We Are The Monument

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1 Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops; 2 Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his warriors, 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you morning stars; 4 Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly rain clouds; 5 Praise, oh let them praise the name of God - he spoke the word, and there they were! 6 He set them in place from all time to eternity; He gave his orders, and that's it! 7 Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying his orders; 9 Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests; 10 Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and birds in flight; 11 Earth's kings and all races, leaders and important people, 12 Robust men and women in their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children. 13 Let them praise the name of God - it's the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; 14 he's built a monument - his very own people! Praise from all who love God! Israel's children, intimate friends of God. Hallelujah! (Psalm 148 The Message)

The first monument I ever saw was right here in Texas. It was the San Jacinto Monument right outside of Houston and Pasadena. The monument is 567.31 feet high and commerates the Battle of San Jacinto, the deciding battle of the Texas Revolution. It was completed in 1936, and I saw it in 1965. I was brand new to Houston and to my church there in Houston and the MYF had a picnic on the banks of the Houston Ship Channel, near the Battleship Texas and the monument. It was quite the site. My exposure to tall structures was Raglands Department Store in Kingsville, that had the only escalator in town and every once in a while after school my friends and I would run to Raglands, ride the escalator and run down the stairs. The escalator only went up. That's theological, isn't it?

But back to San Jacinto; the impressive structure was a symbol to many of what had taken place there and a reminder of the effort to accomplish what it did. This is the purpose of almost all monuments, to recall and to inspire, and sometimes to reclaim. And this passage has the language calling people to recall, and to reclaim all that God had done for us. The call is to have all creation praise God. The invitation is for all creation, at all levels, join in the praising of God, both beings and what we consider inanimate objects. The list is impressive as the psalmist calls on angelss, warrios, sun and mon, morning stars, sea dragons, ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes, mountains, hills, apple orchards, cedar foreest, wild breasts and herds of cattle, snakes, birds, kings, and all races of people; the leaders, the important people, robust men and women in their prime, and, thank God, greybeards, and little children. Ours is to praise the name of God, for HIs is the only Name worth praising. And interesting that the psalmist says that while we are praising God, He has made for Himself a monument, and we are that monument. If we love God, we should praise God!

The Bible also makes clear that our bodies are the temples of God and as such, we should praise God in a holy and loving way. This passage reminds us that the structures we may hold sacred for worship and praise are not not eternal. Remember the words of Jesus to the Twelve when they were awestruck by the Temple? He shared how one day the temple would be no more; we will. If we believe and trust in God and walk with God, the day we will live eternally will be a glorious day and our praise of God will be complete. Praise is an expression of prayer, for through it we glorify God and make known God's deeds. Praise is an expression of gratitude through which we give God thanks to God.

These are the days when we have heard temporal praise from the lips of children, giddy from gifts, who have laughed, giggled, squealed with delight at the gifts that will hold their attention for another forty-eight hours, then their attention will turn back to wondering why they didn't get more, or the item they truly wanted. But it's a tiny reminder of what gratitude and joy can sound like, even for a few moments; it should prepare us to truly be child-like in our thanks to God for the major, eternal things He has helped us overcome. Our sins are forgiven, our transgressions are forgotten, and our lives are sealed by God's Holy Spirit for the eternal days that are to come.

PRAYER: Loving Father, we join our hearts and spirits in praising You. May our praise bless You and bring a blessing on those not yet where they need to be. Use us to reach and bless them; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Praise God with all your soul, mind, and strength! Do it in a way that draws others to ask, "How can I get what you have?"

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Make a List!

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7 I'll make a list of God's gracious dealings, all the things God has done that need praising, All the generous bounties of God, his great goodness to the family of Israel - Compassion lavished, love extravagant. 8 He said, "Without question these are my people, children who would never betray me." So he became their Savior. 9 In all their troubles, he was troubled, too. He didn't send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time. (Isaiah 63:7-9 The Message Bible)

May this be a wonderful Wednesday for you, dear Friend. May we continue to lift up prayers for the brokenhearted, for the wounded, for the lonely, for the oppressed, for the abused. Pray for one another. Pray for the needs of those around you. Pray for yourself that as this year ends, the New Year will find in you a new heart filled with the joy and peace of Jesus! The memorial service for Rev Dr David Alvirez will be in March. The family is having David cremated and this will give the family time to process, and plan for his service.

I read the cutest story today on FaceBook about one of our little ones from church who turned 5. I was there when he was born, so I feel a special bond with him and his dear parents. His grandpa called and this little one said, "Come to my house and bring me a lot of presents!" The grandfather is a hard working man, who works hard at home and at work. He underwent some serious medical things in Houston and when we talked on the phone he asked me to go and free him from the hospital. I came this close to doing that, but didn't want legal trouble! Anyway, grandpa dropped everything he was doing, rushed over to the store and brought lots of presents to give his grandson. I thought it was a cute story. It strengthens my faith in fathers who become grand - fathers. A true grandfather will drop everything (if he can) and rush to his grandchild's side and provide presence and presents.

Isaiah is saying something along those lines when he's talking about our Heavenly Father. It is fitting as we prepare to bid farewell to 2022 to read that the prophet is saying he is going to make a list of God's awesome work, and to make a list of "all the things God has done that need praising." In other words, the prophet knows that to end the year we should make our own list and do the same. God has done a lot for me and I know that God has done a lot for you. He includes, as should we, all the good God has done for our community, our nation, and our world. We have rejoiced in receiving "Compassion lavished, love extravagant; God has indeed shown us that we are indeed God's children, members of His family, in Whom we have indeed, found a Savior. We are the result of God singlehandly helping us and saving us. God has, praise His name, carried us to where we are now.

PRAYER: Loving Father, as we conclude this year, let us remember that we have been richly and wonderfully blessed. We thank You and praise You for the countless blessings we received from You and the ways You have carried us when we were weak. Grant to us new strength and energy to move confidently towards the New Year; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: PRAISE THE LORD!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Pioneer of Salvation

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10 It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. 11 Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn't hesitate to treat them as family, 12 Saying, I'll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you; I'll join them in worship and praise to you. 13 Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says, Even I live by placing my trust in God. And yet again, I'm here with the children God gave me.14 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death 15 and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. 16 It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. 17 That's why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins,18 he would have already experienced it all himself - all the pain, all the testing - and would be able to help where help was needed. (Hebrews 2:10-18 The Message Bible)

The Reverend Howard Thurman was a pastor, author, college and seminary professor, and dean of two major university chapels. Among all that he wrote, I believe this to be timeless, and timely, for us:

The Work of Christmas by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoners, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among the people, To make music in the heart.

