Christmas Eve Sermon: Bearing witness to history

"In the evening we gather together, not as enemies, but as friends and family. This is not a night for tyranny or hatred. But a time of great rejoicing. Hug one another just as Jesus gave us a hug telling us that he would arrive." - Unknown

"And there were in the same country, shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were so afraid. And the angel of the Lord said to them: Fear not, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and say, Glory to God in the Highest! And on Earth! PEACE, GOODWILL TOWARDS ALL!" - Luke 2

Good Evening,

Tonight is a day of great rejoicing, smiling, happiness, and beyond. Today is not a day to be tearful, fearful, or anything of the such. Luke 2 reminds us not to be afraid this Christmas at all and as we shouldn't be.

Tonight, we will be witnesses to history and the destiny that was written by the power of the bible with teachings of the prophets. Our own history and destiny are written when we do stuff with our families, smile, and take in life. Life is a very powerful thing we take for granted and we don't stop to think how we got here.

Christmas is a time of great joy and birth. It's also a time for renewal.

Renewal means fixing things. Like for instance, fixing our friendships and mending them because we did something terribly wrong. Renewal means, patching things up with significant others. Renewal means taking in family and their importance in our lives.

Tonight, we listen to legendary and wonderful stories of the Messiah who will join us as a baby sent to save the world and not condemn it. Jesus is a living and walking legend and human among us to save the human race for Satanic power, tyranny, and sin.

We are not perfect in any sort of way. I account myself for those people as well as I have done wrong in my life. I made some really big mistakes and also had to face down some of the biggest troubles of my humanity. But I can give a lot of love to the fact that I made some really big changes and took in some new things that happened to me in 2015. God gave me a wonderful wife named Joanna, gave me a home, food to eat, family to laugh with, and beyond.

Christmas is just like Thanksgiving. We are giving thanks for everything that happened this year. At Church, we become the witnesses to history. We see the Glory of the Lord in the highest heaven above. We take a look at how Jesus shaped the landscape for the world and how he wanted it to be.

But this year and for the last 60 years, we can honestly say that Christians are constantly fighting a losing battle.

Recently, in the South, there were damaging storms that caused nearly $840,000,000 in damages, destroying 1850 homes, killing 12 (including 4 children), and injuring nearly 405. 98 Tornadoes dropped yesterday and the Freedom From Religion Foundation called it a "Punishment."

The activist stated: "This is a punishment for praising a non-existent human being."

How cold-hearted could this group get? How much more cold-hearted can we see this group get? It's a total calamity and very wrong. 

Many nativity scenes were removed thanks to these individuals. Christmas has no meaning it seems anymore thanks to the political correctness needed along with respect we should give to other religions.

Christians seem to be the most tolerant of all the religions. Christianity is falling apart at the hands of the power of the 1st amendment which is wrongly interpreted by Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) as "Freedom From Religion" and not "Freedom of Religion." FFRF continues to use the endorsement of Jefferson's "Separation of Church and State" as a way to get the Christian murals of Christ's birth removed.

2015 saw some of the biggest slaps in the face to Christianity:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, after 76 years of having the Christmas Star flying in the night sky was forced to take it down thanks to the American Atheists group and also FFRF whom said it was a clear endorsement of the Christian faith... 76 years of staying up there. The Judge said it was a violation of the constitution but the mayor... in an act of defiance said it would stay up but American Atheists and FFRF said they would hit back even harder. The mayor took it down much to the annoyance of the Christian populace in order to appease the non-believers. The FFRF called it: "A crowning achievement." One Christian called it: "A downright shame that we are forced to take down a symbol of a human who was sent to save the world and not condemn it."

Bethlehem, New York was prepared to put up a mural of the nativity but they stopped themselves short after they were given a warning not to do it. The mayor decided against it. Another victory for atheists... and a slap in the face to Christians.

How damaging was this year: Atheist organizations took home more than $750,000,000 in legal fees, attorney costs, and everything from Christian organizations that they took to court. 3,000 nativity scenes were removed... 1500 murals of Jesus Christ were removed...

Christmas just doesn't seem to have a meaning anymore thanks to need for political correctness.

But you know what... Christmas does have a huge meaning! CHRIST! IT IS CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY AND WE SHOULD CELEBRATE.

I ask all Christians to get up, wish people a Merry Christmas, sing as loud as possible, and tell those atheist organizations to back off.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us be witnesses... let us all be witnesses to history tonight... Go to church, sing songs of heavenly joy, partake of the Lord's supper at his table, and bear witness to his miraculous birth.

JESUS WAS NOT SENT HERE TO CONDEMN THE EARTH, BUT TO SAVE IT! HE'S THE ULTIMATE SUPERHERO!

