What a fantastic night we had in our Christmas production last night. Really great to see our neighbours in and many new faces amongst the crowd. The message of the evening was loud, clear and undeniable. In all the festivities Where is Jesus?
Every day we all have those ‘Where Is’ moments, most of them quite incidental from the children asking where the gym kit is to anything for meals, keys, clothes and the rest! Of course the Christmas story has one great ‘Where Is’ question right at the heart of all that was going on. The astrologers were precise at their following of the star which had led them to the right area, but the star had gone and the men went direct to the accepted chief – Herod. Their simple question, born out of their research, was ‘Where is the one born king of the Jews’ then the star re appeared to lead them right to the answer to their question. Amazing how God revealed Himself to them in terms they would understand as he always has done.
In asking the ‘Where Is’ question the assumption is that something is not in the place it is meant to be……..so ‘Where is Jesus’? many people leave him back in the manger, some remember the dying on a cross and believe that to be the end, others have simply read the story and leave Jesus on the pages of a book called the bible. For many of you reading this there is a greater answer to the question ‘Where Is Jesus’? because you know that you have welcomed the living Christ out of the manger, through resurrection from death, the word becoming flesh into your life and you live with the presence of God’s life in the form of Jesus in your daily world!
My challenge is not to leave Jesus, but to take him home with you! which, as a Christian you may feel not relevant But! I am constantly aware that Christian homes sometimes just give Jesus His own room as a lodger, and he doesn’t mix with the family. So this Christmas-time can I remind you of what I have been saying over recent days – keep Christmas spiritual! take the chance to read the story as a family. Find a separate twenty minutes to all thank God for coming down to earth. Have a Christmas card amongst your collection that all your household signs to thank God for Jesus. Make sure you get to church on Christmas day and show your family the importance of the occasion….. he is the reason for the season!
Have a very happy Christmas with Jesus as the centrepiece to everything you do!
Steve
Steve Speight (Rev)
Emmanuel Christian Centre
Lichfield
steve@emmanuellichfield.com
www.emmanuellichfield.com
