Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Miracle of Christmas

The real story of the times of Jesus’ birth was that there was terrible political unrest, a religious institution that was more concerned about politics than meeting the spiritual needs of the people! Nations were constantly redrawing Israel’s boundaries, and there was a nervous peace around the world. The disparity between rich and poor was getting greater and greater. Into the midst of all this turmoil and hopelessness God makes His appearance in human flesh . . . the baby Jesus!
The Bible shows us that in Christ there can be "peace and goodwill to all men on whom his favor rests" 2:14b. In the midst of a world of darkness God has given us a great light. Most people were hoping for some kind of miracle to change things! It was in this atmosphere that a miracle did happen, God sends forth His son the Messiah to redeem man. The whole world was changed when Christ was born. Only Jesus can profoundly change the behavior of man. And it will be Christ's second coming that will finally solve the problem of the human race.
During this season how many will have their hearts and minds tuned only to the sounds of this world in celebration, and how many will be listening for the marvel of what God has done in the celebration of Christmas?
The first Christmas the desperate and the despised found great joy and peace and acceptance from God! What about you? Will you just pass through another holiday season ending it with a huge credit card debt and exhaustion over activities? Or will you come to know "peace on earth and good will toward men on whom His favor rests." Will you find a great joy in knowing that Christmas is not just a season, it is a reason for living? For Christians the Christmas season is not starting, it has never ended!

In His Service
Pastor John J. Dodd

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I AM ONE OF YOU!

Joseph Damien was a nineteenth-century missionary who ministered to people with leprosy on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Those suffering grew to love him and revered the sacrificial life he lived out before them. One morning before Damien was to lead daily worship, he was pouring some hot water into a cup when the water swirled out and fell onto his bare foot. It took him a moment to realize that he had not felt any sensation. Gripped by the sudden fear of what this could mean, he poured more hot water on the same spot. No feeling at all. Damien immediately knew what had happened. As he tearfully delivered his sermon that morning, no one at first noticed the difference in his opening line. He normally began every sermon with, "My fellow believers." But this morning he began with, "My fellow lepers." In a greater measure Jesus came into this world knowing what it would cost him. He bore in his pure being the marks of evil, so we might be made pure. "For this I came into the world," he said (John 18:37).

The Scriptures tell us about a God that so loved humanity that instead of just encountering humans, He experienced humanity! God came to experience the pain, pressures and difficulties of our lives so He could be the Savior of the world that we needed. There is no greater way that God can becoming one of us except by coming and living among us. So during this Christmas season, let us remember that the greatest demonstration of God's love to humanity was the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas and God Bless You!!

Pastor John J. Dodd