We will be spending Christmas morning here in Weatherford, then head to Kerrville in the Texas Hill Country for some fun with family and friends (complete with the annual trip to San Antone to see the Austin's...and possibly a visit from the Travis's?) until Jan 1 or so. Mmmmm....porch time...cookies...hiking...yesyesyes...
Some thoughts for us ALL to ponder:
- Please check out these passages for a reminder of the true purpose of these times: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%201:1-5;&version=31; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=2&version=31; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201-2%20;&version=31; please take some time to "mix" these accounts of Jesus' arrival on the earthly scene... It is too easy to just give this Truth a "polite glance" during Christmas and do all the other stuff/stressfulness, but we are greatly amiss to not spend some real time with the wonder that is God himself choosing to live among us...revolutionary!
- In fact, now I feel like posting my Sunday lesson notes from a couple weeks ago on the birth of God's Son (just realize they are my "notes/guide", not really a manuscript):
***Jesus was God as “one of us”
***As we get closer to Christmas, let's look at some attributes of Jesus that prove he can relate to us as people, as sometimes it is easy to view Jesus simply as the deity, not also as a “someone” who walked on earth.
***Emmanuel (or Immanuel): “God with us”.
· Isaiah 7:14: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
*****Isaiah 8:8: 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel !"
· Matthew 1:23: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
***This is huge…first off, that hundreds of years before Jesus was born as a human, Isaiah talked about it. Also, just ponder the ramifications of a God that walks among us…showing us how to live. But as the book of Hebrews talks about (too many examples to list), Jesus can relate to us (and vice versa) since he went through everything we did.
***So let’s start at the beginning (aka birth) and look at examples of Jesus’ humanity and try to see where it can help us strengthen our faith.
***Birth: The Christmas Story…angels, mangers, virgins (oh my!). But lost in that is the fact that God was BORN. From a mom. Just like us. God was born from a woman who had her water break, went through labor, the works. In a stable! Not some sanitized hospital with doctors. We’re talking hay, dirt, maybe animals nearby, no epidurals. Screams of pain. This isn’t some savior just “poof” appearing one day. This is full-on. Think about it: Jesus emerged a bloody mess. Had an umbilical cord. Went potty in his “diaper” or whatever babies wore back then. Breastfed.
***Amazing, huh? Other religions may have prophets or “guides” that were human, but not God himself. So in breakout time, let’s discuss how God coming into the world as a baby is simply groundbreaking faith-wise.
Some Questions to Ponder:
***Any initial thoughts come about when you think of our savior being born from a woman?
***Does God “putting skin on” and emerging on the scene this way strengthen your faith, or just confuse you?
***What are some ways you may be able to focus better on Jesus’ birth (and what it means for all of us) this Christmas season?
No comments:
Post a Comment