On a recent visit to a dollar store I picked up a book. The author is a former television pastor of international fame. His smiling image is prominent on the cover, along with an endorsement from a TV psychologist and New York Times Best Seller credit. My initial instinct was, “You don’t need this.” But, one dollar, best seller, and subtitle promising “God’s direction for your life” was too much, and I bought a copy.
The old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” could not be more appropriately applied. What I thought would be a mediocre, ho-hum read turned out to be a challenging outline for developing Jesus’ disciples. An anecdote introducing the theme of each chapter was worth more than a dollar. The wisdom is timeless. And, after reading the first fifty pages, I returned to the store to buy a dozen additional copies to share with young people who could benefit the most. Alas, the store’s inventory was down to only one copy. I’ll check other sources for more copies, but I am embarrassed that I misjudged the contents based on a cover that exposed my prejudice.
When Samuel was impressed with Jesse’s son, Eliab, the Lord cautioned Samuel with, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) We are easily impressed with the world’s value system of appearance, achievements, and acquisitions. Even church leadership literature recommends “hiring tens,” or those who can perform at the highest level (like Olympian gymnasts). Let’s face it, in making judgments we are often prejudiced by non-biblical values.
The “diamond in the rough,” needs to be given an opportunity. Someone must invest deeply in those whose hearts are pure and desire to follow Jesus obediently. Someone invested in me or I would have been like the volumes on the “last chance” table at the booksellers. Most students applying for internships with Northeast Urban Church Planting were inexperienced, unpolished, and obviously too young. Those same people are now advancing the Kingdom of God in a most admirable manner in many challenging places.
Let us humbly return to the Scripture, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) Let us remember that God makes no junk, that all have been designed with Divine purpose, and that everyone needs help in the process of becoming what pleases God.
For one, I’ll be more careful when judging books in the future! Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Glory to God in the Highest!
An old adage captures the relationship between the Bible’s Old and New Testaments. “The Old is the new concealed, the New is the Old revealed.” The Book of Hebrews is full of wonderful Advent images of contrast and wonder. As the shepherds heard angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest!” the incomplete of the Old was in the process of being replaced with New, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form ...” (Colossians 2:9) The Spirit -inspired author painted contrasts in Testaments frequently and colorfully. Hebrews defines old and new covenants; an old sacrificial system replaced by Jesus, the one sacrifice for our sins; laws written on stone or parchment are written on the heart; the old sanctuary made of animal skins, trees and precious metals is starkly contrasted with the “Holy of Holies” in heaven. Advent images, linguistic photographs, are replaced with flesh and blood, Jesus, the Christ! “Glory to God in the highest!”
Our home is appropriately decorated for the season, thanks to Pat’s eye for beauty and balance. Lights sparkle, stocking hang from the mantle, the tree is ready for our eight grandchildren to “ooh” and “aah.” In a few hours ripped wrapping paper will litter the floor but, who cares? Little eyes will be dancing with excitement and little arms will squeeze our necks! Life is good! I cannot imagine life being better!
As I write this morning I am listening to Handel’s “Messiah.” The aria and chorus whose lyrics come from Isaiah 7, make all the bulbs dim and lift my soul! By the Spirit, the prophet announced centuries before, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Emphasis mine) What had been concealed for generations was being revealed before the eyes of shepherds. Now, for the followers of Jesus the promise is revealed, alive, real, part of our experience! “Glory to God in the highest!” We who were born in darkness have experienced the light, “Glory to God in the highest,” Jesus is the revelation, the light, of what the darkness had concealed!
You may not have acquired an appreciation for Handel’s 18th century musical style, but if the concealed has been revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, allow the lyrics to seep into your soul! You may hear “Messiah” performed, free, by the world-class Philadelphia Orchestra and chorus http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=6581236&m=17357382.
George Frederick Handel penned his masterpiece in a mere three weeks, carried along by the Spirit, inspired by Eternal Truth that the concealed has been revealed! For me, Advent would be incomplete without hearing “Messiah” again, and again! “Glory to God in the highest!” “Glory to God in the highest!” “Glory to God in the highest!”
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Our home is appropriately decorated for the season, thanks to Pat’s eye for beauty and balance. Lights sparkle, stocking hang from the mantle, the tree is ready for our eight grandchildren to “ooh” and “aah.” In a few hours ripped wrapping paper will litter the floor but, who cares? Little eyes will be dancing with excitement and little arms will squeeze our necks! Life is good! I cannot imagine life being better!
