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Thursday, December 18, 2014
Last week the Faith In Action ministry held a live nativity scene in front of the Supreme Court.
Photo by Lee Smucker
"Merry This Thing"
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player.
"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about'" (Luke 2:15).
During this season political correctness runs amok and many feel they
must refrain from any religious references lest someone be offended.
One casualty has been the customary greeting "Merry Christmas" although
there has been significant pushback by many very purposefully using
the traditional greeting. In fact yesterday I was at a large warehouse
store (Costco) and noticed the employees uniformly used the phrase with the customers.
In being considerate to those who may find the greeting, "Merry Christmas" offensive we propose our own greeting, although it can be a bit lengthy: "Have a merry day that I acknowledge the birth of Jesus Christ, my personal Lord and Savior."
Yesterday I visited with Lee who visited Washington last week to participate in a Living Nativity scene in front of the Supreme Court. I don't suppose too many of you saw it on the evening news, that is, if the media covered it!
In our age when an extraordinary news event takes place journalists and camera
crews converge upon the scene racing to be the first to
report the story. Their goal, of course, is to bolster ratings for the
television networks, newspapers and
magazines.
I can picture it now in my mind: "Coming to you, live, in the little town of Bethlehem. You're hearing it first at WTLR…" The camera zooms in to feature an infant, newly born to very ordinary people, lying in a feeding trough as His mother rests from her long, demanding journey and subsequent delivery of her firstborn.
But, of course, the Christmas story took place when fresh news spread only by word of mouth or through an angelic visitor. The very first recipients of the message of the birth of Christ were a group of shepherds whose names are not recorded in Scripture. Shepherds were commonly despised and unwanted, working far outside the parameters of everyday folks in the community. Yet God chose them to hear the inspired announcement from a single angel later joined by a heavenly host who praised God, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2:14).
The shepherds received this message as directly from the Lord and responded by promptly going to Bethlehem. Two bland, non-descriptive words in the text intrigue me as I prepare this message. The shepherds, surely in a state of wonderment and perplexity, call the blessed event "this thing". Thus the very first human designation for Christmas, the incarnation of Christ, is "this thing"! Perhaps our greeting should be "Merry this thing!"
The
ordinary shepherds were blessed to receive this unexpected announcement from
extraordinary beings, yet they could not fully picture in their minds
just what to expect or the right words to describe this historic event.
God did not require statesmen to be out in the field with the shepherds
so that they could eloquently describe this incredible moment in
history.
Today I thank God for "this thing" which the shepherds went to see. The holy Son of God came as a baby, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. That's the redeeming message we must continue to focus on!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we're so thankful for Jesus whose infant birth
took place in a smelly stable and whose bed was a feeding trough padded
with stubbly straw and hay. It was certainly not a welcome
setting for
the infant born King but we can now see the stable as a composite of
this unwelcoming world toward King Jesus. We're so glad that He
was
willing to come to earth though He would be rejected by the
majority.
Yet we gratefully number among the many who receive Him as our personal
Savior. We thank You that He came to deliver us from our fears and to
release us from our sins. Through Your own eternal Spirit rule in
our
hearts today and raise us to Your glorious throne on Your appointed
day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Special Note: We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. Our ministry (and support) is essentially comprised of half
our time to Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies (of course, this varies week by week). Each of these
ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job
for each of us (20+
hours weekly). Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
family income. You can donate by check, online or using PayPal. If you would like to make a donation see here
for more information or donate directly online here. Thank you!
We are grateful for the various ways people seek to get in a witness for the Lord. The Supreme Court building is directly across from the Capitol. Faith and Action is headquartered near the Supreme Court.
Our friend, Lee Smucker, took his father and two sisters to view the Live Nativity last week.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" Video Fernando Ortega
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" Video Instrumental
Each year we share several online resources that we have used over the years and that may be a blessing to families and churches during this Christmas season.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. We have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services over the years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down).
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Amazon. Any orders placed to Amazon using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for considering using these links when purchasing online through Amazon! Tip: If you are a regular Amazon customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you shop on Amazon.
Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your parents?
Here's an idea! "The Best Gift You Can Ever Give Your Parents"
Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your children?
Here's an idea! "The Blessing"
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can
continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is
accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and podcast listeners. See here
for more information on supporting this
ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Last week the Faith In Action ministry held a live nativity scene in front of the Supreme Court.
