How great would it be to just start over again? And if you think about it, as a Christian you can have a fresh start. The new year before us stands as a blank slate. There are doors of opportunity ahead of us ready to be opened. You can even decide what path you’re going to take and walk in this coming year. You can even go as far as deciding what your priorities are going to be. You can decide which direction you are going to take, each and every day. Maybe some of us need a fresh start in this coming year. Here is your opportunity to make a new commitment. One thing is for sure we don’t know what the new year is going to bring to us, what problems we’ll encounter or what changes are going to come. But whatever 2019 holds for us, we have no need to fear because God is here with us and goes before us. Thank you, Lord! Corrie ten Boom, once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Oh, I really like those words!! God is in control of our futures and  He is ready to bless you and use you to impact His kingdom this year!

How many of you remember when you were a growing up wanting a fort? Did you ever try to build one? I remember trying to build one when I was a kid when we lived on Jasper Street. I remember grabbing a hammer, a saw, some wood and some nails and heading out to build the world’s greatest clubhouse! I don’t really remember how much time I spent trying to build it, but I know I spent a lot of time on it ! Now, to this day, I’ve never really been a very good carpenter, but it couldn’t have been that hard. I mean, every kid on TV built one….. or at least that’s what I thought. After working on it, I took a step back to admire all my handy work. Not bad at all!! In fact, I was so proud of the way it looked. I thought I had truly built the world’s greatest fort!! And had done so, all by myself!!  When I was finished my mom called me in for supper, then it was time for my bath and go to bed. I couldn’t wait to wake up the next day and go play in it. But during the night a thunderstorm came through. Then next morning, I walked outside to find that the world’s greatest fort was now a pile of broken wood. I couldn’t believe it! I was devastated, and my mom asked me what happened. I told her the story, how I had gotten everything together and built it by myself. But she said I had forgotten one thing, I needed to have plans, like the blueprints for a house being built. You need a plan so that when you build it, that when a storm comes your clubhouse the fort will stand strong. As Christians we are no different than my fort… we may have all the material things we need to make it, but without the right blueprints the slightest storm can shatter our lives. I’m not talking about wind, but the stress and struggles, the problems that we often face in life. We need the right blueprints, so that no matter what comes our way, we can’t be shaken; just as Paul rejoiced in the Lord even while being imprisoned. God has given us the blueprints we need, He has given us the Bible, His Holy Word. He tells us, that whoever builds their life based on His Word will not be destroyed, because His Word is a solid rock. He tells us that His Word can overpower the rains and the floods, and keep our lives going steady and strong and on the right path to success. Remember the story of the Three Little Pigs. The first two pigs quickly built their houses, without paying much attention… just as the foolish man in the Bible did. The wolf came by and with a huff and a puff destroyed all of their work. However, the third little pig took time, carefully securing each brick until his house was completed. And when the wolf came, no matter how hard he huffed and he puffed, he could not destroy the third pig’s house. He could not shake the solid rock. And no matter how hard Satan may come against you, huffing and puffing, that’s all he can do. Huff and puff, he can make a lot of noise, but He cannot shake you nor destroy you. Build on Jesus today, build on His word and you’ll be on the right path to victory.

Jesus was the only way that would bring us back into relationship with God. God came as a baby, then He grew to be a man – He walked, He talked and had fellowship with people in the person of Jesus – Emmanuel – God with us. And today we as God’s children can enjoy the presence of God and fellowship with Him through our faith in Jesus Christ. God is with us today So let us celebrate!!!!!

I love reading church sign and church bulletins bloopers. One of my favorites is one that announces not only the church services, but I believe it’s also the view held by many Christians today. It says this:  

Today’s Message:  Jesus Walks on Water

Christmas. It’s one of the most joyous holidays  because we remember the birth of Christ our savior, Jesus Christ more intently. Christmas is a time to share our blessings with one another, and to be surrounded by the people we love. It is a time for giving, and a time for forgiving. Most importantly, it is a reminder of how much God loves us. One of the kids asked me one night after our youth meeting, “If God knew that His son Jesus was going to die, why did He go ahead and send Him?” To which I replied, “Good question!” Then I said, “In fact, Jesus wasn’t just going to die, He was going to be made fun of, beaten, tortured, and then sentenced to die a slow, painful death by crucifixion. And all at the hands of the very ones He had come to save! It’s funny to me, that we as Christians, we like to remember the good times in the life of Jesus. We love to tell the Nativity story, we love to tell of all the miracles and the good things that He did for others, but we forget that shortly after His birth Christ had to run from Herod’s army. We tell about His wisdom, His love, and His healing, but we forget about His suffering. We forget the price He paid, for our sins. We forget the lengths that God went to show us how much He loved us. To think that God knew these things would happen to His son but still sent Him….but WHY??? It’s a question, that oftentimes leaves me dumbfounded, because God knew what would happen to His Son, but He still sent Jesus to die for us all. And God knew that His creation, Mankind, would crucify Jesus for trying to save us from ourselves. And yet, He still came, went through pain, suffering and humiliation for us…. Because He loved us. The God of ALL power, humbled Himself lower than the angels, to die at the sinful, hateful hands He created. God knew this would happen ahead of time, and yet He loved us so immensely that He sent His Son, the third person of the Trinity, to suffer a painful death, so that we could spend eternity with our Heavenly Father (John 3:16). That’s the story of love. That is the story of Christmas.

