Bible Lutheran Church
  • Home
    • Constitution-By-Laws
  • COVID-19
  • Worship
  • Pastor's Page
  • BLC Blog
  • Calendar
  • Who We Are

True Christmas Joy!

12/23/2020

 
Picture
The past several months have been very taxing and stressful for many folks. This year many of the traditional practices have been set aside.
READ MORE...
Over the months we have limited our travel options and have known family and friends who have suffered an impact from COVID. In a way, all this seems to come to a crescendo now as Christmas Day approaches. Many of us will not have the joy of family gatherings that have been infused into our Christmas celebrations. ​
It would certainly be a wonderful Christmas present if, by some great miracle, all the precautions we’ve been exercising and all the changes which have been placed into daily life could be completely gone. Wouldn’t that be a super Christmas present? Everyone could get back to the pattern of life that we had before the pandemic issues, before the political pressures. The qualities of life, which are normally just part of each day, would return
Often, at Christmas time, we are fond of remembering the way Christmas was celebrated when we were young. ​​One of my favorite memories of Christmas is the Christmas Eve service at church when I was a young boy.  It was a large church, made of stone. The sanctuary had a high, peak ceiling with dark, wooden, arched beams crossing over the pews. The evening service was lighted more softly than a Sunday morning service.
Picture
The Christmas tree was covered with white lights and the candles placed in each window up and down the side aisles gave a warm, soft glow, a counterpoint to the snow falling outside. Thinking back to such Christmases past, it is easy to long for the qualities that seemed to saturate those days.

​Matthew’s Gospel helps us with this spirit, chapter one, verses eighteen to twenty-five:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Picture
It is such a blessing to think about that first Christmas detailed for us by the Gospel writers.  Through Faith, we can view that most special night in our mind’s eye. It is beyond our imagination to grasp what it must have been for The Lord. Our God is the one who loved us so much that He came right here among us so that we could know Him. He came here as an infant so that He could truly be one of us and so that we could learn to approach Him with love in our hearts and joy in our step and a song on our lips.
The ultimate gift from God for His people.

​+Pastor Rod

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    -Meet Pastor Rod-
    Pastor Rod, a life-long Lutheran,  graduated from the University of Minnesota and Concordia Theological Seminary. 

    As a ‘retired Pastor’, Rod stays busy serving local pulpits, leading worship in Senior resident facilities, and writing for the blog.
    ​
    Pastor Rod lives in Savannah with his wife Deb along with their four- legged furry children (their doggies of course).

    With Deb, Pastor Rod especially loves to travel spending time with children & grandchildren.

    ​But most notably, Pastor Rod looks great in a hat!

    Categories

    All
    1 John
    1 Peter
    1st Timothy
    1 Thessalonians
    1 Timothy
    Bible
    Christmas
    Deuteronomy
    Ecclesiastes
    Ephesians
    Ezekiel
    Genesis
    Graduation
    Grief
    Hebrews
    Hope
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Luke
    Malachi
    Mark
    Matthew
    Pastor Rod
    Philippians
    Psalm
    Revelation
    Romans

    Other Interest
    Pastor Bob LeFavi
    ​Inspirational Sermons

    Podcast - Listen here
    Picture
HOME        COVID-19       WORSHIP        CALENDAR        WHO WE ARE        PASTOR'S PAGE       BLC BLOG        CONTACT US        OPEN POSITIONS
 
​​
​BIBLE LUTHERAN CHURCH
812 BLUE JAY ROAD
RINCON, GA 31326
912-826-2710
Contact Us
Picture
Picture
Picture


​Bible Lutheran Church Constitution & By-Laws
We Invite You to Visit
Sunday Worship Service
8:45 am Sunday School
(for all ages)
​
10:00 am Service with Holy Communion
Nursery Available
COVID Worship Protocol

​Bible Lutheran Church Rincon GA all rights reserved
  • Home
    • Constitution-By-Laws
  • COVID-19
  • Worship
  • Pastor's Page
  • BLC Blog
  • Calendar
  • Who We Are