4Women ...for women searching relevance in life

The Christmas message of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, may be largely ignored in the celebrations of the holiday season. For some, the story of a God-child born in a stable can seem quaint and irrelevant in our modern world. To others, the message of Christmas conflicts with their beliefs.

Not much has changed in 2000 years. Little attention was given to the birth of Jesus to a young, low-income couple in the midst of the disruption of the Roman Emperor’s orders to complete the first census of the Roman Empire. Luke 2:1-6 The message of the birth of a King in Bethlehem jarred with the ruling King Herod and many others in the seat of power, Jerusalem. Matthew 2:1-3

But to those who were waiting and hoping that God would show up, in Jesus’ birth they saw light. God had not forgotten them in their dark and unforgiving world. Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 9:1-2

Today we celebrate the season with lights – in our homes, in stores, in the street. These lights are a reminder that in our dark world when we experience suffering and hardship and difficulties, God has not forgotten us. He has showed up, and there is hope for a brighter future through His Son Jesus.

The birth of Jesus, the Son of God, is the light to all who are searching and hoping for a better future.

Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8 :12

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

We may ask, “How can I be the hands and feet of Jesus?” but then feel that we are completely inadequate to be of usefulness or worth to God. Paradoxically, it is when we are least adequate that we are of most use to God.

It is God who enables us to be hands and feet for Him. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive freedom through Him. We are no longer controlled by our old nature that holds us down and which we cannot get beyond. Colossians 1:13-14 Our lives are no longer dominated by wrongdoing and hostility to God. Instead, our minds and our hearts have been rescued and are being renewed. We are free from everything that holds us back from being useful to God. God’s power and strength are able to work and flow through us. John 7:38 We may appear weak in our own ability but God’s capability is strong. This is the grace that is sufficient for us. God gives us the strength to live a worthy life in every situation and to do good deeds for Him. Philippians 4:13

“… if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” Matthew 17:20

Faith is often described as belief and complete trust in something or someone. We may think that this kind of faith is difficult to achieve and that we will never have faith that can move mountains. But sometimes faith comes suddenly and unexpectedly, as a spontaneous response, and this seed of faith moves metaphorical but real mountains in our lives.

Jesus gave us an example of an ordinary and despairing woman who had faith that moved mountains. Her faith appeared unexpectedly, seemingly spontaneous, but as firm belief and complete trust in Jesus. This woman had suffered hemorrhaging for twelve years, and she could find no cure for her condition. In her story, told in the Gospel of Mark, Mark 5:21-34, she visited numerous doctors, and used all her money in search for a cure. Yet, her condition had only worsened. Mark 5:25-26 With no relief in sight, she must have felt completely desperate and despondent.

It was while in this condition, she heard that Jesus had arrived in her town. No doubt His reputation for healing people had spread to the town even before He arrived. Suddenly, this stricken woman had the opportunity to be cured. She was determined to seize this chance of relief from her suffering. Her actions displayed this urgency. She pushed her way through the crowd, just to touch Jesus’ cloak, believing that Jesus could heal her. Mark 5:27-28 This was her last-ditch lunge for help.

Jesus healed her. She felt His power wash over her being. She knew her body had been relieved from it’s suffering. The mountain of sickness had been removed. Jesus announced to her and to the crowd that this woman’s last-chance reaching out towards Him for help was a display of faith. This was faith the size of a mustard seed that moved a mountain.

We too can be in a hopeless and desperate situation, with nowhere else to turn, and make what looks like a final lunge towards God. This is faith displayed as a desperate cry of response that we belief God to be our only chance of help.

For the woman in the story, faith in Jesus was connected with physical healing. Today, we may not see mountains of physical sickness disappear in the same way as when Jesus was on earth, but other mountains are removed. Belief and trust in Jesus Christ and His saving power removes the mountain of sin in our lives, Acts 10:43 and restores our relationship with God. John 1:12

Maybe you know of this transformation in your own life, or on hearing this news that Jesus is in town and offers the chance of a changed life, that you will seize this opportunity and reach out to Him.

