Gospel Paradox

Increased capacity

2012-02-01T06:39:00.002-06:00

Most have a certain perception of Christianity that Ibelieve is unfair. I believe that it iscommon to think that following Christ means you are boxed in being, acting,feeling a certain way. Nothing could befurther from the truth. I understand whypeople may think this and I, at times, have struggled with the samefeeling. Particularly because it lookslike Christians have a language that they understand. We use words like “justification andrighteousness” which are hard to understand but are thrown around with suchnormality that even seasoned Christians feel embarrassed to ask what theymean. But beyond language we see that Christians (in reaction I think tothe 70’s) tried to create a sub-culture of dress and lifestyle that theythought would be an attractive alternative to present culture. This was, of course a mistake. What people need is not a new “Christianized”social network. What people need is aChrist.

Let me say this simply. Christianity is not a cult. It isnot a cookie cutter religion. It doesn’task us to regurgitate the same phraseology. Matter of fact, Christianity is the religion that tells us to speaktruth to ourselves and to one another. Christianity is the one world religion that takes into consideration thepersonality of the individual. At thesame time it brings us into a community where we learn from each other.

For clarification I should note that Christianity hasstandards and ideals. However, these arenot motivated by “act, speak this way so that…” Rather, “act, speak this way because God is…” Scripture tells us to “be holy because I(God) am holy.” Our lives are to be areflection of the Christ. Thisreflection doesn’t come about by impersonation. Instead, Christ lives in us. Hechanges us from the inside out. And yethe accommodates to our personalities, behavior patterns, family upbringing,private fears, etc. The Gospel is bigenough and complex enough that every tribe tongue and language can be in thetent of God’s love. Again no otherreligion does this.

Christ doesn’t limit your personality but increases yourcapacity to fulfill exactly whom God has designed you to be. I believe we see this clearly in the women inLuke 7. In the Chapter Jesus heals acenturion (soldiers) servant, a widows only son and a sinful, most likely prostitute,woman. Each person and situation is different. God’s healing and grace is the consistent.

To the woman he says “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven- forshe loved much. But he who is forgivenlittle, loves little” (Luke7:47). Here is the increased capacity ofthe gospel! Christianity expands ourheart and personality to feel and know MORE not LESS. This woman knew more of the love of Christbecause she saw more of the sin in her life. She was able to love more because she had felt (sadly, literally) thelack of love for years! This is goodnews.

In the gospel the more you understand the sinful natureof your heart the greater you see the love of Christ which is rich andfree. We see our sinful natures not bycomparing ourselves with others but by realizing that a holy God in Christ isour litmus test. In the light of what Jesus has done for othersour selfishness arises. When we see his humilitywe see our pride. And so forth.

Today may our capacity increase for knowing the love ofChrist by seeing our sin and then by learning love others with the same lovegiven to us. Increase your capacity –your personality – that we may know more grief and joy in Jesus.

Advent Day 25: Shepherds of our souls

2011-12-23T07:41:00.001-06:00

John10:11-18

¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down hislife for the sheep. ¹²He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, whodoes not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³He flees because heis a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the goodshepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Fatherknows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶AndI have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and theywill listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may takeit up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my ownaccord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it upagain. This charge I have received from my Father."

1Peter 2:25

²⁵For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned tothe Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

There is one fundamental differencebetween false gods and the God we find in Jesus. False gods or idols are things, people, andthoughts that we place our hope in as a Savior. So, for example, money can function as a false god. Meaning we put hope in money to bringhappiness or to keep us healthy. Weplace our trust in reputation as another example. We believe, falsely that if we can geteveryone to like us then we will learn to like ourselves. However, false gods never satisfy.

And here is the difference betweenfalse gods and the God who came to us. False gods say “sacrifice to me and then you can come to me.” The True God says “I’ll sacrifice for you andcome to where you are.” This is why theChristmas season is so spectacular. Itmarks the time of the Christian calendar where we remember that God comes tous.

God comes to us because hisconcerned with our heart, soul and life. We aren’t a number to him but rather a child. Therefore God’s desire is to shepherdus. To lead us to places of green grass. To protect us from evil. To teach us how trust and know him. To learn to listen to his voice.

With a series of functional falsegods like money, sex, power, reputation, off-the mark goals, etc. we end upstraying like sheep (1 Peter 2:25). Wecan easily live a straying life going from one field to another and sacrificingour wool and hoping to find happiness. ButGod is the good shepherd. And a goodshepherd always lays down his life for his sheep.

Herein lies the scary part aboutChristianity. If Jesus is asking us toleave our false gods and come to him the true God and if it is true that he haslaid down his life in sacrifice then we have to face this very scary dilemmaabout grace: If God has done everythingfor us then there isn’t anything he can’t ask of us.

If God has paid our sin then we areindebted to him…not that we can pay him back but that we should be willing todo anything for him. And the reason whyso many of us are so scared to follow Christ is because we are scared of whathe may ask of us or do to us.

Here is our hope to move us aroundthis fear. We have to learn to trustthat he is GOOD shepherd who wants to bring us safely home. Shepherds care for their sheep even when thesheep don’t know they are being cared for. In our straying hearts we sin God brings us back with his hook ofdiscipline and grace. The shepherdleaves the 99 sheep and acclaim to go after the one lost sheep. And this shepherd – the overseer of our soulshas left heaven itself to come into this world to be born in manger so that hemay lead us to the land of great promise.

Advent Day 24: Jesus’ forgiveness

2011-12-22T05:20:00.003-06:00

Sometimes you go to blog or post about a text that reallydoesn’t need to be talked about rather prayed about and implemented. Col. 3 and Luke 7 (seen below are two textsthat demand that type of reaction).

