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December 27, 2014

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Church & Worship, Holidays & Holy Days, Knowing Him

IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. … But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” [John 4:21,23-24 (NLT)]

Christmas night we drove through a nearby neighborhood, famed for its holiday display of lights and decorations. A steady stream of cars and golf carts slowly drove through the streets, admiring the over-the-top displays of candy canes, Santa, elves, snowmen, illuminated trees, reindeer, and sleighs. The sounds of holiday songs came from several loudspeakers, cheerful neighbors gathered around outdoor fire-pits roasting marshmallows, and homeowners waved at passersby while shouting holiday greetings. Amidst this wonderland of festive holiday decorations, we noticed a home with a lovely nativity display. What caught my eye, however, was the make-shift altar set up in their side yard. Illuminated only by two candles, a simple cross and a communion set lay on the altar. Family and friends were gathered together in worship, commemorating our Lord’s birth by celebrating in His last supper.

How clearly this scene points out that we are in God’s house and able to worship Him no matter what the setting: even with the strains of “Jingle Bells” heard in the background and surrounded by inflated Santas, snowmen and an endless line of cars. I’ve attended church services at elaborate European cathedrals, simple rural chapels, ski lodges, inner city storefronts, parks,  and the beach. I’ve joined worship in living, dorm and hospital rooms, gyms, drive-ins, suburban mega-churches, and even an indoor skate-board park. I’ve sat on sofas, centuries old pews, folding chairs, picnic benches, and cushy auditorium seats. God was present every time. Where we worship is of no matter; that we worship is! Every place is sacred because God is truly everywhere.

For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. [Matthew 18:20 (NLT)]

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December 25, 2014

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Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Salvation: A New You

HE CAME FOR US ALL – Christmas Day 2014

ccbc-11-30j-0439redWEBPut on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. [Colossians 3:10-11 (NLT)]

Most of us probably just skim through those long genealogies found in the Old Testament. Matthew’s gospel, the beginning of the New Testament, also starts with genealogy, and for a very good reason. Since the promised Messiah had to be a descendant of Abraham and from the House of David, Matthew had to go through Jesus’ family tree to firmly establish His lineage. By doing so, he proved that Jesus’ genealogy fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s line. What Matthew didn’t have to do was mention women in his list of ancestors. In fact, women were rarely mentioned in genealogy, yet Matthew mentions five of them by name. Moreover, the women mentioned were hardly the type about which a good Jew would boast!

We start with Tamar. The widowed Tamar was done wrong by her father-in-law Judah, so she took matters into her hands and duped him into having sex with her, resulting in the births of Perez and Zerah. That’s a blemish on the family tree, to say the least, but nothing when compared to the next woman mentioned: Rahab. She may have been the heroine who saved Joshua’s spies in Jericho, but she was also a Canaanite prostitute. Now there’s a blot on the pedigree of the Prince of Peace. Ruth is the next woman mentioned. We know her as the widowed woman who accompanied her mother-in-law back to Judah. She was, however, a Moabite. Because they’d opposed the Israelites, her people had been cursed and they were never to be helped. She’s not really the ancestor you’d expect of the man who came to save the Jews. We then come to Bathsheba, the beautiful adulteress, whose husband was murdered by King David. We’ve got the plot line of a soap opera now. We finish with Mary, the mother of Jesus: a poor young girl who became pregnant before marriage!

Matthew mentions only these five women: a woman who used sex to trick a man, a prostitute from Canaan, a cursed Moabite, an adulteress, and an unwed mother! Why them and no one else? There must have been a few upstanding women along the line whose reputations were without blemish. Perhaps Matthew chose to mention them to make clear to us that Jesus came for all people: men and women, rich and poor, strong and weak, honored and disgraced, respectable and notorious, Jews and Gentiles. Sinners all, He came to save each and every one of us and to make us members of the same family! Thank you, God, for the Christmas gift of salvation for all who believe.

 In Christ there is no East or West, In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth.
In Him shall true hearts everywhere Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord, Close binding humankind.
Join hands, then, members of the faith, Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child Is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both East and West, In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him Throughout the whole wide earth.
[“In Christ There is no East or West” by Will­iam Dunk­er­ley, 1908]

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. [Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)]

Wishing you and yours a joy filled holiday.  May the blessings of our Lord shower down upon you.

