MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I hope you have enjoyed our daily "visits" by way of this email meditation. At this time I plan to resume these correspondences after the first of the year. It is a great joy and privilege to serve you as your pastor at Sugarloaf. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the New Year!
- Stuart
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'" Luke 2:13 - 14
If you want to be part of another "great company" of people offering glory to God, let me encourage you to join hundreds of others who will gather at Sugarloaf later today to sing God's praises! The Chilren's worship is at 5:00pm. Our Christmas Candlelight worship is at 7:30pm. Come early and expect there to be GREAT CROWDS!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"For
in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been
given fullness in Christ,
who is the head over every power and authority."
Colossians 2:9
When Mary gave birth to Jesus that night in Bethlehem the world had no idea the impact his life would make, even two thousand plus years later. Since then he has proven Himself to be the most remarkable person ever born. He truly is "God with us" when we see Him, we see the Father! Pray that one day all the world will know His Truth!
- Stuart
"they
saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped
Him."
Matthew
2:11
O.K! I know Christmas is only 4 days away and by now you are starting to feel the last minute panic! Take a deep breath. Now...whatever you are doing as you read this...STOP! Spend the next 5 minutes doing what the wise men did in the above passage. For the next few moments "bow and worship Him."
Feel better? Nothing calms our nerves and renews our spirits like times of prayer with the Lord! (If this helped today, why not make it a practice for every day!)
- Stuart
Is your gift list complete? Please don't forget to use this Christmas to offer love and compassion to those in need. Our Christmas Eve offering Saturday night will go to our "From Hunger To Hope" project. Last year we provided over 300,000 meals for starving children around the world! What will we be able to do this year? What better way to celebrate Christ's birth than by caring for those most in need.
- Stuart
"When
they (the shepherds) had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had
been
told
them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed..."
Luke
2:17-18
The first proclaimers of the Gospel were NOT pastors, clergy, or religious professionals! They were common, ordinary shepherds more accustomed to tending sheep than teaching truth. Yet God used THEM to "amaze" people with their words. God wants to use your voice, your influence to amaze persons with His truth. What are you waiting for?
- Stuart
Sunday, December 18th, 2011:
"Do
not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with
child and
give
birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus."
The concept of a "virgin birth" is one of the CONUNDRUMS of Christmas! Can we really believe in such a claim? Is it even important? We'll tackle those questions in today's worship. I hope to see you there!
- Stuart
"He
was in the world, and the world did not know him."
John 1:10
Many who will celebrate Christmas this year will do so with no idea what it's all about because they have no understanding of the Person at the center of it all. They will make little or no connection between Christmas and the events of Bethlehem centuries ago. "The birth of Jesus?...Who is Jesus?" This Christmas let's devote ourselves anew to not only celebrate His birth, but to help tell the story of His incredible life to those who don't yet know it."
- Stuart
Matthew 2:11
Gift giving is still an important part of our Christmas celebration even though, as we mentioned, spending has often gotten "out of hand." What can you give of "yourself" to your family and friends this year? What can you give this year to those outside of family and friends who have so little and need so much? That's the whole idea of "Spend Less" in order to "Give More."
- Stuart
"The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they
had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."
Luke 2:20
- Stuart
Wednesday,
December 14th:
"A record of genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." Matthew 1:1
(You
may want to read the rest of this passage!)
Long before the present day interest in tracing family histories and genealogies (Ancestry.com for example) biblical writers knew the importance of detailing the family line of Jesus. Perhaps the most important word in the above sentence is the word "record". As much as modern people might want to disregard the life and ministry of Jesus, it is hard to do when we have such detail about his life! The BEST thing about this family tree..YOU get to become part of it when you make Christ your Lord! Now that's something worth celebrating!
- Stuart
"a time to weep and a time to laugh!"
Are you feeling the stress of the holidays? I thought you might enjoy this. A little girl has her baby brother on her lap as she tells him the "Christmas Story." Her version is interesting, if not completely accurate!
She said to her brother, "Jesus was born just in time for Christmas up at the North Pole surrounded by eight tiny reindeer and the Virgin Mary. Then Santa Claus showed up with a lot of toys and stuff and some swaddling clothes. The Three Wise Men and some elves all sang carols while the Little Drummer Boy and Scrooge trimmed the tree. In the meantime, Frosty the Snowman was outside pointing up in the sky toward a big star..."
Oh well...at least her heart was in the right place!
- Stuart
"But
the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people."
Luke 2:10
It's hard to fault the shepherds for being afraid. I'd be afraid, too, if an angel showed up and spoke to me! The messenger may have startled them, but the message changed their life forever, "Good news of great joy!"
Do you need some good news? Do you need greater joy? This email note can't compete with an angel...but consider it your message from the Lord today! Good news of great joy has come to YOU! A Savior has been born! Go out there and don't be afraid of whatever the day will bring!
- Stuart
Sunday, December 11th, 2011:
"We
have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure."
Hebrews 6:19
Here's a great way to experience Hope:
Hold
On, Pray Expectantly!
Not everyone is thrilled about the holidays. For some it is a particularly difficult time because the high expectations only extenuate the harsh realities of life. You may be at that place this year. If so, Hold On and Pray Expectantly. The God who loves you will hear your plea and be with you in the struggle.
- Stuart
Saturday, December 10th, 2011:
What is the year of your birth? Do you realize that your birthday is determined by the birth of Christ? History is divided into BC (before Christ) and AD (anno Domini, in the year of our Lord). Every event in history is dated by the event that changed the course of history, the birth of Jesus Christ! Try as they might to erase Christ's influence in culture, society can never eradicate the impact Christ had and continues to have in the world. We're reminded everytime we pick up a calendar!
Why would anybody not want to know and be known by THE pivotal figure of all time? Your birthdate is determined by Him; make sure your life is as well!
- Stuart
"Magi
from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has
been
born King of the Jews?...We have come to worship Him'."
Matthew 2:2
More than anything else, we can call these men "wise" because they set out to worship Christ. Wise men and women still see Him today! Wherever else the Christmas holidays take you this month, don't forget to find your way to the manger where you will experience the One, who still draws to Himself the truly wise!
- Stuart
Thursday, December 8th, 2011:
Political correctness has reached a new level! "Merry Christmas" has already been replaced with more generic phrases like "Happy Holidays" and "Season Greetings" but today on a morning news show I saw the latest attempt to define the holidays..."Happy Everything!"
Really? Is this what political correctness has come to? For over two thousand years December 25th has been established as the time to celebrate the birth of a person named Jesus. Over time the holiday came to be known as "Christ-mas." If you want to use this time for year to celebrate "EVERYTHING" go ahead! I, for one will be celebrating the ONE whose name is above EVERYTHING else!
- Stuart