Where is God when it Hurts? God's Response to Suffering

On May 27, I had the honor of addressing the fine congregation at Salem Baptist Church in Dobson, NC. The topic of my sermon was "Where is God when it Hurts? God's Response to Suffering", and my texts were Psalm 137 and Mark 15:33-39. The link below will take you to a video of the 10:45 broadcast of the sermon. I hope it is a blessing to you. Thank you for watching!

Salem Baptist May 27 Service

Freedom and Humility: A Repost

Some time back (about the time I first started writing on this blog), I posted a note on the topic of "Freedom."  Reading through my posts recently, I thought this note might be worthwhile for a re-post with some changes.  I hope it is a blessing to you.

1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (NASU)

“Be not anxious! Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of all anxiety. If our hearts are set on them, our reward is an anxiety whose burden is intolerable. Anxiety creates its own treasures and they in turn beget further care. When we seek for security in possessions we are trying to drive out care with care and the net result is the precise opposite of our anticipations. The fetters which bind us to our possessions prove to be cares themselves.” From The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Phil 3:19-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (NASU)

What does it mean to be free? That isn't really a rhetorical question.

In America we talk of "Freedom" as if it is a birthright or an entitlement. We all want our "rights" protected so that we can pursue whatever petty little thing it is that makes us feel better.

Is this freedom?

I mean, look around us--we are tied to our cares and our anxieties, we are chained to our possessions. We run around anxiously trying to protect the very things that often hold us in the very chains of bondage.

Why do we do that?

Why do we think that a new job, spouse, relationship, haircut, car, movie, boat, home, location, etc. will free us into some kind of blissful realm of happiness?

I don't know that I can answer that, but I am aware of a remedy.

HUMILITY

It doesn't come cheap, and it isn't easy to maintain, but humility will help us break free from bondage.

Look at the Bonhoeffer quote above, then read the passage from Philippians underneath it.

Paul tells us that our citizenship is in another country besides this earthly domain. We don't belong here. Since we don't belong, why do we waste our time buying into the stuff of this place? Why do we bind ourselves to the stuff of earth?

Those who are Christ followers have a home that is not primarily located in this mundane, temporary place. We have a home that is not fully realized yet (to be sure), but one in which we can live to some degree right now. We don't have to wait for Independence Day or Christ's return, we can live in the gracious and overwhelming abundance/liberty of our King now.

Okay, enough preaching. Here's the deal. We were meant to be free with heavenly freedom. We were not meant to be chained up here. Jesus didn't live, die, and get out of the grave just so we could have the latest laptop or so that our kids could enjoy the newest video games.

Jesus lived so that he could grant us true freedom. The freedom he grants liberates us from hanging too tightly to stuff, too selfishly to our own expectations and dreams; and this freedom offers us the chance to be real, to be authentic, to live as we were meant to live.  Christ's gift is to free us from chains of ego and selfishness so that we might live in the liberation of humility.  He puts us all on the same level, and then he loves us with the same gracious and holy love.  Shouldn't we follow his example of humility and love?

When the the light of Jesus shines into our darkness and illuminates the world around us, I think things become more "real" for lack of a better term.  We can see things as they are.  Some of those things may scare us a bit, but with God's help even the broken things can become benefits.  And I admit, there is a part of me that LONGS for that to become reality.  Even so, Lord Jesus, come . . .

Tonio K sings a song that may be appropriate here. The song is entitled "You will go Free."

you've been a prisoner
been a prisoner all your life
held captive in an alien world
where they hold your need for love to your throat like a knife
and they make you jump
and they make you do tricks
they take what started off as such an innocent heart
and they break it and break it and break it
until it almost can't be found

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know how long it's gonna take
i don't know how hard it will be
but i know
you will go free

you can call it the devil
call it the big lie
call it a fallen world
what ever it is it ruins almost everything we try
it's the sins of the fathers
it's the choices we make
it's people screaming without making a sound
from prison cells in paradise
where we're chained to our mistakes

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know how much it's gonna cost you
probably everything
but i know
you will go free

you can't see your jailer
you can't see the bars
you can't turn your head round fast enough
but it's everywhere you are
it's all around you
and everywhere you walk this prison yard surrounds you

but in the midst of all this darkness
in the middle of this night
i see truth cut through this curtain like a laser
like a pure and holy light
and i know i can't touch you now
and i don't want to speak too soon
but when we get sprung
from out of our cages baby
god knows what we might do

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know if you'll be leaving alone
or if you'll be leaving with me
but i know
you will go free

Be free.

Live humbly.

Do justice.

Thanks for reading!

Repost: Easter--What did we really Expect?

A few years ago I wrote the note below as I contemplated the days leading up to Easter Sunday. As I read the note earlier today, I thought it might be worth posting again. I hope it is a blessing to you!

The week before Easter is commonly called "Holy Week" by Christians. During this week we celebrate (is that the right word?) the last week of Jesus' life on earth. People will make pilgrimages to Israel and retrace Jesus' final steps, they will pause at the "rock of agony" and cry where Jesus cried out to God in Gethsemane, they will go to the pit where Jesus was interrogated, they will pause where Jesus supposedly stumbled under the load of his cross, they will visit and contemplate Golgotha, they will visit the empty tomb, and they will weep and cry and mourn.

Rightfully so . . . this was THE WEEK for which Jesus lived his entire human life, and it was a rough one for him. On Sunday before his crucifixion he entered Jerusalem with cheers ringing in his ears. The (usually fickle) populace embraced him for all the great miracles he performed, and they hailed his coming as though a conquering warrior had entered the city. Like paparazzi following a Hollywood star, they trailed behind this carpenter from Nazareth and looked for ways to become part of his entourage or to at least get a "piece of the action" as Jesus came to town.

Some of these same folks will probably yell "Crucify him!" in just a few days, by the way.

When Jesus offered them something tangible to grab, they wanted to be a team player, they wanted the fishes and loaves, the healings, the wonders, the mighty signs.

How soon their tune would change . . . how quickly they would turn on the one who was innocent of any sin except the failure to live up to THEIR expectations.

How like them we are today . . .

When things are going our way, we look to heaven and sing God's praises. We celebrate and sing and run to join the band as God rides triumphantly over all our "enemies." But as soon as Jesus fails to live up to OUR expectations, what do we do?

I know the spiritual answer--"though he slay me yet I will praise him."

Do we really? Will we? Will I?

I'm struck with how Jesus routinely challenged the popular expectations of the crowds who showed up hoping for another demonstration of heavenly power and flash. In John 12, just after the people have celebrated his "triumphal entry," Jesus tells them that the way to jump on his bandwagon is for his followers to hate their lives in this world. Just think how that must have sounded to the celebrants rejoicing in the coming of their conquering hero!

"You want to be a part of my movement, a part of my thing?" Jesus asks, "Then you will have to regard your life in this world as a dead man would. You have to become the least, the slave, the dead one, in order to get in on my movement."

Come and die.

What an invitation!

Of course, Jesus knew that in just six days he would literally fulfill that invitation. The innocent would die for the unquestionably guilty . . . and he would die horribly.

I can just imagine how this conversation must have put a damper on the celebration in Jerusalem. Jesus took a party and turned it into a wake. The next thing we know he is engaged in theological discussions with the people and with the Jewish leaders. He created a controversy that caused folks to take sides. All he had to do was accept the adulation and promise to "win the war that must be won," but Jesus decided to go against expectations again. He decided to allow God to get the glory through humility and death.

Hasn't this happened to us? Just when we think we have God's agenda all spelled out like it ought to be, He throws us a curve ball that reminds us we aren't in charge! We have a hard time "boxing Jesus" into a neat package.

What's the point then? The point is that we should reverse the procedure. Instead of putting expectations on God, we should look for HIS expectations for us. What has He required of us? What does He want? How should we respond to His voice?

The week of Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the process maybe we should participate in a funeral of our own. Maybe we should let die our selfish expectations about how God "ought" to act towards us. Bury them, and let God resurrect them in His image.

