Abbots Langley Methodist Church

Abbots Langley Methodist Church A place of Worship. A welcoming and caring family. All are welcomed

16/01/2023
FOR THE PULPIT FROM THE COMMON LECTIONARY READINGS 1ST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY / BAPTISM OF THE LORD. 8TH JANUARY 2023THEME: ...
07/01/2023

FOR THE PULPIT
FROM THE COMMON LECTIONARY READINGS
1ST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY / BAPTISM OF THE LORD.
8TH JANUARY 2023
THEME: Chosen for the Mission of the Father
READINGS
1. Isaiah 42:1-9
2. Acts 10:34-43
3. Matthew 3:13-17
PSALTER: Psalm 29:1-11
REFLECTION
Baptism is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost invariably with the use of water.
Water is part of the drama of our life. It brings life, but not enough or too much can bring destruction. Let us focus on the life giving power of clean, fresh water.
There are two very different ways to think about baptism. The first approach recognizes the time of baptism as a saving moment in which the person being baptized accepts the love and forgiveness of God. The person then considers herself "saved." She may grow in the faith through the years, but nothing which she will experience after her baptism will be as important as her baptism. She always will be able to recall her baptism as the time when her life changed.
The second approach wouldn't disagree with any of that, but would add to it significantly. This idea affirms baptism as the time when God's love and forgiveness are experienced. It also recognizes baptism as a time of change. However, where the first approach isolates the act of baptism as the most important moment, the second approach understands baptism more as a beginning. While it is true that in the waters of baptism God laid claim on our lives, it is also true that we spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out what that means. The first understanding often overlooks the journey which follows baptism.
Those who are baptized in Jesus do not need to strive after a new life. They have already attained new life through dying with Christ. But they do need to nurture that new life so it can grow and mature. That's what church is for. That's what Bible study is for. That's what prayer is for. It is like the Parable of the Sower. Many of those seeds sprouted up, but only a few grew into maturity. The rest withered and died.
The story is told of a pastor's words to a baby shortly after he had baptized her. No doubt, the minister was speaking as much to the congregation as to the infant. "Little sister, by this act of baptism, we welcome you to a journey that will take your whole life. This isn't the end. It's the beginning of God's experiment with your life. What God will make of you, we know not. Where God will take you, surprise you, we cannot say. This we do know and this we say - God is with you."
And God will be with us as we live out our baptism.
The baptism in the name of Jesus is dying to our self-centered endeavors and being resurrected into a life marked by grace and love. When we live in the baptism of Jesus, we touch the hearts of others and help open them to the Holy Spirit and new life in Christ. Are you living and growing in the new life you have been given?
I see Jesus doing this in his baptism. In his baptism he included us in his righteousness. He identified with humanity, with our need to be cleansed, and our need to be made pure. If you have been baptized you have been drawn, by Jesus' baptism, into the circle of God's family.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21)
"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
When we enter the waters of baptism, we proclaim the gospel message. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and lives again. By joining in baptism, we’re identifying ourselves with Him. Romans 6:4 says we have been buried with Him through baptism into death. We’re now dead to the power of sin. We express our new life in Christ and our union with Him.
May you so live your baptism every day of your life.
Stay blessed!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

FOR THE PULPIT FROM THE COMMON LECTIONARY READINGSEPIPHANY OF THE LORD FRIDAY 6TH JANUARY 2023THEME: Christ The Light Of...
06/01/2023