Father, We are justdays from celebrating your sons arrival into this world. I’m ready for the time. My heart yearns to be with people I know andlove. I want to sing with my family offaith and enjoy watching the surprise of presents opened. I want to eat sweets and sip coffee through theday. And yet this Scripture shocks meback to reality. In modern times we needto be shocked and woken up more than anything else. We, at least I, can become quickly lazy anddull enamored with the shinny things of this world rather than the humility ofChrist.

The gift that yougave us was forgiveness. It is not agift that we will ever grow out of. Itwon’t break or fade. It is a beautifulgift but also a practical one (for we NEED it desperately). Ultimately, like all good gifts, it is meantto be shared.

So often I am quickto accept the gift of forgiveness from your hand for myself but so slow toextend that gift to others. The woman inLuke 7 realized the gift and it produced worship in extravagance. I often grab the gift and it producesprideful self-righteousness. Of coursethis means that I haven’t understood fully the depth of my sin or the love ofyour heart. I must realize afresh thatyou have loved me much because you have forgiven me much. And then out of your love for me I am toextend love and peace and forgiveness to others. This is the only type of re-gifting that isn’ttacky. Rather you give a gift inforgiveness to us that is designed to be re-gifted to others.

This season I needto extend forgiveness to old grudges, new perceptions, hard relationships andemotional scabs at which I continually to pick. That above all else I would let the “peace of Christ rule in your heart” that you have forgiven and loved me.

Whatever we do thisseason may we do it in the name of Christ. May his word dwell in us just as THE Word has dwelled among us. Christ you came in your incarnation and gotyour hands dirty in this sinful world so that we may boldly enter the messinessof our lives. Help us to go to theplaces of our hearts we avoid with the light of your forgiveness and grace. May the soft glow of Christmas lightstranslate into a spotlight to show us our sin and therefore your great grace.

Amen and Amen.

Luke7:36-50

³⁶ One of thePharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house andtook his place at the table. ³⁷ And behold, a woman of the city, whowas a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’shouse, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, ³⁸and standing behindhim at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipedthem with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with theointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, hesaid to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who andwhat sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." ⁴⁰AndJesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

⁴¹"A certainmoneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the otherfifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.Now which of them will love him more?" ⁴³Simon answered,"The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And hesaid to him, "You have judged rightly." ⁴⁴Then turningtoward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered yourhouse; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tearsand wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from thetime I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did notanoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ThereforeI tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But hewho is forgiven little, loves little." ⁴⁸And he said to her,"Your sins are forgiven." ⁴⁹Then those who were at table withhim began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgivessins?" ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, "Your faith has savedyou; go in peace."

Colossians3:12-17

¹²Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with oneanother and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; asthe Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above allthese put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵Andlet the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called inone body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in yourichly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms andhymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷Andwhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Advent Day 23 God of all mercies

2011-12-21T08:36:00.001-06:00

2 Corinthians 1:2-5

² Grace to you and peace from God ourFather and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God of All Comfort

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of merciesand God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, sothat we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with thecomfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as weshare abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantlyin comfort too.

Ephesians 3:14-19

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴Forthis reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom everyfamily in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to theriches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through hisSpirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in yourhearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸mayhave strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and lengthand height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ thatsurpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

A Frenchtheologian named John Calvin once reminded us of this shocking statement. “Peace should be found no where except for inthe agony of Christ our Savior.” It’s analarming sentence because we are taught to never find peace in someone else’spain or misery. And while that is truewith each other, for we are called to mourn with each other, it is not the waywe relate to Christ. With Jesus we lookat his agony because like smelling salts it awakens us to God’s great love forus. His agony shows us that he took onall of our sin not just some or part of our sin. He didn’t just take a beating rather our sinfully put him to death so that our sins are fully put to death.

So God isthe Father of mercies and comfort. During this Christmas season many people are down and depressed. How do we comfort them? How are we to comfort our own souls when weplunge into despair? Not by thinkingabout how good we are or how bad we are. Our comfort is in seeing that Christ has tasted sufferings with and for us. He was born and grew up in a persecutedtimes. He literally felt the growingpains of life. He understood familypressure. He knew what it was like to berejected by popularity and cheated on my friends. He felt the social awkwardness that comes withnot living according to the cultural norms. We could go on and on about how Christ feels our sufferings. But most importantly God doesn’t just feelthem but takes them on.

Christdidn’t sin but took on our sin 2 Cor. 5:17) for us. He suffered the death we deserve for our sinand the pain of emotional abandonment when he cried “my God, my God why havethough forsaken me.” That is what WEshould be crying and groaning! But wedon’t have to because Christ did. Instead our cry becomes that of the beggar “Son of David, have mercy onme.”

For all ofus who can hear grace and peace, not from hallmark, office parties, rich food,mediocre presents and warm lights, but grace and peace from Christ. We share in sufferings so that we may sharein comfort. And we kneel before orFather who has the riches of the mercy of Christ. Or as we sing “fall on you knees. O hear the angel voices. O night divine. O night when Christ was born.”

Advent Day 22: Light takes on flesh

2011-12-20T06:30:00.000-06:00

1 Timothy 6:12-16

¹² Fight the goodfight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called andabout which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and ofChrist Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the goodconfession, ¹⁴to keep the commandment unstained and free fromreproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which hewill display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, theKing of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, whodwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him behonor and eternal dominion. Amen.

IJohn 1:1-5

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen withour eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning theword of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, andtestify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Fatherand was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard weproclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeedour fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴Andwe are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God islight, and in him is no darkness at all.