As we contemplate the price of our salvation, let us willingly become slaves to the one who has paid such a price to purchase our freedom. Like Jesus, let our prayer be "Father glorify your name." Remember, if a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will yield much fruit. It is, however, pretty useless in a bag with other seeds. Let's allow God to plant us where he wants so that our service can produce fruit for his glory. Let's follow our crucified Lord by living cruciform lives.

What would the world look like if we did?

I'd really like to find out!

Thanks for reading!

The Long Winding Road to Emmaus: A Twice Told Tale

“O Lord my God, when the storm is loud, and the night is dark, and the soul is sad, and the heart oppressed; then, as a weary traveler, may I look to you; and beholding the light of your love, may it bear me on, until I learn to sing your song in the night. Amen.” From Little Book of Prayers by George Dawson.

Job 13:15a "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." (NASU)

Luke 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened." (NASU)

Sometimes in the midst of the trials and burdens of life, we lose sight of our anchor. We feel tossed and thrown as on a wild and restless sea. Our emotions tell us that things will never be good, all will be despair and loss. Our hope seems shipwrecked, our desire to go on in life sinks into depression. We see nothing good, only evil all around us. Our enemies (both physical and spiritual) seem to have the upper hand, they seem to be winning the day. Things are just not working out the way we expected! The victory we felt sure would come has not yet manifested itself, and we feel ourselves sinking ever deeper into a pit in which we cannot get the proper traction to climb. The clock is ticking down, our hope is gone, our day is over, and Christ has not come.

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would rescue us. We had fervently prayed that maybe, just maybe, today would be the day when we would “live happily ever after” and find our dreams coming true. We shake our heads and go out for a walk. Maybe some fresh air and a quick walk will clear out the cob webs in our minds. Still, the topic of our recent failure hangs like a cloud over our heads, raining down doubt and fear.

We chat quietly together, commiserating a bit in our sorrow, in our recent loss. We try to remember all the "good reasons" we came to this time--like the first time we heard the story of Jesus, or the first time we met him, or even when we experienced firsthand some of his mighty works. Still, sorrow clings to our soul like a wet coat in a sudden thunderstorm. We can't get rid of the sense of sadness, it is drenched on us and sticks to our bodies. We wonder why we even brought the subject up and continue to make our journey in silence. Maybe time alone with our thoughts will help.

Suddenly, a stranger approaches. He seems rather ignorant of our experiences, and besides that he has a fairly sunny disposition. He is definitely someone we want to avoid at this moment. No pie in the sky false hope will satisfy us. We fear that he will say something like, “Cheer up! Keep a stiff upper lip! Things will work out in the end!” We try to avoid the stranger, yet he resolutely comes our direction. He seems determined to interrupt our brooding, our despair. He is on a mission, and we seem to be his primary targets. We try to ignore him, but then he speaks.

“So, what’s going on? Why the sad face?” he inquires. Out of pure human kindness we try to explain our pain in as brief a manner as possible. We do not want to burden strangers with our “little” concerns, after all. The stranger hears our story and stands tall. Looking at us he says boldly, “Foolish ones, slow of heart to believe what God has said!”

The force of his accusation causes us to stumble in our walk. How dare this stranger tell us our business? How dare he interject his thoughts into our moment of pain, our sorrow? Just who does he think he is to interrupt our musings with his “pollyanna” announcement? We look at him with disdain and think that he likely has nothing of real value to offer.

Then, he begins to speak to us again. Starting with the beginning of our story and bringing us pretty much up to date he tells us things we knew but somehow in our anguish had forgotten. As he speaks, our hearts get a bit lighter. We can literally feel a burning inside that slowly (painfully slowly) begins to purify our thoughts and hearts. His words seem to dry the wet sorrow drenching us. Like sunshine after a thunderstorm, we begin to feel a bit of relief. Spring may yet come! We even feel encouraged (a little at least) .

We invite the stranger to eat with us, and he offers to say grace. As he prays, we realize his true identity. He is Jesus, our Lord, the one who was beaten brutally, was painfully crucified, who died with the full weight of our sin upon his broken and bruised body. He has been there all along, listening to us, sympathizing (or is it empathizing?) with our pain and anguish. He has been waiting to comfort us with his presence. He loves us in this way, even when he seems silent.

We beg him to stay. Oh, the situations of our life haven’t changed dramatically. We still have problems, and those problems seem just as depressing and burdensome as before. The difference is that we have Jesus in the house, and the light of his love gives us courage to press on, he becomes an anchor for our souls. Why? Simply stated—“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Through him and his love we may not have better situations or circumstances, but we can still be “more than conquerors through him who loved us” in the trials we share as his joint heirs. How? Talk to him. Let him talk. Trust his character. He is faithful even when we are faithless. We genuinely matter to him.

He longs to say to you "Keep pressing on, I have not forsaken you. I love you."

As we walk our soggy paths of life, we should pause and wait for the Lord. Let him catch up to us in our musings. Listen to his words (even the ones that gently rebuke). Get in his presence, let him pray for us  and with us. Let his words and actions encourage and empower. Remember, he walks with us whether we acknowledge him or not. Why not sit in his presence for a minute and acknowledge his concern for us?

Thanks for reading!

An Empty Story and a Life Affirmed

"I just feel worthless," he said quietly.

It wasn't the way he said it that attracted my attention, but it was his demeanor. This was a person who was in some sense utterly defeated. Everything about him echoed his words. Worthless. Useless. Empty.

I wasn't sure at first how to respond. Sitting before me was a shell, an empty person who felt as though he had absolutely nothing to offer.

I tried to help. "You're not worthless, just look at all you've accomplished."

The words sounded hollow, almost accusatory. His eyes flashed, but it wasn't "life" coming in. It was genuine anger. I had misunderstood him.

"No, you don't get it. I have nothing to offer. I am worthless. I am done."

The words hung in the air like heavy fog, demanding an answer. I honestly didn't know what to say.

If you knew this man, you'd be surprised at his self-evaluation. He earned several degrees (some from prestigious universities and with well known professors). He taught thousands of people, and he mentored many who would ultimately follow in his academic footsteps. He had traveled to a variety of places. He married well and his children were healthy, intelligent, and well behaved. He had rebounded from a moral failure and rebuilt his life and reputation. He was respected by his peers. He "had it all" in a country where such an existence was supposed to be the "American dream".

I wanted to remind him of these things, but he sat there glaring. His red eyes and sad look reminded me of an old derelict building left standing too long that now leaned and threatened to fall over. The supports were gone, the shell was hollow, there was nothing left. How do you rebuild on such a foundation?

The person sitting before me was an encourager. Many times I saw him take last place so that others would be acknowledged and even honored. He prayed that his students would accomplish more than he, and they did! Oh my, how well his students had done! The man went out of his way to make sure others were served, to make sure that others had affirmation, that others were encouraged. He was a Barnabas, and people would flock to him to receive his ministry of encouragement.

Yet here he sat, downcast, done, empty . . . How do you encourage the empathetic man of encouragement who has run dry? Who is worthy of the task?

And then I had an idea. I looked into his eyes and his sad face, and I said, "You know, sometimes I wish I had your life."

He gave me an incredulous look, but I continued. "I can't count how many times I wished I could treat others as well as you treat them." Then I said, "I love you, and I can't imagine what this world would be like without someone like you."

The eyes that were wet with tears showed a few signs of life. A wry grin appeared on his face. Life was returning, and for a moment the derelict building began to look a bit like a stately home once again.

He didn't need a history lesson. He didn't need me to recount his glorious deeds. He simply need to be affirmed. He needed appreciation.

I didn't write this story to get you to feel sorry for this man (okay, maybe just a little), but I wrote this to be a reminder to us all. We need to be appreciated, we need to be affirmed. We all cry out to be loved.

You see, this person's story could be your story, it could be my story. Life has a way of draining us, and sometimes we aren't sure how to refill the well. Feelings of worthlessness can pile up, and we begin to compare ourselves to others (often unrealistically). "I'm not good enough. I don't have the stuff. I'm not needed."

Yet the truth is probably bigger than we realize, and a little affirmation can go a long way.

