Waiting … Anticipating … Rejoicing

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 2:10-13

Zechariah penned these words inspired by the Holy Spirit an estimated 470-480 years before the coming of the Messiah. If I were Zechariah, I think I would’ve asked a few follow-up questions, maybe tried to pin God down on a date for the fulfillment of all these promises.

Wouldn’t you?

“Will you marry me?” A high-pitched squeal. “Oh, of course, you hunky stud! This is the happiest day of my life!” Six months go by. “When are we getting married?” “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven …” (O the trials of the bride of Christ!)

And so we wait. And wait. And wait. For the fulfillment of promises. For the return of Christ. For the marriage supper of the Lamb. For the perfection of Heaven. 

But here’s the interesting thing about this text: It tells us to shout and be glad (present tense - now!) because he is coming and will live among us (future tense). The wait God gives us is not one of drudgery, but one of anticipation and excitement.  

So shout for joy, my friend! For you are loved by the God who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them! You are the bride of Christ, and he is coming for you! Every tear shall be wiped from your eye, every provision shall be made for you, and you will dwell in the presence of God forever!

Rejoice today in your tomorrow!

The Good Life

READ: Philippians 3:17-21

What do you picture when I speak of the good life? Let’s weigh some common responses against the example of Paul and the words of Christ. 

Beautiful beach sunset? Paul writes from prison. Happy to be there because his captivity is advancing the gospel. (Phil 1:12-18)

Attractive spouse? Paul is single and content to be so. A married person divides attention, seeking to please both God and spouse. The unmarried person is completely focused on how he can please the Lord. (1 Cor 7:7, 32-35)

Great wealth? Christ says, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions,” (Luke 12:15) and, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

Perfect health? Paul prayed for it. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

Great accomplishments? “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8)

Your many labors behind you? “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.” (Phil 1:22)

The love and praise of everyone you know? Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Matt 5:11-12)

Our reward in heaven: Isn’t that really the good life? For what eye has seen, what ear has heard, what mind has conceived of the good things God has prepared for those who love him? (1 Cor 2:9)

The Book of Life

Revelation 20: 11-15

The Book of Revelation is one many of us prefer not to think about, much less study, however just as the other books of the Bible it was written for us. It is challenging to understand and disturbing to think about being judged and dealing with our fate for eternity if we can't be sure it's positive. Perhaps we should learn more.

While in exile as a result of his missionary work, John wrote Revelation to Christians in Rome who were experiencing persecution. Revelation contains extensive symbolism and wisdom as Christ’s reign, Satan’s doom, and the judgment of all is described. 

The Book of Life

The central ideas of Revelation include:

-The world as we know it will come to an end

-Jesus Christ will return to earth to make all things right

-At the end of human history, evil will be judged and be contained forever

-Those who trust in Christ for their salvation will enjoy eternal life with Him

Revelation 20:15 "If anyone's name was not in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." 

What is the Book of Life? There are many explanations. Here is one website that will help you learn more about this mystery:

Read/Listen to Revelation 20:11-15

                                              

Someone Is Out To Get Me

Life can be hectic.

The home phone rings at the same time the door bell rings and my mobile phone rings. The mail man is down the street and I need to get a couple of checks in the mail. I am about to watch a football game, but my wife asserts that the internet is down and letting it go is not an option. It is time to mow the lawn, but the mower won’t start. Oh yeah, and I am informed that the tuition bill must be paid by 5 PM today.

Aaarrrrrgggghh!!!!!!!!!!

 Sometimes I think someone is out to get me!

 Today’s reading is Ephesians 6:10-20.

Paul is telling us that there really is someone out to get us. That someone, though, isn’t trying to make our life on earth difficult. He may do that, but that isn’t his ultimate goal. What he really wants is to take away my eternal bliss. He wants us to join him in the burning lake of sulfur.

Satan. Lucifer. Devil. The dragon. The serpent. Prince of this world. We know him by many names.

