By Peggie Potter
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Today (12/12/24) at work while in the ladies room I heard the usual
"Last boarding call for Flight # ! Once the door closes , you will
not be able to board !"

We who belong to Jesus Christ are also traveling. We travel in our life's 
journey with Him. when we accept Him as our Lord & Savior, we receive 
our boarding pass: His Precious Blood as redemption from our sins & His
seal upon us as His children ! When He washes us clean, we pass through
His security checkpoint ! When we read His Word, The Bible, as on the plane
as the flight attendants go through the safety & security procedures, His 
Word is there to teach, disciple, give us Holy Spirit's Wisdom, & ensure
we safely reach our final destination : our eternal home in Our Father's
House with Him !

 We have only one lifetime to seek after Him & allow Him to make us all
we need to be for Him to bring glory to His Name in our persons. But
unlike the airlines, we do not know our time of departure ! That is why
His Word says "today is the day of salvation , Romans 13:11 " So don't
wait ! You don't want to miss your flight !

 2 Corinthians 6:2 For He says, "In the time of my favor I heard you & 
in the day of salvation I helped you " I tell you, now is the time of 
salvation.

by Rebecca Vickery
       Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God. For I will yet
praise Him. My savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 isn’t exactly a verse we think of when we’re reflecting
on the season of Advent. Yet, it is more appropriate than I want it to be right now. 2024 has been a
challenging year in so many ways that as we approach Christmas, less than two weeks away, I am not
sure I have ever felt less merry. Instead, I feel weary. Exhausted. Worn out. “Bah Humbug, and that’s
too strong, for it is my favorite holiday. But all this year’s been a busy blur, don’t think I have the
energy.” Christmas Wrapping, The Waitresses
        I love Christmas music, and yet I have struggled to even want to hear it. A physical assessment tells me
my chest is all tight around my heart, as if desperately to keep it all together. I take some breaths, with
deep exhales. I thank the Lord for physical therapy and the ability to check in with my body. Physical
anxiousness has been a residual effect of long term symptomatic chronic health issues. And so I return
to the Lord.
       “Lord, I am anxious. Why am I so anxious? Why is my chest so tight and my muscles perpetually
activated? Why is my heart troubled? I mean, yes, there is a lot going on, but Lord, I do so trust you.
Help me put my troubles in your hands so that I can let go and not fixate on the outcomes and the
details. Thank you for the way that you are working in the hidden places. Thank you for tolerating my
frenetic returns. Thank you that you allow me to approach you boldly. That I can enter into your
presence at a moments notice and know that you are the God who hears me.”
         Christmas has felt so remote. So not right now. Yet it approaches. And I want to make it a merry time
for the children, but I am not merry. Even still, after I go to God, sometimes every hour, sometimes
every few minutes, sometimes just on a moment-by-moment basis, I am revived. I am renewed. Even if
only for a few minutes or moments. I am restored. It reminds me of why I have every reason to be
thankful, if not merry.
         Emmanuel. God with us. Because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that
whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. That life doesn’t start after we die, it’s starts when we
believe. Jesus was the first Christmas gift. It was a gift to a world that did not recognize him. BUT to all
who recognized Him, to all who received Him, He gave the right to be called children of God. Coheirs
with Christ. My inheritance. That inheritance again, starts once we believe. We inherit the right to
approach His throne. Again. And again. And again.
        The world was made through him, and they still don’t recognize him. We might be praying for people
who are super close to us to have eyes to recognize. Behold, the evidence. But for many of us who do
believe, we believe because we have experienced God with us. We believe because we STILL experience
God with us. The gift of the Holy Spirit ministers to our hearts. The goodness of God meets us in dark
places. The mercy of God meets us in impossible spaces. The grace of God meets us in desperation.
We are not undone even when we are hard pressed on all sides.
        O God, you are indescribable, but I know your works. I know the places that you have met me where no
one else could follow but you alone. I cannot use academic proofs to reveal you to those who, it seems,
would rather not believe. I cannot use archaeological findings to share of your great deeds. There is a
counter to every piece of evidence that I might mete out. For every reason to believe, there stands 
many more not to. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved, it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
        I will be counted a fool by any who contend that my belief is foolish. I believe that Jesus came. That He
was born of a virgin. That He was God with us. That he lived a righteous life and died a sinner’s death.
He died for the sins of all who would believe in him. And I believe that God raised Him from the dead
again, conquering death and making a way for us to live with him eternally from the moment we first
believe. I have pondered and pondered this. I have searched, and researched. But more than that, I
have known Him. I have experienced his love. I have experienced his faithfulness. Time and time again,
he has proved himself, even when I did not need such proof. He is that which you surrender all else to
follow. I would rather be a fool for Him than be counted the wisest of the wise by wordly men who
believe that we came into existence by nothing, and will eventually go back into nothing.
        The gift of faith is free, but it is not cheap. It costs. Sometimes it costs everything. But it is truly worth
everything. There is nothing that will ever be worth more. So regardless of how my mood aligns with
the holiday, Christmas is worth putting on the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. “Rejoice,
rejoice, our God is here with us. Emmanuel, our God is still with us.” Joyful Joyful, Rend Collective.
Even if I have to mix in my “hard fought, heartfelt, it is well, Hallelujah,” (Brandon Lake) I will praise the
Lord. I will rejoice that even in the strife, I have a God who is here with me. I am deeply loved by a
Savior who will never leave me nor forsake me, who will be with me always, even until the very end of
the age. And that is worth celebrating. Merry Christmas, Daybreak Church.

