Hello All,
Today was family food shopping day at the good ol' Mercadona. It happens every year, even here, but there comes a day when you are walking around and you hear it for the first time of the season: The First Christmas Carol! So there I was, getting the milk for the weekend, and my ears picked up the melody. It was Kenny G's version of "White Christmas!" And then, it was nothing but Christmas music for the rest of the shopping excursion. This is not my favorite time of the year, just for this reason.
But then my mind turned to a quote I was working on last week. "I never get what I want, so I want what I get, so that when I get what I get, I get what I want!" Ah, what pseudo, quasi, sarcastic depth. Frightening myself with my own shallowness, I turned to a great source of depth from a man, whose teaching I have long admired.
Alistair Begg is a fantastic teacher whose ministry offers a podcast on iTunes which I subscribe to. His podcast that I was listening to today was centered on the issue of service in the body of Christ. He made the point of saying that service is the greatest thing in the Church, because Jesus continues to serve His body through those that believe. Here is the quote:
"He, namely Jesus, gave His life for me, that He in turn might take my life from me, that He may then live His life through me." Alistair Begg, "A Call To Service, part A"
That is the depth of this season, as we begin to celebrate not a white Christmas (especially in Jerez, where snow has never happened!), but the coming of the Savior of the World, whose loving service extends even to this day when His people allow His Spirit to have authority over every area of life.
This season, I want to be less cynical about the commercialization of Christ and the frenzy that accompanies the celebration of His birth. I want to give my life as a gift to Him, so that He in turn can give His life to someone, anyone that would encounter Him through me.
Blessings To The Friends Of Spain,
Frank Sanchez
Today was family food shopping day at the good ol' Mercadona. It happens every year, even here, but there comes a day when you are walking around and you hear it for the first time of the season: The First Christmas Carol! So there I was, getting the milk for the weekend, and my ears picked up the melody. It was Kenny G's version of "White Christmas!" And then, it was nothing but Christmas music for the rest of the shopping excursion. This is not my favorite time of the year, just for this reason.
But then my mind turned to a quote I was working on last week. "I never get what I want, so I want what I get, so that when I get what I get, I get what I want!" Ah, what pseudo, quasi, sarcastic depth. Frightening myself with my own shallowness, I turned to a great source of depth from a man, whose teaching I have long admired.
Alistair Begg is a fantastic teacher whose ministry offers a podcast on iTunes which I subscribe to. His podcast that I was listening to today was centered on the issue of service in the body of Christ. He made the point of saying that service is the greatest thing in the Church, because Jesus continues to serve His body through those that believe. Here is the quote:
"He, namely Jesus, gave His life for me, that He in turn might take my life from me, that He may then live His life through me." Alistair Begg, "A Call To Service, part A"
That is the depth of this season, as we begin to celebrate not a white Christmas (especially in Jerez, where snow has never happened!), but the coming of the Savior of the World, whose loving service extends even to this day when His people allow His Spirit to have authority over every area of life.
This season, I want to be less cynical about the commercialization of Christ and the frenzy that accompanies the celebration of His birth. I want to give my life as a gift to Him, so that He in turn can give His life to someone, anyone that would encounter Him through me.
Blessings To The Friends Of Spain,
Frank Sanchez
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