December 15 - Nain

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One of the things that makes the Christmas season so magical is the time we spend together.
The trips taken to our grandparents' house, the grown children welcomed home, the time off
work spent with people we love, and the close friends we host, are all reasons we look forward
to the season. When those things are missing, however, it can change how we feel. When a
death, divorce, disagreement, or distance develops in a relationship that was once close, we
have a tendency to replace the feelings of wonder and joy with isolation and sadness.

In Luke 7:11-17, Jesus was traveling and came to a town named Nain. As he got near the town
there was a funeral procession in which a young man had died. His mother, a widow, was
nearby along with a number of people from the town, supporting her and paying their respects. Jesus saw her in her grief and had compassion; he raised her son back to life and then returned her son to his mother.

Jesus sees us in our circumstances. He changes our outcomes. This year our Christmas might
look like we’ve always imagined or we might find ourselves in a lonely place. Wherever we find
ourselves and however we are feeling, we have hope because our Savior came to us. He came
to defeat death and offer us all restoration. When we accept his gift, Christ gives each of us a
place to belong and life that never ends.

Pastor Brian Pursley
Lakeside Community - Algoma 


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