Put Him First On Your Invite List

Scriptures: Matthew 2:9-10 (NIV) – “they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

Luke 2:20 (NIV) – “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Message: Last year was our year for attending weddings. Cyndi and I attended five, all out of State.  Two of the weddings were interracial/ intercultural; both were very Christ centered.  The only non-niece/nephew wedding, was for a neighbor’s friend’s daughter.  She married a young man whose family was from India.  A highlight of the reception was a beautiful dance performed for the newlyweds by the Indian women dressed in their colorful saris.

Although we were there to celebrate this couple’s wedding, it was Christ’s spirit that allowed us to embrace and appreciate the differences between the cultures.  We live in a divided world brought on by Satan.  Praise to God we have a Savior that unites us with joy and love, no matter our differences in culture or race.

From that moment in the stable, Christ brought together those with extreme differences in backgrounds and social status.  Shepherds from the fields and wealthy men from distant kingdoms came together as one to celebrate His birth and His impact on the future of mankind.

In the eyes of Christ, we are not defined by our differences, but by our capacity to love and be loved.  He unites us in our shared quest for spiritual fulfillment, reminding us that we are all children of the same divine Creator bound together by faith and devotion.

We are on Christ’s invitation list, and we need to make sure He is on ours!

Prayer: Dear God, help remind us of the gift of hope given to us by the birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ, given to bring us together to satisfy our longing for peace and unity.  Remind us to welcome all in Your name, as, irrespective of country of birth and culture, we are all God’s children.  Amen.

Rick Johnson

Revised: February 03, 2025

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