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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Christmas brings a great hope for all

By Eddie Wren For four hundred years there was silence. Darkness, if you will. There was no communication from Heaven as the prophets had no word from God. That sounds very strange to those of us who have a copy, or multiple copies, of God’s Word at our disposal. Even so, that was the situation for the world before the first Christmas. Can you imagine the desperation the world found itself in? Perhaps you can. Maybe you are in such a desperate situation yourself at the present. If so, maybe reflection on the Christmas story will help. The world was in darkness and I am not sure anyone noticed. But then all at once there was light. It began with a visit from an angel to a priest named Zechariah. Luke 1:8ff tells us Zechariah was performing his priestly service to the Lord when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared. As you can imagine, Zechariah was terrified. But the angel brought news of joy and gladness and informed Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. Then in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel appeared again, but this time to a relative of Elizabeth named Mary and then to Mary’s husband to be, Joseph. The angel informed Mary and Joseph … [Read more...]

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

By Gevan Spinney This past January I found myself in the little town of Bethlehem. As I looked over the fields that lay just outside that city my mind began to wonder a bit as I sang to myself those familiar words, "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie." This very spot has found it’s way onto several pages of our bible. It was in this spot that Ruth gleaned in Boaz' field. It was in this spot that David tended his sheep. It was in this same spot the angels announced to the shepherds the "good news of great joy which will be to all people." In each of those instances God used unlikely people to bring Him glory. Ruth was a Gentile girl from Moab, yet God had a plan to weave her unlikely life into His story of redemption. She would become the great-grandmother of King David and Matthew would later include her in his genealogy of the Lord Jesus. David was the unlikeliest of Jesse’s boys to be anointed king. He wasn’t even invited into the house when the prophet Samuel came. It wasn’t until all of his seven older brothers were paraded by the prophet, that they sent for David in that Bethlehem field. The one anointed that day was the ruddy, bright-eyed, song-writing shepherd; with the heart … [Read more...]

The trouble with “Joy to the World”

By John J. Frady Some of our most beloved Christmas songs, when you stop to consider the lyrics, are not really about Christmas. Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland are more about the winter season than they are about Christmas. My Favorite Things is from the musical The Sound of Music and takes place when children are frightened by a storm. Finally, Let It Snow and Baby It’s Cold Outside are about…well…not Christmas, that’s for sure. And then, there’s the beloved Christmas carol Joy To The World, which as it turns out, is not really about Christmas at all. Joy To The World, sung mostly at Christmastime, has more to do with the second coming of Jesus than the first. Isaac Watts, the English poet and originator of the lyrics, draws the song’s initial inspiration, not from the birth of Jesus narrative in Luke 2, but from Psalm 98. He paraphrased Psalm 98 in his collection titled The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Joy to the World was taken from his portion titled The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom based on the following from the King James Version: Make a joy noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the … [Read more...]

I’ll be gone for Christmas?

By Stewart Holloway Home is where Christmas memories are made. Whether it’s at mom and dad’s, grandma and grandpa’s, our in-laws, or someone else’s place, home is where Christmas memories are made. That’s why we want to be home for Christmas. In fact, this longing prompts 100 million Americans to travel every year and inspires artists to write songs and movies about being home for Christmas. Yet, there are challenges with that longing. In 1943, Bing Crosby recorded “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The short, 8-line song touched the hearts of Americans who had loved ones serving overseas during WWII as well as G.I.’s who heard it around the globe. The promise is made “I’ll be home for Christmas” but then the reality is admitted, “If only in my dreams.” That’s true for many of us – we can’t go home – or we can only do so in our dreams. Maybe you always went to grandma’s house for Christmas – but now grandma has gone to be with Jesus, and you can’t go there anymore. Maybe you moved from the house you called home. Maybe your parents have passed away and there is no home to go back to. Maybe you just can’t go home because of work or you can’t afford to travel. Perhaps you’re on the other side of the issue - someone you want to … [Read more...]

Zenoria rebuilds from flood, builds again from growth

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ZENORIA – Twenty-one months after a historic flood destroyed the facilities of Zenoria Baptist Church, a new day has come for the congregation. Nine feet of water from the Little River submerged the campus, March 11, 2016, and members dedicated a new worship center and education space exactly one year later. Now they have to build again, this time to expand because of growth, primarily from baptisms. The congregation has baptized four new believers, so far, this year, growing to 41 persons who faithfully take part in Sunday morning service, and they sense more are on the way. Pastor Joel Johnson told the Baptist Message expanded facilities are needed to expand the congregation’s ministries. Two Sunday school classrooms are being built, and the fellowship hall is being “up-sized,” with plans to build a cooking shed as well.   Johnson said despite the tragedy of the flood, many good things have resulted, especially with regard to the love expressed to this small community of believers, just 10 miles outside of Jena.   When the congregation decided not to “close the doors” after the flood, the Jena Band of Choctaws offered them a temporary meeting … [Read more...]

Activate peace

By Steve Horn This year at Christmas, in our church, we are on a journey to Activate Advent. Yesterday (Dec. 10), we talked about the idea of “peace.” Peace has always been associated with Christmas. Such was the case on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 1914. The German troops and the Allied troops participated in a Christmas Truce in the middle of World War I. Though versions of exactly what happened are sketchy, the common thread in most accounts is that peace, albeit short-lived, happened in the name of Christmas. German and Allied troops sang carols together, exchanged gifts, and more than one account suggests that they had a friendly game of soccer. Christmas songs long for peace in the midst of war. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is from a poem by William Wadsworth Longfellow in the Days of America’s Civil War. “Do You Hear What I Hear” was written during the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. We long for peace—peace with our past, peace with others, and ultimately with God. Isaiah prophesied the Messiah to be the Prince of Peace. The angels sang of peace. Jesus declared that “in Him” was peace. Jesus offered a greeting of peace to the one history has called “Doubting Thomas.” Paul counseled to let the … [Read more...]

Searcy prays big, God blesses big

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer TROUT, La. (LBM) - Searcy Baptist Church had planned in 2013 to build a new worship center on a four acre plot adjoining its campus. But God had even bigger plans for the congregation, leading a local businessman in 2016 to donate 30 acres of land less than a mile away. Dedicated Nov. 19, this year, the new facility (nearly 15,000 square feet under roof) includes a worship center with a seating capacity of 299, education space, an office suite and a fellowship area. The former facility contained fewer than 5,000 square feet of floor space. Pastor Reid Terry told the Baptist Message that God revealed Himself to the congregation in miraculous ways along the journey to the expansive campus. Meeting in January 2016 to discuss adding onto the old campus, church leaders prayed God would confirm their decision through a large donation to help jumpstart the building process. Within a month, a businessman (who attended a church breakfast for oil field workers in February 2014) informed the congregation that he wanted to donate land, and lots of it. “We just believed God would do something great and He did,” Terry said. “Within the month, this 30 acre property that we’re on now was … [Read more...]