Take a moment today. Give some affirmation to someone who has encouraged you. Let people know that you appreciate them, and that you are thankful for their contribution to your life. Who knows, it could restore life . . . maybe even yours.

Thank you for reading!

A Communion Meditation at Epiphany

Yesterday was Epiphany on the Church calendar. Epiphany usually means something like “a moment of sudden insight or understanding,” but in the Christian calendar it represents the day that Messiah was manifest to the Gentiles when the wise men came to visit. So, January 6 was Epiphany, the last of the 12 days of Christmas, the day when the wise men from the east came and found Jesus. As of yesterday we have officially ended the Christmas season and are starting the build up to Resurrection Sunday. As we started Advent, we spoke of hope—the hope revealed in the first coming of Christ and the hope in his imminent and sudden return at the end of the age. We are at the “in between” time of that hope. Jesus has indeed come, and his coming is not for the Jews only, the Messiah is born for all nations. For our Lord’s Supper today, we thought we’d look at a couple of passages for Epiphany as part of our communion meditation.

Isaiah 60:1-5 (HCSB) “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, because the riches of the sea will become yours, and the wealth of the nations will come to you.”

Matthew 2:1-11 (HCSB) “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ . . . ‘In Bethlehem of Judea,’ they told him, ‘because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.’ . . .  After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was--the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.”

The passage of Isaiah contains some extravagant promises. The prophet speaks of “brightness,” “glory,” “radiance,” and overflowing heart, and the “wealth of nations.” And who first heard these glowing words? Exiled Jews who had just returned home to a Jerusalem in ruins. Somehow, the words of the prophet didn’t quite match up with the realities on the ground. But that didn’t stop these believers from committing themselves to God’s work to see the glory that God had promised to them.

Similarly, how did the wise men recognize an earth-shaking event in the humble birth of Jesus to Joseph and Mary? Even the religious and political leaders of Israel missed the coming of Messiah. So how could these foreigners fall to their knees so readily, and offer such valuable treasures to this lowly child? Again, their expectations didn’t match up with what they found when they first laid eyes on the Messiah.

The wise men represent the “nations” mentioned in Isaiah, and as they come bringing gifts to Jesus they are the beginning of the fulfillment of the promises of Isaiah. They brought gifts to a promised king that they had never seen until that day. They also represent true worship by their humility (they kneel before this child, the king of the Jews) and later they obey God by not returning to Herod to tell of Jesus’ location. Like the exiles in Isaiah, their situation was not ideal, but they trusted in the God who promised.

Like the wise men and the returning exiles, we find ourselves in an interesting time, one that is not always ideal. Maybe our situations and circumstances are not what we expected. We came through the joy and celebration of the Christmas season, but for many of us the joy seems short lived. The “reality” of life around us seems to darken the sky once lit bright with hope and joy. We celebrated the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of God, but maybe after the new year we no longer feel like celebrating.

Yet, the New Year is a promise of new beginnings, and it is the promise of God’s continued watch care. We can trust him. The New Year is a time to look back and see God’s hand, and a time to look forward with expectation to his continued faithfulness and grace. It is a time to surrender to God and offer a gift of obedience. We start this new year with a recognition of our Messiah, the one who came for ALL people,  the one who came as a Lamb to be “slain, and to purchase for God with his blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” We celebrated Messiah’s birth, and now we celebrate his obedient death in the Lord’s Supper.

When we come to this table before us, we renew a covenant made long ago at a place called Golgotha.  The elements here—the bread and the cup—symbolize the body and blood of Jesus.  When we take these elements, we remember that Messiah Jesus gave his life for us.  At the beginning of the new year, we can do nothing more appropriate than to come to this Table and let Communion be for us an act of consecration, an act of giving ourselves again to the Lord Jesus our Messiah.

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread.  He blessed it and broke it.  He said, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” This bread is his body, eat it as often as you eat it in remembrance of him.  Jesus also said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.”  Drink it as often as you drink it in remembrance of him. Paul reminds us to take time to consider our lives before we partake in this supper. It is time to prepare our hearts for Communion. Make sure you have nothing between you and God or between you and another human. Look at yourself, and then look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Consecrate yourself to God.

As the hymn says:

Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord to Thee;

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be, Swift and beautiful for Thee;

Take my voice and let me sing, always, only, for my King.

Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne.

Let’s pray: Thank you, Father, for the way you have traveled with us so far, and for the journey that lies ahead. As we begin this new year, remind us of your faithfulness and grace. Remembering these things, we come to celebrate this supper, and we remember the last meal between Jesus and his disciples. His body was later broken for us as a way to remember the greatest gift ever given, his life for ours.  We ask that you bless us to your service.  Lord Jesus, you taught us how to serve.  You taught us to be faithful.  You have blessed us in so many ways.  May we be reminded daily of the ultimate sacrifice given for us through the giving of your blood, and may we find the courage to offer our lives to you in obedience.  We ask these things in your name.  Amen.

Thanks for reading! 

Advent 2017: The Mystery of Christmas (Annual Post)

Hey y'all:

I started this blog several years ago, and every year I have posted a piece I wrote around Christmas 2003. It kind of sums up for me what is the "Mystery of Christmas" as I meditate on the Incarnation and its implications for humanity (and perhaps for God as well!). The very idea of God becoming "one of us among us" (Immanuel) still fascinates and overwhelms me. God, the creator of all things, humbled himself, became of no reputation, and entered his own creation so as to renew and to redeem and to rescue us (and, ultimately, to do these things for all of creation as well). God, the Creator of all things, became flesh so that he might accomplish the plan to make his grace and glory known in humans and in all of creation. The God who never knew death would die for us. The God who never knew sin would become sin for us. He would break the power of sin, condemn sin in his own flesh, and provide for all of us the rescue we need to become the people God always intended us to be.  What an amazing love! Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! As you celebrate the advent of our King Jesus the Messiah, I hope you enjoy this rerun. Feel free to make comments if you'd like.

A little over 2000 years ago, a tiny child was born in some pretty bleak conditions. Oh, he wasn’t the only one born in less than optimal conditions. In fact, in some ways, he was one of the lucky ones. He and his mother actually survived childbirth and thrived. Still, this story is unique and amazing on several levels.

First, the life of this child would literally change the way time is reckoned in the world. His life and abilities would have such an impact on generations of others that a brand new movement would be created, one that would radically change the very face of the earth (sometimes for good, sometimes not so much). His name would become recognized among the names of the greatest of humans, yet he never forgot his own humble beginnings or lost a sense of who he was.

The second thing about this child is tied to the first in that this baby, this helpless lad full of spittle and mush, was born as the very Son of God. When Mary held his little head to her breast, he drank human milk. Yet, he was (and is) the God of the universe. Can you picture this simply ridiculous yet somehow poetic scene? God, who calls the stars by name, pressed to the human breast for sustenance. Humble yet awesome, is how some folks would no doubt recall this child.

A little over 2000 years ago, God proposed that the only remedy for the human condition of sin would be if he humbled himself, stepped out of eternity and into human flesh, and suckled at Mary’s breast in preparation for the greatest, most impressive conversion of all. God, in Mary’s arms, toddling around Joseph’s home, learning to talk, learning to walk, tasting food, and touching things with human hands! As the Psalmist says in Psalm 139, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, we cannot contain it!”

God knew that the only way to redeem us was if he did it himself. Haven’t you ever had that thought? You know, the one where you say, “If I want something done right, I’ll just have to do it myself?” Imagine God having that thought about bringing us to proper relationship with him. Imagine again that the only way he knew he could do that is if he came to earth as a baby. Think of it—-how vulnerable the almighty God was at that moment, how paradoxical that the God of all creation had to learn to walk! And why did he put himself in this situation? Out of his divine sense of justice and righteousness and mercy, out of his inexpressible love for humanity he acted in this manner.

God humbled himself.  In a sense, he took on our insanity so that we may be sane. He became flesh so that we might walk in his Spirit. He became sin that we might be righteous. He became poor so that we might be rich. He who had the reputation of Creator became a humble servant with no reputation. He became a toddling, dribbling, helpless babe so that we could become mature humans in the image of the almighty Son of God. What wondrous love! What humility and service! How then can anything he asks of us be too difficult?

