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Flight into Egypt

The flight into Egypt wasn't an emergency, but was part of God's plan to fulfill
Hosea 11:1 - in addition to the fact that, while Jesus came to Earth to die for our sins, it was to be according to God's timing, not the threat of a jealous king.

We're leaving last year's message (below) in place, as succinct, and still pertinent.

God's Gift For Us, and To Us! (a Christmas note)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

We often think of the Christmas story as the coming of a baby - a very special baby, to be sure. And it is that; God in this way came to become man in the flesh, while remaining God. But it isn't just a sweet story for a children's book.

God is eternal. He creates man, each of us, as eternal beings going forward; we cannot cease to exist. Had we no sin, we could spend eternity with the God Who created us and loves us. But sin we have, by nature, and, more directly for each of us, by evidence of our behavior. Some sin little, some sin greatly, but all sin, and a holy God cannot abide sin. Not even a little. So we are all, from the best of us to the worst of us, estranged from God. We cannot pay for our sin because we have neither the coin, nor enough of it - and for the sake of argument, could we get "paid up", we'd soon (minutes) incur new debt from new sin. And the penalty is eternal, and is described as fire.

God so loved us, that He GAVE His Son, to take on man's nature along with His own, to be our Immanuel, God with us, so He could die on a cross between two thieves, to pay the debt for all of us that none could pay for himself. And His resurrection proves the payment adequate.

Consider God's love.

• God it is Who does this - the Eternal, the Creator, the One, the I Am.
• The Son, Jesus, second Person of the Trinity, Who was full participant in the creation, has all the power and position there is, sets it aside to become, forsooth, one of US.
• And then to die, like a wretched criminal.
• For the likes of us.
• This was all planned and accounted for before creation. God well knew what He was getting into.
• Salvation is a FREE gift to those who will have it. You can't work for it, any more than the thief on the cross could.

God did it ALL. What could be more costly than God dying? What could be a greater gift than to have your eternal debt discharged eternally, to deliver you from an unending torment? And then to be accepted into God's family - how can this be?

What is required, but to believe in, to rely on, to trust in, Him Who paid your debt? It is the acceptance of a gift. Someone hands you a Christmas gift, and you take it. It's like that.

Patriot Department

The 2024 election is over, but our responsibilities as citizens are not. You, yes, YOU, are part of We The People, the earthly Sovereign of the United States, if you are a citizen. How about THAT?

Free Christmas Card Images

Christmas Card Archive

Off and on for a number of years, we have created our own Christmas cards. This began at a time, just after we were married, when Scripture cards were somewhat difficult to find and expensive. Some years, of course, we did find suitable commercial cards that honored Christ with Scripture, and we sometimes used these. But we have produced a number of our own, and we display several more recent years' worth at the links below, along with facsimilies of the letters that accompanied them. We hope these are enjoyable.

EDITORIAL

Larry's still editing this website (sigh), probably forever. Next week, it may look different.
To be clear, this is not a "blog". Regular posting is not guaranteed, and there is no provision for replies. But we hope what you find here may be at least mildly interesting.