May God Be With You
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23 New International Version
I am eagerly anticipating the events of Christmas. I am looking forward to talking to my daughter on Christmas day. I am looking forward to dinners with friends, watching the same seasonal movies and giving Christmas dinner to those in need. I can’t wait till the candlelit service at church where Ursula and I will sing old favorites like The First Noel and Silent Night. All of these things among others make up the most of my seasonal celebration. But it wasn’t always this way.
I remember so vividly the night I stood at the top of a bridge and started planning. The late October wind was signaling the onset of winter. The cool night air seemed to whisper a dark message through my pain and isolation that there was only one answer. I remember standing there, looking over the edge and my mind flashing images that, if I had to guess, were future events of what might happen if I stayed among the living. I saw myself speaking on the phone, eating dinner with friends, and sitting with a woman, the two of us holding candles and singing. I think I was lucky that day. Or was it more than luck that I walked away instead of jumping from that bridge? Maybe it was a bit of shame mixed with fear. The shame came from planning to throw away something that is incredibly precious to God. The fear came from worry over the consequences of not bringing the plan to completion.
I think that I left that bridge with Immanuel. I was not yet aware of what or who was with me, but in retrospect, I am sure that God was with me. When I take in a verse like this and think of its meaning, I can’t help but see something so much more special and personal: when I stood on that bridge, I was without something, and when I walked away, I had something.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Electric Jesus
Electric Jesus
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 New International Version
What is Christmas to you? Is it a few days off from work? Is it a time to celebrate? Or maybe Christmas is a hassle to you. Maybe it is troublesome because you have to prepare extra food, there are gifts to buy and you have to contend with difficult relatives. I think some people divorce Jesus from Christmas and call it Xmas or Holiday Season as a crude attempt to be respectful of the beliefs of others. Maybe some remove Christ from Christmas to hide their own atheism. Or maybe Christmas is nothing more than something I saw while checking out the Christmas décor of some neighbors. I saw an illuminated nativity scene. Jesus was flickering and about to go out. Joseph and the black dude were missing. I wondered if my neighbors were trying to make a political statement or if they were so lazy they set out an incomplete and barely working set.
I think that Christmas is more than an illuminated baby Jesus in the middle of an incomplete nativity scene. I think Christmas is when we remember that Jesus was a real and living man. But that he was also the real and living God that made His dwelling place among us; that He was and still is full of grace and truth. I think Christmas is when we remember that God loaned out His son for thirty-three years, and in the end dropped him on a cross for the expressed purpose of buying us back (Isaiah 53:5). Back into His good graces and into a relationship of peace, prosperity, and goodwill.
I think it odd how people might see an electric Jesus on someone’s lawn and think that is all there is to Christmas. I think that Jesus was born to buy us out of our sin condition. And if I am right, it makes sense that these few days in the Christmas season should be a time of celebrating and of comfort and joy--tidings of comfort and joy.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 New International Version
What is Christmas to you? Is it a few days off from work? Is it a time to celebrate? Or maybe Christmas is a hassle to you. Maybe it is troublesome because you have to prepare extra food, there are gifts to buy and you have to contend with difficult relatives. I think some people divorce Jesus from Christmas and call it Xmas or Holiday Season as a crude attempt to be respectful of the beliefs of others. Maybe some remove Christ from Christmas to hide their own atheism. Or maybe Christmas is nothing more than something I saw while checking out the Christmas décor of some neighbors. I saw an illuminated nativity scene. Jesus was flickering and about to go out. Joseph and the black dude were missing. I wondered if my neighbors were trying to make a political statement or if they were so lazy they set out an incomplete and barely working set.
I think that Christmas is more than an illuminated baby Jesus in the middle of an incomplete nativity scene. I think Christmas is when we remember that Jesus was a real and living man. But that he was also the real and living God that made His dwelling place among us; that He was and still is full of grace and truth. I think Christmas is when we remember that God loaned out His son for thirty-three years, and in the end dropped him on a cross for the expressed purpose of buying us back (Isaiah 53:5). Back into His good graces and into a relationship of peace, prosperity, and goodwill.
I think it odd how people might see an electric Jesus on someone’s lawn and think that is all there is to Christmas. I think that Jesus was born to buy us out of our sin condition. And if I am right, it makes sense that these few days in the Christmas season should be a time of celebrating and of comfort and joy--tidings of comfort and joy.
Friday, December 17, 2010
It Takes One to Know One
It Takes One to Know One
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.
