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Come Celebrate With Us!

2012-03-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Easter with us!
April 6
Good Friday Service 7:30pm

April 8
Sunrise Service 7:10am
Easter Brunch for all 9:30am
Easter Sunday Service 10:45am
Kids’ Easter Egg Hunt during morning service!

Blessing the New Year

2012-01-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

A Blessing for the New Year

Wow! It’s hard to believe it’s 2012. I can still remember as a teenager I did the math once and determined I’d be 44 years old at the turn of the century. At the time that seemed so old; now, more than a decade later it seems so young. It’s all about perspective.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Such a great verse! But Jeremiah wasn’t telling God’s people something new—rather he was reminding them of God’s desire for His people. God wants the best for His people—that’s us.

Back when He first established the nation of Israel, God told Moses to tell Aaron the high priest to bless the people. He even told him what to say. This may sound familiar, you see we still use it. “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” (Num 6:24-26)

The last two or three years I’ve tried to start the year with a blessing for our congregation. This year I felt so bad that I just wasn’t up to it on Sunday so I thought I’d broadcast it.

The Lord bless you, and keep you, and draw you close to Himself; may His love be experienced by you and be seen in you throughout the year; may God’s grace be sufficient for everything you face in the new year; may the Lord grant you His joy and peace.

The clock is ticking, it won’t be long and you’ll grow accustomed to writing 2012 instead of 2011. (I’ve already made the mistake today.) But while we’re still wishing one another a Happy New Year, please know that God (and Pam and I) does want for you a great year, a year filled with love and joy and peace—the kind that comes from giving your life to Him.

Major Clay

Magnum Mysterium

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 25th

Mark 4:11, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God,”

One of the understated themes of the birth of Christ is the statement, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Can you imagine it really? Mary was on the inside, part of the inner circle, of the most remarkable events to ever happen on this planet. Mary wasn’t a spectator – she was a participant. And her response was wonder.

That is the mood that captured in the centuries old carol O Magnum Mysterium. It is a quiet song of deep inner joy. “O great mystery, and wondrous sacrament, that animals should see the newborn Lord, lying in their manger!” (emphasis mine)

It is Sunday and it is Christmas – what a blessed combination! And round the world over preachers are rehearsing the wonder of the Nativity. With such wondrous technology as we have today, all sorts of inspirational videos are being passed along rehearsing again the wonder of the Nativity. O thank God for the great mystery of the Nativity… oh stop and join Mary in wonder, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God,” it is Christmas and the mystery is solved, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9

…but never let the wonder go away.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;

Major Clay

O Holy Night!

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 24th

Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;”
Promised for thousands of years, the offspring of Eve, the one who would finally and completely defeat the enemy of godly living and living with god, has come. Over and over again the promise was reiterated throughout years. Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure captures the emotion of a weary world that has nearly given up on the promise of One who will deliver us.

It started out as a poem, written at the request of his parish priest in 1847, but it was Placide who decided it should be put to music. It was translated to English a few years later and soon the whole world (it seems) was singing, O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining…

This year Placide’s words again stir our weary souls. Christmas has come to mark the end of a busy season of parties and family gatherings and mall hopping and gift shopping and… and it marks the end of another year. Another year crammed with all the stuff of life. No wonder Placide’s words have stood the test of time.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

A “new and glorious morn”! Yes, and then fall on your knees. My friends what other response is as appropriate as the posture of the wise men who “fell to the ground and worshiped Him.” My great hope for you this Christmas is a thrill of hope and a heart of worship. May it be so. Amen.

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Major Clay

Beginnings & Endings

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 23rd.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."—Hebrews 12:2

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters respectively of the Greek alphabet. Just as in English we might say that something was covered from A-Z - wall-to-wall, or from the end to end; so in Greek it went from alpha to omega - from beginning to end.

Jesus Himself declared that He was Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and End of everything. (Rev 1:8)

He was there at the beginning of everything - John says that without Jesus "… nothing was made which was made". (John 1:3)
That's a bit of a mind-twister, but it succinctly says that Jesus was the originator of everything in our world.

