It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that 2016 is all but over and we are embarking upon another new year; 2017! When I was a boy I dreamed about what the world would look like after the turn of the century but my vision of the future was far from what it turned out to be. Some of the things actually came to pass, like “Dick Tracy” wristwatches and Robots and unmanned flying drones, but the future I dreamed of is actually much more fantastic than I ever imagined. Mankind has conquered inner-space and outer-space. Cloning actually exists and we all carry very powerful computers in our back pockets that can answer any question and tell us how to get anywhere we want to go. It’s an amazing world we live in and the future is bright, that is, unless the Human Race doesn’t lose their way and destroy themselves first.
This is the time of year we are supposed to reflect on our year, be introspective and make resolutions about how we are going to change personally to make our lives better in the year ahead. But there is another thing about December which is the most important thing of all in my humble opinion. It’s the time we celebrate the birth of our Messiah, the Son of God, born of a virgin in a stable, as prophecy foretold thousands of years before and played out exactly as it was supposed to, without exception. Popular culture doesn’t accept the reality of Jesus. It’s too hard to wrap their heads around and maintain the world view that man spontaneously appeared out of nothing. My take is that God created the universe and Jesus was there with Him in the beginning. The story is impossible to believe for man, but with God, everything is possible. Jesus came with a specific purpose; to reconcile mankind to God. Mankind are sinners. We all are and always have been since the fall in The Garden of Eden. It seems like a fairy tale, but prophecy and historical and archeological records confirm it and continued revelations reinforce it as fact.
The Three Wise Men were actually scholars named Balthazar, Gaspar and Melchior who were of Jewish heritage and influence who lived in the East, as remnants of a time when Israel was in captivity in Babylon. They studied ancient text and through their studies they knew that The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, because that is what the scriptures told them. They followed a star that appeared at the birth of Jesus and eventually, months after His birth, against great odds, found Him and knew that He was the Son of God and our redeemer. What happened and how it happened was exactly according to the ancient texts and Jesus went on to live His life exactly as it was written, down to the finest detail and against incredible odds, fulfilling at least 300 prophecies to the letter. The odds of this are too remote to even comprehend.
Statisticians will tell you that once you get past the 50th “0”, you have gone beyond the reality of there being ANY chance. Yet, Jesus did it!
10 with 50 zeroes behind it is a number nearly equal to the electrons in the known universe. (That number is simply 10 with 52 zeroes.) That’s a MASSIVE number. But it’s a piece of CAKE for Jesus Christ. He beat those odds by 10,107 PLUS zeroes.
The Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the GREATEST GIFT mankind has EVER received. This is why we celebrate Christmas. It’s an amazing story, but the most fantastic part is that it’s true! The Wise Men knew it and sought Him out. Wise men and women today still should seek Him.
This year, take time to go see a Christmas program at your local Church, read the Christmas Story in the Gospels (Luke 2:1-20) with your family and take time to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas and the promise of redemption for all who believe and accept Christ as their Savior. It’s never too late (as long as you’re still breathing) and you cannot do anything so horrible that He won’t forgive you and redeem you, if you just ask.
From our house to yours, we wish you a very Merry and Holy Christmas and the happiest of New Years. It is our prayer that whomever reads this message can accept the greatest gift of all, free to all and unconditional; That is the gift of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
From the CEO of Peabody Engineering – Mark Peabody.
while their family of 5 slept on the floor in the family room of a relatives home, under only one blanket. We were able to show up at their house over break with 5 blankets, 5 pillows, 10 pillow cases, 5 foam pads, a Stater Brothers gift card and a large box of food. The saddest/best part of that trip was hearing the 5 year old little brother of our student come out and excitedly exclaim, “Do I really get my very own pillow?”
Instead of worrying about what movie to watch on Netflix, or what game to play with their friends, our students are worrying about where their next meal will be coming from, how they are going to stay warm at night and how to keep their shoes glued together another day. In order to help relieve some of their life stresses and bring some Christmas joy their way – we are hoping to help provide each of their families with means to purchase food and clothing. We currently have identified 70 individual students and 24 families in need our help and we know that there will be more to come. We would like to be able to provide each of these 70 students with an $100 gift card to Walmart (where they can purchase clothing, school supplies, underwear, shoes and blankets) and each of the 24 families a $100 gift card to Stater Brothers for food. I am hoping and praying that we can come together as a community and help truly make this a Merry Christmas for these families.”