One night many years ago, a Christian woman couldn't sleep. It was well past her usual bedtime, but she found herself overwhelmed with fear. Her husband, Colonel Gracie, was crossing the Atlantic that night on his way home from England. When she couldn't push the frightening thoughts away, she got out of bed and began to pray.
-- Pastor Paul Communion Meditation
At the North American Christian Convention this summer we were singing a medley of songs that ended with a beautifully chorus that repeated the word holy over and over and over. I closed my eyes and got lost in the word and found, quite unexpectedly, a new understanding of who Jesus is and what holy means.
THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN on a dangerous moral skid lately. The increase of dysfunctional families, violent crime, political corruption, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, racial hatred, rampant abortions, personal and public debt, failing education, sexually transmitted diseases, and unrestrained greed signal a nation about to crash.
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4, 5).
The scene is a sparse hill in ancient Judea, not far from Jerusalem. Nearby is a cave. Jesus wears one meager garment. Mary watches, wondering what it all means. A man stands by, not the father of Jesus, but the one who will care for her. Beneath Jesus are beams of rough wood. Above, the heavens sparkle with supernatural splendor. In the city sits Herod, pondering Jesus’ death. Jewish leaders discuss his coming. Nearby are outcasts, giving their own crude testimony. Soon the rich arrive with gifts, better for burial than for birth.