Luke 2 reflections 2017

Luke 2:1
      And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.   9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.      10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.   13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men 15 And it
came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 2:17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child.


Reflection:
In the Scriptures It always seems as though we are waiting on God to do something. I’m
thinking about Abraham who was very close to God, so close, that God spoke to him and
gave him the promise of a new land for his heritage to live on in this world. But God
finally came and made good on his promise bringing out of Abraham a heritage and the
promise of his personal presence. The great grandson of Abraham, Joseph waited on the
deliverance from God after he was sold into slavery and then suffered the demise of a
terrible prison penalty. And God finally came to deliver him. And he became the second
most powerful man in Egypt.

How about the people who were chosen by God to represent his way on earth? The Israelites were in a bad predicament in slavery and they waited on God to do something. For 400 years they called on deliverance… And God came to their rescue. All down through history we can turn to numerous accounts when people who truly believed in the One true God, waited for some time for Him to come to the rescue, bringing deliverance to an impossible situation. You may look at many times in
the historical record to find that God seemed to be running late. Oh, But was He.

As we recollect, we think about the tragic death of Lazarus the close friend of
Jesus, the scripture attest to the news being relayed to Jesus and then when you expect a
command to exit immediately to go to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, we are hit with
a strange phrase, “Yet he delayed in where he was for 2 more days."  'Two more days, why
two days.'  The account is written in such a way that you look at your neighbor and say,
“Well, what happened? I thought he was Jesus’ best friend that he loved. Two more
days?"     But the account is written to teach us all a lesson about God’s scheduling 'Day-timer'.

 God transcends time; that is to say that God created time, God is above time, God
works with time and in spite of time. God is the one being that cannot be dragged along
with time. God will never at the beck and call of time, running late like I am found to be
on many occasions. God does not have to manipulate time but He commands time and
guess what? Time can do nothing but obey His sovereign will. God is all powerful, all
knowing, all seeing and never lacking in any capacity in His being. God is God and that
is the best that we can do to understand Him. All of our descriptions of God lack clarity
because He is truly king of creation.

 Someone today is waiting on God for some reason. There is a situation, a crisis, the
makings of a critical event and unless God moves soon, you will be looking at disaster
and ruin. Just remember that the Lord is faithful to those who love Him and call out to
Him. God Never Misses An Appointment and does exactly what is needed especially for
those who look to Him in faith. God will Never Fail. It may seem as though He leaves
us hanging but He will make the perfect decision for all involved.
Remember when the course of a world gone wrong, the world was looking for a savior
something special happened.

NLT Galatians 4:3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We
were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world. 4 But when the right time came,
God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy
freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very
own children. 6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has
sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear
Father. 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are
his child, everything he has belongs to you.

 As a Christian believer I am here to testify, we don’t always get what we want and I
am grateful for that. But being God’s son I have found that God loves me in ways that I
cannot describe and He challenges me to rely on Him at times that cause me to grow
when I am faithful to Him and not to my own desires. God is truly good. Waiting on
God? Please continue to wait because he will come when you call on Him. I have found
that God shows up in ways that you have not figured and His way is the best way. No
matter how smart you are, the lesson is that God’s plan is the best plan and as you follow
it, you come out better than you planned.

KJV Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
 The story reveals that the Sovereign Lord, God is not only all knowing, all powerful,
completely comprehensive in His understanding but he is all loving. And He Loves
You…
   Benediction:
Now may the glory of Christmas in celebration of lights, candles and communion with loved ones across the globe,  give illumination of the glory of The Great God of Heaven, The comfort and support of the Sweet Holy Spirit and the reality of our Majestic Savior Jesus who came just in time to redeem us and welcome us into the holy family of God as children adopted into a radiant life of everlasting joy, peace and love.   Amen
     

Thanksgiving: A Great Refreshing Joy

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.

Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.

Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.

Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and

    limps along the spiritual road.” 

John Henry Jowett

             The greatest virtues of life are the concepts that add meaning to life and offer to others the real you.   Giving thanks looks without oneself to acknowledge the grace someone has seen fit to offer you.  God offers us the experience of love and fellowship with others if we are willing to allow life to challenge you with the risk to enjoy companionship. 

     

Thanksgiving, giving thanks, making gratitude a priority, can you see that as a virtue?  Will you go limping along life’s spiritual road maimed and fumbling with no sure way?  God has given us the model of His only Son to help us experience the grandeur of friendship, brotherhood, comfort and fellowship.  Thanksgiving is an experience that is meant for knowing and expressing the best of life.  Giving thanks allows someone to joy in the pleasant things that you enjoy.  God has connected us that way.   Accepting thanks is a way of being humble and strong enough to help another human-being, life resonates between us that way.  And you say, “Your are welcome”, because grace demands a response.

           

            Living a life without thanksgiving leaves too much time to think about what is wrong and not enough time for the consideration of what is already right, good and pleasant.  The life of a person of passion will be filled up like an inflated balloon offering joy to the little child who receives it but the life lacking thanks will be flat and miss out on the joy of a refreshing attitude.  We like the company of someone who will offer words that lift us up, not miss the pleasant things in life and will never ever ignore the opportunity to say, “Thank You very much.”  Be that person and allow others to be refreshed in your acquaintance.  

Looking up to say thanks offers a refreshing gift to God one that will return an excellent attitude and rebound in a certain refreshing of yourself.  That is why Thanksgiving is offered in Scripture to those who believe.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.  ( ^NLT Psalm 116:17)

Offering a praise to the Lord cannot be done without reflecting on the blessings that God’s grace has brought.  When we muse on the good that we have experienced, we take in spiritual oxygen and enrich our soul, try it today.  The believer in God above must think positively upon the world in which we live and find where in this life can I look to be thankful.  

        Are you living with real love and a passion for life? 

        Do you have a hope that is lined with fine perception?

        Does your faith have strength and fortitude?

Try making it a point to say, “Thank you very much” to someone and wait for the happy response you will receive.  Try it several times because ‘Thanks’ is becoming a rare expression to our broader society.  You will probably surprise the person you are addressing.  Try a life of thanks and God’s gracious response will fill you up so that return of being welcomed and free will refresh you, creating  another experience to look to and know that refreshing the soul really begins with you.

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.  

         Chaplain Horace E. Cutter