Christmas

Mary Believed

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
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?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

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

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!”