FROM THE PASTOR
redeem those under the law
With all the “feel good stuff” out there happening now this Christmas season, with all the Christmas cheer, and season’s greetings, here there and everywhere; how long lasting is that? How helpful is all that once it’s all over? And as you know, it comes and goes pretty quickly. I had a chuckle the other day when I read a post somewhere where it said something along these lines:
“We buy three weeks worth of food up to a day before Christmas, for the shops to be shut for 12 hours!”
Let me bring you some joy that is longer than the few days of glitz and glamour of Christmas. Something that you and I truly need to hear; an everyday practical thing that offers a great deal of comfort. Here’s a Christmas verse that is not always heard, or for that matter, not all that well known at Christmas. A verse fitting for now and the future:
“God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law” (part of Galatians 4:5).
Great miracles of Christmas are those things we’re familiar with; the Virgin Birth, the Angels singing to Shepherds, etc. An even greater miracle of Christmas is the eternal Son of God was born into our world; God was made flesh and lived among us. Why? In our daily tasks and responsibilities, it is a comfort to know God has personally participated in these things. Jesus, God’s Son, was tempted as we are and had trouble as we do, and so it’s helpful to have the example of the Son of God. But God’s Son, became Mary’s Son for an even greater purpose, Jesus not only lived with us, he lived for us.
By becoming human, the Son of God became responsible for keeping God’s good and holy Law; the Law which we daily fail to keep – this, Jesus kept fully and completely and perfectly, and does this now for us. When we trust in Jesus’ keeping of God’s holy law for us, God then sees us as having done the same!
We Pray For:
† Those who will be born this year, and for those who will die.
† Those who will be wounded and for those who will need healing.
† Those who will laugh and those will who will mourn.
† Wisdom to see what must be torn down and what must be built up.
† The courage to throw away the things we no longer need, and for the strength to gather in the things we need to keep close and dear.
† Those who hope for a better future; who know the guilt of sin and want to make a new start.
† Those who mourn the death of a loved one in the past year.
† Our friends and relatives, that the new year may bring them blessing.
† Those who have harmed us in any way in the past year, and that we may forgive them.
“We buy three weeks worth of food up to a day before Christmas, for the shops to be shut for 12 hours!”
Let me bring you some joy that is longer than the few days of glitz and glamour of Christmas. Something that you and I truly need to hear; an everyday practical thing that offers a great deal of comfort. Here’s a Christmas verse that is not always heard, or for that matter, not all that well known at Christmas. A verse fitting for now and the future:
“God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law” (part of Galatians 4:5).
Great miracles of Christmas are those things we’re familiar with; the Virgin Birth, the Angels singing to Shepherds, etc. An even greater miracle of Christmas is the eternal Son of God was born into our world; God was made flesh and lived among us. Why? In our daily tasks and responsibilities, it is a comfort to know God has personally participated in these things. Jesus, God’s Son, was tempted as we are and had trouble as we do, and so it’s helpful to have the example of the Son of God. But God’s Son, became Mary’s Son for an even greater purpose, Jesus not only lived with us, he lived for us.
By becoming human, the Son of God became responsible for keeping God’s good and holy Law; the Law which we daily fail to keep – this, Jesus kept fully and completely and perfectly, and does this now for us. When we trust in Jesus’ keeping of God’s holy law for us, God then sees us as having done the same!
We Pray For:
† Those who will be born this year, and for those who will die.
† Those who will be wounded and for those who will need healing.
† Those who will laugh and those will who will mourn.
† Wisdom to see what must be torn down and what must be built up.
† The courage to throw away the things we no longer need, and for the strength to gather in the things we need to keep close and dear.
† Those who hope for a better future; who know the guilt of sin and want to make a new start.
† Those who mourn the death of a loved one in the past year.
† Our friends and relatives, that the new year may bring them blessing.
† Those who have harmed us in any way in the past year, and that we may forgive them.