What gifts are you carrying into 2025?

As we enter 2025, we carry with us the uncertainty and fragility that have defined recent times, marked by troubles, like natural disasters and global conflicts. Yet, in the midst of this upheaval, we are reminded of the transformative presence of Jesus, "Emmanuel," who disrupts not with death, but with the promise of life in its fullness. As we reflect on this holy season and face an unwritten future, we are challenged to consider what we  intentionally pack for the journey ahead, embracing faith, hope, and purpose.

What are we packing in our travel bags for 2025.

The Magi in search of the new king born packed the normal items -- toothbrushes, star maps, tents, food. But they safely tucked away gifts of value.  They were aware they were traveling to meet the king.

These were not just indiscriminate, random gifts…each had special significance because each symbolized a special attribute of our Lord Jesus.

1. THE GIFT OF GOLD

Gold is the king of metals.  By bringing gold to Jesus they were acknowledging that He is a King.  If we acknowledge that He is king of our lives -- we are saying that everything we are -- everything we have -- belongs to Him.

What does that imply? That if God is king -- He must have first place in everything. Our decisions, work, homes, marriages, time, talent and our treasure.

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

2. THE GIFT OF FRANKINCENSE

Frankincense is a fragrant perfume and represents our inner being.

Thoughts-devotion-emotions.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name. Bow down to the Lord in the splendour of holiness. Psalm 29:2

This speaks about our spirituality

The Prophet Micah asks:- “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted Lord.”?  Micah 6:6

If we are defined by what we own – that’s real poverty.

Frankincense symbolizes what is within a person. It is the fragrance of our spirituality?

Who we are, when nobody’s looking?  What fills our mind and thoughts when we’re alone?

 “as a man thinketh so is he” Proverbs 23:7

3. THE GIFT OF MYRRH

Myrrh is a bitter spice used for EMBALMING a body before burial.

It represents a picture of sorrow and suffering.

This is the supreme gift.  But strangely, it is the hardest gift to give because it is so costly.

The reason why sorrow hardens one person, and melts another, is just that one person keeps the sorrows internally, and the other offers it to God.

People generally can't face the pain of the world. Because it's too costly, you see. They strive to be blissfully unaware of the suffering in the world.

Carrying this gift takes something from you-it costs.

It involves our emotions as we become aware of their suffering – it can break our hearts.

It moves us into action using our talents. Takes time and effort.

It may mean sharing what we have with them. 

“If any of you wants to be my follower,’ Jesus told them,’ you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely.” Mark 8 : 34 (LB)

How do we include that gift in our travel pack? By equipping ourselves to stand alongside people.

These are the gifts of the Magi that were so preciously tucked away in their travel bags.

Finally, packing for 2025 is the beginning of a lifelong journey-we need to be careful what we pack.

The bottom line is actually:-

If we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, we will want to bring Him our costliest gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

How would that translate for you and I?

What will make our lives more meaningful in 2025? More money? More entertainment? More possessions? We are more than all of these! We need to turn to our Lord and Saviour and offer God our gifts.

My challenge to us:-

To trust God and put Him first in our lives whatever the new year brings.

A NEW YEAR PRAYER.

O Lord, we pray for your Spirit to lead us each step of the way this New Year. We ask that You guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire You above all else. We ask that You open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire You’ve put within our hearts.

Shine your light in us, through us, over us. May we make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes. Set your way before us. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done in and through our lives. May we reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing.

To You be glory and honour, in this New Year, and always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Parable explaining the deep meaning of Christmas

“Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that stuff about Incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer. “But I simply cannot understand this claim that God becomes man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

On Christmas Eve his wife and children went to church for the midnight service. He declined to accompany them. “I’d feel like a hypocrite,” he explained. “I’d rather stay at home. But I’ll wait up for you.”

Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and heavier. “If we must have Christmas,” he thought, “it’s nice to have a white one.” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another.