Growing up in a card playing familyI love a good game. So now with my kidsplaying Uno is a highlight of my week. But in teaching them I must show them what to play and when to play thecards. When teaching them a game I’llplay “open” meaning with my cards laid face up for all to see. Then they know when I can beat them with a “drawfour” or “reverse.” Often I will givethem grace (as they tirelessly ask for, for they know it is hard for a preacherto resist that petition) and not play a devastating blow. But even if I don’t play the winning cardthey still know that I can.

For some reason this analogy poppedinto my head when I read I John 1:1-5. For this text shows us one aspect of God very clearly. God has shown his cards. In other words he has revealed himself. The ultimate trump card has been played inChrist. He has been laid down (i.e.sacrificed for us). He is the devastatingblow to sin, Satan, our enemies and anything that is contrary to his will.

I John 1:2 tells that life was “mademanifest” and we have “seen it.” God inrevealing Christ as the Savior of mankind has played his hand open. He has never shied away from his desire toprovide a redeemer for our salvation. Early in the third chapter of the first book of the Bible Christ ispromised to come (Gen. 3:15). Then thepicture gets clearer as we know he will be born as a child King (Isaiah 7:14,9:6-7). And finally we were able to seehim with our own eyes, look upon him and touch him (I John 1:1).

So Christ has been made manifest orapparent. God does not hide from us whenwe hid from him. Rather he does theunthinkable and comes to us. As we growcloser to the celebration of Christmas think about the astounding claim of howGod, in Christ, has come to us. J.B.Phillips has said “there was noadvertisement, no publicity, no special privilege; in fact the entry of Godinto his own world was almost heartbreakingly humble. In sober fact there is little romance orbeauty in the thought of a young woman looking desperately for a place where shecould give birth to her first baby. I donot think for a moment that Mary complained, but it is a bitter commentary uponthe world that no one would give up a bed for the pregnant woman – and that theSon of God must be born in a stable.”

There is no god like the ChristianGod who shows his cards to us in Christ. For this appearing of the Lord shows us that God dwells with us. Importantly in dwelling among us he doesn’tlose his majesty any more than me playing where my kids can see my cards robsme of my intellect. He is still “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King ofkings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells inunapproachable light.” His revealingof himself only makes him more wonderful and beautiful.

So what encouragement does this giveus today? It means that we can’t outplayGod. Because he revealed his hand (in facthis strong arm of salvation) we see that we are out manned. We don’t have enough cards to play to beathim. Our moralistic cards don’t stand upto his card of holiness. Our therapeuticcards don’t stand up to his call to righteousness. Our card of sin e.g. “I’ve done too much forGod to forgive me” doesn’t stand a chance to the trump card of God’s grace inChrist.

Because we see his hand we know thatour self-righteousness will not win. Friend its time to lay down our cards to admit that we aredefeated. For when we quit trying to outwitGod then we can enjoy God. Life hasappeared, touch see and taste the grace of God in Christ the one made manifestfor us.

Advent Day 21: Making all things new

2011-12-19T06:26:00.001-06:00

Advent Day 21: Making all things new

Revelation21:1-7

¹Then I saw anew heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passedaway, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, newJerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned forher husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the formerthings have passed away."

⁵And he who was seated on the throne said,"Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write thisdown, for these words are trustworthy and true." ⁶And he saidto me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and theend. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life withoutpayment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I willbe his God and he will be my son.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

¹⁷Therefore, ifanyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, thenew has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciledus to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is,in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting theirtrespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore,we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore youon behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he madehim to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousnessof God.

We want things fixed in life. If our car breaks or the lights go out weimmediately find a professional who can make it right and put things backtogether. It is ironic then that whenour life falls apart we rarely think we need to call a professional. We think we can fix it ourselves. But the reality is this… our souls are aboveour pay grade.

I can change a tire and brakes but Ican’t repair an axel – that’s above my pay grade. I can fix a leaky shower and do some simpleplumbing but a broken main line is above my pay grade. And everything, simply everything in my souland heart are above my pay grade. Yet wetry to fix ourselves constantly with foolish endeavors. We say “I’ll try to do better” or “I’ll makethis right by my hard work” or “I’ll figure out how to stop sinning.” But all of those attempts are like fixing aflat tire by filling it up with more air. Not only does it prolong the problem but it does more damage to your carand puts you in a dangerous decision.

Here is the good news. Jesus doesn’t want to fix you. You’re not his pet project. He doesn’t want to just get you off andrunning so that you can go your own way. Jesus wants something far more dangerous and scary. He wants to make you a new creation!

If Christ wanted to just fix us hecould have given us directions from his throne in heaven. He wants more, far more than this. Christ wants us to have reconciliation andpeace. He wants to bring his life intothis world in order that we may be a create us anew. To do this he becomes destroyed so that wemay become new.

So our confidence in Christ’s inthis life is in the strength of Christ. When Christ came into this world he took on our burdens and sins so thatwe may have his righteousness. Therefore, we are now ambassadors who communicate to this world thatJesus wants to set us free from thetyranny of our sin.

Christ has come and he is comingagain to make all things new. Our newhearts are just a small indication of the newness of life that we will allexperience. The Gospel is not just animprovement upon life but a hope that God will make all the tears vanish. He will take away all pain. Or as one writer says he will make all sadthings come untrue so that it feels like we have woken up from a bad dream to anew reality of life. That is theChristian hope and it is a hope so big that only a God can fulfill it. Only a savior can make it happen and only aredeemer will apply it to our lives.

Come Christ, make all things new anddwell with us forever.

