Monthly Archives: December 2012
The Greatest Collector’s Collection
Devotional THought of the Day:
This morning I will be doing a funeral, helping a daughter grieve, a daughter whose mom passed away10 months ago, whose day passed away last week.
When I met him, he talked a little about the history he had at our church, the families and friends he remembered, who he served by. He also talked a lot about the things he collected over the years, the precious stamps and coins, the meeting with others who collected, the teaching of young collectors. Our discussions brought to mind a favored passage:
45 ‘Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; 46 when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.Matthew 13:45-46 (NJB)
That is a dedicated Collector, One willing to give up everything for that which is His prized possession.
So often I have heard that passage talk about those who seek for God – who seek for righteousness, who long to set things…right.
If you look carefully though, it is not so – the Kingdom of God is like the merchant – this is describing the work of the Father, and His work in coming to redeem (to purchase back) the pearl. They are the one’s seeking to complete their collection, even as the Shepherd will look for the lost sheep, or the woman her lost coin, or the Father, his prodigal son.
God is out – collecting – He has sent His agents into the world (us – His people) to continue to search for the collection. And He gave up everything- to purchase for Himself a people. He gave up His only beloved Son.
It is in days like this, that our trust in God is challenged a bit – in days where the bills are tight, in days where we don’t grasp everything going on.. it is then we need to remember that He seeks us, He comes to us, He pays the price for us, He loves us…..
And His goal is to have us…with Him.
As we draw near to a close in this advent season…may we always rejoice in His seeking us.
Evangelism and “not taking God’s Name in Vain”
Discussion/Devotional thought of the Day.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Exodus 20:7 (ESV)
When the above commandment is mentioned, most people think of someone who hit his hand with a hammer, or gets cut off in traffic, and with a exclamation utters the name by which all are saved, Jesus Christ. Or perhaps they use God’s name to condemn (damn) something. That is what pastors call a “sin of commission”. We actually violated the command by doing exactly what it says we shouldn’t. To misuse God’s name, to blaspheme, to denigrate the name of the Lord who died on the cross because He loves us.
But we don’t talk about sin only as sins of commission, but sins of omission as well. That is – we take GOd’s name in vain, not only when use it to curse or swear or to impress or intimidate others, but also when we fail to use it when we should. Luther spoke of it this way:
We must fear and love God, so that we will not use His name to curse, swear, cast a spell, lie or deceive, but will use it to call upon Him, pray to Him, praise Him and thank Him in all times of trouble.
I was thinking the other day, regarding the proper use of the Lord’s name, and verses came to mind about the Lord and His name and the people that bear His name, or will be given it. Then one in particular came to mind…
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.Matthew 28:18-19 (NLT)
If we are to use God’s name rightly, in marking people as His, in making disciples who bear His name, then indeed, when we fail to be about that, or disdain the sharing of the word of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit in using God’s word to bring people to life in Christ, then we have another place where we have failed to use His name, indeed, in lacking we have used it vainly. For His word will not return void, it will not return in vain. It is His to be used as we praise Him for His wonderful work in our midst, to pray and give Him the very burdens that distract us.
So use His word, use His name as we ought, loving people enough to share with them the very words of life, and see them marked in the name about all names, as God cleanses them.
Godspeed!
Share what you have.. and it is priceless…
Devotional thought of the day:
10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?” 11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3:10-11 (NLT)
Simple acts of love, really that is all John the Baptist is encouraging people to do, to show their love for God. Jesus of course will clarify this, He will make it a clear call to love God, and to love our neighbor, by demonstrating that.
As I read this though, I wondered how John the Baptist would phrase this today. Would he only talk about physical clothes and physical food, or because the people of God have a far greater treasure, would we be called to share something more valuable, priceless.
Even as we should share of our physical clothes, how much more should we share of our spiritual clothing…
25 But now that faith has come we are no longer under a slave looking after us; 26 for all of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus, 27 since every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ. Galatians 3:25-27 (NJB)
And the food – even as we share food baskets with those who have less, isn’t there also a desire that they share in a heavenly feast? The one Paul talks of here?