Small mustard seeds of faith do move mountains and they change the landscape of our lives forever.

Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything… lead me in the way that time has proven true. Psalm 139:23-24 CEV

She had five different husbands and now she was living with a man who wasn’t her husband. A stranger knew all these intimate details of her life. She hadn’t a clue, at first, who He was but He knew who she was and everything about her. It should have been shock horror on her part because He knew all this scandalous information about her life. Even in our twenty-first century world these marital details would be fodder for the paparazzi and make sensational headlines. But in the ancient Mediterranean world having this kind of marriage history would have been even more outrageous. It should have been shock horror on His part, and perhaps even disgust. This man, after all, was the Son of God – holy and perfect.

But evidently, from the story in the Gospel of John 4:4-30, the details of this Samaritan woman’s complicated life are bypassed by Jesus. He was more interested in looking at what was going on in the depths of her heart than the external circumstances of her life. He could see that she was searching for spiritual meaning in her life. This is what He was ultimately interested in, because He knew He could satisfy that search and that He was that for which she was searching.

She was blown away by the fact that He knew everything about her, but she was more astonished that she had met the one who could fulfill the longings of her heart.

The Bible presents God as knowing all about us. Psalm 139 says: "O Lord... you know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord." It also presents us with a God who can satisfy our deep yearnings and lead us in the way that is everlasting.

Maybe the details of our lives have shock horror value but God sees the longings of our heart and our search to know the Truth.

“Many women were there, watching from a distance.” Matthew 27:55

These women stood and witnessed the gruesome scene taking place at Golgotha, just outside the city of Jerusalem. They watched Jesus refuse the narcotic-laden drink given to prisoners to deaden pain before crucifixion. They saw the soldiers nail Jesus to a cross, and divide up His clothes between them, gambling over His best garment. They read the accusation against Him, written out and placed above His head. They surveyed the criminals crucified with Jesus, the leaders and teachers of the religious Law, and other people who passed by mocking and making fun of Him, shouting insults and taunts at Him. They observed Jesus say something to His mother Mary, and to His disciple John, as they stood closer to Him on the cross. They noticed the sky became dark, for many hours. Then Jesus shouted out “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” and they watched the commotion – someone scurried away and grabbed a sponge, filled it with a liquid, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. But it was over. Jesus breathed His last and died. Matthew 27:32-50

Of these many women, we are only given the names of a few: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome. We know very little about these women, but we know they were loyal to Jesus. They had come with Him to Jerusalem from Galilee. They knew Jesus from His teaching and the great works He had done. He had taught about the Kingdom of God. He had shown God’s power and authority in His actions: controlling nature, healing people from disease, and performing exorcisms. Jesus had transformed Mary Magdalene’s life when He cured her of evil spirits. Luke 8:1-2

These women, along with Jesus’ twelve disciples, accompanied Jesus during His work in Galilee and beyond, taking care of His needs and supporting Him out of their own means. Luke 8:1-3 Their presence at Golgotha was to continue to show Him care and attentiveness – to prepare His body for burial as customary in the Jewish religion.

The crowds that had gladly followed Jesus in Galilee and Jerusalem had forsaken Him. With Jesus’ crucifixion, His flourishing leadership now appeared a failure. But these women remained quietly faithful. They did not turn their back on Jesus. They continued to be committed to Him. And their faithfulness was profoundly rewarded. Jesus chose these women over everyone else to reveal that He was alive again and had defeated death. He met with them and spoke to them. They touched Him. And He gave them the task of telling others this wonderful news. Matthew 28:1-10

At an earlier time during His mission, Jesus spoke these words to a woman named Martha. He said to her: “I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 CEV Jesus speaks these words to us, too.

