Christmas Is Coming!

 The beginning of December is unavoidably associated with the coming of the Christmas holiday.  It can be a time of stress, but it is also without doubt a time of anticipation.  And as I think about the upcoming celebration of the Incarnation, I am also thinking about God’s anticipation of this glorious event.

 

When the Triune God first created the world and the man and the woman, there was uninhibited relationship between human and Creator, and harmony among all parts of creation.  This was torn asunder with the fall.  Adam and Eve’s choosing independence from God replaced the intimacy they had enjoyed with their Creator with fear and shame.  The havoc their choice made echoed across all creation.  God wept, and all heaven grieved.

 

Genesis 3 tells us that in the midst of this tragedy, as God pronounces the consequences of their choice, He also makes reference to His plan of redemption: a seed of the woman will crush Satan’s head.  The promise of the Messiah becomes clearer as Hebrew history evolves, and the book of Isaiah is often known as the Fifth Gospel for a good reason: Isaiah proclaims with incredible clarity the coming Messiah.

 

And so the Hebrew nation begins a centuries-long wait for the Messiah.  I don’t think we often consider that God is waiting as well.  From the first, “Adam, where are you?” to His grief over His faithless people expressed by the prophets, we see in the Old Testament a God who hates the fall and its result.  He, too, is waiting for the fulness of time to bring forth the Savior of the world.

 

We also see a God who remains intimately engaged in His creation as He moves history forward toward the Messiah.  In fact, He is so committed that He makes “cameo” appearances.  Scholars call these Theophanies: visible appearances of God to humankind.  And many scholars speculate that those appearances are Christophanies: visible appearances of a preincarnate Christ to humankind.  The thread is strong enough that many commentators identify the phrase angel of the LORD in the Old Testament (not in the New!) as a euphemism—at least at times— for the preincarnate Christ.

 

And so the LORD and two angels appear to Abraham before the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He also appears to Hagar when she takes Ishmael and runs away from Abraham’s household.  He appears to Abraham again as Abraham prepares to sacrifice his son Isaac.  He wrestles with Jacob as Jacob returns to Canaan after running away from Esau.  And He appears to Moses in the burning bush.  

 

There are multiples instances in the Old Testament where it is at least possible and even quite likely if not certain that a pre-incarnate Christ inserted Himself in human events.  I can only interpret this as evidence that Jesus was as eager to come as we were for Him to come.  Our anticipation of Christmas can be a reminder that our Lord and Savior was as or more eager to take the step of the incarnation as His people were to have Him come.  And now, centuries later, we can at least speculate that as we look beyond our celebration of Christmas to the second coming of Christ, we can consider that He is as eager to bring the church—His bride—to His wedding feast as we are to come.

 

Come, Lord Jesus…!

 

Thought For The Day

"Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can."

                                                              Dwight L. Moody

 

An October Holiday

 October is the month when we celebrate Halloween—or not.  When I was a young Christian wife and mother, our church culture discouraged involvement in Halloween because it was associated with evil.  My wise and thoughtful husband took the position that our children would be different enough because of our family faith without withdrawing them from Halloween activities.  And I was happy to have the opportunity to love our neighbors by engaging with their children.  Our daughter still complains about our stuffing her pumpkin costume with newspaper to give her a pumpkin shape before going out for trick-or-treating.

 

While some historians posit that Halloween has secular/pagan roots, many scholars believe that the celebration of All Hallows’ Day originates in Christianity and goes back in time to at least the 4^th Century AD.  This is the time the church set aside to honor believers who had died.  This is why the day is also known as All Saints’ Day.  And like other feast days, it was preceded by an evening vigil: All Hallows’ Eve.