Other cultures know him as Haborym, Loki, Mania, Pluto, Mantus, Balaam and Apollyon.

Paul tells us there is a defense against Satan and that is faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us our salvation and frustrates Satan’s efforts.

 But Satan is a stubborn, cunning and persistent enemy. He keeps trying. Paul tells us we therefore  need to put on the full armor of God. We need to be in the Word of God and pray in the spirit. Being in frequent contact with Jesus ensures that Satan will not achieve his goal.

 Yes, Satan is out to get me. Jesus ensures Satan won’t win, but as a partner with Jesus, I also have a responsibility. By remaining in the Word, after I die I will be in Paradise, not with Satan. That indeed is a great blessing.

Now if only Paul can give me advice on dealing with unwanted phone calls and door-to-door salesmen ….

God Saves His Firstborn

Being the first to do something is typically quite an accomplishment.


Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the top of Mt. Everest. Amelia Earhart was the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. Roger Bannister was the first to run a mile in under four minutes.

Leif Ericson was the first European to sail to America. Ferdinand Magellan was the first to sail around the world. Roald Amundsen was the first to travel to the South Pole.

 

History remembers people who are first and we have a name for some of them: Pioneers.

 

Pioneers pave the way for others to do what they did. Pioneers, for whatever reason, are history’s “favorite”.

 

Today’s reading is Exodus 11:1-10, the story of the last plague God imposes on the Egyptians.

 

The Israelites were captive to Pharaoh. God, through Moses, told Pharaoh to “Let my people go” nine previous times. Each time Pharaoh disobeyed, and each time God delivered a plague on the land.

 

The tenth plague is the plague of the firstborn, where all the firstborn children (and animals) are put to death.

 

A harsh punishment to be sure, but the wages of sin are death.

 

Earlier, God told Moses that, “Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). Today’s reading is also a story of redemption: God saved Israel, his firstborn son! He saved Israel not only from the Plague of the Firstborn, but also from the slavery of Pharaoh.

 

Through Jesus Christ’s atoning death, we too, as believers, are also God’s firstborn. God saved us from eternal damnation and freed us from the slavery of sin. We are God’s favorite, his selected people to carry on the “family name” and carry out his Will.

 

Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

While we go through the gifts in our stockings, while we open our presents, while we eat our dinner and while we visit with relatives and friends, let’s pause a minute or two and thank God for making us his firstborn.

 

Have a blessed Christmas!

 

God Keeps His Promises

Death is not a topic that is easy to talk about. It seems so final. Not only that, but it is a topic that can bring up a wide range of emotions. Let’s face it, death stings, not only for the one who dies but also for those who are left behind.


I know people who are not afraid to die, but I have yet to meet a healthy person who wants to die. I have known people who have turned bitter knowing their death is imminent, and I have known people who have been very gracious and pleasant in their final days.

St. Mary's Church
Ashley, England

Today’s reading is Genesis 49:29-33. Jacob was with his family in Egypt and was about to die. Jacob seemed to be calm about his pending death.  His recorded final request was that he be buried in Canaan, the land promised to the nation of Israel. Jacob trusted God’s promise.

 

Death is difficult part of life. Will it be painful? Will there really be an afterlife? And if so, what will it be like? What if there is an afterlife and I don’t end up in heaven?

 

God made promises to Jacob, and God kept those promises. God also made promises to us, and he will keep those promises as well.

 

Death signifies the end of life on earth, but it is also a beginning.

 

God promised his children eternal life, and he sent his son Jesus not only as a sacrifice for our sin, but also to assume our sins, so that in God’s eyes we are perfect. Yes, Jesus was a scapegoat for us!

 

Death is the beginning of life with Jesus in heaven. It is the beginning of life in a land of perfection, a land that we really cannot fully comprehend here on earth.

 

Death is painful. Yet, through Jesus Christ death leads us to the promised land.

