CELEBRATING INCARNATION

I wanted to share with you a slice of the fascinating history of why we celebrate Christmas the way we have as followers of Christ. It’s written by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan theologian.     Merry Christmas with Love!   Pastor Brent

In the first 1200 years of Christianity, the central feast or celebration was Easter, with the high holy days of Holy Week leading up to the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. But in the thirteenth century, Francis of Assisi entered the scene. He intuited that we didn’t need to wait for God to love us through the cross and resurrection. Francis believed the whole thing started with incarnate love. He popularized what we now take for granted as Christmas, which for many became the major Christian feast. Christmas is the Feast of the Incarnation when we celebrate God taking human form in the birth of Jesus. Francis realized that since God had become flesh—taken on materiality, physicality, humanity—then we didn’t have to wait for Good Friday and Easter to “solve the problem” of human sin: the problem was solved from the beginning. It makes sense that Christmas became the great celebratory feast of Christians because it basically says that it’s good to be human, it’s good to be on this Earth, it’s good to have a body, it’s good to have emotions. We don’t need to be ashamed of any of it! God loves matter and physicality. With that insight, it’s no wonder Francis went wild over Christmas. (I do too—my little house is filled with candles at Christmastime.) Francis believed that trees should be decorated with lights to show their true status as God’s creations, and that’s exactly what we still do eight hundred years later. And there’s more: when we speak of Advent or preparing for Christmas, we’re not just talking about waiting for the little baby Jesus to be born. That already happened two thousand years ago. In fact, we’re welcoming the Christ that is forever being born (incarnating) in the human soul and into history. The gifts of incarnation just keep coming! Perhaps this is enlightenment.  “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” John 1:9 (NLT)

FAITH WITHOUT HOPE IS WEIRD - by Steve Buckland

I remember hearing Wendy speak these words while we were preaching together years ago. It captures an important truth for those who want to have a healthy faith.  Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises of God. I am not a proponent of simple positive thinking, but I do ascribe to biblical optimism. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).  Faith is very specific while hope is more general.  Faith says, “God is going to do this!” Hope says, “I don’t know what God is going to do but good things are coming.”  We are all waiting on something. Whether it’s a promise from God, restoration for our family, breakthrough in our finances, or physical healing, things are not where we’d like them to be. Although faith keeps us focused on the breakthrough that is coming for us, hope helps us thrive in the season we’re in right now.  Without hope, it is impossible to thrive until things are perfect. Hope says the future will be better than the present and I have the power to help make it so. You don’t have to wait a single day to have radical hope. It might not be a convenient time to stir up radical hope, but you can thrive right now, even in the season of waiting for what’s to come.  Let’s explore more about the difference between faith and hope:   Faith-people without hope tend to believe they cannot really live until certain things happen. Faith-people with hope are living while they are waiting.    Faith-people without hope have difficulty overcoming disappointment because they believe their fulfillment and purpose depend on specific things happening. Faith-people with hope are adaptable and believe they can thrive in whatever situation they face.    Faith-people without hope tend to have a spirit of heaviness while they are waiting for something to happen. Faith-people with hope are delighters in the Lord while they are waiting for their desires to be fulfilled. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Delighting, a main aspect of hope, is key to seeing what we are believing for in faith to manifest.  When we add hope to our faith, we become adaptable and live with many options. For more on hope, check out my online devotional, "40 Days of Hope" Click to check out Steve's book, "Igniting Hope in 40 Days"

OUR SOURCE OF HOPE - by Karena Lout

Thank you so much for all your help and donations that made the Christmas Outreach so special for the community! City Serve shared that 111 households were served which includes 500 family members and 278 children. It was so beautiful to look around the room and see kids choosing toys, doing crafts, getting their face painted, parents receiving prayer and encouragement, receiving needed items, enjoying apple cider. I met a young couple who have four children. They shared how difficult life has been and that the day brought a smile to their childrens' faces and brought them hope. Jesus, our source of hope, never disappoints.   "May God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!" Romans 15:13 (TPT) As we celebrate Jesus, I pray you too are filled with abundant joy and hope! So thankful for you, Karena