Advent Day 19: Jesus the living water

2011-12-17T08:48:00.001-06:00

John4:3-14

³he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. ⁴And he had to pass through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town of Samariacalled Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob’swell was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sittingbeside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷A woman fromSamaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." ⁸(Forhis disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹TheSamaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drinkfrom me, a woman of Samaria?" ( For Jews have no dealings withSamaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift ofGod, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would haveasked him, and he would have given you living water." ¹¹Thewoman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the wellis deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater thanour father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did hissons and his livestock." ¹³Jesus said to her, "Everyonewho drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinksof the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that Iwill give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternallife."

Isaiah55:1-3

¹ "Come,everyone who thirsts,
   come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
   and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.

¹² "For you shall go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
   shall break forth into singing,
   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

At this point in the calendar yeargifts are being picked out and bought. For some of the ambitious souls the gifts are already all wrapped andunder the tree. Christmas in many waysis about gifts. The presents we choosefor other family and friends are carefully wrapped so to distinguish them for anormal packages. Which brings up anintriguing question, what happens if we miss the gift?

I’ve been at awkward Christmasparties where there was confusion of it being a real gift exchange or a whiteelephant exchange. Inevitably someonewill make fun of a gift that was given sincerely but taken as a joke or viceversa. The tension is palpable. In many ways the same thing has happened withChrist. He gives us a gift and we missit!

In John 4 the woman by the wellwants to get her chores done and get home to her dysfunctional family. A Jewish man interrupts her plan and asks herfor a drink. She questions him andperhaps even his motives. But Jesusresponds uniquely “if you knew the giftof God…” The gift of God is rightbefore her! The Creator, Redeemer andSustainer of life is asking her for a drink of water when he is the livingwater!

When Christ came into the world onChristmas day he came as a disguised gift. He wasn’t wrapped with royalty. He didn’t come with a procession of angels. He couldn’t have. Christ had to take on our sin and our humanityin order to redeem us. And we all knowthat our lives are not covered with bows and ribbons.

So God, OUR GOD, sits with a womanwhose life is full of problems. Heunderstands thirst because he has it. Healso understands living water because he is it. When Christ comes into our lives he doesn’tjust give us one sip of life. Rather hebecomes a wellspring of life in our stony hardened hearts from which we canalways dip our empty buckets.

Most of the world knows how waterrepresents life. In other countries theywalk miles for water, dig for water and fight over water. In the country we live we set timers tomonitor when water comes out of sprinklers to make our grass a littlegreener. We have forgotten how to thirstboth literally and metaphorically. Butwhile we think live in so much luxury we are still spiritually dehydrated.

The water of Christ comes withoutprice. It leads us in peace where webreak in singing and clap our hands as Isaiah says. Christ says to drink of him to fill oursouls. But how? To drink in Christ means we trust him for oursecurity, identity, needs, fears and sins. It means we learn to love out of his love and hope for what he has instore for us. To drink in the life of Christmeans we trust him for our souls and for every thirst we have. He is the gift of God which should not bemistaken.

Advent Day 18: The One we seek

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Luke 7:18-23

Messengers from John the Baptist

¹⁸The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, ¹⁹callingtwo of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you theone who is to come, or shall we look for another?" ²⁰And whenthe men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you,saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" ²¹Inthat hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, andon many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²²And he answered them,"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive theirsight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead areraised up, the poor have good news preached to them. ²³And blessedis the one who is not offended by me."

Isaiah35:1-10

¹The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
    the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
²it shall blossom abundantly
   and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
   the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
   the majesty of our God.

³ Strengthen the weak hands,
   and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴Say to those who have an anxious heart,
   "Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
   will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
   He will come and save you."

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall beopened,
   and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
   and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
   and streams in the desert;
⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,
   and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
   the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸ And a highway shall be there,
   and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
   It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
   even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
⁹No lion shall be there,
   nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
   but the redeemed shall walk there.
¹⁰ And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
   and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
   they shall obtain gladness and joy,
   and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Learningto seek is a part of the Christian hope. Frequently our joy and happiness is so small because our hope is sosmall. We seek small pleasures thatdon’t satisfy rather than widening our hearts to hoping for more in life. If we are placated with lesser things then wewill never find God.

Whenwe have a hope that is so large that only God can fulfill it we are forced tolook and seek Christ who is to come. Inthese passages we are seeing those who seek God. They are not seeking God to just satisfy afew of their hunger pains but are looking to a Savior who will actually redeemthe world!

Itwas John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, who prepared the way for Christ. The world was seeking a redeemer who would bemarked by accomplishing things that only God could do. These were the signs that the savior had come“theblind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deafhear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them”

Friends we need to enlarge our viewof Chat Christ can do so we seek him more. We need to long. We need toneed. When we seek we find.

Some of us may not find theChristmas season comforting. You may bein the wilderness of life rather than the plush meadows. If that is the case that ask Christ to turnyour hurting into hoping. The people ofIsaiah 35 never saw Christ but yet their seeking a Savior led them to believingin Messiah. Their view of God wasexpanded in such a way that now they are completely satisfied with how God hasrevealed himself. Their hope “⁵ Then the eyes of the blindshall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of themute sing for joy” came true in Christ!

Their hope was big enough to demanda Savior therefore their joy is larger and robust. For with such a great hope we see such agreat salvation which fills our mouths with joy. In Christ we “shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Advent Day 17 The Branch of the Lord

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-06:00

Zechariah 6:12-15

¹²And say to him,'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch:for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of theLORD. ¹³ It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shallbear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be apriest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between themboth."' ¹⁴And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as areminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

¹⁵ "And those who are far off shallcome and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORDof hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you willdiligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."

Ephesians 2:13-17

¹³But now inChrist Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood ofChrist. ¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one andhas broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵byabolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he mightcreate in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶andmight reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killingthe hostility. ¹⁷And he came and preached peace to you who were faroff and peace to those who were near.

