“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceeding with great joy”
(Matthew 2:10)

 
Robbie and I wish to say a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR to our beloved Grace Church family. We are so thankful that this Christmas season has been filled with the light of God’s love and glory as we have worshipped together in celebration of our Savior’s birth. It has been a rich blessing to have preached each week during Advent from the gospel of Matthew.
 
I have been enriched in my study of the ministry of John the Baptist who announced the coming of Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
 
I have learned how Joseph listened to the angel’s message and did not fear to take Mary to be his espoused wife.
 
We all saw from the parable of the Fig Tree that the second coming of Jesus is as certain as was His first coming.
 
From this series of sermons, I have heard from God’s word how meticulous and worldwide God’s plan of redemption happened so that Jesus would accomplish salvation for all mankind.
 
Today, we follow the Wise Men to the place where Jesus was. We will learn about this wondrous star that led the way. We will hear from God’s word about the joy that flooded their souls. The scriptures will teach us how we should celebrate Christmas with the joy of heaven. The Grinch thought to himself during his escapade to steal Christmas from the Who’s who lived in Whoville, “Maybe Christmas does not come from a store.” He’s absolutely right. The joy of Christmas comes from God’s heart to our hearts. In fact, you cannot buy that kind of joy anywhere. Jesus said:
 
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). 
 
There was an art contest held in a local school one Christmas season a few years ago in East Texas. One of the prize winners was a picture drawn by a nine-year-old boy showing three men, offering gifts to the baby Jesus in his manger. What made the picture unique is how the three gift presenters arrived — there was a fire truck on the side of the picture.
 
The principal asked the boy about his decision to draw the truck and the boy, in his heavy East-Texas accent, was quick to reply: “Well, the Bible says the wise men came from a-far.”
 
Robbie and I pray for each of you that the joy of the Lord will flood your hearts and homes this Christmas. It is truly our joy to serve you and to grow in the grace and joy of Lord together with you all.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Pastor Mike

Good Words from God’s Word
 
I’ve spent all week at the feet of Joseph seeking to learn the secret of his miraculous life. The gospel of Luke simply tells us:
 
“… a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David: and the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26)
 
In chapter two, Luke says that:
 
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child.” (Luke 2:4-5)
 
Luke wants us to know that Joseph was a direct descendant of King David, the greatest king in Israel’s history. Joseph was a man with a historic and honorable heritage.
 
The prophet Jeremiah said of the coming Messiah:
 
“Behold, the days are coming declares the Lord when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land…” (Jeremiah23:5)
 
Joseph was born into the proper bloodline to become a significant player in the future hope of Israel, but so had many others. Joseph was just one of all the sons and daughters descending upon Bethlehem to be registered for the tax. Someone has estimated, that in Bethlehem on the night when Jesus was born, there were probably 200,000 to 700,000 people there. The total population of Bethlehem when Jesus was born was only around 1,000. You can see by these numbers that not only was Bethlehem over burdened by the massive influx of people, but Joseph was just one among thousands of relatives all there because of their family connection to King David.
 
The most significant point Luke brings out is Joseph’s relationship to Mary. Joseph was not just any descendent, he was THE descendent. Mary was destined to be the mother of Jesus, the Savior of the world. You might say that Joseph married into prominence. Joseph stepped up. He married above his station even as a descendant of David. He would be the earthly father of God’s Son.
 
There is a true story of a woman who told about how frustrated she’d gotten with her husband during the early years of their marriage. Apparently, they both worked, but she took pride in the idea that she could still prepare good meals for them to eat. She’d prepare meals in advance and put them in freezer bags, carefully labeling the bags in large clear letters: “Meatloaf” or “Pot Roast” or “Steak and Vegetables” or “Chicken and Dumplings” or “Beef Pot Pie.”
 
But when she’d ask her husband what he wanted for dinner – he’d never make a decision. He’d just say something like: “ah, whatever.”
 
So, she decided to stock the freezer with what food that he actually asked for. NOW, if you looked in her freezer you’d see only a couple of labels.
 
You’d find dinners with neat, legible tags that say: “Something Good,” or “Whatever.”
 
When you look at Joseph in the Christmas story, you see a “WHATEVER” man in a city filled with “WHATEVER” men. He was one among many sons of David, but he was special. He was the espoused husband of Mary who was carrying the very Son of God. That one thing made him the most important/ special WHATEVER man in the history of the world.
 
