Greatest Christmas Ever...

This year my family and I have the wonderful privilege of flying home to my family in Saskatchewan.  It has been about 13 years since we have been to my home for Christmas.  Everybody in my family is really excited and anticipating one of the best Christmas'.  I hope and pray that it will be a memorable one and that our family can look back one with many fond memories.  The question that has struck me is, "what makes a Christmas truly great?"  I think there are a number of things that will make this one of the best Christmas' for our family: First, the anticipation of our trip from our kids has made this Christmas season a special one.  There has been a lot of excitement in the air in our home. 
Secondly, we will be spending it with family that we have not seen in a long time.  Spending time with family is a very important aspect of Christmas.  I have been looking forward to this for quite some time and to see the joy on my mom and dad's face will be priceless.  I also look forward to all the time spent at the homes of my brothers and sisters making a lot of great memories.
Third, any Christmas that is spent reflecting on the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel is a great Christmas.  This is is what is supposed to separate our Christmas celebration from the word around us.  This is what I challenged my church with at our annual Christmas pot-blessing this past Sunday.  The question we must always wrestle with is, "What makes our celebration different than that of our neighbors who do not know Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord?"  I think it has to do with our worship.  In our materialistic culture, everybody is worshipping the latest toy, gadget or technology.  That is what drives much of our Christmas celebration.  Having these things is not sinful.  But if we are being tempted to spend more than we have in an effort to purse the ultimate goal of happiness, then these things become idols.  And what often happens after Christmas is that all the things we have put our hope in to find happiness have a shelf life.  They do not bring any lasting joy or happiness.  True joy is only found in the one who humbled himself and took on flesh, lived a perfect life, died a sinners death, arose in great victory and is coming back one day in great splendor and power to take His people home.  So, what is driving your Christmas celebration?  Who or what is the object of your worship this Christmas?  Who are you reflecting this Christmas: the sacrificial giving, love, and grace of our heavenly Father in giving is only Son or the idolatry of our culture?  Think about these questions as you approach Christmas.

God Meant It For Good...

For the past few weeks I have been taking my church through the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  The main theme of this story is God's providence in the life of Joseph.  The key verse in this entire story is Genesis 50:20.  Here Joseph is talking to his brothers and says, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (ESV).  This verse tells us that Joseph understood that all the events that happened in his life were ordained by God and happened for a distinct purpose.  The events that Joseph is referring to are the evil ways in which his brothers treated him earlier on in life.  Joseph's brothers treated him with great contempt because of the dreams he had about his brothers one day bowing down to him (37:5-11).  As a result, he was seized (37:23), stripped of his special robe (37:23), thrown into a pit (37:24) and eventually sold into slavery by his brothers to Midianite traders who passed by (Genesis 37:28).  But as the story goes, Joseph ends up becoming second in power in all of Egypt when he successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and devised a plan to keep the people of Egypt from starving.  One day, Joseph's brothers came to buy food.  Joseph recognized them, but they had not idea who he was.  What is fascinating his how Joseph responds to seeing his brothers.  He puts them through a series of tests that by God's grace transforms the brothers hearts.  But what is even more striking is the fact that Joesph did not act in revenge in any way against his brothers, even though he was in the perfect position to do so.  He does not blame them for what they did.  He even tells them not to be distressed or angry (45:5) and after Jacob dies he reassures them that he will not do anything to harm them (50:19-21).  How could Joesph forgive them for what they did?  I think it all has to do with his view of God, ie, His providence and His sovereignty.  It was his view of God that caused him to weep for them (42:24) and provided for their needs (50:21) and not put them in prison and throw away the key.  For this very reason I believe that the doctrine of God is vital for the Christian's growth in Christlikeness.  For if we believe that God is sovereign over all things and has ordained them to come to pass, and that he his sovereign enough to able to use the evil action of people for his glory and our good, then we can trust that God is in control of our lives and that He knows what is best for us.  When this sinks deep within us, as is did in Joesph's heart, forgiving others becomes a whole lot easier.

Hello

Welcome to my first attempt at "blogging".  I am a Christian pastor in Grimsby, Ontario.  The name of my blog comes from the Ephesians 2:1-10 where the apostle Paul is describing God's "...immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus."  My life and ministry is to make known the immeasurable riches of God's grace.  I hope to reflect on the grace of God in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.   I am aware that so often Christians take the grace of God for granted or they are ignorant of the fact that their salvations is all of God's glorious grace.  I look forward to serve the Lord Jesus Christ by discussing various topics that I come across as a pastor.  I hope you will enjoy reading this blog and hope that you will be encouraged in the Lord Jesus Christ.