"Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man- His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God- when we present our bodies a living sacrifice" (Vance Havner).
The story of the baby Jesus is so much more than a myth or a nice "children's story."
The baby Jesus was born supernaturally by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He grew up to be a man and lived a sinless life,
as a man He went to the cross and sacrificed His life to pay for our sins,
He arose from the dead to give us the hope of eternal life, and
He lives in us to give us His Hope, Peace, and Joy!
As the angel said to the shepherds on a hillside near Bethlehem ...
"... Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people" (Lk 2.10).
As we discussed this past Sunday, biblical joy is the outcome of a life lived with and for God. It is not something we can fabricate. It is a supernatural work of God in our lives that comes out of the "great exchange." God gave to us His Son and in exchange we give to Him ourselves as a living sacrifice. The result of this "great exchange" is the release of God's supernatural hope, peace, and joy in our lives.
May your home be filled with the presence and power of God this Christmas season. As Jesus said to Zaccheus, "hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (Lk 19:5). Do not let the busyness of this season rob you of time to reflect on the significance of the Christmas story. It is nothing less than amazing.
Jesus wants to come to your house and my house this season, as well!
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
Pastor Gary and the Elders and Staff of COTRM
He grew up to be a man and lived a sinless life,
as a man He went to the cross and sacrificed His life to pay for our sins,
He arose from the dead to give us the hope of eternal life, and
He lives in us to give us His Hope, Peace, and Joy!
As the angel said to the shepherds on a hillside near Bethlehem ...
"... Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people" (Lk 2.10).
As we discussed this past Sunday, biblical joy is the outcome of a life lived with and for God. It is not something we can fabricate. It is a supernatural work of God in our lives that comes out of the "great exchange." God gave to us His Son and in exchange we give to Him ourselves as a living sacrifice. The result of this "great exchange" is the release of God's supernatural hope, peace, and joy in our lives.
May your home be filled with the presence and power of God this Christmas season. As Jesus said to Zaccheus, "hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (Lk 19:5). Do not let the busyness of this season rob you of time to reflect on the significance of the Christmas story. It is nothing less than amazing.
Jesus wants to come to your house and my house this season, as well!
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
Pastor Gary and the Elders and Staff of COTRM
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