HOPE

If there is any one thing that needs renewal in 2011, it is hope. Resolutions may be made, but many collect dust as they lay unattended in the closest of good intentions. Circumstances may or may not get better, and whether we admit it or not, are often outside of our control. There is, however, a hope that can be renewed which isn’t totally dependent upon us, nor on our circumstances getting better, but on God.

There is a song I used to sing as a child. It was written by Wendell Loveless in 1940 as he saw the world in the throes of war. There was one thing in which he took comfort: that he belonged to God. The words go like this:

What though wars may come,
With marching feet and beat of the drum,
For I have Christ in my heart;
What though nations rage,
As we approach the end of the age,
For I have Christ in my heart.
God is still on the throne, Almighty God is He;
And He cares for His own through all eternity.
So let come what may, whatever it is, I only say
That I have Christ in my heart,
I have Christ in my heart.


Can you sense his confidence? his hope? The source of comfort in the midst of chaos?

Our theme verse for 2011 is found in Romans 15.4

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Over the next year at the Occidental Community Church we’ll be focusing on the 3 ways to renew our hope: through instruction of God’s Word, endurance and the encouragement we receive from God’s Word. All three are like cousins and together forge a formidable alliance that can renew our hope in our Sovereign Lord who is on the throne.

We do not know what the future holds, but we do belong to the One who holds the future. So fellow believers in Christ, keep your hope alive for the day of Christ is near!

Blessings,
Pastor Pete

God Keeps His Promises

Christmas is the most special of times. As a child, I could never have imagined a life without Christmas. With all of the ornaments and tinsel, cookies and pie, parties and pageants, hot cider and caroling, Santa and presents. As a Christian, I cannot begin to imagine life without it, for Christmas reminds me that God keeps His promises.

There are hundreds of promises in the Bible. Being true to His word, God has kept each one. Those not yet fulfilled are still on His “to do” list. The very first promise in the Bible was given to Adam and Eve, that through her offspring a deliverer would come to save the human race from sin. From that point on people have anticipated God keeping his promise by waiting for a deliverer. At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of the One whom God did send, for God kept His promise. The Bible says that at the right time God sent His Son to earth, that we might believe in Jesus and receive that which was promised.

One of my all time favorite Christmas Carols is a song written by Emily Elliott in the mid 1800’s. Growing up in an English church which taught religious practice more than relationship with God, her words capture the very essence of what Christmas is all about. Emily wrote, “O come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee!” Today, in pursuit of the perfect Christmas, we get caught up in all of the trappings and wrappings of the holiday and forget Whose day this really is. For Christmas is a birthday celebration. The Bible says in John 3.16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son.”

Instead of coming into the world as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus came as a helpless baby, born into a working class family that happened to be homeless. Just as Bethlehem was busy and crowded the night Mary and Joseph looked for a room, our own lives, and especially the way that we celebrate Christmas, causes us to be overly busy so that Jesus is crowded out of our lives. Our busyness, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year, echoes loudly the Inn Keepers words, “There is no room.” In all the fanfare of Christmas and religious practice, we forget that it was God who broke into human history in order to bring forgiveness of sins and to show us a better way.

“O come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee!” This is truly the mystery of Christmas, for Jesus was born 2,000 years ago, yet can be born in our hearts today. If you do not have Jesus in your heart, you do not know what you are missing. If you have Jesus, don’t get too busy and forget Him, for He is the reason for the season.

Lord, in the hustle and bustle of life, may we take time to quiet ourselves before You and meditate on the true glory of Christmas, which is Jesus Christ, the Lord. He alone is our hope.

Blessings,
Pastor Pete