16 The blessing-cup, which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ; and the loaf of bread which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And as there is one loaf, so we, although there are many of us, are one single body, for we all share in the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (NJB)
We have been given the greatest of treasures, the greatest of blessings, something that is described a the light breaking through the darkness, that which brings hope to the darkest desperation, that which brings love, where the was only hate, life where there was only death. Should we not share this as well? Should we not love our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers enough?
I love the way the Roman Catholic Pope said it – in a picture a friend shared this morning on Facebook: It pretty much sums it up…
Self-Examination and doing great things for God
“I don’t want you ever to lose your supernatural outlook. Even though you see your own meannesses, your evil inclinations—the clay of which you are made—in all their raw shamefulness, God is counting on you.” (1)
There are times, when I am about to start a sermon, or a Bible Study, or say the words of institution and serve the people of God the Feast He has prepared for them, that I have a moment of panic.
What am I doing up here? Why do I think I have the role to “play” at being a pastor.
I know myself, well, not really. I think I do. As described in the quote above, I see my own issues, my own frailty, and there is a tendency to focus on those things. And when I do, it makes no sense that God would call me, use me, work through me…. work in me. How could something so sacred work in something so… human, fallible, broken. It is a challenge that I often feel – and I am not alone. A pastor with over 30 years experience and I were talking about this very thing – and he noted he even once consulter a psychiatrist about the nerves and issues he goes through, as he is about to preach….
Such thoughts I know as well – go through the mind of people who aren’t pastors, who know God is nudging them to do something – whether it is something grand like heading to the mission field, or something even more scary – like inviting their neighbor to church. Or reaching out to that busybody or grouch at work, or challenging the dysfunction in their family, as they desire to bring God’s healing and peace to where it has been never known before. And in the back of their minds, just as in pastors…there lingers doubt – not of God’s will or God’s faithfulness, but of our suitability to be used by God for something holy.
To you (and to I) the words of St Paul bring…a reduction of anxiety, and a quite assurance that God can.. and will provide all we need to see His will accomplished.
15 Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; 16 and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the leading example of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who were later to trust in him for eternal life. 17 To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NJB)
If God can take a murderer like Paul, or a murdering alduterer like King David, and transform them, equip and empower them to do what God accomplished through them… then indeed He can do what He is calling us to let Him accomplish through our lives. He is counting on you – not to do things by your own intellect or power, but simply to follow His lead..to allow His love to work through you…
For then like Paul, you will see that all honor and glory is His, even as He invites us to dwell with Him in it.
One last thought blessings.. for this day:
20 I pray that the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, 21 may prepare you to do his will in every kind of good action; effecting in us all whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen! Hebrews 13:20-21 (NJB)
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1934-1935). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Holy Day Blues…
Devotional Thought of the Day:
The crossing guard between my church and my son’s school mentioned it this week, as did a few other people – the Holy Days Blues have set in, and people are not finding relief.
As a pastor, I expect more people to come to my church during this time of year – and they are coming – not to the services – but to my office (or my cyber office – with needs of every kind, physical, financially, emotionally all impacting them spiritually. Many of the answers are found – not in my
There is the financial pressure that seems to affect so many here in California. A few have job lay-offs, there are marriage problems (often it is family pressure, but it can be lack of family that is the problem -as those they love have passed away in the last year….)It is the time crunch – how are we going to get everything done.., how are we going to be able to please all the people who have valid claims on our time, and those who have such claims and do not care whether they are valid – they just take them. Similarly those who approach with needs – often exaggerate them, or even lie about them, and those in need who will not approach, the pride they have getting in the way of their receiving what they’ve given for so many years.