As I write this morning I am listening to Handel’s “Messiah.” The aria and chorus whose lyrics come from Isaiah 7, make all the bulbs dim and lift my soul! By the Spirit, the prophet announced centuries before, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Emphasis mine) What had been concealed for generations was being revealed before the eyes of shepherds. Now, for the followers of Jesus the promise is revealed, alive, real, part of our experience! “Glory to God in the highest!” We who were born in darkness have experienced the light, “Glory to God in the highest,” Jesus is the revelation, the light, of what the darkness had concealed!
You may not have acquired an appreciation for Handel’s 18th century musical style, but if the concealed has been revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, allow the lyrics to seep into your soul! You may hear “Messiah” performed, free, by the world-class Philadelphia Orchestra and chorus http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=6581236&m=17357382.
George Frederick Handel penned his masterpiece in a mere three weeks, carried along by the Spirit, inspired by Eternal Truth that the concealed has been revealed! For me, Advent would be incomplete without hearing “Messiah” again, and again! “Glory to God in the highest!” “Glory to God in the highest!” “Glory to God in the highest!”
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
"Bigger is better" or "Better is Bigger?"
The Letter to the Hebrews was written to saints living in a “bigger is better” world. The world has always run on that value system. The Spirit-inspired author contradicts “bigger is better,” with “better is bigger.” “Better” appears eleven times, four times in chapter eleven alone. The “better” is about the permanence of Jesus’ priesthood, the superiority of His sacrifice, and the heavenly sanctuary above a man-made altar.
To more fully appreciate the truth of the Christmas Season we must reinforce “better is bigger” in our thinking. For centuries prophetic promises were announced. The people looked ahead in hope. We experience the truth for which others hoped! That is the “better” that must continually grow “bigger!”
People who received the prophets’ promises were, “Looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” (Verses 13-16) Scoffers, complainers, those who never grasped the power of promise, settled into the “bigger is better” mode, buying, selling, amassing fortunes, while entirely missing God’s “better is bigger” blessing. Complainers traded the eternal for the immediate, the spiritual for the sensual, the best for the average, the promise for paltry stuff. The “better is bigger” people sing ...
This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore
O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore
This Christmas let us remember, reflect, and be renewed with “better is bigger” truth. If we do, we will be energized and eager as a result of coming face to face, heart to heart, mind to mind, and Spirit to spirit with Jesus, the Christ, Messiah, Savior, Lord. The One promised with great detail, “a virgin will conceive,” and, “His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” has come. Jesus lived among us. He suffered, died and rose again from the dead! All sacrifices have been made that need to be made. The “better” must be “biggest” message of the season!
Shepherds saw and heard a heavenly host declaring, “Glory to God in the highest!” The “better” reality is, “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” (Hebrews 12:23) “Better is bigger” people, those who are in the “joyful assembly” know that singing in the choir is more satisfying than sitting in the audience! Let’s sing by candlelight and live the “better is better” message in broad daylight!
To more fully appreciate the truth of the Christmas Season we must reinforce “better is bigger” in our thinking. For centuries prophetic promises were announced. The people looked ahead in hope. We experience the truth for which others hoped! That is the “better” that must continually grow “bigger!”
People who received the prophets’ promises were, “Looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” (Verses 13-16) Scoffers, complainers, those who never grasped the power of promise, settled into the “bigger is better” mode, buying, selling, amassing fortunes, while entirely missing God’s “better is bigger” blessing. Complainers traded the eternal for the immediate, the spiritual for the sensual, the best for the average, the promise for paltry stuff. The “better is bigger” people sing ...
This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore
O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore
This Christmas let us remember, reflect, and be renewed with “better is bigger” truth. If we do, we will be energized and eager as a result of coming face to face, heart to heart, mind to mind, and Spirit to spirit with Jesus, the Christ, Messiah, Savior, Lord. The One promised with great detail, “a virgin will conceive,” and, “His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” has come. Jesus lived among us. He suffered, died and rose again from the dead! All sacrifices have been made that need to be made. The “better” must be “biggest” message of the season!