He thought that someone must be throwing snowballs at his living room window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the storm. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. “I can’t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze,” he thought. “But how can I help them?” Then he remembered the barn where the children’s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter.

He put on his coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But the birds didn’t come in. “Food will lure them in,” he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm lighted barn.

“They find me a strange and terrifying creature,” he said to himself, “and I can’t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .”

Just at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “Now I do understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why You had to do it.” ”

That was A Christmas Parable written by Louis Cassels many years ago, a simple but beautiful way to explain the mystery of Christmas.

“Now I see why You had to do it” he wrote. And indeed God had to do it, had to become one of us to make us understand because despite God’s best efforts throughout all the Old Testament we still didn’t get the message.

It was the best way to express His love by coming as an innocent baby, non-threatening, not confronting but simply helpless and vulnerable. He became man and dwelt among us and we have seen the love and compassion of our God expressed so wonderfully in Jesus Christ.

God has spoken to us, the Word has become flesh and we beheld His glory. Praise be to God.

A Little Boy’s Explanation of God

I certainly don’t think an adult could explain this more beautifully!

It was written by an 8-year old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA. He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to ‘’explain God’. I wonder if any of us could have done as well?

EXPLANATION OF GOD

One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

‘God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtimes. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he heard everything, there must be a terrible noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and shears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So, you shouldn’t go wasting time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.

Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.

Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.’

His dad(God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are Important for God to take care  of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.

You can pray anytime you want, and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.

You should always go to church on Sabbath because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God!

Don’t skip church on Sabbath because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God!

If you don’t believe in God, besides being n atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you are scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim, and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.”

But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime her pleases.

And …..that is why I believe in God!

Have an awesome day, and know that someone has thought about you!

True Peace

I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!   (John 16:33)
 
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would create a painting that best demonstrated peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the paintings, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.
 
One painting was of a beautiful and calm lake scene. The lake was a mirror reflecting the towering snowcapped mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Most who saw this painting thought that it was the perfect picture of peace.
 
The other painting had mountains too. But, these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and lightning danced. Down the side of one mountain, tumbled a turbulent waterfall. When the King looked, he saw that behind the waterfall grew a tiny bush from a crack in the rock. Within the bush a bird had built a nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird in her nest. The King chose this picture as the one best demonstrating peace.
 
People grumbled at the King’s choice. The king responded to the people saying that he chose the second picture because peace did not mean being in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. The King explained that true peace meant to be in the midst of all those things and yet still be calm in heart.
 
[Jim Liebelt, HomeWord Devotional www.homeword.com]

O LOVE THAT WILL NOT LET ME GO

At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was a student at college, was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancée, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She broke off the engagement.

George had three sisters who were very close to him and helped him through his studies.

The day came, however, in 1882, when one of his sisters fell in love and prepared for marriage herself. After the wedding George went to his home feeling despondent and lonely as his sister’s wedding brought back memories of his own broken relationship 20 years earlier. How was he going to face the future alone, having now lost the one who had encouraged and supported him.

It was in that moment of realization that he penned the words of that lovely hymn, “O love that would not let me go. Matteson later wrote that  “The hymn was the fruit of that suffering.”

The hymn celebrates the constancy of God's love––"love that wilt not let me go"––"light that follow'st all my way"––"joy that seekest me through pain."  It concludes by celebrating "Life that shall endless be."

Richard Donavan writes, “When I read the various accounts of Matheson's writing this hymn, one sentence struck me as especially important.  It was this––Matheson said, "The hymn was the fruit of that suffering."  There is an important lesson in that.  All of us suffer some sort of heartbreak or disappointment or disability at some point in our lives.  What makes all the difference is our response ––whether we let the hardship stop us or inspire us to greater effort. 

