Preparing for . . . the Lord

THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR

“Preparing for . . . Christ”

Dear Fellow Children of God,

Last Thursday I was sitting in the dentist chair getting my teeth cleaned and my hygienist asked me, “Are you ready for Christmas yet?”  Well, I hadn’t done any shopping.  Our cards are not written, addressed, nor sent.  We have done no decorating yet.  I know of no special baking that has happened in our home.  But rather than saying we are not ready for Christmas I told my hygienist, “I think the best way to get ready for Christmas is to prepare our hearts.”  We talked about that idea for a moment.

Are you ready for Christmas?  How are you doing in your preparations?  Do you have your gifts purchased; your cards addressed and sent; your home decorated?  Do you have a tree yet?  Those are just some of the preparations that can make the holiday season seem overwhelming in lives that are already overly busy.  And don’t forget the parties, the trips, and the baking.  The busy-ness of traditional Christmas preparations can bring weariness rather than peace and joy to this time of year.

But Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  Christmas is the celebration that the God of love and the God of life has broken into a world of sin and death.  For Christians preparing for Christmas is not so much preparing for an event or preparing for a celebration.  For Christians, preparing for Christmas is preparing for a person, preparing for Christ. 

The people of Jesus day were directed to prepare for His coming.  John the Baptist was God’s messenger to prepare people for the coming of Jesus.  Do you remember how John called people to prepare?  In Mark 1:3-4 we are told of John;

3 “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”  4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

John called people of his day to prepare for Jesus’ coming in their lives through baptism and repentance that led to forgiveness in Jesus.  What does this mean as we prepare for Christmas?  Since Christmas is the celebration of Jesus coming, here are some suggestions to prepare for Jesus in your life.  Preparation for Jesus’ coming might include

·         Worship – If you haven’t been worshiping do so.  If you have been worshiping use this as a special opportunity to let God come to you with His Christmas love.

·         Meditations and Devotions – Before decorating your home, why not decorate your heart with the Word of God?

·         Prayer time – Christmas is about God coming to us.  Amazingly, God lets us go to Him in prayer.  What is on your heart?  Let God know, and ‘listen’ to His response.

·         Christmas Music – There is much ‘holiday’ music.  But some of my favorite music of all time are the songs and carols that sing of Jesus’ birth.

Perhaps, focusing on preparing for Jesus rather than a holiday might bring peace and joy to your holiday.

A Child of God, seeking to focus on the Jesus this Christmas,

Pastor Jonathan

P.S.  With our wind, warm temperatures, and rain, the attendance was low last Sunday.  Please pardon me for sharing again some of the thoughts I shared in worship last Sunday.

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

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