Author: pastorpete51

Mary Believed

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And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. 
Luke 1:45 ESV

One quiet day in Nazareth, as Mary sat alone, her solitude was broken by an angel. Now, I don’t know about you, but if an angel, suddenly appeared in front of me I would be either terrified, or ready to fight. But this was no ordinary angel and though Mary appeared quite ordinary, she possessed the rare quality that only God knew about: she was ready to believe. Yes, she was from the right family (David’s) she lived at the right time, (the fulness of time) and was engaged to the right guy (Joseph), but God’s message did not find a home in her because of those things. God’s Final Word – His Son – was conceived in her because she believed. Though, Mary did have a question, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” which was certainly a valid point! How wonderful that God does not become angry when we ask honest questions, but He gives us answers that will require our belief to take a second step.

And Mary’s belief led her to the step of obedience, “Let it be to me according to your word.” To be like Mary, our belief must move beyond our correct theology. We may be on the right path, but if we don’t walk down it, we will never get to its destination. Nine months later, Mary gave birth on Christmas because she said “Yes,” every day from believing God’s message, till the first breath of Jesus in Bethlehem. Then after Mary carried her child those nine long months, amazing things began to happen. Shepherds came worshipping, wise men arrived with gifts, and Mary treasured all these things in her heart. Where are you in your journey with Jesus? Have you received and believed the good news? Have you walked a long quiet time while God’s promise grew large in your heart? Have you given birth in a stable when you hoped it would be a more proper home? Don’t ever give up. God keeps His promises, and miracles will happen, if we believe that we can treasure in our hearts forever!

Can You Hear the Bells?

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For most of us, December 25th is the day we think of as Christmas. But in my home city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, with a large population of Ukrainians and Russians, many people mark January 7th as their day of celebration. Sadly, this year, people who call themselves Christians in their part of the world are in combat rather than celebration. The poet Longfellow in the midst of the American Civil wrote of times like these when he penned these words, “And in despair I bowed my head; There is no peace on earth, I said” * But things were not really all that different 2,000 years ago when the wise men saw the star, while Herod plotted murder. And when shepherds were hearing angels sing, the Romans were still busy crushing any resistance to their rule in Israel and finding new ways to tax its inhabitants to maintain their empire.

Yet in the middle of suffering, just as Longfellow wrote, we can find hope, because “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.” Because of God’s bells that ring from Heaven, we have reasons to smile and can still celebrate, as we turn our hearts towards the Prince of Peace and remember his birth. Only He will give us real joy and a reason to worship, in this world filled with anger, war and hatred. If we set aside the tinsel and notions of Santa and turn our hearts to Jesus Christ, we will begin to experience a peace that goes far beyond a ceasefire or peace agreement. On Christmas, God sent Jesus as the light in our dark world. When He grew to be a man, Jesus died to set us free from our sins and give us His peace. Jesus is our hope, no matter our situation and Jesus can be our salvation, no matter our battle. Jesus is the one before whom shepherds and wise men bowed and God invites us to come to Him, not only at Christmas, but also on every one of our sunniest mornings and in each of our darkest nights. We can come with hope because Jesus came as the friend of sinners and as Immanuel – God with us. We have hope because we remember that He loved us enough to come as an innocent child and then surrendered His life to show us the depth of His love and bring eternal peace on the terrible Cross of Calvary.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

God’s Christmas Gift of Light

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In Him was life and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 KJV

If we were to guess the meaning of Christmas from what we see on television or by way of internet marketing, we might guess that it is primarily about buying things for people. We see images of smiling people slipping on diamond rings, jumping into shiny new cars or cuddling up by the fire in luxurious clothing. But the Bible makes it clear, that while God knows there are things that we dream of receiving, there is nothing that we could purchase, that has eternal value. When God prepared to give His gift to us at Christmas, it was neither in the beauty of an expensive ring, nor the comfort of a fine home, but rather He gave us the light of Heaven. We all have heard how that on the night that Jesus was born, the first people to get the news were shepherds in a dark field, and the Bible says, “The glory of the Lord shone around them.” Luke 2:9. When the wise men showed up some time later, we are told that, they followed the light of a star that, “When it rose, went ahead of them.” Matthew 2:9. Everywhere we turn, God’s gift comes to the world by the light of His Son Jesus Christ. That gift still shines in our darkness, but if we follow Him, God promises to give us the light of life. Once we have received that light, then we will be able to give gifts to others, like forgiveness, encouragement or a listening ear. These never show up in commercials, but they are the ones that are eternal, because they point to Jesus, the light of the world and God’s Christmas gift to us!