, praying, giving thanks, following His example, keeping Him in our lives each and everyday. We open our treasure chests when it suits us. We donate more during the Christmas than at any other time in the year. Doesn’t that make us feel good. But it is shortlived.

Let us be generous with the gifts that have been given to us - year round. Let us seek Him out - read our Bibles. Let us follow His teachings - be the best we can as often as we can. If we want to keep the spirit behind the celebration of Christmas year round, let us not forget this Jesus. Let us be the one’s who can see in the darkness of this world. Let us know His presence in our lives each and everyday.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

"It’s sharing your gifts, not purchasing gifts;It’s not wrapping presents, its being present and wrapping your arms around the ones you love;It’s not getting Christmas cards out on time, It’s sending any card, anytime, at the right time;It’s not having the biggest and best Christmas light display,It’s displaying the Christ light that comes from your heart;It’s not Santa coming down the chimney,It’s Jesus coming down from heaven,and giving us the gift of eternal life."

Dear Lord, help us to be the light that brightens another’s day. Amen

FOLLOW THAT STAR!

Matthew 2: 1-2 “After Jesus was born in the Bethlehem in Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews” For we observed his star at the rising, and have come to pay him homage’”.

My blogs for today and tomorrow have to do with the star. In tomorrow’s excerpt, the description is almost as though a flashlight beamed down from the sky and lead them (just them) to Jesus.

The magi I see as handsomely garbed, with an air of sophistication, walking directly to the appointed place. We can guess that these wise men might have been astronomers who would have been more observant of the night skies that the rest of the general population, or they could have been given the gift of vision to this phenomena. It’s a complicated area of the story and I can’t even begin to claim knowledge to. But when I asked the Rev. Arlen Salthouse, a former TBRC minister for his take on the passage, he said, “For us today the star has symbolic or metamorphic significance, as what John refers to as “the light that shines in the darkness; the darkness of world affairs, the darkness of personal loss, tragedy, despair, etc.”

I totally get this—don’t you? Isn't it great to have a light at the end of the tunnel? To have a “light bulb” go off in your mind when finally that lost “whatever” shows up in your mind? To feel the warm that sunlight gives off even on the coldest of days? Aren’t we fortunate to have our own light - the Light of Jesus. He shows us the way. He gives us the warmth of His love. We can be the “Light of Advent” in our actions, in our words, and in our deeds.

An Advent Examination, annonymous

"Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place.

"Daily we can make an Advent examination. Are there any feelings of discrimination toward race, sex, or religion? Is there a lingering resentment, an unforgiven injury living in our hearts? Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement? Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Are we reverent of others, their ideas and needs, and of creation? These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts.

Dear Lord, I know it is so easy to be caught up in the excitement of this time of the year, when we are reminded at every turn that there is a “holiday” coming. Help us to remember the true meaning of the season. The “Light” that leads us throughout the year, Jesus. Amen