“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”  -Luke 2:17-18

Last week, I talked about the shepherds.  No one would have believed that angels would appear to shepherds. But, as heaven’s light blinded and terrified them, an angel personally delivered a birth announcement. The first thing out of the angel’s mouth was, “don’t be afraid!”  

So, let me see if I have this right. We believe that God miraculously impregnated a woman without any human physical contact. We believe this baby was born in a stable in Bethlehem. We believe this baby was “God in flesh,” God’s son. We believe angels appeared in the sky to shepherds.  

Why would God come to earth and why would angels seek out a few shepherds to inform of this great event?

As of 10:31 p.m. on Monday night November 27, we are ready for Christmas.

We made sure our calendars were in sync and reviewed all the events and activities that would shape our 2017 Christmas experience. Our next full free day will be Monday, December 25.  

Between now and then, our calendar looks pretty much the same as yours: dinners, parties, programs, and worship services. Add to that rehearsals, weekend message prep, deadlines for sermon series coming the first quarter of 2018, creative team meetings, video shoots, all leading up to 14 Christmas Eve services on December 23 and 24, and the season of busyness is in full swing. 

One of the more frequent questions I get as a pastor is: “How can I know God’s will for my life?”  

In my early years as a pastor, I assumed there was a specific answer to that question. And the answer was usually about a career path. Thirty some years later, I’ve learned that God’s will for our lives is rarely a specific answer, but a series of answers--all of which are found in the bible.

This past Sunday, I spoke on the subject of generosity.

That’s a more palatable way to say that I spoke on the biblical concept of tithing. I’ve been the Senior Pastor of this church for 32 years and in the past, I’ve approached the subject with great trepidation or I’ve avoided it. And on the few occasions I have addressed the subject, I’ve done so only after apologizing.

I want to introduce you to some more heroes.  

These are heroes I never knew personally.  But they are men and women who demonstrated a “heroic” faith and their names are forever remembered in the eleventh chapter of the New Testament book of Hebrews.