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Tag: Christmas

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

December 21, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Pastor Maria Braga

“When they saw the Star, they were filled with Joy!” –Matthew 2:10.

The Bible tells us how the wise men were filled with Joy when they saw the Star. These men were waiting for this great event to take place; they were looking until they saw the sign (Star) announcing the coming of Messiah. What a moment this was! A moment all creation had been waiting for. After thousands of years, the fulfillment of prophecy would appear. They knew God had walked with Adam and Eve, but God’s abiding Presence had been missing, and creation had to hold its breath until the Star appeared! “The watchmen shout and sing for Joy; before their eyes, they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.” –Isaiah 52:8.

The anticipation of this moment was monumental.

The earth was about to receive her King, not just a king, but the King of kings! The arrival of King Jesus was an occasion like no other. As we read in Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid, I bring you Good News that will bring great Joy to all people. The Savior, yes, the Messiah, The Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David.”

A Superbowl party is a great feast, but this event was much more significant than a Superbowl! An event that, for centuries, God’s creation had been awaiting—looking to the heavens for. The promise was given to Mary, and people of faith held it in their hearts until it was fulfilled—recognized by those who understood and believed.

The day this Star appeared was a day of Joy and Light.

Those who know the story understand that in Jesus’s Presence, there was always great joy while He walked the earth. Those who believe in Jesus today still get to celebrate that great joy at Christmas time and every day! The Father also said His Son (Jesus) brought Him great joy several times through Scripture.

Jesus walked this earth for thirty-three years, and some had the privilege of getting to know Him, walking side-by-side with Him! For the first thirty years, Jesus lived a life much like ours, except He never sinned, and we do. We witness much of Jesus’ public ministry in the last three years of His life; the Cross of Calvary was His aim, His focal point! At the Cross, His Presence was taken from us, and once again, the earth experienced the void of God’s Physical Presence. There is never Joy in the absence of God!

But His story doesn’t end there! There is so much to the story of Joy because He is an eternal story!

Jesus’ friends had no idea of what lay ahead—the crucifixion of Jesus. They got to witness and endure this excruciating time of seeing their friend, the promised Messiah, the One they had waited for, being treated so unfairly and so torturously.

I can only imagine the angst they felt!

But, because Jesus is Hope, they had hope.

A new Joy was on its way. As the story continues, another joy takes place soon after the cross: the Joy of Jesus’ Resurrection. Here again, we learn that Jesus rises from the dead and lives! The Joy of the Resurrection! His friends were perplexed by all these wonder-full things they were experiencing. Things that were different indeed, supernatural, and far beyond their human expectation.

How marvelous are the ways of the Lord! I sometimes say: “God is the God of the midnight hour; when we are ready to give up, He shows up!” There’s much truth to that statement!

As I write these words, I am reminded that Jesus is always with us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Today, we still say/sing: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!” Our Joy is Jesus, and His Joy is our strength. John 20:20 says: “As He spoke, he showed His friends the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with Joy when they saw the Lord!”

I can only imagine how they felt because in Luke 24:41: “Still, they stood there in disbelief, filled with Joy and wonder.”

His plan is yet finished. Much more is still to be done; many still need to come into His Presence and know Him as their personal Lord and Savior. There is still more Joy (Jesus) to come.

Jesus left this world physically, but He gave us the third person of the Trinity; the Mighty Holy Spirit of God!

 Through His Spirit, salvation is ongoing. Every man, woman, boy, and girl who repents and chooses to live for Jesus – is still welcome to experience Joy in His Presence. Joy to the world! Salvation is here. In Acts 13:52, we learn that the believers were filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit! “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

There are many other biblical verses about Joy. I’ll close with this one: Zephaniah 3:17. He, the Living God, our Mighty Savior, delights in us with gladness. With His love, He will calm all our fears. He will rejoice over us with JOYFUL songs.

Each of us must first know Jesus as Lord and Savior to experience an infilling of His Holy Spirit.

Everyone sings the very familiar song “Joy to the World.” Yet, only some understand the true Joy the Holy Spirit offers. If more people would open their hearts to Jesus, the world would be filled with His Joy! “Joy to the World, The Lord has come” is more than a song. It is a promise.

A promise to those who know Him—those who get to experience His Joy!

James 1:2-4 reminds all those who call Jesus Lord that even in our trials, we can experience Joy when Jesus is in the trial with us. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

There are many other biblical verses about Joy. Still, I’ll close with this one: Zephaniah 3:17. “He, the Living God, our Mighty Savior, delights in us with gladness. With His love, He will calm all our fears. He will rejoice over us with JOYFUL songs.” Today, if you are ready to receive His Joy, open the door of your heart and say, Jesus, come in, fill me with this Joy I am reading about. Infill me with your Holy Spirit and teach me how to trust you. Help me to keep my Joy even when I don’t understand my circumstances; when things look hopeless, be my Hope. I need faith to believe. I invite Your Joy to rule from the throne of my heart, and I rest assured, You, oh, Lord, will take care of me. In Jesus name, Amen.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8.

