Carols: O Come All Ye Faithful, 12/13/15

Sermon Dec 13 carols – o come all ye faithful  Luke 2:8-15

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Christmas.  A time for stability.  Joy.  Merriment.  Family.  Remember the good old days.  Lights.  Trees.  Presents.  Love.  Its all  good and I am safe.  Nostalgia- Merry Christmas

What if Christmas isn’t a time of my human comfort but is rather a time of change and movement?

The shepherds said, Lets to to Bethlehem.

At Christmas everyone is going somewhere

Angels go to the shepherd’s field

Shepherds go to the manger – lets go to Bethlehem

Wisemen make a long journey

[in a little told part of the Christmas story] Joseph, Mary & baby go to Egypt

God is moving the story of the world along

Everyone seems to be going somewhere

And people are changing.

Not just mobile, but things are changing for them

Their world story is morphing

Angels change [this might be a stretch]  I don’t know, but I bet they became more popular after singing in the honors choir

Shepherds changing…. They saw the messiah.  A story that they had all grown up with was not complete

Wise men………..kings of the east……. Leave their thrones.  Leave their comfort leave their families and follow the star

Commercial – wise men from the east  --East- from the east.  Not like us.  Not jews.  Inclusive nature of the story.

          Young and old, rich and poor, jew and gentile.

Back to changing - Mary gives up her simple life of a teenager.

Joseph becomes the protector of Gods son.

Scared into it by an angel…….

This story changes people. That is the whole point.

Lets go to Bethlehem

Change is difficult, we don’t like it

And at Christmas? What about my nostalgic feelings? Christmas is about me and mine, not about me changing.

And so we run into the first enemy of change. People have to want to change I like my life the way that it is.  Go ask someone else to change. Three steps for change:

1.   Leaving the old Shepherds, wisemen, joseph and mary changed But we don’t want to change How many counselors does it take to change a lightbulb? We want to encounter the baby and stay the same In fact, many of us spend our lives praying to the baby so he will keep us comfortable. Christmas invited us to change.  To bow the knee In  order to want to change, we have to become submissive. In many Christian circles that is a bad word. I am not referring to wives submitting to husbands.  I am referring to the notion that if we would be a person of God, we must submit our will to his. The American sinners prayer.  Dear God I know I am a sinner.  Forgive me.  Jesus may your blood cover my sin.  And now back to my life, AMEN A prayer of conversion is a prayer that puts God’s will before mine. Not my will but thine be done. It means that I will listen instead of always talking It means that I submit to the story instead of ignoring the story It means that I will submit to the story instead of insisting that the story submits to me. In the biblical story everyone, almost is in submission to God’s purpose.  Sherpherds don’t argue.  They go.  Angels go.  Wisemen go.  Mary welcomes the job.  Joseph finally gets it.  The only person who is not submitted in the Christmas story is Herod. Why?  He is in charge.  He is on top.  We don’t need another king. Do we ever sound like our lives are saying  we don’t need another king? I have me. When I refer to submission and think of our lives, I am thinking of whether or not we are listening to the holy spirit.  Whether or not we are willing to be led. Take the dog on a leash. Do we stay by the side of the master? Or do we pull and tug and drag him along? Mom and barney the st Bernard Maybe we put the collar on for special occaisions, only to take it off when we want to go on our merry way. Changing who we are begins with a willingness on our part to change. 2.   The neutral zone – learning to be comfortable in a chaotic world The stock market is down?  Must be the end. War in the middle east?  Must be the end……. Friend, the world is chaotic……… and your life is going to feel that way from time to time. Point is not a life of comfort, the point is that God is with us Emmanuel Being willing to change Being comfortable in the wilderness Embracing the new The moment we do this, we hold on tight……. 3.   Embrace the new- don’t get stuck.

The moment we arrive at a level of comfort it is probably time to change again

What got you to this point may not be what gets you to the next

Peter rollins story of the 2^nd mile church

If you feel that God is troubling the waters of your spirit, it’s a good thing and it is probably a sign that the holy spirit is working on you.

We are invited to go.  To come to the manger.

So there is this hymn, this Christmas carol

"O Come, All Ye Faithful" has been attributed to various authors, including an Englishman, John Francis Wade (1711–1786),

Some question over authorship - over fifty competing versions available

So many translations that you cant discover the original

No one knows its true shape

We are a conglomeration of stuff

A patchwork of good

Who are the faithful?