FOR THE PULPIT
FROM THE COMMON LECTIONARY READINGS
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
FRIDAY 6TH JANUARY 2023
THEME: Christ The Light Of The World
READINGS:
1. Isaiah 60:1-6
2. Ephesians 3:1-12
3. Mathew 2:1-12
PSALTER: Psalm 72:1-14
REFLECTIONS
It's now 2023 - the presents have been opened, the puddings eaten and lots of TV has been watched! It truly feels like Christmas has been and gone for another year.
But did you know 6 January marks an important date for many people in the Christmas calendar?
That's because it's the date of something called Epiphany, which falls 12 days after Christmas.
Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian church (the other two are Easter and Christmas).
It is a Christian holiday commemorating the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of his divinity, as it occurred at his baptism in the Jordan River and at his first miracle, at Cana in Galilee.
One of the striking features of the Gospel of John is the way it depicts the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
The other gospels usually tell us stories about Jesus. Then, like the disciples, we are left to ask, "Who is this, that wind and sea obey him? Who is this who feeds the multitude on a couple of loaves and a few fish?"
But in the Gospel of John, there's never a doubt who Jesus is, because he tells us. Usually he does so with a statement that begins with the words, "I am."
Put him in a situation and he will clarify who he is and what he has come to do.
You can put him in the desert surrounded by people who are chronically unsatisfied, and Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35).
You can put him in the midst of people who are confused, people who ask, "Who are you, Jesus? What makes you different from all the other gurus, rabbis, and religious leaders?" And Jesus says, "I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (10:7, 9). It is an act of self-definition.
You can put him at graveside, in the midst of grief-stricken people, and Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live" (11:25).
Or put him in the midst of people who feel disconnected by life's difficulties, and Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (15:5).
In the Gospel of John, in one situation after another, Jesus defines himself and says, "This is who I am...." In the eighth chapter, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (8:12).
His words echo the opening words of the Fourth Gospel, where the writer defines the person and work of Jesus in terms of light. "What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people ... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (1:3-4, 9). Jesus says, "I am the light of the world."
This is the kind of thing we might expect to hear in these days after Christmas. Not long ago we gathered on Christmas Eve to hear the prophet Isaiah say, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." We don't know if old Isaiah had any idea who or what he was talking about, yet we celebrate Christmas as a festival of light. We string up twinkle lights on fir trees. We illumine our houses. We burn candles in the windows and plug in GE bulbs on the shrubbery. We burn up the kilowatts because Jesus Christ is born. Why not shine a little light?...
1. The Light of the World.
2. The Light Comes into Darkness.
Matthew is highlighting that all do not come to Jesus by the same way. God uses unexpected means. This sets up what recurs in Matthew — Jesus, Israel's King, is recognised and welcomed by the least expected people.
There are at least five truths that Matthew wants us to see in this story about Christ and worship 1) Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the Jews, and should be honored as such. 2) Jesus is to be worshiped not just by Jews, but by all the nations of the world, as represented by the wise men from the east. 3) God wields the universe to make his Son known and worshiped. This is his great goal in all things—that his Son be known and worshiped. 4) Jesus is troubling to people who do not want to worship him and brings out opposition for those who do. 5) Worshiping Jesus means joyfully ascribing authority and dignity to Christ with sacrificial gifts.
1) Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the Jews, and should be honored as such.
2) Jesus is to be worshiped not just by Jews, but by all the nations of the world, as represented by the wise men from the east.
3) God wields the universe to make his Son known and worshiped. This is his great goal in all things—that his Son be known and worshiped.
4) Jesus is troubling to people who do not want to worship him and brings out opposition for those who do.
5) Worshiping Jesus means joyfully ascribing authority and dignity to Christ with sacrificial gifts.
And so may God take the truth of this text and waken in us a desire for Christ himself.
May we say from the heart,
“Lord Jesus you are the Christ, the King of Israel. All nations will come and bow down before you. God wields the world to see that You are worshiped. Therefore, whatever opposition I may find, I joyfully ascribe authority and dignity to you, and bring my gifts to say that You alone can satisfy my heart, not these.
If you have gold, give it;
if you have frankincense, give it;
if you have myrrh, give it to Jesus; and if you have none of these things, give him your love, all your love, and that will be gold and spices all in one.
Give Him your mouth and speak of Him; give Him your hands and work for him; give him your whole self.
I know you will, for He loved you and gave Himself for you. The Lord bless you.
May you today experience the glory of the Lord in your personal life that you may personally identify who Christ is and what He stands for in your life and your personal relationship with him.
God richly bless you!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

MY DAILY REFLECTION THURSDAY 5TH JANUARY 2023Post Christmas AnalysisI want, today, to take a short poll. First: How many...
05/01/2023

MY DAILY REFLECTION
THURSDAY 5TH JANUARY 2023
Post Christmas Analysis
I want, today, to take a short poll.
First: How many of you still have your Christmas Tree up? Hehehe 😜
Second: What do you have on the top of your Christmas tree, a star or an angel.
How many of you have stars on top of your trees?
How many of you have angels?
I want you to keep the answers for yourselves but the reason why I asked the first question is that Christmas, from the Christian perspective isn't truly over until January 6th or Epiphany, the day we traditionally celebrate the visit by the Wise Men. Did you know that?
The reason I asked the second question is: I think there are two types of people. Some are star people and some are angel people.
Biblically, the Angel represents those who had been waiting for the Messiah, for a sign from God, for a long time, like the Shepherds. They knew what the Angel meant when he told them about a Savior, a Messiah. They remembered the old prophecies. They remembered with anticipation.
And the Star was for those who were still searching, those still unsure, those still with questions, those on a quest to find out about this mystery and message from God wrapped up in human flesh and swaddling clothes.
A friend reminded me that God sent both the Angel and the Star because God always meets us where we are.
Not everything that everyone is willing to do may be good, but that doesn't mean that there is no good whatsoever in the person.
How often do we miss the reason for the season when we fail to allow ourselves to be in alignment with God’s purpose and revelation.
It is interesting and amazing how we fail to see or recognise the Word made flesh amongst us.
"Among you stands one whom you do not know." I suspect there is a lot of truth to that statement, especially at Christmas time and this New Year. We think of Jesus as the one born in a manger. But Jesus is not just a baby. We have all kinds of misconceptions about who Jesus is, so that it may well be true that he stands among us as one we do not know.
When we try to describe the Incarnation, we find it difficult to make positive statements. How can we explain that the Son of God gave up being God to become a human being for such a short period of time? We have difficulty explaining that. Even the theologians grasp at all kinds of language to try to explain the mysteries of our faith.
Paul Tillich said God was the Ground of our Being. I think it was Rudolf Otto who used the phrase, "mysterium, tremendum et fascinosum”; the tremendous mystery. We can't find words big enough, strong enough and powerful enough to describe the mystery at the heart of the Christmas message.
Paul writes to the Ephesian Church 'Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men....'
This mystery is portrayed in the Gospel of John, in one situation after another, Jesus defines himself and says, "This is who I am...." In the eighth chapter, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (8:12). His words echo the opening words of the Fourth Gospel, where the writer defines the person and work of Jesus in terms of light. "What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people ... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (1:3-4, 9).
Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." This is the kind of thing we might expect to hear in these days after Christmas.
Not long ago we gathered on Christmas Eve to hear the prophet Isaiah say, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." We don't know if old Isaiah had any idea who or what he was talking about, yet we celebrate Christmas as a festival of light. We string up twinkle lights on fir trees. We illumine our houses. We burn candles in the windows and plug in GE bulbs on the shrubbery. We burn up the kilowatts because Jesus Christ is born. In the bleak midwinter, why not shine a little light?
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.... Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:1ff)
When Christians say, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth," they do not mean that God is everything, but they do mean that God is in everything. In Jesus Christ "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth ...." That's the theme of all of life heard clearly by the ears of faith, and those who have heard that distinct theme can hear it being sounded wherever the music of life is being played, no matter how jangled are the false notes surrounding it.
The futility that man felt is the futility of those who try to live the Christian life without Christ. He is the Word that was in the beginning with God and was God. And he is alive today. To those of us who are drowning he is someone we can hold on to. He is someone who can set our feet on dry ground again in this New Year.
Wise men and women are still seeking Jesus and our souls would know no rest until they find Jesus the Christ.
May you be led by a star in your journey as you seek the historical Jesus and give Him your gold, myrrh and frankincense.
I give Him my All. Why not Jesus!
Stay blessed and God richly bless you!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

