He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

(Colossians 1:15-20)

It is of course, an amazing miracle that God the Son became a baby and embraced being a vulnerable child. But of course Jesus did not stay a child. No- he became a man and now of course he is the resurrected Lord and king over all as is revealed in dazzling glory in Revelation. Colossians speaks of the glory of Christ. He is, the image of God, the one through whom and by whom all things were created, the firstborn from among the dead and the head of the church. Our quaint pictures of Jesus in a manger speak of his willing self effacing love for humanity. His now glory makes his then decent more miraculous and glorious than we could ever mention. But make no mistake, the Jesus of the manger is raised victorious Lord over all creation, may we ever rejoice in and worship him.

Grace and peace from Marcus

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

God’s love for us is profoundly demonstrated in that moment in time known as the incarnation. What do we mean by this term? Simply, we mean that God the Son did not consider equality with God as something to be tightly gripped but rather, he emptied himself, and was made in human likeness. This of course is impossible for us to comprehend or understand and yet it indeed is the miracle at the heart of Christmas. John said the Word (God the Son) become flesh and made his dwelling among us. Literally apparently the word used here is “tabernacled.” God the Son tabernacled with us. This of course, is not a term we throw around much, but it has a rich biblical history that illuminates what is being said here. The allusion is to a time in Israel’s history were God’s presence was localised in the tabernacle as the people wondered through the wilderness during the time of the exodus. When the cloud was present over that place Moses was not allowed to enter because of the glory of the Lord (Exodus 40). So John is saying in a similar way to how God made his presence felt in the tabernacle of old- so too in Jesus- all the glory of the Lord was present in his Son. Elsewhere Jesus is called the Emmanuel- God with us, so that in the Word made flesh- God has gloriously made himself present with us. Jesus of course is God’s king, our Messiah and at Christmas time we celebrate this unique identification with us his people and look forward to the day when his reign and rule will be more fully present in his second coming.

I pray that this Christmas you might know that God has come near in the person of his Son. I pray that you might truly set apart Christ as Lord and worship him as God- in that there is life.

Grace and peace from Marcus

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)

If we are in Christ-we can be assured that God is for us. He is not opposed to us, rather the opposite- he is for us. How do we know this? Paul gives us an answer to this question, that is hard to argue with. He says that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. This of course, suggests of God something quite extraordinary. It says of him that there is no length that God has not been willing to go too for our sakes. He is friends, profoundly for us. And it is not just that he was “for us,” but rather he is for us, present tense. His past generosity toward us in his Son is evidence and support positive of his future benevolence toward us. If he was willing to go as far as giving his Son on our behalf- how much more will he graciously give us all things. God is for you. What challenges are you facing at the moment? Can I encourage you with the assurance that God is for you and he is wanting to do good to you to be generous toward you in them. He is after all a decidedly gracious and generous God. Generous enough to give his Son.

Grace and peace from Marcus

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4)

I don't know about you- but I have found that I can be prone to anxiety sometimes. Anxiety can be caused by all sorts of factors, but one factor for sure and certain is where we choose to park our brain. What do we dwell on- what do we routinely think about? If the answer is found in fears and worries and possible negative outcomes, then anxiety can be a real problem. Alternatively this passage tells us about the way to peace. The way to peace, perfect and holistic peace is found in a mind that is steadfastly fixed on the Lord. The word, "steadfast," implies resolve and intent, a deliberate and determined action and I think this is what this passage calls us too. A deliberate choice to meditate on the Lord and his character and not on the things around us that can often leave us anxious and insecure. Isaiah calls us to trust, to trust in the Lord and he reminds us of the Lord's nature and character. He is the "rock eternal." The term rock is one of the Old Testament's favourite ways of describing the Lord. It speaks of stability and strength and that is who the Lord is. He is strong and he brings peace, so we can trust in him.

Thankfully of course our strength is not necessarily found in our capacity to exercise faith and trust but in the Lord's capacity to be faithful, trustworthy and steadfast. Jesus talked about faith as small as a mustard seed and I remember a man who came to him seeking help saying to him; "I believe," Lord please help my unbelief. So, I guess it's not about us drumming up lots and lots of faith but rather about us choosing to put our small amount of faith in a very great God. A God who is strong and steadfast and who is able to sustain us.

Grace and peace from Marcus

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

(Lamentations 3:21-26)

Lamentations as the name suggests, is a book about pain and hardship. In a situation of exile, God's people are seeking for him in the midst of very real trouble. The book is largely full of sorrow and anguish but this is a moment of real hope. The source of hope here, despite circumstances is found in the faithfulness of God. The Lord is seen as relentlessly loving, full of compassion and goodness. This is what the writer is wanting to remind people of- the faithfulness of God. So a suffering people are called to wait on the Lord, quietly seek him and put there hope in him. I don't know what's going on in your world this morning but I want to encourage you to put your hope in God- he is faithful- wait quietly for him and look for the saving grace he can bring.

Grace and peace from Marcus