Angels we have heard on High

God’s Christmas Gift of Light

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
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!

Third Shift Shepherds – A Christmas Message

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 
Luke 2:8 KJV

For a short time, I worked a third shift job and found that I had joined that special group of people who only see the world from midnight till dawn. On the night that Jesus was born, just above Bethlehem those shepherds were the third shift workers of their day. Probably the more important shepherds got the first shift jobs. Yet on that night, those unnamed and seemingly unimportant third shift shepherds became the first people on earth to hear the good news of the birth of Jesus! The angel told them that God had remembered His people, He remembered Bethlehem and He even remembered shepherds whom everyone else had forgotten!

Did you ever stop to think that God also remembers you? He is not satisfied to visit only the better homes in the better neighborhoods with the biggest and most beautiful churches. In the same way that those shepherds were watching their flocks at night, God also watches over us in the darkest moments of our lives. He knows right where we are. He hears us and He still sends angels with His message of good news. There is no better place than right where you are to hear the news; that Jesus Christ came to bring hope and salvation to us all: even to third shift shepherds out in their fields at night!

I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas. Thank you for all the encouraging comments, new ideas and prayers for our family throughout the year. Below is the Christmas message which I shared at Discovery Villages this year. I hope you enjoy it as well as my “Country” version of Angels We Have Heard on High. In the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless you each and every one!”

Christmas Caroling in Review

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 
Isaiah 52:7

You might not think your feet are beautiful, but God does, when you share the good news of Jesus! And no time that is easier than at Christmas as well as the best time of year to do so in nursing home ministry outreach. Doors that have been either closed, or somewhat restricted to the gospel for the rest of the year, crack open just a little in the month of December. Though it is getting close to the holiday, it is still not too late to consider a last-minute Christmas caroling, gift giving or other special program in your community. In our experiences this year with three Christmas outreaches to different senior communities around our area we found some valuable lessons that I hope will be of help to you.

  1.  Preparation – Yes, spontaneity is wonderful and just grabbing a guitar and heading for the nearest nursing home might work, a little planning doesn’t hurt a bit. Though I know by heart most of the music and lyrics, I do sometimes struggle with second verse and recalling what key a song is in. Multiply that by the number of folks in your group and you will find that creating a set of song sheets for your people makes for a much happier and more confident caroling experience. We also include handing out, hand-written cards to every single person, and this year that was well over 200 people. That requires, enlisting volunteers to help buy the cards, write the cards and hand them out. I also have found it best to get our spot on the calendar a month or more in advance, but if you haven’t already done so, don’t despair. Ask the activity director at the home you are considering visiting what spots are still available and jump on whatever is left. What may seem chaotic to our schedules is often in God’s perfect timing!
  • Presentation – We are going into homes to sing about Jesus and share the most amazing and important story in all of history. How we share the good news, needs to be beautiful, not just in the musical quality but also in a joyful outpouring of our love for Jesus. People need to be reminded that God has not forgotten them, that they are precious to Him and loved by others. Ask God to give you ideas on how to express His grace to others in practical ways. One of our volunteers came loaded with a hundred candy canes. After being told that we couldn’t share them with the residents, they came upon a large Girl Scout troop coming In after us and those kids were delighted to take them off our hands! They may not remember any of our names, but they went home with a sweet impression of our group!
  • Follow Up – How you follow up after the holidays can either give affirmation to the message of the gospel or cast doubt on how true it is. What we sing about during the Christmas season, must be followed up with service throughout the year. If weekly visits are not practical, try bi-weekly or even once a month. Every time you return, you are saying, “You matter to God, you matter to me, and we are here for you with the news that no matter what happens, our God reigns and He loves you!”