SIMPLE Christmas---HOPE

For our Christmas sermon series at church, they are discussing how we need to simplify Christmas. It is not about gifts, money, presents, gatherings, shopping, and all the hustle and bustle. It is about so much more and we tend to forget that this time of year. Brother David said we need to stay focused on the basic elements: Hope, Joy and Peace. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and it is most people's favorite holiday. It has a very unique quality about it that is beyond most holidays........there are some things that we only do during Christmas time--fruit cake, egg nog and mistle toe are a few. But Christmas is most unique in its message that resonates with God's message for our problems. We are not perfect people and we have some flaws and imperfections, everyone does---we are human. BUT God is perfect, He is hope, and He will save us. God's plan was to come to this earth as the Son and be born of a virgin and be born of human flesh and then to go to the cross, die a brutal death shedding his blood for the sins of the world and then rise 3 days later. What a great sacrifice! Jesus is the only hope for us and we need to put it all in what He did for us........give it all to God and be born again. Although we are imperfect, we will live and grow to be more christian. Christmas shows us the ultimate promise of hope...... Romans 15 says "May the God of hope, fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". God will see us through difficult times but we are not to operate in our power, BUT in His power and His strength. His unfailing love will be with us, put your HOPE in God! He has promised to supply strength and what we need to get through difficult times.



Please remember that although this season it may be hard to "spend money" on buying gifts, remember that God already has given us the greatest gift of all!!! Enjoy this season and remember the reason for the season and don't forget what CHRISTMAS is truly about! Love to all!







Go to http://www.longhollow.com/ to listen to this sermon and many others from series past.