Welcome to the November 2024 Archive. You are welcome to read the entire archive, or find a topic on the list below that is of interest to you. Just click the link, and you will be taken directly to the day it was written. Enjoy, and may you know God's peace as you read His Word.
You are welcome to use these writings or pass them on. All we ask is that in all things you remember the Author and give Him the glory, and remember this vessel which He has used to bring them to you. Peggy Hoppes
Topics
Scripture quotes taken from the World English Bible
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 2024
November 1, 2024
“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21, ASV
Here’s a joke for this All Saints Day: “Once upon a time there was a very rich business that was near death. Having worked hard all his life, he desperately wanted to be able to take some of his wealth with him to heaven and was eventually given special permission by God to bring one suitcase. Overjoyed, the businessman gathered his largest suitcase, filled it with pure gold bars and placed it beside his bed. Shortly afterwards the man died and showed up at the Pearly Gates where he was greeted by St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase, St. Peter said: ‘Wait, you can’t bring that in here.’ The businessman explained that he had been granted permission by God. St. Peter checked out the story and confirmed: ‘Yes, you have permission to bring in one case, but I must check its contents before letting it through.’ So, St. Peter opened the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the businessman found too precious to leave behind. As the lid sprang back to reveal the gold, St. Peter exclaimed: ‘You brought pavement?’”
One of my favorite childhood books is “The Littlest Angel.” While the story itself is full of biblical inaccuracy, the message is wonderfully true. It is the story of a young boy. “He was exactly four years, six months, five days, seven hours, and forty-two minutes of age” when he went to heaven, the story tells us. Being a young boy, the Littlest Angel was less than angelic. He caused problems for the entire heavenly host, was never clean and was always loud. When asked why he was such a troublemaker by a kind and gracious angel, the little angel said that there was nothing for him to do. “The Understanding Angel smiled, and in his eyes was a long-forgotten memory of another small boy long ago. Then he asked the Littlest Angel what would make him most happy in Paradise. The Littlest Angel told the Understanding Angel about a box that he kept under his bed. The angel agreed, and the box was delivered to the little angel. From that moment, the little angel was transformed.
A time came when there was great excitement in the heavens. The Son of God was to be born on earth! The angels spent much time and energy creating beautiful gifts for the Christ child. The Littlest Angel didn’t know what to do. He had no gifts like the other angels. He couldn’t make halos or compose songs or write prayers. The only thing he had was that small box filled with his worldly possessions. He decided to give that gift to the baby. It was a great sacrifice, but the little angel realized how humble and irreverent his rough and unsightly box filled with butterfly wings, a bird’s egg, stones and the collar from a beloved dog was compared to the grand gifts of the other angels. “The Littlest Angel wept hot, bitter tears, for now he knew that instead of honoring the Son of God, he had been most blasphemous.” But his gift turned out to be the most delightful gift of all. “Then suddenly, the Voice of God, like Divine Music, rose and swelled through Paradise! And the Voice of God spoke, saying, ‘Of all the gifts of all the angels, I find that this small box pleases Me most. Its contents are of the Earth and of men, and My Son is born to be King of both. These are the things My Son, too, will know and love and cherish and then, regretfully, will leave behind Him when His task is done. I accept this gift in the Name of the Child, Jesus, born of Mary this night in Bethlehem.’”
If God allowed you to take a suitcase to heaven, what would you place in it? What would you take with you to have for eternity? Would you fill your suitcase with bars of gold, or would you fill it with the things that remind you of everything you loved during your life on earth? We are reminded by the first story that the things we treasure like money and gold are nothing more than pavement in heaven. We don’t need gold bars to make us happy. The story of the Littlest Angel helps us see that God understands that we have treasures that remind us of our life and love. The most important thing we can take with us into eternity is the love we experienced.
Today is All Saints Day. It is a time to remember those who have passed through death into life eternal. Throughout the ages, men and women who have led exemplary Christian lives have been given a special title so that they will be remembered for their remarkable deeds in the service of our Lord, or because of their commitment to God. There are thousands of people who have been specially recognized as Saints throughout the millennia for their work for God’s Kingdom.
Yet, they are not the only saints. All those who have believed in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are saints. The definition of a saint is one who is separated from the world and consecrated to God. That includes all those who believe in His name. It includes our parents, friends, siblings and spouses who have died in the service of Christ. Today we remember them. Though we mourn the passing of those we love, this is a day to be thankful for their love and lives. We praise God for that brief moment in time when they were with us and rejoice in knowing that they will spend eternity with the Lord. Saints are not only those who have died, but those who live in Christ today. We are saints.
All Saints Day is a time to celebrate the lives of all the saints, living and dead. We remember the men and women who gave their lives to the Lord in extraordinary ways as well as those who lived ordinary lives in Christ. We remember our loved ones, our friends, and all those who have passed into life eternal and we thank God for His mercy. He has kept them from going into the pit, so that they can spend eternity singing His praise. That love we have for them all, whether they were a part of our life or simply part of the great cloud of witnesses that came before us, is the greatest gift we have and that we can give. It is the one thing we can take to heaven.
As we live our life in this world, let’s treasure those things that glorify God and His creation, and fill our hearts with the things that will last forever. On this All Saints Day, let’s praise God for the lives of those who have shared their greatest treasures with us, leaving them behind for us to enjoy while waiting for our time to be with God for eternity. They left us their faith, their love, their hope, their peace. And we are called to share these things with others so that one day we'll all be together in heaven, praising God forever and ever.
November 4, 2024
“Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100, WEB
One of the biggest jokes in the Christmas music world is that the Christmas season has officially begun when Mariah Carey’s “What I want for Christmas is You” is heard. I was in a department store on November 1st that was already playing Christmas music. Then I heard it, a month before Thanksgiving... Mariah Carey! I know, it is too early to start talking about Christmas, which is still many weeks away. The stores all have their Christmas displays. The shelves are filled with Christmas presents and decorations. I’ve seen the tents for those selling cut Christmas trees going up around the area. I understand some of the signs of Christmas already. People have to ship presents a long way. Holiday planning takes time, and it doesn’t bother me that some things are already for sale. I was not ready for Mariah Carey’s song, though. I suppose the stresses of our world is making people anxious for the peace and joy of Christmas. The day after Thanksgiving used to be the official beginning of the Christmas season, but that is no longer true. I've even seen “Black Friday” sales ongoing already!
Black Friday has not been the first day of Christmas shopping season for years. I remember when my mom worked at the mall; she didn’t put anything Christmas out on her sales floor until Black Friday. The mall employees worked overtime on Wednesday night, putting up the tinsel and other decorations so that they could be ready to reveal their Christmas display to the world on Black Friday. There were always special celebrations, welcoming Santa Claus to the mall and then opening the doors for everyone to shop. In those days the mall did not open at 4:00 a.m. They opened at normal business hours and received the rush of customers ready to find those special values being offered. You didn’t see Santa until the day after Thanksgiving.
The stores are taking advantage of the public’s desire to get the best deal by offering those “Black Friday Deals” now. We are willing to run out today to get that video camera or new computer at the “lowest price of the season.” Yet, despite the great deals, we know that someone, somewhere will have a better price. The question is: will we get to the store in time to get that deal, or will we miss it because we are late?
One of the best parts of the Black Friday shopping experience for me was always sitting down with the newspaper on Thanksgiving Day to see what the stores were offering. We don’t even get the paper anymore, and I don’t think the newspapers even print a pile of ads like they used to. Besides, you can find out everything you need on the Internet. There are even websites that put the ads online so you can plan your Black Friday shopping trip in advance. You have to have a plan if you want to accomplish your goals! There is so much pressure on gift-givers to get the right toys, the right electronics, the trendy gift of the year. Unfortunately, the “perfect” gift is often poorly supplied and in high demand. Every parent has experienced the desperate quest to get the hot toy that a child expects to receive from Santa Claus.
I am not complaining about the commercialization of Christmas or the much too early appearance of the holiday because I admit that I get caught up in it, too. I’ve already bought most of my presents already! I’m sad that so much of the magic of the season has disappeared. People worked hard to make it happen, but I loved how everything seemed to happen overnight. I’m sure there was preparation in advance: sets designed, decorations cleaned, repaired, and replaced, extra employees hired, and merchandise received. But for the child or even the adult who loves Christmas, the sudden appearance on that Friday after Thanksgiving of twinkling lights and Christmas green was a mystery. How did it happen so fast? Where did it all come from? We’ve lost the spirit of surprise from the season.
Sadly, I think the same is true of the Church. While I think it is good that we’ve thought about God from an intellectual perspective, reasoned our faith, and studied the scripture texts in academic terms, we’ve put too much focus on our brains and forgotten that God is so far beyond anything our mind can comprehend. The Israelites tried to lock God into a curtained room in a Temple in Jerusalem, but we’ve tried to lock Him up by defining Him in terms we can understand. The problem with the loss of mystery in our relationship with God is that we’ve made Him so much like us that it is a wonder whether He’s even worthy of praise. So, while it is good for us to seek knowledge of God and know Him with our minds, let us always remember that we will never fully know God. But He always knows us. We might not always understand how or why He does what He does, that’s the mystery, but we can always trust that we are loved.
November 5, 2024
“But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Lord Yahweh; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?” Ezekiel 18:21-23, WEB
Our church hosted an international youth gathering in July. As happens at these types of events, there was a bookstore where the attendees could purchase items like books and souvenirs. This particular publishing house has not produced much for the youth, most of the books were teaching materials or “how to” for youth ministry, but the hosts brought plenty of fun things for the youth like stuffed animals, pencils, and coloring books. One of the favorite items were rubber “Little Jesus” figurines.
I noticed them first when I was taking pictures of the gathering. There was one sitting on a windowsill. There was another in an offering basket. I eventually realized they were everywhere. I loved this idea and eventually ordered some for myself (they are available on Amazon.) I now carry a few of these in my purse and share them with people I encounter. Or I just leave them somewhere for someone to find. Friends of mine love this idea, too, and they have purchased their own Little Jesus figurines to give or leave during their adventures, including the women who planned the retreat I attended this past weekend.
I woke up early Saturday morning and went to the common room to read my devotions. I found a Little Jesus by the tissue box. It made me giggle. Then I found one in a window, and another on the edge of a painting, then another on the top of the emergency box. Jesus was everywhere. The ladies waited for us all to go to bed, and then hid dozens of Little Jesus figurines around our retreat site (in the dark!) I giggled every time I saw one. They announced later that morning that the Little Jesus figurines were part of a scavenger hunt, and the person who found the most would win a prize. The ladies had such fun searching around the cabins and gathering spaces. I just giggled every time I saw one.
We are under incredible stress right now. Today in the United States is an election day, one that has been extremely contentious. We don’t know what will happen when it is over. There are already threats and outrage anticipating what might be. Perhaps we all just need a Little Jesus.
It is interesting that today is the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. On November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of disgruntled subjects of King James VI in England tried to blow up Parliament when the king was in attendance. They were upset by the decades of religious persecution against the Roman Catholics of England. The plot was discovered the night before Parliament was set to open and the conspirators were executed.
“Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot! Guy Fawkes, guy, t’was his intent to blow up king and parliament. Three score barrels were laid below to prove old England’s overthrow. By God’s mercy he was catch’d with a darkened lantern and burning match. So, holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring. Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king. And what shall we do with him? Burn him!”
This little ditty, a nursery rhyme(!), recalls the Gunpowder plot and Guy Fawkes. He will always be remembered for his crime against the king. That’s the way human justice works. We remember the failings of those around us. God’s justice is much different than our justice. We are unable to be righteous before God, and yet He sent His Son to be righteous for us. When we clothe ourselves in His righteousness, God no longer sees the offenses we committed, but He sees Christ in us. God does not remember our sins, He rejoices in our repentance. Turn to Him today, wear His righteousness, and live.
It is going to be a hard day for those who pay attention to what is happening in American politics. We are going to look at each other with contempt. We are going to struggle with news reports and the constant commercials on television and radio. We are going to be angry, or afraid, or doubtful, or uncertain. Whatever happens today, however, Jesus is still King. God has a plan, and He has a purpose for even the person who voted differently than you. We don’t always understand, but we are to trust that He is doing something amazing.
Look for Jesus today and find things that make you giggle. You may not follow in the wake of someone leaving a Little Jesus for you to find, but Jesus is everywhere. He is even in the faces of believers who see the world differently than you. Do something today to make someone smile. Treat yourself to your favorite candy bar. Sit on the porch and enjoy the singing of the birds. Remember that you, too, are a sinner in need of a Savior. Remember, remember, on this Fifth of November, not Guy Fawkes and conspiracies, but the God who loves you with an eternal love, who forgives YOU of all your sins. Find Jesus and giggle. Laughter is good for your soul, and Jesus has promised you life in His Kingdom forever.
November 6, 2024
Lectionary Scriptures for November 10, 2024, Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44
“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Yahweh, his God.” Psalm 146, WEB
I didn’t hand out treats on Halloween this year. It wasn’t that I don’t like Trick-or-Treating or that I was rejecting the fun of Halloween. I was preparing for a weekend away from home, writing a presentation and working on devotions I wouldn’t have time to write while I was at the retreat. There was also a threat of bad weather for that night, and I just didn’t think I wanted to sit outside for three hours. I didn’t purchase any treats beforehand, but decided I could go out and pick up something if the weather was good and I was caught up on my work. Even though the weather turned out better than expected and I probably could have taken the time, we turned off our lights and hid behind closed doors.
The hard part in our neighborhood is the sheer number of children we get for Trick-or-Treating. A neighbor uses a counter, and we often get three to four hundred children. How much candy do you need in a year with questionable weather? How many treats (I usually get nonedible toys) will be needed? I have to admit that giving treats to that many children can become very expensive. I like to be generous, but I always worry whether I will have enough.
I remember that we did not know how many children we would see during Halloween in our first year in England; I had no idea how much candy to get. I bought a very large bag of Tootsie Minis, a hundred and fifty pieces of candy. At the beginning I was giving two or three for each child, but I quickly realized that I would never have enough for all the children coming to my door. At one point I had twenty children standing in line waiting for one very small piece of candy. I felt bad that I could not be more generous, but if I gave more than one per child, I would not have had enough.
We want to be generous and hospitable with our resources, it is a natural part of the beings we have been created by our Father to be. Yet, there is an even more powerful instinct that is learned by experience to be careful. We want to share, but we are afraid that if we give too much to too many we might run out and not have enough for ourselves. We are, perhaps, a little selfish in that we want to ensure that we get our part, too. Generous hospitality can cause suffering, sometimes even the possibility of death.