Jesus' work at Christmas was to complete His Father's desire for all the world. It meant that He wanted to lead all people to glory. As I stated before, a certain megachurch has as its mission statement: our mission is to take as many people to Heaven as we can before we die. Period. This passage speaks of Jesus immediately treating all people as family, placing Himself in that same famly so that we could identify with being a part of a caring circle of people. Jesus took on flesh and blood, just like us, and even accepted death as part of His life. This was done in such a way that even those who were "scared to death of death" could know that He destroyed death for our sake. He so identified with humans that He could save us.

The best teachers and coaches that I had in life, were those who knew how to identify and integrate themselves into my life and show me how to best learn, study, and suceed in all things. They knew me, asked about me and my family, and took an interest in all aspects of my life and so, knew how best to help me. In the same way, Jesus knows you and cares about you. There is no area of your life that is too minor or insignificant that Jesus does not care for or about you. Yes, He loves you that much.

Whatever you may be facing, Christ is with you. Whatever you think you cannot overcome, Christ is with you and has overcome it before and He can do it again. If you're still carrying the weight of guilt from a past sin, turn it over to Jesus; He will take it from you and toss it into the deepest part of the sea. (That means, He has forgotten about it, so should you!). God is good!

PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for identifying with me and my situation and condition. I turn over to You those areas of my life that have weighed me down so much and I ask You for strength to move forward with Your help; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Turn your life and worries to the Lord.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

*****PRAYER REQUEST: The Rev. Dr. David Alvirez, a retired pastor, dean and professor, who lives in San Antonio, is in the hospital and needs our prayers. Please pray for his wife Pauline as well. In 1980 when I was hired and appointed to be the UM campus minister at Pan American University (Now UTRGV), David was our neighbor two houses down, and was the Dean of the Social Work School at Pan Am. His mother was active at the chuch where we attended worship.

***The Belated Gift There was a woman who had waited until the last minute to send Christmas cards. She knew she had 49 folks on her list. So she rushed into a store and bought a package of 50 cards without really looking at them.

Still in a big hurry, she addressed the 49 and signed them without reading the message inside. On Christmas Day when things had quieted down somewhat, she happened to come across the leftover card and finally read the message she had sent to 49 of her friends. Much to her dismay, it read like this: "This card is just to say / A little gift is on the way." Suddenly she realized that 49 of her friends were expecting a gift from her--a gift that would never come.

Flee!

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13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. (MATTHEW 2:13-23 New International Version of The Bible)

Merry Christmas to you, dear Friend! The Christian year shows us that Christmas is not over yet. This passage is all about Christmas as we will see. I have an update from Ms. Sylvia Gaytan, who was released from the hospital and is recovering there. Please continue to hold her in your prayers. Ms. Betty Sample shared this request with us: "I ask you for continuing prayers for my younger sister Patty. She has been in the hospital for 11 days now— had a 5 day chemo session and has been left with some very difficult side-effects. Please pray for the side effects to improve and for her to be able to return home soon." May the Lord hear our prayers. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves and your needs. Pray for the needs of the world.

Some call this passage and its historical setting, The Dark Side of Christmas. While the birth of one baby boy whom we call the Lord Jesus, His birth angered one man, an evil one, by the name of Herod. Herod is known in history for his insecurity about his throne and those around him. The visit of the magi to ask where the new king of Israel was born, angered him and made him anxious to find this newborn baby so that he could kill him. As a result many babies died. God sent an angel to visit the holy family and warns them to flee their country and to make their way to Egypt. I vividly remember receiving a call from my Mother and she was very upset that a pastor friend of mine had preached a sermon in the church where one of her best friends was a member. Her best friend reported to my mother that her pastor had preached a sermon in which he called Joseph, Mary and Jesus, undocumented aliens. This did not sit well with Mom's friend and now, not with Mom either. I laughed and said that my friend was right. In today's terms, the holy family fled their country, and crossed the borders of another nation to seek safety for their baby, and so, yes, they were very much aliens in that regard. While we might choose a better term, like immigrants, the shock of some towards those within their country regardless of the reason, upsets some. To be fair, we don't read about the reaction of the Egyptians to the presence within their borders of the holy family.

The passage shares how Herod's anger did lead the murder of boys two years and younger, for Herod meant business and wanted no threat from a future king. Herod, like most monarchs, wanted his heir to hold the throne, and not some newborn baby outside the family. Matthew records this as fulfillment of prophecy of Old Testament prophecy; "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." This, dear friends, was indeed, the dark side of Christmas. It seems when humans enter the divine equation, there are marks and stains, even shed blood, on what God would deem sacred and essential for the overall good. Soon, the family is visited again by an angel who shares that Herod had died and informs Joseph to take his family back to Israel. Joseph learns that Herod's son, Archelaus, was ruling, and so takes the family to Galilee, and within that district, they settle in Nazareth and fulfilled prophecy again, that the Messiah would be a Nazarene.

So, like happens in some families, once the tinsel, the wrapping, and gifts are distributed, there can, and sometimes is, drama. Some actually flee to "Egypt" for safety rather than face the drama at home. One of the movies of this season is called Four Christmases, and focuses on an unmarried couple who prefer lying to their families about their plans for the holidays saying they are going to some tropical island to inoculate kids, etc., and one December, a heavy fog rolls in and they are featured on the local news as having had their plans cancelled due to weather, and so they must travel to be with four families. Four because both parents on each side, had divorced and remarried, and so the couple must go and see all four families. It's an intense movie. Yet, it is not as intense as the drama that took place in Israel because of one birth. What does remain is God's intent for this season to be true to its purpose; of receiving among us, that which God has prepared for us.

PRAYER: Loving Father of us all, You know no boundaries for Your protection and love for us. Our prayer is that You would help us expand our boundaries of our love for all. We respect life for all people regardless of anything else; we seek to be just like You in having unconditional agape love. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Enjoy each last day of this year to better prepare for the New Year. Be a model of love and compassion!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Sing a New Song to God!

