From the Heart by B.Demaere

We have some exciting news coming in our family.   My wife and I will have a new grandchild who will be born either at or after Christmas day. The date is December 27 or earlier. I cannot imagine what the atmosphere would have felt like in Mary and Joseph’s family when baby Jesus was about to be born.   We have a glimpse in the Gospel according to Luke after his birth. Life must have been very different after his birth as it will be for our daughter and my son-in-law.   A baby has somehow a way to bring newness of life into the home. It got the Magi on the move.   It got Herod worried about his kingdom and he wanted to kill him along hundreds of other children 2 years old and under.   Just think, that every time a baby is born a whole household change.   Each one of us carry around an ‘influence’ ready to potentially turn the world upside down.   But why does it not always happen this way> When even one of us make a change in our life, our entire family could be changed and

  And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him as did John, and said, “Look at us.”  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold , but what I do have I give to you.   In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God…. (Acts 3:2-8) Obviously, the lame man was happy to see the apostles coming at him because he saw them as humans able to give him money.   But God had other plans for that man, and he made sure to let his servants know of them.   Life

  Many in this world claim that Jesus was only human, but like in the following passage,   He is not just a carpenter.   He looks like one but maybe looks are not everything and again faith does not walk by sight.   It walks by believe. Mark 6:1-6 v.3-6 Then they scoffed. “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon.   And his sisters live right here among us.”   They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.   Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he could not do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.   And he was amazed at their unbelief. I often wonder about the state of the world at present time.   For us to have any faith we must have a balanced view of who Jesus Christ is.   Is he just human or just fully spiritually divine?   Either of these beliefs are