December 26 2021

Not that Christmas is over,

We have finished the food, family and friends have begun to return home, the presents have been opened.

Now the decorations are a chore to put away rather than jopy of putting up. People are contemplating the return to school, and most will return to work.

The season is mostly behind us.

Some of us have even thought about Jesus , the coming of God on earth. But many of us may have remembered Jesus before Christmas , but it seems we may forget jesus after Christmas, as we put away the accouterments of the Pagan Christmas season.

Same Old Thing

Jewish culture during the first century and before prescribed that every Jewish male must celebrate the feat of unleavened bread . They must sacrifice at the temple and the temple is in Jerusalem. Therefore every male of age must /should make the trip to Jerusalem. we have read in the Gospels that it was Jesus habit of attending the synagogue. here we find evidence that he received his religious habits/training from his parents.

Mary was not required to go but she went. For only the males were required to go. So let me say right here if you want your children to be with Jesus , they at least must see you worshipping Jesus. It is no guarantee that it will work. But you should at least make the attempt to religiously educate them. If we can at least let our children know what God expects then at least they will have the chance to comply. However, if we do not even try, how can we expect any difference than what we see. If the world is allowed to raise our children, if Nickelodeon, HBO, Bet, and every other social aspect is allowed to set our children’s morals and learning, then we can get know better than shooting, cursing and rudeness. It is not prayer in school , but rather prayer at home that concerns me.

And so the first thing we take from the syncope concerning the early life of Jesus , is that he was raised in a God fearing household. he was the son of God, but his earthly Father was a man of God.

he was the son of David, heralded by Angels, but he had a role model to follow after. It wasn’t by chance that God chose Joseph to be the father figure for Jesus.

You know it was said that The Wisemen may have looked to Herod for the one being born King of the Jews. Can you imagine Herod raising Jesus. Even if he had not wanted to kill Jesus but instead wanted to use Jesus. Jesus may not have been the Jesus we worshipped if he had been raised by a lying murderer, An idolater, and adulterer, and a fool.

Joseph may not have had material wealth but he had God.

Joseph may have a worked a 9 to 5 , but he was a god fearing man. We give to much credit to people for their accomplishments for the wrong things. There is something to be said about the man who is a hard worker, consistent and trust worthy. Yet we give more credit to the man who is flashy with no substance/ We look at the ones who are all glitter with no substance.

Jesus had to make some tough choices in his life, and i believe he made them because of who is was, and in part who he became was based a lot on how he was raised.

The ones who talk and perform but have no substance. that is why what we see around us is so disheartening because there is no substance. but I believe there is someone in the gap, A ram in the bush, for I know that the God that i serve is not defeated. The God that I serve can not fail, the God that I serve is worthy.

Now while i give Mary and Joseph all the credit for being devout, by reading this scripture I get the sense that there was also some complacency in there worship.

It says that every year they went to the Festival, but they left Jesus behind. Every other year they knew where Jesus was and there was no problem. But this year they didn’t know where Jesus was. Why because they expected everything to be the same. They went through the motions like they did every other year, and expected everything to play out as it had played out in the past. What happened because they looked at everything as routine, as expected they lost Jesus, they forgot about Jesus. The scripture cautions us that we too must look at the worship experience new each time we come to worship. I know that we have a format, I know we have a program, I know that we have order, but I tell you that sort of predictability can sometimes get you in to trouble.

If we like Mary and Joseph are going through the motions, If we like Mary and Joseph are doing everything like we have been doing it the we might also find our selves with the same result in that we might forget about Jesus ,we might lose Jesus , we might find ourselves along the road , on our journey, singing our song, praying our prayer, testifying our story, and when we look up Jesus is not with us. there is no Jesus in our midst , we are together, but we find ourselves without Jesus.

For that is what the scripture tells us happened to Joseph and Mary, they were a days journey out of Jerusalem when they discovered Jesus was not with them.

Somebody here might have discovered in their life that Jesus is no longer with them. Things are not the same. maybe you have lost your purpose in life. maybe the meaning is clear anymore, maybe the feeling is not there . maybe Jesus is lacking in your life.I will tell you to don’t give up. i will tell you to stay strong

I will tell you that you can get your joy back you can get your faith back you can get it all back.

Go back

Let me help you. Although Mary and Joseph forgot about Jesus, and temporarily lost Jesus. I will tell you they did get him back. You too can get your Jesus back. Anybody her want Jesus?

let us look at what Mary and Joseph did?

First they looked for Jesus among their family and friends.

Let me tell you fellowship among the saints is a great thing. However, Jesus is a personal relationship and you must find him for yourself. It is alright in Mamma and grand mamma pray for you. it is alright if Daddy praises with you, but when Mamma and Daddy finish, when , when everybody else is getting their praise on and you fell empty. Their praise, their prayers, their joy is not enough for you, you need to know him for yourself.

What else can you do if you forget Jesus or have lost your Jesus.

GO back!

May and Joseph went back to the place where hey last saw jesus. to the last place where they knew Jesus to be.

Going back is both a physical and a spiritual journey.

For sometimes you must spiritually go back to a time when you unintentionally or not left Jesus behind. Go back to when that choice you made to choice the world over Jesus .

When the Job or money was more important to you then Jesus.

when they extra hour of sleep meant more that service to god.

When that sacrifice was too much. When it was easier doing what you were doing rather than what God wanted. we have all been there at the crossroads when the choice we made was not the choice for Jesus. And then after that first time it became easier and easier until you forgot jesus. You forgot Jesus !

But now you realize you need jesus and you don’t know where he is , go back.

Sometimes that journey is a physical journey. For you must come back where Jesus is . I tell you Jesus is in the house .

Jesus is right here in the house.

The holy spirit is here and there is power in the name of Jesus. you can be saved with the name of Jesus. you can be set free by name of jesus.

You can be saved by faith in jesus You can be healed by the tough of Jesus . Come to the house ,stand in his sanctuary , feel his presence. bathe in his glory, reach out to him, and call his name, seek his face , know that he is God and he is God all by himself.

My Father’s business

Mary and Joseph Found him

Mary and Joseph were upset.

But because they found him was not the end of the story.

Mary and Joseph found him in the house of God, and he told them he must be about his Father’s business.

You see there is some stuff that we must do that is more important than routine.

There are somethings that we must do that are more important than tradition.

there are some hings that we must do that are more imortant than family

we must be about our father’s business.

Ma

Healing is his father’s business

teaching is his father’s business

service is his father’s business

the cross was his father’s business

dying was his father’s business

the tomb was his father’s business

but an early morning rising was his farther business

Jesus is still about his father’s business.

And if you want him you must be about his father’s business.

Love god with all you heart his father’s business.

your your soul and your mind his father’s business.

Love your neighbor his father’s business.

Look out for the least of these his father’s business.

Feed the hungry his father’s business.

Shelter the homeless his father’s business.

visit the sick his father’s business.

remember the prisoner, his father’s business.

praise him his father’s business.

obey him his father’s business.

pick up your cross and follow him his father’s business.

lift him up for if he be lifted up he will draw all men

This jesus who was born of a virgin

son of the most high

a descendant of David whose Kingdom will have no end!

manifested in the flesh

glorified by angels

believed in by the world taken up to glory

sitting on the right hand of God.

Do you know him

Do you know him for yourself

call on him

seek him he is real and he is a savior

May have forgot but i remember Jesus

i remember the Jesus who woke me up

I remember the Jesus who saved me

I remember the Jesus