MEDITATIONS FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON - Page 7
LET’S
GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS
(Puppet Play)
Zach (the puppet) comes up as
Echy the Echidna runs across the puppet stage.
ZACH: “Slow down Echy.
What are you in such a hurry for?”
ECHY: “I heard that the Church is
planning a big Christmas party and they always have great food. Where there’s food, there’s ants. And you know, I just love ants.”
ZACH: “Is that all Christmas means
to you. Food and ants! What about Jesus? How about preparing your heart for him
as well as your stomach?”
ECHY: “Well I can do both can’t
I?”
(He runs off the stage bumping into Frilly
the Lizard)
FRILLY: “Where’s Echy off to
in such a hurry? Someone having a barbeque?”
ZACH: “Oh he’s just
excited about all the food and ants around at Christmas. That’s all it means to
him.”
FRILLY: “Well, I’m not keen
on ants but I love lazing on the logs watching the kids playing with their
presents. They always look so happy.”
ZACH: “But do you know why
they get presents for Christmas?”
FRILLY: “`Cause their
parents have lots of money I suppose.Isn’t that what Christmas is all about –
spending all your money on presents and stuff. See you later Zach, and don’t
look so depressed. It’s Christmas!”
ZACH: “Yeah, it’s
Christmas. But it doesn’t seem to mean anything anymore.”
Mary
(the puppet) comes up.
MARY: “Hi Zach. Have you been
enjoying the service this morning? What about those prophets Malachi and
Zephaniah? Hey, did you know that you were named after a famous prophet?”
ZACH: “Yeah, but they
certainly did a better job of preparing people’s hearts for Jesus than I’m
doing. No one seems to want to listen to me. I guess it’s because I’m just a
kid.”
MARY: “Well, I’m here and
I’ll listen.”
ZACH: “All my friends seem
to care about is food and presents. When I think about Christmas, I think about
how much God loved me. That’s why he sent Jesus to earth as a baby, isn’t it?”
MARY: “That’s right. He sent his son
Jesus because everyone had turned away from Him. Later Jesus was to die on the
cross for us so that we could be forgiven and learn to love Him again.”
ZACH (getting excited): “But that’s not the most exciting thing of all.
Remember, Jesus came back to life and is living with us today. Christmas is all
about God’s gift of Jesus. That’s why we celebrate with food and presents. That’s
what I want to tell my friends. I want them to celebrate the real
Christmas with me.”
MARY: “Why don’t you sing
them a song? They always like it when you sing. I’m sure they’d listen then.”
ZACH: “Do you think so?
Will you sing with me? If we sing really loud Echy and Frilly might come back
and join us.”
MARY: “They might at that!”
I LOVE TO CELEBRATE.
I love to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ my King
To thank Him for His special gift of love.
The greater gift God gave to me was the gift of His own Son
Now that's what Christmas means to me.
CHORUS
Christmas is Jesus, He's alive, He lives today.
Christmas is Jesus, He's the truth, the life, the way.
Christmas is Jesus, How I love to shout and sing.
At Christmas time and all year round, singing praise to the King.
Now some kids don't really know what Christmas is all about.
They think it's only toys and Christmas trees.
Jesus came to give His life, His greatest gift of all.
Now that's what Christmas means to me.
Robert C Evans, 1991, Integrity: Hosanna.
PRIDE, THE GENESIS OF SIN BY STEVE FINNELL
ReplyDeletePride is an inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit or superiority.
Satan fell because of pride. That was the genesis of sin.
Ezekiel 28:11-17....."Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they may gaze at you.
Isaiah 14:12-14 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High."
Satan had a pride problem. He thought he was as smart as God. Satan believed he could be a God and equal to God. Satan had a pride problem.
DO SOME BELIEVERS IN CHRIST HAVE A PRIDE PROBLEM?
1 Timothy 3:1-6....6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
Even leaders in the church can become victims of pride.
When men deny obvious Biblical facts, is that not pride rearing its ugly head?
When men deny that Jesus said "He who believes and is baptized will be saved.... (Mark 16:16), is it not pride that prevents men from admitting they have been wrong in declaring that water baptism is not essential for salvation? Are men smarter than Jesus? How much pride does a man have to have to deny the clear teachings of the Scriptures.
When men are confronted with God's truth and still deny it, what but pride is the cause?
PRIDE
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.
Pride causes men to believe their own opinions and the opinions of other men at the expense of the clear teaching of God, which is found in the Bible and the Bible alone.
Pride forms man's opinions based on his own thoughts.
Pride is evident when men believe their creed books and reject the teaching of Scripture.
Pride can be destroyed if men will prayerfully search the Scriptures asking God to reveal His truth.
LOOKING FOR CONFORMATION OF YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND, OR THE CREEDS WRITTEN BY MEN, IS EVIDENCE OF PRIDE.
WHAT DOES BIBLE STUDY WITHOUT PRAYER PRODUCE? NOT MUCH.
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG. http//:steve-finnell.blogspot.com