4th Sunday in Advent 2016 - Real LOVE!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Each year I read the Holy Scriptures that describe the promises of a Faithful God and consider the trusting heart of a young girl, a sign to announce the birth of the Messiah. Each year I ponder the glory that the angels proclaimed, contemplate the wonder of the shepherds, and reflect on the gifts of worship from the magi. Each year I listen to these ancient words that tell the story of Perfect Love.

With these familiar words, God weaves a beautiful tapestry with divine threads of faithful promises and a trusting heart, proclamations of angels and the wonder of shepherds, worshiping magi and Holy Love. He binds these together to reveal His Plan for us, the plans formed long ago. While the Scriptures reveal Perfect Love, we begin to experience Perfect Love and the fullness of God's Glory - at the cross. It is through Christ, the Living Hope, that we experience this most amazing grace!

And me? I know the ancient words but desire to experience the words. Now as then, God's wonders and promises continue, as do my traditional celebrations of Christmas, but unlike me, He is perfect faithfulness and never changes. Beyond the familiar readings and recitations, I experience Grace in a promised fulfilled. As the angels and shepherds did, I experience telling the Good News. Like the magi, I experience the joy of worshiping Christ the King! These ancient words become living words when I experience Christ, when I experience Real LOVE! ~dho

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here or throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

Peace of Christ

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . . and be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 ESV

'Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,

from Heaven's all-gracious King':

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.*

"Peace of God" is often challenged by a world full of anxieties and chaos, doubts and uncertainties, but there is an inner peace the soul knows when faith in Christ leads one to "peace with God." Perfect peace is a gift God gives to the faithful ones who trust in Him.

When peace shall over all the earth

It's ancient splendor fling,

And the whole world send back the song

Which now the angels sing.*

"Peace on earth" is the promise of His everlasting peace which is still to come. For now, each of us is called to embrace peace offered by the Author of peace, measured by the Prince of peace, and revealed by the Spirit. During this Holy season, let the Prince of Peace be born again in us. May Christ's peace be the ornament that decorates our hearts at Christmas and throughout the coming year. ~dho

* lyrics to "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" written by Edmund Sears, 1849

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here or throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

Always Coming of Christ

“The Christmas story… begins with

the always coming of Christ.”

Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift

“Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man!
             Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forever more be thine.”

In this season of welcoming Christ, we discover more than angels’ revelations or shepherds’ testimonies or magi’s offerings. The coming of Christ begins as a promise and ends with a promise. God promises a Messiah, prophets foretell of the coming of Christ, angels announce the birth of Christ into the world, and Christ promises His coming again. From before time begins and until time ends, the always coming of Christ seeks all peoples with indescribable love!

The coming of Christ marks a permanent place in history’s timeline, marks the beginning of a spiritual transformation for humanity. He comes bringing salvation to all – for kings and outcasts, for rich and poor; Christ‘s love has no preferences for race or gender, for social status or cultural origin. He is not defined by person or place. On that mysteriously, miraculous night, the coming of Christ begins to change the people, one simple shepherd at a time. Good News of great joy for all people comes as a gift of Perfect Love.

This Christmas ~ listen for the peace of Christ in quiet whispers and simple laughter, find His joy in a friend’s embrace, celebrate the love of Christ with sacred songs, and experience everlasting hope in the always coming of Christ. In the New Year, may we live the Christmas story with greater love for others. ~dho

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here or throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

Holy Mystery

You’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does! 

Ecclesiastes 11:5b TheMessage

Many times the mystery of God seems to shout to us! The unexpected, unpredicted, and unwarranted experiences of life appear out of nowhere, and we are afraid. Events often baffle theologians and scientists alike. These unforeseen circumstances of living in a fallen world, these very things God allows into our lives can be used to accomplish God’s Divine purposes. We search for reasons and answers; we demand resolution. Still, these big and small mysteries remain. The one certain truth that will always prevail: God is in control, not chance!

God’s holy mystery permeates the Christ story we celebrate every Christmas. Full of prophecy and promise, there are those who encounter the unexpected. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said to Mary, then in a dream to Joseph, and later to the shepherds. As they embrace the unimaginable, each one becomes a part of God’s Divine Plan; each life is transformed by God’s Perfect Love ~ Jesus!