Romans 2:1 New Living Translation
One thing that gives me the creeps about sin is that I can be involved in it and sometimes point the finger at others for doing the same things. Maybe this is possible because when I think of sin, I usually think big. Sin has to be extreme in its expression of greed, hate, theft, backstabbing, gossip, lust, or murder. But the truth is that sin does not need to be expansive and newsworthy; it can be subtle. So subtle in fact that I may be in the act at almost any moment and not know it. Yes, I can and do sin any time. Sometimes I sin while I am in church, at work, or even while watching television. But I know for sure that sin is creeping up on me when I am angry at others for their behavior. When I see someone else’s sin and I begin pointing it out; my anger is usually not inspired by God. My violent reaction to the sin of others is because sometimes I am guilty of it too. I can see their sin so easily because I’ve done it, or am doing it. I believe it is true when people say that it takes one to know one. As one who is well acquainted with his sins, I am keenly aware of the intricacies involved. Sometimes I see it in the way a person responds, or it is in the way they carry themselves. I can see it because I’ve done it.
How do you respond to the sins of others? Do you dispense the truth with a large measure of grace, or are you overly critical and cynical? Maybe the next time you are keenly aware of someone’s failure, also take the time to see your own. Then, when you are fully aware of your sin and you have asked for forgiveness, see to the needs of others. You know, Jesus said the same thing in regards to sin correction. He said that we should take the log out of our own eye before trying to remove a speck of sawdust from someone else’s eye. Do you think that a healthy account of your own sin will affect the way you decide to minister to others?
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.
Romans 2:1 New Living Translation
One thing that gives me the creeps about sin is that I can be involved in it and sometimes point the finger at others for doing the same things. Maybe this is possible because when I think of sin, I usually think big. Sin has to be extreme in its expression of greed, hate, theft, backstabbing, gossip, lust, or murder. But the truth is that sin does not need to be expansive and newsworthy; it can be subtle. So subtle in fact that I may be in the act at almost any moment and not know it. Yes, I can and do sin any time. Sometimes I sin while I am in church, at work, or even while watching television. But I know for sure that sin is creeping up on me when I am angry at others for their behavior. When I see someone else’s sin and I begin pointing it out; my anger is usually not inspired by God. My violent reaction to the sin of others is because sometimes I am guilty of it too. I can see their sin so easily because I’ve done it, or am doing it. I believe it is true when people say that it takes one to know one. As one who is well acquainted with his sins, I am keenly aware of the intricacies involved. Sometimes I see it in the way a person responds, or it is in the way they carry themselves. I can see it because I’ve done it.
How do you respond to the sins of others? Do you dispense the truth with a large measure of grace, or are you overly critical and cynical? Maybe the next time you are keenly aware of someone’s failure, also take the time to see your own. Then, when you are fully aware of your sin and you have asked for forgiveness, see to the needs of others. You know, Jesus said the same thing in regards to sin correction. He said that we should take the log out of our own eye before trying to remove a speck of sawdust from someone else’s eye. Do you think that a healthy account of your own sin will affect the way you decide to minister to others?
Friday, December 10, 2010
An Unexpected Continuation
An Unexpected Continuation
For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
Acts 28:30-31 New Living Translation
This was a weird way to end the story! Why build up to something and then stop it abruptly? In the final chapters of Acts, we can see that the religious gas bags have mobbed Paul and intend to kill him. A “death vow” is made by more religious boneheads to ambush Paul and murder him. Paul, on his way to Rome for the final showdown, is shipwrecked. After a snake bite and a three month layover Gilligan’s Island style, Paul and his companions finally make it to Rome and . . . well . . . he just goes on preaching. That sort of seems like the let down of all endings. I expected Paul to do a miracle, or convince a whole town to become Christians, or do something totally unexpected. But the end was lackluster, I think, for a perfectly good reason.
The end of Acts has not actually happened. You and I are the continuing story of Acts. We keep the story going by praying for, teaching, healing, loving and telling others of Jesus. When we tell our personal stories of how Jesus saves us we are taking part in the ministry to reach the world that is lead by the Holy Spirit. The final words in Acts, “And no one tried to stop him,” bring to mind that no one can stop the spread of the good news except those of us that have learned it, live it, and hide it. How are you continuing the story?
For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
Acts 28:30-31 New Living Translation
This was a weird way to end the story! Why build up to something and then stop it abruptly? In the final chapters of Acts, we can see that the religious gas bags have mobbed Paul and intend to kill him. A “death vow” is made by more religious boneheads to ambush Paul and murder him. Paul, on his way to Rome for the final showdown, is shipwrecked. After a snake bite and a three month layover Gilligan’s Island style, Paul and his companions finally make it to Rome and . . . well . . . he just goes on preaching. That sort of seems like the let down of all endings. I expected Paul to do a miracle, or convince a whole town to become Christians, or do something totally unexpected. But the end was lackluster, I think, for a perfectly good reason.