Christ isforetold to be a branch or offshoot in many places. It is a sign of new hope and life. It is also a reminder of peace. Biblically the olive branch has been used toshow reconciliation and peace between two warring parties. So it is Christ who comes to reconcile God toman and give us peace.

Peace issomething everyone desires. Humankindlargely feels unsettled and not at rest. Most don’t know why so there is an attempt to find peace throughrecreation, entertainment, success or medication (just to name a few). So the seasonal banners of love, joy andpeace resonate with even the most hardened hard because we know deeply that weneed what this season promises to offer Peace!

The peacewe need is not just the “world peace” mentioned in beauty pageants. The peace we need is a sign of life a branchthat has blossomed into the fullness of a Savior. Ultimately we need the peace ofreconciliation between God and man. Thisis what Christ gives and everything trickles down from that deep and wonderfultruth.

Christhimself “is our peace.” He stands in thegap and does what we cannot do so that God is reconciled to us. He has not only taken on our sin but he givesus his success. Therefore the wrath ofGod is removed and his favor is extended! Christ doesn’t just wipe our slate clean and hope that we can please Godbut he goes further… he kills any hostility between us and God by beingkilled. There isn’t, therefore, one sinor shame that keeps us from God because God has fully paid for all oursins.

This truthallow us to sing to God who is pleased with us. Perhaps my favorite hymn picks up on these themes. The branch of life has sprouted and beenextended to us for “Long lay theworld in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. Athrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and gloriousmorn.”

And reconciliation is now possible because “Chainsshall He break for the slave is our brother And in His Name all oppressionshall cease.”

Therefore friends “Fall on your knees, Ohear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born!”

Advent Day 16: Poor for our sake

2011-12-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

Philippians 2:3-8

³Do nothing fromrivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant thanyourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, butalso to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves,which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form ofGod, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷butmade himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likenessof men. ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself bybecoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

2 Corinthians 8:9

⁹For you knowthe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakehe became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Thepicture of Christmas is shocking. Christis in the manger and three men come to bring gifts that first Christmas. They bring gold and frankincense andmyrrh. They were spices, smells andsparkling minerals this world could offer. Its shocking for several reasons. First, they weren’t actually good gifts for a baby. Mary probably kept them away from him to makesure he wouldn’t ingest them. Secondly,it is shocking because here is the King of Creation receiving back that whichhe himself made! Third is unnerving becauseChrist put himself in a situation to receive gifts.

Godallows us to worship him and bring him the best gifts we can. In his kindness he allows us to bring what wehave to him and he accepts it graciously. What an amazing God and King we serve. He doesn’t make us feel guilty because we can’t live up to par but showsus our sin so that we may see his grace.

Christin the most scandalous type of way becomes man and yet remains fully God. There is no other worldview, religion,philosophy or theology that espousesthis besides Christianity. But it is alove that everyone one is hungering for. Christ becomes man and shows his love for us in becoming poor that wemay be rich. So we through his taking onflesh have become rich in grace, mercy and compassion.

Sowe should learn to follow the life of our Savior. He gave up the rights and power and praise ofa King so that he could love us. Therefore we learn to love others out of Christ’s love to us. For when we have a God who has done this wehave the power to “not look to our own interests but to the interests ofothers.”

Lookagain at the shocking story of Christmas. That Christ became poor in order that we may be rich with his love. I love the way that the Dutch philosopher,Soren Kierkegaard reminds us of the love and grace of the King we serve:

“Suppose therewas a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, forhe had the strength to crush all opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tiedhis hands. If he brought her to thepalace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes she would surely not resist – no one daredresist him. But would she love him?….

Ifhe rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escortwaving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a kingand she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal canbe made equal. “

Advent Day 15: God incarnate

2011-12-13T06:30:00.000-06:00

Colossians 1:15-20

The Preeminence of Christ

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶Forby him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were createdthrough him and for him. ¹⁷And he is before all things, and in himall things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, thechurch. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything hemight be preeminent. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God waspleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself allthings, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Hebrews1:1-3

¹Long ago, atmany times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²butin these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heirof all things, through whom also he created the world. ³He is theradiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and heupholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification forsins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

God has not been silent. He has been speaking to us from “long ago”and “at many time and in many ways.” Godhas been trying to get our attention through many unique ways. But now in the last days God has given us thefinal word in a long cohesive narrative. He has spoken to us through Christ.

God sent his Son into the world forwho is better to speak on behalf of a Father than a Son. Even the babbling and gurgling of a boy in amanger are sounds of God’s love to us. He took on our fraility, finiteness, flesh and our sin. As one theologian has said Christ took oneverything that we are so ready to discard.

So God speaks to us throughChrist. But what does he say? He tells us that he is here to rescueus. He makes purification for our sinsso that we may know God fully and freely. Just as importantly God tells us through Christ that he is not surprisedor shocked by our sin. God is not whatto do about the situation of our disobedience so he decides as a last ditcheffort to send Christ. The Savior of theworld is not Plan B. For the entirecreation of the world came knowing that Christ would be glorified. It is Through Christ that he “made createdthe world” and “in him all things holdtogether” and “by him all things are created.”

So when God speaks he speaks throughhis Son and our Savior. He is notverbose or trite. He speaks to us bytelling us who he is and what he does. Christ comes with the credibility of God’s characteristics. So the reason that we can have suchconfidence in Christ is not just because of what he sais but also because ofhis faithful character. For he is the“radiance of the glory of God” and the “exact imprint of his nature”.

