Final resting places in Haiti's mass graves are anonymous. Earthquake victims were often hurled into trucks that later dumped them into huge holes in the earth. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
A Haitian woman prays for deliverance and strength at the entrance gate as thousands gathered at the national cathedral to attend a memorial service in Port-au-Prince on the anniversary of Haiti's worst national disaster. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
A woman prays in the rubble of the national cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
Father Rick Frechette, right, blesses two cholera victims during an outdoor candlelight Mass in in Titanyen, Haiti. The group of clergy, missionary workers and hospital staff from St. Damien Hospital and other associated programs gathered at a mass grave on the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
Evane Alebre, left, and Montessema Celestin, a husband and wife who lost their home in the earthquake, sit in their makeshift tent attached to an abandoned airplane at La Piste camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
Evane Alebre, left, and Montessema Celestin, a husband and wife who lost their home in the earthquake, sit in their makeshift tent attached to an abandoned airplane at La Piste camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
Haitians bathe and wash clothes in a stream Jan. 8, 2011, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Is this the Cross of Christmas?
When Jesus talked to his followers about their purpose in this life, He contrasted their lives with different parables that addressed their spiritual condition, whether cold, lukewarm, or hot. He would also gauge their attachment to their material resources by what measure they counted the cost of following Him. Some of us are really blessed with gifts and abilities that could be utilized in ministering in Haiti. Others of us have been blessed with material goods that when measured by the worlds standards, are the "RICH" that Jesus said have no excuse for not helping those in need. The Cross of Christmas is no more than the gospel of Christ and is the measure by which we give back to Him who gave His all for you and me. The Christmas Cross is all encompassing in that it signifies everything we need to inherit eternal life. Christmas Eve brought forth the Savior, who would save men from their sins; Christmas Day gave us the child called Immanuel, which means, "God is with us"; and lastly, the Cross of Christmas gave us the resurrected Christ who died for everyone willing to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and be willing to believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Why did Jesus willingly give up His life for ours? So that we could be saved from our sins. "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10: 10)
What is your spiritual temperature this Christmas? How much have you accumulated to make your life comfortable? Do the photos tell you anything that God would want you to change in your life this Christmas Season? Maybe they signify that you have gained much and given up very little. Have you assisted those who have no place to call home? Do you visit those in prison? Or perhaps you are like the rich ruler who came to Jesus one day and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him about 5 commandments that he knew and whether he had kept them. The ruler said he had kept them all since he was a boy. Jesus replied that he still lacked on thing. Do you remember what He said? "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth and to give away everything would cost him greatly!
In closing, remember that we did not choose to be born into this affluent society. God placed us here. So, should not this affect how we give back to those who were not? This is the Cross of Christmas. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6: 38) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3: 16-17) Thank you God for your Son, Jesus, the Cross of Christmas.
A patient of the Haitian government's Mars and Kline psychiatric hospital is detained in its locked courtyard in downtown Port-au-Prince in February. The hospital was founded in 1958, which might be when its wards received their last coat of paint, and was in a desperate situation even before the Jan. 12 earthquake. Louis Marc Jeanny Girard, a psychiatrist who has served as the hospital's medical director for 10 years, said Haiti has never treated mental illness with much care. Often, he said, people suffering psychoses were dismissed as being in the grip of the "mystical." Is this the Cross of Christmas?
When Jesus talked to his followers about their purpose in this life, He contrasted their lives with different parables that addressed their spiritual condition, whether cold, lukewarm, or hot. He would also gauge their attachment to their material resources by what measure they counted the cost of following Him. Some of us are really blessed with gifts and abilities that could be utilized in ministering in Haiti. Others of us have been blessed with material goods that when measured by the worlds standards, are the "RICH" that Jesus said have no excuse for not helping those in need. The Cross of Christmas is no more than the gospel of Christ and is the measure by which we give back to Him who gave His all for you and me. The Christmas Cross is all encompassing in that it signifies everything we need to inherit eternal life. Christmas Eve brought forth the Savior, who would save men from their sins; Christmas Day gave us the child called Immanuel, which means, "God is with us"; and lastly, the Cross of Christmas gave us the resurrected Christ who died for everyone willing to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and be willing to believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Why did Jesus willingly give up His life for ours? So that we could be saved from our sins. "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10: 10)
What is your spiritual temperature this Christmas? How much have you accumulated to make your life comfortable? Do the photos tell you anything that God would want you to change in your life this Christmas Season? Maybe they signify that you have gained much and given up very little. Have you assisted those who have no place to call home? Do you visit those in prison? Or perhaps you are like the rich ruler who came to Jesus one day and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him about 5 commandments that he knew and whether he had kept them. The ruler said he had kept them all since he was a boy. Jesus replied that he still lacked on thing. Do you remember what He said? "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth and to give away everything would cost him greatly!
In closing, remember that we did not choose to be born into this affluent society. God placed us here. So, should not this affect how we give back to those who were not? This is the Cross of Christmas. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6: 38) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3: 16-17) Thank you God for your Son, Jesus, the Cross of Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment