• Wait For It

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

    The beauty and mystery of God’s comes alive when it comes to Jesus. Much of the prophecy 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 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 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. to God in the Highest!

    God came down. God came down here. God , might, glory, holiness, 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 presence), 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 ? 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?

  • Laying The Bread Down

    Laying The Bread Down

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Ephesians 3:14–21; John 6:1–21 It is tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can look at society and even many churches (in particular, their leaders), and just give up. There is such a struggle against the darkness and against sin, that it can be overwhelming. At the…

  • Field Placement

    Field Placement

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:38–41; John 4:31–38 Flour has become a no-go for many people these days. The fight against gluten and carbohydrates is quite prevalent. Much of this has to do with how much our surroundings have changed. Most of us don’t need many carbohydrates. Those whose bodies are still their primary focus for…

  • Let ‘Em Fight

    Let ‘Em Fight

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 3:4–20; Colossians 3:12–17 It can be hard to be rid of wounds. Many physical ones heal with scars, though the deeper body ones may not heal well. For most of us, the emotional and spiritual wounds are the ones with deep and lasting effects. These are the ones that can hold…

  • Burning Call

    Burning Call

    Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14 One of the issues that has come up in the last year in church-ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against…