Even if, as believers of Jesus Christ, we feel we stand at a distance this Easter observing the events, or with only a few who are faithful to Jesus, know that loyalty to Jesus Christ is rewarded. We share with these women, standing at the cross, in their faithfulness; and, with them, we will be filled with joy.

God wants us to trust Him. This might be easy to do when life is going well but when life gets difficult, where do we turn? We may turn to God but also we may be tempted to turn away from God.

The Israelites, after the initial euphoria of liberation from Egypt, found themselves led by God into the desert for their protection and well-being. Exodus 13:17-18 Living conditions in the desert were difficult. While there, they did fully trust God. He provided food but they grumbled because they wanted better food. They forgot the misery of their slavery in Egypt and instead remembered and yearned for the variety of foods found in Egypt. Numbers 11:4-7 NLT They supplemented what little trust they did have in God with reliance on other beliefs and practices from the pagan religions of nations around them. Exodus 32:1-5 Numbers 25:1-3 They became fearful and uncertain of God’s intentions and they thought God meant them harm rather than good. They even decided it would be better to take matters into their own hands. Numbers 14:1-4 Deuteronomy 1:27 In all this, they turned away from God.

However, throughout this time in the desert God did not leave them. Exodus 13:21-22 Deuteronomy 1:33 He was always there with them. He always provided for them. Exodus 16:3-4 Deuteronomy 1:30-31 MSG explains it as: “God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here.”

When our life is full of difficult situations, it is easy to react in the same way as the Israelites. We may doubt God’s willingness to provide for us. We know that God has the ability to provide, but we question whether He will provide. We may doubt God’s goodness, even though He has shown His goodness in the past, and think God means to harm us. We become scared and fearful of God. We wonder if we can really trust Him. We look around us at those who do not trust in God and instead trust in more tangible resources for their safety and well-being. Their lives look secure. So, we may decide to turn away from trusting God completely or we may trust in Him to a certain extent but add-on reliance on other things, just to be sure.

But the Bible tells us that trusting God is not beyond our reach. The Message puts it this way: “This… isn’t too much for you, it’s not out of your reach. It’s not on a high mountain—you don’t have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it’s not across the ocean—you don’t have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!” Deuteronomy 30:14 MSG

God provides the ability for us to trust him. He did the same for the Israelites. Deuteronomy 30:6 NLT Through giving us the Holy Spirit, He enables us to trust Him. Romans 8:26 MSG says: “the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along.” And Romans 8:15 MSG says: “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Jesus also experienced the same temptation that we experience. Hebrews 4:15 MSG He struggled for forty days in the desert and was tempted to turn away from trusting God’s care and to using his own supernatural powers to relieve his situation. Matthew 4:3

We can ask God for the power of His Spirit to help us see that He is indeed carrying us in His arms. We can remember that Jesus, who understands our situation fully, also identifies with us.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Yesterday, so to speak, Jesus Christ lived on this earth. He led an inconspicuous and unremarkable existence until the last three years of His life. Those three years and the final dramatic events of His time on earth, when He died and came back to life, occurred to show the way to God and the way of God – described as “good news.” Mark 1:15 His message and approach was controversial, but He was single-minded in His mission to reach people with God’s good news.

Jesus showed the way of God through His teachings and His actions. He taught the truth about God. He had compassion on those He saw as confused and wandering aimlessly in life. He healed broken lives. Matthew 9:35-36 In particular, He set people free. He announced and enacted freedom from oppression for those who were trapped, battered, weighed down, in debt and in sin. His teachings and actions brought physical, mental, social and spiritual freedom. Luke 4:16-21

The way to God, said Jesus, was through Him. It was His death and His power to overcome death that gave people access to God. 1 Peter 3:18 Following His restoration to life, Jesus entered heaven itself. Mark 16:19 It is here, the Bible tells us, that He is at God’s side in the place of honor and authority. He has “the ear of God” – the undivided attention of God. There is no one who has a closer relationship to God than Jesus Christ. In fact, John 17:21 tells us that Jesus and the Father are one.