 

God kept his promise with Jacob, and he is keeping his promises with us!

1 John 1:1-2:2

               The Word of Life

With great anticipation and excitement we await the birth of our new grandson. He will be born somewhere around the 4^th of July. Another grandchild is expected to be born in December. Because I have experienced the miracle of birth first hand, and have seen the beauty of our God in those tiny hands and feet, I KNOW what joy this new infant will bring.

I also understand the challenges and heartache that accompany the commitment of being a parent yet would not discourage our children from the experience because the pleasure and love far outweigh the pain. The promise of what is to come as the baby grows and changes each day brings constant eagerness for what is next.

In the same way, Christ Followers go through periods of joy, excitement, transformation, peace, etc. as well as pain and heartbreak. 

Having never gone through child rearing before, it is impossible for new parents to wrap their head and heart around what is to come, but get them together with a another couple with their newborn and watch as the smiles grow, eyes widen, and questions flow. This impending new life has them consumed.

John's love for the Lord drove him to tell all who would listen of Jesus' life on earth and the promise of eternal life. Like a couple with a newborn sharing the sweet, innocent growth and changes in their baby, the experiences John had with Jesus were so awesome and consuming he had to share. His wish for others to feel the same joy and excitement drove John to reach out, write this book, and invite us all into fellowship with him, others, the Father and his son Jesus Christ. John knew along with this joy there would be suffering, but that is part of this meaningful journey.

Speaking of Jesus, in John 1:2-4 John writes; The life appeared; we have seen it 

and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father 

and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you

 also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his 

Son Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”

As the new life of an infant becomes more precious when shared, John’s joy was not complete without sharing the message of God's Love and the promise of new life....eternal life. Amen!

Read/Listen to 1 John1:1-2:2

More Powerful than Water

Water is powerful. A flood can destroy your house in a second. An unchecked drip can rot your house over a several year period. Besides being powerful, water also brings something powerful.

 

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

Peter spoke these words, from today’s reading, Acts 2:29-41, in Jerusalem during Pentecost.

 

What a blessing baptism is. Water and the Word of God: a common liquid coupled with profound wisdom that transcends human understanding. Baptism.  Simple, but effective.

 

The Lord saved the Jews from Pharaoh’s army about 3400 years ago. The Jews were slaves in Egypt, and Moses was God’s instrument to afflict the Egyptians with 10 plagues. Eventually Pharaoh relented and released the Jews. However, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to crush the Jews. God parted the waters of the Red Sea allowing the Jews to cross. With the Egyptians still on the sea bed, God released the water and the army drowned.

 

God used water to save the Jews from its enemy.

 

When we are baptized, Satan, can no longer touch us. Sure, he can wreak havoc in our lives, but our souls belong to God.

 

God uses water to save Christians from its enemy.

 

Joshua led the Jews through the Jordan River to Canaan. Out of water, the Jews came to their Promised Land.

 

Our baptism ensures us eternal life with God. Out of water, Christians come to their promised land, Heaven.

A theologian would say baptism Justifies us. That is, baptism makes us right with God.

 

Baptism is more than that. Peter tells us the Holy Spirit enters us on our baptism.

 

The Holy Spirit allows us to have faith and be aware of, if not fully understand, God’s Plan and Christ’s Mission. In addition, it equips us with the skills necessary to carry out that Mission, the Mission of the Church.

 

Baptism also Sanctifies us. It allows us to reach out to others.

 

Baptism: Justification and Sanctification!

 

Yes, water brings the Holy Spirit, more powerful than water itself!

Unification Brings Joy!

When I was in kindergarten and primary school, sometimes the punishment for misbehaving in class was to sit in the corner. In an earlier era, when a student did not pay attention in class, he might have to sit in a corner wearing a dunce cap. Today, when a child misbehaves, she might have to take a “Time Out”.



The Exiled Jews were like a Misbehaving Child

In all the above cases, the child is separated from their friends, and more importantly, from the one in authority. After spending some time alone, the child is reinstated with their fellow students.

