Greetings from the Horton clan!
The past few months have been very eventful. While working full-time (and then some), I am also working through the latter part of my Master of Divinity degree via online classes with Moody Theological Seminary (Chicago). In addition, I completed a 6-month transitional interim pastorate at a small local church that is struggling with issues of identity and leadership. To say my plate has been full is an incredible understatement!
But through it all, God is working. He prepared me and equipped me in every circumstance for ministry opportunities, both locally and through Cowboys of the Cross. Then, just as my wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer and expecting surgery to address it, my class load dwindled to half the norm, my interim pastorate ended, and I’ve found myself with time to enjoy and care for my family. God’s sovereignty is clear in every circumstance of my life.
All of this, especially in this time of year, reminds me of the hundreds prophecies given to Israel through its prophets. Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, it was promised that Messiah would be born to a virgin, of the house of David, born in Bethlehem, exiled to Egypt, and all before the second temple period ended in 70 AD…and that’s only a handful of the specific things that were promised and fulfilled in Jesus.
Our God made promises to Israel, and he was faithful to keep those promises. Some of these promises, however, are yet to be fulfilled. We are told that Messiah’s governance would know no end, and that he would rule and reign over all the nations of the earth. Jesus promised that he would return to set up his kingdom, fulfilling those prophecies. Just as surely as we’ve seen hundreds of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, we can trust the Jesus’ promise – and God’s yet unfulfilled promises about Messiah – will also be fulfilled.
What a blessed hope we have! Our King will reign, and his rule will know no end – a rule filled with justice, peace, and righteousness! That is the hope that makes enduring the drudgeries of life more bearable. I pray that you will cling to that hope with me this Christmas season and always! And if, by chance, you find yourself without that hope I’ve described, please contact us at Cowboys of the Cross to find out how you can begin your hope-filled relationship with God; do it now – don’t delay.
Grace & peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Jesse & Sarah Horton & family
Jim Bull
Merry Christmas from the McCarthys!
This has been an exciting year of changes. One of the biggest was getting married this spring to my wife, Julia. She is my biggest supporter and meets the biblical definition of a helpmate. (One specific way she does this is by proofreading all my Cowboys of the Cross articles so y’all can’t tell how bad my grammar really is.)
Another change for me has been gaining a new appreciation for Psalm 50:10 through ranching and cowboying in Idaho’s Salmon River country: “For every
beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
While it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle this time of year, I pray we all take time to reflect on why we are celebrating. During this advent season, I am reminded of the faithfulness of God. Since the third chapter of the Bible, God has promised His people a Savior.
As I have heard it said, the entire Old Testament is like working cows in a set of well-designed corrals; each of God’s covenants narrowed the focus of His promise of a coming Messiah, much as the corral narrows as cattle move toward the chute. The ultimate focus of the covenants, like
this joyful season, is the Savior Jesus Christ. I hope that this Christmas, we can all remember God’s faithful love and grace for His people. Merry Christmas and as always, Soli Deo Gloria!
Scott Hilgendorff
The past several days on social media up until Christmas, I’ve been sharing some “favorite things”. It’s been a chance to share a little more on the personal side and reveal some more of who I am. I may post a lot of goofy content and share some personal anecdotes or thoughts and feelings but outside of teaching or trying to give you guys some devotions to learn from and offering opinions, hopefully with a Biblical slant, on issues we’re facing, I keep a lot of my life pretty quiet. I don’t like the spotlight despite being the one who most often gets to stand in front of some of you leading cowboy church at rodeos and bull ridings.
That’s because it isn’t supposed to be about me. It’s about Jesus, the Savior whose birth we celebrate and recognize through Christmas. Because of that, it becomes a difficult struggle finding ways to get your attention on social media, but using that, ultimately to direct you to the content we prepare to try to teach and disciple you and, most of all, point you to Jesus.
It also isn’t about the ‘things’ I’ve been calling attention to or the ‘things’ that are unwrapped after being displayed under our Christmas trees. Unnoticed by most, I slipped an important Bible verse into the first picture I shared of my Charlie Brown Christmas record and the reflections on the significance that played in my childhood. The verse was Matthew 6:19-21 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It’s a simple caution to remember that what we have here is so temporary and what we should be focused on is Heaven, our eternal home, where we really belong. We celebrate the birth of Christ but we can’t focus on the ‘baby Jesus’. He grew up to be a man who died a horrific death, taking on the punishment of our sins so that with a saving faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, with a repentant heart seeking forgiveness for our sins, we could be reconciled with God and ensured entry to our permanent home in Heaven.
We can get so focused on the ‘stuff’ that we forget, not the birth of Jesus, but its significance. That’s why in Matthew, we’re reminded that our hearts need to be focused heavenward. What a glorious time we have in the Christmas celebrations, as we spend time with friends and family and give and receive gifts, to let ourselves be reminded to do just that, look heavenward and praise and thank God for sending His son. It’s a cliche to say it, but Jesus really is the reason for the season.
Love you guys and look forward to serving you more in 2019.
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