That was how it was for the widow of Zarephath. She was literally making her final meal, a small cake to be shared with her son. She was using the last of her flour and oil. Unfortunately, death would not be immediate as she suggested; it would be a slow and painful death as they starved without food for days. Yet, that one cake would give them a few more moments together and perhaps some hope for another day.
Elijah asked the woman to give everything she had, even to sacrifice the little time she had left with her son. Elijah was a stranger and there was no reason why she should give up her food for him. Her maternal instinct was probably very strong, the temptation to reject the stranger must have been intense. Yet, Elijah encouraged her to trust, to step out of the box of fear and selfishness so that she might witness the gracious hospitality of God. To see the blessing would take courage. To receive life would take sacrifice. In the end, the widow and her son did not die, but they experienced the power of God because she believed that Jehovah could do, and would do, all that Elijah said.
Many churches are preparing stewardship campaigns that will take place in the next few weeks. Our church is doing a series for several weeks about living in Thanksgiving for God’s blessings by being generous. It is easy for us to preach this story of the widow of Zarephath as proof that God is calling us to give sacrificially, even unto death. The Gospel story also shows a poor widow giving everything to God. Are these stories teaching us that having absolute trust in God means we should give up our entire lives out of faith that He will provide for our every need?
That is neither good stewardship nor is it the responsible choice for most of us. We do have families which are gifts from God, homes and jobs that require a portion of our resources. We have vocations through which God is touching the world in very real, very practical ways.
We think that the starvation of the widow of Zarephath and her son was a matter of justice; widows often suffered after the loss of their husbands because they had no source of income. However, we can’t assume that she was poor. She was living in a time and a place that was in the midst of drought. No one had any food. Have you ever tried to go to the grocery store in the last hours before a hurricane? Or a blizzard? I may have thought I could have run out at the 11th hour to buy candy for Trick-or-Treating, but the shelves would probably have been bare. You might have all the money in the world, but you will not be able to buy any milk if there is no milk to be bought. The widow had nothing because there was nothing to be had. She was not the only one dying in Zarephath. It is even possible that she lost her husband because of the drought. She was blessed by God with the grace to share her last flour and oil and He gave her the faith to trust that would take care of her needs.
We don’t know anything about the woman in the Gospel lesson, except that she was a widow with only two small coins to her name. We assume she is a beggar because she is poor, but perhaps those two small coins were the last of the money left to her by her husband when he died. She could have been like the woman Jesus healed from bleeding in Mark 5. That woman had been bled dry financially by charlatan doctors trying to heal her and she seemed to be alone in the world; she probably had little left on which to live. It would have taken everything else to offer her thanks to God for His healing. Out of faith and trust she, whatever her circumstances, gave her last coins to God.
Sacrificial generosity is a God-given spiritual gift, one to which very few are given. We are not all called to such faithfulness. While it is very easy for us to look at these two women and assume this is the example we should use for Stewardship campaigns, it is neither useful not appropriate to this text.
Jesus was not putting down those rich folk who were giving out of their wealth. He did not say that they were practicing injustice by not giving their wealth to the widow. He simply said they were giving “out of” their wealth. I think it would do us well to notice that those “rich folk” were giving “out of” their wealth for the sake of the Temple and to remember that it is the “rich folk” that are doing the same in our own congregations that are keeping our doors open, our salaries paid, and our ministries running. We praise God for those who give everything for the sake of God, but we also praise God for those who give much “out of” their wealth.
This text is not a call to eradicate poverty. God provided for the widow in Zarephath. The problem with the “rich folk” in the Gospel story is not that they didn’t give everything, but that they were pretentious about the way they displayed their faith. We are reminded that our giving is not something which we should use to bring attention to ourselves. The scribes walked around the temple in their fancy robes seeking honor and respect. The people giving to the temple treasury were pilgrims that had traveled to Jerusalem to honor God with their offering. Were they doing it all for show? Perhaps there were a few, but I imagine most were there because of their faith.
What about the people in our congregations? Are they all doing it for show? Perhaps there are a few who walk around with fancy robes and haughty attitudes, but my guess is that most folk in our congregations are giving according to their hearts, joyfully and faithfully giving as God calls them to give, being good stewards of their resources. They give generously to the church and other charities while still caring for their families. Let us never forget there are “rich folk” who give out of their wealth because of their own faith to serve God with their resources through His Church.
One of the reasons I love to give out treats on Halloween is because I am a people watcher. I enjoy seeing the costumes, and I’ve had many beautiful encounters with children. So many have been taught good manners, are thankful for whatever I give. I have been happily surprised by the response from teenagers to the silly toys I give. One year the gift was a bouncy ball, and the kids were ecstatic.
I’m a people watcher. I like to go places and watch the people around me. It is fun to think about their lives, even though I know nothing about them. Why are they buying that watch? Are they in love? What will that child grow up to be when they are an adult? We enjoyed watching people who were visiting Yellowstone National Park while we were there. I never figured out why some of the young people raised their hands in a silly way for every photo they were in. People do the craziest things, and if we are attentive to the world around us, we often have a front row seat to the joke, or the joy, or even the pain. And by being attentive, we can be a part of their lives, perhaps share a smile or a tear. We don’t even have to speak to them to have a connection; sometimes it just takes a little eye contact to make a difference.
There were people watching people in the courtyard of the Temple that day. The leaders were definitely paying attention to the pilgrims. Who did they approach? What did they notice? Did they give any attention to the average pilgrim, or did they just focus on those who were well dressed and who threw great sums into the coffers? Did they even notice the widow who offered two pennies? She was probably invisible unless they eyed her suspiciously.
Jesus was on his way toward the condemnation of the cross when He visited the Temple that day. He had entered Jerusalem triumphantly, but He had done so many things that upset the powers of the world, especially during the final week of His life. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of the leaders, how they walked around looking for compliments, acting high and mighty, using their power to harm the weak. They took advantage of widows by seeking payment for prayers. Jesus then noticed the crowds throwing their offerings in the coffers. I can imagine those teachers of the Law clapping people on the back, pulling them aside for private conversations, making deals in the corners as they looked for patrons to support their work.
Jesus and His disciples were also watching the people as they gave their offerings. Jesus knew their hearts. He knew the ones who were haughty and proud, but He also saw the multitudes that were doing their duty with reverence and faith. He noticed them all, but paid special attention to the invisible one, the widow who was lost in the crowd.
There was a film a few years ago called “One Night With the King.” It was about the story of Queen Esther from the Bible. The storyline diverts from the biblical text and the cinematography is not great, but it was a good film. One of the images that stuck with me after seeing the film was the humility displayed by Esther, particularly when she was in the palace preparing for her time with the king. In the biblical story, Esther is befriended by the eunuch assigned to care for the virgins. He gave her special treatment and opportunity. In the movie this played out in a scene where Esther was taken to the king to read to him, long before the girls are actually ready for their time with him.
In one scene the girls were given free reign in the treasury room where they were allowed to choose the adornments they would wear for their night. Most of the girls went wild, choosing so much gold and so many jewels that it was difficult for them to even stand straight under the weight. One of the girls was given the opportunity to ride with the king but she was so heavy with jewelry that she could not stay on the horse.
Esther, on the other hand, chose nothing from the treasury except her own necklace that had been lost during the struggle when she was taken to the palace. When it came time for her night, she was simply dressed in a lovely dress and her necklace. Against the adornment of the other girls, she would have been invisible, lost in the crowd. Yet, it was her humble appearance, and heart, that won over the king.
Jesus pointed out to the disciples those who were beautifully adorned for all to see, who were making a big deal as they put their money into the Temple treasury. They wanted to be seen. Yet, in that crowd was someone who was invisible. The poor widow was a non-person, of no worth because she had nothing to give. She was unimportant and unnoticed by most that were present that day. Only Jesus saw her and her humble appearance, and she won over His heart. He pointed her out to the disciples saying, “...she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.” Though she was invisible, she gave all that she had out of faith, and Jesus noticed.
As we read this story, it is easy for us to dismiss the grand gifts of others, thinking they are giving for all the wrong reasons, as if they are doing so our of a sense of importance or to be noticed. Yet, I have known many people who are wealthy beyond my imagination who are generous without being noticed. We all know people who would rather be invisible when it comes to their gifts. Though this story is about an invisible woman who should be noticed for her faith, there is also a lesson in stewardship for all those who can’t help but be noticed. Jesus does not use this moment to diminish anyone’s gifts. He instead uses the opportunity to lift up the quietly faithful and bring down the arrogant. The stewardship message is this: great gifts out of our wealth are welcome, but we should never give with a sense of haughtiness and pride.
There is a lesson in trust here, too. There are moments in all our lives when we are the underdog. Think about the young person who graduates at the top of their high school class and then goes on to a university. They quickly discover that everyone else was also at the top of their class and that they aren’t the best in the world. The best athletes eventually meet someone better. I’ve seen videos of male gymnasts trying to copy the moves of female gymnasts. Despite their incredible strength, they are often humbled by the incredible flexibility of their female counterparts. The men might win a competition in some areas, but they fail miserably in others. We all go through times of struggle.
God loves those who trust in Him. He is the Lord God Almighty, and our hope is found in Him, through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When God is our helper, we will be blessed whether we succeed or when we are the underdog, whether we are on the winning team or the team that just does their best.
The Temple was a beautiful and very meaningful place for the Jews. It was there that they offered sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins. However, nothing that happened in the Temple was lasting because it was a place built with human hands. It was patterned after the real thing, the true holy place of God: heaven itself. The priests offered sacrifices, and these were important acts of obedience to God’s Law, but the forgiveness they earned was only temporary. Since the blood offered and the priest who offered it were perishable and imperfect, the sacrifice had to be made over and over again.
Until Jesus. He was not only the perfect Priest, but He also offered His own perfect blood. He offered it in the true Holy Place and the effects of His sacrifice were eternal. It only needed to happen once. From that moment on, sin was forgiven.
We often see the image of Christ’s return as one of a strong warrior riding in on horseback with a sword in hand destroying sin, death and the devil. Yet, Christ has already accomplished this work. It is finished. In the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear of Christ coming as Judge, but not a judge of condemnation. He comes as the Judge of salvation. In this vision, Christ comes to those who are waiting for Him, those who have been saved by the grace of God. When Christ comes again, He will receive those for whom He died and welcome them into the realm of God. Others miss Him because they are focused on all the wrong things.
The king didn’t see the women in the story of Esther because their hearts were buried under gold chains. Jesus didn’t see any humility in the scribes in the Temple because it was buried under their fancy robes. The condemnation they face will not be by the hands of the King but by their own haughty pride.
We don’t know what the woman in the Temple looked like or what she was wearing. We don’t know if she was a foreign pilgrim or a local. We don’t know if she was alone in that courtyard or if she’d traveled with a crowd of family and friends. We only know that she gave two pennies as an offering to God and that it was all she had. And we know that Jesus saw her. In this courtyard full of people, she caught His eye. He lifted her up as a woman with extraordinary faith. We can be like her, giving everything to Him, even when it seems insignificant, trusting that He’ll take care of us. Despite the small amount, the widow’s gift was greater than all the others because she gave God everything.
Jesus saw her. Through all those crowds, He picked out the one person whom everyone else ignored. He saw the one who had no earthly worth. That’s what God does. He sees through the exterior and past the mundane; He points out value where the world might see none. She didn’t have much, but she had far more than the rest because she had great faith. That’s worth noting. Money won’t do us any good in the end. No matter how important our life is on this earth, we will never accomplish anything lasting. This life is perishable and imperfect; it is not lasting. Faith is the only thing that will get us through the last days; faith will take us to the other side.
Do you ever feel invisible? Even as people of faith we can find it difficult to believe that God sees us or hears our prayers. I am nobody. I am just one person out of the billions who are currently living on earth, and just one out of the more than a hundred billion people who have ever lived. Who am I that God would notice me? Who am I that God would point me out to His disciples and teach them a lesson using my life as an example? I’m probably even more invisible than those widows because I am one of the multitudes who give to God out of my wealth like the crowds in the Temple.
Our gifts, no matter how big they might be, are not worthy of praise. God does not need anything we have to give. It is all His and He gave it to us to be good stewards for the sake of others. God deserves our first fruits, not our leftovers. Like the widow of Zarephath and the widow in the temple, faith means trusting that God will provide according to His grace. Even if those first fruits mean that we are giving “unto death” we need not fear, for God will bring great blessings out of our faith.
The psalmist reminds us that all good things come from God. God raises those that are bowed down. This is not just about God taking care of those who are victimized, who are oppressed and outcast. God raises up those who are humble before Him, who trust that He will provide. He raises up those who give with the heart of faith, whatever our circumstances. Jesus fed the crowds whether they were poor or wealthy. He healed the sick no matter their circumstances. He raised the ruler’s daughter. He raised Lazarus who had more than enough. He was raised on the cross so that all who believe might be raised to the greatest gift of all, eternal life.
The stories of the widows foreshadow the work of Jesus Christ. The widows gave even their lives for the sake of others in obedience to the Word of God. The widow of Zarephath was blessed with life through the drought as the flour and oil seemed in endless supply. We do not know what happened to the widow in the temple, but when Jesus was only days away from being the final, permanent sacrifice, He showed us what it is like to sacrifice everything through self-less giving.
“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Yahweh, his God.” This is not a giddy kind of happiness, but rather the blessedness of knowing that everything we are and everything we have comes from God. The widows knew that God takes care of those who look to Him for help. They knew that He would lift those who are bowed, sustain the fatherless and widows and frustrate the way of the wicked as promised in today’s psalm. They did not put their trust in men; they submitted willingly to the Word of God and were greatly blessed. Jesus sacrificed Himself for the sake of the world, and in Christ we can join in the chorus of praise. “Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh, my soul.”
November 7, 2024
“Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, ‘Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through. It will reach even to the neck. The stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, Immanuel. Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand, for God is with us.’” Isaiah 8:5-10, WEB
Today’s passage gives us an image of God that makes us uncomfortable. God often used the enemies of His people to bring them back to Him. In today’s passage, God told Isaiah that He was going to use Assyria as an instrument to turn His people so that they might see that they need Him. These warnings seem so dire, and so unnecessary, and yet they always come with a word of grace and promise. Even though there will be a time of distress, God is always near, and He will turn things around. The enemy will be put back into its place and God’s people will be restored.