Thisseason it is fashionable to view Christ as a baby in the manger. And while this is appropriate we should alsoremember that he is sitting now at the right hand of the Majesty on high. His faithful character has finished the workso that we can rest in the fact that he has taken on everything we seek todiscard. Instead of taking, taking andtaking this Christmas season – discard your sin, worries, anxieties and fearsto a God whom is preeminent in all things.

Advent Day 14: Waiting for Redemption

2011-12-12T07:42:00.001-06:00

Advent Day 14: Waiting for Redemption

Luke 2:25-38

²⁵Now there was aman in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout,waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶Andit had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see deathbefore he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spiritinto the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for himaccording to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms andblessed God and said,
²⁹"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart inpeace,
according to your word;
³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel."

³³And his father and his mother marveled atwhat was said about him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Maryhis mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising ofmany in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵(and a sword willpierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may berevealed."

³⁶And there was a prophetess, Anna, thedaughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, havinglived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷andthen as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple,worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸And coming up atthat very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all whowere waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Psalm126:1-6

¹When the LORDrestored the fortunes of Zion,
   we were like those who dream.
²Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
   and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    "The LORD has done great things for them."
³The LORD has done great things for us;
   we are glad.

⁴Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
   like streams in the Negeb!
⁵ Those who sow in tears
   shall reap with shouts of joy!
⁶He who goes out weeping,
   bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
   bringing his sheaves with him.

Waiting is not something that we do well in this day andage. Think how often we growfidgety. If a stop light lasts that 30seconds we are ready to pull our hair out. If our fast food isn’t fast enough and takes longer that 5 minutes toget in our hands we wonder “what’s wrong back there in that kitchen.” If a web page takes longer than 10 seconds toload we will click off the link and come back later. The instant gratification of our culture hasnot placated us but made us more and more needy.

In the culture we live “waiting” often means we arepassive. As one famous songwriter sayswe are all “waiting for the world to change.” In other words, we can’t do anything about the world so we will justpassively see what happens. But in theChristian faith waiting is not passive but active! It is longing and hoping.

Of course nothing drives the issue of waiting home morethan the season of Christmas. Immediately after thanksgiving the season begins in earnest and thepatience of 5-6 year old boys and girls is put to the test as they know theywill soon have presents to open. It isof course the finality of Christmas morning that makes the inevitable waitingpossible. So it is with us.

The first coming (advent) of Christ gives us theconfidence of the second coming (advent) of Christ. Our children have the ability to wait becauseprior experience tells them that Christmas will one day come even though itseems so far off. We therefore, learn towait for the new heavens and earth because of the prior experience of Christ’sfirst advent. Simone Weil says, “Waiting patiently inexpectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”

And so Simeon and Anna are two that show us how towait. Simeon waited and waited until thefinality of taking that child in his arms and declaring “for my eyes have seenyour salvation.” Simeon’s prayer “letme see the consolation of Israel” now turned into a plea “let your servantdepart in peace.” This is veryinteresting. For Simeon was at peace notknowing how the story would end. Hedidn’t know how Israel would be consoled but was content to know the one whowould console. In an ironic way he heldthe baby in his arms and consoled the consoler, comforter and creator of allpeople. Our waiting would be so mucheasier if we were willing to be content with knowing the one who has theanswers rather than knowing all the answers.

Anna, on the other hand, waited day after day in thetemple. She had advanced in years andapparently had a somewhat difficult life. Her hope was in hope. In herwaiting she filled her life with activity. She worshiped, prayed, fasted, and gave thanks. She was a womanwho longed for redemption.

So with Christ we have a redeemer. And although we don’t know how our storieswill end we know waiting on God will produce redemption. As Henri Nouwen says, “Waiting is open-ended. Open-ended waiting is hard for us because wetend to wait for something very concrete, for something that we wish tohave. Much of our waiting is filled withwishes: “I wish that I would have a job. I wish that the weather would be better. I wish that the pain would go.” We are full of wishes, and our waiting easily gets entangled in thosewishes. For this reason, a lot of ourwaiting is not open-ended. Instead ourwaiting is a way of controlling the future. We want the future to go in a very specific direction and if this does nothappen we are disappointed and can even slip into despair. That is why we have such a hard timewaiting: we want to do the things thatwill make the desired events take place. Here we can see how wishes tend to be connected with fears.”

Fears dissipate when we recognize that the redeemerlives. He has come and he is comingagain. While we don’t know how the storywill end we do know that it is open-ended. And God will write a story better than we could ever imagine. For he wants to fill our lives not emptythem. Just as he wants to fill theIsrael people’s mouths with laughter and their tongues with joy (Ps.126:2). God is going to do great things(v.3). He is such a great redeemer thathe even can take our tears and redeems them so that they become streams in thedesert of our lives. Open-ended wait onthe Lord with the confidence that he has come and he is coming again.

Advent Day 13: Jesus the Healer

2011-12-11T06:06:00.001-06:00

Advent Day 13: Jesusthe Healer

Matthew 9:18-35

¹⁸While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and kneltbefore him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your handon her, and she will live." ¹⁹And Jesus rose and followed him,with his disciples. ²⁰And behold, a woman who had suffered from adischarge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringeof his garment, ²¹for she said to herself, "If I only touch hisgarment, I will be made well." ²²Jesus turned, and seeing herhe said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." Andinstantly the woman was made well. ²³And when Jesus came to theruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴hesaid, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And theylaughed at him. ²⁵But when the crowd had been put outside, he wentin and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶And the report ofthis went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

²⁷And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud,"Have mercy on us, Son of David." ²⁸When he entered thehouse, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believethat I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." ²⁹Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done toyou." ³⁰And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warnedthem, "See that no one knows about it." ³¹ But they wentaway and spread his fame through all that district.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak

³²Asthey were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought tohim. ³³And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. Andthe crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen inIsrael." ³⁴But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons bythe prince of demons."