 

My intent in writing is not to make a particular argument about the pros or cons of Halloween.  I would prefer to use the celebration of All Hallows’ Day as a reminder that we would do well to remember the saints who have gone before us and thank God for their example and legacy.  Our spiritual ancestors—from the apostles to St. Augustine to Martin Luther to Mother Teresa—are now part of the cloud of witnesses spoken of by the author of Hebrews.  And of course the saints who have gone before us include not only (or even primarily) believers who are well known in history but also the lesser known and unrecognized.  Many of us have believers in our family lines that have contributed to our own faith.  This is a time for gratitude

 

All Hallows’ Eve and All Hallows’ Day also remind us that we are saints.  As we live and walk in faith, we become the hands, feet, and voice of Christ, encouraging other believers and inviting nonbelievers to consider the Lord and Savior of the world.  And then unless Christ returns first, we will die and become members of the cloud of witnesses celebrated on All Hallows’ Day.  

 

Everything In Its Time: Ecclesiastes 3:11

 Human beings, by our very sin nature, have difficulty with transitions.  The fear and shame that accompany our fallen nature urges us to seek security.  Familiarity and predictability are often a priority.  And yet research shows that there is real value in moving out of our comfort zone: Doing so empowers us as we are forced to exercise creativity and flexibility.  It is often required if we are to experience real joy.

 And here we are, looking at September, the month that most loudly signals change and transition.  While there is excitement associated with a new school year, that excitement is often mixed with stress and/or anxiety.  I believe our ability to make transitions in a confident and healthy manner can be improved if we consider some of the components involved.

 

One of the most significant factors in making a transition is our expectations.  We often set ourselves up for failure as we view the transition as larger and our abilities as smaller.  And while it is wise to be realistic, it is also wise to plant our feet on the solid ground of Scripture.  We are called to trust in the Lord and depend upon Him to make our paths straight; we are called to put on the armor of God that will protect us from evil; and we are called to walk in faith, with the conviction that the Lord is working His good purposes in us and through us as we walk through our days.  And while we long to succeed, it is often our failures that provide the Lord with the the opportunity to work for our good in the way we most need Him to.

 

Another factor that I often struggle with is the need for patience.  We can be so eager to prove ourselves, become comfortable, and establish a new normal that we don’t give ourselves an opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and grow.  Transitions, even those that we are fully invested in and enthused about, take time.  And when a transition is not as appealing to us, an extra measure of patience is in order: It may take time to allow the Lord to give us His perspective and for us to see what He might have for us in our new situations and circumstances.

 

Earlier this summer, I had a wonderful time viewing a young bald eagle family in northern Iowa, courtesy of an eagle cam.  As the two chicks grew into fledglings, I was surprised that the eagle personality that I have in my head—strong, bold, fearless—was not apparent in the two eaglets who sat comfortably in their nest and waited for their parents to deliver fresh food.  Eventually, Eaglet #1 started to venture toward the end of the nest, and then a couple of weeks later, onto a branch that extended from the nest.  Soon after, Eaglet #2 did the same.  But even that step did not accelerate the transition toward flight and independence.  The fledglings remained content to spend their days perched on branches.  Eventually, according to the course of development that the Lord has set for this transition in eagle development, the eaglets began to use their wings for their intended purpose.  I think we can learn something from eagles.

 

Transitions can be major or minor, exciting or anxiety-producing, energizing or exhausting; and sometimes they can be an unexpected combination of these characteristics.  But as we walk through times of transition, securely held in the crook of His staff, we can manage expectations and bear the Spirit fruit of patience, which will enable us to grow more and more into who He has created us to be and to fulfill His purposes for us.

 

 

 

Refined In Love

August in New Jersey.  Heat wave after heat wave.  I have never been a fan of hot weather or inclined toward sun worship.  Without a doubt, August in New Jersey is one of the tools the Lord uses to sanctify me, to expose some of my poor attitudes and lead me toward wholeness in Him.  I can’t help but associate the heat associated with this time of year with the Refiner’s fire….

 

Of course, August in New Jersey is not as hot as other locations, and there are many people who enjoy the hot weather.  But life as fallen people in a fallen world means that in one way or another, the Lord will use the stresses we experience to conform us to His image, to refine us.

