Posted on: December 24, 2018

Christmas Homily - EVEN ON HIS BIRTHDAY JESUS GIVES GIFTS LK.2:1-16

Christmas Eve – ON HIS BIRTHDAY JESUS GIVES GIFTS Luk.2:1-16
Summary: Most people get gifts on their birthday but Jesus reversed the role. Normally, the one whose birthday it is, gets the gifts. Just the opposite with Jesus on the day of His birth He gave the gifts! And some of those gifts we remember as we celebrate The Birthday Of The King. 

1)    HE GIVES THE GIFT OF COMFORT: “Do not be afraid,” said the angel.
o    The word afraid is the one from which we get phobic. A phobia is an unreasoning, paralyzing panic fear.
o    Fear is a learned, negative emotion.  Babies do not fear.   The negative things you have heard, seen and experienced in life and the way you interpret them, form the basis of fear.   
o    Fear causes you to make disempowering choices as you will feel yourself shrinking from change.
o    Fear is the exact opposite of love, trust, confidence, empowerment and positive expectations.  It produces doubt, distrust, lack of confidence and negative expectations.
A.    It’s is usually a false evidence
B.    It triggers
Jesus wants you to confront fear that’s why he gives his peace.

2)    HE GIVES THE GIFT OF GOOD NEWS: “The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

o    Everybody loves good news. 
o    It’s a mental diet consisting of quality food for your brain. If bad news equals junk food, then good news equals fresh fruits and vegetables.
o    If you want to build a positive mindset, you can’t do it consuming negative news all the time.
o    This is why Jesus offers you the GOODNEWS 

What is this GOODNEWS?
It is that no matter how bad things get,  we win. We win because we have the undefeated, undisputed Champion of the Universe on our side!
That’s GOOD NEWS! 

Jesus gives the gift of good news and

3)    HE GIVES THE GIFT OF PEACE: The angel said, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
•    He gives us this gift to drive away fear, anxiety and hopelessness 

What must we do this season?
1.    Embrace Jesus and put him at the centre of your celebration
2.    Write or call someone you have not spoken to for a long time because you had some misunderstanding 
3.    Like Jesus give the ultimate gift to someone not as fortunate as you are

Wishing you  the best Christmas ever. May your home be filled with peace and joy the Baby Jesus brings

Posted on: December 23, 2018

Advent Series Week 4: JESUS THE SAVIOUR IS WITH US LK.2:11

Advent Series Week 4: Jesus the Savior is With Us Luke 2:11

Introduction
This has been a wonderful Advent season!! We’ve looked at Jesus as Creator and how He is still taking the chaos of our lives and bringing order.
We’ve looked as Jesus as Sustainer and how He continues to work and minister to us even today.
We’ve looked at Jesus as Sin-Bearer and how His humble beginnings in the cradle to His tragic death on the cross has paid the price for our sins.

This morning, I would like us to look at Jesus, as our Savior…

Luke 2:11; 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The Savior provides salvation to the people of Israel.
You are all very familiar with the story of the Children of Israel and their bondage in Egypt and how God used Moses in the deliverance of the Israelites and through the dramatic crossing of the Red Sea, God saved the people from bondage and led them to freedom. God was with them.

But we all know how the people would frequently get caught up in what was going on around them and they would be led astray into idolatry and forget all about God, their savior.
They forgot God

Then Jesus appears on the scene
Fast forward to 1500 years to 6 BC. An angel appears to some shepherds on a hillside. He told them that a Savior was born. And then, a whole bunch of angels came proclaiming:
Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth.

Jesus, became Emmanuel, God with us. But this time, God wasn’t providing salvation from Pharaoh and Egyptian bondage. This time, God was providing salvation from sin and death.

But as can often happen, people took their eyes off Christ and got caught in the politics of the day and many turned their back on Jesus. And as was God’s plan from the beginning, Jesus died on the cross to salvation from sin. Freedom from the bondage that sin enslaves upon people.

Jesus came as the Savior for the world but many people turned a deaf ear and embraced the things of this world.

Fast forward to 2018
The Savior provides salvation for you and for me. Jesus is Emmanuel. Our Savior is with us! He is feeding us with His Word and His Sacraments like He did with the manna in the desert and with the loaves and the fish. He is sustaining us. He is here today calling out to you. He calls you by your name.

Conclusion 
Jesus is our Savior, and He is with us today but Christmas has, in some ways, become a distraction and there is a very real danger that what happened as recorded in Hosea that “they forgot God”. The danger is that the same thing is happening today and even Christians even though we profess Jesus May just be shutting Him out of our lives.

Spend some time this Holy Season in prayer contemplating how Jesus is your saviour and what you need to do to open all of yourself to him. Pray also that the world will come to a full knowledge of God. Pray even for family members who have left the faith that they too will come back HOME not only this season but beyond.