In the next two chapters Raymond focuses on those who have nothing to give and those who are weak before turning to those who still sin, people like you and me who have been saved by his grace but who still commit deeds that are so very rebellious and so very dark. “Run your finger across the pages of the Bible, and you find many examples to prove that God delights to lavish his forgiveness on sinners.

We are at an interesting point in history in which, when people look to the past, they seem more likely to cringe than to celebrate. It has become customary for people to look to their forbears and then disavow them or apologize for them in what has become almost a ritualistic purgation. There are many who are ashamed of their roots, ashamed of their family, embarrassed to admit who and where they have come from.
But isn’t it interesting that this is not the case with God? God has been adopting people into his family for thousands of years and along the way has welcomed many whose pasts are shady at best and scandalous at worst. And despite their sins, despite their scandals, he loves them and refuses to turn away from them. God’s enduring and unashamed love for his people is the subject of Erik Raymond’s new book He Is Not Ashamed.
If we were to assemble a great portrait of God’s family, “we’d find people with unflattering stories. Some are known as the chief of sinners, the sinful woman, the thief on the cross, and the prostitute. We’d also see those who were overlooked and disregarded by society. We’d find weak people unable to give God anything. We’d even see those who wore the uniform of opposition to God. Here in the portrait of grace, we’d find a multitude of misfits. It would be quite the picture.” It would be the kind of picture we might be embarrassed to hang on the walls of our homes. Yet in the very middle of this picture we’d find Jesus, the very best of men, standing side-by-side with some of the very worst. “At first glance, we might think that Jesus doesn’t belong with people like this. What business does majesty have with outcasts? But poring over the Scriptures, we see something else. In this family photo, Jesus may seem out of place, but in reality he’s exactly where he belongs. Even more, he’s right where he wants to be. Instead of being ashamed of them, he calls them family.”
In this book, Raymond examines the kind of people who would be included in this portrait which is to say, the kind of people God delights to identify with. And thankfully, “nobody has a story that can make Jesus blush” for his heart is oriented toward those who need him most, no matter what they may have done or how they may have sinned.
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The atheistic worldview is literally that the universe came into existence from absolutely nothing producing hydrogen and helium gas and a little bit of lithium. Then given sufficient time it produced all the elements in the universe and all life including you and me. All unguided, defying the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics all the way. It is totally delusional and the evidence, as discussed, points to the Creator. The Satanic Climate Change Cult has no knowledge of the Creator who designed the Earth, Sun, and solar system for life on this planet. It was no accident! All forms of energy are gifts from God. 

The Satanic Climate Change Cult would have you believe that you need to commit suicide to ‘save the planet’ because the sources of clean safe energy are so few. If we use anything but wind, solar and hydro we’ll destroy our planet by catastrophic heating and global boiling. But that is a devilish lie.
Let’s put this into a proper perspective.
In the beginning, God created energy from which He formed the whole universe. He created numerous sources of energy for humanity because life on Earth needs abundant energy sources. Below you’ll see it is no accident that we have it available on the same planet we live on.
Many of you may know the famous equation E = mc2 derived by Albert Einstein. The equation shows us the equivalence of matter (m) and energy (E) where the parameter c is the canonical speed of light, a universal constant. Therefore we can state that matter is a form of energy. Energy from the sun, from nuclear reactors, and nuclear bombs is evidence that matter is convertible into radiant energy. The fact that the value of c2 is such a large number tells us that an enormous amount of energy may be derived from a tiny amount of matter.
We can thus conclude that energy may be divided into three states (photons/radiation, matter and plasma) in addition to gravitational energy. More on this below.
Energy was providentially given to us in a form available to do work. Without this property, it is essentially useless. This field of study in physics is called Thermodynamics. ‘Thermo’ means related to heat and ‘dynamics’ means motion. Without this type of energy, life could not exist. Life needs to move and without heat, it dies.
The form of the energy provided to us means we can extract useful work from it. As it is used that energy is converted into a form that can no longer do work and the universe tends to a cold uniform temperature.
In physics geek talk we say the universe was created in a low entropy state. It means it started off in an ordered state with useful available energy. It was not chaotic and disordered. But how did it start off this way?
It certainly was not from the big bang! The big bang never happened!  It can only be alleged from an atheistic worldview. And so much evidence has now accumulated against that non-biblical worldview. It is really just a fairy tale for children. Sorry, … but it is too scary for children. They wouldn’t believe it anyway. See 20 Big Bang Busting Bloopers.
The concept of energy rises from the first law of thermodynamics and the concept of entropy from the second law of thermodynamics. The second law effects are very familiar as we all see processes that create disorder, e.g. when ice melts or wood burns etc. An increase in entropy is inexorable and defines the flow or arrow of time.
From a study of thermodynamics, we learn that the state of the universe came only from the intelligent Mind of the Creator. It cannot come from materialism, i.e. from only matter and energy.
This has been acknowledged by intelligent reasoning physicists. I quote here from one of my old university-level physics texts on thermodynamics wherein the authors wrote:
“… we see the second law of thermodynamics as a description of the prior and continuing work of the creator, who also holds the answer to our future destiny and that of the universe.” (my emphasis added)
Richard E. Sonntag and Gordon J. Van Wylen, 1982, Introduction to Thermodynamics, Classical and Statistical, 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, page 271.
The biblical worldview supports the fact that the Creator of the universe providentially created all energy and placed it in the universe in a low entropy state. That is, He created it in the useful forms needed for life.
You’ll note we call this 2nd law a law because it is never broken. There is no way to defeat it except by intelligent design (like a refrigerator), and never by random chance processes.
Gravitation is worth mentioning here. Gravitational energy was created concomitant with the creation of the solar system with a central star, the Sun, and planets bound together by Newton’s invisible force, or, as Einstein’s General Relativity theory describes it, a geometric property of spacetime.
The Sun was imbued with all forms of energy. It appears to be mostly comprised of hydrogen, helium and heavier elements undergoing thermonuclear reactions. The planets derive their energy in all forms from the Sun.
The planets were created with some nuclear unstable elements that decay (i.e. increase entropy) producing nuclear radiation including gamma rays and energetic particles. It is from these decay processes that some scientists claim the age of the earth is 5 billion years. But without knowing the initial conditions, including amounts of initial elements in the rocks, such a conclusion is impossible.
However it is worth mentioning that some nuclear reactors are natural. A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions occur. The Oklo natural nuclear reactor is such and was discovered in Gabon in 1972 by scientists from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) while prospecting for uranium in the region.
Heavy elements like Uranium-238 were created in the crust of the planet as a fuel source. This form of uranium is a natural nuclear fission fuel source. The Oklo reactor is natural. So you should never believe the Climate Change cultists who say we should only use natural renewable energy and that excludes nuclear.
But solar and wind are not renewable! The 2nd law proves that. And that is evidenced by the fact that their idols like solar panels, lithium batteries, windmill propellers, bearings etc have limited life spans.
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The presence of God, represented by the angel Gabriel, appeared to Zechariah and to Mary. Next, we see the presence of God with an unnamed angel who proclaims Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. God interrupted their humble job as caretakers of sheep, which led to their assignment as the first evangelists to share the good news. As the Theology of Work Bible Commentary (vol. 4) notes,  “God is able to break into the midst of everyday life with his goodness and glory.”

In this Advent season, we celebrate the birth of Immanuel, who brought God’s presence to us. As we live in between Jesus’s first and second comings, the reality of his presence affects every aspect of our lives at church, at home, and at work.
Luke’s version of the Christmas story offers glimpses of men and women of faith—ordinary workers, like you and me—who illustrate the repeated biblical connection between God’s presence and human work, which I call Immanuel labor. I invite you to join me as I unpack their stories, share some observations, and consider how to apply these principles to experience God’s presence at work.
Zechariah’s Work
The first character Luke introduces us to in the Christmas story is Zechariah, an ordinary priest. His wife, Elizabeth, was barren (we also later learn she is a close relative of Mary, Jesus’ mother). When Zechariah was doing his duty serving in the temple, he was randomly chosen to burn incense. Luke tells us that there, in the middle of carrying out his job, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, announcing that Elizabeth would bear a son who would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk. 1:5-17).
This divine encounter undoubtedly enabled Zechariah to continue his priestly work in a new light, but it also gave him a new role: the father of the boy who would grow up to be John the Baptist. As we consider how God’s presence with Zechariah might apply to us, perhaps our most significant contributions to God’s Kingdom are not what we accomplish, but what God will do through the children we raise.
Mary’s Faith 
Like Zechariah, Mary is an example of an ordinary parent raising an extraordinary son—and thus another great example of God’s presence connecting with human work. However, Mary’s faith in God was deeper and her work far more profound.
God was present with Mary as the Holy Spirit came upon her at Jesus’s conception (Lk. 1:35). God was present while she was in labor to deliver the Deliverer. Through the pain of childbirth that Eve was cursed with in Genesis 3:16, Jesus was born so that we could be born again. God was present with her as Jesus’ loving mother as she worked daily to meet his human needs.
In reading Mary’s song of praise (Lk. 1:46-55), we see that she not only understood God’s omnipresence with his chosen people, but that she had experienced his presence personally.
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