Photo by Lee Smucker
"Merry This Thing"
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about'" (Luke 2:15).
During this season political correctness runs amok and many feel they
must refrain from any religious references lest someone be offended.
One casualty has been the customary greeting "Merry Christmas" although
there has been significant pushback by many very purposefully using
the traditional greeting. In fact yesterday I was at a large warehouse
store (Costco) and noticed the employees uniformly used the phrase with the customers.In being considerate to those who may find the greeting, "Merry Christmas" offensive we propose our own greeting, although it can be a bit lengthy: "Have a merry day that I acknowledge the birth of Jesus Christ, my personal Lord and Savior."
Yesterday I visited with Lee who visited Washington last week to participate in a Living Nativity scene in front of the Supreme Court. I don't suppose too many of you saw it on the evening news, that is, if the media covered it!
In our age when an extraordinary news event takes place journalists and camera
crews converge upon the scene racing to be the first to
report the story. Their goal, of course, is to bolster ratings for the
television networks, newspapers and
magazines. I can picture it now in my mind: "Coming to you, live, in the little town of Bethlehem. You're hearing it first at WTLR…" The camera zooms in to feature an infant, newly born to very ordinary people, lying in a feeding trough as His mother rests from her long, demanding journey and subsequent delivery of her firstborn.
But, of course, the Christmas story took place when fresh news spread only by word of mouth or through an angelic visitor. The very first recipients of the message of the birth of Christ were a group of shepherds whose names are not recorded in Scripture. Shepherds were commonly despised and unwanted, working far outside the parameters of everyday folks in the community. Yet God chose them to hear the inspired announcement from a single angel later joined by a heavenly host who praised God, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2:14).
The shepherds received this message as directly from the Lord and responded by promptly going to Bethlehem. Two bland, non-descriptive words in the text intrigue me as I prepare this message. The shepherds, surely in a state of wonderment and perplexity, call the blessed event "this thing". Thus the very first human designation for Christmas, the incarnation of Christ, is "this thing"! Perhaps our greeting should be "Merry this thing!"
The
ordinary shepherds were blessed to receive this unexpected announcement from
extraordinary beings, yet they could not fully picture in their minds
just what to expect or the right words to describe this historic event.
God did not require statesmen to be out in the field with the shepherds
so that they could eloquently describe this incredible moment in
history.Today I thank God for "this thing" which the shepherds went to see. The holy Son of God came as a baby, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. That's the redeeming message we must continue to focus on!
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a Child and yet a King;
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Born a Child and yet a King;
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we're so thankful for Jesus whose infant birth
took place in a smelly stable and whose bed was a feeding trough padded
with stubbly straw and hay. It was certainly not a welcome
setting for
the infant born King but we can now see the stable as a composite of
this unwelcoming world toward King Jesus. We're so glad that He
was
willing to come to earth though He would be rejected by the
majority.
Yet we gratefully number among the many who receive Him as our personal
Savior. We thank You that He came to deliver us from our fears and to
release us from our sins. Through Your own eternal Spirit rule in
our
hearts today and raise us to Your glorious throne on Your appointed
day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Special Note: We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. Our ministry (and support) is essentially comprised of half
our time to Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies (of course, this varies week by week). Each of these
ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job
for each of us (20+
hours weekly). Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
family income. You can donate by check, online or using PayPal. If you would like to make a donation see here
for more information or donate directly online here. Thank you!We are grateful for the various ways people seek to get in a witness for the Lord. The Supreme Court building is directly across from the Capitol. Faith and Action is headquartered near the Supreme Court.
Our friend, Lee Smucker, took his father and two sisters to view the Live Nativity last week.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" Video Fernando Ortega
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" Video Instrumental
Resources
for Christmas Celebrations
Personal, family and church
(We will leave these resources posted below our daily messages through Christmas)
(We will leave these resources posted below our daily messages through Christmas)
Each year we share several online resources that we have used over the years and that may be a blessing to families and churches during this Christmas season.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. We have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services over the years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down).
Are you Christmas
shopping online?
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Amazon. Any orders placed to Amazon using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for considering using these links when purchasing online through Amazon! Tip: If you are a regular Amazon customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you shop on Amazon.
Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your parents?
Here's an idea! "The Best Gift You Can Ever Give Your Parents"
Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your children?
Here's an idea! "The Blessing"
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can
continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is
accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and podcast listeners. See here
for more information on supporting this
ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA