Month: December 2020

Find and Seek

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 NIV

The hidden beauty of the wise men’s journey is that they came seeking a king without knowing who he was. Of course the films depict them as coming to find God’s Son, but if that were the case then why would they have asked at Herod’s palace for him? So, they traveled a thousand miles across deserts and mountains with costly gifts to win His favor.

But God has something far greater in mind than those Magi ever suspected. Instead of finding favor with a king, somewhere along the way they started to realize that who they were seeking was greater than any earthly king. Once they left Herod, they saw the star again and followed it to Bethlehem. Most likely that is when they began to understand that the someone they were looking for was mysteriously greater and more holy than they first imagined. Then the star came and stood over a humble house in a tiny village and they were filled with awe, in the presence of God’s Jesus and they bowed and worshipped Him. Our good news for today is that their joy of finding Jesus that night, can be ours as well this morning. Just like them, we can find Him if we seek Him, because, all the while we are seeking God; He is seeking us!

Remembering the Good

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Test everything, hold on to the good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Christmas has a way of being that time of year when we remember people, events and feelings. Things buried far back in our memory vaults walk by our side as we wrap gifts, put up decorations or send Christmas cards. At first it seems nostalgic, like a scene from an old film. But those happy emotions soon find there are other thoughts, painful ones riding the same bus. In fact before we know it, so many old hurts fill our minds that it is easy to forget the good.

But today’s verse reminds us not only to look for the good but to hold on tight to it. Don’t let it go. Because no matter what, in almost every relationship and experience there has been something good, even if just a hard lesson we learned. God has and will continue to have something good for us in His plan no matter how things appear right now. So go ahead, dust off those old ornaments, bake some old family cookie recipes and hold on to the good. The bad is way too heavy to carry, especially at Christmas!

The Mystery of Christmas

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The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only one of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

When I stopped to put my dollar in the Salvation Army bucket outside of our local Walmart the bell ringer started to talk about Christmas. At first it was nice meeting someone who seemed to appreciate what Christmas is supposed to be about. But soon He was steering the conversation down the path of a somewhat bizarre interpretation of who and how the baby in the manger came to be. He kept pressing his point further and further with detail after detail that fit together until His conclusion somehow lost its way. Sadly I had to walk away, because what had begun as a celebration of God’s gift felt more like the dissection of a butterfly.

There is a beauty and a mystery in the incarnation that we can only see with eyes of faith. When each Christmas we pause and ponder on the astonishing reality of God coming as a baby we can only kneel in awe and worship. We ask again the question Mary asked, “How can these things be?” Again the answer comes. “The Spirit of God will overshadow you…”

If we try to get hold of every detail we end up like a drowning man grasping at straws. We can get our hands around straws, but only God’s Spirit and our faith that He has come can save us in the end. Then with John we can say, ” And we have seen His glory… Full of grace and truth!”

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