As I Have Loved You.

December 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“John answered them, “I am an urgent, thunderous voice crying out in the desert—clear the way and prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh!” –John 1:23.

Approximately 400 miles south of Canada, in the frigid, icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, another John, John Harper, lesser known than John the Baptist for sure, was, nevertheless, much like his namesake in his passionate love for Christ and His people. John Harper possessed the Baptist’s same kind of inextinguishable white-hot desire to point “whosoever” to the Lord Jesus. Harper’s all-consuming desire was for Christ and to reach lost souls. To this end, he gave his whole life, much like the One he adored unto death. John Harper gave up his life—and life jacket—so that George Henry Cavell could live. Fulfilling in spirit and deed Jesus’ command to all those called by His name concerning our Christian duty. “This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.” –John 15:12-13.

A fitting reminder at Advent. Needed to help realign our hearts to what is profoundly important.

Our sold-out determination to fervidly follow after the Savior we claim to be our Lord—wherever He may lead us.

Decidedly making straight, by the strength and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, every crooked path onto which we’ve strayed.

Keeping alive, with burning brilliance, Jesus’ Words to us as our guides: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” –John 15:4-5.

The only way any of us, you, and I or either John referenced in today’s teaching do these good works prepared for us before the foundation of the world, is in God’s strength. By imitating Jesus. His desire, that not one should perish. “For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:10.

John Harper most certainly did.

Believing he was about to die; this widower first ensured his only daughter and sister made it safely onto a lifeboat. They both lived to tell of John’s bravery and self-sacrifice. How they watched as he ran back and forth along the length of the deck of that sinking ship proclaiming Jesus as Lord, beseeching those about to meet their watery deaths to receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Eyewitness and other documented reports indicate John Harper remained laser-focused and determined to do all he could to ensure no one was lost. He was seen floating in those icy North Atlantic waters where he came across the man George Henry Cavell, pictured in today’s image, adrift and clinging for dear life to some broken-off piece of the Titanic.

Cavell himself reported that John Harper asked him, not once but twice, if he was saved.

Cavell responded he was not. At which time, Harper pulled off his own lifejacket and, tossing it to Cavell, told him: “Put this on. You need it more than I do.”  Knowing for sure he would soon meet his Lord and Savior, John Harper laid down his life for Cavell—following His Savior’s example to the very end. It was Harper’s dying hope that this one man would not perish but, much like the thief on the cross, in the last moments on earth, receive the blessed assurance of eternal life. Having survived his life-changing ordeal, picked up in a lifeboat by the crew of the RMS Carpathia, Cavell later reported John Harper had yelled out to him not once but twice: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!” And he did. And he was to the glory of God.

Salvation is personal friends, a decision each man must make for himself. Accept the lifejacket being thrown your way today, or don’t. Jesus has afforded you the extraordinary privilege of making such an eternal decision.

Jesus has done His part to ensure you’re free to choose Him—or not.

Born the Babe we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus died fully God and fully man on Calvary’s Cross. He rose again on the third day, King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus alone has defeated death and the grave—you can, too, if you accept His offer of salvation. “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” –Deuteronomy 30:19.

Friends, we must not be distracted by all that glitters this holy season, lest we forget about its true meaning and purpose: Lest we forget God’s Son, beautiful, innocent Jesus, born of a virgin—having agreed in eternity past to be born in eternity future, all that He might live and die fully  God and fully man, experiencing ALL that we have yet sinned not. The Sinless One who laid down His life for the sin full. The Guiltless for the guilty; you and me.

It’s easy to lose sight of that Truth as we sing, Joy to the World!

Forgetting entirely the cost of such joy.

John Harper never lost sight of his Savior or the great privilege of joining Him in laying down his life for a friend. Multiple times, across the Gospels, Jesus tells His disciples—tells us, told John Harper, to follow Him. Our following Jesus has always been God’s plan. And we, like John the Baptist and John Harper, and that great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, can do this only through the power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in us, willing and enabling us, as Philippians remind us, to do His pleasing and perfect will. “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.” –Philippians 2:13.

That’s precisely what John Harper did on that fateful morning in April 1912.

As we prepare our hearts to receive Him afresh this Advent—making room for Him by removing any false notion that our lives as Christians ought to be comfortable, stable, and free of suffering, though not popular, I’m sure, I will remind us all, starting with myself, of our need, privilege and calling to lay down our lives before the God-man we sing about having been born in a manger, remembering He is coming again as promised, soon and very soon now.

Is your heart prepared to receive Him if He comes this very night?

Had God not given John Harper His strength and the grace needed to meet his watery death in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Sea, who is to say if another would have been sent to George Henry Cavell saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!” There are no icy waters today—no sinking ship. However, an SOS is being sent to you directly. Its message? Romans 10:9-10. John Harper’s last words to George Henry Cavell.

Simply put, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!”

Grab the lifejacket being thrown to you now, friend. Slip it on and be saved. Jesus is coming back for you. Believe it or not. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10.