In His heavenly place with God, Jesus continues to give us access to God. Jesus is constantly working for us. He presents and argues our case. 1 John 2:1 NLT says: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father.” He is our representative – intervening for us. Romans 8:34 NLT Jesus is still compassionate, healing broken lives and setting people free.

Jesus’ work is ongoing and never ceasing. Hebrews 7:24-25 MSG says: “Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through Him, always on the job to speak up for them.”

It is through Jesus Christ that even now we can know the way of God and the way to God. Jesus’ message may still be controversial but He continues to represent the truth about God and through His actions, shows the way to God.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT

How do we experience the rest that Jesus offers?

Jesus promises eternal rest for those who believe in Him but day-to-day, how do we obtain rest from those burdens – financial problems, family troubles, health issues – that we carry in our daily life?

The Bible does not make light of what troubles us, expecting us to easily shrug off our burdens. It is not glib in its understanding of life’s difficulties. It gives us many examples of people severely troubled and struggling with heavy burdens. The writer of Psalm 77 is one such person. He lies awake at night in distress. This is not a few minutes of sleeplessness but an ongoing anguish that he describes as being without weariness that does not allow him to sleep. Instead his mind is tireless, running with many thoughts. Psalm 77:2, 4, 5. He has cried out to God for help but he has not seen God responding. So, in his long sleepless night he doubts God – His love and His care – and wonders whether God has forgotten him. Psalm 77:7-9 NLT

But then, the Psalmist refuses to slip into despair. Instead, he is determined to remember God’s faithful protection in the past. He will hold fast to and cling to God. Psalm 77:10-12. 2 Kings 18:6. Psalm 119:31 NLT He will not be like those who, in Psalm 78, have forgotten God’s provision and care.

As you cry out to your heavenly Father, come into His throne room and into the presence of Jesus. Come carrying or dragging your burdens and off load them at the feet of Jesus – “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NASB

Tell him your burdens and that you determinedly trust that he will sustain you and give you rest, based on His promise:

This is a promise from God: “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 NASB

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

Christmas is a time for celebrating with lights. They twinkle on trees through windows. They adorn houses and bushes, sparkling in the darkness. For a few weeks each year, they brighten up our world.

But the light that is really to be celebrated is Jesus Christ.

The great light announced in Isaiah 9:2 is the birth of Jesus Christ. Luke 2:28-32 says: “So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!’”

Jesus comes as a bright light into gloom and distress that is described as utter darkness, an absolute darkness. Isaiah 8:22 But into this utter darkness comes, not some feeble and faint glimmer of light, but an extraordinary and significant light. This is hope and promise of Christmas.

The birth of Jesus is a light and hope for all people who are in darkness. Luke 2:32 Jesus describes himself as the light of the world. He says: “No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness.” John 8:12 MSG

Here is a promise: the birth of Jesus brings the promise of hope and light into dark lives.

This Christmas, celebrate and welcome the light of Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Here is a promise: God loves YOU. God’s will is to save you, not to condemn you.

Life was falling apart for a godly man called Job. He lost family members and possessions and endured terrible physical suffering. Job tried to understand God’s role in his circumstances. Was God condemning him? At one point Job said to God: “Don't just condemn me! Point out my sin… Guilty or innocent, I am condemned and ashamed because of my troubles. No matter how hard I try, you keep hunting me down like a powerful lion. You never stop accusing me; you become furious and attack over and over again.” Job 10:2, 15-16

Sometimes when things don’t go right, we may think that God doesn’t care for us, that He no longer loves us. We may think that God is punishing us for things we have done wrong.

But John 3:16-17 above tells us the wonderful truth of God’s purposes - God loves YOU. God’s will is to save you, not to condemn you.

