Building One Another
INVITE Vol 8 No 48
December 22, 2009
Dear Friend,
I love the music of Christmas! It is so deeply invitational.
It draws us into deepest longings for people and places we have loved and do love and expect to love. It invites us to re-awaken our longings to love the Lord who loves us.
“Come to Bethlehem and see, him whose birth the angels sing, Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord the newborn king!” [Angels We Have Heard On High]
Now one of the great thoughts of the season of Advent is that there is a sense in which you and I are personally a Bethlehem.
“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Matthew 2:6*
You may feel insignificant or not even think particularly much of yourself. Yet our God who chose a very small town in which to give us his greatest gift is very willing and able to do something wonderful in the smallness that is you.
Allow the music of Christmas to awaken God’s invitation to you to “Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing” and to inspire your own invitation back to our living Lord Jesus to enter and indwell in you.
“O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today.” [O Little Town of Bethlehem]
With joy - E. Stanley Ott
Copyright 2009 E. Stanley Ott
*Scripture from the NIV