Appointed Times.

December 23, 2023 /

MaryEllen Montville

That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there…” –Luke 2:27.

A fine thread is inextricably woven throughout the Old and New Testaments—seemlessly uniting the two into one Living Word. An unbreakable, unfaltering, infallible tenet—resilient and unchanging, from Genesis to Revelation and from generation to generation, it has been witnessed flowing effortlessly from the very fingertips of God. God, whose Words gave birth to whole planets, whose prophets foretold His birth, and whose Spirit overshadowed a virgin. His life having entered her womb—miraculous!

By the power of His Holy Spirit, this same God led Simeon to the Temple on a specific day and time so that Simeon might rejoice as he held the fulfillment of God’s promise in his arms, the eight-day-old King of kings. “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” –Luke 2: 25-26.

Meanwhile, on a distant pasture, under the canopy of a clear, starry night, shepherds tended their flocks in Bethlehem. These were no ordinary sheep—nor shepherds. And this was no typical night. These sheep were spotless, having been set apart as sin offerings for use in the Temple by the High Priest. And God Himself had handpicked these lowly shepherds to be messengers of His Good News. Now in the heavens above them, God’s angel, His herald, rent the night sky open, making room for the glory of God to flood this holy night in indescribable splendor while he announced the birth of their long-awaited Messiah!

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” –Luke 2:8-12.

All the while, in a stable not far off, Mary, a newly betrothed, devout Jewish girl, was lying on the hay in a manger. She wasn’t surrounded by her mother and the women of her family. Not even a midwife was present. Only Joseph and the prying eyes of barnyard animals watched her every move as she pushed the God-child out of her body and into the world He was born to save. Mary, too, had also been chosen by God for this appointed hour. “She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” –Luke 2:7.

“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the Lord! The Lord is with you. The angel told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High.” –Luke 2:27-28; 30-32.

How will you respond when God’s appointed times aren’t wrapped up in the pretty packages you imagined? Dare I say, expected? When the absolute best God offers looks nothing like the Hallmark moments most 21st-century Christians have grown to expect?

Starting in Genesis, with God’s first recorded utterance and before, unquestionably, no single thing, no life, death, circumstance, trial, test, dream fulfilled, or birth, has, or will come before God’s appointed time. In fact, they’ll often come in ways we least expect, through people we least expect and at the most unexpected times.

Then again, since Jesus’s arrival, before, actually, God has been turning the world upside down.

Virgin births. A King, born as a servant, not in a palace, but in a stable. A King who hailed from a town most laughed at when its name was mentioned. “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” –John 1:46. But that wasn’t the case with Simeon. This devout, righteous man didn’t concern himself with where or how God would fulfill the promise He’d made him. Simeon knew that God would do what He said He would do at the appointed time.

And so, Simeon waited.

How long? Scripture doesn’t tell us.

Was it five years, ten, twenty-five? It’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that God’s Holy Spirit led Simeon to the Temple on the exact day a portal connecting heaven and earth had been opened—an appointed time. When God Most High, El Elyon, showed Himself to be inscrutable. And Jesus, a newborn babe, awaited Simeon’s arrival. Jesus, the Messiah, a promise foretold by the prophets, held now, finally, in an old man’s arms. “That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God…” –Luke 2:27.

But what if Simeon had decided to pass on going to Temple that day? Choose not to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Think of the consequences!

God had made Simeon a promise—Mary, too. Yet each waited on God while enduring trials and testing, the taunts of those who said, “God did what?” “Said what!”

Each had no clue just how God’s promise would change their lives, only that in the best way possible—it would.

How did they know this?

They trusted God.

They loved and knew Him experientially.

They understood Jesus as a person of His Word.

Each wholeheartedly believed God would bring to fruition what He had promised them.

Has God given you a Word?

Has He promised you that you would see something? Move somewhere? Marry someone, have a child, start that ministry, that He’d restore a relationship, yet here it is years later, and still, you’re waiting? If this is you, Beloved of God, you’re in good company. Take patient hope from Simeon’s story.

Or take a lesson from Mary’s unwavering faith. Just think of the souls that have been and will be saved because she dared to believe the God of the impossible—and do the same. “For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.” –Habakkuk 2:3.

Friends, Jesus assures us that He will return at a time predestined and known only to the Father. Like Simeon, we don’t know when God will fulfill His promise, only that He will. Today, maybe, or tonight? Five days, weeks, or years from now, twenty-five perhaps—who knows when? Timing is not the point—Truth is. Don’t allow the times to distract you from the Truth. Jesus will return. Are you ready to receive Him? That’s all that matters. “The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” –2 Peter 3:9.