By Joyce Pelletier
 
     Philippians 4:8-9 ‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me – put into practice and the God of peace will be with you.’
 
     I love these words. So many times when things get a little sticky or challenging or relationships go sour, I strive to find something I know to be special and lovely. When I read these words, God helps me turn around my fears and concerns. 
 
     Philippians 4:4-7 reminds me to – ‘Rejoice in the Lord Always, again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.’
For those times when in the middle of a difficult situation where God seems to have moved away, we start to worry or fret thinking he doesn’t care. Nothing can be further from the truth.
 
     In the middle of our fears we get caught up in believing wrongly.  Lets look at the words in the first reading.
Whatever is…
True – No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The truth of the cross has been the most powerful promise freely offered to us.  Jesus, didn’t fake it. He experienced all things that we experience. His pain goes beyond our own. Yet, He bears our pain as well.

Noble – God is the highest priest, right had of the Father one. You can’t get higher than that. His royalty is that of mercy and grace.

Right – trusting in him is the only way to hang onto when you start shaking in your boots and things look hopeless. When the temptation is nagging at your discouraged thoughts, to not trust or believe, this is a lie from the evil one.

Pure – purity is who God is. Whatever He does or allows is perfection. Sometimes it’s hard to hang on to because those whom we love and desire to join us on our faith journey, are running from that truth. We long for them to be with us. God knows our hearts.
Looking out of my window as I write this and seeing the pure blue sky, shows me that God sees and knows all things clearly. Keep praying for your loved ones. God hears us. He loves them more than we ever could. Why wouldn’t He want us to be joined together in our Faith in Him. Don’t give up. He knows the waiting is quite difficult for us. He waited in the Garden all night until they came to arrest Him.

Lovely – There is something so amazing while looking at a deep blue sky after a week of clouds, rain and snow showers. It’s like going through the Holland Tunnel in NYC, you drive for a long spell and wonder if we will ever get on the other side and suddenly the light at the end is there before us and it’s crystal clear and you start to breathe again. I really don’t like tunnels. They are a big challenge for me. I went through the Holland on a bus with a friend. She knew how fearful I was and kept the conversation between us so attention grabbing, that the time flew by. I got through that tunnel with the help of a friend.

Admirable – there is nothing more admirable than God. Trusting in His plan and will lifting up praise for the best answers possible. Our all-knowing God is smiling as He knows when the hour comes and when our loved one steps across the bridge to accepting Him as Lord. It’s a day we long for. It is something pretty amazing to experience a loved one become a ‘Child of God!’ In our concerns, He longs more for that moment when they take that first step. I remember when it happened to me.

Excellent or praiseworthy – In the middle of challenge, difficulty and confusion, God is always with us. If it doesn’t come out the way we think, He definitely has a better plan and that is excellent and praiseworthy!

     Thinking in this manner is our way to move forward instead of being stuck in the quicksand you are in and just can’t seem to take that leap of faith for your loved ones to walk with you. My go to verse for this is from Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”   
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     I have many loved ones that I pray for and am concerned about for their eternity.  God always reminds me to ‘Trust’ Him for the outcome and continue to lift them up. He has good reason to allow them to stay behind. The right moment will come. I was reminded at my Physical Therapy this morning, "Find your focus and keep your heart where it belongs, then you can stay tuned into the action of your exercise and it will do the work that it's supposed to do. If Jesus is my focus, I can do anything through Him who strengthens me."
 
Lord Jesus, I pray for those who need to experience your grace and love. I’m grateful that you point their needs out to us.  Show us how we are to be there for each other. Father, you have given us life. Help us to see the beauty and loveliness in all people. Holy Spirit guide our hearts with your holy wisdom and to stay focused on how we can serve one another. In Your Name, Amen!