July 27 – A Son from God!

Our Adoption Story (So Far!)

I am convinced that Josiah’s adoption fell into our laps straight out of Heaven. Danielle Youngblood contacted us on Sunday evening, June 12, to pray for her pregnant friend and asked if we knew anyone interested in adopting. I instantly felt urged by the Spirit to talk to Kristi about the possibility of us filling that need. We prayed and slept on it, and in the morning we both felt certain that we should at least pursue it. Five days later we met with Brittanie, and after chatting with her for a couple of hours, she said she wanted us to have her baby! It turns out that she had met me before, at a birthday party for Danielle’s young daughter last summer. She said she could tell by my interaction with the kids then that I would make a great dad, and she really wanted the baby “to be raised in the church.”

In a way it is a double miracle, as Brittanie was originally going to have an abortion. When she found out she was pregnant, though, she was already too far along to have the procedure in Idaho, so she was going to go to Oregon or Washington to have it done. Her sister talked her out of it, telling her she thought God wouldn’t want her to do it. Brittanie said she prayed about it and she felt like God was telling her not to go through with an abortion–that there was “the perfect couple” waiting for her baby!

God’s timing is amazing. Kristi and I had given up hope of ever having kids about five years ago. We’ve been married 20 years this September and unable to conceive. We are both in our forties (I much farther along than she!). We had looked into adopting some time ago, but early on in the process it just seemed like it wasn’t meant to be. I was OK with being childless (or at least, I thought I was), but Kristi was not. All she had ever wanted was to marry a pastor and be a stay-at-home mommy. It seemed clear that the latter just wasn’t going to happen. However, God was at work…

About 3 months ago, I really felt compelled (now I know it was the Spirit leading) to do two things: 1) Get on a more “normal” and regular schedule, and 2) begin to clear out one of our bedrooms for a guest room. (As it turns out, it was for a permanent guest!) Further, about 2 months ago (April 2011), I was driving down the road and just thinking about what it would have been like to have had a child, imagining playing with my child, seeing him or her grow up and start a new generation of the family line and carry on family traditions and own family heirlooms. I suddenly began to weep so intensely that I had to pull over, grieving for the child I never had–and thought I never would have. Of course, now I can see that this, too, was God at work, preparing my heart for my coming son!

But that’s not all!

Later that week I decided on a whim (yeah, right!) to take an intensive NT Greek course through a local church’s intern seminary program. The class would cover one entire academic year of Greek in only ten weeks, meeting two hours every morning Monday through Thursday. I contacted the instructor and inquired about enrolling. Because I am a local pastor, he said they would be happy to let me take the course for FREE! The day it started was Monday, June 20, only three days after we had met with Brittanie. In the “getting to know you” segment of that first class, I mentioned what was going on with the adoption, and how it had caught us totally by surprise. Larry, the guy sitting RIGHT NEXT TO ME, jolted, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open. He exclaimed, “That EXACT same thing happened to my wife and me 10 months ago!”

Larry had me come over to his house and meet his wife Tamara and their beautiful adopted baby son, Judson. They gave me the name and number of their lawyer, who has done thousands of adoptions. He charges a reasonable flat fee, with no hidden costs regardless of how much extra stuff he might have to end up doing. They also referred me to the Christian social worker they had used, who had helped them to “creatively get through some of the hoops.” Both are far less expensive than “typical” people in their positions, and both really want to see babies get adopted and not aborted!

I ended up having to drop the Greek class. I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to it because of work and everything entailed in the adoption. But I’m convinced that God lined that whole thing up (the timing, the location, being offered free tuition) just so I could meet Larry and his family and get the referral for the lawyer and social worker.

After we had met with Brittanie and decided we were going to adopt her baby, Kristi and I began discussing possible names with Kristi’s sister Theresa. After disagreeing over a couple dozen boy’s names, we all agreed we loved the first name Josiah. Josiah was the name of the boy-king of Judah in the Old Testament who led his nation out of a fifty-seven-year culture of vile wickedness back to following the Lord. I suggested Scott as the middle name, and we all liked how that sounded: “Josiah Scott Guinn.”

I decided to research the meanings of the names…

• “Josiah” means “Jehovah helps.”
• “Scott,” although having come to mean simply “a person from Scotland,” originally meant “noble.”
• “Guinn” originally meant “Blessed and holy.”

“Josiah Scott Guinn.” We all felt that was quite a strong and fitting name for a miracle baby and the son of a pastor!

