Merry Christmas! - We Have Seen a Great Light! ⭐️
Merry Christmas to you!
What a joyful time of year this is! Each year we gather around our Savior to honor and magnify His coming to earth. Oh, what a wonderful mystery -- that the eternal Word of God would step into our world, take on human flesh and dwell among us. He is the mystery revealed to Jew and to Gentile alike and today we invite you along with us in asking the Holy Spirit to breathe afresh upon the eyes of our hearts -- May we never grow too familiar with His coming and may there be room in our hearts to recieve Him once again with awe and wonder until the day of His return.
The Gospel of John captures this profound mystery so beautifully:
"And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
This verse reveals the height of the Gospel:
~ Our Father held nothing back -- He gave it all: His pearl of great price, His perfect Son as a ransom for many, paying the highest price for restored relationship with Him.
For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
~ Our humble Savior, in the form of a seed, came to reveal the eternal Father in all of His Glory -- "We have seen His glory."
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful word". Hebrew 1:3
~ He came to dwell, making His presence available to humanity forever: now through the Holy Spirit in every believer and one day in the flesh when He returns.
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God" Revelation 21:3
Our Prayer:
Lord, thank You for revealing your glory to us. What a delight and honor it is to behold -- not in distant thunder or blinding light, but in the gentle and humble cry of a baby born in Bethlehem. Thank you for holding nothing back and shining the light of Your face in full strength upon us.
Make us to be good receivers of Your glory with open hearts and tender spirits. Transform us from the inside out, that we would be ones visibly marked by Your glory: holy and set apart for Your name. May it overflow into the way we think -- with the mind of Christ; the way we speak -- life-giving words; and the way we act -- bearing good fruit.
We also lift up our families to You this Christmas. Draw every heart nearer to the manger and to Your throne of grace. Fill our homes with Your peace, our conversations with kindness, and our gatherings with the joy of Your presence. Protect our loved ones, meet every need, and let Your glory shine through us.
In Jesus name, Amen!
Our Crossroads team is deeply grateful for YOU -- your prayers, love, and partnership in the Gospel. We bless you and wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Rejoicing always, Joseph & the Crossroads family
