12-25-15 Peace and Good Will

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:8-14 KJV

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As lowly shepherds watched their flocks by night

The angel of the Lord shown suddenly,

And glory shined about the shepherds bright,

And they were so afraid from all that they did see.

“Fear not,” the angel said to calm their fright,

“Good tidings do I bring, great joy to all!

The Savior Christ the Lord was born tonight!

He’s swaddled in a manger plain and small.”

Then there appeared a multitude forthright,

A host from heaven praising God to say

“To God’s the glory, all to Him outright,

And peace on earth, good will toward men to stay!”

Those shepherds were the first to hear the news.

Such humble men in spirit Christ pursues.

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REMEMBER: God took on a human body to bring peace and good will to the world through His inevitable sacrifice.

1-22-15 To the Elders

The elders of the church have thus been tasked

To shepherd well the members of their church,

To volunteer their time and not be asked,

To be assessible without a search.

This is not any job from nine to five;

Responsibilities are round the clock,

To act not with constraint but always strive

To help all with their needs without a squawk.

The love of Christ is present in you all,

Regardless of your status in the fold.

Not one of you are too high not to fall;

Not one of you are too set to remold.

To oversee the flock you have to be

A servant to them all and happily.

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Feed the flock of God which is among you,

taking the oversight thereof,

not by constraint, but willingly;

not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind

1 Peter 5:2 KJV

12-25-14 In the Midst

He slipped into the world so quietly

That only shepherds in their fields were told,

And just a handful knew who He would be:

The one Messiah prophets had foretold.

Oh, how the earth itself did want to shout,

“The Savior’s here! Just look! He’s in our midst!”

The animals and plants could have cried out,

“The Lord of Lords is born! He does exist!”

Creation, though it strained to cheer with joy,

Was held in an abeyance purposely,

For evil men would then try to destroy

As Herod did when wise men sought to see.

O earth, be quiet, do not shout and tell.

O universe, that time will come as well.

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Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:

for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Isaiah 12:6 KJV