6th Christmas Thought

Unlike Zechariah, whom the last thought was written about, this person lived his life believing that God had something special for him to do.  Day in and day out Simeon lived a life of faith anticipating what the Lord was going to do for him before he died. 

Christmas for Simeon brought the fulfillment of a promise.  A promise that God had made to him years ago that he would see the “Lord’s Christ” before he died.  As Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple after the time of their ritual purification Simeon recognized the fulfilled promise and held the Christ child and received his blessing.

Simeon is not usually one of the “heroes” of the Christmas story.  His character is introduced somewhat after the birth and only Luke sees the need to tell this story while not mentioning the Magi of Matthew.  But it is with Simeon (and Anna) that we get the validation from the religious community of that day.  Without a mistake this was the awaited messiah.

Simeon’s joy had been made complete.  His life long dream to see the long awaited “Consolation of Israel” was now reality.  How we can only hope that at the end of our days we will be filled with such completion and such joy.  But in order for that to happen we have to have been “awaiting” something special.  What is it in your life that you believe that God will reveal?  What is it that you are waiting for?

5th Christmas Thought

In these “Christmas Thoughts” I am trying to take the characters of the Christmas story and find something of value in their part to our lives today.  This has not been a difficult task.  Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, has been the easiest to parallel to many of our lives today.

Zechariah along with Elizabeth, his wife, had prayed for many years that God would bless them with a child.  He was a member of the “Priestly” party and had duties at the Temple during various seasons of the year.  It is clear to see that he was a “religious” man and played his daily part.

The problem is that they had been praying so long for a child that they had simply fallen into the trap of going through the motions while believing that God was not going to answer their prayers.  This is evident with his disbelief when the angel told him that Elizabeth was going to have a child.

It becomes easy for believers to fall into the same trap; to pray without belief.  To go through the motions because that is what we are supposed to do.  In too many pews around the world, believers have allowed their faith to be summed up by their religious activities and routines.  Prayers, long spoken, have become empty and repetitious.  Songs are sung with feeling or attention to the meanings.  Activities are performed with heart.  This leaves us living the life a child of God by simply going through the motions.

This does not say anything about our status as God’s children; just our effectiveness.  This story has a wonderful ending however.  Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayers are answered in a mighty way.  Not only would they have a child, their son would be the very person who would herald the ripe time of the Lord.

I believe that we all would like to have the faith and energy the end of this story exemplifies and not the stale routine of the beginning.  We can regain this energy by looking honestly into the manger this Christmas season.  May we see more than a baby that we celebrate a birthday with; an excuse to cook, buy and party.  May we see the Christ child who is the hope of the world; the one who will can bring peace on earth! 

4th Christmas Thought

What credentials did the shepherds bring to the big event?  Why would God make the announcement of His becoming human to a bunch of lowly men watching a bunch of sheep? 

Have you ever considered the life of a shepherd?  Barring any animal attacks,  sudden thunderstorms or thieves trying to get away with a few of your animals there life was probably not real exciting.  You found a good place for them to graze and then when time came you walked to the “watering hole” and they drank.  After that you found the place where they could bed down in some safety.  Life was probably not real exciting on a daily basis. 

I am sure they had plenty of time on their hands too.  I cannot imagine the community leaders being real interested in finding a shepherd to tell important news too, unless maybe the price of mutton had gone up. 

I am sure that most of the good shepherds were excellent protectors of their flocks; brave and strong when it came to marauding animals or thieves.  But I cannot see most shepherds as being great public speakers, announcers of news that would change the known world, wrinkle the very fabric in which existence was made.

But there they were, maybe chewing on a straw watching the flock settled down on a plateau or grassy plain.  They might have been telling stories of the day’s excitement around the evening campfire.  Some might have even been thinking about the family that was not present but waiting for Dad or brother to come home.

Then there it was.  A sound that was not normal.  I am sure they jumped to their feet and started scanning the horizon just over their flock’s backs.  Excitement began to grow as they tried to figure out where this amazing sound was coming from.  Then as sudden as it appeared the sound began to take on familiarity; the sound of words.  Words that were being spoken, no sang, to music and it was not coming from anywhere close but from above.  The heavens were singing.  Listen to the song.  Did you understand it.  It was something about Good News, a savior being born right over the mountain there in Bethlehem. 

God used these keepers of the flock to become heralds of the most important event in history.  I wonder if God learned his lesson with giving such an important mission to the untrained, ill-born, common folks of that day.

I don’t think so.  He still uses me and you to deliver that message.  Maybe you have not been trained. . . so what.  Maybe you were not born to the noble class. . . even better.  Maybe you have trouble speaking to a group of people. . . go after one at a time. 