Matheson suffered two severe blows that could have stopped him in his ministry––the loss of his eyesight and the loss of his beloved.  In both cases, he made the best of a bad situation––and we are all the richer for it.  As this hymn reveals, it was his faith in God that kept him going through the adversities that he suffered.  He believed that God's love would not let him go––and that God's light would follow him all his way––and that God's joy would seek him through his pain––and that faith made all the difference.”

A PROFOUND PRINCIPLE OF LIFE

I was amazed when thinking about this principle of life. So simple, yet with far reaching consequences.

"Give, and it will be given to you". Scripture here refers to our actions and the consequence thereof. Often these words are used to explain the way we use our finances. If we give, we will receive. However, there is a far deeper meaning to these words. It encapsulates a profound truth about generosity and mutual benefit in every walk of life. This isn’t merely about material wealth, but encompasses, kindness, honesty, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, blessing, delight and so much more.  Mary Jo Leddy, explains it this way, “The air you breathe into the universe is the air that it will breathe back, and if your energy is right, it will renew itself even as you give it away."

What does that mean?

Picture a farmer sowing seeds in a vast field. If the farmer sows generously, the yield will be plentiful. Conversely, if the sowing is sparse, the harvest will be little. This analogy highlights the idea that the generosity and kindness we extend to others will return to us in kind.

Simply put, the air you breathe into the universe symbolizes the actions, thoughts, and energies you release into the world. If your energy is positive, compassionate, and generous, it will ripple back to you, replenishing and enriching your life. It is like throwing a pebble into a pond, it ripples out and then returns to where it began.

Another example of giving and receiving is this, when you give something away, your hand opens up. Now, it’s open to receive new things.

St Luke puts it this way, "For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" In essence, this passage invites us to cultivate a spirit of generosity and compassion, love and forgiveness, not only for the tangible benefits but also for the inherent joy and fulfillment that come from enriching the lives of others. It encourages us to trust in the cycle of giving and receiving, where acts of kindness create a ripple effect of positivity and abundance in the world around us and in our own lives.

A Gracious Act Changed a Young Person’s Life.

A young man comes up to a Rabbi at a wedding and introduces himself and the Rabbi replies, “Ah you were my student in the third grade. Haven’t seen you for a long time. What’s happened to you? What are you doing now?”

“Well, I am a teacher just like you.” the student replied.

“What inspired you to become a teacher?” the Rabbi enquired

“It was you.” The student replied.

“How did I inspire you to become a teacher?” the Rabbi asked.

“I saw what an impact you had on me, and I realized what an impact I could have on children, so I decided to go into education,” the student replied

“What impact did I have on you?” the Rabbi asked.

“You remember.” the student replied.

 “Remember what?” the Rabbi asked.

“I stole a watch in the class and another student reported that to you. You then asked the class, that, whoever took the watch, to give it back. No one responded. Then you locked door and asked everyone to stand against the wall and to close their eyes and went on to search each chap’s pocket. You found the watch in my pocket, took it out and continued to the end of the line. When we opened our eyes, you gave the watch to the rightful owner and said nothing more. When I thought of how you saved my dignity that day instead of embarrassing me in front of the whole class as a thief, as a liar, as a no gooder, as a despicable child,  you said nothing. You saved my soul, you saved my dignity. You did not mention this to anybody else, not to the owner but not even to me. Not once. It happened, it was over, I understood the message, and when I looked at that I said, this is what a teacher is, this is what a real educator is, this is what I want to be. Therefore, I went into education.” The student explained.

“Amazing.” the Rabbi responded.

‘But Rabbi, don’t you remember the story, when you see me and hear my name. When I stole the watch and what I did and what you did. You did not want to embarrass me with everyone’s eyes closed.” The student asked

“I would not know, I would not know who took the watch,” the rabbi said

“Why not, it is a pretty dramatic story,” the student said.

The Rabbi responded, “because I also closed my eyes.”

The Transformative Power of Forgiveness

Over the years in ministry, I have discovered that everyone is wounded and everyone wounds. We all need forgiveness, and we all need to forgive. We hurt others and have been hurt.

