Christmas is a Special Time

Christmas in Alamos is always a special time. A local Americano woman has a long standing tradition of taking up a collection for the city maintenance workers. Once Shoebox Ministries made it’s way to Alamos giving boxes to hundreds of local needy children. Locals do posados. This was also a time of the year when our ministry put together an extra despensa (food box) for the 20 or so needy families we worked with each month. In addition to the regular items such as flour, rice, beans, oil and other necessary groceries we added shampoo, bar bath soap, razors, feminine products, tooth paste, tooth brushes, lotion, cookies, fruit and candies. It was such a blessing to visit with the families that we had come to know as our special ones. We considered them “our families”.

Each of these children have their own unique stories and we came to love each of those precious families. Many times the bell would ring at our gate with one of the mothers asking for advice on how to solve a problem or help with some issue. We are so blessed to have many wonderful folks here in the states who were willing to support our Mexico ministry. This year Hermano Nestor has the list and he's checkin it twice as he's on his rounds despensing the goodies to all our families. To everyone of you from our Mexican families and ourselves we wish you, Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo. Yesterday we received an email from Hermano (brother) Nestor it said, "gracias, gracias, gracias, mucho gracias y dios te bendiga.

Christmas Every Day

Pastor John wishes to share these thoughts - "Christmas Every Day"

The Phillips translation of John 1:1 - 5 “At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was with God and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning. All creation took place through him, and none took place without him. In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. That light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out“. John 1:14 “So the word of God became a human being and lived among us. We saw his splendor as of a fathers only son, full of grace and truth“.

I read the story of a man who was in the crowd of people at a busy shopping mall and he made the statement “ I’m glad that Christmas comes only once a year. It leaves my pocketbook pretty thin”. Folks, if all that Christmas means to you is a seasonal shopping spree, it is going to leave only a bitter taste in your mouth. Now to be sure, there is a sweet sentimental feeling about a candlelight service on Christmas Eve, and getting together with our loved ones on Christmas Day. But then what happens? Suddenly the long awaited holiday is over and the joy of celebrating Christmas is gone and then that feeling of a let down sets in. Another Christmas has come and gone. Does this mean that like the ornaments on the Christmas tree the Christmas story too is to be packed away until next year?

To those who have grasped the true meaning of Christmas know that it is not a mere date on the calendar. It is a glorious truth which retains its importance throughout the year.

What is the everlasting truth which the Christmas story brings into focus? The apostle John, the writer of the fourth gospel captures it and is led to tell the story in a strange way. John says nothing about the angels or the shepherds , about the manger or the star over Bethlehem. But John grasps the permanent meaning of the event that happened in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, what the birth of the Christ child has meant throughout the centuries and what it means to us as Christians today. The almighty God who by his word made heaven and earth expressed himself, made himself known to man, by taking on the flesh and blood of a human. The eternal word became a human being. This is the continuing mystery and wonder of Christmas.

A scientist once said, " The best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person". This is exactly what God did on the first Christmas. And so the word of God became a human being and dwelt among us.

The baby born to a young Jewish girl two thousand years ago is none other than “God of God, Light of Light, and God of every God“. When Christ was nailed to a Roman cross on a Judean hill, it was God in action to reconcile an estranged world to himself. And when he rose from the dead, it was God bringing eternal life to mortal men. Man’s life is now linked with God’s life. Jesus Christ, in his infinite love, became a mortal man so that we may become as he is.

It is easy to lose this perspective which shows the difference between the Christian Gospel and all the other forms of religion. The miracle of baby Jesus being born in a stable has its share of wonderment at Christmas time, but all too often during the rest of the year Jesus is put away just like the ornaments on the Christmas tree.

The Christian message must never lose sight of its ultimate goal, and that is the establishment of a personal relationship between human beings and the God who sent us the greatest gift this world has ever known, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason the “ Jesus, our Immanuel” of whom we sing at Christmas must be the Jesus who brings God into our life everyday.

Just as all children need the warm reassuring touch of their mother’s loving hand that is how the Baby born in Bethlehem brings God to us. God is an awe inspiring word of comfort and encouragement to us as Christians. But the word sometimes only represents a fuzzy idea, something or somebody far away. But now the word has become flesh. God put on the physical human nature, becoming a living and saving presence to us. He is now more than a word. He is Immanuel, God with us.

When Christmas stops being a seasonal thing with people and becomes a living experience, it will produce changed lives; more sensitive, more unselfish and sympathetic, more patient and loving.

The word that became flesh for us becomes flesh in us as he uses us to establish contact with other people. Christ himself walks in our steps, looks through our eyes, thinks in our thoughts, speaks through our words, and loves through our hearts. Through us the Kingdom of God becomes real to the lives of men and God becomes real to them.

Lets celebrate Christmas every day of the year.

Your EFT (Eternal Faith & Trust)

Pastor John writes; Recently we heard from an old friend of ours from California, who one Sunday several years ago was visiting in our English speaking church service in Alamos, Mexico. We learned he was a recent convert after being an atheist most of his adult life. During the service he requested prayer as he was in severe pain having suffered an injury to his hip & leg while working out at his gym in California. At that time he was prayed for with the laying on of hands. He received a complete healing evidenced shortly after the prayers were prayed. It was a miracle and he has never ceased giving God the glory for his healing. Shortly after he returned home to California we received an e-mail from him with his testimony he was sharing with everyone he knew. He is an incredible gentleman who is now 94 years old and in good health. In his recent e-mail he was sharing with us his love of God and how he still depends on his EFT to get him through any health problems that occur.

I wish to share with you my response to his precious reaffirming of his EFT in God.

Good to hear from you and know that you still have that EFT. It is never wrong to ask questions of GOD. Just remember that he is always in control, and always keep your EFT. If GOD does not heal us supernaturally from our infirmities we can rest assured that he has provided intelligent people like doctors and scientists to help with our healing. But we do need to always remember to look to the throne of GOD from where all healing flows through the precious blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who bore our iniquities and our infirmities upon his body when he died on the cross, I, like you, do not take prescription drugs unless it is absolutely necessary, I trust almighty GOD to keep my body well and healthy as he promised to do if we are obedient to his word and place our total faith and trust in him. When you pray to God for anything just be sure that it is scriptural and believe that it has taken place even before you ask him in prayer.
When you go to God in prayer just remember what Jesus said in Mark 11:24 " Therefore I say unto you , what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye will receive them, and ye shall have them". Also we need to remember what Jesus told us about prayer in John 16:23 -- After Jesus has ascended back to heaven to be with the Father--- And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say to you, whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. So we come to the Father in the name of JESUS to ask for what we need.

Keep up the faith and trust in God, he will never fail you.