Lord, during this Christmas season, remind us of your sacrifice and love so that we might be a light shining in darkness to others. Teach us to live a life of humble service like your Son did on our behalf so many years ago. As we celebrate the babe in the manger, may the glory he revealed in his life shine through us towards others that they may know God. May the grace of God and the peace of Christ rule in our families and our lives.

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!  May you know the blessings of the God who humbled himself and served! 

Advent 2017: Have Yourself a Humble Little Christmas

A few years ago I posted this little meditation on Christmas, and as I read through it today I realized that I needed to hear it again.  It is easy in our society today to be a bit too full of ourselves, to think a bit more highly of ourselves than we ought,  . . . but I am quickly coming to the conclusion that that is not the Spirit of Christmas, and it certainly was NOT the Spirit of Christ.  Bear with me, if you will, while I contemplate what it means to have no reputation as a follower of Christ.  

Philippians 2:5-8 HCSB

"Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.  Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death-- even to death on a cross."

This passage may not usually be associated with Christmas, but for some reason that is how it comes to me this year. Look closely at the passage above, then read the quote from The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin below.

“Christ Jesus . . . made himself nothing.

 “He made himself nothing, he emptied himself—-the great kenosis. He made himself no reputation, no image.

 “I can recall my father shaking his head and repeating over and over to himself, ‘If only I knew what this meant. There is something powerful here. If I only understood it.’ Maybe that is why this Scripture has glued itself to my mind and equally disturbs me. Reputation is so important to me. I want to be seen with the right people, remembered in the right light, advertised with my name spelled right, live in the right neighborhood, drive the right kind of car, wear the right kind of clothing. But Jesus made himself of no reputation.”

Christmas in America means lots of things to lots of different people.

For some it becomes a political event that pits “the true meaning of Christmas” against the bias against religion. For others Christmas is just another time to visit families and to pretend to get along with each other. For others Christmas is a season that involves incredible profits (or expenses) and lots of activities. For still others Christmas is simply a winter break, a time to regroup for a new year.

I know I’ve left some groups out! One group is comprised of those who see Christmas as the celebration of the birth of the world’s Savior and the Incarnation of God. I want to twist the prism a bit and look at Christmas from a different angle.

Almost all of the views above look at Christmas from the perspective of what humans gain from the season. I wonder if we can look at the season as something we can offer to others, a gift of sorts. I wonder, can we make a gift of Christmas? Can we this year find a way to give the "spirit" of Christmas to those around us?

Hear me out . . .

This passage from Philippians reminds me that Christmas for Jesus wasn’t about what he would gain.  In fact, he lost just about everything! He left the comfort of his Father’s place, he became a tottering, dribbling little baby, he had to learn to talk, to walk, to eat, he left his riches behind for the starkness of a feeding trough, and ultimately he would even become sin and die for humanity even though he was innocent.  Remember, dead and sin were two things he had never experienced before in his eternal existence. 

As Paul says, he made himself of no reputation.

Imagine what Christmas would be like this year if those of us who follow Jesus would do as Paul admonishes here and have this approach to the season. Imagine if we actually attempted to have the same attitude towards others that Jesus has towards us! What would Christmas look like if we didn’t care about what we got out of it but became more concerned about what we could give to others? How would our world change if we laid down our lives . . . our reputations . . . our desires in order to bless others this Christmas? What if we even went further and did it anonymously, with no expectation of reward or recognition?

Ronald Reagan (among others) is credited with saying something like: “There is no telling what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” We don’t like that approach though, do we? We kick against it! I mean, we deserve to be recognized, don’t we?

We came up with the idea that made the company money, shouldn’t we be rewarded? Maybe we found a problem and fixed it, and that fix saved someone’s job. Shouldn’t we be shown gratitude? Maybe we did some kindness for someone we knew couldn’t pay us back, . . . shouldn’t we get credit for that? We gave that money to charity, shouldn't someone say "thank you"? We gave of your time to that charitable organization, shouldn't there be some "benefit" in it for us?

Don’t we all think that we should be center stage, center of the world, the most important person in the world? How many times have we heard “I quit going to that church because MY needs weren’t being met”?

No reputation.

Let that sink in.

NO Reputation!

No fame, no credit, no automatic acceptance, no celebrities, and no place where who you know or what you know earns you admittance or recognition.  That requires true humility!

Jesus made himself of no reputation; he humbled himself. The very God of the universe became nobody. He emptied himself, he became a servant. As Isaiah said, he was not handsome or attractive in such a way as to draw attention to himself. He lived to give attention only to God. Jesus was truly humble.  He had "no reputation."   

Ouch!

We love our awards, the acceptance of others, the glamour of being “somebody,” or the wonderful happiness of fame, don’t we? We like to be recognized, remembered, acknowledged, accepted, and celebrated.

“Don’t neglect me” or "It's all about me" could be the slogans of many in our society.

The motto of Christ followers should be “No reputation.” God chooses such people to further his agenda. Will we be involved, or do we like our perks too much?

In Job 1, Satan appears in God's court. God acknowledges the good job done by Job, and asks Satan if he has noticed what a righteous person Job has become. Satan's response is a tough challenge: "Does Job fear God for nothing?"

Think about what the evil one is implying here. He is asking, "Will a human serve God with no expectation of something in return?"

Will humans serve God for nothing?

That hurts, doesn't it? Even the mere thought of it as a possibility smarts a bit. Surely the mighty God of the universe wouldn't expect us to show him respect and serve his purposes without expectation of payment for services rendered, right?

Can we humble ourselves to the point where we realize that God owes us nothing? Quite literally, we have done nothing to merit a reward from him. Even our service is a response to his continued mercy.

Will we, like Christ, humble ourselves to the point of no reputation? Are we willing to be "nobodies" in God's service, among his people, even among those who ought to "recognize" us?

What would Christmas look like this year if we (all of us) decided to give with no expectation of return? What if we humbled ourselves and expected no acknowledgment? What if we chose to serve anonymously and to bless others without receiving a blessing in return? What would happen?

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in God is in the Manger: 

“Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”

What can you do this Christmas season that will bless others and produce no reputation for you? Who can you serve that can't repay you? This year let's commit ourselves to serving, giving, and loving as Christ did. Let's look for opportunities to bless others in a way that does not give us recognition.  Instead of asking for things for ourselves, let's give to the needs of others. Instead of expecting gifts, let's give our lives away in blessing others.

How would that change Christmas in your neighborhood?

Thanks for reading!

Advent 2017: Waiting on Joy

We are almost one week away from Christmas! Are we ready? Have we experienced hope and love as we intentionally take time to reflect on the season? This week’s advent focus is joy.

Eugene Peterson says “Joy is nurtured by anticipation.”

The third Sunday of Advent marks a shift away from the solemn tone of the previous two Sundays to a more joyous atmosphere of anticipation and expectancy. The third candle we light on the Advent wreath reminds us that our waiting is almost over, and we can hardly contain our joy.

This is the joy candle because “The LORD had done great things for us; we were joyful.” (Psalm 126:3). The coming of Jesus our Savior and Lord gives us joy. 

Psalm 126:1-6 "When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD had done great things for us; we were joyful. Restore our fortunes, LORD, like watercourses in the wilderness. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves."

This Psalm starts out with the exiles rejoicing. They had experienced deliverance and blessing from God, and they were almost giddy with joy! We all like living in the times when we feel the blessing of God’s provision and our hearts respond with praise. Of course, the Psalm doesn’t stop there, and neither does real life. Verse four reminds us of the need for restoration. No matter how much we enjoy God’s goodness in this life, we know that this isn’t all there is. This life has areas that aren’t “restored”, that aren’t as they should be. During Advent, we find ourselves waiting for that promised joy, that restoration.

This Psalm talks about dry times, it mentions wilderness times, it reminds us that we have to wait for some things. Like a farmer who sows seeds, we must persevere in doing what we must do, but we must also wait for growth, for watering, for refreshing. Two water images are found here—the gushing forth of mighty streams in the wilderness, and the patient ongoing work that sometimes requires tears.