As if all of this was not enough, God’s perfect timing came into play once again. I had the great joy of making the announcement of the adoption to our church family (some of whom had been praying for us for 10-20 years to have a miracle baby) on FATHER’S DAY! I preached on Josiah and how no king before or after him had repented so completely. I explained what his name meant (“Jehovah helps”), and how God is always willing to help those who faithfully follow Him, even if it may take longer than we would like. Then I steered the message into the announcement of the adoption and what the baby’s name would be. There was not a dry eye in the place, and the whole church gathered around us and wept tears of joy with us. (Click here to listen to that sermon)

Throughout the early stages, our single biggest concern was finances. We figured we would be able to pinch pennies regarding the day-to-day aspects of living with an extra family member; our worry was the initial significant costs involved with the adoption itself and the preparation of our home for a baby. We literally needed to get our house in order! Where would we get enough money to do the necessary home renovations, pay the legal, medical and other related adoption fees, plus purchase the necessary furniture and accouterments for the nursery?

We need not have worried. First, we were blessed to learn that Brittanie is on Medicaid, and they will cover 100% of all medical expenses through the birth. One obstacle was out of the way, but there was still an awful lot of expense to be handled.

I had a pretty extensive magic library (I was a full-time professional magician for nearly two decades), and began to sell off my books, along with some other magic-related items. While I made pennies on the dollar on some of them, more than a few had become collectors’ items and were now worth many times what I had paid for them! The income derived from these sales alone more than covered all the legal and social services fees! Praise the Lord!

On Saturday, July 9, we had a yard sale. Several families donated items, and we had a ton of our own stuff we wanted to get rid of to make room for the nursery. Lots of people told us that if we made $300-$400 in a one-day sale or $500-$600 in a two-day sale, that would be a huge success. We had a one-day sale. Somehow we made over $1100! To God be the glory!

The following Saturday I put on a magic show for our friends, with free hot dogs, chips, and soda following. We explained that donations would be accepted, but were not required. We just wanted to celebrate with our friends. About 80 people attended. When I counted the money in the donation can, I began to bawl like a little girl—again, the Lord had provided just over $1100!

In addition, over the course of this period we had several people give us unsolicited donations. Two were every large: the first was $1000 and the second was $2000! The financial obstacles we had worried about had been completely removed!

“Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

In retrospect, I can see the hand of God in every aspect of this adoption, going all the way back to when Danielle first came to our church several years ago! Kristi and I are now looking forward with increased faith and eager anticipation for this exciting new adventure God has given to us in the gift of a miracle son! A son from God!

God is GOOD! ALL the time!

But a miracle son for one Idaho couple is less than a drop in the bucket to Him.

“Indeed, He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all — how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

He gave the miracle of miracles when he gave His OWN one and only Son for us, so that WE could become HIS adopted sons and daughters!

“But to all who have received Him — those who believe in His name — He has given the right to become God’s children — children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.” (John 1:12-13)

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For we were saved with this hope in mind.” (Romans 8:14-15, 23-24a)

So while His grace still amazes us, it shouldn’t surprise us. He is a God of mighty miracles, who made all things and sustains them by His will. I couldn’t have imagined that after twenty years without children He would suddenly provide us one so perfectly, but then, our God “is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is working among us. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen! (Ephesians 3:20-21)

In HIM,

Scott

May 10 – A Prayer for CLF

Are you praying for your church family?

April 22 – Sunday’s Coming!

Marshall L. Shepard, Senior Pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, once preached a very famous sermon (adapted and popularized by Tony Campolo) entitled, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’!” In this powerful message, Shepard talked about how awful things looked to Jesus’ followers on Friday evening after the crucifixion. They were discouraged, frightened, despondent, confused, hopeless, and probably even a little angry. After all, this Jesus–the one in whom they had placed their hope and trust and had grown to deeply love–had suffered through gruesome and humiliating torture and abuse and had died a very public criminal’s death. Yes, on Friday evening it seemed all was lost.

Little did they know that the coming Sunday morning would change everything. They were so caught up in their own grief and massive disappointment that they had forgotten that Jesus had told them all of this would happen, but that He would rise from the dead! The tyranny of their present darkness forced them deeper into themselves and further from the hope of their Master.

Perhaps as you read these words, you are facing your own Friday evening. Right now you may find yourself in a situation that has caused you to become discouraged, frightened, despondent, confused, hopeless, and maybe even angry. Angry at God, angry at the world, angry with yourself. You’re in a pit with no ladder and you see no light at the top. It seems certain that all is irrevocably lost.

Your marriage is on the rocks, or even ended. You’ve lost your job and have no prospects and your savings is depleted. You’ve received word that a loved one has a terminal disease. A friend was killed in a random crime. Your friend is addicted to drugs. You found out your child has been abused. The bank has served notice that they are foreclosing on your treasured home. Life is miserable, and there are no signs of it changing any time soon.

