Laundry in Cyprus When my husband and I ministered in Cyprus for three months, our apartment had a brand-new, front-loading European washing machine. After some challenging laundry experiences in other parts of the Middle East, I was grateful to have such a nice appliance. There was just one problem: all settings were in Greek! I consulted the manual and matched the machine’s symbols to those in the book, with English explanations, and before long—voila! —I was confidently washing our clothes. Rejected Instruction Manuals Have you ever tossed aside an instruction manual when you got a new appliance? Maybe you thought,…
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 10-12 The Christmas season is ending, and another year is just about over. The nativity scenes and all the decorations will be packed away and forgotten for a few months. Many folks will put their church clothes away until Easter. People will go about their busy lives and forget all about what Christmas really means. But, those of us who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ worship Him all year round. We know Him as our Saviour and Lord. We eagerly anticipate His coming again to take us home to be with Him. The words of a song we used to sing have been going through my mind: “The First Time You Came, To A Stable Long Ago. They Pushed You Aside, For They Really Didn’t Know. Who Had Come To Their World To Save And To Heal. So, They Followed You…
“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Luke 2:36-37 I remember what it was like when our children were little and how excited they would be about Christmas. We would tell them that there so many more sleeps before the day would come. Of course, every day they would ask us how much longer they had to wait. The people who were waiting and watching for Messiah to come did not have a specific day to look forward to. The promise had been given, but the exact time was uncertain. Yesterday we heard about Simeon. Luke tells us that as Simeon finished his prophecy about the Baby Jesus, Anna appeared. Luke 2:38 “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Think of Anna as she ministered in the Temple. For…
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 2:25-26. Simeon loved God and believed all the Messianic promises in the writings of the prophets. The Bible does not tell us how old Simeon was, nor how many years he had been studying the scriptures. But we do know that at some point…
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Luke 2:8 It began just like any other night on the Judean hills. The sheep settled for the night. The shepherds gathered around their campfire, sharing a last cup of coffee before the guards took their positions, and the rest found a place to sleep. They took their job very seriously. This flock was special because from it would come the lambs designated for sacrifice in the temple. But this night would be different. There would be no sleep for any of them. The sky suddenly became filled with a strange light. Their hearts filled with fear. What was happening? Luke 2:10-11 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” They were familiar with the promise of a redeemer that would come. All their lives they had waited for it to happen. Now, the angel was telling them that this Saviour had indeed been born that…
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” Luke 2:4-5 When my first child was born, I rode in a car to a modern hospital, where I was quickly admitted and put in a comfortable bed. The nurse attending me was a friend, and the doctor was someone I was familiar with trusted completely. My son was checked over carefully to make sure everything was okay. They wrapped him in a warm blanket and placed him in a comfortable crib. All my needs were met. How different it was for Mary on that Christmas long ago. She had ridden for days on a donkey, probably feeling extremely uncomfortable, because she knew she would soon give birth. Arriving in Bethlehem, it must have been disheartening to discover there was no room in the inn. Fortunately, they found a place to stay in a humble stable, probably just a cave. There was no comfortable bed, no clean sheets, and no nurse or doctor to…