Shepherds saw and heard a heavenly host declaring, “Glory to God in the highest!” The “better” reality is, “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” (Hebrews 12:23) “Better is bigger” people, those who are in the “joyful assembly” know that singing in the choir is more satisfying than sitting in the audience! Let’s sing by candlelight and live the “better is better” message in broad daylight!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Advent Encouragement
Our friends of almost fifty years, the Neumans, publish an occasional newsletter titled, “An Encouraging Word.” Bob and Judy include snippets from life experience, anecdotes about their animals, fun stuff from vacations, a groan-inducing pun, and an item of Pastor Bob’s wry humor. One may find almost anything in “The Encouraging Word” that will urge readers to keep looking up and moving forward. The publication lives up to the masthead.
The writer of the Hebrew Letter reminds us to do the same, with a bit of added intensity. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (3:13) Quitting is too final to allow others to consider it an option. So, encourage one another!
I keep two lists at the Advent Season, a list of gifts to present, and a list of people who will need encouragement during the holidays. The gift-giving list will be discarded today. Items have been crossed off, one package has been mailed, and only a few more boxes will be wrapped this evening. The second list has been developing all year. The names of people who have buried a spouse (Ruth buried Chet, her husband of sixty-three years.), a parent, a sibling or child are on the list. Our family will open gifts with eight delightful shrieking grandchildren, our children, and their spouses while others ache because of an estranged child, a once promising son or daughter is in prison, or one who has passed away. While the aromas of scented candles warmly sweeten the atmosphere for some, the icy reality of betrayal and divorce will undo the efforts of family and friends pretending everything is alright. Trying to distract loved ones from painful memories, thoughts of despair, and anger can be daunting. Others on my list are wrestling with cancers, unemployment, or fears too numerous to begin mentioning.
One of the most difficult dimensions of “sin’s deceitfulness” may be the feeling of, “I am alone!” A telephone call, a note, a personal invitation to “sit with us” at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service can help. Another of “sin’s deceitful” ploys includes a conviction that, “I must be a really bad person for this to happen to me,” or, “It is all my fault!” It is nearly impossible to avoid that feeling when the loss is great. But, encouraging people are interested enough to listen, and, when the time is right, to speak compassionately, patiently, wisely. The calls don’t have to be long and the notes may be simple. Acts of kindness may not cost anything but time, time in prayerful preparation and time spent with those in distress. But time spent strategically is powerfully effective.
My second list will be kept handy all year. The work of encouragement must go on indefinitely. Others will always need help crossing the finish line. I will too! During this Advent Season, let us spur one another on, especially those who need the bit of extra encouragement.
The writer of the Hebrew Letter reminds us to do the same, with a bit of added intensity. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (3:13) Quitting is too final to allow others to consider it an option. So, encourage one another!
I keep two lists at the Advent Season, a list of gifts to present, and a list of people who will need encouragement during the holidays. The gift-giving list will be discarded today. Items have been crossed off, one package has been mailed, and only a few more boxes will be wrapped this evening. The second list has been developing all year. The names of people who have buried a spouse (Ruth buried Chet, her husband of sixty-three years.), a parent, a sibling or child are on the list. Our family will open gifts with eight delightful shrieking grandchildren, our children, and their spouses while others ache because of an estranged child, a once promising son or daughter is in prison, or one who has passed away. While the aromas of scented candles warmly sweeten the atmosphere for some, the icy reality of betrayal and divorce will undo the efforts of family and friends pretending everything is alright. Trying to distract loved ones from painful memories, thoughts of despair, and anger can be daunting. Others on my list are wrestling with cancers, unemployment, or fears too numerous to begin mentioning.
One of the most difficult dimensions of “sin’s deceitfulness” may be the feeling of, “I am alone!” A telephone call, a note, a personal invitation to “sit with us” at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service can help. Another of “sin’s deceitful” ploys includes a conviction that, “I must be a really bad person for this to happen to me,” or, “It is all my fault!” It is nearly impossible to avoid that feeling when the loss is great. But, encouraging people are interested enough to listen, and, when the time is right, to speak compassionately, patiently, wisely. The calls don’t have to be long and the notes may be simple. Acts of kindness may not cost anything but time, time in prayerful preparation and time spent with those in distress. But time spent strategically is powerfully effective.
My second list will be kept handy all year. The work of encouragement must go on indefinitely. Others will always need help crossing the finish line. I will too! During this Advent Season, let us spur one another on, especially those who need the bit of extra encouragement.