 

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December 22, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

HIS MEGAPHONE

Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. [2 Corinthians 7:9-10a (MSG)]

I admit it; sometimes I’m really foolish! About three weeks ago, I felt pain in my ankle. Hoping it would simply go away, I continued to work out and power walk. When it continued to ache, I tried the old standards of rest, ice, compression, elevation and ibuprofen but there was no improvement. Each morning, I expected a miracle cure and every day I was disappointed. Did I do the obvious thing and call a physician? Of course not! It took nearly three weeks for me to accept that since it wasn’t getting any better, it was only getting worse. I finally went to a doctor and a stress fracture was quickly diagnosed. Now, I get to wear denim leggings and a knee-high inflatable boot cast to holiday parties instead of my new high heels and red party dress!

Back to the “foolish” part: of course, it was unwise of me to delay seeing a physician. I’d even gotten the name of a foot and ankle specialist a week earlier! Moreover, the day I hurt myself, my morning’s reading had referred to pain as God’s megaphone. Apparently, those words did not register! Pain may be His way of getting our attention but God had to shout at me long and hard before I finally listened

There are many who are in excruciating pain and are doing all that is possible to alleviate it; I am not minimizing their suffering. There are, however, many more of us who remain unnecessarily in pain, simply because we aren’t listening to what the pain is telling us and are unwilling to do what we should to relieve it.

We all tend to ignore pain. For me it was a sore ankle, but for others it can be much worse. It may be the pain of a crumbling marriage or death of a loved one, a child’s addiction, severe depression, a lump in one’s breast or tightness in one’s chest, an abusive or co-dependent relationship. Others may ignore the pain of unemployment, an alcoholic spouse, precarious finances, unpaid bills, failing grades or legal difficulties. We foolishly think the pain of these problems will magically disappear if we just ignore them. They won’t! We won’t wake tomorrow suddenly untroubled and unbruised, in a good mood, free of debt or cancer, with a healthy heart, passing grades, or a new job.

Pain is, indeed, God’s megaphone. It is His way of telling us to admit we’re hurting and need help. As we seek God, we need to ask Him what our pain means and what things He expects us to do to improve our condition. God may be telling us to change bad habits, leave abusive or unhealthy relationships, or to stop spending or enabling. We may have to seek medical help or spiritual guidance, start studying or search for ways to get better. Professional help, support groups, counselling or major changes in our behavior and attitudes may be necessary to relieve our pain.

Are you in pain? If so, what might He be saying to you? Is there something He wants you to learn? Is there something He wants you to do? Have you committed the situation to Him? Listen and let Him lead.

Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. [From “The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis]

Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” [From “The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis]

Show me how you work, God; School me in your ways.  Take me by the hand; Lead me down the path of truth. You are my Savior, aren’t you? [Psalm 25:4-5 (MSG)]

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December 15, 2014

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Love & Works, Miracles

HOLY STROLLERS!

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Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night. [Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 (MSG)]

I’d like to share a story that is making the rounds on the Internet:

Years ago, a little boy was shocked when his sister told him there was no Santa. Tearfully, he went to his grandmother and told her of his disappointment. She quickly assured him that Santa existed; in fact, she would prove it to him. The two got into her car and drove to the local department store. Instead of visiting the store Santa, as he expected they would, his grandmother gave him $10 and told him to use it to purchase a gift for someone who needed one. Alone in the store, the boy pondered who should get a gift. Finally he decided on Robby, a boy in his classroom. Robby never went out at recess; although he said it was because he had a cough, everyone knew it was because he didn’t have a warm coat. The boy picked out a lovely red coat and brought it to the clerk with his money. He excitedly told her that it was a gift for a boy in his class who didn’t have a coat. She took all of his money and bagged up the coat.