But we have a hard time understanding how a loving Father could threaten such a thing. Or do we? Anyone who is a parent knows that sometimes the little subtle reminders are not enough. We do not immediately yell at our children when they do something wrong, and we do not punish them for a first offense. We carefully explain why the thing they did is wrong. Then we tell them about the consequences and assure them that we will be near to help them stand firm in what is right. But when they misbehave the second time, we get a little firmer. We eventually become angry and harsher with the discipline if they continue to disobey. When a word doesn’t convince them that they have done something wrong, punishment might. While we allow our children to suffer the consequences of their own disobedience, we are never far so that we can protect them from their own foolishness.
A parent knows that a trickle becomes a flood. The Lord said to Isaiah, “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly...” This likely refers to the water from the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem that feeds into the pool of Siloam and describes the life-giving and healing power of God. The people refused to believe that God was able to accomplish what they needed, so they looked to others for their help. This sad truth is followed by the warning that the Lord will bring upon them the flood waters of the River, referring to the mighty army that will invade. When we turn from God, He allows our enemies onto our doorstep. He does not allow them to destroy us, though, because He is always present. He gives our enemies power so that we will turn to Him. When we turn to Him, we are healed and restored.
The promise in this passage is that God is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is never far away. All might seem lost, but it isn’t. God does not fail us, even when we fail Him. Sometimes, like a good parent who has to find a way to make us truly see what we are doing wrong, God has to let us suffer the consequences of our own rejection, but even then, He will not let us be destroyed. We can rest in the promise that He is near, and He will hear our cry for help. The Assyrians would not win in the end, because God will stop them. So, too, when we think we are in the midst of a raging flood, we need not fear, but instead cry out to God because He is Immanuel, God with us. He will not allow us to be destroyed, and He’ll bless us as we turn back to Him.
November 8, 2024
“There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38, WEB
Anna was a devoted prophetess. She was extremely old; depending on how the Greek is translated she was at least eighty-four but was more likely over one hundred years. She had not left the Temple for decades, at the very least half a century, and had worshipped God daily.
We live in a world that can barely pay attention for more than a few minutes. Researchers have found that unless a web developer catches a surfer’s attention, they will not stay on a page for more than 10-20 seconds. The surfers stay only long enough to read a fraction of the text and then they click through to the next page. We can’t sit still. We can’t pay attention. We do not want to do anything that takes too long because there’s always something better to do somewhere else.
Unfortunately, this is true in our faith lives, too. One of the biggest struggles of worship teams is planning worship that fits into a specific time period. Sometimes this is because the schedule demands it; another service or Sunday school begins immediately following and there is no room for flexibility. Sadly, the rush to finish is often demanded by the members of the congregation. They need the service to be only an hour because they want to get to the diner before the crowds. We are no better at our prayer lives, rushing through our devotional time because there is something else we need to do. We settle for popcorn prayers, the kind that pops up in our minds as we are busy with our daily lives. We skim over daily bible readings, if we even find the time to open our book.
Anna lived a life we can’t possibly imagine. It was a different world, of course, but even then people were rushing around, taking care of their business and families. Worship was different although I’m sure there were at least a few who were impatient with the time spent without accomplishing anything tangible. After all, we are all human and not much has changed under the sun. There were probably those who did not understand how Anna could live in the Temple and worship constantly. She had a special gift, and I don’t think her life is the kind of life God is calling most of us to live. We are put in the world to glorify Him with whatever work we are gifted to do.
We can learn from Anna’s life, though. We may not live in the Temple and pray constantly, but her story reminds us that we should slow down and spend more time with God. She knew that Jesus was the Promised One because God had written it on her heart. Can we recognize the blessings before us when we are so busy rushing from one place to another, throwing quick prayers and grabbing brief glimpses of His grace? She was in the right place at the right time to witness the promise fulfilled and then she was so thankful that she took the Good News to others. Are we thankful enough to do the same?
November 11, 2024
“You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. Also, if anyone competes in athletics, he isn’t crowned unless he has competed by the rules. The farmer who labors must be the first to get a share of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” 2 Timothy 2:1-7, WEB
Most veterans are embarrassed by the attention they get on many of the military holidays. They cringe when you say thank you on Memorial Day. “This day is for those who died.” They will make sure that you know Armed Forces Day is meant to honor those who are actively serving in the military. The one day they embrace is Veterans Day, the day we remember those who served and survived. They deserve our thanks because they made many sacrifices and often still struggle with what they experienced during their times. While we are thankful always for their service, it is most appropriate to thank them today.
There’s a meme on the Internet that shows a picture of a World War II Veteran in a wheelchair with the caption “Somewhere at the VA, there’s a 90-something old fart in a wheelchair.” Then another photo shows the army wading through water in full gear to the beaches of Normandy where they fought their way into the history books with the caption, “Who was a bigger badass at 20 than you’ll ever be. Thank him.” Sadly, most of those who served in World War II are disappearing from living history. Only a fraction of one percent of those who served are still alive (about .004%).
There are millions of others who have also made incredible sacrifices to serve our nation. Those men and women may not have done something extraordinary, but they have gone above and beyond in their own way. They have left their families for long periods of time, lived in tents during periods of extreme heat or cold, faced enemies on land, sea, and air. They have worked long hours, missed important milestones, suffered injury to body, mind, and spirit. Their families have also suffered, too, because they have made sacrifices we’ll never know.
It is estimated that there are about sixteen million veterans in the United States. Whether they were on the beaches of Normandy or worked in an office at a base somewhere domestically, they served valiantly for your sake and made sacrifices we may never understand. There are too many veterans who struggle physically and emotionally, too many are homeless and to many have committed suicide. A word of thanks might help, but we need to remember them year-round in other ways, to help them live a full life despite their struggles.
We celebrated All Saints Day a few days ago, honoring the ordinary men and women who are remembered for doing extraordinary things for the Lord. They lived faithfully above and beyond the call of duty, often dying for the kingdom of God. While we do remember all the saints, living and dead, on All Saints Day, we usually remember the individual men and women on the day of their deaths. It is interesting that we would remember two military men on Veteran’s Day. November 11th is the day we remember Menas of Egypt who was a Christian soldier during the days of Diocletian’s persecution. He deserted his post and hid in a cave, but he realized that he could not live with so many other Christians dying. He professed his faith in the arena at the annual games. He was beaten and tortured but would not recant and he eventually lost his head. We also remember Martin of Tours, an army officer, but I’ll talk about him more tomorrow.
The date for our national celebration was chosen because it marked the end of World War I, but we thank all those who have served faithfully throughout the history of our country. Just as most military members will never be remembered for extraordinary service, most Christians will never be honored as a special saint by the church. Yet, we are all called to live faithfully and do whatever God calls us to do according to the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember and thank our veterans because they are examples of how to live lives for the sake of others. As we remember and thank, let’s remind them that they do not have to go through their struggles alone.
This is why we remember the saints, too. They teach us how to live our lives for the Lord. Through them we learn that God does not make us go it on our own. He is with us through every battle, giving us all we need to stand firm in our faith.
November 12, 2024
“Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! That with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth. After my skin is destroyed, then I will see God in my flesh, whom I, even I, will see on my side. My eyes will see, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me.” Job 19:23-27, WEB
St. Martin of Tours is the patron saint of soldiers and horses, and yet he was also a conscientious objector. He lived in the fourth century, born of pagan parents. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a Roman soldier. He heard the Gospel and was even studying the catechism but had not decided to become a Christian. On his way into Amiens, he came across a poorly clothed beggar. He took his cloak, cut it in half and gave half to the beggar. That night Martin had a dream of Jesus Christ wearing half of his cloak. He later realized that he had seen the presence of Christ in that beggar, and he became a Christian.
He decided that it was impossible for him to serve both in the Roman army and the army of God. He asked to be relieved of his duty but was thrown in prison instead. He was ridiculed for being a coward. He offered to stand unarmed in front of the army as they faced their enemy, but a peace treaty was signed before he could prove his courage. When he was finally released, he shared the Gospel with his family. His mother became a Christian, but his father would not convert. He was ordained and was eventually elected the Bishop of Tours. He is known for intervening on behalf of prisoners and heretics who had been sentenced to death.
Martin is remembered as being compassionate, a peacemaker, and very humble. He did not want to be a bishop. He wanted simply to serve the Lord. He is a reminder to us about how hard it is to live as both a soldier in an earthbound army and a soldier for God. However, our celebration of Veterans Day reminds us that there are many people who have lived and worked as soldiers in this world while living out their Christian faith. Most of us have some connection to men and women who live this paradox, so we pray for our soldiers that they will keep God as their guide, do what is right, and live the life of holiness that all Christians are called to live.
The story of Job helps us to remember all the veterans who have suffered for their service. He lost everything and there was no good explanation for his suffering. While people in and out of the military have struggles, most civilians can’t imagine the obstacles that military members and their families face. They spend too much time separated, living in distant lands, the possibility of injury both physical and emotional. Too many military members suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and families are often broken due to the stress. They might not lose everything like Job, but they often lose much. Thankfully, there are people and organizations that try to help, giving them reason to hope. By God’s grace and the compassion of neighbors like Martin of Tours, those who struggle can discover restoration, transformation, and grace that comes to those who suffer through faith in Jesus Christ, perhaps not as we would like, but through the promises of Jesus that are revealed in the witness of those who share the love of God in word and in deed to those who suffer.
November 13, 2024
Lectionary Scriptures for November 17, 2024, Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-13
“You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.” Psalm 16:11, WEB
The church year calendar follows through the story of God in Christ Jesus from beginning to end to beginning again. During Advent, we see the coming of the Light into the world, the waitful expectation of God’s people as they long for the anticipated fulfillment of His promises. The promise is fulfilled in a manger as Jesus Christ is born at Christmas. The light is given to the world at Epiphany, when the wise men look for the promised one as led by a miraculous star. Lent leads us through the life and ministry of Jesus until Holy Week. On Palm Sunday we see the victorious procession of Jesus into Jerusalem as the crowds hail Him king. By the end of Holy Week, Jesus is arrested, tried and crucified. Easter Sunday brings new hope and resurrection. The Easter season focuses on the joy of the resurrection and the new life in Christ. Pentecost ushers in the Church era as the Holy Spirit is showered upon believers. The season of Pentecost is a time of learning how to be Christian, of seeing the ordinary and practical ways we live out our faith in the world. These past few weeks we have been drawn back into the last moments of Jesus, not to relive Holy Week and Easter in the autumn, but rather to hear Jesus as He tells us of what will come.
This is the last ordinary Sunday of the current church year. Next week we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. For today, however, Jesus presents to us a warning. Is the warning one of what is to come, a prophecy of the future destruction of the world and the end of all time? In some ways what Jesus has to say in today’s Gospel text is a glimpse into the future. After all, Jesus was right to say that the temple would one day come tumbling down. Yet, we are quick to take the rest of the passage and juxtapose it against the headlines in our newspapers, certain that we are the generation of whom He was speaking.
Last week Jesus called our attention to one small woman giving one very small offering to the temple treasury. This treasury was used for the care and upkeep of the temple, to make it even more beautiful with every gift. From the visual representations I have seen, the temple must have been a magnificent and imposing structure. The light-colored stones were well cut and smooth which shone in the light of the sun. It was such a large structure that it could be seen from far away, glimpsed by travelers as they approached the city.
The widow’s mites were worth so little that they were useless to those who kept the treasury. How much could a penny buy in today’s dollars? It is so worthless that most of us will not even bother to bend down to pick one up off the ground. It would not have bought her much, but she couldn’t even feed herself with nothing. Yet, she stood in a long line to drop in her coins because she thought God needed or expected it from her. We don’t know how she came to be poor; perhaps she was a widow with a health problem who was bled dry by shyster doctors, or the scribes devoured her meager possessions for their own well-being. She was a widow, very vulnerable and unimportant. The temple treasury could have (should have?) supported the needs of the widows, but instead it was used to decorate a building decorated to “honor” God.
Things aren’t much different today. Who often sends offerings to televangelist preachers? It is often the elderly, particularly widows, who are unable to get to church on Sunday morning. They rely on television for their spiritual welfare. They send every spare cent for the care and upkeep of a church that will never provide the loving touch and care that they need. The paster rarely even knows that they exist.
Mark tells us that the disciples were very impressed by what they saw at the temple. “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!” The tiny widow’s mites are made even smaller when compared to the huge stones and magnificent buildings of the temple. Jesus told them that what they saw would be useless. “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.” This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed.
It must have been disheartening for the disciples to hear Jesus’ prophecy. Jesus had been teaching them about the difference between the kingdom on earth and the kingdom of heaven, but they believed that the temple was the dwelling place of God. Where would He go if there were no temple? Would He leave them? If the temple were destroyed, where would they go to learn and worship? Where would they go to be near God?
They were curious. They were afraid. We think being physically near God will make life easier, but the reality is that dwelling in God’s presence actually brings persecution, hardship, and sometimes even death. The apocalyptic nature of our texts keeps our eyes not on the future hardships that will be, but rather on the God who will be with us through it all.
I wrote this paragraph eighteen years ago: “It has been an interesting week in American politics: historical, transformational, upsetting for some and elating for others. It is a week that has been predicted, previewed and anticipated by many. No matter what people thought, there was no way to know for sure the outcome of this year’s elections; some of the contests were too close to really call. Though there were many - on both sides - who talked with great confidence even into the late hours of Election Day about their victory, it was impossible to know until the last vote was counted the final outcome.” 2006 was not the year of a Presidential election but isn’t it interesting that this paragraph is as relevant today as it was then. At this writing, some of the congressional contests are still too close to call, and there are many who are stunned by the outcome for good or for bad.
Those who were elected and those who were not are already talking about the future. What must we accomplish? What should we do next? What will happen tomorrow? Pundits are already suggesting what the next election will hold! I predict it will be more of the same (which is probably the only prediction I’ll ever get right!)
Every generation has tried to predict the future, to determine what will happen long before we can possibly know. Some may claim to have supernatural insight, but for most of us the predictions are nothing but guesses based on opinions or wishes. Even those who claim to be prophets are usually wrong. Many predictions have a sense of self-fulfilling prophecy; they hope if they say it confidently or often enough then will happen as they expect. We certainly saw this happening in the current political season. Some call it the power of positive thinking: if I say it loud enough and often enough, my words will come true. Yet, it doesn’t always come out as we hope. There are some things that are simply beyond our control, some things we can’t make happen with our own power.