They worshiped.

They went…….. everyone in this story is going somewhere

When they got there, they worshipped.

O come let us adore him

To worship is to say – you are good.  You are worthy.

You matter.  I give myself to you.  To worship is to leave the world of myself and bow at the manger.

Conclusion

Are you Trying to make it the perfect Christmas?

I hope my families feels good about themselves.  I hope they get what they want.

Trying to make a perfect Christmas?

Stop.  Its not your job.  Its not what Christmas is about

Relax.  God has already made a perfect Christmas

What do you want for Christmas? What we want for Christmas is irrelevant.

That question indicates that we don’t get it.

Christmas isn’t my birthday or my child’s birthday.

What does god want?

What does god want of me?

What do I want for Christmas?

Dinner w my kids

What does your pastor want?

For you to love God more and more.  For you to love others.  To reach out to those in need

To make it a habitual exercise of your life.

To move away from self and ever towards God

O come, all ye faithful…..come and behold him……

Bullseye: Proverbs That Hit the Target: The Way, 8/16/15

Sermon 8-16-15  Proverbs 29:18-23  vision

¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

¹⁹ A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer.

²⁰ Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

²¹ He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.  ²² An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.  ²³ A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

What is the vision of WCC

Why is this discussion important?  With no vision, people perish.  They die on the vine.

If the trumpet would not give a clear call, what would the army know what to do

if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 1 cor 14:8

Bill Hybels – vision leaks

Our mission statement is connecting people to jesus Christ

Have them say it with you.

Everyone should know it or learn it

I love it because it does two things………

 Points to jesus

Word connecting is intentionally vague.  It recognizes that people come to Christ in various ways

Consequently, we are going to be a diverse church.   Lots of different kinds of people.

Republicans, democrats …………. Etc

This is what th e kingdom looks like.

Three kinds of churches

Cruise ships, battle ships and aircraft carriers

The life saving station

On a rocky seacoast , where shipwrecks were frequent there was once a ramshackle little life-saving station. It was no more than a hut and there was only one boat, but the few people who manned the station were a devoted lot who kept constant watch over the sea and, with little regard for themselves and their safety, went fearlessly out in a storm if they had any evidence that there had been a shipwreck somewhere. Many lives were thus saved and the station became famous.

As the fame of the station grew, so did the desire of people in the neighbourhood to become associated with its excellent work. They generously offered of their time and money so new members were enrolled, new boats bought and new crews trained. The hut too was replaced by a comfortable building which could adequately handle the reeds of those who had been saved from the sea and, of course, since shipwrecks do not occur every day, it became a popular gathering place-a sort of local club.

As time passed the members became so engaged in socializing that they had little interest in life-saving, though they duly sported the life-saving motto on the badges they wore. As a matter of fact, when some people were actually rescued from the sea, it was always such a nuisance because they were dirty and sick and soiled the carpeting and the furniture.

Soon the social activities of the club became so numerous and the life-saving activities so few that there was a showdown at a club meeting with some members insisting that they return to their original purpose and activity. A vote was taken and these troublemakers, who proved to be a small minority, were invited to leave the club and start another.

Which is precisely what they did-a little further down the coast, with such selflessness and daring that, after a while, their heroism made them famous. Whereupon their membership was enlarged, their hut was reconstructed.. and their idealism - smothered. If you happen to visit that area today you will find a number of exclusive clubs dotting the shoreline,. Each one of them is justifiably proud of its origin and its tradition. Shipwrecks still occur in those parts, but nobody seems to care much

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2015/07/the-church-isnt-a-cruise-ship-its-an-aircraft-carrier.html

we must constantly fight the temptation to make it about me – cruis e ship.

We must never beat people up – battle ship

We must actively work to remain outward focused……… aircraft carrier

From the book – the barefoot church primer       Pg 154

Paradigm shift

Old way                                                                                                         healthy way

Pastors serve the congregation                                                                 pastors equip the congregation to serve

                               

People learn about Jesus                                                                             people learn to live on mission for Jesus

Pastors providing services, programs and events                              pastors exposing need and people engaging the need

Pastors trying to motivate people to grow spiritually                       people taking initiative for their own personal growth

Our values

Joy authenticity and excellence.

