Love In Action

Luke 2:15-20 

     When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

    They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

May the wonder that God came down from heaven to a be laid in a manger turn into the greater joy that God still, to this day, comes to us, abides with us as our Lord Emmanuel. Central United Methodist Church staff wishes you a very Merry Christmas. It has been a pleasure to serve you this year in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas. As Christians we can participate in this beloved season all year long, and we are called to do so.

The Light to Reveal God to the Nations

Luke 2:25-33

  At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,  Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,  “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
      as you have promised.
 I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.
 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
      and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.

Thought for the Day
In this day and time, what would a devout christian most want to see before they die? There are many answers to this question. Surely one of the most important would be to see the Holy Spirit upon family and friends and know that God's salvation through Christ is theirs. But, remember this, if you have recieved salvation, it is a gift to share with all people. Be the light that reveals Christ as the way to God's salvation.

Todays ADVENTure
Ask someone to tell you why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 2:1-5

  This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
      will be the highest of all—
      the most important place on earth.
   It will be raised above the other hills,
      and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
 People from many nations will come and say,
   “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
      to the house of Jacob’s God.
   There he will teach us his ways,
      and we will walk in his paths.”
   For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
      his word will go out from Jerusalem.
 The Lord will mediate between nations
      and will settle international disputes.
   They will hammer their swords into plowshares
      and their spears into pruning hooks.
   Nation will no longer fight against nation,

      nor train for war anymore.
 Come, descendants of Jacob,
      let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Thought for the Day
Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Wonderful, wistful words! The light of the Lord came to earth in Bethlehem on that silent night. The Prince of Peace came to show us the way to live together with war no longer a part of our vocabulary. Yet today so many many years later we see troops coming home from Iraq and we salute them for their bravery and service, and we watch the news of those remaining in Afghanistan in harms way. Our hearts cry out for peace, a world in which the spirit of the Prince of Peace will rein and" nation will no longer fight against nation".

Today's ADVENTure
Pray earnestly  that we may learn to "walk in the light of the Lord" and that weapons of war will become symbols of peace

The Light of God's Grace

Matthew 4:14-16

This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:  "In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
      beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
      in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
  the people who sat in darkness
      have seen a great light.
   And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
      a light has shined."

Thought for the Day
From the beginning of time there has been both physical and spiritual darkness.
Why is it that we are not afriad to walk the streets during the day, but have a fear of being out alone in the dark of night?
Why do problems seem so much worse during the dark of night?
Why do our mistakes of both the day and the past haunt the corners of our soul?
We have a need for the safe and calm that light brings into our lives.
God knows that about us...and sent us light...in the form of the sun...
in the form of electricity...but most of all, in the form of HIS Son...Thanks be to God...

Today's ADVENTure
Today release just one mistake that fills a dark spot within you.  Allow the light of God's grace and forgivness to fill that dark spot.

Sharing the Radiance of God's Glory

Luke 2:8-20

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
      and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

Thought for the Day

Wise men who study the skies record that El Nino winters have had a history of producing major snow or ice storms in the state of Mississippi and that snow or ice storms have been recorded in four out of the last five El Nino events.

Twelve years ago I tucked my family in bed two days before Christmas with no electricity, no way to leave, and no signs at all of a modern Christmas. That night I lay in bed listening to the creaking and snapping of the fragile pine branches outside my window as they broke under the weight of the ice. Around midnight, I heard the first crash as the trees had reached their limits and were now buckling under the weight of the ice like Popsicle sticks in the hands of an irate child. By morning tress throughout the state had fallen across roadways and power lines, leaving us stranded in one of the worst ice storms I could remember.

            Christmas Eve arrived and rather than watch our favorite Christmas specials or listen to the holiday cd’s that had become part of our family’s tradition we  celebrated the “old fashioned way” by reading the  Christmas Story from the Bible, popping corn in the fireplace, and singing carols and hymns.

            Part of the joy of our family gatherings is preparing the meal together so we had not cooked any of the dishes in advance which under these circumstances left us hungry and looking for food so when we heard early Christmas morning the Starkville Café on Main Street had power and would be serving meals as long as the food lasted we decided to bundle up and try our luck on the icy roads. We were no more than 200 yards from the café when the roads became impassable. Driven by hunger, we left the truck and began trudging through the still dark morning. At the top of main street I stopped to catch my breath in the cool icy air and looked over at my wife clutching our son to her breast, leaning over I could hear him snoring contently wrapped safely in her arms.  With that assurance I turned once again towards downtown with only the light of the café’s store front to guide our path.

            Moments later as we sat eating I thought back to the passage in Luke we had read and how the radiance associated with the appearance of the angel had in the end left them reassured and secure that God would provide for all mankind. I found it somewhat ironic that my family had also come in from the darkness led by the radiance of the only lights in town and how we would soon be leaving satisfied and taken care of by our Father in Heaven yet again on Christmas.

Jim Cain

Today's ADVENTure

            Take a moment before retiring this evening and look out your window at the houses in your neighborhood. Is there one with less decorations than the surrounding houses? Perhaps completely dark at this late hour. If so, take a moment to pray over the house and family that reside within asking the Lord to guide in you in ministering to them in some way. If nothing else leave an unlit candle on their doorstep, thus symbolically sharing the radiance of God’s glory with them.

God's Dreamers

Matthew 1:18-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
  "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
      She will give birth to a son,
   and they will call him Immanuel,
      which means 'God is with us.'"
  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Thought for the Day
There are similarities between this Joseph, the husband of Mary and Joseph the son of Jacob. Besides their name, both bring their families to Egypt. Jacob's son brings his brothers and father and their families to Egypt in order to survive the famine. Mary's husband brings his wife and child to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod. But, more significantly, both of these Josephs are dreamers. Jacob's son has dreams of his brothers bowing down to him. And he understands dreams. He correctly interprets the dreams of Pharoah that predict the coming years of plenty and years of famine. Mary's husband has the dream that we read about in this passage and also has the dream that warns him of the danger to his family. And both of these men named Joseph were not afraid to follow their dreams. Joseph means "(God) shall add," and because they were willing to follow the dreams God gave them God did add.

What is it you dream of. Are your dreams from God, or do your dreams involve you adding to yourself? Allow God to guide your dreams for the future and you will dream of helping the least, guiding the lost, healing the hopeless. Follow the dreams God has for you and He will add to you all that you need. You too, will become a dreamer - a Joseph.




Today's ADVENTure
Imagine today what God may be dreaming for your life.

God With Us

Zephaniah 3:14-17

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy.  And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you!  At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.  On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion!  Don't be afraid!  For the LORD your God is living among you.  He is a mighty savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.


Thought for the Day
In the season of Advent, there are unexpected moods and mood swings.  Advent begins in darkness with lament over our condition and our desire for God to act.  Advent then gives way to hope as we hear God's promise to come and live among us.  It is this promise - that God will be with us - that is the heart of Advent.  God's promise is also what makes all the difference between darkness and hope.


Today's ADVENTure
When you see people walking together, remember that God is with us!