It's all right now.

The child is a mess; a flood of tears, gasping for breath between sobs. "I want my Mom," the words wheeze out in little spasms of physical emotion. When Mom shows up, she takes the little one in her arms, gathering her close, and her soothing words, "it's all right now, Mommy's here," spread like a salve, healing the broken heart of that child. In a moment's time, terror gives way to peace - 'cause Mom is there. It's a magical scene!

Think of me what you will, there are times in my life when nothing except God's loving arms can comfort me! Challenges, disappointments, even weariness overwhelm me. "When can I meet God?" is the prayer of my heart. When a break comes, I find a quiet corner where I close my eyes in prayer, "LORD, I need You!" is the only prayer I can manage. The Holy Spirit embraces me - and in my spirit I hear the Voice of God say, "it's all right now!" Sometimes as I sense the Spirit's Presence, I cannot hold back the tears, as the emotions that have been bottled up spill over the dam in my heart. There was a time when I was ashamed of those tears, fearing that they were a sign of weakness in me, but now I understand that they are a language that God understands. Jesus wept, too!

The message of Christmas is that God is near- "Emmanuel, God with us!" The Gospel writers make it abundantly clear that He is not just God for the 'together,' the rich, the beautiful, the brave, or the intelligent. Jesus, the Christ, is the God of the little, the forgotten, the weak, those bruised and broken by life. He chose a young girl from a hill town to birth Him into this world. He chose to be born among us in the animal shelter 'out back,' because the room up front was full. Just maybe the kinsfolk of Joseph in Bethlehem had 'no room' specifically because they could count to nine, and knew that Mary's pregnancy was a scandal. The royal family in Judah determined early on to kill Him, and Jesus' family became fugitives for a time until Herod's death. As He began His adult ministry, Mark tells us that His own family thought He was mentally unstable and tried to bring Him home to avoid embarrassment. At the end of His short life, He hung naked, pinned to a rough cross, bleeding to death, while passers-by hurled insults at Him. Pilate mocked Him - "The King of the Jews" read the sign ordered nailed above Him as He died, a cruel joke.

So, you see, He understands your weariness, your brokenness, your disappointment, your feelings of worthlessness... He's been there! But, He offers more than sympathy. He is the Savior who is also the Lord of Glory. He is the embodiment of the Promise of the Great Reversal - who will make the last, first - who will exalt the humble!

Mary's song captures the joy we can know because of the Christmas promise. Read it thoughtfully today.
Note the triumph in the words, spoken prophetically, and with great hope. It is a poem written from the safety of the Divine Parent's embrace.

“Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me.

His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. For he promised our ancestors—Abraham and his children— to be merciful to them forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55, NLT)

"It's all right now!" God is here!

"He embraced his chosen child, Israel; He remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high."


May your Christmas be marked with Joy, filled with Light, and celebrated with a new awareness of God's Love.

______________________________TFTD will return on January 2. Thanks for reading along this year. My prayer is to be used by God in these musings to encourage, to comfort, to provoke and that together we will grow up in Christ, living for the 'praise of His glory.' God bless you richly today.

Are you listening, really listening?

When you're feeling insecure, what do you do? Some of us talk, endlessly, as though our words were a protective shield. Some of us withdraw. Some of us act out, being a clown or showing off. Some of us work ourselves into an angry state and the resulting flow of adrenaline causes us to feel empowered. But few of us choose the best course of action - quiet evaluation, listening to learn.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to a divine appointment. On the top of the mountain, as they watched, He began to radiate a divine light - his clothing becoming dazzling white! It's true! Matthew, Mark, and Luke record this moment. Then, Moses, the great Law-giver and and Elijah, the Miracle Worker, appear and begin to converse with Jesus. At that moment of incredible wonder, what does good ole' Peter do? Yep, in his insecurity he does what he always does, impulse takes over and he starts to babble. "Let us build three shelters (alternate translation, memorials) here for you guys!" God responds to Peter this way - While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5, The Message)

Just a few days before that event, Peter had been rebuked for speaking without listening by Jesus, too. When the Lord was trying to explain that He must die for the sins of the world, Peter objected and Jesus' response was quick and harsh - "You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:23, NLT) How that must have stung! It wasn't until after he was filled with the Spirit that Peter learned to listen, really listen. Then, God took his boldness and made it a gift of leadership that He used to guide the Church through her first two decades of existence.