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1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy 13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. (Psalm 96 Revised Standard Version Bible)

I don't know the exact start date for Christmas music, but I love the music for this time of year. I have two playlists on my iPhone called Baby Jesus Birthday 1 and 1 1. (Don't ask me how I came to number those; I"m lucky I know how to turn on my phone and know how to play music on it!). What's embarrassing is that both lists have almost the same music with my 1 1 list having some more modern songs of Christmas. One of these days I will make time to once and for all, make two distinct lists or one big comprehensive playlist. I'll say again, I love Christmas music and I dread the day when it's frowned upon to play. I consider the 6th of January as the end date for Christmas music, but some music streams go a bit longer in offering music about this time of season. When I used to have SiriusXM, the Xmas playlists end on that certain date and the channel is empty after that. But I truly believe music is very important for this time of year. We just read where the shepherds were treated to a Heavenly choir cantata that praised God for this awesome birth that we call The Main Event. I can only vaguely imagine what that concert was like for those shepherds. I do imagine after they gushed about it to each other as soon as they got home they could not find the words to tell their wives about what they had seen. "Honey. Music from Heaven! Angels were singing. I was like with my mouth wide open and baby was born!" Singing is an awesome thing. I thank God I grew up in a church where they loved to sing, and to have a dad who loved to sing and was brave enough to sing solos from time to time in worship. And I love so many hymns and worship songs that I never tire of using them as instruments or means of grace with which to praise God.

The psalmist loved to sing. He also loved to write songs and to use songs to praise God. As the wise have said, "Singing is praying twice," and he might have been the one who made that up to begin with. And his belief is that our praise to God should be new and fresh as often as we do it. His idea of a new song as this psalm begins is to say, "God is worthy of new things and so we should find new ways to praise God!" Out with the stale and the dusty ways of praising God, do it in a new way that pleases God! Compare that to giving your significant other a gift as a way to tell them again, I love you. Would you go into that person's closet, find a garment of clothing you gave to them and then give it to them again and say, "I love you so much that I'm giving you this that I gave you two years ago!" Or, to give them a dusty gift that was given to you and you never really cared about it and now you're giving it to your love, how would that go over?

How do you tell God that You love Him, and thank Him for the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ? How do you thank Him for giving you eternal life and a life freed from sin? You would, as the psalmist said, "O sing to the Lord a new song," and let all the earth join in. This is the time for our joining hands, hearts, and voices in praising God in fresh, new, heartfelt ways that tells those who don't yet know God, that we are in love with God because God first loved us!

PRAYER: Loving God, may all our songs of praise be worthy of Your grace, for all You have done for us; may our worship of You never end and may each time we do sing Your praises invited others to join in. This we pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Find a time when you can sing loudly and joyfully, a song of praise to God for all God has done for you!

Receive my blessings of joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Prayers for Peggy, Mr Clay Pace's sister, who some time back underwent cancer surgery and now she has an appointment with a radiologist and chemotherapist next week as they may have concerns there may be some cancer cells floating around her body after the surgery she had a couple weeks ago. Please pray for those appointments and for the health of Peggy.

Light Defeats Darkness

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2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:2-7 NIV)

Some years ago, Nellie and I accompanied our two daughters, our son-in-law, and our granddaughter, on our first ocean cruise. Our second stop was on an island to which we had never been. The family chose a beach day and Nellie and I thought sight-seeing on our own might be fun, with shopping as an option. One turn led to another, and before too long we were walking on a street that could have easily passed for an alley in the States. There were few people on this street and overhead clouds made the situation quite dark. A man came up and welcomed us to this island and placed on my wrist a bracelet that would be mine for five dollars. I thanked him and quickly handed it back. Nellie and I both sensed each other's discomfort and we quickly made our way to a more regular street where a cab driver stopped and we asked to be taken to our ship. The cabbie introduced himself as a Rastafarian and said he knew I was a pastor. What? He only asked that I pray for him.

We walked in darkness because of the choices we, or better said, I, made. I could not blame anyone else, yet there I was, with my wife, in darkness. The silent prayers we lifted were answered with a cab driver that knew I was a pastor and needed to be led into the light. And let me tell you, if you have a choice between being in the dark or being in the light, the light is much better. The people of God had wandered off (Yes, again and again!) from a life in the fullness of life with God into their own world of pleasing themselves and doing whatever it is they want; soon finding themselves fully alienated from God. That is darkness. Those who find themselves as permanent residents of deep darkness want to see a great light dawn on them. A land of darkness knows no joy; the light comes with joy that is shared with all who were in darkness. They have now gone from a land of no rejoicing into a land of much rejoicing. The yokes of oppression have been lifted, and the greatest news is shared: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zest of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

The good news of light and freedom are followed by the greater news of the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God. The prophet shares all that God has shared with him. Advent fulfilled are what the prophet has shared with the people in verses 6 and 7. The prophecy is fulfilled in the birth of a baby, a son. And this child will receive the authority and power of a government upon His shoulders. His titles define His roles. We have in Jesus a counselor who is wonderful. Not only is He a counselor who listens, He is one who totally understand and who can and does respond with solutions for what ails us. He is also Mighty God. As Son of God, and as part of the Godhead, He is God, and as one who was present in creation, we know that His power is mighty. As part of the Godhead, He is also Father, Who watches over and guides and protects His children; desiring to keep us in the light and away from the darkness. He is our Prince of Peace; Who desires us to be free from conflict and the stress of life, and desires us to know that true peace is not the absence of war, but the true presence of peace which is love, compassion, kindness and righteousness that defines our character and our way of life. This is what God provides and it is limitless and will last for all eternity. We begin now to seek and live that in ways that can bring others to the same awareness of what God can and do for us.

PRAYER: Loving God, Thy kingdom come. Let it begin with me and let me be a part of making it real to all; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a person of peace now with all people.

Receive my blessings of love and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Energetic in Goodness

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11 God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! 12 We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, 13 and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. 14 He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness. (Titus 2:11-14 The Message Bible)

A most wonderful of Tuesdays you to dear Friend. I pray the pressures of this week don't distract you from receiving the greatest gift God has prepared for you! Let us continue to be people of prayer; praying for one another, for each other's needs, for the travel needs of loved ones either coming or going for these special days; prayers for those who do not have loved ones to come or go to see. Pray for those who live on the streets, and do what we can to help those who need our help. This truly is a time of giving. Pray for your needs.

