"…and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." (Luke 2:18) The wonder of that night never lost its brilliance for them. For years after they first heard the angels announce the birth of Jesus, the shepherds probably told and retold the story. They may have said something like, "It was a night just like this one, when we were watching over the flocks during the night. We were standing right about where you are right now, when suddenly we were bathed and surrounded by an overwhelming Light, the glory of which we had never seen before." They would go on to describe as best they could the appearance of the first angel, and the impact of his words on them. They would tell of their hurried trip to Bethlehem, and of their discovery of the Baby in the manger, just as the angel had said. The commonplace was glorified in the sense that God was present in the midst of their routine as never before. It was "holy ground." These types of experiences are not limited to those times when the Bible is open on our laps. They do not come only when we are praying alone in the woods, while watching a beautiful sunrise, or only in the church building on Sunday morning. In fact, if our relationships with Christ are real at all, holy ground moments will happen even in the routine of our lives. When we have just one of these holy ground moments with God, the rest of life takes on a radiant freshness–the sparkling presence of God that glistens and glimmers and dances through our lives. The shepherds went back to the routine of tending their sheep. Yet they never got over it. May we each have such an experience with God--"a holy ground moment"--that we never get over it. --Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com"Look for the light of God that is hitting your life, and you will find sparkles you didn't know were there."--Barbara Johnson
Every year this time, we begin the search for just the right gift for that special person. It has to be just right--in fact, "ideal" would be a better word! Here's a little help for you as you look for the ideal Christmas gifts for those you love. The ideal Christmas gift, first of all, must say something about the giver. The gifts we give to others tell them how special we consider them to be. What we give to others gives them an idea of our tastes, our generosity, and our carefulness in selecting the gift. Our gifts to others say something about us, like it or not. Second, the ideal Christmas gift must say something about the needs of the person who receives it. An ideal gift must be meaningful as well as useful. A baseball glove probably would not be very useful to your wife, nor would your husband appreciate receiving a bottle of Chanel No. 5! But if your dad likes to read for relaxation, a good book would be a useful gift. If your mother's feet get cold easily, then a thick pair of socks might be ideal. Considering the needs of those you love is a good way to pick out the ideal gift for them. But stop and think just a minute. The Ideal Christmas Gift has already been given, when God sent His Only Son! Take these same two marks of an ideal gift and apply them to Jesus: do they fit? Of course they do! First, the gift of God's Only Son says something about the Giver. It says that God loved the people of the world so much that He was willing to become one of us. It says that God is intimately interested in every one of us. And it says a whole lot more. The Gift of God's Son also says something about the needs of those who receive Him. Like it or not, we all have sinned. Left to ourselves, we cannot please God, which is in itself a colossal need. Jesus meets that need that providing eternal life to those who receive Him. Yes, Jesus is the Ideal Christmas Gift! And God offers Him to you--today. Won't you receive the Gift of God--eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord? --Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com
In 1997 the sit-com "Seinfeld" had an episode where one of the characters tried to introduce a new holiday. He called it "a Festivus for the rest of us." A few years ago there was another attempt at inventing a new holiday. In their Christmas season television commercials, Virgin Mobile introduced "Chrismahanukwanzakah"--devoted to "everything people love about the holidays." The word is a combination of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. And it was simply nothing more than a light-hearted attempt of one company trying to make money from everybody, regardless of what they celebrate this time of year. But it has moved past some little television commercial. Now there's also "Chrismukkah." Ron and Michelle Gompertz founded a company which sells Chrismukkah cards and other items commemorating both Christian and Jewish faiths, and whoever else wants to join in. Within their very first month of operation seven years ago, they sold 25,000 cards. This is how their website defines "Chrismukkah": "Chrismukkah- the merry mish-mash, one-size-fits-all, unisex, alternative, non-denominational, non-judgmental, non-polluting, all-inclusive, sustainable, holistic, X-treme hybrid holiday celebrating diversity, religious tolerance, ideological, theological and political freedom, peace on earth and the inter-connectedness between all animals, plants and minerals. Huh? It has long been one of my contentions that what Satan cannot destroy, he will imitate. And this conglomeration of holidays, combining Christian, Jewish and secular symbols, is a prime example. For many years Satan and his minions have attempted to de-Christianize Christmas. Lawsuits against cities and towns over nativity scenes, schools purging any reference to the Christian meaning of Christmas, department stores eliminating any mention of Christmas in their advertising--it all combines to remove Christ from Christmas. So let me encourage you--if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ--to make extra sure that your observance of Christmas is decidedly and pointedly Christian. Let there be no mistake or misunderstanding which holiday you are observing--and why. --Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com
Ah, Sovereign Lord…nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17
I was her family's pastor from 1990-1994. She was a young teenager then; now she is grown with a family of her own. Her name is Rana Ragland Bryant, and she has written of an experience she had one night with Joe, her son. Joe had written a note to a fellow fourth-grade friend and then slipped it inside his book bag to take to school the next day.
When they had finished saying prayers, Rana asked little Joe, "What was the note about?"
Joe said, "He's gotta go to the doctor tomorrow, and I wanted him to know I would be praying for him." Rana asked Joe if she could read the note and, with his permission, she went downstairs and opened the note to see these words: "Don't worry, God's got this."
Rana commented that she needed to remind herself every day of those three little words: "God’s got this."
I think we all need to remind ourselves of those three little words, don't we? Life is not always what we had in mind. It hasn't always played out according to script. Well, not our script anyway. The truth is, we don't always know what we need anyway. Life sometimes is too confusing, too busy, too loud, too--real. When we try to take matters into our own hands, we soon discover that we can't handle it.
But God can! He is quite capable of handling anything that comes, every day that comes. Arriving at the place where we can honestly believe that God can handle whatever comes requires that we pull a few things into perspective. Seeing things the way God sees them makes a big difference in our approach to life--even if it doesn't turn out the way we thought it would.
Then, with a new focus, we make fresh discoveries about God, ourselves, and the world He made. So whatever we face, let's remember the wisdom of a little fourth-grader named Joe, compressed into three little words:
"God's got this."
--Rocky Henriques
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