The Promise Of Christmas

December 24, 2022 /
Maria Braga

Way back in (Genesis 3:15,) we learn the origin of God’s promise. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. At the fall of Adam and Eve, God announced the need for a Savior. Being Omniscient, God knew that a Deliverer was the only way to redeem humanity, a perfect Lamb, Jesus, His only begotten Son. For to us, a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah wrote of the promise of a coming King the Israelites would know of hundreds of years before that promise came to pass. For centuries, there was anticipation among the people of God. They were looking for the royal arrival of this great King, the Son of God. Everyone imagined and expected Him to be much like the kings they had known. A powerful and possessive ruler, not a lowly baby found in a manger. 

Everyone knew that some young Israelite virgin would deliver the world’s Savior. I can only imagine living during that time! The questions, the anticipation, and even the competition among these young girls wondering who is the chosen one! Who will deliver this King? Is it me? Mary was a young Jewish girl. Many scholars believe she was around fifteen years old. She was not formally educated but most likely well-instructed in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible.) Her parents, grandparents, and family who attended the Synagogue had likely taught her the Scriptures. They all almost certainly followed the religious laws of that day. Every Jewish girl knew about the prophecies. They knew the books of the law, the Pentateuch.

History tells us that Mary lived a simple life in a small home with no running water, toilets, heat, electricity, or any of the modern-day conveniences we have today. She lived an everyday life as all the other girls her age. 

God had already given His promise, the stage was set, and the time came for the significant historical event. The people of Israel awaited a triumphant king on a mighty horse. A king who possessed all the trappings of royalty. But God had a different plan. He chose to do it another way. And so, He sent the angel to deliver the message to Mary.

The angel Gabriel shows up and speaks to Mary, a young girl who had never known a man. The angel came to her and said; You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. *You are chosen from among many women. When she saw the angel, she was troubled by his words. She thought about what had been said. The angel said to her; Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God. See, you are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early Father David sat. 33 He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end. Mary said to the angel, How will this happen? I have never had a man. The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will cover you. The holy Child you give birth to will be called the Son of God. –Luke 1: 28-35.

Mary’s response is phenomenal! She didn’t run, and she didn’t pass out before this powerful being. She was filled with faith, a little troubled sure, but without fright. She stood tall before the angel and took in the message the angel had brought her from God. Her servant’s heart amazes me! How will this happen? I have never had a man. Could this pivotal moment have been the very second Mary conceived? As the angel spoke the Word, did the Word instantly become flesh inside her womb? Mary’s faith moved heaven and earth when she said: Let it be done unto me according to your will.Luke 1:38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be it unto me according to thy Word. And the angel departed from her.

Mary was blessed among women, chosen, and filled with faith.

Mary lived a life that was pleasing to God. She focused on God’s promise when the battle began to rage around her. Those days were not easy for a woman. Her culture did not accept this kind of situation. It was considered disgraceful. And a young unmarried girl or woman in this condition would be stoned to death. Mary knew all about the troubles that lay before her. She knew her culture well! So Mary decided to visit her older cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist! Upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s house, Mary greeted her cousin, and the baby leaped inside Elizabeth’s womb.

Perhaps, this was the first praise service!

Elizabeth blessed her cousin, saying, You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said He’d do. – Luke 1:45.

What an example for us to follow. As believers, we live assured that God will do what He promises. He never changes. When we face the impossible, like Mary, we might ask, “How can this happen?” But like Mary, we must believe, and trust that God is still fulfilling His promises. We must remember that what is impossible for man is possible for God. Mary was chosen to fulfill a promise given some 4000 years prior. We, too, must ready ourselves to have our faith stretched big enough to believe and trust the One who never fails to complete what He begins!

You and I are still chosen today to accomplish whatever God calls us to do.

Mary faced separate groups of people in her process. Some totally missed Jesus, like the innkeeper. Because of the census, business was booming. So he had no room for the King of kings to be born in his inn. Another was Herod, who represented King and government, and the others were the high priests of the day, meaning the religious sect. 

Mary also experienced the love, warmth, and care of other groups, like, the shepherds and the Maggi. There were also the animals, who kept them warm! Jesus, the Promised One, arrived unexpectedly because His ways are not like ours. From the beginning, God planned to save His creation, all humanity! The purpose of the coming of Jesus is to open the Way back into a right relationship with the Father. Everyone who receives Jesus as Lord and Savior become a child of God.

Becoming a new creation is called the miracle of salvation. 

The Promise of salvation born at Christmas is for every person living on the face of the earth. Mary clearly shows us how to have this kind of faith. She demonstrates servanthood. “Here I am. May it be done unto me according to your will.” 

This is a spiritual concept. The Holy Spirit comes into us upon receiving salvation, living within, and He begins to change us. We experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit and begin to understand spiritual things and grow and serve as Mary did. We must believe and trust what God says He will do!

If you have not asked Jesus to become your Lord and Savior, what better time than now, at Christmas? Please pray this simple prayer with a sincere heart, and you will be saved. “Father, in the name of Jesus, fill my heart. Change me and make me new. I repent of my sins; forgive me. Guide me in this new way of life and surround me with a spiritual family that will help me grow and advance in my new spiritual walk. In the name of Jesus, amen.

” If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. –Romans 10:9-10.