He will be there at the end - something to remember as you listen to Handel's magnificent Hallelujah Chorus: "and He shall reign for ever and ever. Hallelujah!".

But that first Christmas He came as the end of the beginning, and the beginning of an end which would turn out very differently had He not come. God Himself rewrote the ending of the story of our lives. Instead of the original ending of eternal separation, he wrote a new ending of eternal joy and fellowship with Him. A new beginning where God and sinners were reconciled! And the little alpha-omega-baby in the manger was to be the author and finisher of our story!

Did I say "wow!"? Did you?

Jim Black

Mission Accomplished!

2011-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 22nd.

Luke 2:6-7 "While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn".

He did it.

Maybe hanging a banner outside the stable that read “Mission Accomplished” might have been a bit premature, still He did it. Ever since the day He stepped foot in the Garden of Eden and found Adam and Eve playing hide and seek because they didn’t want God to know they had sinned, things had been different, distant.

But here He was, the Son of God wrapped up in the arms of a young peasant woman while her husband and a handful of shepherds stood gawking at the site.

And God the father looked on. The plan was working. What plan you ask? God’s plan to be with us.

A lot of people think that God expects too much from us, but in reality, all He really wants is to be with us. The Bible begins with Him creating us and visiting us, and it ends with the promise that He will dwell with us. And right in the middle (sort of) is the hinge of history; the INCARNATION, God became man and moved in with us.

So strike up the band!!

Christians, awake, salute the happy morn
Whereon the Savior of the world was born.
Rise to adore the mystery of love [what a great line!]

I invite you, Rise on Christmas morning and join us as we “adore [and explore] the mystery of love”
Major Clay

$3-worth of God?

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 21st.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! " 1 John 3:1 NIV

Over the last week or so, I’ve had the privilege of collecting thousands of toys from generous people in our community. Our Toy and Joy warehouse has been transformed from a bunch of empty tables, to overflowing tables, piled with new toys for children to enjoy on Christmas morning.

And today before I left, I looked at our tables filled with such an abundance of toys and thought, "how could a child, left to their own choosing, be satisfied with just one or even two toys?". They certainly would want to take as many toys as their little arms could carry.

It is with this picture in my mind that I wonder how it can be that we Christians are sometimes only too satisfied with what Wilbur Rees calls "$3 worth of God"?

“I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine… I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.”

God’s gift to us wasn’t something small and insignificant! His gift was His only Son! And how He wrapped that gift was as a baby born in a manger. His gift was for us to experience and receive His abundant love, freely given to each of us, all our little arms could carry and so much more.

Don’t be satisfied this Christmas with only $3 worth of God - go ahead and enjoy His abundant love - you won’t be disappointed!

Major Pam

Whad'ya get?

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 20th.

"Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matt. 2:11 NASB

In just a few more days we will all be answering that age-old question, “Whad'ya get for Christmas?” Gold? Frankincense? A Gift Card for Starbucks?

You know it happens every year; we all want to know what everyone got for Christmas. And I’m sure if you don’t get asked you might just offer that information freely; “Do you want to know what I got for Christmas this year?”

What if we were to change just one little word in that question; “What did you get for Christmas?” to “What did you get from Christmas?” What would your answer be?

What did you get from Christmas this year?

Maybe you discovered for the first time that this same Baby Jesus is the same Savior who said; "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Or maybe you realized where to find comfort amidst the struggles of life as Christ calls us to Him, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

What will your answer be when asked, “What did you get from Christmas this year?”

Major Pam

Ring a new bell

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 19th

Luke 2:1, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.”

The image of a thousand Christmas pageants flood my mind this time of year. Perhaps you’ve been to one; perhaps you’ll go to one. Or maybe it will be a Christmas Eve service. But as Christians we can’t escape familiar words of Luke as he sets the stage for the greatest story ever told. Some of us have heard it so many times we remember it as “And it came to pass…”

There is a warm, comfortable feeling that accompanies the story we know so well. And there are a host of carols that we sing every year, and we know at least the first verse of each one by heart. But I got to thinking about all those carols the band plays out at the kettle, carols I played by never sang. For instance, one we play is called, “Ding Dong Merrily on High” I thought it was a secular song, but I googled the words and they’re great. Do me a favor and don’t get too comfortable this Christmas, somewhere, somehow God might surprise you.

