Jeremiah 33:14-15

Today is our first Old Testament text for our preparation for Christmas. As I mentioned in my last few talks, we can see Jesus all through the Old Testament, and here is one of the promises of the coming of the Messiah, the arrival of the one who will solve the biggest problem mankind has.

‘The days are coming … when I will fulfill the good promise I made…’ says the Lord. Have you ever made a promise that you didn’t fulfill straight away, but you know you will still do what you said? God was promising Jesus’ arrival for long time (in the eyes of Israel), but fulfilled when the time was right. Only He knew when it would be.

Are you waiting on a promise that hasn’t been fulfilled yet? Are you still waiting on unanswered prayers? Don’t give up, but keep expecting, and keep persisting in prayers. God fulfills His promises, and has a big reason for when He does, and we only see it when it happens. Jesus was the fulfillment of many of God’s promises, so today and this Christmas we can be reminded of that, and look forwards to those prayers still being answered.

John 1:9-12

My thoughts for today also include verses 5 – 8 too, and follows directly on from yesterdays verses. Here we see Jesus being referred to as ‘the Light’, and how darkness has not overcome the light, and actually darkness can never overcome light.

On Monday night, we had a power cut for an hour, and we got out all of our candles, and started to rely on non-electric light. The first feeling was shock and a little bit of fear (it was really dark), but then, as our eyes adjusted, we could still see things. Light reflects off anything and everything, and the only place that there is darkness is where things are shielding the light.

But nothing can extinguish the light that Jesus puts in us. It is always there, inside, even when we might feel alone sometimes, and in darkness in others, we need to remember that the light will always be there, the question is, how bright will we let it shine?

John 1:1-4

Those of you who have read all the gospels will realise there are big differences between Matthew/Mark/Luke and John. The first 3 give the story, (Mark is very to the point, Matthew and Luke gives more detail). John gives more explanation and meaning to these narrations. He starts with ‘In the beginning…’ Any guess to the only other time that is mentioned in the Bible? (Hint: It’s at the start…).

It is a clear link to the fact that Jesus was there in the beginning and was in God’s plans all along. The Greek word used here was ‘logos’, which means the spoken word, but to the Jews it meant ‘the word of God’. Jesus is more than just the words we read in the Bible, but someone who is alive with us today, and always has been since the beginning of time.

Today, focus on verse 4, and how John is showing us that only through Jesus we can find life, but it’s not only for us personally, but for all of mankind. It is Jesus’ gift to us, and it is for eternity.

Luke 1:26-38 (by Jason)

Well what better way to start the month of December than with the start of story, the visit of the angel Gabriel. I have heard this part of the bible read to me countless times when I was younger. It was the start of the Nativity Play we did at school, (I was only a wiseman’s slave, they ran out of proper parts, but I still got to wear a dish cloth on my head).

One of the things to consider today was how Mary must have been feeling during this visit. She was engaged, had so many different plans for her life, but God’s plans were so much bigger, and better. Notice in verse 30, the angle Gabriel ‘Do not be afraid’. It was big news, a big change to her life, but God is saying, ‘Do not be afraid.’

Some of you might be still adjusting to life in Sweden, some may have some big changes ahead, but God is saying, ‘Do not be afraid’. It’s His plans, He’s with you. He was with Mary, and He’ll be with you. Today, give Him your plans (however big or small) in prayer, and trust Him with them.