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Christmas Is Coming


 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (I Peter 1:3)
 

            Remember your excitement when you were young, in the days leading up to Christmas or your birthday? You just knew you were going to get presents. There may have been some specific presents you had in mind, but you knew. You knew you would get something and that knowledge made you excited. That excitement was a manifestation of hope. To some people, hope involves the specific presents only. Even if you had nothing specific that you wanted, you still anticipated opening those presents. Some of us couldn't even stand the anticipation - that's how snoops are born. (Guilty!)
            Why is it that we there were hints or even promises made: "Maybe Santa will give you that for Christmas," or "Your birthday is coming...." Sometimes, we heard about or remembered Christmases and birthdays past.  History, experience, testimony are all legal  or historical evidence on had such hope for those presents for our birthday or Christmas? Sometimes, there were things wrapped in colorful paper under the tree, with our names on them. Sometimes, which we base our judgments of hope for the future. 
          Throughout history, there have been philosophical and religious leaders who have spoken of what happens when a person dies. Billions of people have placed their hope in the things these leaders have told them, but this hope is the hope of someone who has never gotten a present at Christmas or on a birthday, telling someone else who has never gotten those presents that presents are coming. This is one of the things that makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead so central to Christianity. It is proof that what He promised, He will provide. "Christmas" is coming.

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