Ding dong merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Major Clay

Heavenly Peace

2011-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 18th.

Every time I open my computer I see a picture of our son Jason, his wife Emily and myself taken on the day he was deployed to Afghanistan.

I remember waiting with all the other families to see their soldier/loved-ones just one more time before they left for a year. When I saw my son walk in I became overwhelmed by emotion - he was really headed off to war. He was going to a place where there was unrest; a place where life was different; a place where peace seemed so unattainable.

In this world of unrest, peace is a word that seems so empty. But during the Christmas season we are reminded of a host of angels proclaiming the announcement of the birth of a tiny baby that would change this world’s empty view of peace. Luke 2:14 shouts; "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (NASU) And in Isaiah 9:6 it was foretold; “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NKJV)

Yes, this world may have an empty view of peace - but because of Jesus’ birth we don’t!

Sleep in heav’nly peace.

Major Pam.

Rotary Bell Ringers

2011-12-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

Once again our friends from local Rotary clubs were out volunteering and ringing bells at our Red Kettles.
You can see photographs of the action here (or by clicking on the Santa-Biker above!)

Our heartfelt thanks to all those volunteers who share good cheer at Christmas!

Giving and receiving

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 17th

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

I was thinking today about Pam and I’s first Christmas together, we’d been married just four months and never before had I fully realized the truth of it being better to give than receive. As a matter of fact, I had always preferred being on the receiving end until that Christmas.

But on the Christmas of 1979 all I could think of was what would make Pam happy, so I bought her a table saw. Just kidding, actually I bought her a washing machine. I know, it wasn’t very romantic, but it meant no more trips to the Laundromat. And it was a pretty big deal on our budget (thank God for ’90 days same as cash’. She was all smiles!

On that very first Christmas God had been thinking of what would make us happy, of what would make you happy; so He gave us His Son. And the angels announced, “…behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;” (Luke 2:10)

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Major Clay

Hurry up and wait

2011-12-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

December 16th

Luke 2:16 “So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.”

‘Twas the night before Christmas… remember when Christmas was all about silent nights; when even the mice didn’t stir? Well we’ve read about it, we’re not so sure we can remember Christmases like that. This is our 25th Christmas as officers and it is Clay’s 34th Christmas with The Salvation Army. There is so much hustle and bustle in our church these days. But even beyond that; the streets are packed with people heading here and there; the stores are crowded and people are rushing to get everything done.

There’s just so much to do; so many places to go, things to buy, gifts to wrap, parties to throw. Let’s face it, by Christmas we’re all going to be exhausted from our pre-Christmas pace. It’s just so fast. Of course life is simply fast these days and so we hardly notice time slipping by; there’s just eight days left until Christmas. And there’s still so much to do!

We’re not suggesting that you slow down, at least not much. If you’re having a good time, spending time with friends and family, it’s all good. We’re just worried you might rush right past the Babe of Bethlehem instead of right to Him. When the shepherds heard the good news, they hurried off to see the Baby. What a great a model for us. So while you’re rushing about, make sure you hurry to Him. We have four opportunities for you to do that in the next few days. Saturday is our annual Songfest; Sunday is the final Sunday of Advent, then the next Saturday is our Christmas Eve service and next Sunday is Christmas.

Majors Clay and Pam

Odd man out

2011-12-15T00:13:00.000-08:00

Dec 15th.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:12 KJV

The words of the angel to the shepherds on that first Christmas Day are immortalized in hundreds of carols and songs. Much is rightly made of the "good tidings" and "great joy".

But the bombshell announcement is that wonderful phrase, "which shall be to all people".

Other translations variously refer to this phrase as meaning "mankind", or just "everyone"!

The Jews had been anticipating the coming of their Messiah to them.

And their expectations were fulfilled - Jesus did come to the Jews. But the wonderful twist in the plot was that He didn't only come to the Jews - He came for "everyone", "mankind", "all people", "me" and "you"!

The religious establishment didn't quite see that coming. This was a totally unexpected development. But the clues had always been there.
Jesus Himself explained many years later that God so loved the world that anyone who believed in Him would have eternal life.

Who was to be the "odd man out"? Answer - no one was left out of God's provision! As the writer to the Hebrews reminds us, Jesus came and died and rose again "once and for all"! (Heb 10:10)

Did I hear you say "wow!"?

Jim Black

For One Night Only

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Dec 14th.

"And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God…" Luke 2:13 NASB

Lots of nights have been clear and cold with a clarity that makes the stars look as if you could just reach up and touch them.

Lots of woolly, sheep-smelling shepherds have spent the night in the open with their woolly sheep-smelling sheep to ensure that the flock is intact by the time daylight dawns again.

Although this night was to be so very unique and momentous for the history of mankind, none of these shepherds would ever be known by name, or write his memoirs, or grace the pages of "Pastorals" magazine. In fact we know very little about them - and what we do know is quite sparse.

We know that in the middle of yet another humdrum nightshift they were scared to death, listened to a mind-blowing concert which would never, ever be repeated, and left their sheep to fend for themselves - all for the sake of a newborn!

But they did tell their story and what a story it was! To this bunch of nobodies - while all the somebodies slept - was presented a command performance which could never be equalled by any choir before or since! They couldn't just sit there any longer! They had to go find this baby, and worship Him! And so they did!

John tells us that God "lavished" His love on us. This was so typical of a God who would rather die than live without the possibility of your presence with Him!

We'll never know the superlative, sonorous splendor of that angel chorus, but we will get to do better. Because of that Newborn, we will get to sing the Song of the Redeemed! And the angels will be jealous! Hallelujah!

Jim Black

Do you hear what I hear?

2011-12-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

Dec 13th.

Silence.

This can be a word with two completely different points of view attached to it. For instance there’s a young mother who sometimes longs for moments of silence, or one might search for silence away from the pressures of office deadlines or the noises of traffic congestion.

On the other hand, sometimes silence can seem to be deafening. Like when you're tensely awaiting news from the doctor, or when all you've heard is silence and you long for a visitor to break a lonely day.

Silence - sometimes longed for, sometimes deafening.

What of the silence on that first Christmas? We sing carols depicting a quiet, gentle night but I suspect that it wasn’t very quiet at all. You see the silence had been broken - a Savior had been born.

The silence was broken for some Shepherds with a heavenly announcement; "I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born tonight in Bethlehem! …they ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story expressed astonishment.” (Luke 2:10-11&16-18 TLB)

So don’t keep silent this Christmas! Share the news of our Savior with others! Break the silence! Let others hear about Christ from you!

Go! Tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and far away.
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born!

Major Pam

Mysteries and Thrillers

2011-12-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

Dec 12th.

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Luke 1:32 ESV

I really like mysteries. You know the ones, those plots with twists and turns that keep you guessing. And when you think you’ve got it all figured it out, they add yet another twist to them and you’re back wondering what’s going to happen next. When the great reveal happens, you begin to see how all those twists and turns now make sense.

Have you ever thought about this incredible mystery of the Christmas story? We’ve become so familiar with this story that we forget what it must have been like as these mysteries began to unfold.

Take for instance in Luke 1:26 we learn of the mystery of a special birth, not like any other ever before. Than in Matthew 1:18 comes another twist, Joseph learns of this special birth as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. And what about the wise men that begin their travels to see what significant event has taken place by following a new star. Then there’s the event of a quiet night with a few shepherds suddenly turning into a host of angels proclaiming the birth of a new born king.

Each new twist of events - confusing at the time - but all leading to the great revelation; the plot to this mysterious story; the birth of a Savior; the birth of the Son of God; the birth of Christ Jesus who came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Major Pam

Did you know?

