Good News from the Country

     Hello again from up in the country, Enola, Arkansas and the Enola church of Christ.  I hope your week has been a good one.  Christmas is only a few days away.  I’m happy that for at least a few days every year, so many think about giving, family, and hopefully Jesus Christ.  Regrettably some Christians go to extremes one way or the other during the holiday season.  Some Christian fuss and fight about December 25^th not being the exact day of Jesus’ birth or maybe about whether or not we should even consider celebrating Jesus’ birth on a certain day.  Other Christians go to the other extreme and go bonkers over Christmas with decorations, candle-lighting ceremonies, plays, live nativity scenes, and such things.  It is true that we do not know the exact day of Jesus’ birth.  We can’t find the day of Jesus’ birth in the Bible and history does not record the day of His birth.  The Bible does not command us to celebrate His birth.  The Bible does direct every Christian to remember His death, burial, and resurrection.  Of course, how can you remember someone’s life and not remember their birth?  Additionally, the Bible does include the details of His birth in the gospels.  The birth of Jesus should be studied, taught, preached, and remembered at Christmas time and at any other time.  I love Christmas.  The holiday season seems to bring out the best in people.  That is good.  I love to show my love for my wife, children, grand children, and my friends during the holiday season.  I love to see them show their love for me and for others as well.

     If you decide to visit with us at the Enola church of Christ this time of the year you will find that our services do not change very much from one season to the next.  Every Sunday we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs making melody in our hearts to the Lord.  Every Sunday we do a lot of praying to the Father in the name of the Son.  Every Sunday we remember the life, the death, the resurrection, and the promises of Jesus Christ by eating unleavened bread and drinking the fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper.  Every Sunday we pass the offering plate and present our financial gifts to God as He has directed us.  Every Sunday we study God’s word to strengthen our faith in God.  Sometimes I might preach a lesson specific to a certain occasion simply because people are thinking about it.  Then again, I may not even mention what might or might not be happening when it comes to a certain holiday or special occasion.  You can rest assured that our mission to show and share the gospel of Christ continues steadfastly from Sunday to Sunday and every day in between.

     This Sunday we will continue to study Jesus’ parables and the Parable of the Lost and Found.  We have considered the lost sheep.  Jesus fulfilled His mission.  Are we fulfilling ours?  We have looked at the lost coin.  Every “one” is important.  We must always be on the lookout for any “one” who is lost.  When we find one who is lost, our mission is to introduce them to Jesus.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  This Sunday we will look at the lost son.  Actually, our lesson will focus on the love of the Father.  He loved the son when the son was at home.  He loved the son when the son left home and went into the foreign country in sin.  He loved the son when the son came home.  Oh, how wonderful it is to have such a Father as is our God!