This passage for this week from Daniel is a difficult one, not because it has something difficult to say, but because generations of Christians have read these words and interpreted the times and the places according to their expectations, opinions, and wishes. Many do not consider the symbolism in apocalyptic literature, seeing it instead as a timeline of history, whether from the past or into the future. Should we be interpreting the words to fit into our time and place?
There are politicians and politicos who spend all their time discussing the possibilities of the next election, often beginning the very moment the previous one is finished! In the religious sphere, there are many who spend their time discussing and interpreting the possibilities of the Bible’s apocalyptic texts. Our task is not so much to guess what is going to happen, but rather to embrace the grace of God that is found in the words we read in the scriptures.
The apocalyptic texts found in both Daniel and Mark were not written to foretell specific historical events, but are meant to give courage, strength, and hope to suffering people of every age. There were already false messiahs in Jesus’ day. There were already wars and rumors of wars. There were already earthquakes and famines. It would have been very easy for the disciples who were left alone after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to follow another voice. It would have been very easy for the community of faith established by Jesus to wander down a wrong path. It happened to the Thessalonians, many of whom thought that the return of Jesus was so imminent that they could stop living. It has happened to many Christians from the beginning of the Church. Everyone expects Jesus to come again in their lifetime.
Jesus warned the disciples and the believers of every age not to follow the wrong path. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines will always be a part of our life. We will suffer because of these things, and we will be persecuted because of the way we respond. We are called to be faithful, to keep our eyes focused on Christ, doing that which He has called us to do. Yet, as we deal with our everyday lives, especially extraordinary times like we are living in today, we think we have to live as if we are at the end of all the ages. There is some truth to this, but only because our end could come at any moment. Yes, Jesus could come today, but He wants us to live while we wait, not wait instead of living.
We sometimes need help making decisions, but it is often hard to find someone we can trust to give us a good answer. Sometimes we don’t like the answer they give because we are hoping they will agree with what we want. I’ve seen this happen with my children. Even as adults they have come to me for help, but when they don’t like my answer and go their own way. I’m sure I did the same with my own parents. I am glad that they come to me, and I wish they would trust me always, but I admit that I can be wrong! I have my own experience and success; I have also failed. My children live in a different time and place. There are times when they do trust and heed my advice. However, it can be very disheartening to see a negative reaction to my advice, especially when we can see how their choices are leading them down the wrong path.
I wonder if that is how God feels sometimes. After all, we are so good at asking God for the things we need, but what we really want is for God to answer with the things we want. When God’s answer is not what we want it to be, we go our own way. The psalmist writes, “Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.” Is this really true? Is this what we really mean? Do we really take refuge in God?
It is when we find refuge in God, truly trusting Him, rejecting the “gods” of this world that we find true joy and peace. Unfortunately, we spend most of our time chasing after what we think is best. Our answers become more important than God even though we know He can and will do even better. We say we want to hear the voice of God, but when He begins speaking, we realize that the ways of the world fit much better into our plans.
Getting our way, going according to our own point of view, will never bring us joy. There might be a superficial happiness that lasts a moment, but it quickly fades away. We might feel safe relying on the advice that goes against God’s will for us, but in the end our security rests not in the strength or power of the earth but in our humble submission to God’s strength and power. There we will experience life. As we hear God’s voice and follow Him, we will find true peace in the refuge of his love.
In the beginning verses of this epistle passage, the writer of Hebrews tells us how the priests did the same thing over and over and over again to no avail. They entered the Holy Place with the blood of animals which did nothing to alleviate the sin that brought pain and suffering to our lives and the world. There might be forgiveness for a moment, but there was never any assurance for tomorrow. Jesus Christ changed all that. His death on the cross was permanent. His forgiveness is eternal. While we will have to repeatedly dust the cobwebs out of our lives, we can live with the assurance that no matter what should happen today, we have the mercy of God which leads to eternal life through Christ Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews also talks about rejection of the Church on earth, not only by outsiders, but even by believers. We are searching for perfection, and this often manifests in our displeasure with every church, so we hop from one to another, hoping that the next congregation will not be filled with hypocrites and sinners. Unfortunately, there is no perfect church because there are no perfect Christians. We are all sinners in need of the Savior, which is why our offerings are never lasting. We fail, our offerings fail, and our relationships fail. We when hop from one place or person or church or situation to another, the search becomes so disappointing that we give up, choosing to live outside the fellowship of believers.
Our relationship with God is not dependent on our relationships with people; we can know and experience God through our personal study, prayer, and worship. However, our own imperfection makes a separate relationship with God shaky. We have doubts, so our faith wavers. We face disappointment, so our hope fades. Love is fleeting and lost, so we turn away from the very place we would find true love. Faith, hope, and love is the foundation of our relationship with God and these things are hard to grasp without some visible and tangible manifestation for us to see, hear, taste, touch and know. We need others to help us see clearly, to keep us on a good path, to share God’s grace, and to raise voices in prayer and worship with us. The visible manifestation of God’s grace is found in the Church, not hidden away and alone. We have confidence in the promises of God through faith, hope, and love, and these three are magnified as we live in fellowship with other Christians.
We need one another. This is especially true when we talk about the questions of what will come tomorrow.
If you were given an envelope with the exact day and time of your death, would you open it? I think most people would say “No,” but we are all curious about the future. I wonder how the answer would change if the envelope held the exact day and time of Jesus’ return. People have constantly tried to determine when this will happen. Just like Daniel, the book of Revelation is interpreted to be a timeline of God’s plan the last days. People have tried to line up modern events with the text; someone in every generation for the last two thousand years have insisted that the time in “NOW.” Of course, just like them, we think we are the generation who will see it happen. I admit that I would rejoice to see the coming of Jesus, but modern “prophets” are not the first and many in the past two thousand years have been disappointed when their predictions did not come true.
When our Sunday school class did a study of the Book of Revelation a few years ago, we looked at the parallels between Daniel and John’s vision of the end time. These texts are difficult because we want them to fit into our understanding. We want them to fulfill our predictions. We want them to mean what we want them to mean. Generations of Christians have read the words and interpreted them according to their desires, defining the times and places to fit how they see the world. So far, everyone has been wrong. I always joke that every time someone makes a prediction, God says, “Well, I can’t do it then!”
As we near the end of the Church year, with Christ the King Sunday and the beginning of Advent, we turn our thoughts to the promise of Christ’s return. The passage from Mark has a prophetic voice, and we hear it speaking to us specifically. The words almost sound like they could be taken right out of the headlines from our newspapers. There are constantly wars or rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and false messiahs. But the same could be said for every generation that has lived since the words were written. Jesus spoke those words to people who thought that it was imminent. The first Christians thought it was imminent. False messiahs were rampant. Some were even killed by the Romans and the Jewish authorities. There were Zealots determined to fight until Israel was freed from Roman oppression. There was a communication network; there were traveling caravans and religious pilgrims that brought news from the four corners of the known world which would have included stories of earthquake, famine, and wars. There was a note of prophecy in Jesus’ words: the temple was destroyed just a few decades later.
The disciples wanted more details. They were curious. They wanted to open the envelope. When would it happen? How would it happen? What will be the signs? We want the same answers. However, Jesus wants us to live for today rather than worry about what will happen tomorrow.
When the disciples asked to know the hour, Jesus told them to beware and be aware. He told them not be alarmed but to believe. He warned them that some will claim to be “I AM” but they should not follow the false prophets. They were to trust God. The things they see would just be the beginning. Jesus warned that there would be persecution. The hope of this apocalyptic text is that the one who endures to the end, who believes, will be saved. Jesus warns us that it will be bad, but the Son of Man will come again.
We don’t know when the end will happen, but Jesus calls us to a life of faith and watchfulness. We are to live according to God’s Word in faith and live according to the commandments to love God and our neighbors. “Beware and be aware,” Jesus tells us. He warns us to be careful who we believe and who we follow. Not all who claim to speak in the name of Jesus Christ are true. Some will be led astray. Some will willingly follow the false prophets because the promises seem so real. Some will follow because the path is one they would rather take. Our only hope is the promise that God will set things right.
If today were the last day, what would matter? Is there something that we need to do? False prophets and false messiahs will call people to action. “Follow me and you’ll be saved.” “Go to this place.” “Do this thing.” Works righteousness requires action for salvation, but Christian faith is different. In the days of Jesus, the priests worked day and night sacrificing offerings of every kind to cover the sins of God’s people, working for their forgiveness. When the priests of old took blood to the altar day after day and year after year it was worthless, “...but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Jesus offered once and for all the blood of the sacrifice that brought salvation to the world forever. The forgiveness from Christ is lasting. It is eternal. There need be no more sacrifice for sins today or ever. We need not win the victory again, and neither must Christ because He has already won.
We find peace through Christ. By His blood, God’s people are invited to dwell in the presence of God. Jesus was no ordinary priest. He was no ordinary messiah. He is the Son of God, sent to save the world. His promise was not that the world would be different. There will still be wars and rumors of wars. We still need to be comforted as we are persecuted for our faith. We still suffer at the hands of those who do not know God. But we can live in hope for what is to come, dwell in God’s grace and look forward to the day when we will dwell with God eternally.
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to live a different life. We are called to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering because God is faithful. Jesus warned the disciples not to make them afraid, but to remind them that God can, has, and will overcome it all. God is nearby. We don’t need a Temple to be close to God. He is not lost when the walls tumble down. Rather, He is set free from human constraints to be the God who is Creator, Redeemer and Comforter. We can experience His presence in the fellowship we have with one another.
The Psalmist understood the lesson Jesus was teaching His disciples. He knew that apart from God he had no good thing, that God alone was his refuge. He knew the joy and peace that comes from trusting in God rather than the things of this world. “You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.” This is the lesson that will keep us through the hard times. Faith that God is faithful to all His promises will help us endure to the end.
November 14, 2024
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30, WEB
I read a story about a bus driver who helped a bus load of people find some peace. It was one of those days. Everyone on the bus was grumpy. They were not being friendly to one another; some were even unkind. Noone gave a seat to a heavily pregnant woman. Two men nearly got into a fight because one bumped into the other and it was uncertain if it was an accident or purposeful. They weren’t willing to look one another in the eyes. Traffic was heavy and they all grumbled about how long it was taking for them to get home. The bus driver knew he had to do something, so he made an announcement on his loudspeaker. “You can’t take this attitude home with you. I will put out my hand at every stop, and I want you to drop your burdens into my hand. I’ll take them to the river when I’m done my run and throw them in, so they’ll be gone forever.” The riders laughed. The whole atmosphere changed. People smiled at one another. They shook hands. They helped other passengers. And every one of them mimed dropping something into the bus driver’s hand when they got off the bus. That driver was willing to take on the troubles of his neighbors so that they could have peace and joy.
When I read this story, I thought about Jesus. The attitudes of the bus riders were not the bus driver’s problem; it wasn’t his fault. Their grumbling didn’t really affect him in any way; although happy riders would have made his drive more pleasant, he did not need to take on their burdens. Doing so, however, made everyone better and it most certainly would have made life better for the family and friends of the riders. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? He took our burdens on our shoulders; He died for our sin despite His sinlessness.
The thing that makes the story particularly special is that every rider played along. They all mimed dropping their burdens into the driver’s hand, like a child might. They all left with a smile on their face and peace in their heart. The same is not true about what Jesus did for humanity. There are too many people who are still unwilling to give Jesus their burdens. They don’t want to let go of the things that steal their peace. They don’t have joy because they don’t look to the one who is joy. They refuse the grace of God because they think they don’t need it. They aren’t willing to play along because faith seems childish to them.
Our passage for today is a powerful promise to those of us who live in a world full of burdens. This is an awesome promise. We all would like to have someone take our burdens away from us. We want to walk free, to be free, to have no worries or cares and to do what we think is best. But we don’t always know what is best, do we? Sometimes what we want is not the best thing for us.
So, let us be as children with that simple faith, casting off the burdens that we have tried to carry on our own and taking the yoke of Jesus. He does not burden us with anything He has not accomplished for us. As we walk with Him, He will teach us all we need to know about the Kingdom of God. We will find rest in His presence because Jesus has taken all our burdens and thrown them away. Thanks to Jesus, our Sin is gone forever.
November 15, 2024
“Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, WEB
It seems like we all need a little Christmas right now. I’ve noticed that people are already putting up their Christmas lights. I’ve seen friends on Facebook posting pictures of their Christmas trees. In previous years I’ve heard people complain that the merchandise is already on the shelves, but this year people are filling their carts with decorations. I was at a store the other day for about thirty minutes, and I heard the checkers call to the storage room about as many times for Christmas trees. This has been a stressful year for so many, that many people are trying to fill their world with a little light.
I’m not ready to put up my tree, but I did purchase a nativity for children yesterday that I put on display immediately. I keep a nativity collection and a “holiday” tree that I change for the season that I keep up year-round, but I’m beginning to feel that same need for some of the Christmas joy. I have to confess that I’ve done most of my Christmas shopping already. I do have to ship some packages, and plan to do so soon, but I have been very purposeful about my shopping this year, hoping to find the best gifts for those I love.
One of the biggest problems with waiting until the last minute is that presents are often purchased on impulse. “I have to pick something,” so we pick up the first thing that catches our eye. Unfortunately, we often regret those purchases. We realize we should have given it more thought, or that we should have tried to find something when the shelves were still full of choices. Retailers don’t buy merchandise the way they used to; the shelves are often empty before Christmas. Some retailers have already started “Black Friday” sales, so you can’t wait to the last minute if you want something specific or you’ll have to settle for whatever is left.
While I’m unlikely to make impulse purchases for Christmas, I have been guilty of buying things that I later wished I had thought about twice. How many of us have a dress we found on sale that we never had the opportunity to wear? Did you ever pick up a ridiculous chotchke souvenir on vacation? I remember a time when I was in a small German city for a convention. It was the last time I would go because we were leaving Europe a few months later. I didn’t have much time to buy a few Christmas presents and reminders of the lovely village. Several of my purchases were impulse, and though I didn’t have any regrets, I know some of the other women did. Some realized they could not fit their purchases into their luggage, or that their husbands would be unhappy with the money they spent.
Several of the ladies made a trip into the village early in the week and decided to buy coloring for their hair. One woman bought permanent dye and changed her hair color completely. It was an impulsive act that made her look absolutely wonderful, and yet when it was over she regretted her actions. The ladies had some difficulty with the product they purchased, and the dye managed to stain more than her hair. The bottle broke so some of the dye spilled on the floor and their clothes. After it was over, the woman realized that her husband would not be very happy with her new look. That impulsive act had a lasting effect on the clothes, floor, and her relationship.