MY DAILY REFLECTION WEDNESDAY 4TH JANUARY 2023“...Lord, what do You want me to do?...” (Acts 9:6)Welcome to the year 202...
04/01/2023

MY DAILY REFLECTION
WEDNESDAY 4TH JANUARY 2023
“...Lord, what do You want me to do?...” (Acts 9:6)
Welcome to the year 2023.
Did you make some New Year's resolutions?
Today I want to challenge you with a question: What has God put in your heart to do? Because when you get in the sweet spot of God's vision for your life, you'll be in the center of His will for 2023.
On his way to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers, Saul has been thrown to the ground. He is surrounded by a great light and hears an insistent voice claiming to be that of Jesus, demanding to know why Saul is persecuting Him (Acts 9:1–5). Saul's traveling companions see the light and hear a noise, but they cannot see the speaker or understand the words (Acts 9:7; 22:9). Saul, however, hears Jesus clearly. Jesus will rescue Saul, a devout Jew (Philippians 3:4–6), from the Jewish leaders and send him to be Jesus' witness to the Gentiles (Acts 26:16–18). First, Saul must go into the city and wait for Jesus' messenger.
By the time Jesus is finished, Saul is blind. He takes the hand of one of his companions and enters Damascus where he waits and fasts for three days. (I am happy to hear that all ministers of the Methodist Church Ghana are today gathered at the Tarkwa School of Mines for the annual All Ministers Retreat and Fellowship of the Kingdom which was suspended for some time now due to the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic that threatened the entire world, to wait on God for their direction of ministry where they will also renew their covenant with the Covenant Keeping God).
A follower of Jesus, named Ananias, comes at God's command. Saul becomes the very thing he'd hated just days before: a believer that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (Acts 9:9–19).
It's interesting how much Saul's experience parallels Cornelius' (Acts 10).
In both cases, God prepares the two men and tells them what to do (see Acts 10:1–8). Then He prepares His evangelists, Ananias (Acts 9:10–16) and Peter (Acts 10:9–23). Both Ananias and Peter are reluctant, and God reassures them of His plan. Their obedience results in two major steps in the spread of the gospel. Cornelius' conversion convinces Peter and the other apostles that Gentiles can follow Christ. Saul's conversion prepares him to be the primary evangelist to the Gentiles.
Every person who has made a difference with their life has articulated a vision about their future. Check out the visions of David (2 Samuel 7), Solomon (1 Kings 3:9), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:5), and the apostle Paul (Acts 9:6). Paul's vision for his life dramatically changed on the road to Damascus with one question: "Lord, what do You want me to do?" It's a question we all should ask.
Now, this question can also be applied by those who are already involved in to God some area of service. It may be possible that you have overstretched yourself into too many areas of service, some of which God never intended for you to be in. And it may also be possible that the present areas of service you are involved in are actually not what God wants you to do at all! God had actually wanted you to do something else all this while, but you had not paid enough attention to Him, and you just kept on doing what He had not willed for you to do.
For the apostle Paul, that question became a starting point: the start of a new and exciting life of discovering God's specific will for him, and doing it well. From that point onward, he was more careful to ensure that everything he did was truly what the Lord wanted him to do. He did not want to make the same grievous mistake that he had made before.
May you so resolve to let the year 2023 be a turning point in your life to eternity.
God richly bless you!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

MY DAILY REFLECTION TUESDAY 3RD JANUARY 2023New Year's Resolutions: Resolve to Guard“Keep your heart with all diligence,...
03/01/2023