Greater Love.

December 17, 2022 /
Matthew Botelho

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we must love one another. –1 John 4:10-11.

Hello to all my dear brothers and sisters, and Merry Christmas to you! May our Lord bless you for taking the time to read what He has given me to share. This is the season of joy and peace on earth. It is the season God sent the Greatest Gift of all to show His love for us; Jesus, His only Son.

Yet humanity is slowly declining in the love department. Especially in the whole, love thy brother.

Those who run around with a me-first mentality can bring us down, discourage us, and, if we’re not guarding our hearts, potentially sow seeds that will spring up into a mindset of, what’s the point? And that’s not to mention how much division is happening in this great country. Everyone has an opinion. And everyone wants to be heard.

I wonder if the disciples thought about these things during their ministry.

Why? Because there is nothing hidden that will not be uncovered, my friends. Jesus knew then, as He knows now, what was in men’s hearts. That is why as Blood-Bought believers, we must adhere to the new command our Lord Jesus gave us. It is not a mere suggestion. It is a command from our King. I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. –John 13:34-35.

My brothers and sisters, there is still hope in all you see happening around you. The darkness shall not prevail because some two-thousand years ago, God did something beyond amazing! He gave this world the ultimate sign of His love. He sent His Son to die for our sins once and for all! Let’s read this together in one voice, my dear family! For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16.

Ok, so language, or specific words, catch my attention when I read different versions of the Bible.

Maybe it’s that way for some of you armchair theologians as well. For instance, in the King James Version of the Bible, John 3:16 uses “whosoever believes” rather than “everyone who believes,” as written in the New Living Translation. And though everyone and whosoever means the same thing (anyone who places their faith in Jesus will be saved), there is something about the word whosoever that catches me whenever I read it. For me, “whosoever” is enormous. It’s significant. It’s so substantial; it encompasses everyone. Whosoever means no one person’s sin is too big for God to forgive.

So whosoever is for the addict still stuck in their addiction. The prostitute, murderer, gang member, that person who thinks their sins are so great God could never forgive, nevermind love them. Whosoever speaks to the one who believes Jesus can only love those nice church people, but not someone like me. Maybe whosoever resonates with me because I was once whosoever before I fell in love with Jesus.

Are you whosoever, friend? If you are, Jesus does love you, died for you. Just as He did for everyone else, but you must believe He is who He says He is—that’s your part. That’s the part everyone who says Jesus is Lord must believe. So have you asked Jesus to be Lord over your life? Have you let Him into your heart?

Let’s look at John 3 a little closer. It says, “so that everyone or whosoever believes in Him.” Belief is key. If you do not believe in Jesus, that He is who He says He is, then your name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It takes a confession of faith and repentance of your sins to go from Whosoever to saved. I believe many miss this Truth.

God loves the world so much that He made a plan to save fallen man. A Way to save whosoever will accept Him. And the key that opens God’s plan is Jesus. Salvation is in Jesus alone. Jesus’s sacrificial Blood was always part of God’s plan. A plan first seen in the Garden of Eden—right under the enemy’s nose. Satan thought he had corrupted God’s ultimate design, but our God had a plan. The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them. –Genesis 1:21.

Now the skins God used to cover Adam and Eve are known as a type and shadow, which means we first catch a glimpse of Jesus and God’s plan of salvation in the Garden of Eden. Innocent blood shed to cover the guilty. How uncomfortable and undeserving we feel when we sin. Adam and Eve must have felt the same way, so they tried to cover up their mess with fig leaves. But they failed, as we all do when we take things into our own hands.

Can you think of times you’ve attempted to cover over your sins?

God knew what they had done, so He asked Adam a question. “Where are you?” –Genesis 3:9. My brothers and sisters, this is a selah moment! A time to pause here and reflect. Holy Spirit is asking that you take this opportunity to ask yourselves this same question. “Where are you?”

Moving on now…

In the Garden of Eden, God made coverings for Adam and Eve from some of His creations. Scripture does not say what type of animals were slain to cover them, but we know that Jesus is the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world. So, could it have been lambs that were slain to cover Adam and Eve? We’ll find out someday. I raise this question because John’s gospel records the day John the Baptist sees Jesus walking towards him. He proclaims Him to be the Lamb of God who’s come to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29-31). And in Genesis 4:6, Adam and Eve’s son, Abel, presents a sacrifice of the firstborn lamb from his flock. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering. Had God remembered His act of slaying an innocent back in the garden to cover those who had sinned?

According to the law of Moses, almost everything is purified with blood. And without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Throughout the Old Testament, an animal had to die. It’s blood shed for man’s sin to be covered. But the blood of these animals was only a temporary solution. Their blood could not fix man’s sin problem, and sin, my dear brothers and sisters, is death for us. God removes His presence where sin abounds because He cannot dwell where sin lives. God is Holy, forever (Hebrews 9:2). The Blood of Jesus is pure and undefiled because God is Holy, and His Blood is Holy. It’s what washes away our sins. The Blood of Jesus is not a covering for our sins; coverings will be removed. The Blood of Jesus washes away all our sins. Come let us discuss this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool. –Isaiah 1:18.

