The world around us often tells us we are not worth very much. However, the Biblical estimate of a single person’s worth is beyond human comprehension. On the very first page, the Bible says that we are created in God’s image. We are the creation of a God who loves us so much, values us so highly, that God sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we can live.
Through Jesus Christ, God became one of us in order to tell us in the most dramatic way possible; just how much God loves and treasures us. In the Bible, we discover John the Baptist proclaiming the “Good News” of Jesus Christ. People heard it, received it and asked, “What should we do?” That is an important question for all of us as we face a New Year. “What should we do in 2009?”
I believe we must participate and persist. How do we participate? Make sure in the midst of the busyness of your everyday activities that you take time to turn your heart and spirit toward God. Make time each day for silence, devotions, reading your Bible and prayer. Another very important way to participate is to make sure you attend worship every weekend. Attending worship allows us to give our thanks and praise to God. Worship also gives us the opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries. When we get involved and participate in a church, we have the opportunity to grow in our journey of faith and reach out in love and care to others.
During the New Year, we also need to persist. We have just celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must remember His glorious birth all year long! We need to persist and keep Jesus and His purpose in our lives. We must keep Jesus and His teachings in our every thought, every deed and every word. If we all did that, can you imagine just how different this world would be? Take time during the New Year to participate and persist in turning your heart and spirit toward God!
Visit Mesquite United Methodist home page
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/mesquite
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
“Great Things Come In Small Packages”
Isn’t it wonderful that the old saying, “Great things come in small packages,” still holds true, especially at Christmas. That small bundle wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger was an incredible gift. It wasn’t very big and it wasn’t wrapped in anything more than the simple beauty of God’s love and a mother’s love. This was the greatest gift the world has ever seen and a gift that changed the world.
Christmas is more than presents under the tree and all the parties. Christmas is the day the promises of God are fulfilled. Christmas is the day that God put on skin and bones, and stepped into a stable in Bethlehem to be born of Mary and laid in a manger. This is the day that the Word and the loving grace of God was wrapped in the ordinary. The creative, loving God of all mercy came in the tiniest, most fragile package ever given, the Christ Child. The Gospel of John reminds us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us!” With the excitement of a child who has seen the sleigh and reindeer on Christmas Eve, we saw Jesus!
It wasn’t a dream. Jesus was right here with us. We walked and talked with Him. Jesus touched us, led us and fed us. We beheld His glory! Jesus truly is the Son of God! There is a great difference between letters and phone calls. Anybody who has ever been away from home for a long time knows what I mean. Phone calls are great. They have the advantage of immediacy, you instantly hear the person's voice and know their mood, but once you hang up the experience is over. There’s a lingering memory but not much else.
A letter, on the other hand, is tangible. You can see it, feel it, touch it and read it over and over again. Letters are physical, a message to hold and to grasp. A message to clutch to your heart or wave in the air. In this babe of Bethlehem, in Christ Jesus, God sent us a personal letter, a tangible, physical, personal love letter. The message of God’s love became the messenger. The messenger came special delivery and was laid in a manger in Bethlehem. Since the birth of Jesus, the world has never been the same.
God so loved the world that God became one of us. That is the glorious message of Christmas! “Great things come in small packages,” God came, not wrapped in glitz and glitter. God arrived as a tiny baby in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes; just to show us how much we are loved. That’s the gift of Christmas!
Christmas is more than presents under the tree and all the parties. Christmas is the day the promises of God are fulfilled. Christmas is the day that God put on skin and bones, and stepped into a stable in Bethlehem to be born of Mary and laid in a manger. This is the day that the Word and the loving grace of God was wrapped in the ordinary. The creative, loving God of all mercy came in the tiniest, most fragile package ever given, the Christ Child. The Gospel of John reminds us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us!” With the excitement of a child who has seen the sleigh and reindeer on Christmas Eve, we saw Jesus!
It wasn’t a dream. Jesus was right here with us. We walked and talked with Him. Jesus touched us, led us and fed us. We beheld His glory! Jesus truly is the Son of God! There is a great difference between letters and phone calls. Anybody who has ever been away from home for a long time knows what I mean. Phone calls are great. They have the advantage of immediacy, you instantly hear the person's voice and know their mood, but once you hang up the experience is over. There’s a lingering memory but not much else.
A letter, on the other hand, is tangible. You can see it, feel it, touch it and read it over and over again. Letters are physical, a message to hold and to grasp. A message to clutch to your heart or wave in the air. In this babe of Bethlehem, in Christ Jesus, God sent us a personal letter, a tangible, physical, personal love letter. The message of God’s love became the messenger. The messenger came special delivery and was laid in a manger in Bethlehem. Since the birth of Jesus, the world has never been the same.
