The Light of Christmas

We at Calvary Chapel of Monmouth County hope and pray for all of you a merry and blessed Christmas. Though there is much darkness in the world, there is also much light. More people are coming to Christ now than at any time in all history! Churches are being planted in all parts of the world at the rate of hundreds daily. The anti-Christian bias in our country grows fiercer and more open almost daily, but that is a reaction to the power of the gospel. When the light shines on the landscape around you, it shows you the way and makes for a friendly universe. When it only shines in your eyes, it blinds you all the  more, and brings pain to your eyes. As we surrender to the light, Christ, we no longer live in a menacing universe but it becomes a place where God's purposes are worked out. So this year,  when you sit around a lighted Christmas tree opening gifts with your name on them, remember that the Light of the World has come to give a personal gift to you - forgiveness of sins - eternal life - the joy of knowing a personal God. All yours, with your name on it, if you receive Jesus Christ the Light into your heart as your Lord and Savior. God bless you!

The Jolly Season

" 'Tis the season to be jolly." You are, of course, familiar with that song expressing one of the lighter moods of Christmas. It is a "jolly time". It is a happy time, with family gatherings, exchanging gifts and tales, sharing memories and food. But much more than all that, it is a joyful time. Joy is the most profound, far-reaching of the positive moods of Christmas. The angel's message was that the good news is news of "great joy." Then, family, friends, and loved ones return to their homes. Toys break and wear out. We soon have our fill of even the best of food. The happiness and pleasures of Christmas are short-lived, and not fully satisfying even at their best. But joy - that's different! It is a fruit of the Spirit, so it is fully satisfying. Its presence doesn't depend on things that don't last or that lose their fascination. It has to do with the mysterious but real Presence of God. With the forgiveness of sins. With a life that never ends, in the Presence of a loving God. No wonder the angel could speak of great joy, which would be for all people! Hallelujah!

The Shining Light

When we first come to Christ the Light of the World, we begin to notice how differently we see things. With His light now shining on everything, all of life looks different. Our values, issues of right and wrong, how we spend our time and money, how we think of others and treat others, what we do with our own body, whether we should cheat on that test, or keep quiet about that money we found. But what we may  not notice at first, is that while shining on life in general, that light is revealing something else - the blemishes on our won spirit! Self-centeredness, mean-spiritedness, greediness, lust, materialism, all show up like ugly blotches under a bright light. Run - don't walk - to your nearest prayer closet and confess it thoroughly to God and your loving Father will cleanse it from you with the precious blood of Christ.

Are you Ready For Christmas?

Are you ready for Christmas? It seems like we just got the stuff from last year put away, and it's time to get it all out again! Get a tree, get it all dressed up, get ready to bake some cookies and pies (Mrs. Smith's pies are real good!), go over the list again - don't miss Uncle Fred and Aunt Sadie this year! The house will soon be filled with the delicious aroma of pies, cookies, ham and beef roasts mixed with pine or spruce. All this is good. Christmas is, after all, a season of celebration. And how can we have a decent celebration without an ample offering of food, aromas, gifts, and relatives? The down part of all this good is that the temptation is to get so caught up in gifts and food that the real meaning and message of Christmas is lost. The celebrating can trump the reason for the celebrating. Christmas means that the eternal God has entered our time-space earth and mangled world to bring good news of healing and restoration. But not just to bring good news. Actually to be the good news that He brings. He has brought an external word, a message from outside our minds and hearts. One we did not make up, one most of us in fact resisted, in some cases for years. We cannot ascend to God on our own, He came down to us. And not in a way that any human mind would've expected. He came dressed as a little baby, born in a cave used as a stable, laid in a feeding trough for animals! The gospel is wildly improbable - but it happened! We know it as not a story made up from human imagination, for no one would have had the eternal God come to us in that way. If this God in Jesus Christ does not live in your heart, invite Him in. He is eager to be your Lord and Savior, but He won't without your invitation.