Monday, December 19, 2011
A study in contrasts -- Herod and Joseph
The Nativity story is filled with diversity. The contrasts include an about-to-be-married young couple, Mary and Joseph, and an aged Elizabeth and Zechariah. The modest financial status of shepherds is contrasted with the wealth of the Magi. The Magi were Gentiles, most of the other cast members were Jewish in the eternal drama. Anna, an eighty-four year old widow, an Asherite, Joseph from the tribe of Judah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth, descendants of Aaron, are all included in the narrative.
But the differences between Joseph and Herod may be the most pronounced. At the Nativity moment the motivations, attitudes, and actions of the two men could not have been more different.
• Herod was a bully! He was prepared to do anything, even ordering a community-wide infanticide, in order to maintain power. Joseph was prepared to do whatever he could to maintain peace, to protect Mary’s reputation, and consistently serve others. One blighted, the other blessed.
• Herod was scheming and deceptive. Joseph was transparent and compliant, obeying both Caesar’s census edict and instructions from angelic messengers.
• Herod was a pursuer, hunting down opponents, but Joseph fled from conflicts, running toward safety.
• Herod thrived while giving orders, Joseph distinguished himself by obeying.
• While Herod lived in palaces and was comfortable negotiating with world powers, Joseph lived in modest surroundings and conversed with spiritual giants like Zechariah and Anna.
• Herod’s kingdom is buried in the dust of antiquity – powerless and a subject of academic study of failed governments. Joseph contributed to the advance of a Kingdom which has no end!
Readers are certainly able to add more stark differences between the men than those listed.
The world has always had a full complement of bully-spirited people. Nationally, a “my guns are bigger and more lethal than your guns!” attitude drives peace negotiations. Wars are most frequently fought over money, gaining and maintaining power, or accessing natural resources (water, fossil fuels, metals). On a personal level, appearances, achievements and acquisitions are used to leverage advantages of position and power. You and I hear the Herod spirit in debates, experience the same as we wait on check-out counter lines, or if we occupy someone else’s seat in church. The Herod spirit reveals a flawed ego, the need to assert self and control others. We might be more careful to remember that symbols of power can be amassed by careless religious people as easily as godless atheists.
Jesus’ disciples are wise to note the differences between Herod and Joseph. They are instructive and preparatory to understanding Jesus’ call to follow. Joseph’s “followership” model is a template for those who are serious about learning the ways of Jesus.
One last observation, unless God changes us, radically transforms us, we are naturally of the Herod spirit and bound to act as treacherously. But God does transform! That is the Natal Message given to all men. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
But the differences between Joseph and Herod may be the most pronounced. At the Nativity moment the motivations, attitudes, and actions of the two men could not have been more different.
• Herod was a bully! He was prepared to do anything, even ordering a community-wide infanticide, in order to maintain power. Joseph was prepared to do whatever he could to maintain peace, to protect Mary’s reputation, and consistently serve others. One blighted, the other blessed.
• Herod was scheming and deceptive. Joseph was transparent and compliant, obeying both Caesar’s census edict and instructions from angelic messengers.
• Herod was a pursuer, hunting down opponents, but Joseph fled from conflicts, running toward safety.
• Herod thrived while giving orders, Joseph distinguished himself by obeying.
• While Herod lived in palaces and was comfortable negotiating with world powers, Joseph lived in modest surroundings and conversed with spiritual giants like Zechariah and Anna.
• Herod’s kingdom is buried in the dust of antiquity – powerless and a subject of academic study of failed governments. Joseph contributed to the advance of a Kingdom which has no end!
Readers are certainly able to add more stark differences between the men than those listed.
The world has always had a full complement of bully-spirited people. Nationally, a “my guns are bigger and more lethal than your guns!” attitude drives peace negotiations. Wars are most frequently fought over money, gaining and maintaining power, or accessing natural resources (water, fossil fuels, metals). On a personal level, appearances, achievements and acquisitions are used to leverage advantages of position and power. You and I hear the Herod spirit in debates, experience the same as we wait on check-out counter lines, or if we occupy someone else’s seat in church. The Herod spirit reveals a flawed ego, the need to assert self and control others. We might be more careful to remember that symbols of power can be amassed by careless religious people as easily as godless atheists.
Jesus’ disciples are wise to note the differences between Herod and Joseph. They are instructive and preparatory to understanding Jesus’ call to follow. Joseph’s “followership” model is a template for those who are serious about learning the ways of Jesus.
