December 23, 2020The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred on Monday reminded me of several times that I visited the Planetarium in Montreal. From a young age, I have enjoyed looking at the night sky and identifying planets and constellations, including Orion, which is said to have the shape of a hunter with three stars that look like his belt. According to one Internet site, those stars are known as Three Kings or Three Sisters. To read what the Bible says about Orion and God’s amazing love for mankind, please visit: What Does the Bible Say About Orion? (openbible.info).
As we approach Christmas, it is important to think about what Christmas means to us. Last night, Karen and I watched a program online featuring active and retired hockey players and their wives, sharing stories of faith in Christ. As a young boy, I was thrilled to get a Montreal Canadiens sweater one Christmas. About ten years later, I received the best gift ever, when I was following a Bible course by correspondence and asked the Lord Jesus to forgive my sins. On January 9, 1973 I understood what the apostle John meant when he wrote: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). To read the testimonies of several athletes whose lives have been transformed by Christ, please visit: www.hockeyministries.org.
Have you trusted in Christ as your personal Saviour? In recent years, the greeting “Merry Christmas” has been replaced by many with “Happy Holidays.” I was glad to see that the electronic board outside the fire station in Châteauguay displayed “Joyeux Noël” this week. Jesus is the reason for the season! We exchange gifts with family and friends because God gave His one and only Son (see “Scripture for the weekend” below).
More than any other year in our lifetime, the brevity of life has been on the minds of people around the world. In our church, a family was bereaved of their teenaged son in February and two ladies have been hospitalized in recent months, fighting cancer and mental health issues, respectively. Death and disease are grim reminders of the results of sin. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, sin entered the world and terrible consequences followed. Praise God that He did not give up on mankind. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. If you have never trusted Him to forgive your sins, you can do so today and receive the best gift possible. To find out more about eternal life, please visit: https://www.lavoixdelevangile.ca/english/.
Scripture for the weekend: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV)
Thought for the weekend: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A. W. Tozer (quoted in “Before Christmas” by Bill Crowder, published by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Steve