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“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you he is Christ the Lord.’
Luke 2: 8-12
We celebrate a lot of things during this season. For many Christmas has become a secular holiday where toys and gifts are exchanged and families come together. For more, it has become a celebration of Santa, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, or Jack Frost. For others, it has become a season of crass commercialism where businesses are made or lost. For more still, it has become a season of 50% off sales, the hottest new toy, or the newest electronic invention designed to tickle our fancy but not encourage our Spirit.
Therefore during this season, we need to hold tighter to what is true and what will last. The truth is that during this season we celebrate that Jesus, the Son of God and the Savior of the World was born. We celebrate that he is the salvation of the world, the savior of our souls, and the sacrificial lamb for our sins. We celebrate that Jesus came to this earth to heal the broken hearted, to set the captives free and set at liberty those that were bruised. He came to give us life and to give us life more abundantly. He came to seek and save the lost.
This is why we should celebrate Jesus. He loves us, he saved us, he heals us, he sets us free, he redeems us, he provides for us, he cares for us, he rejoices over us, and he suffered and died for us.
How should we celebrate? The bible says, “ That we should love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our mind.” We celebrate him then with our love, our hearts, our emotions, with our feelings, with our thoughts, with our praise, with our worship, and with everything that is in us! During this season let us focus on celebrating the blessor and not the blessings, and the blessor is Jesus Christ.
December 13th, God moved mightily as always during the worship service. The Praise Ensemble ushered us into the spirit of worship rendering the following selections, Mighty to Save, How Great is Our God, I Love You Lord Today, and the song before pastor’s word was Mary Did You Know sung by Brother Hasker Thomas. Pastor continued preaching his Advent sermon series, “The Season of Advent.” Advent means the coming of Christ. It celebrates the four principles of hope, peace, love and joy. Part three of Pastor Holston’s series was titled “Jump for Joy” and it came from Zephaniah 3: 14-20. Pastor Holston reminded us that, “Even in this season we need to Rejoice!”
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Luke 10:33-35
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Four Principles of Loving Your Neighbor
1. He changed his Schedule. To be a good neighbor we often have to change our plans. The Samaritan was on a journey on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He could have simply kept to his schedule like so many of us do and make it to Jericho as quickly as possible. But instead he changed his schedule for someone else. Many of us are too busy with the cares of this world to take the time to reach out to others. We must have the courage to change our lives for others.
2. He left his Comfort Zone. The road to Jericho was a dangerous place. Often bands of robbers would lay in wait on this road ready to attack unsuspecting travelers. Unlike the other two travelers, the Samaritan went beyond his comfort zone to come to where the man was hurt. Every day hurt people are laying around us but how many of us will leave the comfort zone of our homes, cars or places of employment to come to the places where people are hurting.
3. He felt Compassion. He felt a deep sympathy and sorrow for the man and felt a great need to end his suffering. But he did not just feel compassion but the compassion moved him to action. We often feel compassion for the needs of others but how often are we moved to action. A neighbor is a person of action.
4. He Bound his Wounds. He saw his pain but did not judge him for it. He did not ask how the man got in this situation. He did not blame him for being attacked by robbers. He did not chastise him for failing to protect himself. He did not gossip to others about the man’s wounds. He simply bound up his wounds. We often judge people for their wounds. We judge them for their addictions, their sins, their weakness, their faults and their mistakes instead of binding their wounds and leading them to true healing.
We pray that God will allow us to truly love our neighbors as God commands us to do. May God give you peace in this season.
“For I was a hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer , Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you? Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ Matthew 25: 42-45
Truly one of the most powerful verses of the bible, Jesus, the son of God , at the last supper announces that he identifies himself with the least and the lost of this world. Jesus, second person of the true God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Bright and Morning Star, the Lilly of the Valley, our Redeemer, our Savior, and our Lord says to the world that not ministering to the needs of the least people of the world is exactly the same as not ministering to him.
In this celebrity crazied society which worships the rich and famous, people are constantly try to identify themselves with the rich and power. We do this by following their lives through magazines, television, and the internet. We purchase clothes with their pictures or their names on it. We buy their colognes or perfumes to be like them. We buy cars, boats, watches or other items they endorse to be close to them. Some even change their facial appearance to look like their favorite celebrity.
In stark contrast, Jesus does not indentify himself with the rich, the power, and the celebrities of the world. He identifies himself with the poor, the powerless, the inconsequential or as he says it, ”the least of these’. He says to the world if least are not fed then he is not fed, if the least are sick then he is sick, if the least are thirsty then he is thirsty, and if the least are lonely in prison then he is lonely in prison.
Through this parable Jesus is saying a Christian must identify himself not with the rich and famous, but with those in need. Their needs become our needs. Their thirst becomes our thirst. Their hunger becomes our hunger. Their sickness becomes our sickness. Their pain becomes our pain. Only through this shared suffering can we all have hope. A hope that does not die, that does not fail, and that does not disappoint. A hope that is in Jesus.
Who do you Identify With?