Sunday 27 December 2020

The Reformation...

The Reformation comes to us from the past. It can lead us on into God’s future. The Reformers called on their generation to get ‘back to the Bible.’ We still need to hear that message today. For many people in today’s world, the Bible is a closed book - often owned, rarely read. The Reformers call us to take the Bible seriously. We’re not only to read the parts that we like. Blessing may come to us from unexpected places. The Reformers encourage us to ‘search the Scriptures.’ They believed that God had something to say to them. It was something that they could not keep to themselves. They needed courage. They were given courage. They have set for us a great example - asking the question, ‘Is there a word from the Lord?’ and giving the answer, ‘Yes. There is a word from the Lord.’ The Reformers directed attention away from themselves to Jesus Christ. This is what we must do. The Reformers were whole-hearted in their commitment to Christ. They were God’s faithful servants. They teach us to say, ‘Serving the Lord - this must be the great priority of my life, the most important thing.’ The Reformation was a time of great change. It was more than social and political change. It was spiritual change. Listening to God led to speaking for him. Speaking to him led to living for him. Real change - this is what we need.

Friday 18 December 2020

Christmas is a time for celebrating.

Christmas is a time for celebrating - giving thanks for the love of Jesus, but it's not the only time for celebrating. Any day, we can thank Him for His love. Every day, we can come to Him, and say, "Thank You, Jesus, for loving me." Before Christmas, begin to thank Him. After Christmas, keep on thanking Him.

Christmas Message

Let’s think about the meaning of Christmas. What does it mean in the countdown to Christmas Day? What will it mean for us when we’re in the middle of January? What will it mean six months from now? Christmas is coming. Jesus is coming. Christmas comes. Christmas goes. Jesus comes. Jesus stays. When Christmas comes to an end, Jesus doesn’t leave us. When Boxing Day begins, Jesus is still with us.

Christmas is about Jesus. Jesus is more than Christmas. If Christmas was all that we had, would we really be saying, “I wish it could be Christmas every day”? Wouldn’t we be asking, “When does everything get back to normal”? Normal? What is normal? Normal seems so unexciting. Normal is this – Jesus is with us. He’s with us every day. Our ordinary days are very different from Christmas Day. Can we ever say, “This is just an ordinary day” – when Jesus is with us every day?

Soon, Christmas 2020 will be behind us. The old year will come to an end. We’ll be into the New Year. The years come. The years go. Jesus remains the same. He’s our ‘Forever Friend’ – our faithful Saviour. He’s “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). When Christmas 2020 has been forgotten, Jesus will still remember us. When New Year Resolutions have been abandoned, He will still be our Friend and our Saviour. We forget. Jesus remembers. There’s never any problem with His memory. There is, however, one thing that He does forget. He forgets our sins! - “I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 10:17).

How does Jesus forget our sins? - He could remember them. There’s no problem with His memory. He chooses to forget them. There’s no problem with His love! “I will remember their sins no more.” – That’s not a bad memory. That’s love. It’s great love. It’s the greatest love of all. It’s the love of Jesus - our great Saviour.

When Christmas comes, let Jesus come to you. He won’t come and go. He comes to stay. Here’s a prayer you can pray. It’s not just a prayer for Christmas Day. It’s a prayer you can pray right now. “Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” This is the true meaning of Christmas. It’s more than that. It’s what life is all about. “If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart.”

We wish you happiness - at Christmas and in the New Year. We wish you more than that. We wish you a happy life. “Happiness is to know the Saviour, Living a life within His favour, Having a change in my behaviour, Happiness is the Lord.” When Christmas is over and the New Year has begun, may each of us join, with Paul, in saying, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). 

God bless you at Christmas, in the New Year and every day - “May God’s blessing surround you each day, as you trust Him and walk in His way. May His presence within guard and keep you from sin, go in peace, go in joy, go in love.”                                                                                                                          

Whatever you may think of Christmas ...

Whatever you may think of Christmas - in our modern world, you will not be disappointed with Jesus. He comes to us from the past - and He leads us on into the future. We're no sooner past Christmas, and we start thinking about the New Year. We wonder what the New Year will bring. Will you go into 2021 on your own - or with Jesus as your Saviour?

What's Christmas all about?

What's Christmas all about? Is it about coming to church, coming to a service? No. There's more to it than that. It's about coming to Christ, coming to the Saviour. What a welcome you will get when you come to Jesus. Whatever this year's been like, you can end the year on a high note by coming to Jesus - opening your heart to Him, giving your life to Him.

Notes on the Psalms