 

In Biblical times, gold was refined by melting it.  That means bringing gold to a temperature of almost 2000⁰ Fahrenheit!  I am sorry to say that my trials and challenges do not need to get nearly that “hot” to expose my lack of faith and patience.  But as I deal with those trials and challenges, I can appreciate the Lord’s gentle touch and patient attitude toward me even as He uses my circumstances to prepare me for heaven.

 

The attitude that I bring when I encounter something I would prefer to avoid plays a vital role in my ability to walk in faith and remain in the crook of the Shepherd’s staff.  Sometimes the trials in our lives represent consequences for poor and/or disobedient choices that we’ve made.  And in this case, it is important for me to accept the correction, exercise a commitment toward repentance, and thank the Lord for not letting me remain in sin.  At other times, the challenges we face are less personal and more a reflection of the fall.  While repentance may not be in order in this case, an attitude that manifests faith—the conviction that the Lord is working good even though I am unable to see it—remains vital.

 

Applying a living and vibrant faith to life’s challenges does not mean minimizing or denying them.  Suffering on any level is real, and King David and the Old Testament prophets have recorded for us the distress and even despair that they experienced at times.  And that is what makes the trials we face so challenging: Satan would have us become so distracted by tribulation and so disappointed in God that we cease to seek Him.  But King David and the prophets have also recorded for us their unwavering belief in a good and sovereign God despite appearances to the contrary.  God hates the fall and its consequences!  His response is to apply His commitment to redemption to all the pain and ugliness in our lives.

 

To be sure, walking in faith in the midst of difficult times and circumstances is not easy.  There is Good News, though!  The Body of Christ is designed by God and her saints are called to love, uphold, and encourage one another.  As we invest in the life of the body in the form of a local church, we are able to hold and be held, encourage and be encouraged, empower and be empowered.  And as the body functions by the Lord’s design, everyone is blessed.  May it be so among all believers….

 

Living in Love

 "Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."

                                                                                           James Baldwin

Faith Walking in a Secular World

 "...let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to the Master."                                                 Augustine

Sanctification by Grace

 The walk of faith is not a guilt trip.

Humility Thought For The Day

 "It is better to know some of the questions than all 

of the answers."              James Thurber

Celebrating Freedom

 July….  Independence Day!  Fellowship, fun, and fireworks….

 

On July 4, 1776, the leaders of our nation-to-be took a major step not simply toward independence of the thirteen British colonies in North America, but more importantly, toward a government that would view all human beings as having value.  The Revolutionary War made the Declaration of Independence a reality, and the thirteen colonies became free.  And so freedom has become synonymous with independence in American culture.  It is interesting that independence and freedom are not synonymous in Scripture. 

 

The celebration of Independence Day carries a potent reminder to believers that our lives of faith are not all about—or even mostly about—independence.  In fact, the Bible reminds us that an independent attitude can have disastrous results.  The archangel Lucifer was not content to remain dependent upon the LORD but rather decided to strive with God, to become like Him.  After Lucifer was expelled from heaven, he came as a serpent to tempt Eve, offering her the fruit that would make her wise like God.  If she were wise like God, she could be independent!  The American dream is older than America….And so Eve, and then Adam, took the fruit and ate.  Their choosing a way independent from the LORD immediately led to fear and shame.  And like Lucifer was expelled from heaven, Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden.  All of heaven wept, and all of God’s glorious creation has suffered ever since.

 

The “self-made man” that we often admire looks great through the lens of independence, but does not fare so well through the lens of Biblical truth.  The Bible is clear that it is God who has made us and not we ourselves (as proclaimed in the Book of Common Prayer).  He gives us every breath we take, and He is the genuine source of provision and protection.  We are called to trust in the LORD with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding and to depend upon the Father for our daily bread.  We are called to glorify our Maker and by faith welcome the indwelling Holy Spirit who will enable us to be conformed to the character of Christ and transform us as He allows us to behold His glory.