Joy = kindness.  Positive.  Constructive.  Playing well with others

Even in times of stress and change……..

Authenticity = be who you are.

No pretending.  What was jesus like?

Honest.

You are expected to think.  No easy answers.

A faith that is not satisfied with going thru the motions……… ask the hard questions……….. real change

Excellence……. It’s the most difficult

Excellence does not mean perfection but………..

Constantly working on how to make things better.

That is painful.

Because we must address difficulty

If you don’t, trouble is on the horizon

You lose good people

Conversely, great people want to be a part of something that is exceptional

And so we spend a good deal of time

Applying our resources to whatever is the challenge of the moment.

Rick warren on vision………..

Very little of Saddleback’s ministry was preplanned. I didn’t have any long-range strategy before I started the church. I simply knew God had called me to plant a new church built on the five New Testament purposes, and I had a bag of ideas I wanted to try out. Each innovation we’ve developed was just a response to the circumstances in which we found ourselves. I didn’t plan them in advance. Most people think of “vision” as the ability to see the future. But in today’s rapidly changing world, vision is also the ability to accurately assess current changes and take advantage of them. Vision is being alert to opportunities.

We have tried to stay focused

We have tried to remove barriers to growth

We have tried to apply our abilities, gifts and resources to the needs at hand

And so the game of vision is hard to paint into a picture of a 3 year 5 year, 7 year plan

Results of all of this……….

I have painfully enjoyed the chaos that takes place in a church when people hear Gods call and act to live it out in their lives…….

The pain of change…….i hear about it

I know it………..

But we have a choice, either fight to keep it the same, and die, or allow the spirit to lead us.

Lead us out of Egypt, into the wilderness

Out of our comfort zone, to a land that he will show to us.

David hyatt and the church near st Louis that wanted to win young people

The results of all of this is A church that has grown……

outside of our comfort

welcoming many more over the years – on a mission for god

A church that deploys people in mission

Close………

I invite you to understand what we are trying to do

I invite you to join me in a fight against what comes naturally to us, which is to make it bout our comfort..

I invite you to join me in connecting people to jesus Christ

In fulfilling our potential to do that in every way that we can.

Without a vision the people perish, but when we let go of our preference and follow the holy spriti, god can do great things.

We All Have a Story to Tell: Transformation: What About You?, 4/5/15

Easter sermon 2015   Apr 5      Jn 20:1-18

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalenewent to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” ³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. ¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). ¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Upcoming Series info with accompanying video

If you are visiting, maybe this place is for you

Its easter what will we talk about?

Usual sermon are about jesus being raised.  Yeah jesus.  What we believe.

Sometimes they are aobut proofs of the resurrection.  Why we believe.

These are good topics, but we will save for another year.

Today, what does it all mean for you.  Do you ever feel like you need a resurrection?

Does religion seem irrelevant

When the guru sat down to worship each evening, the ashram cat would get in the way and distract the worshipers. So he ordered that the cat be tied during evening worship.

After the guru died the cat continued to be tied during evening worship. And when the cat died, another cat was brougt to the ashram so that it could be duly tied during evening worship.

Centuries later learned treatises were written by the guru's disciples on the religious and liturgical significance of tying up a cat while worship is performed.

Do you ever feel like you need a resurrection?

We are running running running in this life

Do you run?

Have you ever run?

Some story about track and wanting to quit.

There is a lot of running around on easter.  From the tomb.  Back to the tomb. Back and forth.

Are you exhausted from a busy life? Working, cooking, fixing, driving kids around

Most of us are

Playing whack a mole - picture

Yes Jesus rose [tell the story]

What a morning it must have been for the women who found the empty tomb!  What a morning, what a day for the disciples.  Their understanding of everything changed with one bit of news - He is no longer here, he is risen from the grave.

Easter =

Resurrection

Renewal

Do over

Start over

New life

Clean slate

We can rise too

Not just in eternity,

But now today – maybe you are tired, maybe you came here skeptical

Rise to the life that god has given you

Jesus brings joy – hope - meaning

Find renewal

Find new life

Find joy

How to do this

1pray- not asking for things but getting to know god

The Jews of a small town in Russia were eagerly awaiting the
arrival of a Rabbi. This was going to be a rare event, so they
spent a lot of time preparing the questions they were going to
put to the holy man. When he finally arrived and they met with him in the town
hall, he could sense the tension in the atmosphere as all prepared
to listen to the answers he had for them.

