New Start

Consider what the birth of the Messiah means for the people of this planet. There are the effects for those at the time and then there is the impact on us all today. We talked about this a bit last week when we looked at the levels of governance of the Jewish people. There were the rules of the Caesar through the levels of government, administered by the governors and military. Add to this the rules of the Jewish hierarchy and the leadership under the king, in this case, King Herod. Then there was the rules and regulations of the priesthood, the Mitzvah, 613 Commandments of Jewish faith, along with the laws, traditions, and edicts of the faith community. There were some delicate dances performed in the administration of the nation by all levels of government and those most impacted by all these rules, by all the bureaucracy; the common people. So many rules, so much stress and, for many, little hope. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the sinners, the infirmed, children, women, shepherds, and those who were not Jews, just to name a few.  So, when you are living in a segment of society where there is little hope for any appreciation, equality or forgiveness, life can be rather depressing or even meaningless.

Then one night, the angels of the Lord came to the shepherds to declare the arrival of the Messiah, God with us. He came to bring great tidings of joy, hope and peace. Jesus came to grant all a new start. When we dig into the Holy Word, we find that Christ came to forgive and not condemn. So many of the rules and regulations by the many levels of governance were based on the things that were not allowed and were punishable by incarceration and, in some cases, execution. Our Lord, Emmanuel, came to give us a direction, a pathway to a peaceful and joyful life filled with hope rather than fear. Love God with absolutely every fiber of your being and love those around you fully. Jesus said when you pray, give forgiveness as you ask the Lord to forgive you. Love as God loves, forgive as God forgives, claim as much of the Grace of God as He is willing to provide. How much Grace does He have for each of us? Who really knows because His love for us is without end.

So where is the hope for us today? Jesus came for us all. Look back into the Scripture for examples. Jesus walked among the sinners, healed the sick, dined with thieves (tax collectors), defended prostitutes and blessed the black sheep (Samaritans). Christ sent the Disciples into the nations to minister to all, Jews and Gentiles alike. When the Son of God came, He did so with a purpose in mind; to save and to offer a new beginning. When Scripture talks of being born again, it is not that we return to the womb to start over but rather that we are offered the opportunity to die to our past and be reborn in His love, forgiven by His Grace and we live with a hope for an eternity in Glory with our Creator. Yes, we are under the law of mankind in our daily lives when it comes to daily living and, yes, some of those laws are rather hard to rally behind, but the hope of our future is in the two commandments of God; Love the Lord Almighty and love each other as yourself. Embrace what Jesus has provided each and everyone of us, claim victory over the sins of your past by declaring Christ as Saviour, ask Him for forgiveness, and begin life anew in His love and by His Grace. Happy New Year and Happy New Beginning!

This week we celebrate the new beginnings in a new year at 10:30 AM. We invite you to join us either in person or watch us online.

Facebook Live - https://www.facebook.com/main.ave.31

YouTube Live – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9LIkN_QTdVM6eVXEgy9QA

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com