I love this time of the year; rejoicing with fellow believers in the praise of our most holy Creator and in the earthly arrival of His Son, Jesus Christ! I enjoy presenting the birth of Jesus to those who don’t have a full knowledge of Jesus as their Savior, of worshipping a God who loved us so much that He gave His most prized possession to us for our salvation, and reflecting back on past generations who have recognized the significance of this precious gift and committed their Godly encounters with pen to paper. Yes, it is Christmas, again. This week at Eastpoint, we celebrated our Lord’s birth with carols of old, a message that points men toward God, and the recognition of Jesus’ death and resurrection (His defeat of death and sin) through communion.
After a beautiful time of praising the Lord through carols expressing the wondrous love of God, we explored the distance from Bethlehem to Jerusalem—or more appropriately, from Bethlehem to Calvary. Not the usual correlation you would expect during Christmas, but still a very important relationship to examine. Geographically speaking, Bethlehem is approximately 5 miles from Calvary. In literacy, it is 22 chapters and 30 verses (give or take a verse or two—Luke 2:16 to 23:46). Chronologically, it is 33 ½ years. Spiritually speaking, it is the short distance from the manager to the cross with an infinite journey ahead of you once you reach the cross. We don’t like to equate a holy baby with that of a bloodied, bruised, and unrecognizable man; however, it is this latter image that gives you a much clearer picture of the love stored up in a small infant. Jesus didn’t come to this planet with a desire to be included in incredible works of art depicting Him as an angelic child who had peace daintily painted into His face. He came to earth to teach us of God’s passion for us as individuals, and to destroy the grip that sin and death had on mankind through His crucifixion and resurrection. His death was not angelic, it was not peaceful, it was not glorious, but it was followed by a powerful resurrection, it was for the deliverance of man, and it was for you. Jesus went through all of this, knowing full well that in 2000 years, you would be reading this. He was man, but He was also God (Emmanuel: God with us). He endured unbelievable pain, anguish, shame, and separation from God, the Father—something He had never experienced until His earthly death—all, so that you could experience eternal life in heaven with Him. Look to the right of this web page; there is a section titled “A Life-Changing Prayer”. Read that section right now, I’ll wait for you to finish it (you are well worth the wait).
Did you finish it? Great! Congratulations on the new life you are about to embark on. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are new creations in Jesus Christ — this is referred to as being “born again”. So in addition to “Merry Christmas”, I wish you a “Happy Birthday”, as well. Continue to read the Word of God (bible) and talk to Him daily—He is so excited that you have decided to allow the Lord Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. All of Calvary was worth the agony since YOU have decided to make Jesus your Lord. See, I told you it was a short trip from an animal’s feed box to your eternal life with God (not bad for a newborn baby with peace on His face). I love you and look forward to meeting you here or in heaven, as the Lord wills it.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
After a beautiful time of praising the Lord through carols expressing the wondrous love of God, we explored the distance from Bethlehem to Jerusalem—or more appropriately, from Bethlehem to Calvary. Not the usual correlation you would expect during Christmas, but still a very important relationship to examine. Geographically speaking, Bethlehem is approximately 5 miles from Calvary. In literacy, it is 22 chapters and 30 verses (give or take a verse or two—Luke 2:16 to 23:46). Chronologically, it is 33 ½ years. Spiritually speaking, it is the short distance from the manager to the cross with an infinite journey ahead of you once you reach the cross. We don’t like to equate a holy baby with that of a bloodied, bruised, and unrecognizable man; however, it is this latter image that gives you a much clearer picture of the love stored up in a small infant. Jesus didn’t come to this planet with a desire to be included in incredible works of art depicting Him as an angelic child who had peace daintily painted into His face. He came to earth to teach us of God’s passion for us as individuals, and to destroy the grip that sin and death had on mankind through His crucifixion and resurrection. His death was not angelic, it was not peaceful, it was not glorious, but it was followed by a powerful resurrection, it was for the deliverance of man, and it was for you. Jesus went through all of this, knowing full well that in 2000 years, you would be reading this. He was man, but He was also God (Emmanuel: God with us). He endured unbelievable pain, anguish, shame, and separation from God, the Father—something He had never experienced until His earthly death—all, so that you could experience eternal life in heaven with Him. Look to the right of this web page; there is a section titled “A Life-Changing Prayer”. Read that section right now, I’ll wait for you to finish it (you are well worth the wait).
Did you finish it? Great! Congratulations on the new life you are about to embark on. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are new creations in Jesus Christ — this is referred to as being “born again”. So in addition to “Merry Christmas”, I wish you a “Happy Birthday”, as well. Continue to read the Word of God (bible) and talk to Him daily—He is so excited that you have decided to allow the Lord Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. All of Calvary was worth the agony since YOU have decided to make Jesus your Lord. See, I told you it was a short trip from an animal’s feed box to your eternal life with God (not bad for a newborn baby with peace on His face). I love you and look forward to meeting you here or in heaven, as the Lord wills it.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
