Do you honor Jesus? If yes, how do you honor him? Today we are celebrating the twelfth day of Christmas. Epiphany means ‘to make known’, ‘to show’, or ‘to reveal’. The kings revealed Jesus as the Lord and King to the world. But they also showed us how to approach him. Let’s see what we can learn from the wise men.After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from…
What is God whispering to you this new year? Has he given you a word, a phrase, a verse? Would you, please, share with us what God is doing in your life? The word God has given me is DEVOTION. I feel called to devote my heart and mind to God. Not just theoretically but enthusiastically. We have an awesome God but too often we don’t really spend time in his presence. We have an almighty God but too often…
Winter is not my favorite season. But I’ve learned to appreciate it and to see it as a necessary part of life. Waiting is not my favorite thing, either. But I’ve learned to appreciate it and to see it as a necessary part of the renewal process. Nonetheless, the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you, and will rise up to show you compassion. The LORD is a God of justice; happy are all who wait for him. (Isaiah…
Our family celebrated the birth of Christ in Lapland this year. We boarded an overnight train in rain. And the following morning we arrived to the Arctic Circle and it was all white! Snow everywhere! After a dark and rainy fall snow felt like grace! I was reminded of “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18, CEB). Right then and there I was wrapped in grace. The love of Christ controls us, because we…
Happy New Year, dear fellow pilgrim! Let’s start 2012 by listening what God has to say to us: Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you. I am the LORD your God, the holy one of Israel,…
Are you afraid of the future? Do the predictions of the end of the world make you squirm? Have you lost your way? Don’t worry, finding the safe way to the future is easier than you think. “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place…
All these self-help articles of how to prepare for 2012 have left me empty. No matter how much planning I’d do for the new year, it does not solve the problems. If I have not ended this year well, the new year will be same old, same old. So the best preparation for the future is to deal with the past. When we have a clean slate we are ready to move on. But how can we get past the…
Some people wish that God were like Santa. He’d give us what we want. But the problem is: we don’t know what is best for us. Some people do think God is like Santa. And when they don’t get what they want, they throw God over board. But God is not like Santa. Or, like Harry Emerson Fosdick has stated, “God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things”. But if you think…
The best thing of Christmas is as true today as it was on the birthday of Jesus: Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Because of Jesus we have hope, we have grace, we have joy. The free gift of Christ keeps giving. Grace will never be old-fashioned or out of touch. We can’t do anything that gets us out of reach of grace. We just need to remember to turn back to God. We need to reclaim grace…
The second day of Christmas is a national holiday in Finland and many other European countries. This day is a great day to reflect what Christmas means in our everyday life. Does Christmas have a stable influence in our lives? It was great to celebrate baby Jesus and welcome him to the world. But what does it mean to us that Jesus was born 2000 years ago? It is time to put Christmas into practice! It is time to put…
