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He is Emmanuel – God with Us!

Matthew 1:23, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, “God with us.”

Tomorrow we celebrate the greatest miracle of all: God became man. He chose to leave his heavenly kingdom to dwell among humans. And to dwell among us in a life much harder than anything we could imagine. Instead of a life of privilege, He chose to endure a life of difficulties, so He could better understand our sorrow, our heartaches and our joys.

The Creator of the Universe allowed himself to come to earth as a baby — a baby fully dependent on his young mother. A baby born in a smelly barn, surrounded not by adoring family members, but by common farm animals.

“Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a servant and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 7-11, NLT) 

Day 14: He is the Savior

Titus 3:4-7 (NIV)

Are you overwhelmed? Are economic pressures weighing heavy on your heart? Perhaps you dread the idea of mingling with family this week. Or maybe grief has crowded out your joy for the season.

Do you wish someone would throw you a lifeline?

Well, Someone has.

There is hope.

There is a savior.

Jesus Christ, whom we celebrate as the angelic infant, born in a stable, grew up to be a man, who willingly died on the cross to save us from our sins. But not only that, He died so that we could live in Him, so that we could turn to him as our Savior — our savior from our sins; our savior from our stress.

Christ instructed us to hand our burdens over to Him: our Savior, our Deliverer, our Rescuer.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28)

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Christ has thrown you a lifeline. Will you grab hold of it? He’s waiting to replace your stress and anxiety with His peace and joy.

There is hope.

There is a savior.

Day 13: He is the Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  John 10:11

Jesus Christ, God the Son has revealed Himself in the passage John 10:1-18 as the Good Shepherd.  Those who have lived in a farm community probably understand this description better that city folks. This is a great picture of who Jesus is to those who trust Him.  The Shepherd (Jesus) has a very unique relationship with His Sheep (us).  Calling us sheep is a tender way of describing us as people who can get into all kinds of trouble if the shepherd is not there to protect, provide, guide, train, and personally care for.  Can I get a witness?  Let’s see if we can understand what Jesus is saying about Himself.

•           The shepherd is a personal, ever-present protector of us the sheep.   He watches us all the time to protect from danger.  ( A shepherd would sleep all night at the gate of the sheep pen to protect them from wolves )

 

 •           He provides for our daily needs. Consider our needs for food and shelter.  He provides our need for fulfilling relationship by giving us the fruit of God the Spirit. (see Galatians 5:22-23)

 

 •           He is with us 24/7 to lead us in the safe and right way.

 

 •           He gives an unending, personal relationship with the Shepherd if we entrust our life to Him. That’s a deal I don’t want to pass up and I hope you are placing your trust in Him too.

I encourage you to make this a personal application of a relationship between you and Good Shepherd who has laid down His life that you may have the forever, abundant life you were created to live.

Day 12: He is the King of kings and Lord of lords

King of kings and Lord of lords

Read Matthew 2:1-12

Many people sought out Jesus during his earthly ministry.  Among the first to bend their knees before him were the Maji.  Matthew tells the story of these mysterious men who came from the east to find “the one who has been born king of the Jews.”  Isn’t it interesting that wise and discerning people in far away lands were watching for the King’s coming, yet nearly all of those to whom he came missed the sign of his coming altogether?

Tradition tells us that the Maji were kings.  Imagine what it must have been like in their courts when they announced that they were leaving on a westerly journey to find this baby who was King and Lord from birth.  Imagine the stir they created when they dropped in at the royal palace in Jerusalem asking about the King whose birth was announced in the heavens above.  What a sight it would have been to witness these rulers of nations humbly presenting their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh to the child they recognized as worthy of seeking out—one greater than themselves.  A King of kings.

The Maji may have been the first kings to kneel before Jesus, but they were not the last.  Paul said it this way to the Philippians:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  

Even as we celebrate the fact of his birth, we rejoice in the knowledge that the King of kings and Lord of lords reigns over all.  Rejoice!  And seek him!

Day 11: He is the Light of the World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the lights. My children love them as well. In fact during the month of December we will often take long meandering detours at night just to see all the lights.

There is something absolutely compelling about a light shining in the darkness.

When Jesus walked this earth, people flocked to Him. The gospels tells us that there were days when the crowds kept coming so fast and so thick that He didn’t have time to eat or rest. On one occasion he had to step into a boat and row away from shore to preach because the crowd was so massive. What were all these people so attracted to?

In a prophesy about Jesus’ coming, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2) Nothing, that is, except this Marvelous Light, the Light of life, the Light of the world.

This Christmas as you find your eyes drawn to the lights, take a moment to reflect on Him, the True Light that gives light to every man, and allow your heart to be drawn near to His heart and your soul to be illuminated by His life-giving Spirit.

Day 10: He is the Author and Perfecter of our Faith

“Perfect faith”

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith . . . .” Heb. 12:2

Throughout the Gospels, we find Jesus noticing and responding to people’s faith. Of the Roman centurion he declared, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” (Mt. 8:10) The faith of those few men who fought through all obstacles to bring their paralyzed friend before him moved Jesus to heal. (Mk. 2:3-5) To a woman repentant weeping over the weight of her guilt he said, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Lk. 7:50)

Faith has a common characteristic in all of these examples. It motivates people, who are otherwise helpless in their circumstances, to push through obstacles (cultural, physical, spiritual) that separate them from Jesus. Stated differently, faith draws people to Jesus—at any cost. Faith is not merely some “church-speak” shorthand way of saying that we trust God to get us through tough times. It is a driving desire to cling to the hope of his promise, because we know that there is no other hope. Faith is the single-minded pursuit of Jesus that comes when we recognize that we can do nothing without him.

