No Crib for a Bed

 "...and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough." - Luke 2:7

Read it again. This is the New Century version of the most familiar pieces of scripture in the Bible. What’s that? Not quite the way you recall the story? You ask, “What happened to the soft, swaddling clothes and the quaint little manger?”

It’s easy for us to sanitize the reality of the situation, and thereby remove some of the irony. The fact is the Savior of Mankind, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was wrapped in rags and set to rest in an icky trough that was used to feed pigs and cows.

Why would a mother allow this for her child? Well, she had no choice, because there was no room for them anywhere else. Perhaps a better question would be, “Why would our Father permit His Child to be treated in this manner?”

Well, in addition to prophecy being fulfilled, maybe God also knew that His Child had to experience humanity. He needed to know what it was like to be homeless, helpless, and in poverty. Later, He needed to understand hunger, the death of loved ones, persecution, and even death itself. Jesus needed to experience mankind – as He came to die for mankind.
And that, my friends, is the real, unvarnished Christmas story.

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Christmas: God Is For You

Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas: God Is for You
by Rick Warren

But the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. Luke 2:10 (NLT)

"And if God is for us, who can be against us?"
Knowing God is for you will change your whole perspective on life. You'll stop thinking of God as someone looking down from heaven, ready to yell, "Gotcha!" anytime you mess up.
Instead, you'll realize God loves you; God is with you; and God is for you! God is for your success in life; he created you for a purpose and he wants you to succeed. It is God, your Creator, who will measure your success in life, and no one else.
This is extremely good news!
It means you don't need to be afraid of God because God is for you. Yet, some people are so afraid of God they get nervous just talking about him. Do you know why? They feel guilty, and then they start thinking, "If I get close to God, he's going to lecture me. He's going to remind me of all the things I've done wrong, and then I'll feel even worse!"
Nothing could be further from the truth of God. Jesus said, "I did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it." In effect, Jesus is saying, "I didn't come to scold you, I came to save you."
And if God is for us, who can be against us?
Jesus came to save us, not to scare us.  That's why when the angel was telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus, the first thing he says is: "Don't be afraid!"
In fact, when God sends a message to people in the Bible, it's not unusual for the first words to be: "Don't be afraid." There are 365 messages from God in the Bible that begin with a phrase like, "Fear not!" In other words, every single day of the year you can read a message from God that says, in effect, "You don't need to be afraid. I am for you; I am with you; I love you."
We celebrate Christmas because of this good news from God!

Christmas basket preparation

Birth Announcement

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010

Birth Announcement

"...you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21
One type of letter we often get in our household is a birth announcement--someone announcing the birth of a child---a wonderful time of celebration and excitement. But when Jesus Christ was born, the ultimate birth announcement came straight from heaven when God, through His angels, said, "Today in the city of David has been born for you a savior who is Christ the Lord."
You may ask, "Why do I need a Savior?"
God's Word is clear that we need a Savior because all of us sin, and in the process, find ourselves separated from God. If we die separated, that means hell...and that's bad news. But Christmas is about good news, because Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven and made right with God. For those who believe, He saves us from sin and, ultimately, hell...and that's pretty important.
As you rush around getting ready for Christmas, remember why He came and believe it. That's the key to having a Merry Christmas.