Called To Be The Light - Christmas

I’m in the She Reads Truth Advent Study and they brought me to this passage.  A passage that is a promise from God to his servant Jesus.  A promise from father to son.  But a promise by extension that is also given to us for we are sent as Jesus was sent.

Isaiah 42:6-7

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

 

I have called you

I will hold you

I will watch over you

I will appoint you

You are the light to the nations

This Christmas season; be reminded that we are called. We are held and watched over. We are appointed.  We live in the light of truth, the light of life and are sent as Jesus was sent to be the light to the nations.  To be the light to your community, your block, the basketball team, the stranger on the sidewalk.  A light to the lady who cut in front of us at the checkout line. A light to the tween alone at the playground.

Be reminded this Christmas, we are the lights on display. We are to be the light of life to the nations.

 

John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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First to Last Adam - Christmas Truth

We are in the midst of a True and Better sermon series at church.  Yesterday was about how Jesus is our True and Better Adam.  The pastor spoke to poem by G. Shane Morris that I want to pass onto you. 

 

The first Adam yielded to temptation in a garden.
The Last Adam beat temptation in a garden.

The first Adam ate and a covenant was broken.
The Last Adam ate and a covenant was established.

The first Adam was a man who sought to become like God.
The Last Adam was God who became a man.

The first Adam was naked and received clothes.
The Last Adam had clothes but was stripped naked.

The first Adam tasted death from a tree.
The Last Adam tasted death on a tree.

The first Adam hid from the face of God.
The Last Adam begged God not to hide His face.

The first Adam blamed his bride.
The Last Adam took the blame for His bride.

The first Adam brought thorns and thistles.
The Last Adam wore thorns and thistles.

The first Adam gained a wife when God opened man’s side

The Last Adam gained a wife when man opened God’s side

The first Adam brought a curse.
The Last Adam became a curse.

The first Adam was made immortal and chose to die.
The Last Adam was made mortal and chose to rise.

 

Then he followed up this poem by reading from Romans 5:18-19 from the message:

“Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.”

 

Jesus our Last Adam.  Our life giving gift. 

Don’t let this Christmas pass by without seeing how much Christ as overcome for us.

 
 

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Light - Guide You Home

Lost and weary traveler searching for the way to go.

Stranger, heavy hearted longing for someone you know. Longing deeply to be known.

May you find the light to guide you home.

Those are lyrics to a song I’m obsessed with. It’s such a beautiful picture of what this Christmas season is all about. The Light of the World guiding home the weary and lost, the stranger and heavy hearted.

We pray the lights that surround us this Christmas are a reminder of the True Light that came. A reminder of how the Light dwells within us. A reminder that we are a light that Christ uses to bring the weary home to Him.

He is our light.

He is our home.

May we find our way to Him.

photo by Joanna Klapperick

Song #2 on our playlist.

 

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Get Caught Up - Christmas Truth

Every December 1st we start our Christmas Truths. Truths that were created to help us take pause. Help us reshift focus. Help us stay grounded in a faith, a belief, that truly matters. A moment to stand in awe and wonder of a Holy God and His plan for salvation versus a whimsical character and hope that fades.

Christmas is such a beautiful time. I love getting caught up in the drama of it all. In fact all the lights, gifts, and cheery are ways to help us remember how truly special that night was over 2000 years ago.

So this year get caught up in the magic of Christmas. Because a God came down to earth and the Angels came out to praise and proclaim. Prophecies were filled and God’s silence was broken. It was a night that passed by too many, but a night that changed history forever. It’s a night worthy for getting caught up in. To stand in awe and wonder in.

Let the glitz and glam only be a reminder to us of the special gift we received. The Light that came down to shine for us and through us and in us for the whole world to know His wonderful Hope.

photo by Joanna Klapperick

 

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