Don't let your wonder die!

Christmas day is quickly approaching. For some it brings dread, financial stress, the burden of not disappointing children. Poverty tearing the hearts out of family life. Families separated and estranged.The loss of a loved one. Money plentiful yet the pillow absorbing silent sobs and tears. Masking fear and loneliness through pretence and humour! The pain and hope of wanting to be seen, but the reality of invisibility in a world that seems cold and heartless!

The sound of christmas hymns, school nativity plays,decorations and lights that adorn our streets to give a sense of 'comfort and joy'. The passing of The Salvation Army Bands playing on our streets those wonderful inspiring Christmas hymns that released hope and bought light to the souls and hearts of men!

That light still shines brightly today! His name is Jesus!

The baby became a man.

A young teenage girl, called Mary, had an encounter with God one day, that bought heaven to earth!

Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin [j]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” Then Mary said, “[k]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38

A beautiful song was written called "Mary did you know"

Some of the words are:

Mary, did you know That your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know That your baby boy has come to make you new?

This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to the blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with His hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby you've kissed the face of God?

Mary, did you know? Oo, Mary, did you know?

The blind will see

The deaf will hear

The dead will live again!

The lame will leap

The dumb will speak

The praises of the Lamb!

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Is the Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy was heaven's perfect Lamb?

And the sleeping Child you're holdin'

Is the Great I Am!

The real story of Christmas is about God's gift to the world Jesus!

Maybe this Christmas you've lost your wonder of Him!

Grief has overtaken you, hopelessness has made your heart sick, cancer is ravenging your body, sickness has become a familiar coat that you wear, your money has gone, no job in sight, that estrangement from your children is a knife through your heart! The cuts on your body are the outward sign of your inner pain, the forced smile, the bruises and broken bones, the taunts and bullying, the death that is taking place on your inside, those suicidal thoughts. The loss of your innocence, those voices in your head. All of those the.............

Jesus is well acquainted with.

He was despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief;

And like One from whom men hide their faces

He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.

But [in fact] He has borne our griefs,

And He has carried our sorrows and pains;

Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken,

Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him].

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing];

The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him,

And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5

I don't think that Mary really knew what manner of man her baby boy would grow into!

She trusted God and he fulfilled his word!

That baby boy, grew into a man who reconciled mankind to a loving father, he fulfilled all that he was sent to do and he's the same yesterday, today and forever. The great I AM!

Turn your eyes and your heart upon Jesus again. Emmanuel, God with us!

Turn up the volumn of those hymns, sing your heart out! Receive your healing, your miracle, your financial breakthrough! let faith arise.

2025 may not have been the year that you expected, nevertheless, give thanks, you survived it, and I dare say, not without him carrying you most of the way!

Step into 2026 with a renewed WONDER that God himself would allow himself to experience birth through a teenage girl, lie in her arms, receive her love. To grow and experience mankind and for mankind to experience God as he walked the earth.

"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him." Acts 10:38

God so loved this world that he gave.............John 3:16

He was very intentional in his giving. It was his very best gift, a unique, extremely costly gift, knowing that some would reive it gladly and cherish his gift and share it with others, while others would reject, abuse and defile his gift with anger and disdain. Yet despite it all God gave!

If you haven't been to church in a while, GO! When you hear that knock on the door of your heart OPEN it and invite him in! When you hear the church bells ringing or those bands playing, stop and listen, he's talking to you!

Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.

Jesus is the gift that goes on giving!