Jesus has come as Light into a dark world. Whosoever receives Jesus as Lord is saved. God has come in the flesh. Emmanuel, God with us. He died in our place—a sacrifice for our sins, foreshadowing what God did in the Garden of Eden. As we end this teaching, brothers and sisters, be reminded of the Greatest Gift God has given us, His only Son, Jesus. Salvation is found in none other. We caught of peek at God’s plan for man’s redemption in the garden, but in Jesus, God’s plan was fulfilled. Jesus is the gift we do not deserve.

My dear friends, scripture tells us today is the day of salvation! So if you are reading about Jesus for the first time and feel some stirring inside of you. Let today be the day you say yes to Jesus and make Him Lord over your life. Turn away from your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Be washed clean of your sins by His precious blood. Let today be the day of new beginnings in our Lord Jesus. Amen. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. –Romans 10:9-10.

Christmas Greetings!

December 25, 2020 /
MaryEllen Montville, Kendra Santilli, Stephanie Montilla

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” Isaiah 43:18-19.

Christmas Greetings, Sonsofthesea family! Kendra, Stephanie, and I wish you and your family abundant blessings today—and the whole week through. Soon the New Year will be upon us with its offerings of renewed hope, growth, and the opportunity to walk more closely with our Lord. With that, we’re praying even now; you begin to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting as to what it is He desires from you in this new season. What is God asking you to release, making room then to receive the “new thing” He’s chosen to bring into your life? Will you allow the Good Gardner to prune away those areas in your life that drain your focus and strength, making your branches healthier, more fruitful? We here at Sonsofthesea are locking arms with you, believing for God’s very best to manifest in and through you in this new season. But for today, from our hearts and homes to yours, “O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

Awe and Wonder…

December 5, 2020 /
Kendra Santilli

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” –Luke 2:9-11.

I’ve been going for a lot of long nature walks lately. Not even because I’m super reflective, not because I have an affinity for nature, no. It’s much simpler than that, it’s because I have a dog. Yes, you read that right; my dog is the reason I go for long nature walks. Bear with me here as I tell you a bit about my fur baby. I have a golden retriever named Daisy, and boy is she energetic! Simple neighborhood walks don’t do it for her any longer, not like they did when she was a pup. She requires the cool of the earth beneath her paws now, she wants the scent of crisp autumn leaves, actually, more like whatever’s lurking beneath them. She wants the sight of the forest with its beams of sunlight and the sound of squirrels rustling about, birds chirping, up in the trees somewhere, she wants to lick the dew off of the fallen foliage. To say she loves the woods is an understatement—she is elated when she’s in them! When I say the words, “wanna go for a walk?” she comes to life. She bolts towards the door, ready to run, head-on into a new adventure. Over the past couple of months, as Daisy and I have trekked various New England trails, my dog has taught me to love creation. It’s because of her that I’ve been reminded nature was created for me to enjoy as well. Daisy stops and smells the flowers. She investigates every twig that appears suspicious. She picks up on any trace of any other creature who may have gone before her. She is so present in every moment. Locked in discovery mode, she traces every sight and scent—familiarizing herself for next time. Her desire for discovery got me thinking: “what if we lived in wide-eyed wonder as Daisy does? Awestruck by all the beauty that surrounds us? What if the earth, formed by the hands of our Maker and designed for us to thrive in, elicited the same awe-struck response in us as it does in Daisy?

Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as an AWEsome God. I think that says something about the lens through which He wants us to view Him…

By definition, awe is an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc. It is produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. Knowing the Creator of the universe invokes just such an awe inside of us. It awakens some deep knowing that fulfills our every need for belonging. I mean, it was the voice of God, after all, who spoke the stars into existence and gave the earth its form; He who, with just one Word, spoke light into existence. And it was this same God who allocated a place in the ecosystem for every living being. Everything that has breath sends that same breath right back to Him, in praise. His hands the very ones that formed humankind, the crown jewel of His creations. And it was His breath blown into the lungs of that first man that gave him life—us too. Yes. From the very beginning of time, God’s watchful eye has been on us. If I stopped right here, what I just said should be enough to ignite a great big spark of awe in you. But alas! There’s more…

The bond between God and man was broken by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden—their sin separating them from Him. But God set out to—had a plan to, restore what they had broken! Considering the Christmas season that is upon us, I thought it appropriate to look at the response of mankind to the arrival of God in the flesh, in the person of His Son, Jesus. In Luke 2, we find the story of Jesus’ birth. But before I get there, I need to remind us- Jesus chose to come into this world in the most unlikely way, and to the most unlikely of people. Ordinary people like me and you. Jesus did not come with a heavenly army, nor to a kingdom as we know it. He came through Mary, a humble servant. And He chose to be born in a simple stable, in a very unlikely town. In Luke 2 we learn that the very first people to be told of His birth were lowly shepherds. What got me when I read Luke 2 was the shepherd’s response. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. So, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” –Luke 2:9-11; 16. They were terrified—a response to being awed. Yet despite this, after they were reassured by the angel, they were moved to action. That overwhelming awe didn’t paralyze them. It moved them. First, to go and see, then, secondly, to go and tell!