There is much in our world to cause us to feel insecure, isn't there? It isn't just the headlines from world news that makes me afraid. Aging scares me. Will my body betray me with a stroke, a heart attack, or Alzheimer's? The tenuous nature of human relationships frightens me, too. Will a trusted friend turn against me, breaking my heart? Knowing that every Sunday for the next 20-25 years I am required by my vocation as a Pastor to stand up and speak to a congregation with a word from God makes me feel insecure, too! What do you fear? What keeps you awake into the night? If we live in our fears, we will either become paralyzed or we will end up doing dumb, self-defeating things.

God has a better way. His advice for fearful, insecure people is this - "Listen! Let me lead."

We must stop trying to control every event. We have to refrain from trying to secure ourselves against every threat. And we need to do what Job did when he sensed God's Presence - put our hand over our mouth to staunch the flow of words so we will stop babbling out meaningless prayers that only reinforce our fears. Instead, we focus on Jesus! We listen to Him. The Bible teaches us to "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message)

Steady on, friend. That's the way. Listening, really listening, we gain the wisdom of God and face the future secure in the knowledge that the One who knows us best, loves us most, and that He is leading us all the way home.
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You're invited to a worship time on Christmas Eve at the Assembly.
At 7 pm, we will be gathering to sing, to listen, to worship, to wonder. I hope you will join us.

"There is no God" at least in our public schools.

Yesterday in Dover, PA, a federal judge named John E. Jones, ruled that Intelligent Design, which suggests an alternative to Darwinian evolution as the explanation for the origin of the species, cannot be taught in public schools. I don't know enough about the case to comment on the specifics, but press reports indicate that the judge went beyond simply deciding that ID was not to be taught. He called the decision of the school board to require a short paragraph about ID to be read to a 9th grade biology class, 'breath-taking inanity,' and noted that ID "is a religious view, a mere re-labeling of creationism, and not a scientific theory." Those who want a completely secular (free from reference to God) society rejoiced.

The judge's ruling got under my skin - for a few moments anyway. But he is reflecting the law created by the majority of Americans! The fact is that those school members who established the ID policy in Dover were out of step even with their own townsfolk. In elections held in November, the school board was swept out of office by Dover voters and replaced with people who do not support the idea of teaching ID. This time, anyway, the judge and the majority of people are on the same side. So, if we're going to angry, how being angry with ourselves for not doing a good enough job in making a compelling case for Christianity? Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we have created the sense that faith in Jesus Christ is just a comforting sentiment that is marginal, unimportant, to 'real life in the real world?'

Believer, we have work to do! We must hold up the Light. The struggle is about Truth, about the place that God holds in our hearts and minds, but the place to 'win' is not in the courts, nor in the legislature. We each must become a prophet (a good word that means - God's spokesperson) in our own place. Those who marginalize God, must see Him, not just in our words but in our actions at work, in our neighborhood, and in our homes.

As Christians make the case for Christ -
- by the way we serve,
- by our consistent compassion,
- by speaking the Truth lovingly to the this society,
- by cultivating our minds so that our faith is more than saccharine sentiment,
- by making our churches into houses of worship where God is approached in Spirit and in Truth - God's Light will shine.

Let's face facts. A couple of paragraphs read at the beginning of 9th grade biology curriculum suggesting that Someone designed this world isn't exactly going to change lives, is it? This nod towards admitting to God's existence (and that is really what it is about as the judge noted) is not going to save our kids from themselves. Only a vigorous, robust Christianity that is engaged with this culture at every level will survive the assault of secularism.

We should not surprised at the hostility that comes our way over our love for Christ. He warned us it would be this way. Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it. Don't just let it comfort you! Let it challenge you to BE different, to act differently, and to be a living witness to the reality of God before the skeptics.

Jesus said, “When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A servant is not greater than the master.’

Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you! The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be counted guilty. But as it is, they saw all that I did and yet hated both of us—me and my Father. This has fulfilled what the Scriptures said: ‘They hated me without cause.’

“But I will send you the Counselor—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me." (John 15:18-26, NLT)

Invite the Spirit of Truth to work in your mind and your heart. Invite Him to dig deep to root out sin and unfaithfulness. Pray to become a person of integrity, a person of true holiness, so that the Light will shine from you without shadows, drawing others to consider the way of Christ Jesus.

A New Man

Who is your hero? You're too old for heroes, you say? Let me ask it this way, then. Who do you admire? What has that person done that makes him/her a model for you? Hold that thought.

Jesus came into a world where the 'model man' was of Greek construct. About three centuries before Jesus Christ was born in a little town called Bethlehem, the Greek language had been introduced to that part of the world by Alexander, who even today is given the title - 'the great.' With the Greek language and armies came the culture. The philosophy and culture of the Greeks were admired, even by the Romans who, at the time of the birth of Christ, held the political power from Spain to India . Alexander, the Great, was an incredibly powerful leader whose armies conquered empires and nations. He left wide swaths of death and destruction wherever he went. His glory came from the buckets of blood he spilled. His legacy was sorrow and division. At his death, the huge empire he built in just a few years' time split into factions, led by the generals he had kept in subservience during his life. Never the less, at the time of Jesus' birth, Alexander was considered a man of glory, a measure for all men.