The weight is heavy, it is tiring, and I am by no means the only one to feel it…and I will admit to –
For in admitting that I feel the weight of this season, I am called to remember that the weight of life is why we have this blessed season of Advent. That the world is always in this tension of needing Christ’s return – the groaning that affects the entire earth (see Romans 8) Yet even in that moment I think of His coming and not only pray for it, but pretty much beg for it, I realize His presence is here now, that He is the incarnate Christ, the one who has promised to never leave or forsake His people, nor ever leave us… He is here, His Spirit bringing comfort, peace, mercy, love…forgiveness, strength, and yeah – even in the midst of the broken world joy.
It is not just Christmas and New Years holidays, or even Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Epiphany Holy Days… for everyday is Holy, every day is one where we walk with Him….
And blue, while the color of advent. becomes the color of comfort, even while I struggle to see Christ, to realize I dwell in His presence… for that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord you are Seeking! Really?
† In Jesus Name †
Come and See! The Lord you are seeking
Mal 3:1-7
As you prepare to celebrate Christmas, may you welcome the Lord’s assistance in “cleaning house”, even as you realize the love and mercy and faithfulness He will do it with!
Are you ready?
Years ago, when I ran bookstores, most managers feared something. Some of the best of my peers, the people I looked up to an counted as mentors, would tremble when three little words were mentioned.
“zero defect audit”
When the news hit the grapevine that our regional manager had begun them, the panic set in, the managers would leave whatever they were doing, dive into the files and the paperwork on their desks… the staff’s would immediately go into hyper-drive cleaning and everyone’s stress levels would skyrocket.
Some managers even developed techniques, allowing a few, very visible mistakes, that would be caught, allowing the regional manager to find the errors, and they thought she would be content “getting them”, and leave the rest of their operation alone.
Somehow we missed the point – if the audit’s were done well, they would help us correct paperwork errors, help us see our weaknesses and adjust to them.. and should we learn from our errors and accept the assistance in cleaning up our acts… then our bonuses would skyrocket! It was not easy, indeed looking at our errors was sometimes…painful. Yet, the payoff was incredible.
But we were too afraid of the coming, about the required look at the “life” of our stores.
Sometimes, I think we are afraid of God, and we would rather not deal with His presence in our lives now, for very similar reasons… we need to be straightened up, cleaned up, we need to get our acts together… before the final audit..
This cleansing is part of advent… and indeed our daily lives. For we live, not just with a coming Lord, but with the One who is coming, yet is already here, incarnate, present, working in our lives.
What do we need to be cleansed of?
As we hear Malachi’s message to the people of God, as we hear him tell us of God’s covenant bringing apostle/messenger, there is a pause, something that grabs our attention, and causes us to hesitate.. Hear the words, that like “zero defect audit”, throw a shock into your system….
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver,
How many of you… are ready to stand there, and watch God cleanse your life? To apply the heat – or the lye or bleach that is necessary to remove all that has marred your life? How many are willing to stand there and see the dirt of your life removed? To stand under the pressure of what it takes to cleanse them?
I remember the “debriefing” from some of those zero defect audits, as my senior staff and I were told where we fell short, the feeling as if a football was caught in my throat, the absolute powerlessness, the inability to say, but wait – you need to understand this.. the inability to excuse… And the results of that briefing were marked on a three by two foot poster, that hung prominently in my office… the results of 6 audits there for all to see…
Are we ready for that, not as our files are reviewed, but as our lives are? Are you ready to have those things which we try to hide, or worse, the things we do so often that we forget that they are offensive to God, revealed before Him, as He cleans our lives?
Sometimes I think – wouldn’t it be great if God came, and cleaned up this world in which we live? If God would come and deal with all the problems, all the pains, all of the sin an immorality? If that list, the sorcerers, the adulterers, against all those who break their word, all those who don’t treat their employees well – against all those who don’t even have the most basic sense of hospitality towards those in great need, if God would just deal with them and every other person who breaks His commandments? Wouldn’t it be great?
Then I realize, if God has to clean up – wouldn’t He start with us? With those that know best His will, who know His commands, who understand that they all boil down to two relationships – our relationship with Him, and our relationship with every person He has created.