What conquers fear? “Perfect Love casts out fear.” With Perfect Love and our obedience to live by faith while trusting the Presence of God, our lives can be transformed, each of us entering a part of God’s everlasting story. Oscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop and martyr, writes that God loves us with gifts we thought we didn’t need, which transform us into people we don’t necessarily want to be. How often our fear and rebellion hold us captive! This Christmas season, embrace the unexpected and be transformed by Perfect Love. You’ll never understand the mystery in all that God does!   ~dho

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here or throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

God With Us

“…and they call his name

Immanuel,” which means 

GOD WITH US!  Matthew 1:23

Frederick Buechner, American writer and theologian writes, “…Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning…” The Season of Light captures our attention with its hurried and increased activities. Choirs and candles, decorations and details capture us. Words and wonder fill us to nearly overflowing. The Virgin Mary with Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, angels singing to shepherds, a star and Magi, all coming to celebrate this newborn baby called Immanuel. Advent candles retell the familiar story with hope and peace and joy and love. Buechner continues, “The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.”

Christmas reminds us of new beginnings. We sing Christ the Savior is born but must remember that Christ is also the Redeemer, bringing salvation to a dying world, establishing a new relationship with us. Immanuel, GOD WITH US, is still with us and holds us with grace and goodness. Jesus came that we might be His Light to others, to help the lost and have compassion on the broken, to feed the hungry and hold the hurting, to tell the Good News of His Grace, to forgive, to listen, to love. We must continue to live a new way after the Christmas celebrations end and the decorations are put away, long after we forget about sheep and shepherds. As we find our old routines, let the greatest Christmas Gift, Jesus, renew our journeys. Let’s find the new beginnings and new ways of living for Christ! ~ dho

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here or throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

My Heart, Your Bethlehem

Just as our Lord came into human history from the outside, so He must come into us from the outside. Have we allowed our personal human lives to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God?   Oswald Chambers

In reading the Scriptures each Christmas, we hear the same words retell the same story while our minds wander back in time trying to imagine these familiar scenes. From Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary journey to complete the first census, recording the birth of Jesus. Angels and shepherds converse in fields about a Savior born, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.” A star leads the magi to Bethlehem as they offer gifts to the Prince of Peace. The Messiah enters into human history in Bethlehem. 

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. Colossians 3:16 

Over 2,000 years later, people are still looking for Jesus, weeping with loss, begging for more or less, shouting in pain, searching, hoping, desperate, lonely. And when we find Jesus, celebrations fill the night skies like angels singing “Glory to God,” expectations dance with faith like shepherds repeating the angles’ story, wonder becomes wisdom like magi seeking a king. When we allow Jesus to be born in us, Perfect Love embraces our brokenness and failures, our doubts and anxieties. When our lives become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God, His Grace surrounds our incompleteness and transforms our journey. “Be born in me, be born in me; make my heart your Bethlehem, be born in me.” -dho

Celebrate the Season of Giving... 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

As Christ is reborn in you and in me, let us ask ourselves who else needs this Grace? Will you share the Gospel message of Jesus with others here and throughout the world? What can you give to honor the Prince of Peace? 

3rd Sunday in Advent 2016 - Real JOY!

With joy you will draw water from wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for He has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 12:3-5 ESV

According to Jewish tradition during the Feast of Tabernacles, in celebration of joy and thanksgiving for God's provision while in the wilderness, a golden pitcher was filled with water from the pool of Siloam and along with wine was poured over the sacrifice on the altar. The act of pouring out the water was a symbol of repentance. Another act involved lighted torches which the Hebrew people carried around the temple. The purpose of this was to symbolize that "the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles." [Mary Fairchild, Feast of Tabernacles]

In the New Testament, reading in John 7:37-38, "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" At this Feast of Tabernacles Jesus describes himself as Living Water, poured out for us. The next day, "while the torches were still burning" [Fairchild], 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] 

"The inevitable result of genuine salvation is joy! The joy found in Christ is like an inexhaustible well, satisfying the most desperate thirst." [Blackaby Study Bible Notes] As you journey through this Christmas season, are you finding Real JOY? If not, perhaps you are looking in the wrong places. You don't have to wander alone in the dry, dark places. The Holy One is here! Christ is Real JOY! ~dho

2nd Sunday in Advent 2016 - Real PEACE!

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:
'Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him.' Luke 2:13-14 MSG

What exactly is peace and what is the path to peace? We know that God is the Source of all true peace; Christ is the Good News of peace sent to us from God. On the night Jesus is born in Bethlehem, peace is the message of the angels.

Peace in the Hebrew [shalom] and Greek [eirene] teaches "absence of disturbance" and is the primary blessing of God's people. Scofield offers four references to peace: Peace with God, Peace from God, Peace of God, and Peace on earth. Deep inside, each us desires the assurance of peace. Only God can provide complete peace. Do you have peace? Are you seeking God for Real PEACE? Let the Peace of Christ be born in you today! ~ dho