"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
On Jan. 4 we will celebrate Epiphany. Epiphany means to reveal or to make manifest. And so Epiphany is where we celebrate the moment that our Lord Jesus was recognized by the three wise men as the savior for all the nations. This Sunday, we will unpack Epiphany and look at what it really means to worship Christ as the Lord like the Magi did. We will also look briefly at other aspects of Epiphany. This will be a great time to set the tone for our relationship with God as we start another year.
"The days are coming, declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11
As we march through the book of Amos, we come to more imagery in chapter eight that showed how God was about to judge Israel. We see a basket of ripe fruit. A feast perhaps? No, it meant that Israel was ripe for judgment. But there’s something more to the fruit imagery that is lost on us as people who don’t speak Hebrew. We’ll take a look at that on Sunday. And along with this feast image there is a promise of famine; a famine of hearing God’s word. God’s word was being spoken but the Israelites weren’t able to recognize it because of the hardness of their hearts. God was constantly telling His people to listen and obey, but they didn’t, and they paid a painful price. In preparation for Sunday, let’s prepare our hearts to receive God’s word and not harden our hearts like the Israelites.
The accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings can be frustrating to read: It’s a years-long tug of war between good and evil. Most of the kings of the two nations were bad, but there are a few sprinkled throughout whom the writers call good. In opposition to their culture, and even contrary to the way they were raised, these good kings followed the Lord, or at least tried. And that’s what God always wants - a heart that is turned to Him. This Sunday, we will take a look at the last four major kings of Judah: Hezekiah, Mannaseh, Amon, and Josiah. We will tie into the Psalms for the signs of a heart devoted to God. Despite everything that’s going on around us that would get us off track, let us be those who say, “As for me…”
Last week, Pastor Matt encouraged us from I Thessalonians 4, where we read that those who have been called have everything to look forward to: whether we have died or are still here when the Lord returns, we can rest assured that our eternity is certain with our Lord Jesus. On Sunday, we will tackle chapter 5, where Paul more specifically addresses Jesus’ second coming. Unlike those in the world, we won’t be caught off guard when Jesus returns because we are living in His light. While we don’t know when the Lord will return, and may even be discouraged at times, we can be encouraged and thereby encourage one another that He will do as He says. We know our Lord is true to His word. He will return! What a great day that will be.
God told a prophet in I Samuel Chapter 2 to prophesy against the priest Eli for the dishonorable conduct of his two sons. Eli’s family lost their place as God’s priests because of their conduct and abuse of their office. The prophet told Eli that those who honor God will receive honor, but those who don’t honor God will be disdained, or, lightly esteemed. Their names and reputations were ruined. Whom do we put first, ourselves or God? Whose reputation are we advancing, our own or God’s? Over the past three weeks we have seen God’s preeminence in the first three commandments. It’s very important that we revere Him as Lord and His name as holy. Our lives depend on it. In return, God promised that those who honor Him will also receive honor. He will give us a good name. Join us this Sunday as we dive into this truth.