Friend, you may not have the strength to accept this, but all is NOT lost! There IS hope! You see, what Jesus’ friends and followers didn’t realize on the first Good Friday was that Easter was only 36 hours away! God HAD to allow the events of that horrible Friday to occur so that we could be saved, because He LOVES us! Yes, at the time, it was the worst day of their lives, and some may even have been contemplating suicide. It was Friday… but Sunday was coming!

Whatever you’re facing in this Friday of your life, if Jesus Christ is Your Savior and Lord, be encouraged–Sunday’s coming! God’s Word tells us that sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5)! This suffering will only last for a little while–it WILL end (1 Peter 1:6) and does not begin to compare with the glory we’ll experience throughout all eternity (Romans 8:18)! Set your heart on Christ, not on your present troubles, because when Christ appears, you will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4)! The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Remember these words of David from Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

It may be Friday…

But Sunday IS coming!

In HIM,

Scott

January 10 – The Gift of God’s Word

In the last several installments of this column, I’ve been talking about God’s precious gifts to us: the gift of God’s peace, the gift of God’s joy, the gift of God’s love. And in my most recent article, I wrote about how, too often, the gift of God goes unclaimed. Today, I want to talk about another oft-neglected gift, the gift of God’s Word.

In our time in this country, we have access to the Word of God as no people in the history of the world. Right now I have a whole bookshelf with nothing but Bibles in many different translations. I have a roomful of commentaries, handbooks, teaching books, etc on the Bible and biblical theology. On my computer I have several different programs that each contain multiple Bible translations, Bible commentaries, and Bible dictionaries. In addition, the Internet has sites like www.studylight.org and www.biblegateway.com that offer unlimited access to a myriad of Bible translations in many different languages (including English!), and a virtual library of study helps. Yet, in this country and in this age where the Bible is more accessible than ever before, Christians seem to be more biblically illiterate than ever before. How can this be?

It has been said that what costs little is regarded little. I believe that is all too true. Just as there are people all over the world who would be in ecstasy to receive the scraps of food we throw away after a meal, so there are many who would be in jubilation to receive even a tiny percentage of the vast access we have to God’s Word. We are so accustomed to easy access to the complete canon that we take it for granted. “I’ll get to it tomorrow, or when I have some time over the weekend,” we say to ourselves. And the Bible remains on our shelf, gathering dust, or on our computer, un-accessed. Because it so readily available, we treat it as of little importance. We take it for granted.

Dear friends in Christ, it is high time we reevaluate our priorities and our view of the inspired Scriptures! Our God, King, Creator, Provider and Savior has seen fit to give us unlimited access to HIS WORD! He WANTS us to feed on it, to be nurtured and encouraged by it, to be strengthened and equipped by it, to grow in it, to know Him better and have a deeper relationship with us through it! How DARE we neglect so great a gift? How can we not cherish it with overflowing thankfulness and overwhelming humility?

I want to challenge and encourage us to make 2011 the year when we begin to TRULY cherish and assimilate the Word of God. Let’s agree together to revere it and to spend time with it every day, studying and OBEYING it! If you need some help in getting started and staying discipled, subscribe to “LIFe with God” on our website. Every morning from Monday to Saturday you will receive a devotional in your email (Saturday and Sunday come together in one message). There is a passage of Scripture to read (taking us through the New Testament in one year), with some observation questions (bringing out key points in the passage) and some application questions (helping to apply the truths of the day to our lives). There is also a daily pray list and a weekly memory verse. It is so easy, you may be tempted to just put it on the back burner and tell yourself you’ll get it to it later, but for heaven’s sake and for your own sake, don’t do that! COMMIT to being disciplined and consistent, asking God to help you keep your commitment. Follow through on that commitment, and watch God do great things in your spiritual life this year!

Ken Eden sent me a link to a powerful video of a remote third world village receiving the Bible in their own language for the first time. Click on the link below to watch the video (it’s less than ten minutes long). Then pray about your regard for the Bible, asking God to give you a heart that cherishes and absorbs it!

In HIM,

Scott

Watch video

December 27 – The Unclaimed Gift

Sunday (December 26, 2010), my sermon was “The Unclaimed Gift”. For those of you who didn’t make it to church (and as a refresher for those who did!), I want to review what I talked about, because I believe it is very important. Of course, you are also encouraged to listen to the message in its entirety by clicking on the link on the website.

