“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) Luke tells us that Mary brought forth her firstborn son and laid him in a feed trough because there was no room for them anywhere else. No room in this little village in the middle of nowhere for a
“We love because He loved us first”—1 John 4:19 At Christmas, one of the things that should distinguish a Christ follower is a love that reaches out to the marginalized and the forgotten. Such giving is an act of true worship. For Jesus this is personal. Reading the Christmas narrative, we remember that the Son of God chose to be born into a family of very little means—Nobody could have expected the
Advent resonates deeply with people of various backgrounds and economic realities. But many have grown weary of the holiday ad campaigns that seem to start sometime around 4th of July and last until Christmas Eve. It has almost become a wearisome as political campaign season. Kids struggle to find the connection between their Christmas wish list and the story of Jesus’ birth. Parents search for the Hope, Love, Joy, and
For many of us, the time of year when focusing on Christ should be the easiest, is often times the most difficult. Our calendars are full of activities, the to-do lists are getting longer, the stores are getting busier, and an overwhelming stress has creeped into our hearts. So how do we get back to the heart of the Christmas narrative? —For starters, WORSHIP. We believe that when our hearts are
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting.” (Psalm 136:1) This phrase is one of the most famous in the whole Bible. The first time we see it in biblical history is in 1 Chronicles chapter 16, when King David is bringing up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. They sang and praised and thanked God, and we read in verse 34
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. . .” (Ephesians 1:18) Most of us love the holiday season, and especially Christmas. But the weeks leading up to it are often the busiest and most demanding of the year. We usually begin the
This week at Sedona United Methodist Church, we’ll be looking at Revelation 7:9-17. We may often feel confused and mystified as we read Revelation, but we can learn so much about our faith with some reasoning and by not letting the symbolism overwhelm the message. Do you ever wonder, “Am I really secure in my salvation?” or, maybe you struggle with accepting God’s grace. We’ll dive into this text, and
It’s an Old Testament story you have likely heard many times. But you might be tempted to dismiss it as just another “Big Fish Story”. But don’t miss this important story—God commanded the prophet Jonah to go and preach a message of warning to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, a pagan nation and an enemy of Israel. Jonah so opposed the idea that he ran away in the opposite direction,
Moses answered, “Don't be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today; you will never see these Egyptians again. The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still.” (Exodus 14:13-14) Have you ever found yourself in a predicament? I think for everyone reading this message the answer is yes! Who hasn’t! We have a lot of word pictures in the
