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Sermon
James Bjorge
An angel appeared to Mary and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). Again the angel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30). Chosen to give birth to God’s only begotten Son is no small thing. A human vessel to house the embryonic Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit, was a privilege of unmatched magnitude. And in our Christmas manger...
Sermon
James Bjorge
I was sitting in my office staring blankly into space. Then my leather gloves which had been thrown on my desk caught my glance. They were limp and lifeless. I reached over and picked one of them up and slipped my right hand into it. The gloved filled out. I flexed my hand - the glove moved. It was filled with life. My mind began to dance with the thought of God coming to earth to slip into the gl...
Sermon
James Bjorge
It all started like this: "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:26-...
Sermon
James Bjorge
The other morning after picking up the mail at the post office there was an abundance of Christmas cards. Later on in the morning I was sitting in my church office and the coffee urge arose in me. So I called my wife and announced, "Say, wife, I’ll be home in a few minutes for some coffee and Christmas cookies ... and, by the way, I picked up the mail and there’s a real bunch of Christmas greeting...
Sermon
James Bjorge
To an old man looking for the "consolation of Israel," Christmas would have been on that day when he stood in the temple and held the Christ-child in his arms. The old man’s name was Simeon. The good Book doesn’t tell much about him except that he was righteous and devout. But then if a man is characterized by those words, he must have lived well. As we approach the Christmas celebration, perhaps...
Sermon
James Bjorge
"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world" (Hebrews 1:1-2). "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory of the only Son from the Father" (John 1:14). God has spoken in many ...
Sermon
James Bjorge
In the beginning when God created all things he seemed to pause occasionally after sequences of creation and stand off and look it all over and then say, "That is good." Yes, it certainly was. But then God gave it to man. That was and is his nature ... to give. "For God so loved the world that he gave ... his only begotten Son ..." (John 3:16). And Paul says, "Thanks be to God for his inexpressibl...
Sermon
James Bjorge
As you sit before your television set, the program, "To Tell the Truth," flashes on the tube. The host, Gary Moore, introduces the panel members and the game is soon underway. Three persons come onto the stage and all claim to be the same person. Two are pretenders; one is the real person. The object of the game is for the panelists to discover the right one so they ask questions and then attempt ...
Sermon
James Bjorge
Johnny Carson has a side-kick who opens the evening television talk show with a phrase that never varies. Big Ed McMahon bursts forth with the introduction, "Here’s Johnny!" Then the talk man comes forth from the wings to entertain his audience and television viewers. As the herald of the show, Ed McMahon plays an important role in getting the show off the ground with gusto. Jesus was coming to s...
Sermon
James Bjorge
Night can be beautiful when dreams of sugar plums dance through your head. When worries have wandered away and left you relaxed, the descending darkness comes like a billowy blanket of down. God has washed behind your years and you feel clean and content as you slip into the freshly washed sheets for a long winter’s nap. No doubt about it, night can be nice. But it is not always that cozy and comf...
Sermon
James Bjorge
Christmas is a time to get "hooked" on Jesus. And that is a condition from which you will need no withdrawal. A Catholic Sister, who is blind, told me she has an incurable disease. I thought she was going to elaborate on her blindness which came as a result of diabetes. Rather she said, "I have the Jesus disease." Then she went on to say that she wanted no cure for that state of being. However, we...
Sermon
James Bjorge
Rembrandt said that a picture is finished when it expresses the artist’s intention. Until that time it is incomplete. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick once commented, "God is not the God of unfinished business." It is another way of expressing that what God starts, he completes. God doesn’t amuse himself by blowing soap bubbles and then in a mood of great glee watching them burst. Paul has captured this ...
Sermon
James Bjorge
A profusion of gifts stacked neatly under a green tree is one of the visions of Christmas. To young and old alike the fancy wrappings keep the real gifts hidden from the eyes of the would-be-beholders. If only the gifts could jump forth from the wrappings they would be free for us to enjoy! However that burst of freedom must wait until the signal is given; whether it be on Christmas Eve or Christm...
Sermon
James Bjorge
On that wondrous night long ago a ragged little boy watched the three wise men bring their costly gifts for the Christ Child. His eyes filled with tears as he thought, "If only a pearl would fall from the hand of a king, then I could go too. But I am ashamed to go. I have no gift for the Saviour." The little lad was about to turn and run for the hills. Suddenly an angel appeared before him and sa...
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