Jesus had a time of tears, and Scripture reminds us that his time of sorrow also produced great joy. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that we should “keep our eyes on Jesus, the source and completion of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.” We must remember that Jesus was born to die, that he was born (as the prophet reminds us) as a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. Yet he faced the cross, this grim situation, with joy. Jesus looked beyond the cross to a joy that was ahead of him.

What was that joy? Maybe it is the development and growth of his Bride, the Church. Jesus knew his sorrow and suffering would reap a fine crop of restored lives and renewed relationship with God. He saw joy in spite of the hard times. His suffering provided the greatest reason for rejoicing—as he gave his life as a ransom for our sins, he provided for us the opportunity to be adopted as children of God. Jesus rejoiced at the hard labor that faced him, for he knew that God had promised to bring joy through his sorrow, to bring life to the dead.

So it is in our lives. We may enter this Advent season with heavy hearts. We may find ourselves laboring, sowing seed with tears, and enduring hardship while looking forward to a future harvest. Or, we may find ourselves enjoying the presence and the joy of our Lord. We may be in a season of restoration where God is making all things new and pointing to the promise of his kingdom: that future kingdom of love and peace where full fellowship with God is restored and all will be brightness and life.

We all have that hope, even if we aren’t always living in the joy of that kingdom.

As we enter this season of Advent, we may be living in both parts of Psalm 126.  Hearts overflowing with God’s provision and goodness—but still crying out for restoration in some dry areas of our lives. Take heart! There is still reason to rejoice! A flood may be coming our way, and the promise of God’s kingdom is still true.  Rejoice! There may be a slow, seed planting that is watered by our tears and prayers. If so, stay in the field. Persevere. Plant and water. Because even the lone farmer sees his harvest and will break into song. This is a season to celebrate joy.  

Let us not hurry our lives through Advent. Let us be patient with the in-between and not-yets in our lives. Let’s praise God for the goodness flooding us and plant seeds in the barren spots.  As we enter the season of Advent, let us look forward with hope, love, and joy. Let us take a moment to rejoice over those things God has done and will do. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. 

Thanks for reading! 

Advent 2017: God's Love at Christmas: Love Manifested

During Advent Christians focus on the love of God. I wanted to take a slightly none traditional passage on this issue for my thoughts on God's Word of Love. So, this devotion looks at 1 John 4:7-12 and discusses the idea that Christians should be a people who love like God loves. We need to be aware of and to share the love that God has given to us in Christ. His gift of grace becomes visible to others when we live the love Christ has shown us. When we love others, we give a living example of the love Jesus showed in the cross. In this Christmas season, we need to be ambassadors of God's manifested love. We need God to love us and to love through us. In this passage, John gives us the character of love, the definition of love, and the result of love. If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!

I Want to Know What Love Is
Love Manifested
1 John 4:7-12

Introduction
How many of you know the rock group Foreigner?
Yeah, I’m old, that is certain!
One of their hits was “I Want to Know What Love Is”. I liked the song, but the point I want to make is this—there are lots of people in our world who make the same statement.

People want to know love; they want to experience it, they want to see it--just look at movies and magazines today. Many of the materials give instructions on finding love. Some movies exemplify romantic love as the goal of human existence. In fact, I would dare say that love is a dominant theme in many movies and magazines. The problem is that the love exemplified in these “sources” rarely offers real satisfaction or any sense of fulfillment.

Love in the world often ends in hurt or disappointment. We've all experienced this in some way of another. A "love" that we thought would save us ends up hurting us, or a "love" we thought would complete us ends up ruining us, or a "love" we hoped would end our suffering actually produces more pain. These stories could unfortunately be multiplied more than we'd like to admit!

The problem is that many of those experiences were not real, unconditional love. These "loves" described above were in many cases simply counterfeits of the love that can indeed help us (even if it sometimes wrecks us first!). What does real love look like?

Our passage in 1 John 4 today addresses the issue of what love looks like.

Verses 7-12 offer us John’s view of love, and in them we find three points to consider:
1. The character of love
2. The definition of love
3. The result of love

As we unpack these three topics, we will see that for John “Love resembles Jesus” in his character, action, and empowerment.

1. The Character of Love
1 John 4:7-8—John likes to repeat himself. This is now the third time he has instructed his readers to “love one another.” In 1 John 2:7-11 and 3:11-12 John has already given this command, now he returns to his earlier message.

John seems to repeat himself in an effort to make sure the point gets across. Church tradition/history tells us that John's message as he grew older became simply “Little children, love one another”. When asked why he repeats this message, John reportedly replied: “It is the command of our Lord, and it is enough.”

“Love one another” in John’s mind flows naturally from the basic character of love. John defines the character of love as being tied to the character of God.

Notice that John says in v. 7 “love is from God”.

The kind of love John to which John is encouraging us is not a mere emotion or an expression of human concern. The love mentioned in 1 John usually refers to a divine source, a love of a heavenly origin (cf. 1 Corinthians 13).

We don’t learn this kind of love simply by attending seminars, reading books, or trying harder.  We learn to love one another in this way only as we draw closer to God through Christ.

Love’s true character is divine. Notice that in v. 8 John says, “God is love”. As John Stott reminds us: “"This is the most comprehensive and sublime of all the biblical affirmations of God's being."

We must not confuse this with the idea that “love is God”. We do not define God by our view of love. Rather, we define love by God’s nature (thank you, Ray Stedman, for this insight). God is the exemplar of love, he is the very definition of love. We know love if we know God.

God’s love includes his holiness—Psalm 138:2 (On Holiness see: Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16). God’s character is just and loving—the two always go together as we will see more clearly in our next verses (H. A. Ironside).

So, John tells us we should love one another because of God’s nature or character. John adds that those who know God (i.e., know his character or know him intimately) will as a direct result love others. John’s argument is simple—if the life of God is present is us, then his love should be present as well. If we know that God’s love for us, then we should love others.

Passages that show Jesus as the example of God’s love: 2 Timothy 1:13: John 8:42: 1 John 2:5-7.

Real love resembles Jesus in his character. If it is real love, then it will look like Jesus. Of course, that insight reminds us that we still need some kind of definition of love. John offers us a definition in the next few verses.

2. The Definition of Love
1 John 4:9-10—Here John shifts from discussing the character of love to giving the supreme example of love—John now sets out to define love for his readers. His definition is centered on the central fact of Jesus' loving sacrifice for humanity. 

John describes the manifestation of God’s love and sums it up in one historical event—Jesus’ crucifixion (cf. John 3:16-19).
a. In this one event God revealed a love that has never since been surpassed (2 Cor. 4:6-7; 9:15)
b. This love sacrifices to make things right
c. This love empowers others to do the right things

Let’s unpack these ideas.

Love is sacrifice. John says that love was manifested (i.e., made known, made visible, made clear) by God’s act of sending his only Son Jesus into the world. The reference to Jesus as God’s “only begotten” refers to their unique relationship. Only Jesus is God’s “only begotten” Son—it refers to Jesus’ divine status. Nonetheless, Jesus was sent by his Father to accomplish a demonstration of true love. 

Please remember that this sending was not simply to tell the world what it needed to hear—(John 3:16-19)—rather God had another thing in mind. Jesus is sent to be the “propitiation” for our sins—1 John 2:1-2--(meaning to appease or to bring reconciliation). It has at its core the idea that two groups are estranged—one is angry at the other (Rom. 1:18-19). Jesus was sent to reconcile us to God.

God’s wrath was aimed at humanity because of sin. We were guilty and deserving of death (Romans 6:23). Instead of holding us guilty for our own sins, however, God decided to appease his own wrath by his own plan. Jesus took our place and received the just punishment of our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Do you see in this act the coming together of God’s justice and love God’s justice demanded holiness and required an ultimate sacrifice for sin, while God’s love provided the only true means to atone for that sin (Ray Stedman). Love is sacrificial—it does what is necessary to set things right..

