Giving God the Glory for the Small Things Too

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:17

We’ve all witnessed it; college football Saturday in the south, the quarterback takes the snap drops back and fires down the field to a wide open receiver for a long game winning touchdown! The receiver gives the crowd a quick salute then kneels down on one knee, puts his hand up his helmet and says a little prayer. No one in the crown questions the thanks being given to God at that moment because we are all giving our own thanks to God. These actions are the norm in a football game, but what about all first downs made and the 3 and 4 yard runs made during the game?

Now let’s put this in perspective. When something huge and great happens in your life (a game winning life touchdown) it is easy to give thanks to God. What about those small sometimes unnoticeable events though? Simply waking up in the morning, making it to work safely after enduring 280 traffic, or all the other small events that make up a normal day are all too often missed. Now I’m not saying that every morning you should burst through your office door, salute your co-workers and kneel to pray. Maybe instead, take a minute here or there throughout the day to thank God for the small things (the 3 and 4 yard runs of life). It shouldn’t always take a touchdown to give thanks to the One who makes everything possible.

Joel Cash, Footsteps Class

This past May, Amy and I celebrated the birth of our daughter, Sarah Mackenzie.  Her arrival was a wonderful, joyous experience for us both and her birthday will forever remain one of the happiest, most celebrated times of our lives.

But getting to that one unimaginably amazing moment took nine long months of waiting, hoping, praying, and, at times, hurting.  Be sure, the doctors all told us everything looked ‘normal’.  But blood tests and faint gray images from an ultrasound can only provide so much comfort.  Until we held her in our arms, there was no certainty.

In many ways, being a Christian is a lot like having a baby.  We wait, we hope, we pray, we hurt and, at times, we grow impatient.  But in facing these challenges, we also get the assurance that at the end of it all comes something more amazing than any of us can conceive.

Advent offers us the opportunity to come together and share in our longing for the Second Coming of Christ.  And though we don’t know when; we know it will happen…and can be certain of that.  So, let this be a time to renew your excitement for Christ, to celebrate his birth, to prepare for his return and try, just for a moment, to imagine how you will feel that day.

Matt and Amy Montz, Cornerstone Class

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.-

 Luke 1:78-79

My daughter is collecting canned goods for the local food pantry through her Girl Scout troop. When she asked why we were collecting so much food, it was a good teaching opportunity to explain that sometimes people are not as fortunate as others. People are rich at different times in their lives in many different ways. Everyone has something to give every day whether it be money for the poor, food for the hungry, a service to give, time or a talent to lend in another persons’ time of need. Every day it is important to shine the light of Jesus and bless others just as He has blessed us.  Particularly during the time of Advent, it is a time to remember what He did for us and the capability God has given to us to be the light in another’s life. Take time this holiday season and every day  to be a light to others, such as volunteering to serve dinner to the homeless, sponsoring a needy child for Christmas, donating food to a family in need or lending your time to shine the light of Jesus.  Through this process, God will guide your feet into finding peace this holiday season.

David and Aimie Marshall, New Horizons Class

Keep it Simple

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.- Luke 2:14

I love holidays. All of them. Easter, valentines day, birthdays, thanksgiving, Christmas – all of them! I love getting together with friends and family to celebrate, eat special food, decorate, make crafts, and sing songs. Of course Christmas is the biggest, most elaborate of the holidays.  We have made it so big that some people begin to dread this special holiday.  There is too much to do and too little time to fit it all in.  There are cards to send, gifts to buy, house and yard to decorate, cookies to bake, parties to attend, lots of activities for kids, church programs, friends to visit, family coming to town, and a visit to Santa. Add to this all of the regular things in life such as laundry, meals, errands, carpooling, paying bills, cleaning house, etc.

Too many times I hear people wishing the holidays were over! What happened?

When Jesus was born, God chose a very simple path to bring us the king of kings. He chose a simple young lady, Mary, to be the mother of Jesus.  He chose a simple, quiet place for Jesus to be born and a simple manger for him to sleep.  God chose simple shepherds to visit the newborn king.  There were also some pretty spectacular elements to this story such as the star, the angels, and the magi, but for the most part, Jesus came to us in a simple manner.

Advent is the season to prepare our hearts for Jesus.  If we are too busy, it is hard to focus on preparing our hearts and experiencing the true meaning of Christmas.

I must remind myself to try to keep things simple in order to enjoy the blessings of Christmas and to receive the gift God has sent us.

