BIG, expensive gifts this Christmas?

I love giving gift at Christmas. I’m not all that good at it, but it is fun to try. Bev, my late wife, was the a master of gifting! She never just went shopping to  ‘get a gift.’  She thought about the person and gave things she thought would delight that person.  Here are some tips on bringing joy and blessings to others this Christmas.   

1. Make it personal.  A few years ago, my son Sean created a ‘book’ in which he shared ways that I had been a good Dad. It’s a gift that holds value, years after the giving. The best gifts don’t come from Amazon, do they?

2. Give yourself. Time is the most valuable commodity we have.  It’s easier to write a check than it is to offer someone ourselves. In the year since Bev went home to Heaven, my life has been enriched by so many who take time to talk, who offer hugs, who send a note, write a Facebook message. Those little gifts have steadied me in the anguish. So, give yourself!  Make an offer of a night of babysitting for a young couple. Offer to spend an evening with an elderly person who is alone. Sit on the floor with a 4 year old and give her your full attention while she tells her stories.

3. Enhance the value of another. Pay somebody a sincere compliment and watch them light up.  Write a paragraph that tells somebody how her life makes the world a better place.  Tell them they are a great Mom, or an inspiring Christian, or a super-listener, or a hard worker, or… you’re getting the idea, right?   Use the gift of words to speak blessings into the life of another. Critics abound. Go against the stream and speak words that build up.

4. Sacrifice without seeking notice!  Find out a way to take care of a need for somebody, then do it anonymously, if possible. Few things bring me greater joy than hearing about a need and taking steps to meet it, whether that’s putting the person in touch with somebody who can help, writing a check to put some gas in their car, or praying earnestly. When we give from our own need, God blesses that kind of sacrifice. Remember the widow that put a penny in the offering?  The Lord told His disciples, she gave more than the rich guys who gave out of their abundance. In our giving, be it to God or others, Jesus reminds us, “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. … Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out." (Matthew 6:1, 4 The Message)   

Personal, engaged, other-centered, unselfish – who taught me those things?  The One whose Gift inspires this Season. The Word says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)  He gave Himself, for us, at great cost.  

My prayer is that we will be changed by His gift and then, from the richness of grace poured into us, become people who give the best gifts. 

Here’s a word from the Word. "There is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:15-17, NLT)

________________

How Many Kings

Follow the star to a place unexpected.

Would you believe after all we've projected?

A child in a manger,

Lowly and small, the weakest of all.

Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in His mother's shawl,

Just a child

Is this who we've waited for 'cause.

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

And how many gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that is torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing out gifts for the newborn Savior,

All that we have, whether costly or meek

Because we believe,

Gold for His honor and frankincense for His pleasure

And myrrh for the cross He'll suffer.

Do you believe

Is this who we've waited for?

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

And how many gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that is torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Only one did that for me, oh,

All for me, all for you.

Jason Germain | Marc Martel

© 2006 Centricity Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

Germain and Martel Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

What Time Is It?

Recently I discovered that it was railroads that brought the concept of ‘time zones’ to the US about 150 years ago.  Up until then, each town set its own clock by the sun which was not a problem when people seldom traveled or if they did, were on horseback or carriage.  But, as the rails were laid and trains began to transport greater numbers of people, keeping schedules became important. So standardized time was needed. To adapt those schedules, the railroad companies came up with the idea of dividing the United States into time zones.

Today we live by our clocks, incredibly scheduled lives, packed with dates and deadlines!  But, are our lives synced with Heaven's time? Are we living with an awareness of God's time?

I read this line in the Christmas story of Luke - "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." (Luke 2:6, NIV)  Paul tells us that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)  From the timeless, eternal Father, Jesus came to us about 2000 years ago in Judea. Why then, not a century earlier or later? The mystery is hidden in the mind of God but the fact revealed is that when He was ready, He acted. Something that seemed so inconsequential, another baby’s birth in an obscure village at the edge of the Empire, was to become the pivotal event for humanity and for us.  That baby was Jesus, God come to us, to save us and to restore our place in the Father’s household, beloved children.

And He was act, again, in His time to change history once again. "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30, NIV)  When will that be? No one but God, the Father, knows.  But on some ordinary day, when the sun has risen just like a thousand days before, the sky will suddenly be lit up with a divine radiance and the King will return for His Church, to bring justice and peace for which those who love Him are longing.

Are you living on Heaven’s standard time? Is your heart beating in time with the Father’s heart, your steps ordered by the cadence that is called by the Spirit?

This Christmas week, as we bring Advent to a close with the celebration of the Birth of Jesus, let’s renew our hope in the Return of the King.

