Good Morning All,
Revelation 2:10b; “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
A young boy was sitting on the living room
floor playing with the toys he got for Christmas. One toy needed new batteries one was already broken,
and one wasn’t what the advertisement made it out to be. He lets out a long sigh and went into the
kitchen to find his mom and dad having breakfast. “I can’t believe Christmas is over!” the
young boy lamented. It seemed to take
forever to get here and then “poof! everything is done”. You will probably take the Christmas tree
down this weekend. His mother looked at
him and smiled, “you know that Grandma and Grandpa are coming in a couple weeks
and they will have Christmas presents for you.”
The young boy looked at his mother and asked, “so?” His mother then replied, “Christmas isn’t
over until the last present is opened!”
How about you? Is your Christmas over? It may feel like it took forever to get here,
especially when the advertising and merchandising begins earlier and earlier
each year. Then, in a flurry, “poof!” While this may be our earthly experience, God
gives us so much more.
With the coming of Jesus, God brought us
into his holy family. Jesus’ death on
the cross, at just the right time, paid our sins. By the waters of Baptism, God adopted us into
his family. We received the Spirit of
his Son that we might call Him “Abba, Father.”
What a wondrous gift!! We can
rest with the certainty of God’s peace.
We can rest with the certainty of God’s grace and mercy being poured
upon us. We have the comfort of His ever-loving,
everlasting presence in our lives. What
fantastic gifts God bestows on His people!
Christmas is truly a time of giving and receiving of wonderful gifts!
Yet our Christmas is not over! Jesus came to give us more than just comfort
and hope in this life. He came to give
us eternal life. He gives us the crown
of life. The victor’s reward given to us
by our Victorious Savior, whose triumph over the grave means eternal life for
us. We have eternal life, a life without
pain or sorrow, a life with mourning or tears.
For us, Christmas is never over!
The Savior gives to us daily and richly. He feeds us and nourishes us with the lavish goodness
of his mercy and keeps us safe in his loving and protecting arms. You and I are held close to his heart, safe
from the storms and tempests which rage and assail us.
For many, this has been a difficult
year. Yet the fullness of God’s grace
ahs never left us. The beauty of our
risen Savior has never dimmed or faded.
Christmas, even in our darkest, saddest times, is still happening. We still have one present to open from a
loving God who wants to bring us safely into his eternal presence. Christmas is never over!
Gracious Father,
your mercies are new every morning! Keep
us as the apple of Your eye and hide us in the shadow of Your wing. Continue to protect us from the devil’s
attacks. Be with those who are saddened
and struggling at this time. Give to
them Your Spirit of hope and the comfort of Your loving arms. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen!
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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