The songs of Christmas tell me it is time for advent.  I love the hymns of Christmas.  So many of them are about peace on earth, celebrating the birth of our savior and giving glory to God.  What a wonderful, simple message to celebrate!

O Come let us Adore Him, Christ The Lord.

 Prayer

Dear God, help me celebrate this Christmas in a simple manner. During Advent, help me focus on preparing my heart for receiving the gift of your son and striving for peace on earth. Thank you for your love. Amen

Joy Shultz, Faith Class

In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak,remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”- Acts 20: 35:

As we approach the Christmas Season, our thoughts turn toward gifting to others. We give to family members, friends, co-workers and a host of other people. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the expectations placed on us by the media and commercialization of today’s society. As Christians, we know giving during the Christmas Season is a reflection of the Wise Men’s gifts to Jesus, not as an obligation but rather an expression of love, admiration or respect. This type of giving is good! In Acts 20: 35, Paul says “remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” And while this verse is often taken out of context, we know it is always a blessing when we give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.

As I reflect on the Christmas Season, putting the commercial aspect aside, I can’t help but think with the birth of Jesus, we are the recipients of the greatest gift of all times: the gift of God’s love for us and the gift of His Son. With the birth of Christ, and through the Grace of God, we are assured the gift of eternal life spent with God. We simply need to accept the gift and continue living as Jesus would have us live.

So during the Advent Season, let’s all reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, prepare for his coming and celebrate in his birth.

John Whitcomb, Covenant Class

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it – John 1:1-5

The making of an Advent Wreath consist of evergreen branches representing eternity.  Most of us just use a round circular wreath from one of the hobby shops.   On the wreath we place five candles, 3 purple, one pink, and one white. During Advent we light one candle each Sunday.

The first, a purple represents Hope or expectation of the coming Messiah.

The second purple candle represents Love, symbolizing Christ’s Manger.

The pink candle is customarily called the “Shepherd’s Candle” and it represents Joy.

The last purple candle is call “Angels Candle” and represents Peace.

On Christmas Eve we light the white candle, which is always place in the center of the wreath, and known as the “Christ Candle’ and represent the Life of Christ that has come into the world.

Our Shepherd’s Center is celebrating Advent with Bible study/readings and an Advent Tree better known as Jesse Tree. Each week we have our gifts, a silent prayer, a special ornament and its meaning, the Tree.  There are smiles on our faces our eyes focused on the Advent Tree and our souls filled with special memories of family, loved ones past/present, friends and all the wonderful Christmases we have to celebrate. Also, this tree reminds us that our sins have been washed away and made whiter than snow for we have received Christ our Savior.

Celebrate Christmas by sharing the Joy of Christ’s coming with others.  Read the Christmas Story and light the last Advent candle.

Thought-For-The-Day
We are never too old to be of use to God.

Betty Hottenstein

Promises, Presence, and Peace
Promise of Jesus in Prophesy – “‘But as for you Bethlehem …, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.'”– Micah 5:2

Redemption through Christ – ” … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

The peace of God – ” ‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.’ ” – John 14:27

The source of Peace – ” ‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’ ” – John 16:33

God fulfills his promises. Today’s Old Testament reading foreshadows the coming of Christ. This fulfilled prophecy evolves in to the redemption story. A faithful response is required to receive this gift of grace.

One of my favorite natural scenes to admire is a calm body of water with a reflection of the opposite shore symmetrically visible on the water’s surface. As winter approaches each year, this display often is breathtaking with the colors of fall visible in both regions. The serenity represented in this scene is akin to the peace we can experience through the gift of our Heavenly Father, the promise of redemption and salvation brought through His son, Jesus.

The Christmas season is one in which our attention easily is drawn away from this promise. Hustle and bustle tends to fill our schedules. Let us not lose sight of the supreme gift offered this and every Advent Season – the gift from the Father, God. God offers us peace in the salvation available through His son. Our response is faith and action. With the receipt and acceptance of this perfect gift from God, we experience calm, peace, serenity, hope, promise, meaning, and a careful concern for others in our world.

Prayer:
Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you the promises you make and fulfill. Thank you for the giving of your Son to humanity. We honor and magnify your greatness as you give us hope and peace through the acceptance of your grace. Your presence in our lives indeed is the very best Christmas present we will ever receive. May our response of joyful obedience be acceptable to you. Amen.
Bill Shultz, Faith Class