Joy, Fear, Worries....the Lord has come.

“But the angel said to her, "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. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”- Luke 1:30-33

Joy is the keynote of the entire Advent season, especially for the Christian, who realizes its spiritual significance---God Himself invading this world and providing a means that sinful man might live eternally. This next Sunday the Park Chapel Worship Choir will present, "Joy to the World." I am excited about the presentation and the offering of worship we will share while declaring God's worth in our lives.

We will forget our worries and turn our hearts toward a grander precept of love and the truth that God has touched history and changed the lives of believers all around the world. Much like we see the angel reassure Mary to not be afraid, we too hear the angel voices to not be afraid but to have joy for the Lord has come.

Take time to be joyful and allow God to seize your worries and fears. We have truly found favor because the Lord has come.

You know I love ya - Don

Christmas Reindeer - Friday Funny

The game show contestant was only 200 points behind the leader and about to answer the final question - worth 500 points!

"To be today's champion," the show's smiling host intoned, "name two of Santa's reindeer."

The contestant, a man in his early thirties, gave a sigh of relief, gratified that he had drawn such an easy question. "Rudolph!" he said confidently, "and, ...Olive!"

The studio audience started to applaud (like the little sign above their heads said to do,) but the clapping quickly faded into mumbling, and the confused host replied, "Yes, we'll accept Rudolph, but could you please explain... 'Olive?!?'"

"You know," the man circled his hand forward impatiently and began to sing, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glowed. *Olive,* the other reindeer..."

Have a great Friday...only 13 days until Christmas! - You know I love ya - Don

Matthew, Daddy, & Alice

Matthew, Mama, and Alice

Alice, Mrs. Claus, Matthew, and Santa Claus

"I would like........."

"I can't believe I am actually standing with Santa."

Merry Christmas!

Away in a manger, no crib for His bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay,
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray!
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And take us to heaven, to Live with Thee there.

"Away in a Manger" is a religious Christmas carol first published in an 1885 Lutheran Sunday School book by James R. Murray (March 7, 1841 - March 10, 1905), but the author of the first two stanzas is unknown. There are at least two major melodies for the song: one, "Cradle Song"[1], more commonly encountered in the United Kingdom; the other, "Mueller"[2], more commonly found in the United States. The tune commonly used in the United Kingdom was written by William J. Kirkpatrick and was first published in 1895. The tune commonly used in the United States was written by James R. Murray and first published in 1887. It is certain that stanza three was added in 1904 by Dr. John McFarland of New York City.

Some have attributed the song to Martin Luther himself. The confusion may have began because Murray published it with the subtitle "Luther's Cradle Hymn (Composed by Martin Luther for his children and still sung by German mothers to their little ones)."

The carol is associated with the tune "Mueller" in some churches and with the tune "Cradle Song" in others.

Take a moment and think of what it would be like to see God's Son, sleeping in hay and a manger. Pretty remarkable - You know I love Ya - Don

Peace!

Peace with God grants a Christ-follower these five action points:

P – Purpose – When a believer grasps the truth of Jesus Christ in Passover, we gain a new purpose. We have direction to the Promised Land. Have a certain hope and a confident future. We have purpose in Christ Jesus.

E – Exit (Exodus) - As believers in the Messiah, we have an exit from Sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. Paul writes in Romans 6:6, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—.”

A – Assurance – The Christ follower has a new assurance. “Blessed assurance Jesus is mine, oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.” We have assurance of God’s power.

C – Confidence - There is a new confidence that is gained through the Messiah, much like Simeon’s confidence (Luke 2). I can die in peace because of Jesus. There is no longer any need to search out the unleven bread, it has arrived and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

E – Empowerment that comes from Emmanuel (God with Us) - On the night Jesus was betrayed they celebrated Passover. He took the third cup, the Cup of Redemption, and after giving thanks, He said, "take and drink. This is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me." Jesus is Emmanuel, God with Us, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus is the prince of Peace and allows us to have a restored relationship with our Creator. He came as a baby to live a life with out sin... then He freely gave His life to be our payment for the wrong in this world and the sin in our lives.

Have a great Monday and ponder these things. It will change your life. It has mine - you know I love ya, Don

Struck by a Star

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east^[b] and have come to worship him." The Magi from the East in Matthew 2:2.

"We saw his star and came to worship"... this verse struck me this morning. It was the star that guided the Magi to the Baby Jesus. It was the star that lead the Magi to worship.

I was struck by the fact that we have been called to be Jesus' star today. We are to be the ones that guide the world around us to the Christ and open opportunities of worship. We are to strike people with a "Jesus" attitude and lifestyle that will guide them to worship.

I have said this many times, "Worship is declaring how much God is worth to you." In many cases, Jesus does not have any worth in a non-believer's life. Therefore, it is our task to show them how much He is worth in our lives and be so good at it the non-believer gains a desire to gain something you have because of your relationship with the God you love. We are to be their star.

The question, "How many people follow your star?" I need to work on my star even more...I need to polish it regularly, change the light bulb when it needs it, and display it with humility and grace. I am praying that "we" will follow the star. I also pray we will follow the star's example and guide other's to the manger.

You know I love ya - Don

Christmas - God Dwelled Among Us

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1-2, 14

It is December 1st, 2008 and there are only 25 days until Christmas. We have had the time to get our house decorated. The decorations team at church was able to meet on Saturday and decorate the church. Both places are beautiful.

This Friday, Greenfield will have a Christmas parade, living nativity, and Santa Claus events. We have a the Victorian Dinner on Saturday and more parties and events than one could imagine. To the point that we are over booked and will have to miss a few. The stores are crowded and people are buzzing with excitement.

We do all this, because its Christmas...because God made His dwelling among us over 2000 years ago. That will kind of boggle your mind if you let it. Not that we have so many parties and events, but that the Creator of the Universe made his dwelling among us somewhat pathetic humans. Not only did He come but then He took a stand against sin (was without sin) and was crucified in MY place for MY sin. It is no wonder the world is buzzing with excitement.

The world may not know Him, but the excitement and events along God to show, you cannot stop God. I looking forward to the events...mostly the seeing of friends, family and good singing. But in it all I know that it is because of God dwelling among us that we "PARTY!"

Enjoy the party and celebrations - only 25 days to go - you know I love ya - Don