Truth is we like the shepherds, who went to everyone they knew and told them what they had witnessed and heard, have the same mission.  The fact that you are an ordinary person does not hinder you.  In fact, it elevates God’s ability to bless those around. 

Have a great VOCAL Christmas this year as you tell someone of all you have witnessed!

3rd Christmas Thought

You have got to be kidding?  I can imagine that behind the question “How can this be?” we could hear several different emotions.

1)      It is not physically possible?  I have not yet “known a man!” How can God do this?  Girls talk to each other.  I know what is necessary for me to carry a child and it has not happened!  I can’t believe this.  (Do I hear the music to the “Twilight Zone?”)

2)      Who in the world will believe this?  I am supposed to tell everyone I know that I am having God’s baby?  Sure I am going to be married to Joseph, but I am not yet and believe me people can count!  The numbers will not add up!  I will be the laughing stock and brunt of all the whispers in Nazareth!  (I hope the hospital ward will have soft sheets and pink straight jackets)

3)      Oh well, I can handle that but what will Joseph think.  I love him and want to be married to him and have a family with him.  He will make such a great father.  How can he believe the child I will carry will be the blessing of God and that I have not been unfaithful to him?  He will have every right to publicly humiliate me and put me aside and I will be one of the homeless in our town.  (I never did think the Bethlehem Highway overpass looked inviting and homelike)

4)      Why me?  Who am I that the Holy One of Israel would choose me to do this thing.  I am just a meager child.  Yes, I have done my best to keep myself pure and I try to obey all the commandments of Moses but so do many of my friends.  There are people much more deserving than me.  Would it not be better if God chose one of King Herod’s daughters?  Surely they would be able to provide all the pomp that the Lord of Host would need.  (I have never even won a raffle or door prize at the school parties)

Anyone of these are believable and we would not fault Mary if she were here today and confessed to having all four.  But that is the part of the story that we can so easily understand because we have given those excuses many times to deflect the call of God on our lives.  But that is not the end of the story.  Mary’s final word was “(deciding in her heart) Here I am, the Lord’s humble servant.  As you have said, let it be done to me.” (Luke 1:38 The Voice)  To paraphrase we might say that Mary looked at the angel with eyes of great determination and resolve and said “bring it on, lets do this thing!”

We admire the faith of the founding fathers, the leadership and myopic vision of a Moses, the military prowess of a David and the dedication of a Daniel.  But let us not forget the calm resolve of a Mary who faced the greatest miracle of them all.  God becoming man and the part that God wanted her to play in it.

2nd Christmas Thought

It was in God’s time!  Elizabeth must have thought that God had stopped hearing her prayers for a child.  It was an important matter in “Days of Old” just as it is today for many families desiring children.  To have a child signified a blessing of God but Elizabeth had barren.    But God had His own timing and Mary was granted not only a child, but the child!  The very one that would herald the coming of God Himself.

The story is found in its fullest in Luke chapter 1.  It is filled with all sorts of miracles.  A message from an angel, the loss of Zechariah’s voice, the special naming of the child the exclamation of Elizabeth and Mary’s song are all folded up into one brief chapter. 

How many times would  Elizabeth simply settled for a child, any child as long as she could hold her head in pride that God had blessed her womb.  Little did she know that God had a special calling for the baby in whom she would give birth. 

Do we ever try to rush God.  It must be done now and in this way or evidently God is not blessing us.  We know what we “need” and we “need” it now but God could have another plan; a plan that will bring us so much more blessing.

We can learn from Elizabeth in everyday life.  We can, we should pray that God will bless us.  But when that blessing does not come in the way we expected, or in our timing we should give up on God.  God’s timing is perfect.

As with Elizabeth’s blessing, ours can be too:  “Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘what then is this child going to be?’ for the Lord’s hand was with him” Luke 1:66

Christmas Thought One

Thanksgiving is almost here; we will soon be fatter than we were.  What else do we need.  I know; the exercise of the Christmas season.  Yep, it is right around the corner.  The Christmas programs are scheduled.  The choir is warming up.  The decorations are out and being put in their places.  We soon will be facing holiday traffic and parking nightmares at the malls.  The fear of having left someone off the gift list will become real again.  We will check and double check that we have not done more for one than another.  Whew!  I already feel lighter.

But this is really what Christmas is NOT about.  It is about peace, security and the presence of our God with us and like other holidays we all understand that we should have these feelings and devotions all year long.  But we don’t!  So the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas day helps us to remember.

Between now and Christmas I want to look at seven people in the bible that will help us to have that Christmas attitude (no, not the one that you have when someone zips in front of you to steal that parking place) all year long.  Jesus is not simply the “reason for the season”, He is the “reason beyond the season”.

Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, had grown up during the reign of Uzziah.  This Jewish king had been renowned for his efforts of religious reform and his own personal devotion.  This example impacted and a nation and the life of the young prophet.  His death cast a long shadow over the nation and all that was righteous began to spiral down. 

The young prophet began to look deeper for God’s working in his nation and God honored that devotion with the picture of His majesty and care for the world.  In chapter nine Isaiah is given a word of hope and security.  “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. . .” (Is 9:6-7)

It was this message that transformed the young prophet with a message of hope for God’s people.  Isaiah witnessed many terrible things that future kings would do and his own people stepping farther and farther from God.  But this message was taken to heart and Isaiah never forgot that ultimately God is in control and has worked in the past, is working now and will continue to work in the future.  That is the message of Christmas.

Many across our nation and world today face each day with little hope.  They fail to see God working or believe that because things are not like they want them then God must have stepped back and no longer cares for them.  I do not believe that everything that happens is “caused” by God or is even in His perfect will.  But this I do believe that God cares and everything can in some way be worked for good. 

To Isaiah the message was a child would be born. . .  To us today the message is that a Child has been born.  It has already happened.  God has and is dwelling with us now during this beautiful season of Christmas and in the Dog Days of August.  We must simply believe enough to look!

Patience in a Right Now World

It is funny how we get used to things.  We have become a people of “I want it right now!”  It is hard to imagine how a younger generation deals with not getting what they want or expect in blazing “Jimmy John” speed.

I recently had to have a government document.  I needed it right now.  The people who were requesting this information from me needed it right now.  It was important in the loan process for our house.  I called the government agency involved and asked what the process was to retrieve the document.  The person I spoke to was great.  She told me that normally I had to go through different hoops and pay some fees but knowing that would take a couple of day probably she could just mail it to me.  Wait; mail it, as in snail mail?  But that would take at least three days.  I asked was there anyway she could scan it and email it to me.  Very apologetically she said they were not allowed to do that.  There was nothing I could do but wait for the document so I could scan it and email it to the loan processor.  Three, maybe four days and I was fearful this would slow down the process.  The document arrived, I scanned and emailed; it must have been just in time.

When I look back at my childhood and early adult life I can see this change in our expectations taking place.  I know that they are supposed to be for the better and by and large I like the changes but sometimes the speed our lives can cause major stress.  Here are some things to compare.

Growing up I thought it a treat to go to the “Drive In” and get a hamburger.  We would pull up and wait for the carhop to come to us.  Dad would order (he was usually driving) and we would sit and wait for the burgers and fries to be cooked and the cokes to be poured.  Then the carhop would bring them out to the car and place the tray on the window.  Dad would pay and sometimes leave a quarter tip or tell them to keep the change.  We would eat and then signal by flashing the lights or a short honk of the horn for the carhop to come get the tray.  Off we would then go.

Today Debbie and I pull up to the drive thru speakers, order and proceed to the window where our food is generally ready already bagged.  We pay with our debit card, drive off and eat on our way to the next place we are going.

Growing up we received these mail order catalogs; Sears, J.C. Penny and Montgomery Wards.  We could order anything from a pair of pants that couldn’t be bought at the local department store, to chickens.  Mom or dad would write a check after filling out the order form, seal it in an envelope, stamp it and put it in the mail box for the postman to pick it up tomorrow since we rarely did this in the day.  The order would get sent to the distribution warehouse where it would be filled and boxed and mailed back to us.  This process could take weeks.

Today, day or night, I go to Amazon or eBay or directly to a manufacture and find what I want, place the order paying with a credit or debit card and usually pick the free three day shipping.  But if I wanted to spend a little extra I could have it tomorrow.  Yep, we have done that!

When I first started in the ministry and wanted to get information out to all the church members I had to design a letter or flyer, address a bunch of envelopes, stamp and mail.  A two day process was expected.

Today, I needed to get an urgent prayer request out to the church and in less than ten minutes it was done.

One more illustration from an endless pool of examples.  When I was growing up I can remember my grandfather waiting up late so he could see what the weather man was predicting for the next day and beyond.  The news and weather came on at 10:00 pm.

Today at my desk I have a desktop computer, a laptop, an iPad and iPhone.  Each of them are on at this very minute.  Each of them have the power of delivering to me not only the weather but the news with just the touch of my finger.  When I think I need I want it now!

I enjoy the speed in which we can get things done today.  However, as mentioned earlier I believe it is this ability that has caused a lot of stress and worry in our lives.  The speed in which we can get things done has artificially convinced us that we are in control and when we lose that control all heck breaks loose in our lives.  How can we survive if we don’t get it done right now.? Our jobs, our families, our very psyches depend on our actions.  Or do they?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! Luke 12:27-28 NIV

(Why is lunch taking so long to get here?)