Jesus came into this world to be the Messiah—your Messiah & your Savior. He wants to fill your life with power by filling you with the Holy Spirit. He wants to make you pure by burning away all the chaff, all the impurities, all the things that hold you back. And He wants to give you a path to follow—a path that leads to eternal life.

The star led the wise men to Jesus. It was there for anyone to see, but only these men had the spiritual acuity to follow. If you are willing to let God lead you through the day-to-day events of your life, He will do it. The road may not always be easy, but He will lead you if you're willing to follow.

At some time or another, we'll all be called out of our comfort zone. When we're forced outside the comfort zone we expand our boundaries & we learn to see the world through God's perspective. When we leave our comfort zone, we also experience God's protection & we learn to depend on him. Time spent outside our comfort zone gives God the opportunity to shape our character & make us what He wants us to be.

What sinners need, Jesus came to provide. When God gave his only Son to hang on a tree like a common criminal, he gave the very best he had. God has more grace in his heart than you have sin in your life.

There are 3 gospel truths in Simeon's prophecy about Jesus. These truths remind us of why Christmas is such a meaningful time of the year—because God sent His servant, His Chosen One, His only begotten Son, to enter into human history, to die on the cross for our sins, so that whosoever believes in Him should never perish, but have everlasting life. That's the gospel according to Christmas in a single sentence.

G.K. Chesterton once said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried & found wanting; it has been found difficult & left untried." This is true for many people. They have heard the story again & again, but they've never gone to the inn to meet the Savior personally.

By faith we tap into the power of God. By faithfulness we tap into the power of faith. God called Mary to a life of faith; she demonstrated her faith in her faithfulness.

Run the race no matter what the result in life; their is always our heavenward goal ahead!

Speak ... Act ... and Forgive!

Ted Thamert funeral at First Lutheran Church, Texarkana, TX