MY DAILY REFLECTION
TUESDAY 3RD JANUARY 2023
New Year's Resolutions: Resolve to Guard
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”(Proverbs 4:23)
To "keep" something, in this sense, means more than simply "to maintain ownership." It refers to maintenance, care, and support. Some translations use the word "guard," A wise person realizes that temptation is real (1 Corinthians 10:13) and takes appropriate precaution.
We guard that which we value most. In spiritual terms, then, the "heart" of man should be guarded. The heart - the mind, emotions, and will - is the seat of man's volitional commitment to God. It is no wonder the father in Proverbs exhorted his son to "keep your heart with all diligence." Why? "For out of it spring the issues of life." The heart is pictured like a spring, out of which flows that which gives life. If we are to live a righteous, godly life, the spring of the heart must be guarded with all diligence.
Is there anyone with me here who gets tired of passwords? I am sure you struggle to couch a way of remembering your password but sooner than later you input in your password and the best you are able to do is to change your password in order to access your account yet better still, you might write it somewhere but would find a way to evaporate. I believe I am not a Lone Ranger in the quagmire of the tentacles of this password octopus.
Passwords are the open sesames to protected systems on the Internet. Am I correct?
In fact, I can’t even get anything to come up on my computer unless I first give it a password.
The highest level security systems rely upon the biological secret names held by each one of us. Biological secret names? Try retinal scans, or fingerprint analysis, or even specific DNA matches. The higher the level of security, the more biological and less numerical the passwords.
But the ultimate, unrepeatable identifier for each one of us has yet to be mapped out. I call them “soul scans.” We do not have the ability to perform “soul scans” on people who come before us. The secrets locked in the heart and mind, the honesty of our words and the authenticity of our deeds, the motivations behind all our actions these are locked deep in the recesses of our souls. The Greek word “psyche” is usually translated as “soul,” but can also more extensively mean “life.” It is our soul-life that still keeps its secrets.
Our truest life is when we are awake in our dreams to realities than superficialities. Now take stock of the resolutions and dreams of the year we have just entered. They will remain as a dream and we in our sleeping state not only when we wake up from our sleeping state and be confronted with the realities of the true life state. But you hold the password to undertake the soul scan.
Jesus offers a way out of the prison of sin, and the password we are unable to remember to unlock what is hidden and stored in the memories alone and unknown to any other than ourselves. But many people would apparently rather scale the walls of wickedness than enjoy the freedom of Calvary. They don't understand the wonder of Christmas or the message of redemption, nor do they embrace the wonder of the name of Jesus. But you can. Let Jesus free you from whatever's holding you back- sin, failure, addiction, shame, brokenness, fear, sadness.
He breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free. He came to set us free; and if the Son of God sets us free, we are free indeed.
Isaiah 29:9 says: "Pause and wonder!" So pause and wonder about that. And shout: Alleluia!
For 2023 resolve to make your heart even more secure than Fort Knox. Since your spiritual treasure is more valuable than gold, your heart should be all the more secure.
Wishing you again a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

MY DAILY REFLECTION MONDAY 2ND JANUARY 2023God is ready to offer healing and new lifeThank God you’ve made it to 2023. O...
02/01/2023

MY DAILY REFLECTION
MONDAY 2ND JANUARY 2023
God is ready to offer healing and new life
Thank God you’ve made it to 2023. One popular hymn of the people called Methodist is “And are we yet alive, and see each other’s face, glory and praise to Jesus give for his redeeming grace….” Which is sang at the opening of Conference each year. This hymn reminds us of our present, past and future which I think is the basis of our human reflection at the beginning of each year and indeed our God is a God of new beginnings. And of course, I just wish to assure you that, God is willing to offer you healing ❤️‍🩹 and new life as we begin another year cycle.
The world today is very different from the one God set Adam and Eve in originally. Not only did our first parents enjoy unbroken fellowship with God and with each other until they sinned, but there was also a total absence of selfishness, strife and the suffering that is so much a part of life today.
With the entry of sin also came a breakdown in man’s spiritual, emotional, mental and physical make up. As well as losing intimacy with God and being alienated from those around him, human beings became affected by sickness, disease and death.
But God is not indifferent to human suffering. He loves us and, in his Son the Lord Jesus Christ, has provided for us to be drawn back into fellowship with himself. We believe that God, as our loving heavenly Father, cares for each one of us and wants to bless us and establish wholeness in every area of our lives.
Undoubtedly, one important aspect of the wholeness with which God wants to bless us, is healing from sickness, disease or injury.
So much is this the case that he says in James 5:16
‘pray for each other that you may be healed’
Maybe someone was with me last night and has come to receive healing and new life. To such a person I say to you "Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"
Today, you can make a new start and claim for yourself the purpose why Christ came into this world.
Scripture tells us that new beginnings are possible, with God’s help (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we give our lives to Christ, the old is gone and a new creation is formed. A new path is available for us. We do not have to rely on our human ability (Zephaniah 3:17). Trust and hope is found in Him. We will have failures and not always make the best decisions, yet with God, a new life will begin. Each time we fail, there is hope and comfort found in going to God and praying for a new beginning.
This is what the Christ did for us at Christmas. He moved into the ward with us. He placed his bed among our beds. Those who were there, those who saw him, touched him and were in turn touched by him and restored to life. The first word they had to say was "thank you."
This morning is our time to say "Thank you." And to pledge our loyalty and allegiance to live our entire life for Him from this day ontowards.
Somebody might be struggling for survival somewhere this very movement but you can trust the one whose name is Faithful and True.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Stay blessed!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