When you have a genuine encounter with the Living God, something magnificent happens within you. That encounter causes you to act because of what you’ve just experienced for yourself! Understand, this kind of supernatural reaction doesn’t just impact you, the one who has the initial experience, it has an eternal chain-link effect that connects you somehow to countless others. Luke 2 goes on to tell us that, “all who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds said to them” –Luke 2:18. All who heard. Those shepherds couldn’t keep quiet about their awesome experience with the angel of the Lord. They told anyone who would listen to them all about Jesus, His star, and His birth—about their divine encounter with Him. They shared all that the angel had spoken to them and everything they had witnessed with their own two eyes. They could have chosen to write the angel off as some dream-like apparition, yet they chose instead to unapologetically stand by what they knew to be true.

I can call to mind some experiences I’ve had where I may have dulled down the story to make it seem a bit more “normal”. But the truth is, the supernatural things of God are anything but normal. There’s a reason they’re called “super-natural”. They defy earthly definition. And when we share these supernatural things God has done in our life with others, it causes amazement to well up in them.

Let’s look, for a moment, at the wise men. Fun fact: The Bible doesn’t say how many wise men there actually were. We know from Scripture that there were three gifts, but there very well could have been a caravan of people traveling to behold the Savior of the world! Regardless, these wise men, or “Magi” as they’re referred to in Matthew 2, were highly esteemed and well-educated men. Yet these same men came and bowed humbly before a baby they believed to be the Messiah. They saw a star in the heavens, a sign, and they followed it. They did not worship this sign mind you, they simply allowed it to lead them to their Creator. With this in mind: I pray we are never too old or too prideful to recognize and respond to the move of God—no matter how undignified doing so may seem. Like the Magi who knelt before a baby, I pray we have the humility to adore Him in every situation we may find ourselves in. Secondly, I pray we don’t look at signs as gods, rather that we allow them to lead us to the One True God—the source of all wisdom and life.

From the moment He was born, Jesus evoked an unadulterated passion from His own—from all those who recognized Him as their Messiah. I have the feeling that all the emotion tucked into the Christmas story may have been placed there to help us to return to a childlike state of simple joy and admiration for the Babe in the manger.

As Jesus grew into His ministry, He healed many and spoke with such wisdom it shocked those who heard Him speak. The Samaritan woman, the lepers, the blind men, the lame, each received His gift of healing and love. Then, telling everyone they knew what they had experienced, most of them responded just as the shepherds did—in wonder and amazement. Part of the beauty of this story is that we get see Jesus amaze people all around the world, still. Whether it be restoring hope to the hopeless, bringing healing to the afflicted and broken, or bestowing a sense of belonging to someone who is lost. Jesus is still working today—right here, right now. He still displays signs and wonders around us every day. We just need to open our eyes, our hearts, to both see and to receive them.

If my dog can live in the moment, soaking in the awe and wonder of God’s endless goodness, His abundant provision, and splendor, I’m thinking we ought to be able to as well. Wouldn’t you agree? This Christmas season, my prayer for you is that you might find the “extra” in ordinary things. Most of all, I pray that you discover the hope found only in Jesus Christ. I pray His joy fills you beyond measure! I pray you begin to live in a state of wonder and awe, flat out amazed by all that God has done, is doing, and is yet to do!

And if you’ve never asked this God of awe and wonder into your heart—what better time than now! Give your life to Jesus today let it be your gift to Him in return for all that He has given you, starting with your very breath. He has allowed all this time to pass just so that you’d read this, and then ask Him into your heart as Lord. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” –2 Peter 3:8-9.

If You’ll Just Follow… Mark 8:36

December 23, 2018 /

 “For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world [with all its pleasures], and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul and eternal life [in God’s kingdom]?”

If you’d be so kind as to indulge me for a moment or two—I promise you, by the time we part company today, we’ll have discovered some Truths together…

Today I was led to the book of Zechariah.

It’s where my journey with the Lord began this morning. But, before I get into what He revealed, allow me to share just how joy-filled it is to sit at the feet of the Lord and have Him open the eyes of my understanding to His Truth! It’s as humbling today as it was the very first time the proverbial light-of-my-understanding was flicked on! Just like that, out of seemingly nowhere, bam! Truth is realized! And, as a result, I am forever changed in some great or small way. And so are you! Or, you certainly can be! Take a moment to think about that the next time you’re in your Word. The Creator of the universe is right there with you whispering His Truth into your spirit; causing your belly to jump in response to His presence with you!