 

The spirit of independence—which chants such mantras as “when you want something done right, do it yourself”—can wreak havoc in our relationships as well.  The Apostle Paul teaches us that as believers, we become members of one body—the body of Christ.  We cannot be independent any more than the parts of our physical bodies can be independent from one another.

 

Freedom, on the other hand, is a more Biblical concept, though again it differs significantly from the  world’s concept of freedom.  The Good News of the Gospel proclaims freedom from slavery to our sin nature and from the penalty and power of sin as set forth in God’s Law as recorded by Moses in the Old Testament.  We need no longer to be bound by sin and the fear and shame that follows.  But here is the irony about the freedom that the Bible proclaims: We can experience the freedom offered by God only if and as we relinquish our sin nature-driven desire to live independently from Him.  It is only as we become bond-servants of Christ, abiding in Him as the vine, that we can experience genuine freedom as well as peace and joy as we bear fruit for His glory.  And all of this is possible only as we recognize our need for the indwelling Holy Spirit and depend upon Him to complete the work He has begun in us.

 

And so while our celebration of Independence as a nation is quite appropriate, our July 4^th activities also invite us to consider that as bond-servants of Christ, we choose—moment by moment--dependence upon Him rather than independence from Him.  And from that solid and safe foundation, we can rejoice in the eternal freedoms our Lord and Savior has won for us: His atonement for our sins on the cross has freed us from slavery to sin, and from the power and penalty of sin.  We walk free from the opinions and expectations of others, even (and sometimes especially) ourselves.  Praise God, indeed!

 

 

 

 

A Lamp to My Feet, A Light to My Path

 In the middle of the 20^th Century, what we now know as the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the hilly desert region of Qumran and other locations.  From 1947 to 1956, approximately 900 manuscripts, dating from 250 BC to AD 68 were brought out from eleven desert caves after being hidden for two thousand years.  Scholars debate the identity of the scribes who left this treasure trove of documents; it is commonly believed that they were from a Jewish sect known as the Essenes, but we don’t know.  The scope and significance of such discoveries cannot be overestimated.  These documents represent our oldest copies of Biblical manuscripts.

 

Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the oldest manuscripts scholars had to work with were texts from several centuries later.  The Masoretes were Jewish rabbinical scholars who made it their business to preserve and copy the Hebrew Scriptures completely and accurately.  The oldest complete copy of the Masoretic Text known to exist is the Leningrad Codex, dated to AD 1008.  It is this text that had served as the basis for most of the current translations.

 

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls aroused more than academic interest.  With the appearance of Old Testament texts a thousand years older than the Masoretic texts, there was reason to wonder if the Bibles in circulation were as accurate as they could be.  Add to that the existence of the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures widely used by the early church, there was good reason for confusion and concern regarding which Biblical texts available to us were the least corrupted and most trustworthy.

 

Our Bibles today are still based for the most part on the Masoretic Text.  Extensive comparison studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Masoretic texts, and the Septuagint have revealed a truly remarkable harmony among these texts.  Despite the thousand-year time span, different sources, and questions of translation, these documents are astonishingly consistent with one another.  Although there are differences, and scholars continue to analyze and compare the texts in pursuit of the most accurate texts to use in translating Holy Scripture into modern languages, the differences are minor.  The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm to a very large degree the faithful transmission of Scripture from the time they were written until the Masoretic Text was completed.  And so we know, for example, that the creation account in Genesis Chapter 1 that we read in our Bibles is a careful translation of the same text that the Jews were using 500 years before Christ.  This brings me to the conclusion that not only did the Lord inspire His Word, He has also protected It.

 

Again, the history and reliability of our Biblical texts are of far more than academic interest.  They are not an intellectual curiosity.  God’s Word is the foundation for our faith and faith life, and its reliability is crucial.  The Dead Sea Scrolls offer a wonderful opportunity for multiple avenues of investigation, but I would argue that the most profitable of those avenues is that which has given us reason for confidence in our Scriptures.  The Jewish scribes responsible for them, and then the Masoretes who followed a millennium later, have mightily blessed us by their respect for the Scriptures and their diligence in copying them for subsequent generations.