Do you like to give, or receive gifts? Be honest... I believe that I enjoy both, but do understand how some love to give more than receive and some to receive more than give. And that may define their character, but today's passage is about what this season hold, the greatest gift humanity ever received; the gift of salvation as presented through Jesus Christ. For Titus, it's major news that the world should know: God is ready to give and forgive! The gift of salvation is available for all, and all should receive it. Titus knows that in Christ we can all receive new lives away from the previous way of living. No more "godless, indulgent lives," Instead, we should receive and live a "God-filled, God-honoring life." And the time to start is right now, and as glorious as this life is, we are only whetting our appetite for what is to come, which Titus knows is beyond compare, for it is glorious. The day Jesus returns, an Advent theme, it will be an awesome day. Jesus came to offer His life in exchange for ours, and has set us free "from a dark, rebellious life" and into a "good, pure life, making us a people He can be proud of, and energetic in goodness." Now, there's another Advent theme, being good, and not just good, but energetic at being good. No more lethargic or thinking about, doing or being good, but rather, a heartfelt, totally committed to doing and living that which is good. Imagine the impact if we ALL started now?

PRAYER: Loving God, infuse in me that energy and drive to be and do, good. The world needs me and I want to be the positive influence in someone's life. I thank You for this time of year and I pray that I am truly ready for Jesus to return and for me to do something awesome because of His first arrival. In His strong name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Get energetic about doing good becasue you are good!

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

The Main Event

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1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. 7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; 18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:1-20 New International Version Bible)

Well, the World Cup is over, and Argentina are the world champions. It was a great game. I have to confess with this World Cup I started watching the entire games of those teams I was following. I was all for Mexico, USA, and Spain to win it all. And today I watched the extended play and penalty kick decided game with Argentina winning it by kicking more penalty kicks than France. It had been 38 years since Argentina had won it all, and the Telemundo announcer openly wept as he was able to say, "Argentina are the world champs!" He begged forgiveness, but he is from Argentina and is best known as the "Gooooooooool!" man. He's the main reason I followed each game en español rather than English. And apparently, so did many others who were not Spanish-speakers, including a cartoonist who asked, "What's the longest word in the Spanish language?" The answer: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! (That's a joke). And what made this game more exciting was there was a curse on Argentina that could not be broken. Well, it was, and we could say Leo Messi helped break it.

There was an event even bigger than the World Cup. The World Cup as you may or may not know, happens every four years, and the next one will be played in the USA, with the deciding and final game to be played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. This event takes place in what many might say was the last place anyone would have chosen to set as the happening of this main event. Of course, we have a human mindset and we tend to expect things that are big, to be held in big cities. The event was the coming birth of the Savior of the world. Some would have suggested Rome to be the place for the baby to be born. And why not in the palace of Caesar? Or, at least in the palace in Jerusalem? The answer is that God is in charge and God does things His way. If it was politics you wanted in the story, read again. The government, aka Caesar Augustus, ordered a census to be taken, with every man should go to his own city. In my case, I would have had to return to Kingsville, Kleberg Country, Texas, to be "enrolled." In Joseph's case, he went up to Bethlehem ("The house of bread), the city of David. Add to this his emotional predicament; he was betrothed to Mary, meaning they had had the first required cremony required before the marriage; Mary took his last name, but would not yet be living together, but it would be a year in which she could change her mind and leave him, if she so chose. And we know that while they had not yet had sexual intercourse, she was pregnant with the child of God. And there, while enrolling in Bethlehem, it came time for Mary to deliver her child, and He was born.

The writer of this gospel has a universal approach to reporthing the Good News of Jesus Christ, which we can contrast with Matthew's. Matthew's main concern is sharing that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Jewish people. In Luke's sharing that those who visited Jesus were the shepherds, he is saying this birth involves the whole world including the common folk, like the shepherds, with whom most of the Israelites could identify, since they either had a shepherd in your family, or had been one yourself, or knew someone who did. Matthew shares the visit of the Magi, or Kings, as a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophcies which matter to the Jews. Luke sees the visit of the angels to the hardest working profession, as a sign of God's love and concern for all people. The shepherds celebrate that God saw fit to let them know of what He was about to do in Israel.

Dear ones, the greatest gift of Christmas is the gift of God shared iwth us in giving us His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It was precisely this event that made the late Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, during this time of year at a corner in a busy Christmas season in Manhattan to quip, "All this, the decorations, the traffic, the people, because of one little baby's birth two thousand years ago." Let us, like Rev. Peale, not lose sight of how important and how powerful was this birth. It was God bringing to us, life and the fullness thereof.

PRAYER: Loving God, blessed in Thy holy name. May the tinsel, the trees, the traffic, the gift buying, the gift giving and receiving, not distract us from how important we are to God and for all that God did for us; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Share the joy of Christ in your heart with all today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

At Long Last!

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1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. 3 Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. 4 How long, LORD God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. 6 You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us. 7 Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:1-7 NIV)

I was in seven weddings. Not as pastor; wasn't yet in a position to officiate yet. Of the seven, I was best man five times. Yes, my family had great fun in mocking my being "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride!" Yes, that was me. I wasn't ashamed for it was a great honor to be asked to be best man and groomsman. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be married and the perfect woman was out there. Where? I didn't know yet. Yes, I sang along to many songs, like "She Loves You," not knowing yet, who "she" was, but I knew she would love me. I just knew it was not yet time. Timing is important in so many situations and marriage is one of those.

This psalm is all about the right time in God's plan. Galatians 4:4-7 speaks of "The fullness of time, God sent His son..." The language says, "We've had enough, we have hurt enough, and we're ready for You, God, to act on our behalf in a mighty way." The verses say it all. These are sheep without a shepherd; yes, because of their own fault and bad decisions, but those are the best times and reasons for seeking God. They know God's power and might, and so they know what they need. Their diet of tears was enough and so they asked for it to end, and for their restoration. God has that awesome power to restore and make new. God can bring an end to ridicule and spite, and there is nothing better than to have God's face shine upon us!

