OzThoughts Friday 4th December 2009.

OzThoughts Friday 4th December 2009.

Last night our band broken up into three groups played at a local shopping Mall. There were people everywhere busy about the things of Christmas. We played familiar carols and Christmas songs and some of the people stopped and listened. I saw some of the people singing along wit the familiar tunes.

As we drove home, my wife and I made some brief detours and passed houses where people had made a great effort at decorating their houses with all types iof shapes and coloured lights. It truly looked like a Christmas wonderland.

At some of the houses, we could miss the fact that the owners had made a deliberate effort to highlight the stable and the manger with the baby, Jesus and his parents.

I was thinking that so many people are busy with doing and express so many things about Christmas, but we can thank God we have the freedom to tell about Jesus and what he means to us.

As I write this I think of Robert, the blind man I led from the captivity of his almost bare bedroom where he was imprisoned by his “relatives”. I think of his joy at being free. I remember his joy at joining with a crowd at an outdoor carol service. He never knew such things existed. He was now set free to enjoy life.

I think of Nick born in a body that had no arms or legs. I see and hear his joy in accepting that his different body does not imprison him to a life of despair. I hear the joy of his freedom to serve God with what God has given him.

I though of the words of Isaiah which Jesus proclaimed in the Nazareth Synagogue he fulfilled:

16 He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read,
17 he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

18 God's Spirit is on me;
he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to
the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
19 to announce, "This is God's year to act!"

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent.
21 Then he started in, "You've just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place."

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I rejoice in the freedom to live that comes through Jesus. I pray that I may do my part to announce that Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem came that we might have freedom and life.

Father, I pray today for my friends who are captured for the moment by illness, worry and stress, and sadness at the passing of love ones. I pray that you will be with them and the prayers, smiles and hugs of loved ones may minister to them in your name and they shall find freedom through Jesus. Amen.

[Listen: Songsters: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_3204.mp3
or
Band: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_424.mp3 ]

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King,
Let every heart prepare him room
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love.
Author: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 84

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