It's Christ's Church

Your Christmas present from One Minute Devotional - Devotionals from Faith United Methodist Church and friends for Advent

It’s Christ’s Church

Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body’s life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.
At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant – this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world. Colossian 1:15-23 Good News Bible

It has been over 2000 years since God’s Holy Son was born into this world. God sent Jesus to be the head of His church; it is the sharing of the gospel through words and actions that allows a person to let Jesus transform his or her life. Insight into the Gospel gives each one of us a choice to follow Jesus and to commit our lives to His will so that we may also be converted like Paul. It is the purpose of this Advent Devotional Book to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our local outreach ministry at Faith United Methodist Church so that others in our community will have opportunities to choose Jesus.

Many heartfelt thanks go to everyone who supported the creation, publication, and distribution of this Advent Devotional Book. It took time and effort for each of our writers to share their faith stories; it was an inspired labor of love for them. Without the generous donations from the Faith UMC congregation, we could not have printed enough books to share throughout the community; this group of faithful Christians knows the power of sharing the Gospel. Our pastor, Rev. Amelia Sims, not only provided us with her gifted writings, but also provided her guidance and feedback at every step of the book’s development. Jamie Hagy, our secretary, coordinated the emails among us and helped us resolve challenges that arose. Joe Hobby, our relational ministry facilitator, distributed these books and Jim McKee, our finance chairman, assisted with the collection and distribution of funds. A special thank you goes to Jane Cobb for the visuals and the overall presentation of the book; including the cover, the table of contents, the children’s art, and all of the graphic designs. Her creativity and technical skills enhanced this book to a professional level.

Above all, we give thanks to our Lord and Savior. Without Jesus, we would not have Christmas and the assurance of eternal life with God. We give Him all the glory and praise!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Christ’s church to spread the Gospel to all who will listen. We strive to be your faithful servants working together to help others know Jesus. We pray that this Advent Devotional Book will be read by many people, especially by those who desire to know You. We ask this in Your precious Son’s name, Amen.

Judi Horn