Closed!

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of His feet and   worshiped Him. Matthew 28:9

The first worship service of our Lord is recorded in      Matthew 28:9. Ever since that first Resurrection Sunday, believers for two millenniums have worshiped the risen Savior every Sunday. Did you know that the first country to see the new day is in the Pacific Ocean, and the  country’s name is Kiribati? It is 17 hours ahead of us,  and they worshiped our Lord on Sunday. As this Sunday began, Christians gathered to celebrate the risen Savior all over the world. Christians continue to gather on  Sundays to do precisely what the first Christians did    back in the First Century, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to   the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers ( Acts 2:42).”

You might be thinking, what does this have to do with Christmas? This year Christmas will fall on a Sunday. Some churches, even local evangelical churches, will not gather to worship but have told their families to     celibrate Christmas at home. Even if churches are open, many who claim to be Christians will stay home so they can enjoy Christmas morning with their families. Please understand me. I am no scrooge, but Christmas will not get in my way of worshiping with other believers.  Celebrate Christmas as you feel led but don’t forget that the celebration of the birth of the Savior is a reminder that He was born to die by the hands of sinful men, born to take on Himself the wrath of God against our sin, and to reconcile sinners to God.

I recently learned of a believer from North Korea who came to saving faith through a Chinese pastor. This      individual met Pastor Han on the China side of the border. God used Pastor Han to convert the man and gave him a Korean Bible. In North Korea, to become a Christian is to become a criminal.

The consequences of  a believer being found out are, at a minimum you and every member of your family is placed in  a concentration camp. Eventually, Pastor Han, who was reported to have converted over a thousand North Koreans, was assassinated by a North Korean hit squad. Suppose that this North Korean man could escape and flee to the   Richmond area. He is so excited to be able to worship His Savior with other believers, so he shows up on Christmas morning to worship at a church with three services every Sunday morning. However, to his dismay, a Christian Church has a sign that reads, “Merry Christmas. We are closed today so our pastors can celebrate Christmas with their families”.

Next Sunday, December 25th, we will gather as a body of believers to celebrate the birth of our Savior and His      Resurrection. At Grace Harvest, we will gather as a body of believers every Sunday to worship Jesus, just as Mary  worshiped Him on that first Resurrection Sunday.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark