Tag: Christmas
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Shadows at Christmas?
I was thinking last week about the dark things that we sometimes miss seeing when we talk about the first Christmas. We overlook that Joseph was about to abandon Mary. We tend to not talk about the babies that were killed by Harod. We gloss over Simeon’s blessing in the temple that includes declaring that…
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Preparing for Christmas – A Struggle of Faith
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:19 Sometimes we forget how much of struggle Christmas was for the first people who experienced it. I think of the struggle of Mary and Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. I think of the struggles of everyone who was visited…
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Traditions
People like creating traditions. We have them in our families. We have them in our communities. The military is full of them. The church has theirs too. There is nothing inherently bad about traditions. The real question is: Do they still mean something to us? That’s the thing about traditions – They can become substitutes…
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Know His Love
There is just something about Christmas. I don’t know if it is the lights or the time with family or if it is the feel-good movies, but it seems that so many people are talking about love this time of year. They aren’t talking about infatuation or romance like they do in February. They talk…
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Giving Up the Terrible Toos
I have a suspicion. I don’t think we ever grow out of the terrible twos. Wait, no, I think we do grow out of those terrible twos. But, we exchange them for a different set of terrible toos. Do you know what type of ‘toos’ I mean? We think, “I’m too old.” Or, “I’m too…
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God’s Peculiar Preparation
When we think of Christmas preparations we usually think of trees and lights and tinsel and stuff. However, someone else prepared for the coming of Jesus. No, I am not talking about Mary or Joseph. I am talking about God. How has He prepared?
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Jesus meets every need
One of the cool things that I like about Christmas is the general beauty of the story. The beauty of a baby. The beauty of the star. It is that picture of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus welcoming the shepherds underneath the angelic star that always comes to my mind and makes me smile. Yet, I…
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Keeper of Promises
As we come upon the Christmas season, we look back at God’s declarations about Jesus. We talk about Mary and Joseph, the Wise Men, and even John the Baptist’s parents. However, God’s promise of Jesus wasn’t a new thing. Yes, we hear of the coming Messiah in the later prophets, but even King David speaks…
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God’s Love Shown
How do we know people love us? Sometimes we know because they tell us. However, most often we know that people love us because of what they do. These actions are pictures of love. One of the great surprises we experience in life is the love of others. We are surprised that others value us. …
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The Heart of Christmas
My daughter has been reminding me much these last few weeks of the true meaning of Christmas. She is working hard not to forget it. So, here goes… The true meaning of Christmas… Luke 1: 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,…
Pastor John D Jakes 