Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Isaiah 61:1-3 I John 3:1, 16-18 The Magi brought frankincense, myrrh and gold to honor the Christ child.  As we make the spiritual journey through Advent to Christmas, the celebration of Christ's birth, what do we bring to Him?  What is on Jesus' birthday wish list? Have you ever tried shopping for Jesus?  What do you get for the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords?  What does the one called the Lamb of God, Almighty God, Counselor, Prince of Peace and Emmanuel, God Among Us want for His birthday?  I don't think He wants a Christmas sweater, a tie or golf balls.  What is something He would use?!? Well, we know God sent Jesus to save us from sin and death, but if that was Jesus' only purpose, the Gospels would have been a lot shorter. At the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus announced what his earthly ministry would include by quoting Isaiah 61:1-3: The  Lord  God’s spirit is upon me,      because the  Lord  has anointed me. He has sent me      to bring good n

Isaiah 40:1-11 Luke 1:39-55 The theme for the second week in advent is faith.  Our faith is based on our trust in God's faithfulness.  It's the expectation that God will show up even in the imperfection and messiness of life.  Sometimes that means we have to give up on perfect. In the movie, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Clark Griswold has a problem. All right, he has a lot  of problems, but they all stem from the same source.  Clark has unrealistic expectations about people, the world and life in general.  He denies the imperfections of others and the messiness of life.  He sets standards that nothing can ever meet. Clark has a plan for the perfect Christmas, and things don't work out the way he expects: The "perfect tree" is too large for the house. The "perfect Christmas display" refuses to light up when Clark's in-laws arrive. The check Clark wrote for the "perfect Christmas gift" may bounce bec