HE’S HERE! HE’S HERE!!!
The mall loud-speakers blare:
“Come and see Santa! Sit on his
lap and tell him what you want for Christmas!
Have your picture taken with Santa!”
The line grows long – each child eagerly waiting their turn. But … like someone has said, “where’s the
line to see Jesus?” We should be on
every “street corner of our lives” … proclaiming, “HE’S HERE! HE’S HERE!!!
Come and see Jesus! Sit on His
lap and tell him what you need in your life.
He’s the Giver of all good gifts!
And you don’t need to have a picture taken with Jesus, because He is
with you ALL the time. You don’t have to
wait for Christmas to see Him and sit on His lap. He’s HERE – every day, every hour, every
moment!” The scenario is all too often
reversed, and just like this week with the Sandy Hook school shooting in
Connecticut, people were asking, “Where was God?” First of all, they weren’t looking for Him in
that place, because He has been dis-invited and kicked out of our nation’s
schools – for a very long time now. But
I believe had they really looked for Him there, they would have seen Him
holding those children in His arms in the midst of that chaos, just as some of
the teachers did on that fateful day. He
knew what would happen before it happened … for He has given us the gift of
free will. And so He was there, to personally
carry those little ones from this earth to their heavenly home. We could sit and theorize and evaluate and
diagnose until we were blue in the face.
How could any of us ever understand the “why” of such a horrendous act
against children? Only God knows the
truth behind it all. Because we do not
have the power to change what has already taken place, the best comfort we can
find is the realization that God will turn the ashes into beauty. And for now, the only beauty we can see is
that of these precious little ones sitting on His lap in Heaven – each child
getting their own one-on-one time with Jesus after getting their personal tour
of their new Home. And peeking in close
to listen, it seems that the one and only wish they have for their first
Christmas in Heaven is: “Please take
care of my mommy and daddy! They will
miss me so much … but tell them that I love it here, and I love being with You! Tell them not to worry, because You are
taking extra-good care of me!” Fast
forward now to these last few remaining days before we celebrate this Christmas
on earth. Realities set in for those
parents whose small child’s presents are already under the tree – but will
never be opened by them. Crushing grief
and stark emptiness! Who can offer a
remedy for such feelings that will even remotely help heal the unimaginable
hurts being experienced? HIM!!! HE’S HERE!
HE’S WITH THEM!!! That’s exactly
why He came! That’s why His Name is
Emmanuel: God with us! WITH us!
That means He is PRESENT … HE’S HERE!
From Heaven to the manger, from the manger to the cross, from the cross
to the tomb, from the tomb to resurrected life, and from resurrection to Heaven
again. He sits on the Throne … but He
comes to us. To each of us – in such
personal, precious ways! Because Jesus
came, we will never be the same! We
celebrate Christmas with our family and friends, yes! But my prayer is that each of us will realize
afresh and anew that we can celebrate the birth of Christ every single day of
the year and every day of our lives! We
can see Him in every arena of our lives, present with us, if we’ve invited Him
to be our Savior! He’s our first
responder when tragedy strikes, and He will be the One holding us as we breathe
our last breath on earth. And when we
walk into Heaven, it will be God who will be announcing our arrival: “SHE’S HERE!
HE’S HERE!” Until we hear those
words, let’s seek Him, love Him, follow Him, reflect Him, share Him, and
celebrate Him. HE’S HERE!!!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
A SPECIAL WELCOME to Bernie, Shelly, and Marvin who joined us in
worship this past Sunday; may God bless you!
SUN, DEC 23: 10:00 A.M. –
CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION / “Our Amazing Emmanuel” – Part 5! You won’t want to miss this meaningful
celebration of Christ’s birth in song, the Word, praise and worship, and warm
fellowship! You will also be treated to
a Christmas song from our KIDZONE
kids during the service!
MON, DEC 24/TUE, DEC 25:
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS EVE & DAY to all our church family – from Pastor
D and Debbie! We love each of you and
thank God for you! And most of all,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jesus, our Lord and Savior ~ thank You for coming to earth
for us and giving us the greatest Gift of all!
SUN, DEC 30: 10:00 A.M. –
PRAISE & WORSHIP w/the message, “Wrapping Up The Old Year/Assessing Our
Walk with God!”
SUN, DEC 30: KIDZONE Children’s Church with Verla,
Kelly, and Liz … starring puppets, lessons, verses, activities, and more!
MON, DEC 31: 8:00 P.M. to
Midnight – ALL CHURCH NEW YEAR’S EVE FELLOWSHIP w/snacks and games … bring your
favorites for everyone to enjoy! Plus,
there will be a short service ushering in the New Year as we welcome it in with
prayer!
TUE, JAN 01: PRAYERS for
a HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ with God’s favor upon
you and your family!
SUN, JAN 06: PRAISE &
WORSHIP/a new sermon series w/our theme for the new year: “Finding Us on Our Knees ~ In 2013”!
REMEMBER . . . HE IS HERE!
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government
will be on His shoulders. And He will be
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