Imagine that you bought a gift for a loved one. You really put a lot of time and thought and expense into this gift. You wrapped it carefully, placed it under the Christmas tree, and imagined their reaction of joy upon opening it. You waited expectantly for them to show up on Christmas, but they never came. Maybe you called or sent an email to let them know you had a gift for them, and they said they’d stop by soon… but they never showed up. After a week or so, you took down your tree, and set the gift on the table in the corner, sure they would show up by New Year’s Day, but they didn’t. Finally, springtime rolled around, and you placed the gift on the shelf in the hall closet, where it remains to this day… unclaimed.

God offered the world the greatest gift in history in the person of Jesus Christ, but for many, many people, that gift remains unclaimed. John 1:11 tells us that “He came to what was His own, but His own people did not receive Him.” The news of this gift is broadcast throughout most of the world (and certainly here in America) via radio, TV, books, magazines, churches and Christian organizations, but people choose to close their eyes and plug their ears to it. It is not the fault of the message–the message is worth telling and hearing! People CHOOSE not to hear it.

By not claiming the gift, the power that comes with it also goes unclaimed. Imagine someone who didn’t know about electricity staying at a fully electrically equipped house. Night after night they would reside in the cold and the dark, when, by simply flipping a couple of switches, the heater would fire up and the lights turn on. The power for heat and light was there all along, but they never claimed it! Just so, the current of God is always at full power, but unbelievers don’t access it, because they haven’t claimed the gift. Even we who HAVE claimed the gift often forget that the power is always at full strength and we have only to tap into it.

Further, by failing to claim the gift of God, the personal presence of God goes unclaimed. People are living alone and lonely when they need not be so. Sometimes that it simply because of doubt: they just don’t believe that God cares about them. Sometimes it is because they are distracted by the world. Sometimes it’s simply neglect; they just never bother to think about God. Again, even longtime believers can fall into these traps. We sometimes doubt that God is really a God who loves us and keeps His promises. We get distracted by worldly things, and before we know it, a month has gone by since we’ve attended church, cracked open our Bibles, or bothered to talk to God.

But the ongoing gift of Christmas still waits for us, whether we’ve yet to claim it or have claimed it but neglected it for a while. We can receive a new heart, given freely to us from Jesus; a gift waiting, not under a tree, but hanging on one.

Will you claim God’s gift to you today?

December 20, 2010 – The Gift of LOVE

For God so loved the world that he gave His One and Only Son… – John 3:16

I’m going to be short and sweet this week, and simply recap my sermon from Sunday, “When Love was Born”.

As we’ve been observing advent, we’ve looked at the themes for each week:

• Week 1: Hope
• Week 2: Peace
• Week 3: Joy
• Week 4: LOVE

It is from our Father’s loving heart that all of the other attributes flow. Because of His great love for us, He has given us the hope of eternal life, the peace that passes understanding, and the joy of our salvation that is our strength. All of these are personified in His great gift of LOVE, the gift of His Son; the gift of Himself. In His coming to earth, he showed us:

1. The GLORY of Love’s Arrival – “We saw his glory–the glory of the One and Only, full of grace and truth, who came from the father.” (John 1:14)
2. The REASON for Love’s Arrival – “God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” (John 3:17)
3. The ATONEMENT of Love’s Arrival – “God demonstrates his own love for us in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. And so, we have now been justified by Christ’s atoning sacrifice” (Romans 5:8-9)
4. The CONSEQUENCE of Love’s Arrival – “I give you a new commandment–to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34)
5. The ENDURANCE of Love’s Arrival – “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

So, as you celebrate Christmas this year, don’t forget to take some time to reflect on the indescribable, insurmountable, overwhelming gift of love you’ve been given in Christ. And don’t forget to GIVE that gift to others! It beats anything on anybody’s Christmas List!

PRAYER
Gracious God, send us your grace this Advent Season so that we can prepare for your coming. Touch our hearts with longing so that we can better love and serve you and each other. Fill us with the hope that we can be transformed by your Spirit and so help transform the world. Give us the peace of knowing that you came to share our human life and redeem us for the sake of love. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, whose kingdom we seek. Amen.

December 13, 2010 – The Gift of JOY

Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10 (NET)

It is a sad fact that the season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day has the highest percentage of suicides of any time of the year. People sink into depression, discouragement, and despondence, and, having no hope, no peace, and no joy, they decide they prefer to end their lives than to keep on living in this joyless world.