2011-12-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

Dec 11th.

"But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19 NASB
I love Christmas carols; there’re those old familiar ones you can sing all by heart, than there’re the silly ones that bring to mind children’s TV specials, and then there’re the more contemporary ones you catch yourself humming but you don’t really know all the words to yet.

Today, I was listening to a Christmas CD and one of those “newer” carols began to play, and of course I begun to hum along. I had heard this many times before, but this time I was caught by the line that asks an important question. It was a line that drew my mind in a direction of wonder. A wonder of that first glimpse of this tiny baby, born in such a different way than any mother would want to plan. The question posed in this song was “Mary, did you know?” A question followed by the life represented in this tiny baby boy that she delivered. “Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?….this child you delivered would soon deliver you.”

This beautiful song surrounds this question to Mary as she holds her newborn, but, yet, what about each of us? Did you know this tiny babe of Bethlehem would heal our broken spirit; cause our despair to turn to joy; did you know this Baby Boy one day take a cross of death to give us an opportunity for eternal life. Did you know? Do you know - this babe called Jesus?

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Major Pam

Are you kidding? Bethlehem?

2011-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Dec 10th.

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." Micah 5:2 NASB

Bethlehem? Really? C'mon! Get real!

Have you ever considered all the pieces of the puzzle which had to fall precisely into place so that God's plan for His Son's appearance on earth would be just right?

At the dawn of creation, the universe had to be set up so that that magnificent and unique Star would show up in precisely the right place and the right time!

Hundreds of years before the event Micah had to be given the vital clue which would instruct the learned scholars of Israel to direct the Wise Men from the east exactly to where they could find the baby.

King David had to be born there first.

Both Mary and Joseph had to have King David as their ancestor.

Caesar Augustus had to set up his census of the Roman World with an edict that everyone had to return to their ancestral cities to be counted.

Joseph and Mary had to make the trek from Nazareth with Mary in a very delicate and precarious condition.

All the Inns had to be full by the time they arrived, and there had to be just one stable available.

Sounds not just implausible, but impossible - does it not?, to orchestrate the lives of that many people and activities over a span of millennia to make just one event happen!

Details, details, details!

But to quote Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."

It seems impossible to believe that the Constructor of the Universe would choose a nondescript, bump-in-the-road, kind of place like Bethlehem! Nazareth or Jerusalem would have been so much more convenient!

But God worked things out precisely so that we would know it was His handiwork we were observing.

Bethlehem meant that no-one could possibly think that God was excluding anyone from His master plan. If He would come to Bethlehem, He would come anywhere. In fact He would even come to where you live!

As Paul noted to the Romans, "…we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 NASB

Yes, Bethlehem was exactly the right place!

Jim Black

Wise Men Learn from Mistake

2011-12-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

December 9th

Matt 2:11 (NASU) “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Every year when I think of the wise men following that star, I am reminded that they went to Jerusalem. It is only three miles from Bethlehem, an honest mistake. If you were traveling to pay homage to a newborn king wouldn’t you go to the palace? Jerusalem had its palace and its fortress – it was a seat of power and authority. It was only natural for the wise men to assume that the royal birth would take place there.

But when the prophecies were consulted the wise men were redirected to the sleepy little suburb of Bethlehem (thanks Micah) and off they went. With all due respect to the glorious, traditional Christmas pageant by the time the wise men arrived Mary and Joseph had found more suitable lodging. But it was a far cry from the typical lodging of royalty. Yet there is no hesitation on the part of wise men. Tradition refers to them as wise men, as kings, as magi – no one really knows exactly who they are, so I prefer to call them wise men – because when they found the Babe they fell to the ground and worshiped Him – and that’s the mark of a wise man.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

Major Clay

Mighty Power

2011-12-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

December 8th

Luke 1:46-47 NASU
And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

I love watching football. Like most people mostly I watch the quarterbacks and the runners and the receivers; the exciting part. But any football fan knows the game is won in the trenches where behemoth sized men fight it out. It is amazing to see some of these guys, they are the biggest guys on the field and their arms – wow – they are massive.

