#248 - A Christmas message
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
This is the story of the birth of Jesus as told in the book of Luke 2:9-14. To me, this is the most amazing story of the Bible. It’s the story of God’s love and His ultimate gift to us.
I had a totally different message planned for today but decided this one would be much more appropriate and the other it can wait for a week.
As we go racing through the last few days before Christmas, take a moment to pause and reflect on what is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Christ, our savior.
Each year as I grow older, this story means more to me than the year before. All of the trappings of Christmas, the lights, the presents, the parties, and all the baking just don’t mean as much as they used to.
This year, the one gift I offer is the gift of a prayer. Lord, watch over us daily. Help us be the people we know we can be and the people You want us to be. Help us to be a little kinder today and every day. Help us all to recognize that we’re here to make a difference in the lives of others.
Help us to recognize our individual gifts that You have given us and to use those gifts in service to You. Amen.
I want to thank you for another wonderful year of being able to help you through many of your dating and relationship issues. Hopefully I’ve been a blessing to you in some small way. I’m blessed that you all have been here to help and support me too.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.