• Wait For It

    Micah 5:2-4; Psalm 96; Luke 2:1-20

    The beauty and of God’s comes alive when it comes to . Much of the that surrounds Jesus is in the middle of prophetic statements that on their own may have seemed insignificant. However, when so many words and phrases, seemingly disconnected, are fulfilled by the coming, and death of one person, one cannot help but take notice.

    We think of Bethlehem as significant. For Christians, it is. For the Jews, it was a backwater. Yet, God set it down in his word as the origin point of the great leader of Israel. From a human perspective, it seems that God is rewriting what was . The reality is that mankind cannot comprehend the depth of God. Only as scripture was revealed through Christ could people have a “duh” moment.

    On Christmas Eve, there is a old song being sung, but with a new meaning. Glory to God in the Highest!

    God came down. God came down here. God set aside , might, glory, , and became a baby born where animals lived. Just as Bethlehem was looked down upon, where Jesus was born was looked down upon, as an outcast. There was no room for them.

    In our Western culture, too many people are concerned about dates of such and such event. The date? That is a point in time. Perhaps we ought to look to those not of Western culture where the event (the ), not the time (or date), takes precedence. GOD CAME DOWN! God came down where God promised! The world has become concerned about time and date, for then we can be distracted from the event.

    On this day, can you and just wait? Are you able to not look at your watch (or phone)?

    The Jews waited centuries for their Messiah. The event, the advent, of the Messiah was what they waited for. Expectation. Advent and especially Christmas Eve are all about expectation. Expecting the Messiah.

    1) Are you actually expecting the Messiah? Have you replaced expectation of the Messiah with expectation for gifts or food?

    2) With the first Christmas in the past, why is important to wait expectantly for Christmas now?

    3) If the Messiah were to come tomorrow, would you be looking for him?

    KD) Why did God decide to start life as a baby? What does that say about God?

  • Successfully Unsuccessful

    Successfully Unsuccessful

    Psalm 144; Song of Solomon 8:5–14; John 11:45–57 ISV ‌⁜Focus⁜ A great deal of water cannot extinguish love,rivers cannot put it out.If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love,he would surely be viewed with contempt. Song of Solomon 8:7 ISV “…You don’t realize that it is better for you…

  • Reconciling Fruit

    Reconciling Fruit

    Psalm 144; Isaiah 27:1–6; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ISV) In times to come, Jacob will take root,   and Israel will blossom, sprout shoots,   and fill the whole world with fruit. Isaiah 27:6 ISV All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians…

  • Perspective and Significance

    Perspective and Significance

    Psalm 144; Ezekiel 19:10–14; 1 Peter 2:4–10 (ISV) In the fictional universe housing the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (written by Douglas Adams), there is a machine called the Total Perspective Vortex. Originally built (per the fictional universe) to provide beings a comparison of themselves to the infinity of creation, it became a torture device…

  • Untrashed

    Untrashed

    Malachi 1:6-9 Perhaps you’ve heard an acquaintance, a friend, a family member say, “God won’t accept me until I clean myself up.” Or perhaps, “if I enter the church, lightning will come down and/or the church will catch on fire.” Behave, believe, belong has long been the order in the church. That’s likely where these…