Advent III: No one should be lonely on Christmas

Good Evening,

Edeka, a supermarket chain in Germany, released a holiday commercial that was extremely heartbreaking in so many ways. The Patriarch of the family seen in this youtube video provided by NEXTAVENUE-PBS: Edeka Holiday Commercial is very lonely for Christmas as his children can't make it because they are busy with their own lives. The father then feigns his death to get his children to come to holiday dinner. The children return home, upset over the death of their beloved father. However, when they enter the home, the house is all decorated for Christmas, and the table is set for dinner... The family is very confused... Then the father just APPEARS out of nowhere and everyone's stunned to see him. Afterwards, the grandchild runs up and hugs her grandfather, and everyone is so happy to see him.

The Christmas is happy and everyone's laughing and having themselves a great time.

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Does the commercial go far as asked by NextAvenue-PBS?

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In my opinion, it does not at all. It shows absolute importance of family. Family is the most important part of the Christmas season. Thanksgiving and Christmas are about family and making time for them.

Being lonely at Christmas is a huge heartbreak for anyone. No one should be lonely.

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Pastor Mark today on his Sunday sermon made some wise remarks about when a person dies, you miss them a lot and no matter how long you yearn for them to come back... they won't... but you still miss them.

Just last year, my now-wife Joanna lost her grandmother Nansy (Audrey Maggio) to cancer. She still misses her every day. Nansy was the matriarch that kept the family together and as the glue, she was the authority figure.

She is still missed today.

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This commercial shows how many families today aren't stressing the importance of staying together this holiday. We are in a go-go-go world which just keeps going.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are days to thank the Lord for the wonderful gifts bestowed upon us. It's really tragic to see how drastic people will go to get their families together this holiday but it is the truth of how lonely and deprivation is just an absolute killer.

Where it is very tough grieving over a loved one. We know that they are there in spirit. God loves all the children of his kingdom and we receive that "ultimate gift" at Christmastime when Jesus, our savior, comes down from the heavens above to save the world. He was not sent here to condemn it.

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At Christmas, the joy and honor of being together is just very enlightening. Just to know that there are families out there willing to sacrifice everything and anything to have their families there. Loneliness at Christmas is a definite gut-wrencher, but making time for family is one of the keys to keeping it together.

So do yourselves a favor on Christmas... Christian folks should get dressed up and head to church and enjoy the lovely service prepared by the priests to their congregation. Then come home, have dinner, laugh, talk, drink, and be merry.

Open up gifts, hug your family members and tell them how much you love them. Laugh at breakfast, smile at each other, and praise God for his blessings at Christmas.

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No one... absolutely no one... should be lonely at Christmas.

Thank you,
Joshua

Sunday Sermon: Advent and Judgment

Hello,

Peace on Earth and goodwill to all...

Yeah about that...

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Peace on Earth has been incredibly hard to achieve with the mass shootings and killings all around the world. The U.S.A. has seen a number of mass shootings this year and before. We've seen some of the deadliest mass shootings during the season of Advent. Just this past week, we had the San Bernardino shooting which killed 14 and injured 21... A few years back, it was the Sandy Hook shooting, which took the lives of 24, most of which were children. December has seen some of the worst mass shootings from people with the darkest hearts.

There has to be a better way to fix Peace on Earth and good will towards all. People are buying up guns to protect themselves. The United States Constitution allows for such a move but more activists are lining up saying that the NRA has to be stopped along with several other pro gun organizations. When it becomes clear that a gun is involved in a mass killing, the NRA is the one who is immediately given the finger point. They are a group that teaches gun safety, education, and care.

Once again, judgment... It's them, not the criminal

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Peach on Earth has been very tough to achieve with the constant war on the holiday. It's gotten to the point where the atheist groups are trying to remove Christmas as a federal holiday.

More nativity scenes have been taken down than any other item during the holiday. You don't hear the news of Menorahs or Stars and Crescents being taken down. FFRF and other atheist organizations leave them alone.

This year, FFRF has managed to wipe out 1,091 Nativity Scenes, stop 548 Christmas Pageants, and 240 Christmas Concerts because they say it sends "a religious message in a public area." Christianity has also seen an amazing drop in church attendance because of these vicious hate groups.

Yet... wait... Menorahs and Muslim items of interest are not being taken down and they are in public areas. Where's the complaints over that... These groups remain silent... they want to attack Christianity and everything that it stands for.

Christians though have managed to win a few battles including a big one in Kentucky where a Christmas Play which had a Christian message that was to go on as scheduled. However, they did not do the play due to undue pressure from many other religions including Satanism and beyond.