He said nothing at first; he just gazed into their eyes, and
hummed a haunting melody. Soon everyone began to hum.
He started to sing and they sang along with him. He swayed
and danced in solemn, measured steps. The congregation followed
suit. Soon they became so involved in the dance, so
absorbed in its movements that they were lost to everything
else on earth; so every person in that crowd was made whole,
was healed from the inner fragmentation that keeps us from
the Truth. It was nearly an hour before the dance slowed down and
came to a halt. With the tension drained out of their inner
being, everyone sat in the silent peace that pervaded the
room. Then the Rabbi spoke the only words he pronounced
that evening; "I trust that I have answered your questions."

2 find a place of renewal – redwoods.   Lake jacomo, your deck. A quiet place

You find renewal when it helps you be grounded in  the present

Most of us are worried about the future or tortured by the past.

We go to some cool place and we don’t even see it because we are taking selfies

The Japanese general finally goes to sleep

Where is the place that you must go to see that where you are is wonderful?

Live in the present - Japanese warrior

A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him, "Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now." Heeding these words, the warrior became peaceful and fell asleep

3. find people. A church. a group.  A mission. A friend

When this you see remember three

My daughter has been asked to join a small group

Introverts don’t join small groups very well

To see the good in the gift of the people around you

In Budapest, a man goes to the priest and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?"

The priest answers, "Take your goat into the room with you." The man in incredulous, but the priest insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week." A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he tells the priest. "The goat is filthy." The priest then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week."
A radiant man returns to the priest a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat -- only the nine of us."

Choosing to live a different life

The book, the Survivors club

Interviewing those who forgot to pull the ripcord.

I froze.

In a moment of difficulty some people freeze

Those who survive take a different path

They look for hope.  They cling to light.

They know where the exit is on the plane.

They drive defensively.

They make a conscious decision to live.

Running.  There is a lot of running around at easter.

Are you running yourself into the ground

Or are you running for joy

Change the world by changing me

I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was "Lord give me the energy to change the world."
"As I approached middle age and realized that half my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to "Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied."
"Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, my only prayer is, "Lord, give me the grace to change myself. "If I had prayed for this right from the start I would not have wasted my life.

Conclusion

What a morning it must have been for the women who found the empty tomb!  What a morning, what a day for the disciples.  Their understanding of everything changed with one bit of news - He is no longer here, he is risen from the grave.

A day that began in worry and fear quickly gave way to joy and celebration.

Easter should still have this affect on us.  We may rise in the morning with despair and gloom, but the moment we think of Jesus, our outlook can change. 

Lean to get lost in the amazingness of God.

Find a place that renews your heart.

Get connected to people of the soul.

The bad news is not the last news.  worry is temporary, the joy is eternal. 

Don't simply rise to the day.  Awaken to the day!  Jesus is alive, Jesus is with us!

Easter is god's reminder that you can live life with him.

Just as jesus called marys name and everything changed…. Jesus calls your name today and every day.  Easter isn’t just for jesus.  Its for all of us. Lets pray 

RUN FOREST RUN

The Gifts of Christmas: The Gift of Joy, 12/14/14

Sermon 12-14-14 the gifts of Christmas - The gift of joy  Romans 5:1-8 NIV

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us

introduction

The gifts of Christmas

Week three: the gift of joy

Why this scripture.  Not really a Christmas one? It is joyful – to me.

Because real joy is a spiritual thing

One of my favorites.

1.   While we were still sinners Christ died……

2.   We have a hope- the love of god is spread out in our hearts

Last week we talked about love

Today lets talk about joy

List of joys of Christmas

Joy to the world

Mary pondered a new baby

When the wise men saw the star they rejoiced with great joy

While sheperds watched their flocks by nite glad tidings told an angel bright

How great their joy

Christmas is full of joy

Christianity is full of joy Gal 5²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.

Spirituality is not measured by whether or not we get our way.

Love, joy, peace, patience

Happiness vs. joy

The difference between happiness and joy

Happiness is dependent on circumstances

Mary and the baby……….

