The Grinch That Tried To Steal Christmas

SCRIPTURE

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

~Matthew 2:16, NLT

QUOTE

Herod the Great was a barbarian, a malevolent maniac.

~Josephus

The Wise Men got Herod shook up when they rode into town asking questions; especially this one,“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Herod the Great was a cruel dictator who was obsessed with power. The Jews feared him but they had no desire to worship him. He was ruthless. He had his mother-in-law executed. Perhaps you are thinking “so what, if I had his power, I might do the same.” Well, it gets worse, he had a brother-in-law executed, two sons and one of his ten wives. When he realized that the Wise Men had out foxed him, he was furious. He sent his soldiers back to Bethlehem and they slaughtered every male child two years old and younger.

God spoke to Joseph in a dream and warned him to flee Herod’s wrath. Joseph woke Mary up in the middle of the night and they left for Egypt. Some think they used the gold given to them by the Wise Men to finance their trip and stay in Egypt. In the movie, Herod’s executioners get there the next morning after Joseph and Mary have fled to Egypt. Herod died a few years later in misery and pain.

What a contrast between Herod the king and Jesus the King of kings. The Romans gave Herod power when he was 25 years old. He used it and abused it and then lost it forever. Jesus was born a KING, He had power from birth. He used His power to help others. Jesus power will never be diminished!

What kind of power do you have? Will you use it to help others? 

• Two more office days until Christmas.
• Today we pray for FAMILY. Why don’t we focus on families who will be missing a family member this Christmas. Grief seems to be a heavier burden during the holidays.
• Preston is better and Katie Sparkman is tired and wants rest. All the children are doing well as far as I know.
• Edward T. is home; I saw him from a distance.
• If any of you SMITH LAKE folks need some trees to bait your Crappie holes, there are plenty at church. You can’t miss them, Marty put them in the front. Get a truck load.
• Deacon and wives meet this Sunday at 8:55 on the money. Biscuits and donuts will be there around 8:45. LCBS at 9:00 and worship at 10:15. LORD willing we are preaching on HE WHO IS BORN KING OF THE JEWS. No pm services.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

SCRIPTURE

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

~Micah 5:2, NKJV

QUOTE

The gospel is the one gift that when given becomes a greater treasure to the giver.

~Yaakov

COMMENTARY

The Christmas story is not about Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, stables or mangers. The thing that made Bethlehem famous is that Jesus was born there. The angels showed up to announce His birth. The stable became a gathering place for the lowly shepherds to worship and praise God because the Christ Child was born in this stable. In other words, if you remove Christ from the first Christmas then all you are left with is a little town, a stinky stable, and a host of people like the shepherds that we would have never heard about. All the activity surrounding this holy night focused on Jesus. Even as an infant He transformed a stable into a cathedral, shepherds into evangelist and He made the little town of Bethlehem the most famous village on the planet. Jesus transforms places and people and there is nothing that the unbelieving world can do about it. Join the shepherds in sharing the good news about Jesus. Every time we share the gospel, our lives are enriched. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

EXTRA

We have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for and we will begin with Ryder’s profession of faith. What a great way to conclude a worship celebration, plus we get to celebrate Baptism next Sunday which makes 7 of the last 10. Then I was thrilled with the crowd for supper last night. We have not had a turn out like this for a Christmas supper in a while. I enjoyed it very much and I do appreciate the church family sharing a meal with us at such a special time. I also want to thank so many for their Acts of Kindness. First of all, I want to thank you for your prayers. A beautiful young woman hugged me yesterday morning and whispers in my ear, “I’ve been praying for you.” It was sweet music to my ear, there is no greater gift! We appreciate all the prayers, cards, Cracker Barrel gift cards [that we will get to use], money, candy, etc. Your kindness is overwhelming. Two angels showed up at our house yesterday evening with a box of goodies. Your kindness never stops. Thank YOU DBC!  All my grandchildren were at the supper last night, TYJ! Jay, Liz, Andy and Emily Gordon were with us last night. Jay is an Executive Pastor at a large church in Arkansas. I wish a multi-billionaire that loved Jesus and tithed [to the local church] would join DBC and then we could call Jay to be our Executive Pastor. One other thing… you aren’t going to believe it: I have figured out how to download my I-Phone to my computer without erasing all my numbers: PTL! I keep forgetting to show you my picture of the Shipley Triplets…Walker, Sellers and Eli Meade [not Shipley].

Christmas Supper

DBC Children Listen to Christmas Story

Family And Christmas

SCRIPTURE: So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. It was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. [Luke 2:4, ERV]

QUOTE: A happy family is but an earlier heaven [a foretaste of glory divine]. ~George Bernard Shaw

COMMENTARY: I made 18 visits yesterday and came home with one solid observation–FAMILIES make Christmas. I do not mean that family is more important than Christ: nothing is more important than Jesus. I simply mean that having family to celebrate with makes a huge difference. No one should be alone on Christmas. Observe, look around, is there someone you need to adopt today? Is there someone you need to visit? A call or a card will remind them that they are not forgotten but a visit will reaffirm that you really care.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS