Dec 23rd, 2021: Christmas is a Proposal

 


More people are talking to me about getting married these days. Three couples have asked me to perform their weddings in the next six months. It is exciting because I wonder whether people bother much anymore about marriage. We are living in a time when many of our "traditional practice and values" have been put into question.


Most marriages start with a proposal. Then someone has to say "yes" before it can happen. Christmas is the kind of marriage proposal that God has put in front of us. It is an invitation to everlasting life with him. It also comes with the assurance that He understands our conditions. We can only have a committed relationship with God by saying yes.

Most couples have no idea what they say on their wedding day when they say "I do". It is a statement of faith.  When we said yes to God, we did not understand the full implication of that statement either. We learn how to live out our commitment daily. Sometimes we fail because we don't know how to love. Sometimes we fail because we are not willing to receive love. Christmas tells us that we are both loved and accepted by God.

So as we prepare for Christmas this year, let us think about God and the people in our lives. What kind of faith do we need to have in order to honor our commitment? How are we going the reflect the love of God in our interaction with one another? Let us have a thankful heart when we come to God and relate to each other.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3

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