One last observation, unless God changes us, radically transforms us, we are naturally of the Herod spirit and bound to act as treacherously. But God does transform! That is the Natal Message given to all men. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Friday, December 16, 2011
Preposterous!
Words are collectable. One of the words I could never part with, but am eager to share is, “preposterous.” I keep it in a special mental, thought-lined, compartment in my lexicon. I share it with you today. Come, examine, enjoy and use it on this rare occasion.
Retailers present Christmas as if they were history’s screen writers, orchestrating every action (a.k.a. purchase) and designing segues from “Black Friday” to “Cyber Monday,” including an annual countdown of shopping days to Christmas. That’s preposterous, absurd! Some of the season’s images are similarly foolish ... elves, reindeer, sleighs, and snowmen. I am amused when church deacons can be pressured (usually by the pastor’s wife) into pretending to be wise men from the East in the annual church pageant. The production may not appear as goofy if they weren’t costumed in bath robes (gifts from last year’s observances). Sorry, I just think it is preposterous, zany, but, forgivable!
But careless or second rate observances are not limited to merchants or amateur drama productions. Contemporary disciples of Jesus often present the salvation story as if it began in Matthew’s Gospel. For me, one of the highlights of the whole season is when a well-written Christmas Eve Candlelight Service or Advent sermon includes Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” God declared his intention and plan to save at the moment sin became part of the story. Every time I read that verse or am prompted by the Spirit to muse on it or, to quote it, I want to jump up and high five someone, embrace a brother in the faith, or send praises toward heaven! To think that salvation begins in Matthew is, well, preposterous! God uses language like, “from the foundation of the world,” concerning salvation. Never an afterthought, salvation is in the heart of our Eternal God.
Citing the prophets of the Older Testament, eight times Matthew uses the phrase, “that it may be fulfilled.” The Gospel Story has been unfolding for eons. Today’s followers of Jesus have a lineage dating back to Eden. The promise that the serpent’s head would be crushed has been completed! That’s the Good News! It all took a long, long time to be realized, but now it is the Truth that sets people free.
I thought that I could stop, but must add this last word. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near!” (Philippians 4:4,5) That’s among the greatest Nativity Season activities! The fulfillment of the prophet’s promises took centuries, but it has happened. The promise of Jesus’ second coming will also be completed! Living with too much concern about today uncovers our lack of confidence that “the Lord is near!” Living otherwise is “preposterous!” Foolish!
Retailers present Christmas as if they were history’s screen writers, orchestrating every action (a.k.a. purchase) and designing segues from “Black Friday” to “Cyber Monday,” including an annual countdown of shopping days to Christmas. That’s preposterous, absurd! Some of the season’s images are similarly foolish ... elves, reindeer, sleighs, and snowmen. I am amused when church deacons can be pressured (usually by the pastor’s wife) into pretending to be wise men from the East in the annual church pageant. The production may not appear as goofy if they weren’t costumed in bath robes (gifts from last year’s observances). Sorry, I just think it is preposterous, zany, but, forgivable!
But careless or second rate observances are not limited to merchants or amateur drama productions. Contemporary disciples of Jesus often present the salvation story as if it began in Matthew’s Gospel. For me, one of the highlights of the whole season is when a well-written Christmas Eve Candlelight Service or Advent sermon includes Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” God declared his intention and plan to save at the moment sin became part of the story. Every time I read that verse or am prompted by the Spirit to muse on it or, to quote it, I want to jump up and high five someone, embrace a brother in the faith, or send praises toward heaven! To think that salvation begins in Matthew is, well, preposterous! God uses language like, “from the foundation of the world,” concerning salvation. Never an afterthought, salvation is in the heart of our Eternal God.
Citing the prophets of the Older Testament, eight times Matthew uses the phrase, “that it may be fulfilled.” The Gospel Story has been unfolding for eons. Today’s followers of Jesus have a lineage dating back to Eden. The promise that the serpent’s head would be crushed has been completed! That’s the Good News! It all took a long, long time to be realized, but now it is the Truth that sets people free.