Of course, we who are in Christ know that what awaits these poor souls on the other side is far worse than what they faced in this world. Further, we are well aware that if we have Christ “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” – Psalm 30:5 (ESV) And that is just it, isn’t it—we who are IN CHRIST know this. Without Him, we would be just as lost, just as discouraged, just as hopeless and just as joyless as those who have given up on life. But because we have Christ, we have the joy of the LORD, and the joy of the LORD is our STRENGTH! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a reward that far surpasses any trial. We have the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ and He encourages us, “In the world you will have suffering. But take heart! I have conquered the world.” – John 16:33 (REB)

Though from our very finite human perspective life may sometimes (even often) appear to be without joy, we have great reason for rejoicing!  The fifth chapter of Romans explains:

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.” – Romans 5:1-6, 11 (NET)

No matter how bad life gets, no matter what this old world may throw at us, we can have joy, because we have been reconciled to God through Christ. The gift of Jesus is the gift of the joy of the Lord, and the joy of the LORD is our strength! May God grant that we would ever share the attitude of:

• Mary, who declared, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. – Luke 1:46-48 (NRSV)
• The shepherds who were told of the birth of Christ: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told. Luke 2:20 (HCSB)
• The three wise men who sought Jesus: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” – Matthew 2:10 (KJV)

We can, should, and DO have joy—the joy of the LORD—because it has been given to us in the person of Jesus Christ, born as a helpless baby in a dirty stable in an insignificant town over two millennia ago. I encourage you to focus on the Giver of THE GIFT this Christmas season. As we remember our hope, as we set aside time to soak in His peace, let us also set aside time to PARTY! To CELEBRATE! GOD IS WITH US! Because of this, I exhort you, brothers and sisters, as Paul exhorted the Philippian Christians: “Keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. I will say it again: Keep on rejoicing!” – Philippians 4:4 (ISV)

PRAYER
Loving God create in us a fountain of joy, stir in us a spirit ready to dance, kindle in us the fire of gladness, set loose in us songs of praise, for You are the One who comes with healing and blessing. It is You, King Jesus, who reconciles us to God. You are our offering, our priest, and our God, the source and the object of our joy. Grant that we would rejoice in You, during the Christmas season and throughout our lives! Amen.

December 6, 2010 – The Gift of Peace

(This is the first installment of what will be a semi-regular series. There is no “curriculum”; this is meant simply to encourage you and to share with you the things I’m studying, learning, and pondering.)

We are in the second week of Advent. Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas, where we observe and consider the expectation and anticipation of the coming promised Messiah. The theme of the first week of Advent is “hope”. As I’ve mentioned before in my sermons, Biblical hope is not mere wishful thinking, as the world defines hope, but the confident assurance and eager anticipation that God’s promises will be fulfilled.

The theme for this, the second week of Advent, is “Peace”. As we look forward to celebrating Christmas, the fulfillment of God’s promises regarding the Messiah, it is important that we remember that Jesus is both the object and the source of our hope and our peace.

It is sadly ironic that for most of us life it at its most hectic and frenetic state during this season that is meant to celebrate our peace with God. We rush around, frantically trying to find time to prepare for all of our holiday events and get all our shopping done. We fight traffic on the streets and in the stores. Our blood pressure rises, tempers flare, stress gives us headaches and stomach aches, all in the name of celebrating Christmas. But if we would just take a step back from ourselves and observe our behavior, it would become apparent immediately that what we are doing has nothing to do with the hope and peace that are the true essence of this wonderful season. We cannot control the decisions of warring nations, or of unreasonable neighbors, or of coworkers who simply have no desire to be pleasant or get along with anyone, or of aggressive drivers or rude shoppers. But then, it is not our responsibility to control any of that. Romans 12:18 very clearly spells out our responsibility: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.” A song that my high school choir sang put it nicely: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

I encourage you to protect at least a little time each day this week —maybe a half hour— to sit down, take a few deep breaths, and reflect on the profound gift of PEACE bestowed on us through the precious gift of Jesus. Turn off the TV, turn off the computer, turn off the phone, put down your book, and just REST in that peace as you reflect on it…

For a child has been born to us, a Son has been given to us.
He bears the symbol of dominion on His shoulder, and is called:
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased! (Luke 2:14)

Peace I leave with you. I am giving you My own peace, such as the world cannot give. Set your troubled hearts at rest, and banish your fears. (John 14:27)

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. (Romans 5:1-2)

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7)

PRAYER
Gracious God, we place our trust in You. Thank You for giving us peace with You through Jesus. Grant that we may rest in that peace as we prepare to celebrate our Lord’s birth. May any divisions among us and among our families be peacefully resolved. May Your peace reign in our cities and in the countries of our world. Help us to see the paths of peace in our lives, and then give to us courage to follow them. Lord, let us remember that you only are the giver of lasting peace and that you are always with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. In the Name of Jesus, who is our peace, Amen.

May God bless you and keep you and give you peace!

Scott