Lentil Soup And a Wise Man’s Gift

December 9, 2024 / pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 
Matthew 2:11 ESV

“What’s for dinner honey?” I said with a laugh knowing that it would be lentil soup for its third and final performance. During those first years of marriage, our food shopping was a low-cost adventure. So, with Christmas not far away; even putting up a tree with decorations was something we couldn’t afford. That year, Christmas Eve was pay day and at four thirty I waited in line for my check. “Merry Christmas” My boss said winking as he handed me my envelope. “There’s something extra in there for you tonight.”

I peeked inside and drew a quick breath in astonishment. “Wow thanks Joe! Merry Christmas to you too” I said amazed at seeing a fifty-dollar bill tucked inside! I drove home through the heavy traffic getting there just before five. “Come on Nancy! Let’s go buy a tree!” I shouted as I ran up the stairs to show her my bonus. Five minutes later we bundled up and drove to a Christmas tree lot where the owner was delighted to sell us a tree for five dollars, just before he closed. Then we raced over to the Woolworth store, where for ten cents each we bought some colored glass bulbs and a string of lights with tinsel. God didn’t have to send the wise men with gifts to make it Christmas; but He did. That Christmas our wise man was named Joe and he left us a special gift on that Silent and Holy Night!

The Fire and the Cloud: A Christmas Story

December 7, 2024 / pastorpete51 / 8 Comments

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21 NKJV

You probably will ask, “What in the world does the cloud and the pillar of fire have to do with Christmas?” That’s a great question! Well, let’s consider the journey of the wise men. He sent the star to guide the wise men. In the same way, that In the wilderness, God sent a fire by night to lead His people. Have you ever stopped to think that sometimes God leads us that way also? When it is nighttime in our life, and things are going wrong, He sends His light to guide us, in the form of His Word.

But what about those days when there is money in the bank, everyone is healthy, and life is sunny? For the children of Israel, the daytime traveling was by a cloud. Though the wisemen had no cloud to follow, what they did was to continue on the course that the star had set by night. They did not stop and wait for evening but pressed on ahead. In the same way, we must not settle down in our comfort zones. God leads us forward even when things look good because our Promised Land is not here in the desert. No matter how great things look right now, there is a much more wonderful destination ahead because we are not citizens of the wilderness. Our homeland lies on the other side of the Jordan River. So, whether God sends a star, a cloud, or a pillar of fire, He will lead us to our own promised land. If we simply choose to follow Him, He will lead us both by day and by night. Then one day we will come to His home, pour out our treasures and worship Him forever!

The First Noel was one of the songs we kicked off our caroling with at the nursing home this year. Just as the wise men followed that star on the first Noel, God is calling you to follow Him by reading and following His word. No matter how old we are, it is never too late to have a First Noel!

A Little Family Time Before Christmas

December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 / pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 1:18 KJV

The story of Christmas began with one family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Those three are not featured much in the store-displays anymore, they are featured in the Biblical account. God chose to begin His mission on earth by including a young, engaged couple, in an obscure village in Galilee. I haven’t written much in the last couple of weeks because we have been having some much-needed time away with our family. Though we didn’t have to ride a donkey to get here, we treasure our time together because when hugging our grandkids takes a twelve-hundred-mile trip, we don’t want to miss a minute of it! Though we won’t head home till tomorrow, I will do my best to share some stories of Christmas with you as I find some moments early in the morning while everyone else is still sleeping. May God bless each of you on this year’s Advent journey as we touch base again, not only with our families, but with the family that God created when He sent Jesus to Mary and Joseph after that ninety-mile trip on a donkey, two-thousand years ago!