We are told to step out in faith when we are living our Christian life in tis world, however it is important that we don’t do anything on impulse. We are to spend time in prayer, listening to the guidance of our Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes acting on faith means standing firm, doing nothing at all. It might seem like we must act “now!” but there is always time to say a prayer and ask God for His opinion on the matter. That’s what it means to stand firm in faith. God has the right answer, and we should consider the consequences of all our actions, whether it is when we are shopping, or when we are acting on what we believe is a call from God. Paul wrote that we should do everything in love, considering the lives that will be affected by all our decisions.
“When you lend your neighbor any kind of loan, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge outside to you. If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. You shall surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment and bless you. It shall be righteousness to you before Yahweh your God.” Deuteronomy 24:10-13, WEB
It is that time of year again. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The streets are decked out in Christmas lights. The tent where they sell Christmas Trees opens this week. There’s a craft festival every weekend. The stores are already having sales. I don’t know how well the retailers will do this year, but I’ve seen carts filled with Christmas things already. One of my favorite hobby shops was selling an artificial tree about every minute when I was there the other day. I confess that I’m pretty far along in my Christmas shopping, but I’m still scanning shelves for more ideas. I’m blessed that I can shop free from worry about how to afford to make Christmas lovely for those I love. Sadly, not everyone is so blessed.
There are businesses that are willing to help. I remember a commercial for a company that asked if viewers needed a little extra money to have a merry Christmas. It was for a credit company that would provide a loan; all the borrower had to do is give the loan company the title of their car to hold. They could continue to use the car as long as they paid toward the debt. When the debt was paid, the title would be returned to the owner.
This might seem like a good idea, after all it is so easy. Why not take out a loan so that you can provide your family with a wonderful Christmas? Christmas is so hard on children from families with little money because they can’t get the cool presents that their friends will get. A little extra money can help a family happy as they buy gifts to keep up with their peers. Extra money can help buy food for an incredible meal and can be used to purchase decorations to brighten the home. A few extra dollars can certainly make the holidays a wonderful time for everyone.
The loans are simple, but are they smart? Depending on the state where the loan is taken, the interest can be as high as one hundred percent. That means if you borrow a hundred dollars, you will automatically owe two hundred dollars. The borrower must pay at least the interest by the due date but can usually roll over the loan until they can pay. If you don’t pay at least the interest, the lender can take the car. If you have to borrow a hundred dollars to have a nice Christmas, how will you find a hundred dollars to pay the interest on the loan? And how will you ever find another hundred to clear the debt? The family might have a nice Christmas and have everything they want, but that joy might mean the loss of their car and greater struggles in the new year.
A hundred dollars does not seem like too much, but who will limit the loan to such a small amount? The lender will give as much as half the Blue Book value of the car, which means the loan can be thousands of dollars. Where will they get twice that much money tomorrow if they don’t have it today? And then what will they do without a car? It is a vicious circle. They take out the loan to have a wonderful Christmas, but then lose the vehicle that gets them to the job that pays their bills. The loan leaves them in an even worse situation than they had been before Christmas. If the money is used for food or entertainment, the family doesn’t even have anything to show for it.
The bible often talks warns against taking out loans, but today’s passage looks at the issue from the creditor’s point of view. The Israelites with wealth were expected to treat the poor with mercy, to help other Israelites without taking advantage of them. They didn’t have credit cards or title loans, but even then, people relied on borrowed money. The creditors were not allowed to charge any interest, to ensure that poor Israelites would not lose the things necessary for their livelihood. The problem with today’s credit is the interest; though there are laws today that help protect the borrowers, they aren’t as merciful as we see in today’s passage. Lenders can charge interest and collect collateral, even if it is necessary to the borrower’s livelihood. Desperate people are willing to put even their cars as collateral even if they risk losing it.
Are you a person who can lend someone money to help them through a rough time? Remember to have mercy. Do not lend with the purpose of building wealth but with the grace to help someone in need. It need not be a gift, but never leave the borrower in a position in a position that is worse than when they took the loan. In our day and age, however, I suspect most people are struggling with the worries of whether they can provide a beautiful Christmas for those they love. It is true for all of us that a little extra money would help. We need to remember, however, that God calls us to be good stewards of the gifts we have been given, and we live in a much different world than those ancient Hebrews. Credit opens us up to risks that we should not take. If you sign a contract, you must pay the price, even if it seems unfair. There is no jubilee. There is no guarantee that you’ll get to keep your collateral. There is no promise of mercy.
So, God’s word for us today is to remember that the joy of Christmas is not found in piles of the latest toys or high-tech gadgets or fancy meals. It is found in the love of God and the gift of Jesus Christ. There are many ways to create a wonderful Christmas that do not require taking out an impossible loan. And for those so blessed, consider helping make Christmas special for someone in need by providing gifts that will make their world brighter. An interest-free loan can help, but perhaps this is the year you can do something without demanding anything in return. And if it is a loan, be gracious so that they won’t risk losing more than they can afford.
November 19, 2024
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34, WEB
I was at a retreat the other weekend, and one of the ice-breaker questions was “What is your favorite vacation spot.” The answers were diverse. Some gave specific places; others liked the beach or the mountain. My answer was the cabin at that camp my husband and I regularly visit, but I have another answer. “The last place we visited.” Our last vacation was to Wyoming and Colorado Springs, but that’s not what I mean. What I mean is that my favorite vacation is always the most recent one. We were barely home, and I was ready to go back. I wanted to see more. The same thing happened two years ago when we came home form Germany. I loved that trip and want to go back.
One of the places we visited on that trip was the Wartburg. Why do we call it “The Wartburg” instead of Wartburg Castle? The word “burg” means castle, so to say Wartburg Castle is to say Wart Castle Castle. So, what does the word “Wart” mean? Apparently, it means “Rose.” So, the Wartburg is Rose Castle. Perhaps this was a memory that Martin Luther used when he designed his Heraldic shield “the Luther Rose.” Martin Luther lived here in 1520/21, when he had been “kidnapped” on his way home from the Diet of Worms. He was an outlaw according to the Edict of Worms, and his elector, Frederick the Wise, hid him in Wartburg to protect his life. He lived there as Junker Jorg, a knight. He grew out his tonsure and grew a beard so he wouldn’t be recognized. His location was kept an absolute secret.
About three hundred years earlier, the Wartburg was home to Princess Elizabeth of Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. As is true of so many royal girls, she was a pawn in the politics of her day. She was given in marriage as an infant to Louis IV, son of Hermann I, landgrave of Thuringia. She was raised at the landgrave’s court, and his children became like her siblings. She was a holy woman from an early age, with all the intelligence and manners of a noblewoman. Her “brother,” Hermann’s son Ludwig (Louis IV the Saint), fell in love with his “sister”, and they were married in 1221, when Ludwig was 20 and Elizabeth was just 14. They had an unconventional marriage; they adored one another, were faithful, and spent as much time together as possible. Public displays of affection were common. She died before her 24th birthday in 1231. Her holy reputation led to quick canonization. During our tour of the Wartburg, we heard much about the life of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia and saw paintings that recorded her generosity and the miracle that proved her heart.
Elizabeth lived during a time of famine, and she depleted her own funds and her family’s store of corn to provide for the people in Thuringia. The Wartburg is located on a tall and rocky outcrop, the path to the top was difficult for those who sought her aid. She built a hospital at the foot of the mountain and served many from there, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, and even making beds, serving them with her own hands. It was reputed that she fed as many as a thousand people a day. Louis’ couriers sneered at Elizabeth, claiming that she was stealing from the royal treasury. Elizabeth’s husband was never troubled by her charity and always supported it.
While taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Louis with his men who were out hunting. Louis, to quell the suspicions, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Louis that God’s protecting hand was on his wife and that she was doing the work of God. Perhaps the “miracle of the roses” is how the Wartburg got its name.
We do not have the resources of a princess or a royal treasury, but God calls us to be like Elizabeth. We won’t experience miracles that will prove our hearts, but we are to go serve God and those who need whatever resources we have: time, talents, and resources. The world may question our work, they may even be suspicious or sneer at our generosity, but we need not worry about tomorrow, because God will take care of us. His Kingdom is our kingdom. The greatest treasure we will ever know is the life God has promised for us now and into eternity. We can trust that God will be with us and our hearts will shine like roses for those who will see.
November 20, 2024
Lectionary Scriptures for November 24, 2024, Christ the King: Isaiah 51:4-6, Psalm 93, Revelation 1:4b-8, Mark 13:24-37
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Revelation 1:8, WEB
There are moments in my life when I have been truly awestruck.
I remember camping with Girl Scouts in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Our campsite was on the top of the mountain, far away from the lights of the city. We’d had some terrible weather, rain that ran like rivers on the ground under platform on which our tent was set. When the storm passed and the clouds cleared, I saw the night sky as I had never seen it before – with millions of stars twinkling above.
I remember the first time I went to see the giant redwood trees in northern California. No matter how many pictures you see or how many television shows you watch, there is no way to know the magnificence of those giants unless you stand at the base of one. I might have been embarrassed by my stance – I nearly fell over as I leaned back to look up to the very tops of the trees. My mouth hung open in amazement. I might have been embarrassed by this stance if there weren’t a dozen other people standing exactly the same way.
I remember attending the Evensong service one night at York Minster in York, England. It had been a cold and dreary day, drizzle falling during most of our trip. Though we’d enjoyed our sightseeing, we were cold and tired by the time we reached the church. We planned our day around the service as we often did when we spent a day as tourists. We were pretty tired by the time we sat down in the pew, but that soon passed. Though it was cold and dark outside, inside the cathedral there was an unearthly light that cast a warmth over us all. When the choir began to sing, I could almost imagine the voices of heavenly angels singing praise to God, an image that was enhanced by the carvings of angels that seemed almost alive. That worship service was, to me, as close to heaven as I will ever get in this world. We were drawn into the presence of God and we caught a glimpse of His glory that day.
I am still processing our experiences in the national parks and in Colorado Springs, but I’ve had many of those moments through my life, moments when I was awestruck. How do you feel when you watch the sun rise over a deserted beach, during a storm with pounding rain and thunder that rattles the walls, the first time you hold a baby. How do you feel when you experience a “God-incidence,” which is when events in life make it very clear that something miraculous happened that could not have happened without the hand of God Himself.
Yet, no matter how awesome those experiences might have been, no matter how awestruck I was at seeing those stars or trees, or worshipping in that beautiful place, no matter how often I see God’s hand in my everyday living, nothing will compare to that which I will see in that day when I come before the throne of God. The most beautiful things in the world will pale in comparison. The most furious storms will seem calm. The largest trees or stars or mountaintops will seem small compared to the majesty of our God. In that day we will be truly awestruck, beyond anything we can even imagine.
As a writer and an artist, I have struggled with describing in words or paint those experiences that left me awestruck, but can you imagine how difficult it would be to describe what John saw during his vision on Patmos? It is difficult to talk about the awesome experiences in this world, but words do not exists that can truly describe what heaven will be like.
Teachers will often present strange questions as a way to get students to think outside the box, especially with writing assignments. One teacher asked her students, “If you were a cereal, what would you be and why?” It is an exercise in describing oneself. What characteristics do you share with different kinds of cereal? You might choose a healthy cereal because you are fit and active. You might choose chocolatey puffs because you are loveable and deliciously fun. You might choose fruity cereals because you are a little loopy. One student said he was Rice Crispies because he snaps, crackles, and pops.
You can play this game with other questions like “If you were an office supply what would you be?” “If you were a game, what would you be?” “If you were a great American city, what would you be?” “If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be?” These questions and many more can help us think about different aspects of our personalities, interests, and lives. No one question could possibly describe everything there is to know about someone; it takes many words. I suppose that is why it is so hard to answer when someone asks you to describe yourself in just one word.
If it is hard to describe us, imagine how hard it is to describe God. Even if we use the statement, “God is love,” we do not come close to fully describing the God whom we worship. In the beginning our text from Revelation, John wrote, “Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come.” This might seem like a long-winded way of saying that God is eternal, and yet does eternal even describe God? We have eternal life in Christ, but we have not always been. God is, was, and is to come. He is the past, the present and the future and yet not at all definable by time or space.
Perhaps that phrase is simply John’s way of trying to describe the indescribable. There are dozens of different names which are attributed to God. A website about the names of God include these Hebrew phrases which describe how God has revealed Himself to man, “Adonai-Jehovah -- The Lord our Sovereign; El-Elyon -- The Lord Most High; El-Olam -- The Everlasting God; El-Shaddai -- The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People; Jehovah-Elohim -- The Eternal Creator; Jehovah-Jireh -- The Lord our Provider; Jehovah-Nissi -- The Lord our Banner; Jehovah-Ropheka -- The Lord our Healer; Jehovah-Shalom -- The Lord our Peace; Jehovah-Tsidkenu -- The Lord our Righteousness; Jehovah-Mekaddishkem -- The Lord our Sanctifier; Jehovah-Sabaoth -- The Lord of Hosts; Jehovah-Shammah -- The Lord is Present; Jehovah-Rohi -- The Lord our Shepherd; Jehovah-Hoseenu -- The Lord our Maker; Jehovah-Eloheenu -- The Lord our God.”
There is one Hebrew word that is meant to encompass the fullness of God, and even that is not truly a word. It is the Tetragrammaton, which is the ineffable name of God. “Y,” “H,” “W,” and “H.” Though we do not know what vowels really belong, this word is rendered “Yahweh” in some version of the Bible, including the World English Bible which I use in this devotion. It is also rendered LORD (all capital letters.) YHWH is proper, because the Tetragrammaton is inexpressible. It is suggested that it is not even to be spoken by human mouths.
Yet, YHWH is about the only thing we could write that would come close to the indescribable. Perhaps this is what John was thinking when he began writing the book of Revelation. When he wrote that God “was, is, and is to come” John was speaking the unspeakable. God is not limited as we are limited, and yet we try to limit Him by our words. He cannot fit into time and space as we know them. We can’t describe Him with a cereal or other human construct. A million words will never be enough, but we can call Him LORD.
God is too great to fit into our small personalities, interests, and lives. We embrace the characteristics that most fit our needs. Perhaps that is why God has revealed Himself to us in so many ways. He knows that there will be something which draws us to Himself. Yet, no matter what it is we like about God, we should never forget that He is indescribable. It is in this that we truly have hope, because if God could be held within the limits we define, then He would not be God.
