Reason for Joy

Imagine a world without Jesus Christ. I am not blind to the fact that many terrible things have been done in His name. However, I also know that because of Him, the world is a better place! He ended the time of brutal and blind justice expressed in the phrase "an eye for an eye," and taught us to forgive those who sin against us. This, He said, is how God treats those who come to Him seeking forgiveness. He took up the cause of the oppressed, the weak, the marginalized and taught us the value of all persons. At a time when children did not count for much, He held them in His arms and taught us that knowing God was possible only to the one with the faith and heart of a child. He took God from behind the curtains of the Temple and brought Him to us, teaching us that He is not just the Transcendent Almighty One. He is also the Waiting Father who looks down the road for us to come home. And, yes, He erased the debt of sin by becoming 'sin for us' and dying on the Cross as the Final Sacrifice.

No wonder the angels prefaced His birth with the announcement of "Good news of great joy for all the people!" In Luke 4, when Jesus was beginning His ministry, we are told that He read the prophecy of Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth, choosing this text - "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies." (Isaiah 61:1-2, NLT) Before He sat down that day, He astonished the congregation telling them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21, NKJV)

The prophecy He read alluded to the Year of Jubilee, the 50th year in the cycle of 7's that God told Israel to observe. At the end of the 7th cycle of 7's, debts were to be forgiven, slaves freed, and society was to be given a new beginning. It was a radical plan and most scholars agree that the Jews observed it only symbolically, if at all.

Jesus says that His ministry is a time of Jubilee - a new beginning, a time of cancelled debts, a era of freedom! And, dear Believer, that is the message He entrusts to you and to me. Wherever we go, in His Name, we announce a new era for humanity, a time of new hearts, fresh starts, and freedom. We are not people of the Letter of the Law that brings death. We are people of the Spirit, who gives Life.

It is my passion to have a ministry of grace that builds bridges for all people to know God's Presence and Power through Christ Jesus.

There is a message of Christmas that is sentimental and sweet, centered on a young mother, a patient father, and a Baby in a manger. However, that is not the Message of Christmas. The real message was the one that God sent to the shepherds - "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone 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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."(Luke 2:9-12, NIV) He is both Messiah and Master, the Promised One for whom you have longed for ages, and the One who will defeat sin, death, and Hell!

Believer, embrace that message. At the invitation of Christ, come home to your Father. He will give you back what sin stole from you, release you from the debts that enslave you, teach you how to live as God planned for you to live, and give you hope and a future. Wow! All that, and Heaven, too.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere!
Go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born!
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TFTD will be back on January 2. It's time to take a break, recharge the batteries, and spend some time with family.

Thank you for reading along for another year. I pray that my early morning musings on His Word are helping you to live in the Kingdom.

You're invited to be in Worship at the Assembly on Christmas Eve at 7 PM.
In a beautiful service of Carols and Communion, we will give thanks for our Jubilee!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!