Imagine the shame the student felt when separated. Imagine the joy the student felt when reunited with their friends.

Today’s reading is Nehemiah 9:9-21. The exiled Jews had returned to Jerusalem. They were exiled because they had sinned, tremendously, against God. Figuratively speaking, God gave them a “Time Out”, sat them in a corner and maybe even made them wear a dunce cap.

The chosen people had been exiled and their city destroyed. Imagine their lives in exile, in a foreign culture and without their God to turn to.

Now they were reunited! Imagine the joy they felt.

The Jews were now confessing their sins and repenting. They were rebuilding their spiritual life and re-establishing a relationship with God.

They were not just confessing individual sins, but the sins of their entire race. Like all of mankind, the Jews had turned away from God. It is man’s nature to think he does not need God, to think he is in charge of his own life.


Adam and Eve turned from God, and so did the Sethites.  Mankind turned from God when it built the Tower of Babel. Nonetheless, God chose Abraham to be the father of his chosen people.


As today’s story shows, even the chosen people turn from God.


Today we are no better. We are all sinners. We deserve more than a “Time Out.” We deserve death.


Yet God loves us so much that he re-instated us into a relationship with him, through the death of Jesus Christ.


Unification brings great Joy!

Travel Stories

Have you ever been on a trip, returned home and wanted to share what you saw with your friends and family? Photos were shared and many stories about the travel and the food were no doubt discussed.

Today’s story, Acts 14:26-28, is a lot like that. Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch where they left two years earlier to preach. The Antioch Christians wanted to hear of their travels and wanted to hear the things God had accomplished through them.

Paul and Barnabas had visited many towns and cities in modern day Turkey as well as the Island of Cyprus. They encountered sorcerers, abusive crowds, Jews who stoned Paul, and even people who thought Paul was a god. The stories must have been incredible!

But that is far from the best part. God “had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” The Gospel was now available, not just for the Jews, but for all people, everywhere!

This no doubt caused some problems. The Jews and Gentiles were not exactly the best of friends, although they tolerated each other. There were significant cultural differences and significant religious differences.

Paul’s preaching bridged the gap between the religious differences. The saving grace of God through Christ’s death and resurrection was meant for even the Gentiles. Christ displaced the multiple gods that the Greeks had, such as Hermes, Zeus, Neptune, Artemis and so forth. However, the Jewish Christians were going to have to live with many of the cultural differences, regardless how distasteful some of them might be.

Today we have the same obligation to preach Christ crucified that Paul had 2000 years ago. Our risk of being stoned or driven out of town for doing this is probably remote. However, we do have to deal with cultures that are different than we are used to, and I am not speaking of just ethnic differences.

There are things that some non-Christians do that irritate me. However, when trying to reach them with Christ, I have to overlook my irritation and carry out my assignment.

That is what Paul did, and that is what I can do too!

Test the Spirits - 1 John 4:1-6

I had a man at my house the other day to install a satellite system so I could get television reception in my new Northwood’s home.  He asked me if my husband was retired.  I am hesitant to let a total stranger know that I am alone in this big house, so I simply responded with, "We bought this place last year knowing it would be three years before retirement."

It bothered me that I wasn't straight forward with the young man, as he was just trying to be friendly.  A short time later when he was up in the loft installing a unit he asked me if I was Christian.  I said yes and he shared he saw my Bible lying open and felt safe to ask.  It was then it felt okay to share with him that I was alone.  He told me I was never alone because I was a Christian.  Wow - I did not expect that blessing.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God," (1 John 4:1-2)

Living in a world where we seldom hear someone profess Jesus Christ as their Savior it was a real treat to hear this young man tell me that with Jesus I am never alone.  Then he invited me to his church on Sunday.  I need to be willing to be used by God like this stranger did.

Read the 1 John 4:1-6 text here.