But God’s love is not simply sacrificial, it does not simply “cover a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)—rather it also gives us what is needed to live love ourselves. In other words, love empowers us to emulate Jesus. God’s love was manifested “in us”—this can mean either “on our behalf” or “in our midst”. The point is that God’s love is manifested in space and time. It is not simply theoretical—it is real—it is “in us”.

In v. 9 John says that God sent Jesus into the world so that we could “live through him”. Let that sink in—we who deserved death for our sins are being given life by the one who actually died for the sins of the world. The greatest sign of love is the bloody cross—there by God’s grace and love we lost our burden, our guilt, even our inability to live as God intended—in the cross our Lord died so that we might live through him. This is the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus. That baby in swaddling clothes is born to bear our sin, to die on our behalf, to bring reconciliation and healing to those who are broken by sin.

God’s love is for our benefit—it enlivens us--it is empowering. That is the true definition of love—It sacrifices that others may gain.

How does our love for others measure up?

Love resembles Jesus in his sacrifice. The definition of love is sacrifice for the improvement of the beloved. The lover is willing to sacrifice to bless the beloved. And this sacrifice is not just the definition of love, it also reminds us that love results in something. The result of love is John's next topic.

3. The Result of Love
1 John 4:11-12—Now that he has shown the character and definition of love, John now offers a description of the result of love.

“If God so loved us” is reminiscent of the “so” in John 3:16. It probably refers to the manner in which God loved us. John seems to be saying, “If you have received love in this way, you should then love others like that.” In other words, the way we love should be sacrificial and for the benefit of others—that they may gain God. We should love with the result that others are drawn to God through Jesus.

This God kind of love also has a moral imperative to it—because God has done this, we “ought” to respond in a similar manner (1 John 2:4-11).

How and when did God love us?
a. God loved us when we were sinners (Romans 5:6-8). We cannot understand grace or the love of God until we understand the nature of sin. We will not understand the wonder of the atoning sacrifice until we grasp the horror of that which needed atoning.
b. God loved us by giving a means for us to be reconciled to him—he gave Jesus as our atoning sacrifice (Romans 3:25; 5:9-11). As already noted, Jesus died so that we could live.

God’s love should be our motivation to love others.

Verse 12 is incredible—here John states a well known doctrine—God is not visible to the human eye—we cannot see him. Yet John seems to claim that when we love one another, God becomes apparent. The verse claims that when we love with the love God has given us in Christ, then God abides in us and his love is “perfected” (i.e., made complete, accomplished, finished, brought to its goal) in us. Our relationships of love become the place where God and his love become visible to others. When we love others, we show them God.

Love resembles Jesus as we make him known by loving others. This Christmas season, let's give the gift that will keep love alive and growing--let's love others so that they may know God's love.

Application
This is a weighty thing—how are we to be “ambassadors of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20-21) when we are still fallen and prone to let God down?

How can we claim to know God when we cannot love those closest to us?

How do we respond to John’s exhortation in these verses?

First, we must recognize our need to experience and live in God’s great grace and love—knowing God through Jesus Christ is the starting point. Remember that John says that loving others comes from loving God. This week make it a point to spend extra time with God. Take 15 minutes a day to look up verses that speak of God’s love (start in 1 John 2, 3, and 4, but don’t neglect John’s Gospel—chapters 3, 5, 13-15)—learn of his love and ask him to empower you to emulate it.

Next, take some time to ask where you can share this love of God. Start with your brothers and sisters in Christ, but don’t neglect those outside of the household of the faith. Look for opportunities to tell others how God’s love has changed your life, just be sure to love them while you tell them. Here are some suggestions (thanks to Bruce Goettsche for these):

1. Seek for ways to get beyond feelings of competition.
2. Speak of other’s with honor instead of enjoying or gossiping about their shortcomings, struggles, or inconsistencies.
3. Rally to the side of those who are hurt or experiencing injustice—offer them a word of encouragement or stand with them in prayer.
4. Look for opportunities to help those who can’t help you back—give sacrificially into the life of one who may not pay you back..
5. Extend forgiveness to those who offend.
6. Be patient with someone who desperately needs it.
7. Be quick to show hospitality to others.
8. Be willing to pray for and with each other.
9. Share the story of Jesus and your salvation with someone.
10. Bake cookies for someone who is down and write them a note of encouragement.

Love resembles Jesus.
How are we doing?

Thanks for reading!

Advent 2017: The Hope of Messiah's Coming

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the time when Christians the world over begin the celebration of the Incarnation, when God became human and made his dwelling among us in the form of Jesus, the Messiah. The first Sunday of Advent is typically dedicated to the idea of "hope", and the focus is on the expectation of the completion of the rescue of humanity from sin and death. The focus is also placed upon the return of Jesus to complete the work of salvation by rescuing those who trust in him.

The expectation that God would intervene, even invade this earth, to provide a means of humanity being properly related to him finds expression in the Jewish hope for a Messiah and in the Christian belief that Jesus is that Messiah who has come and will one day soon return. Jesus' sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection are the means by which this rescue is effected for us in the present time, but the completion of the rescue will not be complete until Jesus returns to establish God's reign as intended from the beginning.

Some of the passages associated with this first Sunday of Advent include Isaiah 63:19-64:5 and 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. Here they are from the HCSB translation:

Isaiah 63:19 We have become like those You never ruled over, like those not called by Your name. 64:1 If only You would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence--2 as fire kindles the brushwood, and fire causes water to boil--to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that nations will tremble at Your presence! 3 When You did awesome deeds that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence. 4 From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him. 5 You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry; we will remain in Your ways and be saved.  

 1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God for you because of God's grace given to you in Christ Jesus, 5 that by Him you were made rich in everything--in all speaking and all knowledge--6 as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Both of these passages remind us that God's invasion into creation in the form of the Incarnation not only began the rescue so desperately needed and expected, it also provided the means by which humanity could live in the manner God intended them. Some might call that the "magic" of Christmas or "the Christmas Spirit". Paul speaks of this in the Corinthian passage above as God's provision of spiritual gifts from Christ himself to aid us in accomplishing the present work here on earth as we await the return of Jesus to finish the rescue.

God invaded in the past as a babe, but he will return in a more dynamic way. This is what we celebrate in this season of Advent. The promise of Messiah's advent, the coming of God's Messiah to rescue humanity from sin, from darkness, and from oppression. The first coming set the standard as Jesus lived the life God desires of us all and then sent his Spirit to empower us to live as God intends. The second coming will set into concrete the kingdom way of life that God has for his people. The ideal will be realized in the future, but in the time between then and now God provides for us all that we need for life in his way.

That provision is revealed to us in that Child who was born to die and to rise and to redeem, and by these acts Jesus creates a kind of opportunity for humanity to imitate his humble service and sacrifice in everyday life until he returns again. The very atmosphere at Christmas can sometimes seem charged with the energy of Christ; an energy that helps humans act in ways that God intended. 

As we embrace the idea of God becoming human, as we recognize the humility of Jesus (who being God chose to humble himself to serve us all to the point of death), we find in these actions a pattern for life. We find that humility and service is our proper end, and we also find that as we serve others we introduce the possibility of "hope" for all humanity. In fact, sometimes the very spirit of Christmas can cause people to act better and with more grace. It reminds me of a poem by Edgar A. Guest. 

As we remember the promise of Jesus' return, we are hopefully incited to live in a way that he will find acceptable when he comes to establish his rule. In other words, the "Christmas Spirit" should become the everyday life of the follower of Christ who looks back to Jesus' sacrifice and forward to his return/reign. What does that life look like?

In the poem below Guest elaborates on how a person responds to the "Christmas Spirit" and how it can cause a change in a person's life.  The poem puts into my mind the image of a repentant Scrooge, fresh off his encounters with the ghost of Christmas, now engaging faithfully to live a less self-focused life.

I know that times have changed, and I realize that people do not always have "Christmas cheer" at this time of year.  Nonetheless, my prayer for all of us is that we become the people God intended us to be, especially now as we celebrate the Advents of our Lord Jesus.  May we live in such a way as to create "hope" in others. May our humble service lead to changed lives and a more hopeful future. May the Hope of Advent cause you to emulate the life of Jesus. I hope this poem blesses you!