In Mary’s song, the Magnificat as it is called; Mary refers to the arm of God. “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;” (Luke 1:51) She was, of course, referring to God’s power. We ascribe to Christmas such peace and tranquility (o holy night, silent night and midnight clear) that we might be tempted to forget the “mighty deeds” that God was doing, but Luke 1:35 reminds us, “The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’”

Behind all the peace and tranquility, the majesty and awe, indeed; wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger was the power of Almighty God.

Major Clay

Love's Pure Light

2011-12-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

December 7th

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

Years and years ago I was helping a handyman work on an older home. This particular afternoon I was helping him replace a fuse box on the side of the house. I carefully taped up the end of the wires leading to the fuse box and prepared to remove it. After switching out the boxes I had to remove the new box briefly before connecting it permanently. I had had no problems and so in the interest of time I didn’t bother to re-tape the wires. You can see something going wrong, can’t you?

As I moved the box, the unprotected wires got a teensy bit too close and suddenly the brightest light I had ever seen sparked right in front of my face. In those two innocent wires coursed 220 volts of electrical power, enough electricity to power an entire house – or cause one really bright spark!

In the Babe of Bethlehem, that innocent little baby, coursed all the power of God, enough power to illuminate humanity, the Light of the World. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 1:4 NASU)

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light;

Major Clay

Gift Package

2011-12-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Dec 6th.
"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to." Philippians 2:6 NLB

Can you imagine how hard it must have been for God to cut off a slice of Himself in order to make the perfect human being in the person of Jesus? After all what should He leave out? Which part of infinity should not be put in? How would you package a hundred tons of diamonds in a tiny box? What a dilemma!

The Gospel writer John tells us that it is our destiny to be "children of God", and that Jesus is the superb and perfect example of what God meant us to be! John also explains that God has "lavished His love" on us, so you can be sure that He left nothing out of the priceless "gift package" that first Christmas. In fact, you can be sure that in Jesus we have the absolute, stuffed-to-the-gills, maximum amount of God-ness ("goodness") that could possibly be crammed into one human being!

And in Jesus, God doesn't just give us an encouraging example of what our potential is. No, He goes far beyond that! In Jesus, God gives us the means of achieving that potential. Jesus makes it possible, through His sacrifice, to be reconciled with God and enter into the destiny He had in mind for us all along!

Did I say "wow!"? Did you?

O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Jim Black

Every drop in the bucket counts

2011-12-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here's our very own YouTube commercial!

You can share with your friends by copying and pasting this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es6XMNalBPM

What's in a name?

2011-12-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Dec 5th.
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matt 1:21 NIV

What's in a name?
Most people will know the poignant words of William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
by any other name would smell as sweet".

True enough.

But sometimes names will carry special meanings for those involved. We name children after relatives and heroes. Sometimes we even give kids names to broadcast the potential we see in their in their lives - probably Jeff Washington Lincoln had parents who hoped he would be a politician. It's always neat to see a kid live up to his name.

Joe and Mary Davidson were expecting a baby. Nothing particularly remarkable there. After all, there were several billion babies born both before and after theirs.

But theirs was to be a special and unique baby, so he should have a name in keeping with his purpose. What to call him? Maybe call him Joe after his father, or Judas after a famous hero of the time?

Enter an angel with a pronouncement from God himself,

"… call His name "Jesus", for He shall save His people from their sins"!

Wow! Now there's a name to live up to!

Although in English we render His name as "Jesus", in Hebrew it would be "Je-shu-ah" (or Joshua). Lots of families called their boys Jeshua in hopes that one day he might be a great hero of their people and save them from the political system of the hated Romans!

Like the famous Joshua in the Old Testament God's People were to be saved. Unlike Joshua in the Old Testament, who was only able to save a certain number of people for a limited period of time, this new, special, unique New Testament Joshua would be able to save all people for all time. Or at least as many who would believe Him!

And, as I hope you know by now, He certainly lived up to His special name!

Did I say, "Wow!"?

O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Jim Black