And all of a sudden, I am not so ready for a spiritual audit, I want to hide or take a week or two off. How about you? AN audit, a cleansing, not performed by some mere pastor or prophet… but by the Lord God Almighty…
But the good..
A few months after the audits, there was always “EoY” paperwork, and the closing of a year – even as we just closed another church year, and are about to say goodbye to 2012, and eventually will see and end of the age…when Christ returns.
After the EoY review, there was the day when the regional manager showed up again – this time with envelopes in her hands. Checks were in those envelopes – and sometimes they were significant.
That is what we wait for now! The day when Jesus comes again, when the work pays off! I am not talking about our work, but the work He accomplishes in us. We are His worksmanship – His masterpiece, He is the one who takes our lives and molds them into something that is incredible. When we realize just how much filth He has cleansed us of, when we see what He does, when we realize how much love He has for us.
We rejoice, we have hope… for Joy has come to our world.
When we realize how phenomenally He deals with the injustive of the world, when we realize how He uses it for our good, when we get to the point where we pause… and look and see…
We realize the guarantee to prodigals, We realize the blessing that He never changes! A blessing that our prophet this morning tells us that we will never be be devoured, we will never be consumed. But that we can return – we can joyfully seek the Lord who comes bringing the promises of the covenant, fulfilling the work of God.
You see, God created you and I for a purpose – an eternal purpose. Not to be transformed into someone else, but His cleansing, His promise work in your lives, is to reveal in you that which has been marred, that which has been hidden by sin, by unrighteousness.
To reveal in you the child of God, to remove the labels like prodigal, or sinner, or even the name of the sin or unrighteousness that holds you in bondange.
That is the nature of advent, a time to ditch the facades, the sins, from gossip to lust to using God’s name, the name we’ve been given to use, in our vanity. To remove us and free us and given us life.
The people of the Old Testament saw this, yet didn’t. They longed for the return of the messenger, the apostle who would prepare the way for the Lord. They longed to see the Lord who would come suddenly, the one who would bring a covenant that resulted in the forgiveness of sins.
At the end of the passage, the verse asks, “how shall we return”… the answer is provided in the very promise of God – I will return to you…
They struggled with what this means, the removal of idols and sins, the cleansing of things we are firmly attached to, the sins that have their claws stuck in our hearts and minds. Hearts and minds, that like ours, were meant to live, not in bondage to sin and anxiety and unrighteousness, but hearts and minds that were meant to feast with our Father, in complete fellowship, in a relationship that nothing could mar…
and that is why He has come, why He accomplished this very cleansing, this very purification, as He hung on that cross – as every sing was stipped from us, and laid on Him.
For we were meant – heart and minds, to live in His glorious peace… and until that is revealed in all His glory, know this – you are already there – protected, guarded, kept in that peace, by the Lord who has come, in whose presence we live.
Come and see your Lord, your newborn King – and feast in His peace filled presence!
AMEN?
Christianity and …Tea
Devotional thought of the day….
We are in love with Love. That is why Our Lord doesn’t want us to be dry, stiff, lifeless. He wants us to be steeped in his tenderness!
It’s been about fifteen years now, since I was at Pepperdine running a department. It was tradition for our dean, or maybe our Asst. Dean to get everybody some kind of fancy imported coffee for Christmas. (the bunch of geeks that we were, we lived on caffeine.) But I don’t drink coffee, and though I would have been perfectly content with a 12 back of diet coke, he (or probably his office manager/exec asst.) got me a bag of Earl Gray and another bag of English Breakfast Tea, and one of those little mesh tea infusers. (what they used before the advent of tea bags – and what conciseness still use today)
To be honest, it does make a hug difference…. the way the tea tasted was superb!
When I read the words above from St Josemaria Escriva, I immediately latched onto that word “steeped” It is really just another picture of the concept of living in Christ, or abiding in Him. We are sort of like a glass of hot water, sitting on a table. Okay… I suppose I notice it there… maybe even look at the steam coming off of it. Yet through in a infuser, with a really good strong batch of tea… and everything changes. The steam coming off the top of the cup projects it’s flavor/scent throughout the room. the beverage itself comes alive and the caffeine… well it is cafeinne! 🙂 All of a sudden we are awake, and alive and we have energy.