Here is a word from the Word.  "I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.

 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8, The Message)

Lord, give us ears to hear what You are saying to us.  Keep us ready for the moment when time is no more and the blessedness of Eternity envelopes us. Amen.

_______________

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,Born to set Thy people free.From our fears and sins release us,Let us find our rest in Thee.Israel's strength and consolation,Hope of all the earth Thou art.Dear desire of every nation,Joy of every longing heart. 

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone,
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Charles Wesley
Public Domain

An invitation to 'outsiders'

Do you ever feel like an ‘outsider?’  As conversation swirls around you, do you ever wonder, “where do I fit into this scene?”  I do!  I can connect in social settings that are shaped around my role as a pastor where I know where I fit and generally understand the expectations of other people. However, if you put me at a Christmas party my anxiety will rise as I deal with that old question for me, “Do I really belong here?”   

There were some men at the manger where Jesus was born that naturally did not fit in. What were shepherds doing there? Sheep herding was a menial job in Judah. They were rough, men who lived outside of regular society. The work was constant and kept them from the synagogue and from observing Jewish rituals so the smug Pharisees sniffed that shepherds were all sinners. But God chose to bring them into the scene.

Strangely, to our understanding, God chose these outsiders, these simple men to be the first to hear about a new era for humanity. "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." (Luke 2:9-10, NKJV) "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." (Luke 2:15-16, NKJV)

There’s a real lesson in His choice of an audience that night. God still seeks those marginalized, those pushed to the fringes, those without power or wealth. Unlike us, His creatures, He is not enamored with beauty, captivated by celebrity, or impressed by shiny gold. Our titles and resumes do not mean a thing to Him. Make of it what you will, there were no Pharisees (people admired for their devotion to religious detail) at the manger!  But, there were shepherds.

The faith of those men is implicit in the story. They did not form a study group to determine the authenticity of the  angelic appearance. They did not consult the local leadership guru about the best long term response. They received an invitation, exercised faith, and took off running. Luke tells us that “They came with haste.” Men who normally avoided society, who were used to rejection, who were obligated to make sure their flocks were safe, offered their hearts and witness to God’s amazing news of Earth’s redemption.

• Perhaps you are feeling a little marginalized by others? 
• Perhaps it is just a thing inside of you that insists you are not worthy of God’s love or His goodness? 
   
• Does some past sin haunt you and whisper to you that you are beyond the reach of grace because you are too bad, too sinful? 
   
• Do old rejections rise up to tell you that you are too old, too sick, too poor, too unattractive to come to worship the King of kings? 

People have lots of reasons (excuses) for not responding to God’s invitation to come to Jesus.  The shepherds standing around a new born baby sleeping in a manger of Bethlehem reminds us that we are never “too anything” to be beyond His love and grace.

Jesus Christ is ’ good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’  

Throughout His ministry, Jesus found common people - fishermen, laborers, social outcasts, street people - and He invited them to “Come, follow Me.”  When they did, He changed them, included them, and made them a new community which came to known as the Church, ‘the Ekklesia’ – the called out ones.

Are you a reluctant disciple (an oxymoron, really)? Are you eager to follow Him?

Are you a captive of fear, believing the lie that God does not care about you?

Are you tangled in the troubles of life, convinced by circumstances that you’re outside of the circle of God’s grace?

Here is a word from the Word. Silence the voice of rejection and come home to your Abba.
"But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us." (Ephesians 2:13-14, NLT)

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness." (Colossians 3:12-15, The Message)

Come running!  Don’t stop at the Manger.  Continue to the Cross where love spilled forgiveness, then move to the Empty Tomb that assures us of our final victory over sin, death, and Hell.

________________

O Come All Ye Faithful

O come all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him

Born the King of angels.

Yea Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning.

Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n.

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing.

O come let us adore Him.

O come let us adore Him.

O come let us adore Him,

Christ, the Lord!

C. Frederick Oakeley | John Francis Wade

Public Domain

Kneel before your King!

I am deeply suspicious of institutional power!  A person who is handed authority without any checks or balances in place is almost certain to eventually become a tyrant. History tells us that ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  Those who gain power tend to hold onto it and turn their position into a place for enriching themselves.  But there is One whose power I love and to Whom I willingly submit because He loves me and uses His sovereignty for my  good. He is my King. Jesus Christ, my Savior and King! 

