Christmas

Merry CHRISTmas! I hope you have received the greatest gift of all time – Jesus!

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. Romans 5:1 (MSG)

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, NKJV).

Please continue to pray for those who are not “up to par” like Mrs. Annie Bell Harrell, Mr. Charley Kuss, Mrs. Nat McKinney, and Mrs. Fay Price. There are many others on the list, but these names give you a starting point for your prayers today.

Many people have been given a gift of health this year. In David’s family, one of his brothers and his sister both received “no cancer” reports. Thank God for these and many other such reports.

Spend some time today thanking God for those who are serving around the world to protect us and others. While fulfilling this great task, they have to be away from their own families. Thank God for their service. If you know someone in the military, find a way to thank them.

I trust you know Jesus is the reason for the season. Let him work through you to impact others this holiday season and throughout the year.

GOOD TIDINGS TO YOU

No one can fracture a Christmas carol better than a child. You will enjoy trying to sing along with these new takes on old favorites:

* Deck the halls with Buddy Holly (boughs of holly)
* We three kings of porridge and tar (Orient are)
* On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me (true love)
* Later on we’ll perspire, as we dream by the fire (conspire)
* He’s makin’ a list, chicken and rice (checkin’ it twice)
* Noel, noel, Barney’s the king of Israel (born is the king)
* With the jelly toast proclaim (angelic host)
* Olive, the other reindeer (all of)
* In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is sparse and brown (Parson Brown)
* You’ll go down in Listerine (history)
* Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay (one-horse open sleigh)
* Good tidings we bring to you and your kid (kin)

That last fractured Christmas carol isn’t so far off. The message of the gospel — from the birth of Jesus to his death and resurrection — is indeed good news for both you and your kid.

Remember when Peter preached that first sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2? The focus of the sermon was on Jesus Christ — the fact that he had been crucified and buried, but that he was also raised from the dead to sit at the right hand of God. The crowd of people was convicted by the role they had played in the rejection of Jesus. They wanted to do something and were told by Peter,

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

Did you notice that phrase? The one about this promise (forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit) being for you and your children. “Good tidings we bring to you and your kid.”

One of the great things about Jesus Christ is that his blessings are available to everyone — to you, your family, your neighbors and even those who are “afar off.” May both you and “your kid” know the blessings that come from responding in faith to Jesus Christ!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Anna Lee