The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the author and perfecter of our faith.” In other words, even our faith finds its beginning and its completion in Jesus. He is the perfect model of what faith is—and what faith does. He lived among us without sin, all the while doing the will of the Father. He pushed through the obstacles of suffering and death in order to bring this promise of hope to us. His single-minded pursuit of us enables us to follow hard after him. Follow him!

Hello Friends!

This Saturday is the FINAL one before Christmas. You know this.

Well, we are going to take some extra time this week to sing Christmas songs of worship and praise to Jesus. Michael and I are hoping and praying it will help us set our hearts on Christ as we zoom into Christmas Day.

Also, there are two things going on after the service that I wanted to let you know about.

First, Resonate is hosting a Songs of Christmas evening from 7:30-8:45 over in the Chapel. This will be 75 minutes of singing, Scripture and fellowship. You are invited to come for some or all of the evening.

Second, some families from our Childrens’ Choirs will join together in the courtyard around 7:15 to sing songs and sit around firepits. You are invited to attend this, regardless of your “age”. Same deal, come for some or all.

The café will be open in the Family Center and it looks like the weather will cooperate with cold, clear skies.

Hope to see you then!

Warmly,

Scott

Day 9: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

 Even after we’ve outgrown the belief in flying reindeer and Santa Claus, most of us still eagerly look forward to Christmas.  For some, visions of laughing grandkids dance in their heads.  For others, a much-needed break from the daily grind sounds like pure heaven.  And for Christians, the advent season is a precious time to remember the infant King who was born to save us all.

In many homes and hearts this year, however, the holiday season has been clouded by worry and despair.  During troubled times such as that which our country is facing, people are looking for hope.  They’re desperate for peace, wondering what the new year will hold, worried about what the world will look like for their children and grandchildren.

As Pastor Dennis has so faithfully reminded us, the Christmas story is about far more than the baby Jesus.  This season we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us.  When times are hard, as they are for so many, it’s essential that we remember He is with us.  He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Only in Jesus Christ can we find what our hearts most urgently seek.

Hebrews 10:20 explains, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us.”  Whether this Christmas finds you joyful, concerned, or a combination of both, He is the Way to your Heavenly Father, your Provider, your Comfort and Refuge.

Because Jesus is the Truth, you have the assurance of reliable guidance in 2009.  No matter what happens with the new presidential administration or United States economy, we can place our trust in the God who not only gives us truth, but incarnates it.

If life seems confusing or difficult for you right now, consider what Simon Peter asked of Jesus in John 6:68…“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  Jesus has the words of hope and peace you crave because He is the Life.  I am clinging to this truth day by day. As Christmas draws ever nearer, let’s join to celebrate our Savior God—the Way, the Truth, and the Life we need. 

Day 8: He is the One Who Meets our Needs!

Matthew 14:13-14 teaches that Jesus had compassion and healed the sick.  Do you have a health concern?  Go to Jesus with your specific need, He will hear you.  Jesus offered a faith solution in verses 15-19 to the food shortage, by taking the food and blessing it so that it fed a massive crowd.  Jesus desires to “feed” us in the same manner.  Are you dealing with financial worries? Go to Jesus.  Remember the meager amount of food given turned into overflow.  Jesus didn’t add anything extra to the meal, but he did multiply it.   Finally, no need is insurmountable when given to Jesus.  Verse 21 says that there were 5000 men.  That number didn’t include the women and children.  Jesus fed many, many more than 5000.  Through this act, we have concrete hope that any need we have is not too big for our God.  He is able; we must be willing to give our situations to Him.

If we listen to what the world says, then we are living in a time when there is no solution to our needs.  However, when we listen to and believe what God has to say, he is willing and ready to meet our needs.  Take some time today to lay down your burdens and watch as God reveals His answers.       

Day 7: He is the High Priest Who Can Relate!

READ: Hebrews 4:14-16

Over the past few years and months, I have been put in the position of making difficult decisions for two people I love, but no longer can care for themselves. Speaking the truth in love to them has been so hard, and I have cried out to God so many times not knowing what is best. What would God want? Does God care for them even though they do not acknowledge his power over their lives? I have been angry as well, disappointed that they planned so little for these years, and that they continue to hang stubbornly on to places and routines that no longer are practical.

These verses in Hebrews speak so beautifully of Jesus as our high priest, the Man who knows me inside out & can sympathize with my every emotion & weakness. Nothing can be hidden from him, sin, thought, emotions, he knows all of it.

It is He who speaks for me. Through Him, I can approach God and know that He hears me. He suffered for me, and because of Him, I can call quietly, cry loudly, and just trust that He will always be there. Joshua 1:9 implores us: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you whenever you go.

I praise God that He is the one who gives me the key to unlock the door to His grace, mercy & love, and that I live confidently in Him, knowing that whenever I am at the end of myself, He will meet my need.