Thanks for reading!

At Christmas by Edgar Albert Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season is here;
Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile
And the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile.
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I’d wait
Till he’d fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.
I’d not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf,
On the long days and the dreary when he’s striving for himself.
I’d not take him when he’s sneering, when he’s scornful or depressed,
But I’d look for him at Christmas when he’s shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he’s oft misunderstood;
There are days the worst that’s in him is the master of the good,
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

A burnt offering acceptable to God . . . What it means to burn

Today I was reading through some old posts, and I came across one from 10 years ago that caused me to stop and to think. I wrote this note as I was preparing to teach on the book of Hebrews at Liberty, and the thoughts below strike me as especially helpful during the season of Thanksgiving. As we consider this week all the good things we have received, let us also think of ways we can show our gratitude by giving back. Let us strive to be like Jesus and to serve humbly those around us. What do we need to put on the altar today to let God consume? Where do I need the fire of God in my life? I hope this repeat blesses you!

As I sit here in my comfortable home reading the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, I am listening to Caedmon's Call (the first album). I am struck by the honesty and character of the lyrics (of course, it doesn't hurt that Derek Webb wrote a bunch of the songs). Nonetheless, the interesting mixture of the admonitions of Hebrews with the alternative/folk feel of Caedmon's Call has put me in quite the introspective mood. Before I go any further, then, I want to quote for you the song "Coming Home," written by Aaron Tate and copyrighted by Cumbee Road Music in 1994. Here ya go!

You say you want a living sacrifice
Well here I am a burnt offering
Crawling off the altar
And back into the fire

And with my smoke-filled lungs
I cry out for freedom
While locking and chaining myself
To my rotting desires

And I hate the stench
But I swallow the key
And with it stuck in my throat
Can you hear me
Can you hear me

(Chorus)
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
But I'm still a long way off

I am shell shocked and I have walked
Through the trenches full of tears
With the mortars of memory
Exploding in my burning ears

You've stripped the trees of Lebanon
And now you're stripping me
Of the bark of false morality
The bite of selfish greed
Lord, can you hear me

(Chorus)
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
But I'm still a long way off

Will you run to me
Will you come to me
Will you meet me
Will you greet me
Will you drag me home
Cause I'm still a long way off

(Chorus)
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
But I'm still a long way off

I guess the reason that this song struck me today is the imagery of fire. Fire plays a big role in the letter to the Hebrews.

God is depicted as a burning fire.

There is a bit of discussion about the altar and sacrifices aflame.

Even Christ is depicted as a type of burnt offering offered on our behalf outside of the city--the same place where the author of Hebrews wants us to join Christ so that we can endure the abuse that he suffered.

Why? Because our God is a consuming fire.

What does fire consume? It consumes anything that is not like it. God will also consume those things in us that do not correspond to his character. That is why we are admonished to "Strive for peace with all people, and for the holiness without which no one will see God."

The song above reminds me of these things. We are on an altar whether we like it or not. We are either on the altar of God (allowing our non-God aspects to be burnt away and changed into his likeness), or we are on the altar of our own selfishness (burning away with our own deceit and sinful wishes). Like Aaron Tate points out, we crawl off the altar of God into the fire itself. We cry out for freedom while chaining ourselves to our own rotting and despicable desires.

We are on fire. We are burning.

What are we burning and why are we burning?

Many of us burn for all the wrong reasons--we are aflame with our own passions and desires, pursuing things that not only will not satisfy, but that will scar us forever if we continue to make ourselves a sacrifice to stuff. We look for stuff to fill the hole in the seat of our beings, we strive to come to wholeness through means that will not make us whole--we try to make ourselves something we are not, we try to obtain possessions that we do not need, we spend and are spent pursuing more stuff that not only clog our homes but clog our spiritual and physical veins and keep us from living our lives as God intended.

We can also burn for the right reasons--we can give ourselves over to a life of sacrifice or selfless living that puts the needs of others before our own desires and wishes. We may be aflame with a love that desires the best of God's blessings for our neighbors. We burn in God's presence so that we may lose anything that is not of God and gain Christ as "all that is really important." It is not an easy place to be, being consumed until only God is left. Nonetheless, such a place is necessary if we are to live a life abundant.

Let us come to God's consuming fire to be purified, to receive the delicious grace of God in Christ, to find all our rotting desires removed and transformed. If not, we are merely burning on our own waste.

Hebrews 10:31, 39
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. . . . But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls."

Thanks for reading!

Where do we need Help? Romans 8:26-39

In July I had the privilege of preaching at Woodlawn Baptist Church. My text was Romans 8:26-39 (and Psalm 121), and my title was "Where do we need Help?" Below are the notes from that sermon.

Where do we need help? Romans 8:26-39 (Psalm 121)

Intro—Help. Anybody here ever need help? We all need it. Maybe we need help with our computers. Maybe we need help with security. Maybe we need help getting up (I’ve fallen . . . ). Maybe we just need help getting something off of a tall shelf, or getting groceries to the care, or taking care of the yard, or with our homework, or with a project. 

Songs about “help” are everywhere. The Beatles had two: “Help!” and “With a little help from my friends”. The Beach Boys wanted help from Rhonda. The Four Tops couldn’t help themselves. Elvis couldn’t help falling in love. Billy Swan said, “I can help.” And even Stevie Wonder crooned “Heaven Help Us All.” Where do we need help?

Help is a very scriptural idea. Adam needed help and received from God a helper suitable to him named Eve. The Jews cried out to God in their captivity in Egypt and received help in the form of Moses. God sent Joshua to help the Jews to conquer the promised land. The Judges helped the people against oppression. God sent David to help the people defeat their enemies. Job cried out for God’s help. The Psalms are full of such hope (read 46 and 121). The prophets encouraged the people to turn to God for help and to avoid relying on the support of others or horses and chariots or governments etc. Where do we need help?

Luke 1:54—Mary sees Jesus as the “help” of Israel, and the Holy Spirit is described as Helper in John 14-16. Our passage today from Paul’s letter to the Romans offers us some “help” as well. Read Romans 8:26-39.

“Nearly every sentence is a new way of stating the promise that God has not abandoned ‘us,’ and is in fact working--across the past, present, and future--on our behalf. (While the first person plural verbs originally referred to Paul and those he calls "brothers and sisters" in 8:12, succeeding generations of Christians have of course understood themselves, also, to be directly addressed by the words.) The text has three units, and any one of them could be the basis of a sermon. Together, they offer a look into the way God's love bursts forth into help for us over time.” Commentary on Romans

Here we see three areas God offers us help: 1) words, 2) witness, and 3) warfare. Where do we need help? 

We Need Help With Words/Prayer vv. 26-27—"In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness," Paul begins in Romans 8:26-27. The language of these first two verses has more in common with the earlier verses of chapter 8 than those that follow them. As the Spirit had helped us to cry, "Abba, Father," (Romans 8:16), so also the Spirit helps us pray when we do not know what to pray.

William Willimon tells the following story about a hospital visit to a man who was diagnosed with cancer:  

Willimon admits that he entered the hospital room with apprehension. His friend George had gotten a bad diagnosis the day before. Cancer. Things didn’t look good. 

“George, how’s it going?”

“Preacher, I am glad that you are here. I need some help.”

“What kind of help?”

“I can’t figure out what to pray for. I mean, do I pray for healing? Surely God knows that I want to be healed. But why should I be healed, and not everybody else in this hospital? What makes me so special? A lot of people my age get cancer. Why should I think that my cancer is any different from their’s and why should God give me some special dispensation?

“On the other hand, I really do want to be healed. If I am healed, think of all the good things I could do. I could continue the work that I’m doing in the church, the work for others. But maybe I’m just being self-deceptive. Just like a frightened kid, who’ll promise God anything. 

"And who am I not to be coming to God asking for all of this? I have a lousy prayer life, don't give God the time of day on most days. So here I've come like a blathering idiot, begging, wheeling and dealing, who am I to be making such prayers?"