Once home, Grandma removed the price tag, tucked it into her Bible, and helped her grandson box and wrap the coat. That evening the boy and his grandma went to Robby’s house and placed the beautifully packaged gift at the front door, rang the bell and hid behind the bushes. The joy they felt when Robby answered the door and picked up the box convinced the boy that Santa did, indeed, exist and that he and his grandma were on Santa’s team. That little boy is now a grown man. He still has Grandma’s Bible; the coat’s price tag of $19.95 is still in it.

IMG_0984WEBSunday, I saw proof of Santa and the spirit of Christmas when our church provided strollers for a nearby social service agency. (See “WHAT SHOULD WE DO?”) The agency needed at least sixty strollers; our pastor promised one hundred. There were a few Scrooges this morning as the first few strollers rolled in. “Have you priced strollers lately?” someone asked. “How would we ever get one hundred?” asked another. Well, we didn’t get one hundred. We actually got nearly two hundred. Along with strollers, there were gifts of food, toys and diapers. This truly was the spirit of Christmas. Santa is alive and well in south Florida. Praise God!

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.  [Janice Maeditere]

 They err who think Santa Claus comes down through the chimney; he really enters through the heart. [Mrs. Paul M. Ell]

Update: Sunday, December 21, our pastor announced that 251 strollers had been donated!

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December 13, 2014

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Holidays & Holy Days, Joy, Love & Works, Today: Make it Count, Worry

JOY TO YOU

IMG_0762AwebTo you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May blessing and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. [1 Thessalonians 1:1 (TLB)]

Now that the Christmas season is in full swing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed instead of over-joyed. Priorities get out of whack, deadlines loom, and both finances and relationships are strained. There never seems to be enough time or money for what we want to do. Gifts have to be purchased, packages mailed, cookies baked, cards sent, letters written, stockings hung, trees trimmed, homes cleaned, reservations made, and parties attended. The purpose of Christmas is not about our ability to channel Martha Stewart, the beauty of our decorations, the length of our Christmas card list, or how much money we managed to save on Black Friday. Christmas has nothing to do with the number of gifts we’ve purchased and wrapped; it’s about the gift of God’s amazing grace that was once wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem. It has nothing to do with the number of lights festooning our yards and houses; Christmas is about the gift of God’s son: the everlasting light that came into the world!

Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us. … Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives. [Pope Benedict XVI]

Later, in one of his talks, Jesus said to the people, “I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” [John 8:12 (TLB)]

 

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December 11, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God

THE BROKENHEARTED

Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. …  I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. [Jeremiah 33:3,29:11 (GW)]

Be strong, all who wait with hope for the Lord, and let your heart be courageous. Psalm 21:24 (GW)

12-11-14 al WEB
Suicide has been on my mind lately: not my suicide, but that of others. After a life-long battle with mental illness, the son of a well-known pastor and author, shot himself. A young mother, terminally ill from brain cancer, publicly chose to determine the day and way of her death. A famed comedian, suffering from dementia and depression, hung himself. While in a dumpster, a young football player, suffering from disorientation and mood swings, ended his life with a gun. I cannot judge their actions; I can only pray for their survivors.

Last week, a young man from our church also took his life. Like many of us, he’d made some poor choices. He’d messed up and hurt the people he loved. Perhaps he was sick at heart and burdened with guilt, regret or embarrassment; perhaps he could face neither his past nor his future. I don’t know and I cannot judge his actions. I can, however, pray for his survivors.

The one thing all these people had in common was loss of hope. Pain, mental illness, disease, brain lesions, depression, dementia, guilt, regret and more had blinded them to hope. Christian hope is the knowledge that no matter what the circumstances, we’re being changed for the better. To do that, however, we must trust in God and his promises. Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances keep people from seeing God’s light in the darkness of their souls, believing God’s plan in the terribleness of their circumstances, accepting God’s love and forgiveness in repugnance at their own behavior, or thanking God for all things.

Sadly, these deaths were not isolated occurrences. Globally, every three seconds someone attempts to take his or her life and every suicide leaves behind six to eight survivors. The loss of a loved one to suicide is devastating; I wish could take away the survivors’ pain, but I can’t. As Christians, however, what we can do is offer hope: prayers, love, comfort and the support of our community.

What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God. [Rick Warren]

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. [Psalm 34:18 (NLT)]

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15:13 (GW)]