Such is the effect of living in Christ, of His love, His tenderness, His mercy, His nature, infuses (not making a theological statement here- just the concept) us, it affects us in ways we can’t even begin to comprehend. The more we grasp His love, the more we begin to love others. The apostle Paul decribes such an effect this way..
14 And I got it, thank God! In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. 15 Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (MSG)
You desire people to come to know Jesus? You desire your church to be filled once again? You want to be effective in your vocation, and in your walk as a believer?
It starts with something simple – something quite passive, something that calls us to be still… and know He is God…the rest will come… it is the natural result, like the steeping of some leaves in a cup of hot water results in a great drink…
It calls us to be steeped in His love and tenderness….
Adore Him, for indeed He is worthy…
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1881-1883). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
You are a light shattering others darkness
Devotional thought of the Day:
You saw it quite clearly: while so many people do not know God, he has looked to you. He wants you to form a foundation stone, an ashlar, on which the life of the Church can rest. Meditate on this reality and you will draw many practical consequences for your ordinary behaviour: the foundation stone—hidden and possibly rather dull—has to be solid, showing no weakness. It has to serve as a support for the building… If not, it remains isolated.(1)
It sometimes seems like the world is darker than it has been in a century, that immorality and unethical behavior are now the norm for life, It perhaps isn’t, for the time when St. Josemaria ministered in Spain had its times, as of course did the Vietnam Era. Yet when you look at Southern California, and the amount of people in churches, one begins to wonder how few people truly know and rejoice in the love and presence of God.
There is a tendency to bemoan our condition, to think that we have been defeated, that our generation will see more and more churches close, as our part of the world sees the light of Christ snuffed out. After all, most of the pastors I know are not incredibly powerful evangelists, most of us are common, ordinary, bland types. We try hard, but we don’t always see the results, in fact we rarely see them.
That is why I like the quote above. For our work isn’t necessarily to be the beautiful marble of huge temples, we are not the beauty of Roman Basilicas, or English Cathedrals. We are the foundations, those who point solidly to Christ, those who have been strengthened and bear the weight, those whose trust in God is revealed in a faithfulness we may not even realize people observe in us. And such lack of self-awareness is not a bad thing – our awareness needs to be focused on the cornerstone. – the one we take our lead and line from.
The people then, that understand we (and I am not just talking about pastors and priests, but about all those using their gifts to serve others) are like the stones that build up the building, the stones that do gather attention, the lives that are radically changed, the ones who are lifted up, the ones who testify of God’s love… because we were used to reveal it to them.
Not doing something spectacular in the faith – that is okay – be faithful in looking to Christ – love Him, adore Him, find yourself, int he midst of that love, loving others… and you will find with that simply done… not just a church being built up around you, but the church being built in the world.
Remember to look and cry… Lord have mercy… and rejoice as that mercy is revealed in your life and others…
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1804-1808). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Advent of Peace
Advent of Peace
Haggai 2:4-9
Grace and peace to you, the much-promised gift of God our Father, delivered in Christ-incarnate!
Do not fear, do not be anxious!
But How.. and when?
As I hear Longfellow’s poem set to music, (the sermon hymn was “I heard the bells on Christmas Day” – it is an incredible story- !) and the change that comes over him, as if a light is simply turned on, I want to find a way to dismiss his suffering, to dismiss his grief, and thereby, to stay in my own grief, my own negativity, my own despair, my own anxiety. The problem is I know the background of Longfellow’s poem, and my trauma, even and the trauma of our world is not comparable to his trauma, and the trauma of his time.
