| Author | Message | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 12106 Registered: 12-2003  |
I was "swiffer-ing" the kitchen floor for our Christmas Eve dinner tonight, and I got to thinking about what this night means. This night we celebrate the birth of a human baby who was almighty, undiminished God on earth. He came, as I heard an Adventist pastor say very recently, to tell us we do not have to be afraid, and to tell us we do not have to save ourselves. But that message leaves me with the lingering question: HOW? What does that mean? Jesus did not come as a mere representative of God; He Was/Is God. He came and showed us the Father not by being a person who "perfectly reflected" God but by being Very God within a body of flesh. He showed us God by BEING GOD. He came expressly to save us from sin—sin into which we are conceived and born. We are by nature sinners deserving God's wrath. John 3:18 even says that those who believe will not come into condemnation; those who do not believe are condemned already. We are born condemned—but Jesus wasn't. He was God, spiritually alive from conception. Jesus came as our substitute. He initiated an entirely new reality: a living way to the Father through His body by the blood of the eternal covenant. Jesus came to die a merciless death, becoming our sin, and defeating death, thus removing from us the curse of His own law of sin and death. He became sin; He died our death; we can live eternally by being born again, born from above—born into a completely NEW "race": the sons of God adopted by the Father because of the blood of Jesus. By believing He died for us, by entrusting our lives to Him, we pass from death to life (Jn 5:24), and we become heirs of God. Rejoice this Christmas Eve! Our Savior has come to us! He is not a mere reassurance; God indeed is to be feared if we do not believe. But He became our ransom. This reality is why He came on that Holy Night. His personal sacrifice is the reason the angels sang that night: salvation had finally come to earth! All humanity was given hope because of Jesus. Celebrate Jesus tonight; ask Him to be real to you in a completely new way. Open your heart to Him and entrust to Him all your doubt and fear and sadness. In Him is hope and life and light and love! Merry Christmas, my dear forum family! Colleen | ||
| Alison1 Registered user Username: Alison1 Post Number: 12 Registered: 10-2010 |
Colleen, thank you so much for your wonderful thoughts on Christmas and what it is all about. Thank you so much. Best wishes to you and your family. And to those who have provided wonderful insightful articles in the Proclamation. Best wishes to all this season. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 8854 Registered: 3-2004  |
Thank you Colleen, Jesus is truly the reason for this season. It is all about HIM. Diana L | ||
| Karethamiller Registered user Username: Karethamiller Post Number: 136 Registered: 8-2010  |
Merry Christmas to everyone here at FAF :-) | ||
| Michaelmiller Registered user Username: Michaelmiller Post Number: 207 Registered: 7-2010  |
Merry Christmas y'all! | ||
| Hec Registered user Username: Hec Post Number: 1554 Registered: 3-2009 |
Merry Christmas everybody! Hec | ||
| Pnoga Registered user Username: Pnoga Post Number: 443 Registered: 1-2007  |
Merry Christmas FAFers. Paul | ||
| Paulcross Registered user Username: Paulcross Post Number: 124 Registered: 4-2005 |
Merry Christmas! To the FAF family and community, May God - Jesus the Christ come to stay in your humbled heart this Christmas... God Bless! PC | ||
| Joyfulheart Registered user Username: Joyfulheart Post Number: 798 Registered: 10-2006 |
Merry Christmas to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! May we all grow closer to Jesus - our substitute, LORD and Savior this year. Patty | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 964 Registered: 2-2008  |
Sweet Colleen! It is overwhelming to think about all our Father has lavished on us... Merry Christmas Everyone! vivian | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 782 Registered: 8-2008 |
Amen Colleen! I was reflecting on that last night as well. Christmas means so much more after leaving Adventism. Jesus didn't come to be our example. The Eternal God came into this world to give His life as a ransom for many! | ||
| Grace_alone Registered user Username: Grace_alone Post Number: 1840 Registered: 6-2006  |
Christmas blessings dear friends!!  Leigh Anne | ||
| Alison1 Registered user Username: Alison1 Post Number: 14 Registered: 10-2010 |
Just checking in to see if everyone had a good Christmas day. My was good and enjoyable. | ||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 2328 Registered: 5-2007  |
Here is a nursery rhyme that we would sing or recite just before Christmas back when I was young and times were tough. Mother first sang it to me when we were living in a one room house with a wood kitchen range for cooking and heating and no running water. It brought joy and peace to me even when we had very little in the way of material blessings by reminding me that some people didn’t even have a half a penny. Christmas Is Coming Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat Please put a penny in the old man's hat If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you! Merry Christmas to each and every one of my FAF brothers and sisters. Fearless Phil | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 8858 Registered: 3-2004 |
Praying each of you had a very Merry Christmas. Diana L | ||
| Skeeter Registered user Username: Skeeter Post Number: 1183 Registered: 12-2007 |
I know its late in the day,,, but hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas ! Francie | ||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 2330 Registered: 5-2007 |
Here is how Christmas day started for me: I want to share what turned out to be an act of friendship that was a blessing to me yesterday, Christmas morning. Normally, I have Saturday breakfast at the only restaurant that is open at 6:00am in the next town, over the hills about eight miles from home. When I arrived at my usual time of 5:45am the waitress was out front with several of my buddies all of whom were having their morning smoke because in this state it is illegal to smoke in a public building. Anyway, she says “we are not open ‘tell 8 and there is no cook but you can have coffee”. However, she fired up the grills and made me breakfast anyway and simply said; “Merry Christmas”. I felt very blessed by her act of friendship and kindness and simply wanted to share what friends around here do for each other. Later, when the cook did show up as scheduled, he was upset to find his grills all ready going, but then settled down and expressed the idea to me that I must be pretty special to have breakfast made by someone who wasn’t on the clock and didn’t even have to let me in the door. Fearless Phil | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 12109 Registered: 12-2003 |
Phil, that's awesome! It's especially awesome that someone was there at that hour on Christmas, and the gift of "off the clock" breakfast will make this Christmas memorable for you. What a truly lovely thing she did! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 8864 Registered: 3-2004 |
What a gift God gave to you Phil. I know you will pass it on to others. Diana L |
