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Prediction after prediction after prediction, was fulfilled when a baby was born in Bethlehem. But actually, what was said about Jesus before he was born wasn’t as important as what happened later. What happened at the beginning of Jesus life was less important then what happened at the end of his life on this earth. This little baby grew into a man, and not just any man, he grew into the Main Man. If you have mates at school who think they are the coolest thing going, they don’t know the coolest guy that ever lived was Jesus. If you look on TV at guys who strut their stuff when they sing songs, because they think they have it all, they have missed having the most important thing they could have. The Main Man was born in a stable, amongst sheep pooh, and donkey droppings! He grew up working hard as a carpenter’s son. He led a small band of fisherman around, telling people about God. He was ridiculed, beaten and then strung up on a cross, with nails driven through his body. He died, and rose again after three days, all so that you and I can spend forever with Him and His father partying in Heaven. Now that’s the Main Man. Happy Birthday Jesus.

Author - Max Cross, Christmas, Matthew | No Comments »

The Kings went on a massive road trip to find the Son of God because they knew that he was worthy of their worship. They didn’t journey to worship a film star, they didn’t journey to worship a football player, they journeyed to worship their Saviour. They must have been thankful when they had come to the end of that massive journey. But had they? Was their journey at the end when they found Jesus, or had it just begun? How was your journey to find Jesus? Did you search long and hard and eventually find Jesus after much struggle. Did a friend take you on a journey and show you the way to find Jesus? Did you have a quick journey and find Jesus almost immediately? Whatever your journey to find Jesus was like, I bet that like the Kings, when you reached the end you too were thankful that your journey was over and you had found your Saviour. But also just like the Kings when you found Jesus, that was not the end of the Journey. Like the Kings when you found Jesus you had the rest of your life to journey on through. Because if finding Jesus is the end of your Journey then you have missed the point. Finding Jesus changes the direction you’re journeying in. Finding Jesus has to effect what happens next or the journey to find him wasn’t worth the effort. But we know that the journey to find Jesus is worth the effort because he is the Son of God who takes away all the rubbish from our lives so that we can party forever in Heaven. He is worthy of our worship.

Author - Max Cross, Christmas, Matthew | 2 Comments »

Jesus starts as he means to go on. Jesus was never just interested in the posh people, Jesus always came for every single person on this earth. Shepherds were considered the low life’s at the time Jesus was born. They were smelly and certainly couldn’t read or write, they probably swore and spat and generally acted in an unpleasant way. Yet God choose them to announce the arrival of his Son on this earth. God sent an Angel to people that generally would not be listened to and said right now go and find him and then tell everyone. God has a habit of using people who don’t think they have the skills to do important stuff. Look at Moses, another stuttering shepherd who God used to deliver his people. Or David a small shepherd boy who defeated the gigantic Goliath. And now we have the shepherds’ announcing the arrival of the saviour of the World. If God can used the low of the low to do this important role of telling the world about Jesus. What’s your excuse?

Author - Max Cross, Christmas, Luke | 3 Comments »

So we all know about this passage, we know about the donkey journey and we know about the fact that there was no room at the inn. So what does that matter? Jesus could have been born anywhere, in any house, in any family. It matters because that statement is not true. The Jesus Messiah had to be born in the family of David. David The guy who beat Goliath was told by God that Jesus would build a house for God. Not only that David was told that Jesus would be one of his descendents. Also another wise guy in the Old testament called Micah said that this Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Ok so a couple of guys said Jesus would be born in the family of David and come from Bethlehem so what! It’s important because it means that you don’t follow a con artist, you don’t follow a nice guy, you don’t follow some bloke who happened to say he was Gods Son. You follow the Son of God who proved these predictions and many more to be true. It matters because God’s interested in details, he was interested in the details about his own son, and he interested in the details about you.

Author - Max Cross, Christmas, Luke | No Comments »

OK so imagine you have a big brother who is a carpenter. He has been working on a building site for a couple of years and learning his trade. Recently, your brother Joe got engaged to Mary who is the girl of his dreams. Then one day he comes home to you and says. “Hey, don’t tell Mum and Dad but Mary is pregnant and we haven’t had sex, but it’s Ok because I had a dream, in which God told me that this all happened miraculously, and that Mary is going to have his son, who we should call Jesus.” What would you say to your brother? “You’re a nutter, she’s been sleeping around, dreams from God, have you lost the plot?” I am sure that Joseph would have heard so many people tell him the same thing. Don’t forget, this is before Jesus performed any miracles, came out with any wise words, before anyone else knew He is the Son of God. Joseph is the unsung hero in the birth or our Saviour Jesus Christ. Joseph had the faith to believe Mary, to believe God and to believe his dreams. Joseph didn’t blame it on eating too much cheese. He didn’t say, oh, that’s just my imagination. No, Joseph heard God and was willing to put up with all the ridicule around the village, to do what he knew God wanted him to do. If we want to be superheroes then when we hear God, we need to have the faith that Joe the chippy had and just do it.

Author - Max Cross, Christmas, Matthew | No Comments »