Elizabeth knew a thing or two about this…

But it was the mention of being “brought through the fire” in verse 9 of Zechariah 13 that caused me to pause today. It resonated with me. In its reading I was reminded of a Word the Lord had spoken to me almost a year ago now concerning my imminent relocation. Sitting with Him one morning I had heard the Word ‘crucible’ drop in my spirit. I knew this was a Word concerning the season He was leading me into.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been walking with the Lord long enough to know that when you hear a Word like that drop in your spirit—buckle up! This was not going to be a mountaintop season—no refreshing time by the brook for this gal! This was going to be one of those walking through the shadow of the valley of death deals! Mine that is. I knew God was about to do a deep work in me. I also knew it was time…

Let us be re-minded that in this season of giving the very act of giving itself is designed to cost us something…

My first clue came in a “suddenly” moment. Standing at my kitchen island I heard the Lord say, “take your hands off of it.” Foolishly in the moment I thought He was referring to the new home He had just provided. In other words, “don’t get too attached to it.” See He’d dealt with me in the past about making idols of “things”. So, it was easy for me to see this as a reminder: This is a gift, NOT a possession!

Hence the hands-off thing…

I had no idea in that moment however, that in a just a few short months, not only would I leave that new home behind but with it my family, friends, my church family, my ministry work, and, the islands I so love. Those same Islands God has been bringing me back and forth between for the past 27 years! Would I ever come back?  Like I said, I had no idea this was coming. His ways are surely not mine!I would love to tell you that I was all super-spiritual and instantly—joyfully obeyed His command to pack it up, give it away, and go where He was leading me. But that would be a lie. However, I did pack. I did give away what I was told to, and I did go amid one of the worst hurricanes the Islands had seen in years. So severe was this storm that just 48 hours prior to my departure there were no flights off the islands due to the menacing wind. Only by Gods divine Hand was the storm turned away and literally swept out to sea.

His Word will not return to Him void…

Allow me to pause here and clarify something important: I was joy-filled to hear from God; that is my Spirit-man was. My flesh on the other hand, not so much.

Now you may be thinking, nice testimony, but what does this have to do with today’s scripture, or to your earlier reference of being led to the book of Zechariah? It’s here then that I will thank you for patiently following along. More, where I will start filling in the pieces of this puzzle for you…

In this season when everyone is running around searching for the perfect gift to give, it was in and through each of these passages that the Lord re-minded me of that one “perfect gift” He requires from us—from me, His children. A heart of obedience. One completely surrendered to His Lordship. After-all, it’s a large part of the reason He came for you and me. Why He chose us. Why He allowed Himself to be wrapped in milk rags and sleep in the leftover straw meant for animals. It’s why He gave up heaven and took on human flesh. It’s why that same flesh was ripped open by the Roman lictors whips. Why He held His Cross as one would hold their lover. It’s why He laid down upon it—willingly, stretching Himself wide; He wanted there to be room “for all who will” inside the Inn of His Body. It’s why this Spotless One took on every filthy thing I have ever done, said, thought. You too. He did this, and so much more, for us both. He did it for each soul that has ever been, is now, and those yet to be called by His great name.

Is there anything we might gain that is worth having outside of Jesus?

Is a fine home, a car, beautiful furnishings, cash in the bank, exotic destinations, the best of spouses or a house filled with children; never mind some finely wrapped gifts given us at Christmas worth having if our not knowing Jesus is the price we must pay to have them?

I say no. There is nothing. No thing I would exchange for knowing, and being both known and loved by my Lord. Nothing. And, that’s scary to say out loud. Though I know that I know He works all things together for my good—those “things He’s working with” are often exacting. Yet still, it’s on trembling knees I lovingly say, “not my will but Thine be done.” After all, I am His. Who else is there for me but Him?

It was in reading Zechariah 13 verse 8 that I was re-minded I have been chosen in Christ Jesus. Saved to serve my Savior. And, in verse nine how it is through this fire of adversity spoken of—this election of sacrifice and refining, that He burns off my dross. One day we will—I will, stand before Him spotless and without wrinkle. Oh, glorious day! It was during this same time that a verse we sing at this time of the year found its way into my heart. Thinking of it again now I am brought to my knees: “Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth…”

Oh, night divine! Oh, holy night…!

And there is it. My life, your life, the greatest gift we will ever receive laid out for us in nine simply profound and life-changing words. My worth—your worth, is found in Christ alone! Be re-minded of that in this season of hope beloved! Receive this precious gift friend. Is there any “thing” He might ask of us that is too great to give back to the One who came as Gods greatest, most costly gift to the world?

Friend, if you’ve yet to meet Him—to experience the life-changing joy of His birth, don’t let this Christmas pass without finding your way to His side and bow before Him in humble adoration. And, if you’re unsure just how to find Him, fear not, He is as faithful to guide you today as He was to those lowly shepherds so long ago… “And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” … Luke 2:12-14!

And, to my brothers and sisters I welcome you to join me in worshiping anew our King. The greatest gift we will ever be given, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May His star burn brightly in your hearts. And, may it be used as it was that first night to lead those who will to Him…

 

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