"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of goodwill." (Luke 2:14)
A prayer request for the persecuted Church in Turkmenistan: "Pray for unity. The small Christian Community in Turkmenistan is weak due to divisions between various denominations." This was also true of some of the Church in Eastern Europe during communist rule. I have shared this quote before: "Only a fool fights in a burning house."
I could/can never understand why people who are under persecution, literally fighting for their lives against a common enemy, end up fighting among themselves. The American Church also battles this disunity continually.
Our text is integral to the Gospel, Who Is Jesus Christ. Indeed, it was a part of the glorious news to the shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem. May we all be, "....men of goodwill", in 2024 and always.
Father, in Jesus' Name, may You, my Peace, shine forth from me always. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