Paul reminds us that we do not know how to pray, and he includes himself in that! The spiritual giant who wrote 13 of the NT books admits here that he is with us in not always knowing what to pray. Maybe he is referring to times when we are overwhelmed beyond words (like the man in the story above). 

James Dunn points out that Paul's syntax in verse 26 defines the problem differently than we sometimes think of it. The problem is not that we know what we need and merely lack the right words for requesting it. As Dunn puts it, we "do not know what to want," let alone how to ask for it. In the midst of this confusion, the Spirit intercedes, aligning prayer on our behalf to the will of God for us. The Spirit intercedes for us with unspoken groanings or groanings too deep for words. God helps us pray by praying for and through us with words we just can’t “get out”.

No matter how we read this section, we have to see it in the context of the rest of Romans 8. Paul reminds us in verses 21-23 that creation “groans” in anticipation of God revealing his work in his people. Creation groans in the pain of childbirth until God gives it freedom by finally and decisively making his children the free heirs of all his promises. In the meantime, the church remains puzzled about how to pray, thus the need for the Spirit's assistance. 

Paul challenges us to enter into deeper wrestling with the pain of the world. From the environmental to rundown communities to the devastation of humankind, all of God's creation groans in pain. We need help in our words, we need help praying. We need God’s help to groan with creation over its present state of decay. We need the Spirit’s help to groan with God over the present state of fallen humanity. We need Jesus’ help to groan with the church as it longs for God's ultimate redemption. We need help to pray as we ought.

Just think of it. According to Paul, God’s Spirit is praying through us! Prayer is one vehicle for spiritual maturity, yet prayer as a spiritual discipline remains grossly underused even though we have access to the greatest prayer teacher, the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, the best prayer instruction generally occurs in the midst of severe hardship and suffering that can leave us floundering and overwhelmed. It is then that the Spirit prays in and through us with groans that are too deep for words. We need the Spirit’s help to learn to pray—especially when words fail us. Where do we need the Spirit’s help with words today? Where are we incapable of finding the right words to even ask for God’s help? That is where we need help!

But prayer is usually a private thing, and we need help not only privately but publicly. Here Paul reminds us that God provides help with our witness.

We Need Help With Our Witness/Being Like Jesus vv. 28-30—this section contains a favorite verse for many people, but it also contains some theologically charged words that cause tons of discussion and controversy. Reading some of the discussions of these verses may make us cry out for help from theologians! 

At any rate, I want to focus on one main aspect here tucked away in these verses— In verses 28-30, Paul continues his discussion of salvation and our need for help. It is not just that we need the Spirit to help us by interceding for us in the present. The past tells the same story of God's intention for Christ to be "firstborn within a large family" (8:29), a family that includes us. God’s desire is to include a variety of people (not only Jews) in this plan. It is not an ethnic plan, it is a spiritual plan addressing a very spiritual need. 

Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, but their sin resulting in their fall created a problem for all humans. We still bear something of God’s image, but it is marred, blurred, or in some sense unclear. What Adam and Eve were supposed to be was damaged by their disobedience, and every human is affected by that fall. We need God’s help to be the people he intended us to be. We need Jesus to be the image of God as God originally intended. We need help!

Paul here points to God always having had something beyond wrath in mind for sinners and the decaying creation of which we are all a part. With Jesus’ help, we are brought into a family with brothers and sisters and obligations: we're to love one another and serve one another. Romans 8:29 seems to echo the creation story again when it speaks of recipients of God's call being "conformed to the image of his Son." 

Humans had been made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), so now God is working out the plan by which humans are recreated in that image which has been perfectly reflected in God's Son, Jesus. All the doctrinal words here may be summed up in the work of redemption brought about by the blood of Jesus. The goal towards which “all things work together” for God’s people is to make them like Jesus. Where do we need to be like Jesus? Do we need help in living a holy life? How are we doing in obeying God’s command? Do we need help to represent Jesus properly to the world around us? Paul reminds us that we have the Spirit’s help to be all that God intended. We have the help we need to be conformed to the image of Christ—we can serve in humility, we can live sacrificially, and we can be a help to point others to the One who can help them! And we need help to do it!

But witness is only one aspect of public life for Christ. As we pursue Christ-likeness we will find ourselves sometime facing hard times. When we face hardship, Paul reminds us that God provides help in our warfare.

We Need Help With Warfare/Persevering in trials vv. 31-39—Our passage ends with a divine hymn that boasts of God's incredible and invincible love. Nothing can separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul begins this section with some questions about the situation of Christians. In verses 31-34, Paul essentially claims that the people who put their faith in Christ have found their need for acceptance met. The need for belonging is met in the body of Christ. In fact, the answer to the questions Paul asks is “No one but Jesus!” Paul seems to be saying that what we need is found in the redeeming love of Christ, in his death and resurrection. By giving us Jesus, God has provided all we need, and Jesus (like the Spirit) even helps us in prayer. Paul reminds us that the world may be a scary place, but God has us in his hand and has provided a place of refuge and rest. We need help, and that help is found in Christ.

In biblical times, people feared many apparent "powers," including angels and astrology. Paul addresses some of these things in this hymn, but the specifics aren’t as important as the conclusion—we need help to win in spiritual warfare. God has provided us that help in Jesus. Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead is the means by which we overcome the stuff the world throws at us. In fact, Paul says that nothing the world throws at us can separate us from God’s great grace. Paul says that we are "more than conquerors." 

Suffering is not something to be feared. Rather, as Gorman reminds us, "Believers do not ignore suffering because it has no effect on the true self, but rather they see in the suffering of Christ the full involvement of the self of God and of Christ in and for the world" (Cruciformity, 329). In other words, God and Christ are fully involved in suffering and involved in it "in and for the world."

What's more, because of God's faithfulness in raising Jesus from the dead, both the present experience of suffering and what we can expect of the future are transformed. We not only know God's solidarity with us now but also anticipate a time when even the worst that the powers of Sin and Death have to offer will be shown to be a "slight momentary affliction" (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17) when compared with the "glory about to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). What do we need? Why are we afraid?

What stands in the way of us enjoying God's love? Paul offers a laundry list of challenges resident in his time. What challenges do we face in which we need God’s help? Are we allowing something to separate us from God's love today? If so, what is it? Fear of sex offenders in the neighborhood? Concern over violent crimes? Alarm over terrorism? The inability to control one's life and circumstances? Fear of the future? What might happen if we fully commit? What do we need? 

We need God’s help to recognize that NONE of these things can separate us from his great love. Many distractions attempt to sever our attention from God. Each distraction claims to be more powerful, important, or influential than God. But God’s love and God’s grace are ours in Christ. There is one word that describes the relationship between God's love for God's redeemed: inseparable. We need that kind of relationship!

Conclusion—Now what?

How do we respond to this word?

Pray—even when we don’t have words—pray. This week identify specific areas where we need the Spirit’s help, and then let him help. Groan before him. Groan for the state of the world. Groan for the lost who do not know the love of Christ. Groan for the state of the church and its lack of love. Groan for those areas where we are not yet free but long for liberty. Spend at least 5 minutes a day in God’s presence this week, and just groan for the needs around you.  

Witness—seek opportunities to share and to discuss the great kindness that God has shown us. Look for broken people and help them. Look for lost people and share the good news with them. Look for places where there is a need, and ask God to help you meet that need. Seek opportunity to be conformed to the image of Jesus!

Warfare—recognize that Satan wants to distract us from the goal of being like Jesus. Focus most importantly on the fact that no matter how hard Satan tries, he CANNOT separate us from God’s love. If we are God’s children, then we have God’s grace. Look for places that distract or that try to keep us from the focus on God’s invincible love. Address those issues specifically. Bring them into proper focus to see how small they are compared to Jesus.

Where do we need help? Do we need a little help from your friends? Do we need someone to help? This week, remember that God doesn’t help those who help themselves, rather God helps those who are broken and who ask for help. We need to humble ourselves and receive help. 

Thank you for reading!