³⁵And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in theirsynagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every diseaseand every affliction.

Isaiah11:1-10

¹Thereshall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
   and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
²And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
   the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the Spirit of counsel and might,
   the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
³And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall notjudge by what his eyes see,
   or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
   and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
   and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
   and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
   and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
   and a little child shall lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear shall graze;
   their young shall lie down together;
   and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
   and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
   in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
   as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰In that day the root of Jesse, who shallstand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and hisresting place shall be glorious.

Hurts come from strange small places. We can be hurt deeply from a glib or smallcomment from someone else in a casual conversation. That hurt can last for months if notyears. We can be hurt physically by onesmall incident like a broken toe stubbed on a coffee table. In fact some of the smallest hurts are theworst type of pains because they are the ones we can’t shake. It is a teacher or coach who said we wouldnever amount to anything or a spouse that says we are an awful lover or apreacher that insinuates that God could never be happy with us. These hurts last a long, long time.

Healing also comes from strange small places. A comment given out of encouragement will becherished for months. A letter writtenwith the intent of honoring the reader will be kept for years. A $5 trophy will be kept in bedrooms of boysand girls for years to come.

Our deepest human hurt was a small comment from a strangeserpent. When Satan asked Eve in the garden Eden, “Did God actually say, Youshall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” He immediately wounded us by putting doubt of God’s intent into ourmind. “Did God actually say” is such asmall but manipulative comment . Andallowing Eve to think that she should decide what she can eat and not eat hassparked the pride and therefore the demise of mankind. For this small hurt has lead to great woundsas now it is manifested in every 2 year old around a dinner table who thinksthey can decide what is best to eat.

And yet our deepest human healing comes from a strangeplace. It is the small branch thatshoots for from the stump of Jesse. Itis a redeemer that comes from Nazareth. It was the last possible place that people would think to look for aKing who could heal. And yet Jesus camein order to heal not to hurt.

When Christ comes he brings healing. For he does not decide by what he hears orsees (11:3). He doesn’t pay attention tosurface attributes. In a world where weare constantly judged by how we look or what we say this seems like a hugerelief. Until we realize that we are justas bad in the pride of our heart as we are flawed in our skin. The fact that Christ sees who we really are –the darkness of our heart – and loves us anyway is the only reason we canbelieve His love is deeper than any other love we can seek.

Christ comes to heal by giving us new hearts andattributing his righteousness and faithfulness to us (11:5). He gives us cleansing not just for our bodiesbut for the areas that no one can reach but him… mainly our conscience (Heb.9:14). He came to heal to such an extentthat it will be seen as radical or almost unnatural, much like the wolf andlamb or the leopard and the goat resting side by side (11:6).

Christ came to heal every hurt we have. So this shoot from the stump of Jesse is seenas a Savior on the shores of Galilee. And a woman who had suffered for years and spent all she had on medicalcare came to the conclusion that only Christ could help. She pressed through the crowd and touchedjust the fring of his Christ’s garment and was healed. Most importantly it was Christ that found herwhen she tried to slip back through the crowd. And when he turned and called her “daughter” (the only time he did so inScripture) he healed more than just her physical ailment but also hersoul.

Healing comes from small strange places like a mangerBethlehem. It comes as we open ourhearts to him who can reconcile us to God because he sees our sin and ourhearts for who we really are. Then whenhe takes on our afflictions and disease (Matt. 9:35, Psalm 103) we take therest and recovery that we so desperately need.

Rather than looking to any number of things to heal ourhurting souls, and minds and bodies, look with me root of Jesse, the Savior ofthe world who is a signpost for all peoples (11:10)

Advent Day 12: Jesus the Shepherd

2011-12-10T08:06:00.001-06:00

Advent Day 12: Jesusthe Shepherd

Luke 15:3-7

³So he told them thisparable: ⁴ "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he haslost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and goafter the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵And when he hasfound it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And when he comeshome, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoicewith me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' ⁷Just so, I tellyou, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than overninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Isaiah 40:9-11

The Greatness of God

⁹Getyou up to a high mountain,
   O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
   O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
   lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
   "Behold your God!"
¹⁰ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
   and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
   and his recompense before him.
¹¹ He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
   and gently lead those that are with young.

What wethink about someone determines much about our behavior towards them. If we view someone as a burden then we willbe quick to move onto another conversation with another person. If we think someone has something we need orwant (a business contract or some gossip or a possible relationship) then wewill longsuffering and kind. What wethink determines how we act. It is nodifferent when we come God. How we thinkabout God will determine much of the way we worship.

Thesepassages change our thinking about God. There are many thoughts that come into our head when someone mentionsthe name Jesus. Some think of him as adictator others as a passivist. But thispassage shows us the simple andbeautiful truth. He is ourshepherd.

In theworld that we live most of us have never met a shepherd. Our Fathers were most likely engineers,lawyers, workers, accountants, etc. but probably not a tender of a flock. Shepherds were unique individuals. Their work involved long times ofsolitude. They had to be sure of theirdestination and purpose in order to cope with the mundane lifestyle. They were faithful to a task. And they had to have a heart for the entireflock not just the sheep that are easy to love. Yet when we think Christ our shepherd what else does his shepherd’sheart look like?

First ofall he rejoices over each of us being found by him. Just like one who has gone on a long journeyto recover that one lost sheep Christ rejoices at finding us to be his. The shepherd calls the friends and neighborstogether and they celebrate the complete flock. So Christ calls together the heavenly hosts and they rejoice over eachone of his children who are found by his love.

