Page 32
2013 Worship Guide
Supplement to Lincoln Daily News.com
LifePointe Church of God
The Christmas gift from heaven
s we prepare to celebrate together this Christmas, several things come to my
mind. This is a special time when we are reminded to give and share with oth-
ers. It is a time of joy, peace and goodwill toward others. There is a sense of
excitement in the air and hope for better days to come. However, first and foremost is
the reminder that the Son of God came to this earth to give hope and light to a lost and
dark world. In this great event, His love was given in a way that no one else can give.
So many people have lost sight of this miracle. You would think that the King of all
Kings would enter this world in riches and pomp, but He came clothed in humility. In
the Bible come the words in Philippians 2:5-7: “Let this mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal
with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men.” (NKJV) The Apostle Paul is informing all that He (Je-
sus) made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. In other words, He became
as much of an earthly servant as He had been a heavenly sovereign. As we look at the
Babe in the manger, we see Him wrapped up in humility.
We all, I would like to think, like to visualize the
Christmas story. We see the scene of Joseph and
Mary at the inn, the manger where the Babe was
born, and we could never forget about the shep-
herds who came to witness the event. I personally
love to hear the music and songs that are so inspir-
ing at any time, but especially at this time of the year.
You know, songs like “Joy to the World,” “Peace on
Earth” and my favorite, “Silent Night.” It seems these
songs bring out the best in us. We are reminded
of love, caring, sharing and, most assuredly, hope!
These pull us into the real theme of the season. It is
about a Babe being conceived by the Holy Spirit and
born of the Virgin Mary. It is about the only begot-
ten Son of God. He is described clearly in Isaiah 9:6:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