There is something in this time of year as well, as I talk to businessmen, and principals, other pastors and those who I come in contact with, there is a sense of pessimism, in this time where we should be eagerly expecting some of the greatest joy of the year. People are struggling – many of us are struggling…
I hear in the song, the words of the angels who visit the outcasts in the field ,
Do not fear! There is peace on Earth, and God’s will, His desire for men is good…good!
And my theologian brain comes into play and I justify my dweeling in the early part of the song with theological statements like this promise of peace is now..and not yet. It is fulfilled and yet I can’t really see it.
And I, with supposed justification slink back into despair, and bow my head in defeat.
And then comes Advent… and we have to come face to face with the promise, and we have to realize – that yes, this promise is true, as is the God who delivered that promise to a stable in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
But how do we make the change – from despair to joy, from thinking there is no peace, to glorying in it?
That is the challenge of Advent.
Look to His creation!
Look to the simple glory and know… the glory of Christ
And in the place where Christ is, glory and peace dwells
And that is in you.
In the words of the prophet Haggai, as his words, like the angels encourage us, I think I begin to see how to find the peace.
First the prophet reminds us of two of God’s promises by calling to mind His oath and covenant with us. That covenant was made when He delivered his people from bondage one, and assured them that He would always do so.. The second promise is there – next slide – when the Father promised, even back then, that the Holy Spirit would remain in the midst of His people – that God’s presence was there, even then, caring and comforting, forgiving and guiding, pouring out and establishing His peace..
There begins the source of our strength!
Less we doubt God being able to provide this care, this peace, the prophet is instructed to remind us of the incredible power of God – that He can, and indeed will shake the world, to separate and sift it, separating what is the treasure – what is the glory of those nations, that it may come pouring in.
God claims it is all His, that it all belongs to Him, that the glory of it will cause the glory of God’s abode to be greater than it ever was…
And then we realize, the gold and silver symbolize something, for while that may be where man’s treasure is, it is not where God’s is.
What is God’s treasures, that will out of the nations…
You and I are…
And when we realize that – the lights turn on… and we hear the glorious words, and we know that in this place, where we dwell with God, there is peace.
That’s the concept of advent – come and seen this newborn king – Come and adore Him,
Come and realize His promises are true – that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.
Come, and leave the fears and anxieties behind – His spirit is present, His peace is present.
and as we look at our Lord, as we see the manger and the cross, and the empty tomb….
The light shatters the darkness, the love heals our brokenness, and we know, heart, soul mind and strength… that there is peace on earth, that there is God’s will coming complete in our lives…
Come and see – His peace is here… His Good will is here… and it is well…
Keep Christ and Mas together
Devotional thought of the day… err evening
It’s that time of year, when people get irritated and their reactions a bit haughty and even insistent. Look at facebook – and see how many different people have posted how many different pictures with the same slogan, though different pictures of manger scenes, of Mary riding donkey in the evening. The slogan even more the focus than the Lord they sort of testify too…..
KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS!!
i understand the basic sentiment, and the idea of protecting a sacred holy day. The insistence is absolute, the anger at those who greet “happy holidays” or other greetings so strong, you almost feel it.
My sense of irony reads these comments, and occasionally petitions that we are asked to sign “online”. Irony because I am not sure the “mas” part of Christmas is considered by those insisting to keep Christ in Christmas. Let me explain.
The “mas” in Christmas derives from a word related to gathering, or congregate, or crowd. Related to the idea of the mass – the liturgy gathering, congregating of God’s people, and what they do together, receiving God’s gifts and in awe, glorifying and praising Him.
If we then, are going to keep Christ in Christmas, shouldn’t that include gathering to praise Him? To receive the gifts that He brings us, because He was hung on a tree? Part of me wonders, how much time in prayer and reading God’s word, never mind worship, is spent by those who adamantly insist to keep Christ in Christ-mas. Or are their gatherings more about other good things, family and friends and presents and such – but lack spending time with the One the day is named after, finding there isn’t enough time to gather with God’s family, to celebrate Jesus birth.
Keep Christ in your gatherings, gather with others who trust in Him, and rejoice in the reason for His birth.
