"..and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.." John1:14
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

How amazing that the divine Son of God would take all our humanity and then take it all the way to the cross for us. In the words of Gregory of Nazianzus, Jesus took a human body, heart, mind, will and emotions so that He might save us in full. What a marvelous Savior!

Tim Smith, a Bible College professor, explained why Jesus came as a man. First, He had to come as a man to rule. The Bible teaches that a king would come to save God's people from their troubles and set the world right and this king or “anointed one” would also be known as Christ. (Matthew 1:1)

Secondly, Jesus Christ became a man as messenger to reveal the Father (John 1:14, 18). No man has seen God in all His glory except the very unique, special Son who has a special relationship with the Father, and He has clearly explained Him.

Lastly, Jesus Christ had to become a man to redeem mankind. Jesus had to have a body in order to pay the penalty for sin (Hebrews 10:1-18). Without the shedding of blood there is no removal of sin.

It is that time of year again. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. They don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. Turkey dinners may be only a wish and not a reality for some.

Yet, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us by becoming a man. It is time to put Him lovingly into our hearts; a time for forgiving, of healing and renewed strength.

He came to ride out the storm with us and other times He calms the restless sea around us. Most of all, He calms the storm inside us in our deepest inner soul so that we would believe and live confidently, peacefully and happily like the man in the following narrative.

I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is.--Albert Camus

There was once a man who didn't believe in God and didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife did believe and raised their children to have faith in God and Jesus.

One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked her husband to come, but he refused as usual, .. "The Christmas story is nonsense!" he exclaimed. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" She and the children went, and he stayed home.

That night the wind began to blow and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he could see was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down before the fire-place to relax . Suddenly there was a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then a second thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet because of the blinding snow.

When the storm let up a little, he ventured out to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near the house was a flock of wild geese. Apparently they were flying south when they were caught in the blizzard and couldn't go on.

They were lost and stranded on his farm, without food nor shelter. Flapping their wings, they aimlessly flew around the field in low circles. Some had apparently flown into his window.

The man felt concern for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It was warm and safe. They would be saved if they spent the night there waiting out the storm.

He opened the barn doors wide. Then he watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and enter. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and brought out some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo (to drive or frighten away) them toward the barn, but they only became frightened and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.

Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be safe. "Why don't they follow me?" he puzzled. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive?"

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.

Suddenly he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. When he released his goose, it flew through the flock and straight into the safety of the barn. One by one the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"  Then he thought about what he had said to his wife.

Sometimes God doesn’t change our situation because He is trying to change our heart.

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese, blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come.

Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first real prayer: "Thank You, Lord, for coming in human form to get me out of this world and leading me to a better one. Lead me to the safety of Your Father's arms."

God hears what is not spoken and understands what is not explained, for His love doesn’t work in the lips nor in the mind, but in the heart.

By Tim Pedrosa


Don’t ever be afraid of change. Always remember, God will never take anything away from you without the intention of replacing it with something much better. Sometimes, God closes doors because it’s time to move forward. He knows we won’t move unless circumstances force us to.

Tim