In the fullness of time, I met the woman meant for me. It was a Thursday night prayer meeting and I had to attend as that was my first assignment as the new intern of El Mesias United Methodist Church, Mission, Texas. She was the youngest woman there, but I thought she was already married and had a husband that tolerated her being at church but he himself did not wish to attend. I learned the next day that Nellie was single, a school teacher, a woman of prayer, and a tither! And I chuckled when she said she had been praying for a man who loved God and enjoyed going to church. "God has a sense of humor, because He gave me a man who lives in church!" In the fullness of time.

Friend, what is your Fulllness of Time? What do you seek? What do you await? Advent means that the fullness of time is coming in God's time. Pray for patience.

PRAYER: Loving God, Thank You for being truly our shepherd; Shine on us now and always in ways that gives hope to others. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Let God's light shine off of you onto those who seek the fullness of time.

Receive my love and blessings of peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

A Birth Like No Other

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10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (Isaiah 7:10-16 New International Version of The Bible)

A happy and wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Reader. May the blessings of the Lord Jesus give you strength, joy, and peace. May we, in turn, share with others what God has blessed us with. May our prayers continue for the needs shared with us. Pray for another, pray for the Church, and pray for pastors.

We, as the Church, may be rapidly losing our connection to the divine and the sacred in order to remain relevant more to the world than God. We're entering the Christmas season, getting closer to the day when Jesus was born. We have been taught and studied that this was no ordinary birth and it was all about God acting in a supernatural way. Yet, we have reached the point of that old Sunday school joke of the first-time attender to a Sunday school. When she reported back to her parents about what she had learned, she said, "We studied a man named Moses who went up against a king and said he wanted his people set free and called in an air strike which took out the palace and then loaded his people into armed personnel carrers and led through a heavy battle, his people to safety." The ten plagues just don't connect to many nowadays. And, as we study a virgin getting pregnant and giving birth to a son, really doesn't connect to many either. This morning as I read this passage in a certain version, the word virgin was nowhere to be found; the new edition of this version changed to word to young woman. Some might argue that's closer to the original meaning, but it does take us away from the supernatural aspect of Jesus' birth. It lessens the "sign" that the prophet knew God would give to His people. A miraculous birth for a child who was to be named Immanuel, meaning "God with us." That is what Christmas is like. Come to think of it, we have an Apsotle's Creed which outlines the key points of our faith, and the birth, life, death, resurrection and eternal life of Jesus.

Advent means moving forward in faith, yet holding on to the tenets of faith that allowed us to get this far, and to help up face that which is yet to come. Advent means preparing to live lives that choose the right and reject the wrong; in other words, setting an example to others, especially those who do not know the Lord yet. Our example may be the "sermon" that converts themn to a new way of living, and the choosing to make a decision in favor of Jesus for their lives. And it all started with a supernatural birth brought about by a supernatural God!

PRAYER: God of life and peace, grant to us Your grace and peace to bless You and Yours. Guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness. May the awe and childlike wonder keep us enjoying the mysteries of faith; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be awed today by what God can do! And tell somebody about it!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Grace to You, And Peace from God

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1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7 New Revised Standard Version)

Maybe you're like me and grew up in the time of no cell phones, text messages, email or snapchat. Hard for our kids and grandkids to imagine such a world. They may argue, but it was a wonderful world! As a impoverished college student, each letter from home held the possibility of a five dollar bill or a ten dollar check. And, if you had a special someone, a letter from them meant for a great day. Let me say quickly, that I had a spider living in my college post office box; which meant the letters were few and far between, but the idea, and the hope, of a letter was wonderful. Fast forward to today; how I wish our community mailboxes had a huge recycle bin where I could throw away the type of mail marked Occupant or Current Resident. And, even as a Medicare agent myself, the senseless Medicare mailings that, thank God, have ceased for the year. I once asked my college Bible professor about Paul's letters. I thought these were great questions, but he thought I was stalling for time as this was a day for an exam. I wondered aloud, how anxious were the churches to receive these letters? What was the process for reading them? Did they become a part of a worship setting? Professor Matthews threw the chalk. Oops. Not at me, but at the blackboard. Gulp thinks I, back to his office for another lecture. To his credit he said, "I don't know."*

I believe these letters were received with love, much as those I mentioned above, who had dear ones they wanted to hear from and a letter was the only way to receive desired information from home and reminders of the emotions felt on both ends of love and longing. For many on the receiving end, they had found faith in Jesus thanks to the Apostle Paul. They came to know the love of God through his preaching and teachings and the day came that he moved on. And I believe to receive a letter from this awesome man was a delight. True, some letters came with a reproach or correction for their behavior, still it was received as a message from God Himself. And in today's letter to the believers in Rome, Paul stresses again his joy and pride at having been called and commissioned an apostle, and set apart for the Gospel of God, and to be a part of the sharing of the gospel with all people. He then shares his faith that Jesus was the expected fulfillment of the coming Messiah, of the house of David, and truly the Son of God, Who shares with us grace for the obedience of faith. And so, Paul shares his own bestowing of grace and peace from God to the beloved believers of Rome.

I'm also of the generation who when leaving home or the home of a loved one, would receive a blessing. We would feel cheated, and quite honestly, in danger, if one was not offered, or worse, if one denied receiving a blessing. Some grandmothers or aunts, would make the sign of the cross, say a whispered blessing in the name of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and the request that God would bless and protect us. It was truly a divine, truly spiritual moment, and we would leave that home with joy and hope. I imagine that in the same spriti, Paul is sharing with his readers that same blessing of hope and protection with those who either read or heard the reading of his letter; and in the same way we are to share those blessings with others. Earlier this morning I walked past a man in the grocery store who seemed to be in need of a blessing. I smiled at him and in a silent thought prayer asked God to bless and be with the man in whatever need he was facing. You can, and should, do the same for all those you meet. God's love and joy are too precious not to share!

PRAYER: Awesome Father, for all You have done, we are thankful; for the grace and peace You have shared with us, let us share with others; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Bless someone today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace, Prayers for our grandson, Liam Carlos as he tested positive for Covid today, Monday. His first Middle School Band Concert was set for Wednesday...

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

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*I still hold the record for Chalk Throwing Incidents at Lon Morris College!