I thought that I could stop, but must add this last word. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near!” (Philippians 4:4,5) That’s among the greatest Nativity Season activities! The fulfillment of the prophet’s promises took centuries, but it has happened. The promise of Jesus’ second coming will also be completed! Living with too much concern about today uncovers our lack of confidence that “the Lord is near!” Living otherwise is “preposterous!” Foolish!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Advent Glory
Advent is a powerful season, especially when one reads and absorbs the import of the Nativity account. For someone of Jesus’ importance, we would expect more details and commentary on His birth. The records are brief, just enough to challenge our thoughts and whet our desire to know Him. While men search, ache with dissatisfaction, parched with monotony’s dryness, Jesus, with holy, other-worldly ingenuity bursts in with “Glory!”
From the introduction of Eugene Peterson’s translation of the New Testament, “God entered history in a personal way, and made it unmistakably clear that he is on our side, doing everything possible to save us. It was all presented and worked out in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It was, and is, hard to believe — seemingly too good to be true. But one by one, men and women did believe it, believed Jesus was God alive among them and for them.”
One line from John One has been pivotal in my faith journey, “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.” Sometime in eternity past the Godhead determined how He would make Himself known, the Son would be sent to put God Himself on exhibit.
“Glory” entered the drudgery, darkness, and death common to life. Glory burst into the shepherd’s night by way of angelic announcement. Glory was revealed to Magi so hungry for relief from the routines of their vocation that they would travel for months following a star. Jesus presence, Glory, interrupted the hard work of commercial fishermen, the monotony and contentions of tax collecting, and tedium of medical practices. Persona non grata, demonized Legion, feared, naked, crazed -- and then, Glory! Freedom! Sanity! Family! When the “Word made flesh,” appeared blind men could see, the deaf could hear and speak, and a hemorrhaging lady all knew “Glory!”
The Jewish hit man who “went about breathing out murderous threats” was arrested with Glory en route to another ethnic cleansing in Damascus. Saul of Tarsus’ new name written in glory is Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
And then, “Glory” came to me!
The legendary Nazarene publisher, Haldor Lillenas collaborated with Avis Christensen, penning the Gospel song, “It is Glory Just to Walk With Him.”
It is glory just to walk with Him Whose blood has ransomed me;
It is rapture for my soul each day.
It is joy divine to feel Him near where’er my path may be.
Bless the Lord, it’s glory all the way!
Refrain
It is glory just to walk with Him, It is glory just to walk with Him,
He will guide my steps aright
Through the vale and o’er the height,
It is glory just to walk with Him.
“Glory!” is something really special in Advent! Maybe we ought to assign the “Happy Holiday” vs. “Merry Christmas” argument to others and become ambassadors of “GLORY!”
From the introduction of Eugene Peterson’s translation of the New Testament, “God entered history in a personal way, and made it unmistakably clear that he is on our side, doing everything possible to save us. It was all presented and worked out in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It was, and is, hard to believe — seemingly too good to be true. But one by one, men and women did believe it, believed Jesus was God alive among them and for them.”
One line from John One has been pivotal in my faith journey, “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.” Sometime in eternity past the Godhead determined how He would make Himself known, the Son would be sent to put God Himself on exhibit.
“Glory” entered the drudgery, darkness, and death common to life. Glory burst into the shepherd’s night by way of angelic announcement. Glory was revealed to Magi so hungry for relief from the routines of their vocation that they would travel for months following a star. Jesus presence, Glory, interrupted the hard work of commercial fishermen, the monotony and contentions of tax collecting, and tedium of medical practices. Persona non grata, demonized Legion, feared, naked, crazed -- and then, Glory! Freedom! Sanity! Family! When the “Word made flesh,” appeared blind men could see, the deaf could hear and speak, and a hemorrhaging lady all knew “Glory!”
The Jewish hit man who “went about breathing out murderous threats” was arrested with Glory en route to another ethnic cleansing in Damascus. Saul of Tarsus’ new name written in glory is Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
And then, “Glory” came to me!
The legendary Nazarene publisher, Haldor Lillenas collaborated with Avis Christensen, penning the Gospel song, “It is Glory Just to Walk With Him.”
It is glory just to walk with Him Whose blood has ransomed me;
It is rapture for my soul each day.
It is joy divine to feel Him near where’er my path may be.
Bless the Lord, it’s glory all the way!
Refrain
It is glory just to walk with Him, It is glory just to walk with Him,
He will guide my steps aright
Through the vale and o’er the height,
It is glory just to walk with Him.
“Glory!” is something really special in Advent! Maybe we ought to assign the “Happy Holiday” vs. “Merry Christmas” argument to others and become ambassadors of “GLORY!”
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