The Psalms can be divided into different categories. There are at least two types that deal with authority: the royal psalms and the kingship psalms. The royal psalms deal with the spiritual role of kings in the worship of Yahweh. In ancient Israel the king was thought to have a special relationship to Yahweh and thus played an important role in Israelite worship. The royal psalms are all Messianic, and though they talk about the human kings, the ultimate King is Jesus. The kingship hymns focus on God as Sovereign, rather than on the human kings.
Psalm 93 is one of the kingship hymns. It was possibly used as a hymn for an enthronement festival that reasserted annually God’s kingship. It could also be a foreshadowing of the Messiah. It might also refer to God’s victory over the chaos at the beginning of time. The psalmist praises God’s majesty and His power over the seas. The psalmists often made references to the foreign gods, comparing them to the true God, and in this psalm he points toward the ancient water gods. The point is that God is greater than all the others. God is stronger than anything He made. He controls the waters. He is King, the Sovereign over everything. He is holy. He is worthy of our awe.
Advent is coming and the stores are filled with Christmas merchandise, but in the Church we are not quite ready for the countdown to Christmas. Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Church year. It is on this day that we look forward to the Day of God’s Judgment and His full reign over all creation. On this day we look to the end, but an end that is actually the beginning of forever.
At Advent and at Lent we look forward to the coming of the King. We see the King-making in two very different ways during those times. At Christmas the King comes humbly, born in a manger in Bethlehem. At Lent, we wait for the fulfillment of all God’s promises, and yet it happens in an even humbler manner. On Good Friday, Jesus is crowned King in the most offensive way possible: at His death on the cross. He was raised on Easter Sunday, and He will rule forever at the right hand of God.
We celebrate Christ the King now in hope of the day when He will rule over all forever. That day is the end, but it is really only the beginning. The pages of our calendars continue to turn, and after Christ the King Sunday we will begin a new year and a new Advent. Yet, in the reality of God’s reign, we do not know if there will ever be another tomorrow. We do not know when the Day will come. Perhaps it will be tomorrow, and we will never experience another Advent or Christmas.
This might seem like a frightening or disappointing proposition, but it is the hope of our faith. The hope of our life in Christ is that the Day will come soon so that we can live fully in the grace of God in eternity. The Day will probably not be tomorrow, so until then we will live fully in the grace of God in this world. Living in grace we are called to praise God with our mouths, with our hearts, and with our lives. We are called to live with Christ as our King in our daily and everyday experiences, sharing His love and mercy at every opportunity. In this way Christ will be King in the here and now even while we wait for Him to be King over all.
The Gospel text reminds us that we are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Though Christ has already come, died, and been raised, we still live in a topsy-turvy world. The work of salvation is complete, but it still needs to be completed. We are already there, but we still wait. We live in the already and the not yet. Our text today makes that clear.
We might be tempted by this text from Mark to look for the signs that are described. Many people have done so throughout time, pointing to stars, blood red moons, comets and other signs in the heavens. They point to natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes as signs that the time is near. They use the newspaper headlines to suggest that every event points to the time when Christ will come again. Throughout history there have been times when it seemed like the warnings were about to be fulfilled.
Jesus is quoting the Old Testament scriptures throughout this text. The people listening would have been very familiar with these words, particularly those from Isaiah. They knew what God promised and they knew how to respond. This isn’t a time for us to stop and watch for signs; it is a time to turn our focus on the One who would be King. “Stay awake,” Jesus says, not to be constantly interpreting the signs, but to be actively living the life God has called us to live.
The world is in chaos. People are worried and afraid of what tomorrow might hold. Many are crying out to God to shine His face so that they might be saved. We are His face. We have the message they need. We have the gifts that will bring peace and hope to those who are lost. Each year there seems to be more reason to cry out to God. We can see suffering all around us. People are jobless, homeless and hungry. Our prisons and hospitals are filled to the brink. Last week Jesus called us to meet the simple and ordinary needs of our neighbors. This holiday season will not be wonderful for everyone, but we can make the world a little brighter by sharing Christ in word and in deed with those who are in need.
In Mark’s “Little Apocalypse” we see how to respond to the darkness and chaos of our world. We wait, not only for the baby, but also for the King. Here in darkness we begin our journey to the manger. But while this is a time to wait and watch, it is also a time for us to live and shine the light of God. It isn’t a time to hide behind our safe walls, but to get out into the world to tell the truth: we are all sinners in need of a Savior. The baby we await and the King who will come is the One who will truly save us from ourselves.
Come, Lord Jesus.
This is my battle cry, especially when I see something in the world that reminds me how upside down and topsy-turvy it has become. I want Jesus to return when I look around at the world in which we live today. Up is down and down is up; good is bad and bad is good. We fool ourselves if we think that our day is worse than any other time in history, but we have our own struggles and hope for a better day. We hope for the day when God is truly King.
Even so, are things really that bad? I read an article that reports that scientists came to the conclusion that the worst year in the history of mankind was 536 A.D. They came to that conclusion based on the conditions that were pervasive in the northern hemisphere that year. At the very least, 536 A.D. was the beginning of a very bad time in human history. It all began with a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland which covered a landmass from Europe to Asia with a cloud of ash that made it dark for eighteen months. Bubonic plague and an incredible cold snap made life even worse. The lack of sun and cold led to devastating crop failure resulting in starvation. The economic downturn caused by this devastation lasted a century. In the end, it was the lead in the ash that spurred a transformation, thus saving the people who survived when the cloud and disease disappeared. Lead was vital to the production of silver; more lead meant more silver which meant more commerce and better conditions for all.
We might think that things are terrible today, but are we struggling with eighteen months of darkness due to a volcanic eruption? Are we dying from the plague? Are we struggling to find food for our tables? Some may be hungry, but many of us have the resources to help so that they won’t starve. We may think our world has gone made, but we are not the first generation to have political and religious problems. Thankfully, earthly troubles are temporary. We might want the good times to last forever, but all human beings are sinners, and we will fail. Tough times are temporary, too. That’s why we live in the hope that God has promised through His Son, our Lord Jesus, Christ our King..
As I look at this topsy-turvy world each day, I see too many who do not believe. Human beings have rejected God as He is revealed in the scriptures, choosing instead to believe in false gods and self-centered ideology. There seems to be nothing that can convince them that salvation is found only in our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the God they seek to worship. He is the only one who deserves our awe. Sadly, they look for other ways to fulfill their needs and desires, they stuff their bellies with good things and their hearts with warm fuzzies. They do not want to commit to the life that is expected of those who believe in the One true and living God. They want what they think is best, to have control over their own destiny, to grasp on to their own faith.
They have fallen for the lies of the enemy. They think that they will be able to stand on the works of their own hands on the Day of Judgment, if they even believe there will be a time when they will be judged. They do not know their own sinfulness and inability to stand before the Creator’s wrath. They do not know they need Jesus to stand for them, to be the advocate before the righteous judge. In that day, “one like a Son of man” will approach the Holy One on our behalf, and His righteousness will cover our unrighteousness. That one is our Lord Jesus Christ. Only through Him will we see the glory of God. He is awesome, worthy of being worshipped.
We worship a whole lot of other junk. We demand other kings to rule over us, rejecting the God who is King of kings. We have faith in the gods of this world, and though we do not worship the Baals or the other gods of history, we do put so much ahead of our God. Our jobs, families, relationships, material possessions and ourselves are more important than our relationship with our Creator. While we do not get down on bended knee to honor these things, we do worship them when we put them ahead of God.
In today’s Old Testament passage from Isaiah, God was speaking to His people through the prophet. He said, “Listen to me, my people; and hear me, my nation, for a law will go out from me, and I will establish my justice for a light to the peoples.” The stories of the Old Testament were irrevocably woven into the lives of those who heard Isaiah’s words. The promise on which they lived was given first to Abraham, a man alone with no hope for a future to whom God fulfilled His promise of becoming the father of many nations. The people listening were the fulfillment of that promise. They were the children of Abraham.
Christians today are also the fulfillment of that promise. We are of those many nations that came from the bosom of Abraham. The promise was fulfilled, so we can rest in all God’s promises, including those found in this passage. We will be comforted. God will look upon His children with compassion. He will restore His people, and they will rejoice. We will become the light that shines to the world, manifesting God’s justice and peace. God will grant us His righteousness and His salvation. It is ours to live in hope, waiting patiently for that which will last forever.
The Church year is ending, and we expect Advent to begin again next week. We follow a calendar, but God does not; when the Day of Judgment comes, there will be no tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come; Advent may never begin again. Are we ready to face the King? This question is not meant to bring fear into our hearts, but to cause us to look to the One who is our advocate. We can’t wait until tomorrow to get to know the Lord Jesus. We should not wait until He comes in glory because now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to praise the God who saves us through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is not the kind of king we expect. His coronation throne was the cross. There was no pomp and circumstance. There was a crown, but it was roughly made of thorns ripped from a bush. Royal robes were given to Jesus not to do him honor, but to make fun of Him in front of the crowds. He was covered in blood from the scourging He faced at the hands of the Roman soldiers. There were no willing attendants to carry His things; He was forced to carry His own cross up the long hill until He could carry it no more. There were no royal or political visitors to witness the coronation except those who came to jeer at Him. There were no parties or fancy balls. Yet that coronation changed the world.
Jesus did not rule to set the Jewish people free from the oppression of the Romans, but rather to free them from the oppression of the sin that has kept humankind bound and separated from God since the beginning of time. Sin and death, oppression and injustice have been around for a long, long time. But God is, was and will be. He is greater than our sin and He had a plan from the very beginning of time. When we finally see the King for whom we are waiting, we will be so awestruck that we will fall on our knees.
We do not know if we will ever have a tomorrow. John wrote in Revelation, “To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood - and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father - to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.” Christ is King. This is a future promise, but it is also a present reality. We are called live in His reign now as we wait for that Day when He will reign forever. We are part of His kingdom, priests of His temple, made and freed to give Him glory from now until the end of days and then forever and ever.
Come Lord Jesus, King forever!
November 21, 2024
“For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:15-23, WEB
I was a leader in an organization as a youth, and I liked to include scripture in my speeches and greetings. It wasn’t always easy. I was familiar with the Bible, but not as much as I am now. Most of my knowledge came from Sunday school stories and Vacation Bible School. Even as a helper, I learned the usual stories: Creation, Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Jonah and the Whale, The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, The Prodigal Son, Jesus’ birth, and the Easter story. These have good lessons for children, are fun to teach, and there are so many songs and activities we can do with them. Of course, when we learn those stories, we learn them in a language written for children.
I knew there was more to the scriptures than those stories, I sought out verses and stories that would be appropriate for youth and adults, to emphasize a theme and our purpose as an organization. It was long before the Internet, but I knew how to use a concordance. I often found, however, that the words I sought did not always point to the most appropriate text. They sounded good at first, but as I read the verse in context, I often discovered that it was not quite right. As a matter of fact, I was surprised at how often the verses meant something completely different than my intention, sometimes even the opposite of what I wanted when read within the larger text.
Sadly, many people settle for the first thing they find, the one that sounds good. They use it how they want it to be interpreted, to fit their agenda or prove their point of view. Unfortunately, proof texts twist the word of God, used for human benefit not to the glory of God. We may not like what the Bible says in those passages, but God has a purpose to them all. Sometimes it is to put us in our place, to remind us that there is more to Him than we can even imagine. It is easy to make the bible say what we want to say if we take a verse from here or there, but those verses often mean exactly the opposite when we read them within the larger text.
The Bible is a library that was given to us for many purposes, but most of all it is given so that we can know our God and His Son Jesus Christ. The book, both Old and New Testaments, are given to draw us into a relationship with God, to see our failure and hear His promises. While there are texts that give us a warm feeling and inform us about the Kingdom of God, we can’t make the passages say what we want them to say. The goal of our time with the Bible is not to gain knowledge or fulfill a duty. It is not to prove what we think or find excuses for our failures. The goal is not even to become an expert on the Bible, able to quote something for every situation. We read and study the scriptures because the Bible is God’s Word for us. Our time in God’s Word helps us to grow in faith. It reminds us of our unworthiness and our need for grace. It teaches us how to live in this world, honoring God with our work and words.
Our goal in our scripture reading and study is to become familiar with our Father, to be transformed by His Word, and to become the people He has created and redeemed us to be. Our time with the scriptures is just one of the many ways that God sanctifies us as we dwell in this world as we wait for the the day when Jesus will come again. For today, He comes to us in His Word through the words written on the pages of our bibles. We read and study the scriptures with the help of our God, the Holy Spirit helps us know Him in our hearts, heads, and spirits.
It is my prayer, just as Paul prayed for the Christians in his care, that you seek to know the Lord your God with all your heart, with time in the scriptures and prayer. Devotional resources and commentaries are helpful but remember that writers like me are fallible. I have made a lot of mistakes in twenty-five years, mostly typographical, but also my perspective. I’ve grown in knowledge, I’ve changed my point of view. I confess that I have used the scriptures to advance my own agenda. Sometimes I’m stuck, unable to find the right scripture to say what I want it to say. It is tempting to use His Word how I want it to be used. I’ve learned, however, that it is important to let God say what He means.
So, as you spend time in God’s Word, read the text, pray over it. What is God saying to you? What do you need to hear today? How is God transforming you with His Word? How has your relationship with God grown through your time with His Word? Don’t forget the wonderful stories you learned as a child, but always remember that there is so much more to the Bible; there is something for every moment, good and bad, to help us walk with God as we live in this world.
November 22, 2024
“Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief. For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away. Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me. I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery. For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life. But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.” Psalm 31:9-16, WEB
“Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not after you.” This may be a favorite saying of conspiracy theorists, or at least it is used humorously when talking about conspiracies. There was a character named Larry on a television show from the late 1990’s called “Dharma and Greg” who was a hippie radical leftover from the sixties, an extreme stereotype of the anti-government, free-will movement. He often thought someone was out to get him, that everyone was a spy for the government, and that everything was a conspiracy against him. Larry was Dharma’s dad, and when Dharma decided to run for city council, he was sure someone, or everyone, would try to destroy her. Sadly, it seems like this conspiracy theory is truer in politics today than ever.
It is from people like Larry that we get the saying “Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not after you.” Paranoia is a state of being in which the sufferer is overwhelmed by anxiety or fear, often responding irrationally or experiencing delusions. The root of the word is Greek, and it can mean “madness.”
