Remember To Whom We Belong

December 2, 2024

Remember to Whom We Belong

By T. Hardie, President 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Christmas reflections; a child is born, a son is given, and with him the Kingdom of God has dawned.  It comes with joy and it brings peace, but it also demands everything. That child, grown to manhood, tells us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, all demonstrated through the love we show to our neighbors.  But nothing is left out.  We are to hold nothing back.  We are to love with everything we have.

However, we are tempted to create and then live in another kind of kingdom that is made with our own plans and aspirations, and we tend to ask God to join us in our important work. We fill our lives with other things; family, success, busyness, friends and work colleagues, our political and economic points of view, and in the season of Christmas, gifts and parties and year-end work deadlines.  And we ask God to bless us in our efforts.

But God wants more. He has a plan for his Kingdom and he wants us to join in His work, not the other way around. So as we approach Christmas, let us remember to ask God what he is up to, where he is calling us, where there are neighbors we can love. We have seen lots of examples showing us the way through the God-work our partners are doing in our city and around the world.  We are grateful for these partners, and we re-commit our work to serving God by loving and serving them.

Yes, in this Christmas season, we rejoice in the opportunity to claim our citizenship in the Kingdom of God.  A Son has been born, the Son of God, our redeemer and king, to whom we owe everything and for whom we are willing to give everything. There is great joy in our receiving of His grace and our giving of our devotion. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; a prophecy fulfilled in the coming of our Lord.

In this season and always, let’s remember to whom we belong.

Merry Christmas!