Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Get Ready For Christmas

I watched the Dow plunge another 600 points yesterday, the attacks in India were still headlines, people look to our President elect to solve a host of problems, and the job market is just plain scary. Is there any good news out there? The Good News, with a capital G and a capital N has been there for two millennia but we fear what is going on right now rather than looking with trust and faith to the consistency of God and the promise of a present and future guided not by markets and malevolent dictators but by the Christ. Christmas is about Good News. Good News announced to shepherds and wise men, to Kings and cattle, and to star gazers and carpenters. It is good news for everyone.

Over the next few weeks we are going to explore what the Good News is and what it means for us. One thing is for sure Christmas is less about consumerism and more about Christ. This week we will pick up the theme Get Ready for Christmas. We will explore three ideas: 1. If Christ brought us Good News we should know what it is. Read Psalm 107:2 and Philippians 4:4; 2. We need time to tell others the Good News. Read Matthew 11:28; 3. We need to share the Good News “on purpose.” Read Luke 2:15. Good News is not wrapped up in warm fuzzy stories that warm the heart. It is news that remains consistent dependable over the eons and stirs hope and faith in the midst of massive world troubles.

I will explore these three themes and make a few suggestions on how to live the Good News this Christmas season. We are putting ads in the Herald Argus over the next few weeks so you can point to those to tell a friend or neighbor about it. We can also run off color flyers for you to share with others if you like. Just give us a call or stop by the church office to get a few to pass out. We will also be decorating the sanctuary and hallways on December the 10th at 6:00PM with sloppy joes, chips, and hot cider and then try to make quick work out of decorating. As the saying goes, Many hands make light work. C U in church!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great message today!