Another state of being that is often confused with paranoia is phobia. A phobia is a morbid fear of something, so overwhelming that it can cause people to avoid certain activities, things, or people. Most people are afraid of something, but there are many who are so afraid that they can’t deal with it normally. The main difference between paranoid thoughts and phobias is that paranoia assigns blame to someone or something. The paranoid person is afraid that someone is going to use the object of fear to harm them. The phobic is just afraid of the object.
I found this note in my study Bible: “[This psalm is] s prayer for deliverance when confronted by a conspiracy so powerful and open that all David’s friends abandoned him. In this psalm, David writes about the troubles he’s facing; he is sorrowful, weak, forgotten, like a dead man and broken vessel. He’s been defamed and threatened.” If we heard someone like Larry speak a psalm like this today, we’d just say he was paranoid. But as they say, “Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not after you.” Perhaps David was paranoid, but we know from the stories of his life and his rule over Israel that there was always someone who wanted to see him dethroned or dead, including his own sons. It is enough to make someone live in fear constantly.
But David did not live in fear. He lived in trust and faith. He believed that God would deliver him from his enemies and that he would be vindicated. It never got easier for David, or for David’s offspring. There was always some threat looming around the corner. However, God was faithful to His promises, giving the world the only son of David who could face the fear and defeat it forever. Jesus must have felt similar things when He was journeying toward the cross. The conspiracy against Him was not kept quiet. The leaders wanted Him dead. They schemed and planned, even reached into Jesus’ inner circle to find the one man who would willingly give Him up to them for money. Jesus was abandoned by almost everyone in His final moments. As He hung on the cross only one disciple and a few women came to mourn over His life and death.
But we know that the cross was not the end of Jesus. We know that He trusted that God’s promises overcome death and the grave, beginning with His life and passed on to ours. We might be afraid; we might even think people are out to get us. But we need not respond to our fears by dealing with them irrationally or taking extreme measures. The things and people of this world cannot overcome the life God has promised us through Jesus Christ. If we face our paranoia and our phobias with trust in God, we’ll live in peace despite the reality of our circumstances.
“Sing to Yahweh a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Yahweh has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth! Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises! Sing praises to Yahweh with the harp, with the harp and the voice of melody. With trumpets and sound of the ram’s horn, make a joyful noise before the King, Yahweh. Let the sea roar with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein. Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together. Let them sing before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” Psalm 98, WEB
Isaac Watts was born in Southampton in 1674. It was a turbulent time in England, with dissent rampant in the church. The official church of England was the Anglican Church; it was the church that held the power, the monarchy, the politicians and every other aspect of life in the land. The effects of the Protestant Reformation had made their ways into the congregations of England, with people following the teachings of men like Calvin and Luther. Isaac Watts and his family were nonconformists. They were part of a movement that did not think that the Anglican Church had gone far enough reforming the Church. There was persecution, and most of all the nonconformists were not able to attend university.
Isaac Watts was brilliant, obvious from a very early age. He learned Latin, Greek, French and Hebrew by the time he was thirteen. Someone recognized his abilities and offered to send him to Oxford or Cambridge. He would have been readily accepted if only he would renounce his nonconformist convictions. He could not do so but decided to attend an academy sponsored by the Dissenters, an institution created for those denied acceptance at the universities. He was a prolific writer. He began writing poetry while he was in school. He wrote works on logic, theology, metaphysics, astronomy and even children’s books. He was known as a powerful and inspirational preacher. His congregation listened intently to every word. However, he is perhaps best known for his hymns.
Isaac Watts was part of a church that followed Calvinist teachings. They believed that the only acceptable music in worship was the singing of psalms or scripture, but Isaac found the music to be awkward, sad, and stodgy. He felt that the music was putting people off worship. His father answered, “Why don’t you write a hymn.” He wrote his first hymn that day and the congregation sang it at worship that evening. He went on to write more than six hundred hymns. Some thought that his hymns were too worldly for the church. His work split many congregations and got many pastors fired. Isn’t it amazing how more than two hundred years can pass, and we are still dealing with similar problems? How many churches are facing upheaval because some want to introduce contemporary music and others think it is too worldly?
Isaac Watts was not particularly extraordinary, but he was unusual. He suffered from recurring emotional and physical problems and faced persecution for his passions. He had a deep and personal understanding of the grace of God, how He takes over our lives with His love and draws us into His heart. Isaac celebrated the immensity of God, seeing the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as seemingly insignificant moments that had eternal significance. He knew that God was bigger than our human imaginations could ever envisage. His hymns often had a theme of God’s sovereignty, His majesty, His rule over all.
Music is a way of sharing our hopes and dreams, our fears and concerns, our laughter and our tears. For Isaac Watts, music was a way of sharing his faith. As we enter into the Christmas season, we’ll be pulling out our favorite Christmas hymns. One of his most famous hymns is “Joy to the World” which he wrote after reading Psalm 98. He was inspired by the words “make a joyful noise” in verse 6. That hymn was not popular in his time, but now it is one of the most beloved Christmas songs. Who can hear “Joy to the World” and not feel joy and peace? We remember Isaac Watts today and thank God for all those who shared their faith through music, especially the music we’ll sing together in the coming days, celebrating our Lord Jesus and His incredible grace.
“‘Yahweh of Armies says: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, “If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?”’ The priests answered, ‘No.’ Then Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean?’ The priests answered, ‘It will be unclean.’ Then Haggai answered, ‘“So is this people, and so is this nation before me,” says Yahweh; “and so is every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean.”’” Haggai 2:11-14, WEB
I love cinnamon toast. It is easy to make and has a lovely flavor. It is just toasted bread with a little butter or margarine topped with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. It tastes good on bagels, English muffins, and sourdough, any kind of bread. The first time I made cinnamon sugar, I started with the cinnamon. I did not have a recipe, so I was just guessing about the amount I should use. When I started adding the sugar, I realized I had used way too much cinnamon. It took far more sugar than I expected; I needed a much bigger container to store the mixture. Now when I make the mixture, I start with the sugar and add cinnamon until it is just right.
It takes just a little bit of cinnamon to color the sugar, but it takes a large amount of sugar to dilute the cinnamon. The same can be said about righteousness and sin. It takes just a little bit of sin to color our righteousness and a lot of righteousness to cover our sin. Jesus used the example of yeast; a small amount spreads through the whole loaf. It took very little for the entire nation of Israel to turn from Moses and the Law he was receiving from God, a few complaints and Aaron was willing to make a calf which turned the entire nation to worship of Baal. Jesus said that the one who breaks the least of the commandments and teaches others to do the same would be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.
Have you ever tried to remove cinnamon from a recipe when you add it accidentally? It is impossible. The grains are so small, and they spread throughout the entire mixture, there is no way to remove it without getting rid of the whole batch. When I was making that first batch of cinnamon sugar, I had to get a bigger container and add a lot of sugar to make it right. Once the cinnamon was in there, there was no way I could ever make it pure sugar again.
We are like cinnamon. It takes a lot of righteousness to cover up our sinful natures, so much that it is impossible for us to do it on our own. We can never become like pure sugar by adding lots of good, sweet works. The sin will always be there if we try to overcome it on our own. Only Jesus’ righteousness is good enough to make us pure. It isn’t enough for us to add Jesus to what we are; He has to take all the old and make it new. Jesus did not come simply to teach us how to walk in faith and be good people. He was not just a political figure intent on bringing justice for the poor and widowed, advocating peace between nations. He is the Lord who took on the flesh of man to be the final sacrifice for sin and to bring forgiveness to all those who believe. He came to make us new again, to take out the things that color our lives and transform us into the holy people God intended us to be.
The Israelites could not be clean on their own. It took only a small amount of unrighteousness to make the whole nation unclean. All the holy things they tried to do to make up for their failure to live according to God’s Law would never make them right before God. It took something radical: God Himself cleansing the people for His glory.
November 27, 2024
Lectionary Scriptures for December 1, 2024, First Sunday of Advent: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36
“Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36, WEB
I have always been a cat person. When I was young, my dad worked for an auto body repair business with a junkyard. Stray cats love junkyards because there is always something yummy to catch and eat. My dad knew I loved cats, so he sometimes brought one to give it a home. It was a different time, and we had a basement door that stayed open, so the cats could come and go as they pleased. They often stayed, but sometimes they disappeared, so my dad would bring another home. Sometimes those cats were female, and pregnant. Those cats always stayed, so we ended up with a houseful of kittens. As I said, it was a different time, and we didn’t rush out to get those kittens fixed, so we twice ended up with multiple pregnant females, then a lot more kittens.
As I grew older, I learned an important lesson. I adopted a cat in my late teens that never left the house. She was comfortable being an indoor cat, and I never had to worry about the typical dangers for cats on the streets. They could be hit by a car, get lost or become infested with fleas or ticks. Any of these could lead to death. Since then, I’ve always kept my cats indoors. Most of them were content. We had one cat, however, that we adopted in England. He was part English wildcat, very large and very strong. And he desperately wanted to be out in the wild.
Over the years he has discovered ways to escape. He pushed out the screens in windows, figured out how to open door handles and even managed to jump to the ground from a second story bathroom window. He tried to slip unseen beneath our feet as we entered or left through the door. We had a screen door that we often kept open during good weather. He seemed content for awhile to sit by the door, but one day he realized it only took a nudge to get it open so that he could slip through without much notice. We had to put a hook on the door to keep him from escaping.
At times I wondered if we should just let him escape so that he could see how harsh it was out there in the world. That happened once to my first indoor cat. She had been missing for a couple days, came home beaten and tired, which broke her desire to be outside. I didn’t because I knew it could lead to something horrible, and I really didn’t think a few days would break him. However, he had no claws, so a fight with another cat could have been deadly. What if he got lost? Hit by a car? We would be devastated to lose our friend. He could end up with ticks and fleas and bring them into the house. We play his games with him, but ultimately, we will always win because we know it is in his best interest to stay indoors where it is safe.
We might think the cat was crazy to want to give up the safety of home for the danger of outside, but we are much like him when it comes to our relationship with our Father in heaven. We want to be safe in His arms, but we also want to know what is going on out in the world, doing whatever we can to escape, thinking that small acts of disobedience aren’t bad. After all, there are people who do things that are far worse than the things we do. We are certainly more righteous than the murderer or thief. We are probably more righteous than our neighbor.
Yet, we have to ask, “What is righteousness?” Is it doing what is right verses wrong in this world? No, righteousness is not a moral attitude or action; it is a right relationship with God. It means having faith that God is true and faithful to His promises. It is trusting that God knows what is best for us and believing that He will keep us well. All the promises of God have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He has done all that is necessary to restore our relationship with God. All too many ask, what did we do to need salvation? The question is not what we did, but rather what we are. We are sinners in need of a Savior.
This Savior was promised and now we begin the journey through Advent to the birth of Jesus. He will come out of Israel, just as we hear in this passage from Jeremiah. Israel will be called “Jehovah our righteousness.” God’s people will be identified with the One who will be their Savior, they will be part of His Kingdom, they will reign with Him. As the relationship between God and his people is restored, they will become one with Him in heart, soul, and spirit.
Why did we need to be restored?
Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden with God. They walked and talked with Him. They had a personal, intimate relationship with one another and with their Creator. They were naked but it did not matter. When the serpent deceived them and they ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, things changed dramatically. The Bible tells us that their eyes were opened, and they knew they were naked, so they covered themselves with fig leaves and hid in the garden. They were afraid to be seen by God.
They were ashamed. Yet, that was just a symptom of the greater problem. When their eyes were opened, they could see that their disobedient actions were disrespectful to their Creator and that they were not worthy to be in His presence. Their shame was not only about their naked bodies, but also about their fear to be in the presence of their God, afraid what He would do in response to their disobedience. He had warned them that eating from the tree would mean death, but they did not believe His words. Death would be a consequence of their disobedience. No wonder they were afraid and hid from His presence. That’s what shame does to us.
Though we are like my cat, chasing after the world, God does not keep us trapped inside. He lets us escape His grasp for a moment as we seek out our way in life. But He is never far from us, He seeks us and finds us to bring us home. He knows what is best for us; He has a plan for our lives. He promised to send a Savior. Jesus was that Savior, and He came exactly as God intended, through the imperfect lines of His people. They often failed, but God does not. The number of those saved by His mercy and grace is beyond our ability to measure. He is truly faithful to His promises even when we try to go our own way.
Have you ever noticed that a lamp appears brighter at night than it does during the day? It isn’t that the lamp is brighter, but that the light from that lamp is diminished by the light that surrounds it. The lamp overcomes darkness much better than other light.
I suppose that’s why faith and the Gospel stand out so much more clearly when the world is in chaos than when everything is peaceful. We don’t really think about God much when things are going well around us. We might pray and worship and offer thanks, but we don’t fall on our knees in hopeful expectation of God’s grace when we are comfortable. We don’t need God and so He is set aside as we live our happy life. This is when we are most likely to chase after the world. However, when we face a crisis, we see our need and turn to Him in desperate prayer and expectation. It is not that Christ is a softer light in those good times of our life, but His light does not seem quite as bright for us as it does in those times when we need Him most.
Jesus said, “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” As we look at this passage with post resurrection eyes, we wonder how it might be that we would fall faint. After all, we have nothing to fear since we have Jesus Christ as our Lord.
Last week we celebrated Christ the King Sunday, and we looked forward to the time when there will be no need for the sun or moon or stars because Jesus Christ will be the eternal lamp that will provide all the light we need. There will also be no darkness because the victory over death and darkness will be complete. This week we begin a new church year, and we return to reality: our world is filled with darkness.
We begin Advent in darkness as a reminder of our life without Christ. We have a tradition in my church and in my family of an Advent wreath. This is a wreath made with five candles, one for each Sunday of Advent and then one for Christmas. We light a candle each Sunday and as we move through the season of preparation the light becomes brighter and brighter. That’s how it is in our texts, too. We begin with a promise, watch as God prepares the world for the coming of our Lord and then end with the fulfillment of the promise: Jesus Christ is born. The true Light comes into the world.
It might seem odd for us to begin Advent with scriptures that bring to mind the end of the world. After all, the world is just beginning to look bright and festive with all the Christmas decorations popping up all over our neighborhoods. The long, dark winter nights are brightly shining with twinkling lights and fun displays. Things are hustling and bustling at the malls and stores. Black Friday sales invite us to spend our resources on items to make our loved ones happy, and there are trucks everywhere delivering packages. We have so much preparation to accomplish, parties to plan, cookies to bake. It is a busy, festive season.
