{"id":9601,"date":"2015-12-04T15:39:58","date_gmt":"2015-12-04T19:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=9601"},"modified":"2015-12-26T16:38:53","modified_gmt":"2015-12-26T20:38:53","slug":"make-christ-a-presence-among-the-presents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=9601","title":{"rendered":"Make Christ a Presence Among the Presents!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re\u00a0 currently in the Advent season of 2015.\u00a0 Much of the hustle and bustle of this season is driven by the need to give gifts.\u00a0 Many of us are consumed with two fundamental questions:\"Signboard<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. “What does ___ want?”<\/li>\n
  2. “What do I want?”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To answer these questions and to prepare for Christmas morning, we run around searching the Internet, ads, and malls.\u00a0 We scratch our heads.\u00a0 We think, “what did I give so and so last year?”\u00a0 “Does she already have one of them?”\u00a0 “He gained some weight this year… should I get a large instead?”\u00a0 “How am I ever going to afford all of this!”<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    But there is a more important question to address if we’re going to get anything out of this Christmas:\u00a0 “Where is Jesus in all of this?”<\/p>\n

    And so on 12\/4\/15 our signboard said:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    MAKE CHRIST A PRESENCE<\/span><\/p>\n

    AMONG THE PRESENTS!<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Christ is among us!\u00a0 He’s all knowing and present everywhere.\u00a0 He’s among us even as we run around trying to answer all of our concerns about gifts.\u00a0 Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit and He works among us through His people.\u00a0 God even “engineers our circumstances” to draw us closer to Him.\u00a0 Consider these gifts and promises from the Bible:<\/p>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\tMatt 28:20<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    And be sure of this: I am with you always<\/span>, even to the end of the age<\/span><\/em>.”\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t1 Kings 9:3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I have consecrated this temple… by putting my Name there forever.<\/p>\n

    My eyes and my heart will always be there<\/span>.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t1 Chronicles 16:11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always<\/span>.<\/p>\n

    .\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t1 Chronicles 16:15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    He remembers his covenant forever<\/span>,<\/p>\n

    the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tPsalm 23:4<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,<\/p>\n

    I will fear no evil, for you are with me<\/span>;<\/p>\n

    your rod and your staff, they comfort me.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tPsalm\u00a0 26:3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    for your love is ever before me<\/span>, and I walk continually in your truth.<\/p>\n

    .\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tPsalm 46:1<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    God is our refuge and strength,<\/p>\n

    an ever-present<\/span> help in trouble.\u00a0\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tPsalm 63:6-7<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On my bed I remember you;<\/p>\n

    I think of you through the watches of the night<\/span>.\u00a0 Because you are my help,<\/p>\n

    I sing in the shadow of your wings.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tJohn 1:48<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus answered,<\/p>\n

    “I saw you<\/span> while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.<\/span><\/em>”\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tMark 6:48<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    He saw the disciples<\/span> straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.<\/p>\n

    About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tLuke 9:47<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Jesus, knowing their thoughts<\/span>, took a little child and had him stand beside him.<\/p>\n

    .\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tJohn 14:16-18<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 …He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever\u2014<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    the Spirit of truth …\u00a0 you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    I will not leave you as orphans;<\/span> <\/em>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tJohn 15:5<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him<\/span>,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.<\/span><\/em>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tActs 1:8<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you<\/span>;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    and to the ends of the earth.<\/span><\/em>”\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tRomans 8:28<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    And we know that in all things<\/span> God works for the good of those who love him,<\/p>\n

    who have been called according to his purpose.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t1 John 3:24<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them<\/span>.<\/p>\n

    And this is how we know that he lives in us:<\/p>\n

    We know it by the Spirit he gave us.\u00a0\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\tHebrews 13:5-6<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0 …be content with what you have, because God has said,<\/p>\n

    “Never will I leave you;\u00a0 never will I forsake you.<\/span>” \u00a0 So we say with confidence,<\/p>\n

    “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n

    Our omniscient and omnipresent God- Father, Holy Spirit, and Son- loves us enough to be with our family as we gather around our Christmas tree.<\/p>\n

    Is there room for Him in your Christmas morning?<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    To view other Signboard messages, click this button:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Signboard Messages<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We’re\u00a0 currently in the Advent season of 2015.\u00a0 Much of the hustle and bustle of this season is driven by the need to give gifts.\u00a0 Many of us are consumed with two fundamental questions: “What does ___ want?” “What do I want?” To answer these questions and to prepare for Christmas morning, we run around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[123,144],"class_list":["post-9601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-signboard","tag-christmas","tag-godspresence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9601"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9638,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9601\/revisions\/9638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}