He Will Save Us From Our Sins

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18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25 New International Version of The Bible)

A blessed and marvelous Monday to you, dear Friend. May this day be a blessing to you and you, in turn, bless others. Please pray for one another; pray for the sick and others in need. Pray for God's Church that she may reach the world with the might and power of this word. Prayers for the congregations of El Divino Salvador (The Divine Savior) and La Trinidad (Trinity) United Methodist Churches of San Antonio, Texas. The congregation of EDS has requested to merge with LT due to financial and congregational realities. May God bless both. Prayers for Reverends John and Raquel Feagins, the pastors of LT who are suffering from Covid. Prayers for The Rev. Nohemi Ramirez, pastor of La Santissima Trinidad UMC of Seguin, whose household also has Covid. Friends, it's still out there and we should take care not to receive it or share it.

The reports keep coming in about the number of United Methodist Churches that will disaffliate from the denomination. The Texas Annual Conference already held a session of their annual conference and 49% of the churches in that conference voted to leave. Some conferences will not have such a meeting until 2024 when the General Conference will take a vote on exit procedures. These news and thoughts about what the future may be for this once powerful denomination prompted me to ask a dear friend and mentor in ministry this question: What three things, besides money, are UM preachers not preaching from their pulpits? His answers were different from mine, but his answers were indeed difficult issues that some preachers will not address in their Sunday sermons. My answers were that preachers do not preach 1) Salvation, 2) Sin, and even, for some, they don't preach about Jesus. I shared how when I would arrive in a new appointment how many were thankful that they were "finally hearing a sermon from The Bible!" That shocked me. I don't know what else to preach, and if I'm not preaching Jesus and His love for all people, I am failing God. If I can't share a message of hope about obtaining and holding a trusting relationship with God we call salvation, I have not shared hope; and if I refuse to preach about the reality and power of sin, I have not done my job.

Here it is, almost Christmas, and the passage from the lectionary for this coming Sunday is all about Jesus and His purpose and mission for the world. In a setting very similar to the Old Testament person named Joseph, the New Testament Joseph is visited by an angel who reveals to Joseph what God expects of him, and how his life now plays into the greater plan of God's love. He was to become Mary's husband, even in the face of possible disgrace, and the reason is outlined in verse 21, the angel outlines, "She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." There's that word. There's the reason Jesus was born. We have "missed the mark," the classic definition of sin. We have done, said, or thought things that we knew were wrong and went against God's will but still onward we pressed. The time came when God had to act, and God acted in this marvelous way, through a baby.

The first sermons of John the Baptist and Jesus were the same; Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. These sermons were exactly what God needed preached and both hit the listeners in the heart of all who heard it and realized their need to truly rid their lives of sin. And in Jesus they found the answer; He came to help us rid our lives of sins, because sin leads to death and God is all about life, and He offers to us the gift of eternal life. Dear friend, Advent and Christmas is about making a decision for Jesus. I would pray we not put it off any longer if you have not yet decided to give your life to Jesus. Let today be the day.

PRAYER: God of love and life, I thank You for Jesus and all He brought to us; Lord, let us commit our lives and every part of our being to You. Grant to us the gift of salvation and rid our spirits of sin; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Make Jesus your Savior and serve Him.

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

God's In Charge

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1 Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God! 2 All my life long I'll praise God, singing songs to my God as long as I live. 3 Don't put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. 4 Mere humans don't have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them. 5 Instead, get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God and know real blessing! 6 God made sky and soil, sea and all the fish in it. He always does what he says - 7 he defends the wronged, he feeds the hungry. God frees prisoners - 8 he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen. 9 protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. 10 God's in charge - always. Zion's God is God for good! Hallelujah! (Psalm 146 The Message)

In my life there are things that used to mean Christmas. By that I mean until I saw or had in my hand these things, it wasn't yet Christmas. I know that may sound silly but I was a child. One of them was the Christmas bag we would receive immediately after the Christmas pageant. I say pageant, but it was a play of boys in bathrobes (Yes, most kids had those - I don't know why?) and cigar boxes wrapped in aluminum foil, toy crowns, later Burger King crowns, and granddad's walking cane wrapped in brown paper as the shepherds' staffs. The narrator would read the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew, and we would act out the drama of that holy night. Once our moms had taken our bathrobes off of us and warned us to not run in the grass in our church shoes, we would form the line where we would get a brown lunch sack filled with one orange, one apple, ancient Christmas candy with the real curly sleigh candy, and a small handful of nuts, which usually included one huge nut that not even Dad's hammer could break open. The bags were magical and were Christmas for me. The second was to see our Christmas tree set up in our home; later it shifted to a particular tree in a particular place, think Houston's Galleria and its huge tree on the ice skating rink. The third varied from year to year, but it was finally being home after church around the tree and opening gifts on Christmas Eve. I don't want to start WWIII in when it's best to open gifts; you do your thing.

Advent is a special attitude of gratitude and praise for all God has done, as the psalmist outlines in the first verses of this psalm. It acknowledges that our lives are in the hands of God, not human experts. It is only God Who can provide the guidance and direction that we need for whatever it is that we are undertaking. After all, he summarizes, it is God Who made the earth and sky, the sea and all that is within it. God is faithful to His word; He defends the victims, God feeds the hungry; God sets free those imprisoned; God gives sight to the blind; God lifts up the fallen; in God the strangers have protection; the orphans and widows find in God the partner they lack; and the wicked will find their work ended in God, because God is in charge, always. Our God is our God forever.

Advent is a time of commitment; we vow to do all we need to do to set the stage for the celebration that is Christmas, as well as do all the preparations that will get our world ready for the return of Jesus. The only special items needed to know it's truly Advent is a ready heart, filled with love that we can easily share with others, and a spirit of joy. And the time is now when we can express that towards God and towards each other.

PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and lives and make us ready for our service to You and Yours. Remove from us that which is not worthy of You, dear God. Bless others in a loving way;; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Find the joy of the Lord in all things that bless you.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

The Way Home

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1 Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower - 2 bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color. Mountain glories of Lebanon - a gift. Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon - gifts. God's resplendent glory, fully on display. God awesome, God majestic. 3 Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. 4 Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right And redress all wrongs. He's on his way! He'll save you!" 5 Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, 6 Lame men and women will leap like deer, the voiceless break into song. Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. 7 Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain. Even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly. 8 There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It's for God's people exclusively - impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. 9 No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals - Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it. 10 The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They'll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads, Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night. (Isaiah 35:1-10 The Message Bible)

Advent is not only about expecting someone to come, it is also about our getting to someplace special. The birth of Jesus Christ signaled the arrival of He Who brought life in abundance. It was the fulfillment of prophecy which spoke of God taking action on our behalf. It would involve the changing of all things as described; a desert area known mostly for arid almost lifeless scenery, now is a place of singing and celebration; the badlands known for mystery and danger now is an area of colorful celebration with flowers and blossoms. The mountains are now places marked with the presence of God, in Whose presence strength is readily available and the fearful ones now hear messages of courage and joy. God is on His way here, and is already here to make things right. The blind will see, the deaf will hear; the lame will jump and walk like deer, the voiceless will break into song; the barren dry land will now spring forth gushing waters and become a fountain of life; all the arid land is now blossoming with life.

All of this will reveal, at long last, a road that was not yet visible. This road is the Holy Road and on it will not be permitted those who have not shown proper behavior and respect towards God; this road is exclusively for those who belong to God. The road is a straight path to God; no one can be lost on it, for it is only the redeemed are allowed on this road; it is the road back home. Those on this road will be singing as they make their way home. Joy will serve as halos to those on the road and the redeemed will find their way home and once there will receive the gifts prepared for them, gifts of joy; sadness is gone and replaced with gladness - leaving sorrow and sighs to run away from this road.

Several key stories and characters in the Bible were on the road home as each story ends. Estranged brothers home when they made up with siblings. The rebellious son who chose to be away from home and family, finds life in abundance when he repents of his sins and made his way home seeking just to find work among the family farm, only to be received as the once lost-now found son, clothed and fed like the prince that he is. The same awaits us as we prepare for Jesus and prepare our hearts for Him.

PRAYER: Loving God, make me worthy to walk this road towards You and the home that I seek. Grant me the strength and peace that I need as I make my way there. Help me to help those on the way too, so that many be in the number that gathers into the home You have prepared; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Invite others to life by your actions and gifts of help and love.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Advent Is All About Waiting

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7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (Jame 5:7-10 NRSV)

A blessed and tremendous Tuesday to you, dear Friend. May today expose you to God's grace like never before and guide you to new levels of discipleship. Pray for one another. Pray for the needs of those who have asked prayers of us. Please add the name of Ms. Patty May as she underwent surgery yesterday for a recurring cancer. Patty is the sister of our brother Mr. Clay Pace of Karnes City. Pray for the needs of the world; pray for your needs and concerns.

Advent is a time for learning how to wait. For some of us it is extremely difficult. Several years ago, Nellie and I were in a medical mission trip to Puebla, Mexico. We were working with a Methodist clinic and the majority of the clients were of Aztec Indian descent. The nurses at the clinic said that most Aztecs expect medicines and vitamins to work immediately, and do not buy into the "give the medicine some time to work." And true to form, most had seen the last team that had been there the previous week and had received the same medicines we were prescribing to them, but according to the patient, "The medicines have not worked!" The idea of giving them up to 14 days for the drugs to work was not part of their expectation.

I repeat, advent is a time for learning how to wait. The writer of this epistle says, "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord," and then asks for us to be like the farmer who waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains." On social media there's a woman who moved here to Texas from New Jersey and she posts almost every day about what is so strange, and yet so wonderful about being in Texas. And just last night she listed a whole lot of things she really admires about our state and she said, "And rain. People in Texas are grateful for any rain they receive; and it makes a difference in their lives." That touched me because of those whom we know whose very lives depend on rain; and so James using this example hit home with people even in his time; rain meant life and in the same way, Jesus means life. We await the coming of the Lord and when He does come again, He will bring eternal life to those whom have asked for it. In His first coming, His birth signaled the arrival of abundant life, which we should celebrate all the time and not just at Christmas.

Why waste time and the time of others with the insignificant things, like grumbling against each other; live a life that will not need to be judged because you gave yourself to righteousness and love.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we await with grateful and thankful hearts the coming of the Lord Jesus in glory. We rejoice with all joy His birth in Bethelehem and all that He offers through His word. Grant us patience and peace; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Live a joyful, righteous life!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Is It Okay to Doubt?

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2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:2-11 NIV)

My first year of college I had a cool friend. He had a cool name and dressed as if he was the cover boy of Preppy Magazine. He wore turtle neck shirts and smoked a pipe. He also was funny. Whenever we were walking to class and a girl would approach, he would smile and as she passed out of earshot, he would say softly, "Are you the one who is to come, or should I expect another?" It was clever and wonderful. Did I mention he was pre-ministerial?

John the Baptist and his bold criticism of Herod landed him in jail. Herod feared him and Who he represented, but we know the rest of the story; but his time in jail gave him time to think and as a result of an idle time, he finds himself doubting in Jesus, even as he hears of the incredible things that Jesus is doing. Doubt in humans is a normal, but sometimes, troubling thing, even as we hear proof or evidence of the very things that drew us to faith in the first place. John doubts Jesus as he hears "About the deeds of the Messiah," and seeks to ask Jesus through His disciples about Jesus and His ministry. Jesus' reply is simple and straight forward; "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor." Jesus further adds, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." We humans are funny. We find it easier to believe when all is well with us. But come the first sign of woe or trouble, we let fear move faith just enough to allow doubt to come into our lives. The late Mother Theresa was said to have had doubts towards the end of her life, as have so many others, who aware of their upcoming death begin to doubt all that served them well during life. We don't condemn these, but we become aware that no human is perfect, and as scripture has told us, "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God."

We must note that Jesus did not condemn John's lack of faith; quite the opposite, He tells the crowd about John and his life of faithfulness, calling John more than a prophet, a fulfillment of scriptural prophecy about who it was written, "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you," adding that of all men born to women, there has not been anyone greater than John the Baptist, adding that even now, "Whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

This re-affirms that we are not condemned and our service to God is negated because of times of doubt; God made us creatures of free-will and God knows better than anyone that we might spend some time with or in doubt; but God also offers us a way out if we would but ask. It's our choice. I believe we will live better by choosing our way out of doubt.

PRAYER: Loving God of faith and freedom; guide us to the places where You would have us be. Bless those of us in doubt find the way out; for those of us about to enter the gates of doubt, guide us to faithfulness; for those in fear and despair guide them out into the light of freedom and power; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Leave a life of despair and walk towards faith.

