Christmas Greetings

 

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel. 

Barricades on minds

In some of our Christians have barricades on their minds. They  are status and prestige barricades:
 

Some educated Christians don’t mingle with the uneducated.
 

Some rich Christians don’t like to mingle with poor Christians.
 

These Christians want to mingle with their same cadre persons.  They only hang out with them, play with them, and wish their same  status friends in Church go away, but they never wish the
Christians who are poor in financial status.

Any Christian, who has poor financial status or uneducated, sits  by them, they feel ashamed and glare at him until he vacates the seat.
 

These Christians can’t enter heaven if they have the barricades on their minds. It is possible to them only when they change their minds and break the barriers. Yes, it’s true.
 

Jesus always loves the poor, the oppressed, and sinners. While he was preaching the good news(gospel), he mingled with  them, dinned with them, and blessed them. When Jesus associated with sinners and tax collectors, Pharisees said ‘Jesus is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
 

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners”.’ - Lk. 7:34.
 

Though Pharisees said so, Jesus never stopped associating with the people.
 

I remind you another example. When Jesus was sitting by the Jacob’s well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water.
 

Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him,“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for
a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) [Or do notuse dishes Samaritans have used]
 

Jesus wants to associate with every human being. It doesn’t matter whoever and whatever he or she is. He loves everybody. In his sight, everyone is equal. That is his love. Without having such love, nobody can enter heaven. Jesus said it. Not me.
 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth,
unless you change and become like little children, you will never  enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven - Mt.
18:1-4.
 

Look at children. They associate with everybody. They come to us or play around us, because they have no barricades on their  minds. They like everybody around them. Jesus loves everybody
more than Children do.

If anybody looks down on others, Jesus doesn’t like them. That’s why the said the above words (Mt. 18:1-4.) If you have the barricades on your brain, break them and love every as Jesus does. Then Jesus will be pleased in you.