 

The Scriptures that we hold in our hands are courtesy of those who valued God’s Word to the highest degree.  May we demonstrate our gratitude by following their example: may we treat God’s Word with reverence; but even more, may we take advantage of their gift by studying it and inviting the Holy Spirit to use it to conform our characters to Christ’s and to be progressively transformed into partners in His Kingdom’s work….

 

 

 

 

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness

 

The Power of Healthy Relationships

 

"You find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it."

                                                                         A.A. Milne, via Winnie the Pooh

 

Thought For The Day

May we enjoy the dance as we follow our Lord and Master, even when we miss some steps along the way....

Challenge For The Day

 Spiritual fitness requires us to exercise our "NO" muscle.  We can only say "YES!" to God if we learn to say "NO," at appropriate times, to ourselves and others.

Get. A. Head.

 A theme that runs through our culture is that of getting ahead.  We are told to attend to our school work and study hard so that we can get ahead.  Many work long hours in order to get ahead in their career of choice.  Athletes train hard in order to get ahead of the competition.  And truth be told, I like the feeling of getting ahead on my week’s housework.  But at the same time, there is often compromise: if we can’t get ahead, at least we can feel okay if we keep up.

 As broken, fallen creatures, it isn’t so easy to feel good or even okay about ourselves.  Even in our most pretentious moments, we know deep down that we are not as good as we try to look.  That’s what this getting ahead or keeping up thing is about: feeling good about ourselves.  It is important to recognize that as we look to get ahead or keep up, we are—consciously or unconsciously—comparing ourselves to others.  If we are getting ahead, we are winning!  And if we are keeping up, we are at least not losing….  But comparing ourselves to others in order to boost our ego means that we are putting our emotional well-being into the hands of others.  And since those others are also looking to get ahead/keep up to feel good or okay about themselves, they are hardly trustworthy with our all-too-fragile emotional stability.

 

I would like to suggest that we trade in a getting ahead mindset for a getting a head mindset: to use what we know from Scripture to determine how to think about ourselves.  Please consider what we learn from the following passages:

 

Genesis 1:26; 2:7; 2:18, 22-25—God has made us in His image in the most personal way, with His own breath, for relationship with Him and others, and for significant work.

 

Matthew 1:20-21--God sent His own Son to save His people from their sins, the very sins that make it hard for us to feel good about ourselves.  

 

Romans 5:8—God loves us and values us so much that He died to cover our sins even as we were in our helpless, sinful, and least attractive state.

 

Ephesians 2:10—God has created us for significant work, planned personally by Him.

 

Matthew 20:20-28—While status in the world is about position and power, status in God’s eyes is about love and service.

 

Luke 22:24-26—Competition has no place in determining our position before God almighty.

 

Philippians 1:6 and Colossians 2:10—The Lord has promised to complete the work of sanctification that He has begun in us; and that work is so certain that it can be proclaimed as completed!

 

Romans 8:16-17—We are children of God and heirs of His kingdom.  

 

John 8:12-14—Jesus—God Incarnate!—was unrecognized and rejected by others, most particularly the religious professionals of His day.

 

 

 

Revelation 22:1-5—Believers can look forward to the day when they will see God face to face, worshipping Him and reigning with Him for all eternity.

 

As I consider what we have in Christ—our identity, value, and future—it is hard to imagine why we would bother to try to find these things in a counterfeit.  But our sin nature, and with it our desire to do life independent of God, remains with us.  We must make the choice, moment by moment, day by day, to look entirely to Christ for all that we are and are becoming.

 

And then as we find our identity and value in Christ, as Christ found His identity and value in His Father, we will be able to enter into genuine, intimate relationship, to love and be loved.

