Pastor's Corner

As part of the pre-game activities at the Army–Navy football game a formal "prisoner exchange" takes place. The prisoners are the cadets and midshipmen who spent the entire semester studying at the sister academy. In other words, they left their academy to live with their most intense football rivals for an entire semester. As they rejoined their friends they were embraced with great celebration.

Watching this tradition, I was reminded that Jesus left His Heavenly home to come live among us. He didn't do it for a semester but for many years. He left His glory to become a baby and share in the struggles of being human. He traded His comfort for the suffering of the cross. He exchanged His glory to be rejected by mankind. He gave up life to experience the death we deserved. He did all of this to be our Savior. "He came to His own and His own received Him not. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not recognize Him" John 1:10-11.

Merry Christmas Jesus! We celebrate You!

Pastor Greg Brownell

United Brethren Church

Dayton, Wash.