From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke “Incarnation” “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” - Isaiah 9:6-7 The Incarnation is the central theological theme of Christmas. Incarnation means something like “embodiment” or “to take on flesh”. It claims that God became flesh in Jesus. Within the Incarnation, we find valuable questions like: Why did God come to us in Jesus? What was the purpose of the Incarnation? How are we meant to respond to the Incarnation today? These questions are meaningful when we begin to get to the real reason for the season as people of faith. This entire Advent season we will be talking and learning about the Incarnation. We will be doing this by looking at the different titles given to Jesus by the Gospel writers. At a time when we are all experiencing such extreme polarization in our country and our world, this has the unique potential to unite us around Jesus Christ. No one could have ever imagined the change ushered in by a baby in rural Bethlehem of an unwed teenage girl in a manger teeming with farm animals. God’s way of changing the world is unique indeed. The Incarnation is God’s gift to us- a miracle and a blessing. I invite you to each gather again as we journey toward the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In doing so, I believe, we will be changed and unified. This is my hope and my prayer for us all. Keep the Faith strong, Zeke Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
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