Immanuel. In Hebrew it means “God With Us.” (“El,” means God and Immanu means “with us.”) It is a name we don’t invoke often. In most cases, pastors pull out this name and dust it off every year at Christmas, and we talk about the birth of Christ and the Christmas star, and the...
It could have been so simple. Just a snap of the divine fingers and it could have all been over with. Sin could have been out, grace could have replaced law, and people could have been forgiven on the spot. He created the world, He was certainly powerful enough to change the world and...
Was it a cold night? Was there something in the air not felt before? We can only guess what it must have been like. Some people only think about it once a year. Others think about it and know that it means much more than what it seems. How does it make sense, anyway?...
Imagine for a moment that you were present when Jesus was born. Imagine how Mary must have felt. Can you see her? A poor, young, scared girl aware of what she will be doing but unaware of how it will all play out. She is tired from her journey and the pains of childbirth...
It was the second most magical moment in all of time. The first was when He created life. As the angels watched in amazed silence, God re-connected with his creation after thousands of years of separation. It had been part of the plan ever since man chose sin over Godliness. Even before He did...
Dirt. Her feet were caked in it from a long day’s journey. She desperately needed to bathe and she longed for a soft bed. But her present surroundings were a far cry from the cleanliness she desired. There may not be blankets in this meager stable, but there is plenty of dirt for people...
By now you’ve heard the story every Christmas since your birth. A Child was born in Bethlehem to a poor carpenter and his wife. The carpenter wasn’t the father. In fact, an angel appeared and said the child was a King and was from God. The birth itself was unremarkable and took place in...
My child, I have seen you struggling and I know the hardships of your life. I know all that you have been feeling, even the things you wouldn’t dare tell others. I can see beyond the mask you wear. I know the real you, the one behind the mask. The one that’s dying to...
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”-John 4:28-29 She walks the long hot road on an equally long and hot day. Her feet are sore, but not as...
A tax collector, a Samaritan woman, and an adulteress. What could this trio possibly have in common? Everything in the world. Every one of them was a social outcast. Alone, with only a string of failures and a hardened heart to keep them company. Every one of them friendless. Not a friend in the...
