Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, December 25, 2022
Our culture tells us that we are supposed to go home for Christmas. For some, that is easy, and others, not so much.
The message of Christmas is home is wherever we are when we are with Jesus.
God is inviting us to drag all our hopes and fears and lay them at the manger.
We all come to the manger together, the weary, the joyful.
The prophet Isaiah begins his announcement of God doing a new thing by saying, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined" (Isaiah 9:2).
As Christians, we grab hold of the promise of Isaiah's prophecy and claim its benefits as our own. The child promised in Isaiah to be Emmanuel is who we find in Jesus. Jesus is God with us.
Christmas means God shows up. God shows up where the hurt is real.
Christmas announces that when it looks like the inn may be full, and you are not wanted, or you are not sure if there is a way for you to be home, God says I am making way for you to be at home with me.
Welcome home!
Prayer of the Week
Gracious God, thank you for the invitation to come home. We confess that we struggle with receiving the gift of your Son. We have forgotten how to hope for miracles. We have ignored the promise of your coming reign. We get distracted by the busyness of the season. Forgive us, God. Grant us the wonder of the shepherds, the courage of the Magi, and the faith of Mary and Joseph. Lead us to Bethlehem so that we might discover our way back home with Jesus again. Amen.
(Pre-recorded online worship from Gainesville First UMC, Gainesville, Georgia)
Christmas Eve 2022 Offering
Thank you all for taking the time each week to read the messages, watch the videos, and share this newsletter. As we move into 2023, I will structure the newsletter somewhat differently based on feedback and conversations I have been having with subscribers.
Please let me know what you enjoy about the newsletter and if there is something else you would like to read on its pages.
I am grateful for each of you and pray for God’s blessings on you in the New Year.
Merry Christmas!
Jamey