MY DAILY REFLECTION SUNDAY 1ST JANUARY 2023Today Can Be the First Day of Your New Life!It's said that in Rome, on New Ye...
01/01/2023

MY DAILY REFLECTION
SUNDAY 1ST JANUARY 2023
Today Can Be the First Day of Your New Life!
It's said that in Rome, on New Year's Eve, there is a tradition of literally throwing old things right out the window, to start the New Year free from the past.
I guess the moral of that is, if you are fortunate enough to be in Rome, Italy some New Year's Eve, you best keep an eye skyward. Somebody might be throwing out a heavy piece of furniture just as you are passing by. That's their tradition.
A pastor named Patricia Farris tells about being in Mexico one year with her husband on New Year's Eve. They found themselves in the middle of something they didn't understand at the time, but they discovered it's similar to the tradition in Rome.
It was late in the evening, not yet midnight, and the central square was full of people, lights, music, kids, old people, families . . . Stands were set up and people were selling, in addition to all the usual souvenirs and food and so forth, an array of very inexpensive pottery, mostly simple clay plates. What was interesting was that people were buying these simple clay plates and then standing back and throwing them with full force against one wall of the great cathedral in the community square, smashing the plates into smithereens.
It was loud and raucous and exciting, according to Ms. Farris. Only later did she learn that this tradition grew out of a deep human need to throw out the old, to start the New Year free of old resentments, old fears, old prejudices, old sins. "Throw them out!" says Patricia Farris, "Let them smash against the strong fortress of faith and be done with it. God is ready to offer healing and new life.
Maybe someone here needs to receive healing and a new life. My word for you this early morning is that;"Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"
You've heard that expression before. It is a positive expression about life and I want to reinforce it today.
Christmas is about the One who would ultimately give up his own life to save everyone else. The wider story does not end in death. At the end of the day, life triumphs because the very little Jesus who elicited this firestorm of hatred from the sinful people of this world found a way to unmake hatred and violence from the inside out. By letting himself get caught up in this world's web of violence and deceit, of death and destruction, he managed to defeat these powerful forces in a way brute force itself could never have done.
"...But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one... Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2: )
Jesus' birth right in the middle of this world's suffering is the only hope we've got for now or any future time.
Today, you can make a new start and claim for yourself the purpose why Christ came into this world.
This is what Jesus the Christ did for us at Christmas. He moved into the ward with us. He placed his bed among our beds. Those who were there, those who saw him, touched him and were in turn touched by him and restored to life. The first word they had to say was "thank you."
This morning is our time to say "Thank you." And to pledge our loyalty and allegiance to live our entire life for Him from this day ontowards. This is what I see as your courage to Face the New Year
There is an old little carol which is sometimes sung on the first Sunday after Christmas. It ends like this:
But God's in His heaven, and Jesus has come
To show every sinner he's welcome back home,
To be this world's Saviour from hunger and fear,
And give us new courage to face the New Year.
We have courage to face this New Year because of Jesus. He is Immanuel—God with us and for us
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOUALL
Stay blessed!
Quophie Anochie Ababio

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