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17, NIV)

That doxology was first written to pastor Timothy who found ministry difficult. Paul opens his letter to him urging him to stand up to the false teachers that opposed him and reminding him that God is greater than his own personal temptations.  Paul buttresses His appeal with a short testimony of his own. "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:15-16, NIV)  Then, he breaks into this shout of worship - "Deep honor and bright glory to the King of All Time— One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always. Oh, yes! " (1 Timothy 1:17, The Message)  If you’re where you can do it, read that line loudly, joyfully, declaring to all the world your praise for the King!

I love Jesus, the Man, who I meet in the Gospels. From those pages the mystery of “God Immanuel” (God present in my life) is handed to me. By faith, I receive that truth that He is my Savior.  The revelation of Jesus’ identity is not complete in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  In Revelation, we meet the Christ, the King.  Do you know this Jesus? "They (the evil of the world) will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:14, NIV) "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:11-14, NIV)  When I read that my heart leaps with joy, my faith stirs. 

He is a King who loves me, who uses His power benevolently for me. He will not oppress me. He raises me up. He extends His power to protect me and promises to bring me into His kingdom, under His reign. Is He YOUR King, too?  Today, I took all my trials, my fears, my foes and petitioned my King to intervene. What a release from fear and despair I found at the Throne of God.

As we celebrate Advent, worship the Jesus, our Immanuel here, and do not forget to “Crown Him King!”   

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17, NIV

___________

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the Newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the Newborn King

I cry, too

Thirty years ago while I served alongside of my father in ministry as an associate pastor, in a thriving church, I would sometimes go with him to funerals, to the hospitals, on visits to homes of the elderly. He often did something that acutely embarrassed me. He cried!  As he stood beside a hospital bed he would take the hand of a sick person and as he spoke to them, tears would slip down his cheeks.  When he held babies in dedication services, he would often weep. “What’s wrong with him?” I would wonder. “Can’t he control his emotions?”  He was not a weak man. Now I know the ‘why’ of those tears, because now I cry, too.

Dad chose tender over tough, opened his heart wide enough to let the pain, problems, hopes, and aspirations of others become part of who he was. He chose to experience life with those he served. He did not stand on sidelines, he was right in the game with them!  And, yes, his love for the flock he served had a down side for him. When people left the church (as people do), he was hurt and sometimes he allowed that pain to turn into anger. I used to urge him to ‘keep a professional distance.’  “Dad, you just can’t care that much for everybody. It’s going to kill you.”  But, he loved, worked, and tried to change the world right up to the end of his life. I understand all of it so much better now than I did when I was so ‘professional.’   

If the Church is going to be the living Body of Christ that she is supposed to be, we are going to love, laugh, cry, argue, and hang together just like any other human family. Sunday morning gatherings must not be a place where we show only our smiles, put on our game faces, polite like people at a rally. Those meetings should be much more like a family reunion – full of emotion, hugs, shared experiences of our Father’s love holding us together. Being the family of God does not just happen. Paul shows us an intentional choice that we make, over and over again. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." (Philippians 2:1-2, NIV)

The love that brings us together is not just a human thing. It is a demonstration of the Spirit’s life in us. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, when we accept His invitation to become new, when we receive the grace of God, we will become increasingly tender just like Him. Remember this - Jesus reserved anger for ‘professionals!’  Those religious men who so carefully controlled their lives, who worked so hard to keep every comma and period in the Law that they lost touch with the heart of God, earned only His scorn.  But, the broken people – those who were possessed by sin, who drank too much, who were beaten up by life – were the ones that He loved. And, yes, Jesus cried, too.

As I learned from watching my Dad, you can’t fake tenderness!  It comes from being willing to enter into the lives of others in a way that feels what they feel, that hopes for them when they can’t hope anymore, that believes God when they only doubt Him.  Authentic love comes only when we are able to admit that we are broken too. The Pharisees would never allow themselves to acknowledge their brokenness, their sinfulness. Jesus told them that when they found a person in need that their efforts to convert him would  “make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)  We need to look into the mirror, see what God sees, let Him break us from our pride, and take the healing love that He offers. We will become increasingly tender and that will make this true of us – “We love because He loved us first!”

Love is at the heart of the Gospel.  

Here is a word from the Word.  May it help us to be the tender-hearted children of God in a loveless world. "And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, NLT)

______

This Is Amazing Grace

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

 Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?Who leaves us breathless, in awe and wonder?The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

 This is amazing grace.This is unfailing love,That You would take my place,That You would bear my cross.You laid down Your lifeThat I would be set free.Oh Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me.

 Who brings our chaos back into order?Who makes the orphan a son and daughter?The King of Glory, the King of Glory!

 Who rules the nations with truth and justice,Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance?The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

Jeremy Riddle | Josh Farro | Phil Wickham
© 2012 Phil Wickham Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Bethel Music Publishing CCLI License # 810055