Perhaps that’s why it seems so odd for us to look at the end of Jesus’ life. He was talking about the end of time. Isn’t Advent a time to look toward the birth of our Savior? It is, but it is also about preparing our hearts for the day when He will come again.
We know Jesus has been born. We know He ministered in our world for a time. We know He died and rose again. Though we do spend Advent preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ in the manger, we are reminded that Christmas is a history, it is a commemoration of what has already happened. Though we enjoy the festiveness of Christmas and the joy that comes with the Nativity, we do not live in the past. We are to look toward the future, to that day when Christ will come again. We can enjoy remembering, but never to the detriment of what is to come. The promise has been fulfilled, but it will still be fulfilled. It is being fulfilled as we live in this world today. We live in the already but not yet.
What did Jesus mean when He talked about “this generation.” We think generations means our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, the generations that have passed before us. Yet, Luke’s focus is different. He is referring to a type of people that will not pass no matter they time. They are those who do not heed the words of Christ: unbelievers. We can take seriously what Jesus says because there have been unbelievers in every generation. There are unbelievers today, and they seek to make us doubt our faith. They call us out into the world. They try to make us feel like fools so we will abandon Christ. They seek to keep our eyes off Christ.
Why does Jesus warn us about men fainting with terror when our hearts are filled with the sounds of jingle bells? How are these words relevant to us? After all, they were spoken to the disciples before they knew the complete work of Christ. We live after the cross and resurrection, we know the end of the story. How could we be faint with fear? However, it is when we are comfortable that we are most easily deceived. It is in this state when we can fall to the temptations of the world the hardest. It is when we are most comfortable that disaster can make us tremble with fear. Fear can take us down dangerous roads, where we try to chase after the world. Luke tells us to be careful. Those of us preparing for the celebration of birth of Christ this Advent need to heed the warning as much as those disciples who still had to survive the Passion of their Lord and Master.
I once read a bumper sticker said, “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” Jesus is coming. What are we busy doing? Are we standing firm on Christ, giving to the hungry and thirsty the food and drink that will make them also ready in that Day? Jesus said, “Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” We escape the coming danger by keeping our hearts and minds on our God, doing what He is calling us to do, serving our neighbors in deed and Word. We are willing to do good works, to generously give our stuff, but are we willing to give them Jesus?
We prepare our hearts during Advent for the coming of Christ in the manger. The Christmas story is wonderful, but we have to remember that it looks toward an event in the past. It is a commemoration of what has already happened. Though we enjoy the festiveness of Christmas and the joy that comes with the Nativity, we do not live in the past. Advent is also a time for looking toward the future, to that day when Christ will come again. We can enjoy remembering, but never to the detriment of what is to come. The promise has been fulfilled, but it is still being fulfilled. It is being fulfilled each day as we live in this world.
Unfortunately, we are often like my cat, although we aren’t just trying to get out of a house by slipping through a screen door. The glitz and glitter of the holidays is so much more fun than the end times. Our charitable work makes us feel good, but sharing the Gospel makes us uncomfortable. So, we try to “escape” by celebrating this time focused on the cute stories and the baby in the manger, ignoring the reality that we are waiting for the coming of the One who will judge the whole world. We chase after the glitz and glitter thinking we will find something better beyond our faith. Unlike my cat, we know there are dangers, but we continue to chase the things of this world because the risk seems so worthwhile.
Our message for today is to remember that God has fulfilled His promises, and He will fulfill them. While we wait, while we hope, we are called to live in trust, knowing that God has done and continues to do His work in this world. He is the Light and it is only the Light that can overcome the darkness. We should rejoice if it seems particularly dark because it is now that we are being called to shine so that others will see and hear and believe. God is about to enter the world and do something amazing. He’s about to send His Son to overcome the darkness. But even as we wait for the Son to be born and the King to return, we know that the Light already shines.
The images in today’s Gospel passage should have us cringing in fear. After all, isn’t it said whenever the earth suffers one of those catastrophic events that it is a sign from heaven? After every hurricane or blizzard, flood or earthquake, someone claims that they’ve had a vision from God that the people need to repent and change. God has been known to send plagues of locusts and floods to discipline His people, but can we really judge whether a tornado was an act of God meant to send a message to someone? Is the family that lost their house more sinful than their neighbor whose house was spared? These are the inevitable questions when we claim morality is equal to righteousness and lay that understanding beside the scriptural texts.
A man died and went to heaven. St. Peter met him at the pearly gates. St. Peter said, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I will give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.” “Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.” “That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth three points!” “Three points?” he says. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.” “Terrific!” says St. Peter, “that’s certainly worth a point.” “One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.” “Fantastic, that’s good for two more points,” he says. “TWO POINTS!!” the man cries, “At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!” “Come on in!”
Who will we be on that glorious day when Christ comes again? Will we be among those fainting in fear or will we look to the heavens for our redemption? If we base salvation on our works, we should be fainting in fear, because nothing we do is good enough to overcome our sinfulness. But if we look to Christ, then we understand what the man in the joke did not: it is God who will save us. And that’s what Advent is all about. God is about to enter the world and do something amazing. He’s about to send His Son to be our righteousness.
God is not looking for the good and upright. He’s looking for the humble. He’s not looking for those who think themselves righteous based on their own works rather than on God’s grace (the self-righteous). God is looking for the people who are humble and teachable, who will learn and grow and be changed by His Word. He is looking for those who by faith are willing to wait and watch and hope for the fulfillment of His promises, to trust Him enough to stay in His presence.
As we enter into this season of waiting and wonder, let us keep our hearts and minds on the One for whom we wait, looking to His faithfulness, mercy and grace for all we need. We do not have to ignore the joys of the season, the parties, presents, decorations, food, and fellowship. Let us not lose sight in our busy-ness of the season why we do all these things. Jesus is coming! as the child in the manger and the King in the clouds. Take time for prayer and do not worry about all there has to be done. Do not fear the darkness that would have you hide your faith. Keep close to God in the coming days and darkness will disappear. Then you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when the Lord Jesus comes in glory.
We will be busy preparing for Christmas with decorations, baking, writing cards, shopping, and partying. We’ll add to that some spiritual disciplines of Advent devotionals, service projects, prayer and extra worship. This is all wonderful, but let’s remember that none of this, no matter how much an impact our works have on the world, they will never change what God has already done. In the end we have only one thing on which we can rest. The psalmist wrote, “My God, I have trusted in you.” Our good works are wonderful works. Whatever our motives, feeding the hungry and clothing the poor is honorable and gracious, whether it is now or throughout the year. However, full bellies and warm bodies are not eternal. The body will hunger again, and the clothes will fade. The Word of God lasts forever. It is true and it is real. The pagans and heathens can feed a hungry belly, but they will never feed a starving soul. Only Christ can fulfill our deepest needs.
Timothy took a wonderful report to Paul. The Thessalonians were living faithful lives, for which Paul was thankful to God. They had not lost touch with their Lord, though as with all our lives of faith he was concerned for their future well-being. He prayed that the Lord would make their love increase and overflow for one another and strengthen them as they waited for Jesus to come.
They were waiting just like we wait during Advent. Paul wrote to encourage them, to thank God for their faith and to ask Him to continue His work in their lives. As we wait for Christmas, and for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, God transforms us daily drawing us deeper and deeper into the relationship with Him. So, as we begin this Advent season, let’s do so with joy and hope, knowing that Jesus comes in three distinct ways. He came as the Son in the manger. He will come as the King at the End of Days. And He comes to us daily in His Word and in His promises so that we’ll share the light of the Good News with the world. We have nothing to fear, but we need to watch so that we won’t be loaded down with the world when He comes again. Let’s not just wait for Him as He came in the past or will come in the future, but live as He comes to us in the present and celebrate His grace daily so that we can stand before Him forever.
November 28, 2024
“Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good… Give thanks to the God of gods… thanks to the Lord of lords… to him who alone does great wonders… to him who by understanding made the heavens… to him who spread out the earth above the waters… to him who made the great lights… the sun to rule by day… the moon and stars to rule by night… to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn… and brought out Israel from among them… with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm… to him who divided the Red Sea apart… and made Israel to pass through the middle of it… but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea… to him who led his people through the wilderness… to him who struck great kings… and killed mighty kings… Sihon king of the Amorites… Og king of Bashan… and gave their land as an inheritance… even a heritage to Israel his servant… who remembered us in our low estate… and has delivered us from our adversaries… who gives food to every creature… Oh give thanks to the God of heaven; for his loving kindness endures forever.” Psalm 136, WEB
Today in America, families will stuff their faces with turkey, spend all day in front of the TV watching parades and football, and enjoy the company of those they love. I pray that in the midst of the fun and fellowship we will enjoy, that each of us will take time to give thanks to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for the great and many blessings of this life.
“THANK GOD” begins our thinking at the right place, with thankfulness for what God has done. The text today from Psalm 136 recounts the wonderful things God did with and for the Israelites as they wandered in their wilderness. The list of good things in our lives might be similar, but different. No matter what, we can praise God because He has done good things for us. You might note that I’ve included ellipses in between the lines of the psalm. Those ellipses replace a refrain that is repeated throughout the psalm that says, “for his loving kindness endures forever.”
“For His loving kindness endures forever.” This is the most important thing, and even if we can’t come up with a million ways God has been good and gracious to us, we can begin all our moments with thanksgiving that His loving kindness endures forever.
Psalm 136 is called “The Great Hallel”. Hallel is related to the word hallelujah, so this is a psalm of thanksgiving and eternal (forever) praise. It is a psalm that tells the redemptive history of Israel. Martin Luther said that we should sing and preach of God and His wonderful works. He is gracious and merciful. This psalm is nothing but grace, not human works or doctrines, they are not deserving of this worship.
There is a word in this passage that is very hard to translate into English, so there is a long list of similar though different words that are used. The Hebrew word is “hesed” which is often translated “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness” or “mercy”. The word can also mean love, kindness, unfailing love, great love, loving, kindnesses, unfailing kindness, acts of devotion, devotion, favor, approval, devout, faithful, faithfully, glory, good favor, grace, kind, kindly, loyal, merciful, well. These all give us a sense of the word, but it leaves out something important. It is a word that would probably be best kept in its Hebrew form, like we do with the word “Amen.” It actually refers to a loving loyalty based on a covenantal relationship. God’s hesed comes to us because He established a bond between Himself and His people.
God’s hesed endures forever. This is a message we need to know. It needs to be written on our hearts. We hear it over and over again as we read today’s psalm. The passage talks about God’s goodness, His good works, the goodness of the world He has created. He did all this because His hesed endures forever. He is God of gods and Lord of lords because His hesed endures forever. He gives us rest when we need it because His hesed endures forever. Hesed is a word that is filled with promise. God promised to be faithful to the covenants He made with His people forever, even while it is impossible for us to be faithful to Him.
Another word that needs understanding is the one translated “endures.” There is no word in the Hebrew for this; the word is added so that we will understand that this is about the ongoingness of God’s lovingkindness. The Hebrew would be better translated “never fails.” A bible scholar has retranslated the refrain, “Because forever is His loyalty.” God will do what He has said He will do because He has established us as His people in a covenantal relationship. This is about God’s faithfulness to His promises. He is the God of gods, the Lord of lords. He has done good things for His people. He created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon. He kept His promise to Abraham by saving His people from Egypt. He delivered them into the Promised Land, just as He promised. He remembers His people, saves us from our adversaries, and provides for us. He is good and He deserves our thanks and praise. This is a matter of trust; we can trust God because forever is His loyalty. God’s hesed endures forever.
This psalm reminds us (repeatedly!) of God’s covenant loyalty. God is committed to honoring His covenant with His people. All we have and all we do is centered on the endless love of God. God was and is forever reliable, kind, trustworthy, faithful and loving to His people. The psalm moves from creation in our verses in this week’s lectionary to the redemption of God’s people. The psalm recounts the creation and acts in history through which God demonstrated His enduring love and covenant loyalty. There is an order to world God created. It is not random.
Take time today to reread the psalm and replace each ellipsis with the refrain, “for his loving kindness endures forever.” Then add your own verses of thanksgiving. How many ways can you recount the goodness of God in your life?
November 29, 2024
“As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.’ Jesus answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42, WEB
I carry a supply of Little Jesus in my purse to share with people who cross my path. These Little Jesus are resin figures about an inch tall that remind us that Jesus is always with us. They are great as special treats for children or to use for scavenger hunts. I have given away more than a hundred of these figures. I have a dozen stories of waitstaff who are excited about the addition to their tip. As a matter of fact, several of them remember us. I sometimes leave them on windowsills, gas pumps, grocery store shelves. I’m not the only one who does this; my husband and I found one at a historic cabin in Grand Teton National Park.
I was at the grocery store the other day when I saw a mother with three children. The children were about two, five, and nine years old. The younger ones were in shopping carts and the older boy was helping his mom load the groceries into the car. I’m sure he pushed the second cart (she didn’t need it for groceries), and he seemed happily helpful. I grabbed three of my Little Jesus figures and handed one to the boy. I told him that I thought it was wonderful that he was so helpful and congratulated his mom for raising such a good boy. She was pleased and agreed. Then I gave her two for the other children. It made her smile, but it made the boy ecstatic. He stopped helping as he played with his Little Jesus.
I told my husband when I got home from the store, and we laughed together about it. I sometimes think giving the Little Jesus figures away make us as happy as it does the people to whom we give them. We thought it was funny that the boy stopped being helpful when he got the treat. But then I said, “Maybe he was having a Mary moment, focused on Jesus instead of the work that needs to be done.”
We can learn from the boy. We have officially entered the Christmas season, this time filled with a million things to do. I confess that I managed to get some of my decorating done yesterday instead of enjoying a relaxing Thanksgiving day. We didn’t have company coming, so I emptied all my boxes. I joked that my house looked like Christmas threw up all over it! Slowly, but surely, I’ll put all my décor where it needs to go, in between shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, planning, and partying. I wonder how many of us get so busy with the hustle and bustle that we forget to take time to enjoy Jesus.
We’ve all heard it said, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but do we take that to heart? Do we stop to enjoy His presence? You might not have a Little Jesus to make you smile, but you can linger over a nativity scene or stop to listen to a Christmas carol. You can spend time in the scriptures, reading an Advent devotional, lighting the candles on a wreath that counts down the weeks until Christmas. It might seem like you should not stop doing the tasks at hand, but in the story of Mary and Martha, there was plenty that had to be done. Jesus still told Martha that Mary chose the good part. Stop a moment and enjoy Jesus. Let Him make you smile and remember that He is what this season is all about.