The Garment Of Salvation

Isaiah 61:10-62:3; KJV, Old Testament reading for this Sunday the 1st Sunday after Christmas; Clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Hope Is Found In The Good Shepherd Not The World

1st Sunday In Advent; If you're looking for hope, joy, peace; look for them in the way the Good Shepherd leads not in the ways of the world.

Help Us To Give!

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 KJV; Christ the King; Help us to recognize your abiding in presence in others. Help us to give even as you have given.

Celebrate the Feast of Epiphany

Matthew 2:1-12 KJV; The Feast of Epiphany should be celebrated. Worship the Lord at all times and do it with others.

The Christ Is The Light of Life

Isaiah 60:1-4 KJV (also verses from John chapters 3 and 8) Step out of the darkness and live in the marvelous light of life who is Jesus the Christ.

The Lord Will Renew Your Strength

Isaiah 40:29-31 KJV; The Lord will live us up. He will renew our strength.

Jesus Is The Light For The World

John 1:1-14 KJV; Jesus is the life and the light. He is the Word that created all things. Live life in the light! Live life in Christ!

No Room For Others?

Luke 2:6-7 KJV; Imagine spending Christmas or any day homeless. The governments apparently have no fix; too many other things to spend taxpayer's money on. Jesus told Peter and us if you love me; feed my sheep.

Love Others Even As God Loves Us

John 4:7-16 KJV; for Christmas Eve.  As God abides and us and we in Him we love even as He loves us.

The Prophets Foretold

Matthew 11:2-15 KJV; 3rd Sunday in Advent; The prophets foretold the coming of John the Baptist. They foretold the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Many believed. Many did not then nor do they today..

Help Us To Be More Like The Good Shepherd!

John 10:14-15 KJV; Advent can be a very depressing time for many. Help us to be more like Jesus the Good Shepherd who cares for all in need.

Service In The Lord's Army

2 Timothy 2:1-13; All who believe are called to serve in the Lord's Army.

God's Promises: A Reason To Rejoice

Zephaniah 3:14-20 KJV

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

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Not everyone rejoices during the Advent season.  As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas; the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, many do without. They cannot celebrate with their families; their children, as many of the neighbors might be doing. They have no financial means to do so.  Many are homeless. Many are ill. Many are falsely imprisoned. Others are persecuted and some in hiding. The Advent and Christmas seasons are not joyful times for multitudes.

However no matter how many hardships that we might endure there is one thing in which we can rejoice: the promise of God to undo all that afflicts us. As we look to the celebration of the birth of our Savior we also look to his coming again. This time he will come in full glory and every knee shall bow before him.

This promised savior has come.  He is with us even now. He will come again!  Rejoice and give thanks to God for his love and mercy endures forever!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Advent: Be Prepared

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

                                                                                            (Luke 21:25-36 KJV)

On this first Sunday in Advent we look to and prepare for the day we will celebrate the birth of our Savior on Christmas day. We are also reminded to prepare for the day when he will come again in full glory.

The gospel according to St.Luke reminds us to be prepared. Stay away from the things that will steer us away from our preparation to receive Christ and his kingdom in all of their glory. 

The things of this world can be great distractors from living our lives in the Kingdom of God, in the presence of God. Stay awake! Be aware! Prepare for the day that you will meet your maker and savior face to face.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Thank God For The GIfts

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole

                                                                (Luke 17:11-19 KJV)

How many times in our lives have we been reminded to count our blessings?  In this very materialistic world we seem to always want more of something. Yet, the more we have the more we want and what we have already received often gets ignored and neglected. That would include friends and family. Do we take them for granted?

When our sons were little we always had them open their gifts from family and friends on Christmas Eve. Santa's gifts were reserved for Christmas morning. We hoped that by doing this they would not be in a big rush to tear open the presents and be at least little more appreciative and thankful for both the gift and the giver.

Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of the great gift of Jesus being born into this world and for this world. However, that gift is often neglected not just on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas but on every day of the year. How much do we really appreciate and give thanks for the gift of his life for us? 

The ten lepers were all given a gift of healing. Nine of them ran off without even giving one word of thanks to Jesus for that gift. Only one of the was so grateful that he turned to thank Jesus. This one received even more than the gift of healing for his physical disease. He was made completely whole because of his faith in Jesus. 

Let us not just consider the gifts of God on Thanksgiving and on Christmas; but, every day of our lives for by faith in his death and resurrection we have been made whole.  Thanks be to God!

Let us give thanks for all of the gifts that God has given us!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Christmas; Epiphany; Three Kings

They followed a star.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 

                                                                               (Matt 2:1-2, 7-11 KJV)

The season of Christmas ended yesterday with the observance of Epiphany or as known to some Three Kings Day. My little tree will hopefully come down today although it will be a very busy day. I have banana trees to move before some landscaping begins today. There is an online grocery order to pick up. And, I have to go shopping for a new washing machine. Mine quit! Yesterday was even busier; therefore, the tree is still lighting up the living room this morning.

The reading from Matthew tells us that the wise men traveled far to meet this king and to bring him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I've always kind of thought me that if we are going to give gifts at all why not give them on the day that we celebrate the gift-giving wise men rather than Christmas. Christmas, when celebrated, I believe, should be focused solely on the precious gift that was given to us with his birth. Many churches don't even have a Christmas Day service so that families can be together, children can play with their toys, and moms and grandmoms can start cooking.  

