Tag: Jesus
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Christmas Shadows
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
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 by an angel. At each encounter, the angel had to say, “Do not…
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Why Jesus Came
On Sunday we began a new series on the things that we forget about Christmas. What profound meaning Christmas has! The reality that the lights, presents, family get-togethers, and other trappings are just trappings is easy to mess up. It is easy to substitute the icing of Christmas for the cake. I mentioned Sunday that…
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Unforeseen Consequences
When we think about the flood recorded in Genesis, we think of judgment, salvation, rain, animals, and an ark. We don’t necessarily think of the subject of unforeseen consequences. Yet, they are there. We have the consequence of the terror of animals. We have the consequence of a fear of rain and a fear of…
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The 2nd Coming
Jesus taught about the end and His return in some depth in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Yet, I am always amazed at how people use the ‘signs’ of Christ’s return to say much more that Christ did. He says, ” When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be…
Pastor John D Jakes 