Receive my blessings of love and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Wisdom Crucial for Leaders

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Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Wisdom-Crucial-for-Leaders-e1riuvh

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1 Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. 2 May he judge your people rightly, be honorable to your meek and lowly. 3 Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. 4 Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. 5 Outlast the sun, outlive the moon - age after age after age. 6 Be rainfall on cut grass, earth-refreshing rain showers. 7 Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. 10 Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth. 11 All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him, 12 Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. 13 He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. 14 He frees them from tyranny and torture - when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies. (Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 The Message Bible)

A blessed and wondrous Thursday to you,dear Friend! Let us join together in a spirit of worship and an attitude of prayer as we approach God's word today. May it be God speaking to us and blessing us with what it is we need. Let us continue to pray for those who are ill, hurting, worried, scared, etc., in the name of Jesus. Pray for one another. Pray for this day to be a great day for all whom we know who might be fearful of challenges before them.

Two things that trouble me. Children's sermons written for adults whose length exceeds a child's attention span and whose main theme is directed at a particular group or issue the church is facing. The second thing are prayers that are prayed aloud with the above conditions as well. This is a prayer from the psalmist to God with the king in mind. His petition is for God to bless the king with wisdom and leadership with justice for the prince. The prayer does outline some of the concerns the psalmist has for the country, namely, for "the meek and lowly" to be honored by his rule. He invites the mountain to share a witness of this; and the hills to be shaped with "the contours of right living." His call is for the royals to stand for the poor, to help the children of the needy, and swift justice for the wicked, whose lives take advantage of these who are needy. The prayer asks that this rule of justice and wisdom be long, longer than the sun, and that it outlive the moon, in other words, an eternal rule of justice for all the earth. The theme echoes that which we heard in yesterday's Isaiah passage; the idea and reality of a peaceable kingdom is possible when our knowledge and love of God and God's precepts can make that possible.

The psalmist's view is that when such a kingdom comes, other kinds will fall in worship, and even godless nations would seek to be like this kingdom that God has established. The psalmist knows God to be a God who responds to the poor and destitute, and His heart is always open for the downtrodden. Our God is a God of restoration for the wretched of this earth. In God's mind, there is no room on earth for tyranny and torture; such is God that the psalmist says when the oppressed bleed, God bleeds; when they die, God dies as well. Our God identifies with us and our needs.

Advent is the season of action. As we prepare we receive what we need to take action. One of my early mentors used to ask, "Why is it we as a Church always retreat? When are we doing to advance?" I would use the word attack, because that's what we need to do against the very things that the psalmist said are against what affirms life and promotes righteousness. Advent is a season to advance, and when needed, attack. With God's help we will prove victorious for the sake of the Lord.

PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us the victory against all that is evil and unrighteous in our lives. We need to prove to be people of hope and peace; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a person of strength for the weak in faith.

Receive my blessings of peace and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

He's the One!

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1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1-10 NRSV)

A blessed and terrific Tuesday for you, dear Reader. May the day bring unexpected surprises of joy and happiness with which you can bless others. I ask continued prayers for all who have asked prayers from us; prayers for each other, and prayers for the wellbeing of our communities, and the blessings for the world.

We have one tree on our lot. That puts us ahead of the entire state of New Mexico, no? But this Northern Red Oak came with the lot and we're very proud of it. Nellie makes sure it gets watered often (and she prays for rain all the time!). And it concerns her when the winter comes and takes with it all the leaves of this tree and leaves it, as our oldest grandson says, "naked." It is the period of nakedness that troubles Nellie the most. She gets anxious if it takes longer than normal for the leaves to sprout again, and even prompts questions such as, "Is our tree dead?" I usually smile and say, "No. Our tree is not dead. It's taking its time but will be back when it's time." Who knows, one day that tree will be huge and will provide a home for many birds and other tree-living creatures; and maybe, one day that tree will simply be a stump. Having a stump where there used to be a living tree is a sign not many people enjoy. Yes, some can sit on the stump but beyond that there are not many uses for it. And yet, the prophet Isaiah shares a word from God that the stump that was left of Jesse's family, will be precisely where a needed branch will come, growing out of its roots. This new branch is the awaited Savior, for Whom we are preparing during this season.

Jesus fit the bill because He is the one! He came filled with the Holy Spirit because the Spirit was resting on Him; His life, teachings, and ministry showed His wisdom and understanding. His love and actions showed counsel and might; everything Isaiah said about Him, He lived. Jesus is all about righteousness, and wants us to be the same. Jesus' ministry was all about righteousness, all about calling people out of maliciousness and that realm, and into a realm of true life, life in abundance. Such is the hope of God that all nations will be so in righteousness that the impossible becomes possible, and the unreal becomes real. The sensible person will ask, "How can the wolf live with the lamb? Why would the leopard lie down with the lamb when the natural instincts is for the leopard to devour the lamb? Who would imagine a lion hanging around with a calf and a fatling? And what a sight to see the cow and the bear grazing together! And in their midst a child leading them. And who has seen a lion eating straw like an ox? No more death nor destruction because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, just like the waters cover the sea. And on that day, the prophet says, "The root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of Him, and His dwelling shall be glorious." This, dear friends, is the picture of Heaven, the place of eternal life and a forever peace. The things that divide us now, and cause us to fight against each other, will be gone. Fear and all it causes, is gone. It has been replaced by the reality of hope fulfilled. Thanks to the life of Jesus, living in us and shining through us.

Advent means becoming ready by allowing God to make us just like Jesus. May we truly embrace all the good, and all the power we find in Him to better our surroundings and bless our communities. Ours is an active faith which will not be blessed by our not doing anything and sitting around; we have been called to duty to serve God.

PRAYER: Loving God, bless us with a new awareness with which we can best bless You and Your Kingdom; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a person who blesses others.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

PRAYER UPDATE: I spoke with The Rev. Rob Clopton and he's in great spirits having taken a dye test that showed his tumor has not grown and he, the doctors, and all of us should say, "Thanks be to God." May our prayers lead the tumor to go the other way; complete dissolving and disappearnce from our brother's body, in Jesus' name! Prayers for Mr. and Mrs. George and Rosemary Schwalm of Houston, both of whom have the illness going around that is neither flu nor Covid; prayers also for blessings in Rosemary's work situation; in Jesus' name!