Some feel so bad that they can’t believe that God can forgive them. 

Likewise, when we have been hurt our first instinct is to retaliate, which makes the situation worse. The only real power you have over someone who hurts you is the power of forgiveness. So, for your own sake forgive them and move on. As someone said, “To err is human, to forgive is divine’. Yes, it is difficult, but trust in the Lord and He will give you the grace to forgive.

The truth here is when you accept that God has forgiven you of your past, you are empowered to forgive others who have hurt you.

Let me illustrate this in a situation I had in my ministry years ago. A young couple came to ask me to officiate at their marriage. During the interviews I realized that the young lady was struggling with her past life. She asked for help, and I had a few counselling sessions with her. She recounted that in her early life she was an only child. Her mother was physically handicapped. Her father was an alcoholic who would return home in the evening after work, intoxicated, and in a foul mood, he would take out his frustrations on her. Out of fear for him she would hide. He would verbally and physically abuse her. Then one day he deserted the family and never returned. Shortly afterwards her mother passed away. Child Welfare stepped in and placed her with family who unfortunately further abused her, so that by the age of 16 she ran away.  At 18 years of age, she met Peter a loving young man of 23 who took her under his wing and loved her unconditionally. However, she admitted that her past hounded her, she needed to let go of her bitterness and hatred towards her family. After much reflection she accepted the forgiveness of God and was able to forgive her family, and especially her father.

About 6 months after her wedding, she came and told me she wanted to find her father and to tell him personally she had forgiven him. It took some searching, but after many false alarms she eventually found him in a very poor condition. She immediately took him into her home where she nursed him. After a few weeks of love and care, he asked her why she had searched for him, after his abusive behaviour towards her and her mother.  Her answer was brief. “I wanted to find you to forgive you for what you did to me.” “Why, what made you do that?” he asked. She replied, “God has forgiven me for my wrongdoing, and I wanted to forgive you”. With that he broke down and they wept together. He then confessed that he left home because he realized what he was doing to her and feared that he would kill her in one of his drunken states’.

In the power of receiving God’s forgiveness, she was able to forgive her father!

Forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you risk remaining trapped in the torture of resentment.

Forgiveness happens when you can view the offender with compassion.

The love of God gives us the possibility of the newness of life that forgiving and being forgiving brings.

Its Never Too Late to Start Over

The resurrection of Jesus promises that things can always be new again.
 
That means it’s never too late to start over. Nothing is irrevocable. No betrayal is final. No sin is unforgivable. Every form of death can be overcome. There isn’t any loss that can’t be redeemed. Every day is virgin.
 
In the resurrection we are assured that there are no doors that are eternally closed, every time we close a door, or one is closed on us, God opens another for us. The resurrection assures us that God never gives up on us, even if we give up on ourselves, that God writes straight with the crooked lines of our lives, that we can forever re-virginize, regain lost innocence, become post-sophisticated, and move beyond bitterness. In a scheme of things where Jesus breathes out forgiveness on those who betray him and God raises dead bodies from the dead, we can begin to believe that in the end all will be well and every manner of being will be well and everything, including our own lives, will eventually end sunny side up.
 
However, the challenge of living this out is not just that of believing that Jesus rose physically from the grave, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, to believe that – no matter our age, mistakes, betrayals, wounds, and deaths – we can begin each day afresh, virgin, innocent again, a child, a moral infant, stunned at the newness of it all. No matter what we’ve done, our future is forever pregnant with wonderful new possibility. Resurrection is not just a question of one day, after death, rising from the dead, but it is also about daily rising from the many mini-graves within which we so often find ourselves…                                                                     Ron Rolheiser 

Jesus reassures us in 1:John 11:25-26
I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? 

Does Evil Exist?

Does evil exist?

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"

"God created everything? The professor asked.

"Yes sir", the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colours and study the various wavelengths of each colour. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name — Albert Einstein.