The end of Acts has not actually happened. You and I are the continuing story of Acts. We keep the story going by praying for, teaching, healing, loving and telling others of Jesus. When we tell our personal stories of how Jesus saves us we are taking part in the ministry to reach the world that is lead by the Holy Spirit. The final words in Acts, “And no one tried to stop him,” bring to mind that no one can stop the spread of the good news except those of us that have learned it, live it, and hide it. How are you continuing the story?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Holy Hankies?
Holy Hankies?
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:11-12 New International Version
I’m sorry, Holy Spirit . . . .
I need to apologize to the Holy Spirit up front and confess my sin. My sin is that during the original writing for this verse, I was sarcastic. I was making a comical story over the unusual way God’s Spirit (or the Spirit of Jesus as He is called in Acts 16:7) moved and healed many. I made mention that it seemed silly that God would inhabit a napkin or a kerchief to bring healing to someone. I made mention of a religious program on television where they wanted you to mail in a cloth or hankie along with a small donation. The ministry would pray over the cloths and mail them back. And right at that point is when my sin started. I had this sly grin curling itself over my face. I could feel myself not believing that God would work this way. Idiotic ideas popped into my head like, “Does the hankie need to be cotton, or will polyester work? What if all I have is a ripped piece of denim off my jeans, will that suffice?” I was seeing this unusual move of the Spirit as silly and that is where the Holy Spirit convicted me.
I think my joking and attitude about this strange move of the Spirit was my putting down someone’s blessing. If you have mailed out your prayer cloths, and God has blessed you, well . . . , then bless you. If you say it was real, I believe you. It was certainly real for the people that God decided to bless in this situation with Paul. It was and is a unique circumstance. Paul and his crew may have been the only ones for miles that knew God, and this was a very special way for one man to reach a whole town or city. Even though this Holy Spirit endowed napkin thing is unique, I should not be shocked. Unique is nothing new for God. I remember other exceptional moves of God such as Elisha’s bones being filled with enough of God’s power that just a touch brought a man back to life (2 Kings 13:21) and how the Holy Spirit used Peter’s shadow as a healing device (Acts 5:15). I suppose this type of story is telling me that God can move any way He wants, when He wants. He heals so that we can know He sympathizes with our pain, having endured it himself while in the flesh. I think God healed (or heals) so that it acts as a supernatural sign for things to come . . . .
By the way, my knee hurts. Anybody got a hankie? I believe now.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:11-12 New International Version
I’m sorry, Holy Spirit . . . .
I need to apologize to the Holy Spirit up front and confess my sin. My sin is that during the original writing for this verse, I was sarcastic. I was making a comical story over the unusual way God’s Spirit (or the Spirit of Jesus as He is called in Acts 16:7) moved and healed many. I made mention that it seemed silly that God would inhabit a napkin or a kerchief to bring healing to someone. I made mention of a religious program on television where they wanted you to mail in a cloth or hankie along with a small donation. The ministry would pray over the cloths and mail them back. And right at that point is when my sin started. I had this sly grin curling itself over my face. I could feel myself not believing that God would work this way. Idiotic ideas popped into my head like, “Does the hankie need to be cotton, or will polyester work? What if all I have is a ripped piece of denim off my jeans, will that suffice?” I was seeing this unusual move of the Spirit as silly and that is where the Holy Spirit convicted me.
I think my joking and attitude about this strange move of the Spirit was my putting down someone’s blessing. If you have mailed out your prayer cloths, and God has blessed you, well . . . , then bless you. If you say it was real, I believe you. It was certainly real for the people that God decided to bless in this situation with Paul. It was and is a unique circumstance. Paul and his crew may have been the only ones for miles that knew God, and this was a very special way for one man to reach a whole town or city. Even though this Holy Spirit endowed napkin thing is unique, I should not be shocked. Unique is nothing new for God. I remember other exceptional moves of God such as Elisha’s bones being filled with enough of God’s power that just a touch brought a man back to life (2 Kings 13:21) and how the Holy Spirit used Peter’s shadow as a healing device (Acts 5:15). I suppose this type of story is telling me that God can move any way He wants, when He wants. He heals so that we can know He sympathizes with our pain, having endured it himself while in the flesh. I think God healed (or heals) so that it acts as a supernatural sign for things to come . . . .
By the way, my knee hurts. Anybody got a hankie? I believe now.
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