| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Celebrating is good for us” Our Bible verse for today: “The nations will put their hope in his name.” Matthew 12:21 (CSB) Our thought for today: “What if Jesus had never come?” One of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life”, starring Jimmy Stewart. The story is about a middle-aged man named George Bailey who believes his life has been wasted, spent in the little town of Bedford Falls running the family business. One year at Christmastime a series of unfortunate events transpired and George decided the world would be a better place without him, so he decides to commit suicide. But God sent a friendly and bumbling angel by the name of Clarence to earth to intercept George and then, through a series of dreams or visions, Clarence showed George what the world would have been like if he had never lived. George then saw that his life had made a dramatic and positive difference in the lives of the people he loved, and in the town of Bedford Falls. That story causes me to think about what the world would have been like if Jesus had never lived. In the movie, George was shown all the good things he had done in life and the tremendous impact for good that his life had on others. If we think back over the history of the world for the last two thousand years, we stand amazed at the tremendous impact the life of Jesus of Nazareth has had on the world, and how much the world has been blessed by Christianity. Even setting aside for a moment the fact that billions of people will spend eternity in heaven instead of hell thanks to Jesus, we also have to think about all the good works that have been done in His name by His followers, and how richly the world has been blessed by that work. Just think of the hospitals that have been started by Christians; the schools that have been founded and operated; the homeless shelters; the food banks; the disaster relief teams; and so much more. All of that began with and followed after the birth of the child we celebrate at Christmas. What if Jesus had never come? What a cold, dark, dismal place this world would be – much, much worse than it is. And this morning we’ve only considered the physical ways in which the world has been blessed by Jesus and His followers. As important as that is, more important is the salvation and hope that Jesus brought into the world. We’ll think about that tomorrow. For now, as you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, consider what a better place this world is because He lived. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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