You’re Worth Loving
This year St. Peter’s UCC in Grant Park is providing the book A Love Worth Giving to You at Christmas by Max Lucado for our members to distribute to their families, friends, and neighbors as a small gift. Each book includes an invitation to worship with our church family on Christmas Eve.
Throughout Advent we are reminding everyone that they are worth loving! Lucado writes, “(Jesus) went from commanding angels to sleeping in straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s what love does.”
Each day, during Advent, join us for a journey to see just how much God’s love for you is evidenced in the story of Christmas.
Proclaiming the News from Above
Do you believe in angels?
As a human I struggle with the idea of ghosts, extra terrestrials, and concepts that don’t make sense to my pea-sized brain.
Honestly, I have often clumped angels into a category similar to these and have many questions as to the reality of angels, the possibility that they still appear, and, if they appear, their purpose.
Biblically speaking, without a doubt we know that angels existed.
One great angel that we are well aware of is the Archangel Gabriel.
Gabriel was a divine messenger who held a higher rank among other angels. Gabriel allows the messages from God to be understandable to the human heart.
Gabriel played an important role, as messenger, in the story of Christmas.
In Luke 1:26-38 Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to become pregnant with a son who is of the Spirit of God.
Later, in Luke 2:8-20 we read of Gabriel sharing the Good News to the shepherds who were watching their fields.
Gabriel also had the privilege to share with Zechariah in the Temple that he and Elizabeth were going to conceive.
When we read of Gabriel and other angels, it is important that we don’t misunderstand their roles and realities.
Scripture teaches that angels are supernatural beings, not a past loved one who earned their “wings,” or someone past spirit returning to visit us.
Gabriel’s role was to take the message of God from the heavens and declare it to God’s people.
Can you imagine being a messenger of God’s Good News?
While we are far from being “angels” we are indeed to be messengers of God’s love. We are to bring the Good News of Christmas to all those around us.
We are so LOVED by God, but so are others. The stranger, the store clerk, the person on the street, they need to hear that they are WORTH being loved as well.
Prayer: From the heavens above Your glory has been made known. God, just as you have sent angels to announce Your Good News, help us to be used as messengers here on earth to continue to announce salvation is available for all. Amen.