“…Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning….” – James 1:17 Have you ever noticed how we rush around so much at Christmas time trying to find the perfect gift for someone? There never seems to be enough time! It can be a very stressful time for many, and oftentimes takes our focus off the real meaning of Christmas. Most of what we buy is only for a moment in time. It brings only temporary happiness, pleasure and satisfaction. There’s no real lasting value, especially when buying for the Kids! We lose interest, or we rush through, trying to get to the next stop or the next gift. Or the toys we bought the kids get broken and clothing gets outgrown. Let us take the time and remember the things that God has blessed us with this past year, we have so much to be thankful for. And let us also remember the truth the verse we started with, EVERY good and perfect gift comes from God the Father, and His gifts are eternal. He has given each of us ‘gifts’ to do His will. But the most important gift of all, the greatest gift of all was the gift of His son – Jesus. Every good and perfect gift that is given or has ever been given Comes down from above, from our Father in Heaven.

You know when it’s close to a holiday or a special event, because all of a sudden, everywhere you look, you see the ads, “great deals”, “One Day Only!!”, even “Buy One Get One Free.” Now I’m sure all of these are great deals, but there is one deal in my mind that stands out, year after year and will continue to do so. It is a deal that has stood the test of time for nearly 2,000 years. A deal that requires no getting up at the break of day to beat the crowds. In fact, if we were to put this ad in the paper or on a billboard it would read, “By One, All is Free!” Ready for the deal of all time?? It’s salvation through Jesus Christ!!  Freedom from Satan’s power and strongholds in your life, freedom from eternal separation from God and punishment in a lake of fire, and if you act TODAY, as a bonus, you will receive a personal relationship with God Himself!!! It’s really the only deal out there that lets you start all over and be something new and improved, better than when you started.  And the best part, it’s FREE!!! It has already been paid for! This amazing, life changing deal was paid for by God Himself, who sent His only begotten Son to die on a cruel, lonely cross. And all it requires of you and me is to “cash in.” Realize that without God you have nothing… and without God you can’t be free from your sins. And once you realize all of this, all you have to do is ask God to forgive you and come into your heart, forgive you of your sins and make Him Lord and Savior of your life. That’s it! Nothing hidden, no fine print except to allow Jesus to change your life and live for Him. What a deal!! This Christmas season, I ask you to share this “Great Deal” with everyone you meet and if you’ve never  “cashed in” on this deal and received Him as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so today! It will change your life, your family’s life even those around you. Again I say, What a Deal!!

Could you imagine waking up one morning, and being expected to do something totally out of the ordinary, something that really went against all logic and was really just simply put, crazy! But of you really think about it, that’s exactly what happened in the life of Joseph. When you read about Joseph, you’ll find that he was a man respected around town, he was a good man, a righteous man. But it was also man who just found out that his wife was pregnant, and it’s not even his child. Could you imagine how that would have felt ? I don’t about you, but I believe that would have turned my world upside down. But, Joseph, being the kind of guy he was, knew that everybody would say that logical thing to do would be to divorce Mary. But he didn’t want to it in a way to cause humiliation. This doesn’t really sound like the beginning of the life of a king, not to mention the Savior of the world. But it does sound like some of the things we face in our own lives, doesn’t it? We try and plan everything out, and we have such a firm grasp on our lives, and then all of a sudden something goes completely haywires. Maybe we were planning on getting that big promotion at work, only to find out that we were fired instead. Or maybe we’re struggling with our finances, unsure of how you’ll make it to payday. Illnesses, Accidents, and other unexpected events quickly rock our world, and leave us with the feeling of being lost, confused and trying to find a logical way out… Just like Joseph. And even though Joseph seemed to have it all planned, God sent an angel to him, and asked one thing of Joseph…. He asked Joseph to trust Him. He asked Joseph to trust that He would take care of them. And we all know how the story ends. It is one of the greatest things that this world has ever seen. A story where Joseph not only finds himself trusting God by staying with Mary, but trusting Him when Jesus was born in a lowly manger, on that cold first Christmas night; and even trusting God with his family and their lives! Sometimes things just happen in life, and no matter what we do they only seem to get worse. Just like Joseph, we face one thing after the other and it seems like there’s no way out or that the bad times will never end. And just like Joseph, we hear God asks us one thing… “Just Trust Me”. He asks us to believe that He will take care of us, that He will provide for us, that He knows best and that no matter how “crazy” or hard things get, He has a plan for us. And if we will just trust Him, just like Joseph, He will lead us to greater heights.

I read an article last year that read something like this, “As you savor a candy cane this Christmas, say “danke schön” to the Germans, for that sugary treat was first created in Germany. As you admire your poinsettia, say “gracias” to Mexico, where that plant originated.” But as we thank all of those who contributed to our celebrations of the Christmas season, we should most definitely stop and thank God for His precious gift of His son, Jesus. Because without CHRIST, there would be no CHRISTmas. There would be no reason to gather with family and friends, there would be no reason for celebration. This Christmas, as we gather around the sparkling lights of our Christmas Tree and open our gifts, may we turn our eyes and attention to the baby named Jesus, who came to “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21) the true reason for the season. It is the greatest gift that was ever and will ever be given from our Father in Heaven. Let us praise God for this indescribable Christmas gift.