The Gospel of the barren, the outcast, and the poor.

Today I listened to an excellent message by Dr. Michael Salmeier (it will be loaded on the podcast by 12.16), a professor at Life Pacic College and one of the members of our church. He talked about the fact that the arrival of Jesus was broadcast to and through those on whom society did not look favoribly; not the ‘best and the brightest’, or the rising stars of the culture.

There are times when all of us feel like the outcast; the ones on the outside of the inner circle. Maybe times when we can’t make end’s meet or we feel like life is just passing us by. Perhaps we stuggle with an illness, or depression, or a life that is broken in some way. We may look at all the holiday joy and celebration, and have a difficult time embracing it all.  If you can identify with any of that, then look up—Christmas is for you!

Certainly the first Christmas wasn’t about those who had it all together. It was about good news to those who desperately needed it. It was for “those who were living in the valley of darkenss” who needed to see a great light. It was for those who deeply needed the message of “Immanuel; meaning God with us”. Christmas says, “God is here and whatever difficulty you are going through now is about to be impacted by that reality!” Merry Christmas!