Hello friends and family. I hope this finds you well, rejoicing in the many gifts that God has lavished upon all of us.  Our church is well and truly blessed this season.  Last week Jay Gibson and Harvest Oaks Church came out and did the worship and message, then served a spaghetti dinner.  On the 16^th The Heights will be here to bless us again this year.  I pray that we’ll all respond by doing the same for those around us.

Linda and I have the honor of speaking to you this week.  I’ve been contemplating the wonder of Jesus.  This time of year we sing the songs about the sweet little baby and create idyllic scenes depicting the story, often with questionable fidelity to the actual account.  We know that He was born to save us.  We acknowledge the miracle of the virgin birth and retell the amazing story of the night that God came down to us.  I wonder though if we really grasp the awesomeness of what happened.

It’s a difficult thing for us to understand, how that God the Father could remain in Heaven while God the Son came to live among us, yet did not cease to be God.  Jesus Himself said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) For us to fully understand what Jesus did, we need to remember this; He lived his life among us as the perfect man, yet he was and is God.

Several false religions begin by attacking this critical issue, so I would like to take some time to point out the scripture that shows that Jesus was and is God.  If He isn’t, our whole belief system unravels.  To paraphrase the late C.S. Lewis, by His own claims, Jesus must be either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.  We of course know that He is Lord, but I will share with you a few key verses so that you can be ready the next time someone challenges the deity of Jesus.  In deference to the season, we’ll start with Matthew 1:23, which is a quote from Isaiah 7:14.  I hope you’ll join us as we discover anew the wonder of “God with us.”