 

 

March The Lion and the Lamb

 We all know the old adage: “March—In like a lion, out like a lamb.”  Or, sometimes, vice versa.  And while the weather of March can make for some interesting conversations, I think the echoes of Biblical truth in the adage are far more significant.  

 

The weather adage is a way to emphasize the drastic change that March brings.  Winter to Spring; powerful to mild.  The lion and lamb metaphors in the Bible refer to the two natures of Christ that are both eternal and simultaneous.   He is the Lion of Judah.  The I AM.  He is also the Lamb of God, meek and lowly, sacrificed for the sins of the world.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He was, is, and will always be both the Lion and the Lamb.

 

In our fallen world and in our minds, lions and lambs do not go together.  They are entirely incompatible.  Lions eat lambs.  Lambs are terrified of lions.  Christ as both Lion and Lamb is a sign to us that He has, inconceivably, done the impossible!  The Creator of the world is also its Redeemer.  The lion and lamb metaphor in the Bible enables us to imagine and visualize the miracle.  Before the fall, it is conceivable (depending upon your theology) that there were no predatory relationships among the newly-created animals.  But when Adam and Eve made their fateful choice, the entire creation fell with them.  God clothed them with the skins of animals who were sacrificed to provide Adam and Eve with material protection.  And all heaven wept.

 

The fall has generated a dog eat dog world of fear and shame.  Whatever your position on evolution, survival of the fittest has became all too commonplace in our world.  The strong use and abuse the weak for their own benefit.  The rich become richer while the poor become poorer.  Lions eat lambs.

 

But. God.  Jesus as Lion is not merely the King of the jungle; He is King of all creation, all the universe.  And as Lamb, He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant…. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  (Philippians 2:7-8).  Jesus as the perfect Lamb became the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system for sin, dying once and for all.

 

The weather is not the most remarkable feature of March.  We are in the season of Lent, preparing to commemorate the death of the Lamb of God and celebrate the resurrection of the Lion of Judah.  This is an ideal time to ponder with gratitude our Lord, the Lion and the Lamb.  It is also a good time to turn our face in the same direction, to use whatever power the Lion gives us to serve Him: “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”  (Luke 10:3).  As we do so, may we look for the day when lions and lambs will dwell in peace (Isaiah 65:25).

 

 

 

A Question of Timing

 February has arrived, and we find ourselves in the “Love Month.”  As I have thought about this, I find it puzzling that February has become associated with love in general and romantic love in particular.  I know no one who declares February as his/her favorite month, but many people hold love in the highest regard.  At least in our part of the world, flowers are available only if you want to purchase hothouse grown or imported varieties.  Taking a romantic walk on the beach or in a garden has little appeal in February.  February may be the Love Month, but it is easy to understand why most weddings are celebrated in the summer months.

 

And so I did some research about the history of Valentine’s Day.  I expected to find that February was somehow associated with a St. Valentine.  But there is a good bit of debate as to what historical figure is really connected with our celebration of Valentine’s Day, and the association with February is even less clear.

 

If I ran the world, would I move Valentine’s Day to a warmer and fuzzier month?  Although Valentine’s Day is largely a secular holiday, I think I can make a good Biblical case to keep it right where it is.  God’s love is unconditional and remains consistent and passionate regardless of circumstances.  And He calls us to love with His love.  Regardless of cold temperatures, grey skies, trying circumstances, and “unlovable” people, we are to love.  The love God lavishes upon us and calls us to share is not the sentimental (and sometimes insincere) love that is commonly expressed on Valentine’s Day.  God’s love pursues the “target” and works for his/her good; it expresses acceptance and grace; it offers second chances. 

 

Valentine’s Day in February is a helpful reminder to us that love is not about easy, or comfortable.  It is also an encouragement to rejoice in our Lord’s love for us and to invite the Holy Spirit to enable us to bear His fruit of love not only on Valentine’s Day, not only in February, but every day and every month.  Indeed, this unbelieving and hurting world desperately needs to see God’s love in us, among us and through us.