Mary is 9 months pregnant.  She has been riding a donkey for days, she is engaged to a poor man, she is about to give birth in a stable.  Nothing joyful about this.

The baby is the son of God

Joy is found by those who find something deeper to trust.  Something that transcends how its going

The shepherds saw the baby and went back to their old life……
 glorifying and praising God
the wise men saw the baby and started their long journey back - rejoicing with exceeding great joy

Mary pondered all of these things

Joy is a very deeply spiritual thing

1.   While we were still sinners Christ died……

2.   We have a hope- the love of god is spread out in our hearts

Happy = short term

Joy = deeply significant

I got kissed- short term

What it means- I am loved, deeply significant

Joy runs much deeper.

It can be accompanied by good circumstances, but it is something you can have regardless of circumstances.

The twins at ChristmasA family had two sons. One was an optimist, the other an incurable pessimist. To see whether this was due to heredity or environment, the parents decided to perform an experiment. They placed the pessimist in a room full of brand new toys and left him there for half an hour. Then they left the optimist in the garage, where they had just unloaded a dump truck of horse manure.

Thirty minutes later they opened the door to the first room and saw their son crying his eyes out in the corner. “What’s the matter,” cried the mother, “can’t you see all those wonderful toys?” “Yes,” the boy replied, “but if I play with the Yo-Yo over there it might cut off the circulation in my finger, and if I play with that skateboard I might fall off and scrape my knee, and if I play with that football it might hit me in the eye!”

Then the parents went out to the garage to check on their other son. When they opened the door they saw him digging through the horse manure in an ecstasy of joy and delight. “What in the world are you doing?” exclaimed the surprised father. The boy looked up at his parents and, with a big smile, said, “I just know there’s a pony in here somewhere!”

Lavonne

Wow, if people had any idea what you have had to live through

No, I would love to tell people about the things that I have had the joy of experiencing in life

Joy is much talked about…..
Few people actually have it

Turn up the heat and you will see who is grounded in faith and who is depending on the circumstances of life

It is not measured immediately

You might not leave church today ecstatic w joy

We all have our moments

Sanctification is a process

My trip to lowes yesterday………

Lets talk about some pictures of  joy.

I was invited to an open house.  Someone wanted me

At the open house they acted excited to see me

That feels good, way down deep.

Pets can bring you joy.

We have two cats, cats are about themselves

But a good dog………..

My daughter has a new dog.  G-dog.  George.

We end up watching him a lot.

When I call his name he runs to me like I am the greatest thing in the world.

When you know you are loved, it feels very joyful

catching up with an old friend…….

restoring a broken relationship

When you are lost and found

Alli comes home from Chicago

Becky and pam Dittmer meet us at the airport

Royals in the wildcard game

Something is going my way

Something of deep significance

How to find joy

We find joy when we stop wanting stuff……..

Shoes and tvs, but also to stop wanting things to go our way

some things we manage, some things are out of our control

we would like to be the boss of the world

this allows us to see the good and rest in the good that is here around us

and when we see the good that is, we can be grateful…….

Thankfulness is such a joyful thing

Conclusion

Bill belcher is dying.

A good man.  A Christian man.  He knew where he was going.

Many talk s about faith

Even in the pain of losing a loved one, there is a joy for a life well lived.

The joy is a release.  A release from worldy affairs.

Remember the treasure in the field mt 13

Joy is like a treasure in the field………waiting for you to find it

Joy is A launch! We are in! accepted among the brethren.  Shepherds were in.  joy to the world.  Eyes leak at the thought of being accepted.  Gold frankinsense and mud.  God accepts our mud.  Joy propels us to live as new people.

Finally let me speak of joy in Christ.

Life is up, life is down, life is whatever……………

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us

Joy

Possibly the  greatest source of joy in live is to be accepted and loved by that person that is most significant to you

if you are a child and you are in trouble, to be welcomed by mom or dad

if you have had a hard day at work and you go home and your wife loves you.

Nothing better than that.

At Christmas, God our father, the most significant one, tells us that we are loved, for he has sent his son into the world to love us, forgive us and die for us….

We are all looking for that thing.  The fountain of youth.  The buried treasure.  When the Christmas story sinks in, we find that we have a smile, not only on our face but also deep within our hearts.  The brokenness is resolved.  We know why we are here.  we rise from the Christmas experience with lives that are full.