Alexander was not the first nor the last man of violence whose battlefield victories won acclaim. Even today, men of war win notice. Watch the History Channel. Who and what is recognized as history's laudable persons and events? Generals, kings, and tyrants and their wars of conquest are the marks by which we measure history. More often than not, the warrior's exploits that we remember are soon erased as new orders arise and new wars are fought by men and nations trying to ascend to the heights of influence. Those who bled and died for the ambitions of another are soon forgotten, even as the tyrants are immortalized.

Few seem to recognize that the Man of greatest influence, whose life and teaching still hold sway in the world after two thousand years was never a general, never won a battle, and never held a sword. Tragically many wars have been waged in His Name. Men and women have claimed the right to rule, sometimes in despicable manner, by His authority. Yet, He was and is the "Prince of Peace."

When He stood before a minor politico in a mock trial, He was asked, "Are you a King?" Pilate could not comprehend Jesus' answer! “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king.
In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:36-37, NIV)

The King of Truth - He came not for earthly glory, nor to gain power for Himself or a nation, but to restore us to God, our Father and Creator.

Make Him your hero, your model! Throw away the need for conquest. Refuse the craving for power. When Self clamors to have its way, look to Jesus; "on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven." (Hebrews 12:2, NLT)
____________________________

A Solitary life

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until he was thirty.
Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

This Man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book.
He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home.
He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace.
And though he never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him.
His followers ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth--the simple coat He had worn.
His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead--living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history in two eras.
One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him.
And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection.
On church steeples around the world His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

This one Man's life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched,
all the navies that ever sailed,
all the governments that ever sat,
all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this
One Solitary Life. -- James Francis


Jerry D. Scott
www.WashingtonAG.com

T'is the Season for renewal

Would you like to walk through this 'holy day' Season and gain strength, feel renewed, and be deepened in faith? Will you be one of those who fails to take away the renewal of spirit that the Season seems to promise? Some people say, "I just can't wait for it all to be over so I can get back to life." Others say, "It takes me a month to recover from all this." I want us to be able to say, "what a wonderful time of year. I am ready to take on the challenges of the new year."

What kind of choices can make the difference?

First of all, make people your priority! Resist the pressures to rush, to be hurried, to 'get the program' completed. Many of us either host gatherings or be guests. Truly take time to enjoy the opportunity to be with friends and family. Focus less on perfect preparations of food and decor and more on having a heart that is prepared to receive others. A dinner cooked to perfection, a home full of beautiful holiday decor will be soon forgotten, but an evening of meaningful conversation and interaction creates a lasting memory that renews us again and again.

Second, remember to include worship! I think it is safe to say that most Americans will spend far more time in the mall than in church during the next seven days! We will worship at the altar of consumerism with far more fervency than we will worship our Lord Jesus. This imbalance in the use of our time and money reveals the identity of our true god. Keeping Christ in Christmas isn't just about putting up a crèche on the lawn at City Hall. It's about building an altar in our heart and honoring the One whose life is the cause for the celebration. Put a half hour a day aside for meditation, prayer, and to read the stories of Jesus' nativity from Matthew and Luke. Tell your family you will be going to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Arrive early and sit with a listening heart! "O come, let us adore Him... Christ, the Lord!"

Third, give yourself away! In Acts 20:35 (The Message) we read, "I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’ ” It's not just stuff that is given at Christmas. Give forgiveness. Give love. Give time. Give away your expectations and receive what these days bring your way.

Lastly, let encourage you to recover wonder! The children at church gather 'round me each Sunday in Advent with the request, "may I light the Advent candles?" Such a simple assignment is a coveted honor. Amazing, isn't it? But children have a great capacity for wonder, to appreciate the little things. Read the Christmas story and instead of asking, "How could this be?" let story speak to you about the depth of God's love. Watch the old film, "It's a Wonderful Life," and don't make fun of it! Instead, let it inspire you to make a difference in someone's life today. Let the sophisticates pretend to be bored by the holiday. Choose to be child-like (not childish!) in your wonder.With these choices, you will come to New Year's Day, with a renewed heart! Sure, you may be tired in body from staying up too late, going here and there, but you will have received Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And, He brings life.

Here's a word from the Word to take with you as you begin this Christmas week-
"The Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. ... We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another." (John 1:14, 16, NLT)