Christmas is here…..and 2009 will soon be upon us!
The Christmas story is full of gritty reality. Better than any Blockbuster movie, it tells us how God dared to become man. He made Himself incredibly vulnerable and ordinary. Facing danger in the early days of His infancy from a jealous king, Joseph and Mary became refugees for a time to protect Him. Simple people, they gave Him the home He needed. The story is just as relevant today and remains true to human experience. Our world is still a dangerous place where the vulnerable and refugee live a perilous existence.
And hasn’t it been a grisly year? One that started as all New Years do with such hope. You don’t need me to remind you of some of the terrible events that have happened this year or the continued threat posed by Global Warming and economic downturns.
But putting aside the warm, cuddly feeling Christmas gives us, there is genuine cause for hope, one that I pray we can carry with us into 2009.
It is based on two important factors.
First, God is living and active in the world today and especially among His people. Don’t be taken in by the lie that He somehow just sits back and lets us get on with it! The biggest question is what are we Christians going to do under His Lordship to make the world a better place? Where is the next Wilberforce of Shaftesbury or Billy Graham? Who are the giants of faith in our generation making an impact for God today? And ought we to join them? What can we do in our individual lives and in our communities to show the love, life and presence of God? Who are the vulnerable and hurting in need of our care?
Secondly, we need a much better and thorough going understanding of the Bible, God’s Word to us. We can never be satisfied with our current prayer lives or the amount of time we give to studying scripture. Over the 30 odd years I have been in active Christian ministry I’ve had to try and help numbers of people who’ve lost their faith. The trigger might have been different in each case but I’ve begun to see one common denominator – a failure in the devotional life. A gradual slipping away from that precious daily routine of spending time with God – praying, reading the Bible, listening to Him speak to us. Without that daily anchor we can be driven by our feelings, disturbed by circumstances and thrown off balance by all that life throws at us.
Don’t be one of those please. Male a New Year resolution to stay centred on Jesus and follow Him wherever He goes.
May the Lord bless you richly.
Rev Dave
And hasn’t it been a grisly year? One that started as all New Years do with such hope. You don’t need me to remind you of some of the terrible events that have happened this year or the continued threat posed by Global Warming and economic downturns.
But putting aside the warm, cuddly feeling Christmas gives us, there is genuine cause for hope, one that I pray we can carry with us into 2009.
It is based on two important factors.
First, God is living and active in the world today and especially among His people. Don’t be taken in by the lie that He somehow just sits back and lets us get on with it! The biggest question is what are we Christians going to do under His Lordship to make the world a better place? Where is the next Wilberforce of Shaftesbury or Billy Graham? Who are the giants of faith in our generation making an impact for God today? And ought we to join them? What can we do in our individual lives and in our communities to show the love, life and presence of God? Who are the vulnerable and hurting in need of our care?
Secondly, we need a much better and thorough going understanding of the Bible, God’s Word to us. We can never be satisfied with our current prayer lives or the amount of time we give to studying scripture. Over the 30 odd years I have been in active Christian ministry I’ve had to try and help numbers of people who’ve lost their faith. The trigger might have been different in each case but I’ve begun to see one common denominator – a failure in the devotional life. A gradual slipping away from that precious daily routine of spending time with God – praying, reading the Bible, listening to Him speak to us. Without that daily anchor we can be driven by our feelings, disturbed by circumstances and thrown off balance by all that life throws at us.
Don’t be one of those please. Male a New Year resolution to stay centred on Jesus and follow Him wherever He goes.
May the Lord bless you richly.
Rev Dave
posted by Rev Dave @ 21:18
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