This truth is seen in the story of a woman who had a surprising encounter with Jesus. John 8:1-11 Here is her story: Accused of adultery by the religious leaders of her day, they had found her guilty and deserving punishment by stoning. She was a condemned woman. Would Jesus look upon her with the same condemnation?

Jesus said to her accusers: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7 Her accusers walked away until only Jesus remained. Jesus, the sinless Son of God; the only one qualified to throw the first stone. He could rightfully sentence her. But this is also Jesus, the Son of God sent into the world to save the world. He could only save her.

Regardless of the mess-ups in her life, there was no accusation; she was not charged with her crime, no condemnation; she was not found guilty, no judgment; she was not punished. Instead, Jesus reversed her position. She moved from accused to absolved. She moved from a death sentence to the gift of life. Completely undeserved and completely unearned, mercy was freely given.

This is God’s message to the world: He loves first, He gives mercy first, and He provides a way to life first – through his Son Jesus Christ.

How did this woman respond? We don’t know. But Jesus asked her to respond. John 8:11 How do you respond to God’s message of love?

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23

Here is a promise! By believing in Jesus Christ, YOU have been born as a child of God.

This birth is made possible through the Word of God, which is not only perfect and flawless but is enduring; it remains in existence and is living, not dead.

Here is how the Gospel of John explains the Word of God as Jesus Christ: “The Word was with God… the Word was God… the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us… to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John 1:1, 14 and John 1:12-13 NLT

As a daughter of the eternal and living God, you live and breathe as one who has a true living existence. It’s not like our physical birth and life, from perishable seed, that one day will come to an end. It is a birth and a life that comes from the imperishable seed of God. It is a living life not a dead end life. 1 Peter 1:18-19

As a daughter of your heavenly Father, who is Lord over all the earth, the creator of heaven and earth, you are a legitimate heiress of God’s glory. 1 Peter 1:3-4 You share this inheritance with Jesus Christ. As Romans 8:17 says: “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.”

As a daughter of your heavenly Father, Abba, your life is protected by His mighty power. 1 Peter 1:5 Jesus says you cannot be snatched out of His or God’s hand. John 10:28-29 Your security is absolute. Like any child, there are limits to your powers but be reassured of your heavenly Father’s complete power.

So, daughter of the almighty God - your Abba - what does life look like? As a daughter, you belong to Him. Live life with peace. As a daughter, you are rich. An inheritance awaits you. Live life with hope. As a child, you can be dependent on your Abba. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Live life like a child. Stay close to Him. Run to Him when you find yourself far away. Cry out to Him when you feel helpless or in fear. As a daughter, you are guarded by His power. Live life with confidence.

Connecting with Abba

Abba Father

My Abba

I believe in your son, Jesus Christ

I stand here as your child

As your daughter

Abba Father

I can hardly take it in

Through you son, Jesus Christ

You let me share in your glory

You will never let go

Of me

Almighty God

Creator God

My Abba Father

I’m staying close to you

Breathing in my life as your daughter

"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5

"Flawless" is a word that gives us such a vivid picture - the smooth skin of a baby, a deep blue sky, a perfectly woven piece of silk. When we experience something that is flawless, don't we find it captivating?

This verse informs us that every word of God is flawless. To understand this more fully we can look to Psalm 18:30 NLT. It says, "God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true."

God's words, His way and His promises are described as perfect and pure. There are no mistakes or slip-ups or shortcomings in what God says and what God does. Purity means there is no mixing or contamination from any other source. They are pure like silver says Psalm 12:6.

Proverbs 30:5 also says that God is a shield. How do we explain the transition from every word of God as perfect to Him being a shield?

It is David who writes that the word of God is flawless and that God is a shield. 2 Samuel 22:31 David trusted in God. When he was in desperate need and his life was in danger, he turned to God. Psalm 18:4-6 During those times he cried out to God in his despair. In hindsight, when his life was finally safe, he knew that it was God who was with him. God's power and strength was protecting him during those dark times. Psalm 18:16-18 David is assured that God's way and words are flawless and that He is David's support and help. Psalm 18:30 It is when we trust and belief in God's words, when we seek refuge in Him, that God is our shield.

