Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this glorious season. Praise the Lord for the way our Lord invaded this world with His truth and grace. Shakespeare wrote that "all the world's a stage," and Luke2:1-4 details how God set this stage for His grand and glorious Christmas production! In fact, more than seven centuries before we come to the scene of Jesus' birth, the prophet Micah told us that the setting would be Bethlehem. When we consider that God was making preparations for the birth of Christ, we have to think about the message of the prophet who said, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth …" (Micah 5:2).
It was no coincidence that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, for as De Boylesve states, "Augustus, while sending forth his edicts to the utmost limits of the East, little knew that on his part he was obeying the decrees of the King of kings." God's direction is evident even in the movement of the population. Caesar had thought to feed his pride and eventually fill his coffers through this census and taxation process, but God was using this to get Mary and Joseph where they needed to be. W.H. Van Doren wrote that "to locate an infant's birth, 60 millions of persons are enrolled." God prepared a world and set the stage for His Christmas production.
We do not know who composed the well-known Christmas carol, "Away In A Manger," but we do know that Almighty God prepared the Christ child — "the Way" laid in a manger for his bed. God prepared a way of deliverance in the person of Jesus, "For," as the angel said unto the shepherds, "unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). That Christ was a Savior tells us that He was literally, a deliverer Who has given us rescue and safety through His great salvation.
Furthermore, in the person of Jesus, God prepared a way of delight. The angel said to the shepherds, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10), and this word "joy" has the idea of cheerfulness and a calm delight. God made a way for us to know Jesus and, through knowing Jesus, subsequently to know joy. Jesus is our deliverer and our delight. He is God's glorious gift for you and for me.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/oW9O1zVeb-8
Saturday, December 17, 2011
4-6 PM Living Nativity, with live animals and full Nativity cast
In Front of The First United Methodist Church.
53 McKinley Ave , Endicott
Praise and Worship Service
First United Methodist Church, Endicott
Sponsored by Union Center UMC
6 PM Gathering - Coffee - Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship
Music: Laureen Naik
Speaker: Rev. Earle Cowden
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
4:30 PM at First United Methodist, 53 McKinley, Endicott
Music: Aric Phinney and Yancey Moore
Preacher: Rev Brown Naik
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
A Service of Carols, Candles, and Communion
7:30 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive
Music: Laureen Naik, Betty Phinney, Sarah and Emily Sabin
Preacher: Rev. Brown Naik
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