I pray that the men of our church will realized today that each one of you are better than “WHATEVER.” Each of you are special. God sent Jesus to save you and redeem you from your sins. That makes you, “SOMETHING GOOD” in a WHATEVER world that needs all the good it can get.

Good Words from God’s Word
 
An urgent need has been received from our missionary Tim Douglas serving in the Republic of Georgia. God has greatly blessed Tim’s ministry there advancing his scope of influence and impact throughout the country. The church Tim and his family are planting in Tbilisi has grown to the point that they have located property on which to locate a permanent place of worship and ministry. Tim has asked that our church consider sending funds in the amount of which will help his people secure the site. The total amount needed at this time is $5,000 by the end of December. Pray about this request from one of our own church family missionaries who faithfully serves in another part of the world. Ask God about what you should give to meet this need. Bring a love offering before the end of the month designated to Tim Douglas Need, Republic of Georgia and we will forward it on through the appropriate channels.
 
Today, we wish to welcome guests and family members who will be attending our worship service to hear the Students and Children perform the Christmas Pageant, “The-Not-So-Silent-Night”. We praise God for all that He is doing to grow the Student and Children’s Ministries of our church. Today, 36 young people will fill the front of our worship center to declare the truth about the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. They will sing the truth. They will speak the truth. They will lead us to rejoice in the truth about Christmas. We live in an era in which the truth is becoming a rare commodity. There is a certain clarity and trustworthiness in the voices of the young. They tell you exactly what’s on their heart. They pull no punches. They have not forgotten what the blessing of honesty is.
 
The little boy was sent by his mother to buy a 65-cent loaf of bread. While the baker was putting the bread into a bag, the boy noticed that the loaf looked rather small. “Isn’t that a small loaf of bread for 65 cents?”
“You’ll have less to carry,” replied the baker.
The boy put 50 cents on the counter. “You’re 15 cents short,” said the baker.
“That’s right,” replied the boy. “You’ll have less to count.”
(Source unknown, Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author)
 
The presentation our young people give our church family today will make the most out of this season’s celebration, not less. Notice their complete joy as they stand before us. Pay attention to their total honesty and selfless humility. They will be nervous, but they will speak their lines despite the jitters. Some will be bashful, and others will be front-row hams. Truth is, God has given us these students and children to help us learn how to exalt Jesus at Christmas. Give Thanks for the innocence of our students and children who joyously proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ was born to bring us salvation, peace and eternal life. Praise God for this amazing gift!

Good Words from God’s Word
 
I am overwhelmed as I write this article by the generosity of our people and, at the same time, amazed by the power of God displayed through the offerings received during the month of November. At the end of October, there was some money in our church checking account, but not close to what would be needed to pay for all our coming ministry expenses plus the pending tax bill of $13,810.22 due last month. The size of the pending financial challenge seemed insurmountable. It was beyond what we could manage without a special touch from God. Let me tell you what God did:

Total November Tithes and Offering Including Tax Receipts - $23,795.71
Tithes and Offerings Received above Budget -   $8,801.23
Balance on Hand after Taxes and Budgeted Ministry Needs -   $6,537.22
 

 
Today, we give praise to God for what He has done. I also, rejoice in the generosity of our people. Our church family resembles what Paul said about the church at Corinth:
 
“For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD”
(1 Corinthians 1:26-27, 31)
 
Surely, God showed Himself strong during the month of November here at Grace.
 
So. Let’s boast today. Let’s brag on Jesus. He is sufficient. Jesus knows our needs and He supplies our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). God is at work in our church. We do not brag about what we have done, but on Him who has turned our insurmountable need into a visible demonstration of His exceeding great power and love for us.
 
There is a story about an immigrant who bought a ticket to come to the United States. Before leaving his homeland, his mother gave him a loaf of bread to take along on the trip. He carefully calculated how many pieces of bread he would divide the loaf into, so it would last for the whole trip. Each day he would gaze into the banquet hall to see all the people dining before he would go to his room, eat his small piece of bread and pray that God would give him enough strength to endure each day. This happened throughout the trip and he was thankful that God gave him the endurance necessary to make the entire journey. On the last day of his trip, he discovered that the price of the ticket he purchased also included the food served in the banquet hall.
 
I thank God for His provision. Jesus gives us everything we need to not only survive, but to thrive in serving Him.