When God spoke to Abraham, Abraham trusted and believed God's words Genesis 12:1-4 and God protected him. Genesis 15:1 Even when Abraham couldn't comprehend God's way of working things out and took matters into his own hands, God's word remained true. God delivered on His word.

Do we believe every word of God to be perfect and flawless? Are we captivated by God's words? If we believe in and trust in what God says and the promises he gives, if we take refuge in His flawless words then God is that shield working at protecting us.

Psalm 119 is full of hope and trust in God's words. Psalm 119:86-88, 138-140, 157-160 NLT especially when life gets tough. Psalm 119:114 CEV says: "You are my place of safety and my shield. Your word is my only hope."

Will you make the God whose words and way are flawless your refuge - your place of safety from the storms of life?"

Connecting to God

A Prayer for Haiti

Our Heavenly Father

This is Your earth. This is Your world and all the people in it.

Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

We bring to You the people of Haiti.

Your way is one of compassion.

Mark 8:1-3:During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.

Psalm 116:5: The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

The pain and suffering from this earthquake is not of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom, we have seen through Your Son Jesus, is one of healing, peace and mercy.

Luke 4:16-19: (Jesus) stood to read… "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Matthew 15:30: Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.

It is Your Kingdom we long for in Haiti.

We ask for Your hand to be on those who are bringing help, to bring it swiftly to those who are injured, to those caught under the rubble, to those who are mourning.

We ask for Your hand to be on those who are providing food and water. The people of Haiti are in poverty – they are hungry and thirsty. We are not asking for riches, we are asking that You will provide their basic needs so that poverty will not drive them to stealing and rioting.

Proverbs 30:8: ...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Forgive us when we have abandoned our neighbor, Haiti.

Luke 10:30-32: Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side."

Listen to our cry for help for the people of Haiti, our neighbor, our friends and our families.

We lay our requests before You.

Psalm 5:1-2: Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Amen

"Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4

As we fathom out this statement, we remember that Christmas is about the birth of a human baby and it is about God coming to live among humanity. Jesus was more than a good man and an historical figure he was God himself. Hebrews 1:3 says: "The Son is… the exact representation of his (God’s) being." John 1:14 CEV says: "The Word became a human being and lived here with us."

This phenomenon may seem far removed from our ordinary lives. But God chose to come into the world in a very ordinary situation and to ordinary people. He chose an ordinary young girl to be the mother of Jesus Christ: "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man name Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary." Luke 1:26-27

He chose ordinary laborers, shepherds, to be witnesses to the birth: "That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:8-11 CEV

He chose ordinary faithful believers, Simeon and Anna, to be witnesses to the birth of Jesus Christ. Luke 2:25-31 and Luke 2:36-38.

As we celebrate this Christmas, remember that this phenomenon is a holy God coming close to all of us as ordinary human beings.

Have a peaceful Christmas

"God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

It is God who supplies us with all good things. The concept of "good" and good things has its origin in God because as Genesis 1:1, 31 tell us, it was God who created the heavens and the earth and what he created was good. As 1 Timothy 6:17 above says, God provides these good things in our lives for us to delight in, to take pleasure in and to bring smiles to our faces.

At this time of the year, as people gather to give thanks, the letter to Timothy brings a way of continuing to give thanks to God for what He has richly provided. It says: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain... Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" 1 Timothy 6:17-18. This act is not only a sharing of wealth but is also a sharing of the enjoyment that this wealth brings.

As sharing and generosity take place, thanksgiving is given to God in two ways. In one way, those of us who are in need receive help which leads to an "overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God" 2 Corinthians 9:12. In the other way, those of us who are generous and share are also participating in the "many expressions" of gratitude to God. Both ways, God is thanked for His rich provisions.