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Christmas is a time of joy, celebration, rejoicing... More and more, we are giving into these groups and the judges are taking up for them.

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We need to stop with this judgment of everything... How does everything offend everyone nowadays... Christmas trees are now: "Holiday Trees"... Christmas Pageants are now... Holiday Pageants and Bake Sale.

WHY must we take offense to everything!

We have a constitutional right to the FREEDOM OF RELIGION!!!! A constitutional right to BEAR ARMS!

This is a nation where God is no longer welcome. FFRF is sending out billboards that say: "Sleep in on Sundays", "Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is not to go to Church. I'm too old for Fairy Tales."

It's amazing how far America has fallen off of its wagon. Soon, there will be no more Christmas, you can guarantee it.

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~ Joshua

Advent II: Christianity Strikes Back

Hello,

Advent's first half comes to an end today as 2015's "Road to Christmas" labors on. With many people still shopping for the many great gifts they will buy for their family members. It's just absolutely amazing how we have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and it's just not the same anymore.

For starters, Christmas has seen nearly 750 lawsuits against Nativity Scenes, Plays, Concerts, and Festivals. The Freedom From Religion foundation has seen a 94% success rate over the past 5 years of wiping out Christmas displays. It's really sad when we've gone downhill so fast. We've forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is not about Santa Claus, Reindeer, and Elves. It is about the birth of Jesus Christ and how he came to save the world and not condemn it. It says in the scriptures: "God did NOT send his son to condemn the world."

To continue, Christianity seems to be fighting back and judges are starting to counter the argument against FFRF. Christianity has actually started to win more cases thanks to the American Center for Law and Justice, the Becket Fund, and the Liberty Institute. One judge proclaimed that a Wichita, Kansas High School Nativity Play could go on as scheduled as he stated to the ACLU and FFRF: "Can't we have a little Peace on Earth without you guys trying to wipe it out?" That right there, I hail as quite possibly the BEST closing to the a lawsuit ever. The judge stated that it was about freedom of religion not freedom from religion. Christianity has been extremely and most tolerant of other religions. We do not condemn other religions as worshiping false prophets.

Christianity has lost many battles over the past 30 years but this year with everyone getting offended over everything right now, Christianity is beginning a huge assault on the shroud of the permanent destruction of Christmas and other religious holidays.

Do you see Christians going after Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah... or Muslim Holidays? No.

Why hasn't the ACLU, FFRF, and other non religious organizations gone after Jewish and Muslim holidays. They remain completely silent on the issue. If it's not Christianity, they don't go after it. Honestly, what makes them any different? THEY ARE RELIGIONS. FFRF and ACLU dismiss them as "Cultures."

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In 1999, an anti-Christmas activist in Ohio by the name of Ganulin, brought suit to a court to challenge Christmas as a national holiday, calling it unconstitutional. The courts agreed to hear his case but ultimately, Christmas won thanks to a Dr. Seuss-like poem from Judge Dlott:

The Court with address this seasonal confusion

Erroneously believing Christmas merely a religious institution

Whatever the reason unconstitutional or other

Christmas is not AN ACT OF BIG BROTHER

Christmas is about joy and giving and sharing

It is about the child within us, it is most about caring

One is never jailed for having a tree

For not going to church, for not spreading glee!

The Court will uphold contradictory causes

"826 decreeing the ESTABLISHMENT" and "Santa" both worthwile "Claus(es)"

We are all better for Santa, the Easter Bunny too

and maybe the Great Pumpkin, to name just a few

An extra day off is hardly high treason

It may be spent as you wish, regardless of reason

The Court having read lessons of "Grinch"

REFUSES to play the role of Grinch!

There is room in this country and in all our hearts too

for different convictions and a day off too!

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Looking over the brief filed by Ganulin and also the court's intercession. The court NEARLY said ok, you got your wish! But thanks to quick thinking and an almost unanimous vote (The 2 judges resigning later on due to their beliefs)... Christmas was saved.

Is Christianity beginning to fight back. I believe so. FFRF is not winning as many cases as they were some time ago. Christianity is starting to make it's move for the throat saying: "YOU CAN'T ERASE SOMETHING THAT YOU CLAIM DOES NOT EXIST! THAT'S LIKE ROBBING AN EMPTY SAFE!" Christianity has won 50 cases this year but this a very long and hard road ahead.

Whoever that Judge is who said those words above... We thank you.

And to the judge that told FFRF and ACLU to take a hike... We thank you.

Christianity is one of the most tolerant religions out there. We don't pursue lawsuits when Jewish, Hindu, or Muslims want to do something that would potentially offend us. We merely turn the other cheek and just walk away.

Our first half ends today but the Road to Christmas continues on. Let us REJOICE! For the coming of our king.