WhereChrist is passionate towards finding the lost we also see that Christ as ashepherd is gentle guide. The picture ofChrist in Isaiah is filled with beauty. Christ tends us, disciplines us, protects us and leads us. When we can’t walk because of broken limbs oruneven ground he gathers us in his arms. He carries us in his heart and leads those that are young. Even those who are young spiritually Godprotects and guides.

Christ,our Shepherd, has a heart for each of his sheep and when we think of him as ashepherd our attitude will begin to soften towards him, our worship will deepenand our lives will become more submissive. The heart of this shepherd rejoices over each of his sheep no matter howstraying, arrogant or ignorant we are. His love rejoices over us and he will gather us in his arms.

Advent Day 11: Jesus the Burden-lifter

2011-12-08T05:29:00.001-06:00

Matthew 11:25-30

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven andearth, that you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes,Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have beenhanded over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, andno one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses toreveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and Iwill give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, forI am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰Formy yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

1 Peter 5:6-7

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at theproper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, becausehe cares for you.

Christ came into this world to lift our burdens. So often we slide into thinking that Christcame merely to show us a good way to live or to make us feel guilty for what wearen’t doing right. But the opposite istrue. The Son of God didn’t leave heavenabove so that we would be weighed down by more. He came that we would know the freedom of light shoulders. In the gospel of grace even trials became“light and momentary” afflictions.

God promises in these verses to provide us with what wedesperately need… rest! We need restfrom our work, rest from our recreation, rest from the pressure we put onourselves, rest from our sin. We are notgood at simply resting or being so we must learn from the Christ. It was Jesus who (with the weight of theworld on his shoulders) took off time for solitude and prayer. When everyone was looking for him he sneakedaway to a place where he didn’t carry the burdens of others expectations. And it’s the same Jesus who takes on theweight of the world so that we could have an easy yoke.

God doesn’t tell us that we won’t have carry anything inthis life. What Christ does tell us isthat our yoke is easy and our burden is light. Meaning, when we give our lives to Christ the yoke somehow fits. Yoke is a farming term used to describe how aplow is attached to a cattle, oxen or horse. The yoke is fitted around the shoulders of an animal so that it can pullthe plow, till the soil and therefore produce a harvest. The yoke Jesus gives doesn’t chaff or rub butrather it is perfectly tailor fitted to what we can carry on that day.

Rather than be burdened for what we think we should beable to carry Christ, our burden-lifter, tells us that he will carry what we cannot which is, a lot. In order to accept the offer of Christ we arecalled to humble ourselves under the hand of God. To trust the he can take ourburden. So whatever our anxieties arethey are to be given to Christ. Why? Because he cares forus. God really does care for us! He wants, even desires, to take ourburdens. And the thought that humble usthe most is that we are not a burden to him! He doesn’t roll his eyes at what we bring no matter how trite orweighty. He lifts our burdens so that wemay know that he is a blessing and not a burden to our weary souls.

Advent Day 10: Good News

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹⁴And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report abouthim went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵And he taught intheir synagogues, being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

¹⁶And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom,he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷Andthe scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll andfound the place where it was written,
¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
   and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

²⁰And he rolled up the scroll and gave itback to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue werefixed on him. ²¹And he began to say to them, "Today thisScripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Isaiah 52:6-10

⁶Therefore mypeople shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is Iwho speak; here am I."
⁷ How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
   who publishes salvation,
   who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
⁸The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
   together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
   the return of the LORD to Zion.
⁹ Break forth together into singing,
    you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people;
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The LORD has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

We are indesperate need for good news. One onlyhas to open the paper to realize that tragic news fills the pages of ourlives. In many ways this isunderstandable for it is God himself who tells us that we live in a broken andfallen world. Yet it is always shockinghow quick we are to forget that very demonstrable truth. Every news cycle seems to be laden with astory where the first paragraph opens with a statement like “how could they dosuch a thing?”

In dealingwith our continual shock of the tragic we must do what seems antithetical toour nature. We should remember the sinof the world and not be to surprised or numb to it but at the same time weshould be shocked by the good news as well.

Wetypically are shocked by the badness of men and then we read about the goodnessof God like we are taking in the box scores from the baseball game. We are outraged by the murders, thefts andmischievousness of humanity but we are numb to the grace, love and passion ofGod.

These twosets of verses are intended to shock us into life. The revelation of the good news was certainlyshocking to the original readers of Luke 4. Jesus got the scroll of Isaiah and said in front of everyone that he hasfulfilled that Scripture. If there eyeswere fixed on him before this statement surely their jaws had dropped afterthis proclamation. What Christ wassaying could not be taken as casually the weather forecast. He was proclaiming that he is the anointedone who is bringing the good news of freedom and liberty to those who areoppressed by sin in this world! This isfront page good news! The war has beenwon – the Savior has come – the enemy is defeated.

And yet westill read Luke with a yawn and cup of coffee. What is going on here is the entrance of the king of the world and thegood news that God has heard and answered our longings. Friends, this season let us long and look andbe shocked by the news of Christ. That hehas not left us alone and that God is not silent. Rather he is the God who sees and knows andsends a rescuer of our souls.

Let usredeem the phrase “how could they do such a thing” and change it into “how could He love us somuch.” Let us be astonished andcomforted that truly Our God reigns (Is. 52:7). And therefore may we break for in singing and take rest and comfort(52:9). For the good news is that God has taken all of the filth of this worldupon himself. And all the sin that makesus sick to our stomach will be judged by a God who comes to “bear his holy armbefore the eyes of all the nations.”

The goodnews is that God knows and will make his salvation know either through hisjustice and mercy.