However, despite the questionable background of our Christmas traditions, the season prior to Christmas does give us greater opportunity to remind the world that Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, came into this world as a fully human baby, lived among us, and then died for us. What great gift could we possibly receive.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Taxation: A Good Thing

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

                                                                                    (Luke 2:1-5 KJV)

It's that time of the year again. My email has been bombarded with advertisements from TurboTax. Yes, the Christmas season will soon be upon us; but, so will the dreaded tax season. 

Although my grandchildren do because they usually get every penny that the government took back, I don't know a lot of people who enjoy doing their taxes. Those who have to pay in after those taxes are done usually are not too excited about it. Nor are we too excited about where our tax money sometimes goes. But, taxes are a part of life. Some form of taxation has been a part of life for just about forever.

Because of the Caesar Augustus' taxation decree Mary and Joseph ended up just where they were supposed to be, according to the prophecies, when Jesus was born. I imagine very few people appreciated having to travel to their home towns to pay this tax. Of course a few may have appreciated the opportunity to see family members they hadn't seen in a long time just as a funeral often brings people who haven't seen each other in a long time together. 

Benjamin Franklin wrote: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." This is true. The world will face both. Whether this Caesar's taxation edict was a good thing or a bad thing probably depended on the individual. Today, it depends on whether we trust God and His plan for us or not. 

There was a time when I felt something close to fear of doing my taxes and of the IRS. But, there came a point in my life when I realized that even if I messed up the taxes nothing that I should fear would actually occur. After all, what can be done that could extinguish the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God? 

St. Paul wrote to the Romans: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:35:39)

In Joseph's and Mary's day the journey was probably a hardship for many. But, for all who believe in Jesus Christ it turned out to be a good thing for that journey to pay their taxes was necessary in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled. 

When things don't seem to be going the way we desire; when such things as taxes and death interfere in our lives we can still rejoice for as St. Paul wrote: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Caring For Others

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.." John 10:14-15 KJV

The secular world has made Advent into a happy time; a time to celebrate. But, for many it is not so. It is a time when many are drawn to thoughts of loved ones who are no longer with them. The empty chair at the table draws them into even deeper sadness. This year many of our elderly have been imprisoned in nursing homes and long term care units. They are not allowed company. They are totally alone. Many families will take out "Christmas" loans, if they can get one, in order to provide their children with gifts simply because this is the tradition of the world. They do not want to disappoint their children and so they will go even deeper into debt so as not to disappoint them on Christmas morning. Did I mention the parties? No? Hmmm.... Well, the trouble that comes from all that "Christmas Cheer" speaks for itself. More trouble... More depression... More loneliness... More divorces... More deaths and empty chairs to grieve over during the next Advent and Christmas seasons.

Advent can be a lonely and depressing time for many. The world thinks we should be happy, happy, happy; so smiles mask the emptiness and sadness because that is what is expected by the world around us.

Advent, is actually supposed to be a time for hope. But, there is little hope if we expect the world to give us answers. The only hope to be found is in the good shepherd. He is humble and he is kind. He is not full of things of this world. His concern is for you. He will care for you. While the world is busy worrying about "things," Jesus is there for you. He is with you; watching over you. He loves you enough to lay down his life for you. What greater gift can there be than having someone love you so much they would give their all for you? Rejoice in that gift! 

May God help us to see as the Good Shepherd sees and to live as he lives caring for others enough to be with those who are hurting; those who are alone; those who are in any need, not just this Advent season; but, all year round.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Christmas Love And Peace!

May we all live in peace and love not just on Christmas; but,
every day!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  

(Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

Merry Christmas!

I am running real late today on my blog. We are with two of our grandchildren in S.C.. There has been a lot of present opening and playing with gifts going on; plus a nap, too!

Christmas is a very special day and not just for the family get togethers and for the children excited over their gifts. It is most special because it a very major reminder of the humility of our Savior, Jesus Christ. True God, he came to us a true man, as a baby born in a most humble setting; in a barn. Born not to nobility; but, to a simple young woman wedded to a carpenter. 

Today is a reminder to the world; to all who would follow him, that it's not about things, it's about love for humanity. As this baby grew up and was willing to humble himself on the cross that we might live in God's gracious presence for all eternity; we too ought to be able to humble ourselves to at least attempt to love others as he loves no matter who they are.

May the love and peace of God be with us always.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

What's To Become Of The Child?

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.   (Luke 2:16-20 KJV)

Mary pondered this miracle birth; this miracle baby in heart. That's what mothers tend to do. Ponder the lives of their children in their hearts. They wonder if they will raise their children to grow up in the way they wish them to grow. They wonder if they have it in them to be good mothers. They wonder what their child will grow up to do or to be. Mothers who love their children ponder these things in their hearts. They love their children. They worry about them. They pray for them.

What sadness Mary would have known if she had known what would become of this beautiful baby boy cradled in her arms. He would grow up to be hanged on a cross for her sake and for the sake of all people. He would live very few years into adulthood and be executed for the crimes; the sins, of others.

While the shepherds shared the news of this birth of our Savior, Mary pondered these things within her heart. During this Christmas Holy Day may we all ponder the wonderful things that God in Christ Jesus has done for us!

God's Peace - Pr. J.