Christmas

The Name of Jesus -Part 1

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And she will have a son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins Matthew 1:32 

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her,” for you have found favor with God.”  You will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus.” Luke 1:30-31

When God gave the name Jesus it is interesting to see that he spoke both to Joseph and to Mary. To Mary Gabriel explained all that Jesus would do as the Messiah, but to Joseph God defined the name. The name Jesus was given because God had given His Son, not only to teach us the ways of Heaven, heal our sickness, or give us a comfortable life; Jesus came to save His people from their sins.
One of the most beautiful sounds in the entire world to each of us is the sound of our own name. We love to hear our name mentioned especially if it is linked with assurance, love or praise. The sound I want most to hear as I cross into eternity is my own name being called by God himself with the phrase “Well done good and faithful servant” Our name is what calls our attention at any moment.
Imagine Jesus entering the world cradled in Mary’s arms. One of the first words Mary and Joseph would say was, “Jesus!”  God had kept His promise to them just as He said. From that day forward every time Jesus heard His own name it would be a reminder of why He had come. When He was growing up in the home with His brothers and Mary called out, “Jesus” he would remember that he was different. God had sent Him not just to be born in the humble stable, but also one day to give His life as a sacrifice for us!

Name of Jesus

Where is that Peace on Earth?

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What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Pete Seeger was sort of quoting King Solomon when he sang “A time for peace, I pray it’s not too late!” in the song “Turn turn turn” At the time the song became a number one hit in 1965, the unspoken reference was to the Vietnam war. Few of us as teenagers had read the verses from Ecclesiastes chapter three which had inspired the song, or thought much about what King Solomon was pointing out:

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Even as Christmas approaches we also are faced with the continued threats of terrorism and war. Whether people are, dining out, going to the movies or even attending their weekly prayer meetings it seems that there is no place exempt from violence. But in these moments when everything seems to be closing in, we have to remind ourselves that Jesus never promised peace on earth, for now. In fact He guaranteed us that:

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”    John 16:33

Because Jesus went to the cross, true peace is always possible – Thank God it is never too late! But peace is not the absence of war, though we would wish it so. Peace is the presence of the dove of peace ruling in our hearts no matter what comes.

In His Image

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2

Each Christmas my wife makes special cookies in the shape of ginger bread men or Christmas trees. Once the dough is soft she presses the form over it and cuts out the exact images over and over again. But what is good for cookies is not so great for our minds.

Gingerbread Man

The apostle Paul appeals to us to give our bodies to God as living sacrifices, so that we will not be pressed into the world’s mold. As a part of real worship we lovingly give to God all that we have and all that we are. He is so worth everything we could offer and more. When we yield to Him, God comes and liberates our minds. Our minds and hearts become open to Him, the breeze of His Spirit gently blows and we experience the transforming freedom of his presence.
We need each day and to ask ourselves: “Is there something that has pressed me back into the world’s mold?” Then stop and make a quiet choice to give yourself to God, and wait on Him to come. Only then, in that wonderful freedom, when we have been transformed by His presence can we begin to understand what He really wants in our life. He breaks the cookie cutter molds of this world when we choose to be His and His alone!