God so loved the world that God became one of us. That is the glorious message of Christmas! “Great things come in small packages,” God came, not wrapped in glitz and glitter. God arrived as a tiny baby in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes; just to show us how much we are loved. That’s the gift of Christmas!
The “Gift of Purpose”
When we open our Bible and read Luke 1:30 we hear an Angel say to Mary “Do not be afraid.” I don’t think the Angel was so much calming Mary’s fears over the Angel’s appearance, but rather the Angel was calming her down, because of the wonderful message the Angel was bringing. I have admired Mary and her response for a long time. She doesn’t appear to have argued. The only question she asked was, “How?” “How can this be?” Maybe Mary realized immediately that the gift of God, and the Angel, was really the “Gift of Purpose.” Maybe Mary understood something most of us often miss, that the purpose of life is always bigger than our experience of life.
The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to stand for something, and to make a difference in this world we live in, even if it’s only in the life of one other person! My contention and the contention of the Angel, the Gospels, the Church and even Mary, is that we have been told where to go and what to do. As followers of Jesus Christ, we received a “Gift of Purpose.” The “Gift of Purpose” came wrapped in swaddling cloths in a manger. Is there a purpose for your life? Absolutely! Listen to what God says through Jeremiah 29:11. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” The good news is that we have a future of hope! I think that Mary might have understood something that takes some of us a long time to understand. If there is no point to life, if there is no meaning or purpose to life, then there is no “Power” for life. The sad truth is that we cannot live without purpose and meaning. How many people do you know, who reach a certain age or a certain point in their life, and they just give up? They are no longer active and involved. They have lost their purpose. Proverbs says it best, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Mary inspires us to move beyond simply acknowledging our purpose and having our lives empowered. Mary challenges us to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and to put our purpose into practice! Like Mary, you and I have been given a great gift in this “Gift of Purpose,” but it won’t do us any good unless we unwrap it and put our purpose into practice in a powerful way.
As we celebrate Christmas we remember that God became flesh and blood and reached out to us. In the reaching out, in that grasping of our hand, God in Jesus Christ rescued us from sin and death. Not only that, but the minute we reached out and grabbed Christ’s outstretched hand, we were given a gift like no other. Once we connect with Jesus Christ, we are given the “Gift of Purpose” and the power to practice it. Christmas is a wonderful time to commit or recommit your life to Christ and discover your purpose. Discover your purpose this Christmas; and if you already know your purpose then renew your purpose by giving thanks. Open that gift under the tree and tap into the power of the Holy Spirit. The “Gift of Purpose,” is truly is a gift from God!
The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to stand for something, and to make a difference in this world we live in, even if it’s only in the life of one other person! My contention and the contention of the Angel, the Gospels, the Church and even Mary, is that we have been told where to go and what to do. As followers of Jesus Christ, we received a “Gift of Purpose.” The “Gift of Purpose” came wrapped in swaddling cloths in a manger. Is there a purpose for your life? Absolutely! Listen to what God says through Jeremiah 29:11. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” The good news is that we have a future of hope! I think that Mary might have understood something that takes some of us a long time to understand. If there is no point to life, if there is no meaning or purpose to life, then there is no “Power” for life. The sad truth is that we cannot live without purpose and meaning. How many people do you know, who reach a certain age or a certain point in their life, and they just give up? They are no longer active and involved. They have lost their purpose. Proverbs says it best, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Mary inspires us to move beyond simply acknowledging our purpose and having our lives empowered. Mary challenges us to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and to put our purpose into practice! Like Mary, you and I have been given a great gift in this “Gift of Purpose,” but it won’t do us any good unless we unwrap it and put our purpose into practice in a powerful way.
As we celebrate Christmas we remember that God became flesh and blood and reached out to us. In the reaching out, in that grasping of our hand, God in Jesus Christ rescued us from sin and death. Not only that, but the minute we reached out and grabbed Christ’s outstretched hand, we were given a gift like no other. Once we connect with Jesus Christ, we are given the “Gift of Purpose” and the power to practice it. Christmas is a wonderful time to commit or recommit your life to Christ and discover your purpose. Discover your purpose this Christmas; and if you already know your purpose then renew your purpose by giving thanks. Open that gift under the tree and tap into the power of the Holy Spirit. The “Gift of Purpose,” is truly is a gift from God!
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