from baptist press
Mohler defends biblical authority,gospel exclusivity on 'Donahue' By Michael Foust
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--A lively televised debate about gospel exclusivity Dec. 17 resulted in a sharp contrast between traditional Christianity and liberal Protestantism.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. appeared in studio on MSNBC's "Donahue," defending the orthodox Christian belief that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. The program was broadcast live from the cable network's New York City studio.
Although Mohler was called a "spiritual racist" by a Jewish rabbi in the opening segment, it was a debate with a self-professed Christian later in the show that resulted in the most spirited exchange.
Mohler made it clear he believed "Jesus is the only way" and on several occasions quoted John 14:6.
But another guest, Union Theological Seminary (N.Y.) President Joseph Hough, took exception to evangelicals' beliefs, even saying that God could possibly be a "she."
"The basic problem I think here is that their God is too small," Hough said of evangelicals. "For me, I'm passionately Christian. I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus as the one who showed me the way. But I would be the last person to be so arrogant as to assert that my God has so little imagination that she or he could not reach out to other people in other cultures and other ways."
Host Phil Donahue followed by telling Hough, "You speak for me."
Hough also said that "those who claim that they know who is going to be saved" have scandalized Christ's name. "I think God knows who is going to be saved. I'm happy to leave it in God's hands," he said.
Mohler, trying to put the entire panel's debate in perspective a few segments later, said his views parallel the beliefs of the church since its inception.
"This is what Christianity has represented throughout the centuries," Mohler said. "That's just an historical fact. Liberal Protestants, like Dr. Hough, have moved away from a doctrine of biblical authority."
With Hough responding, "That's not true," Mohler posed a question: "Do you believe that Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by me?"
"I don't know whether Jesus said that or whether John wrote it," Hough responded.
Said Mohler: "[But] it was written in the Word."
"Don't you know about historical criticism?" Hough asked Mohler. "... Then you should read a little bit of that. If you did, then you would know that that book was written in the second century." Comments such as Hough's reflect historical critics' suspicion of the Bible's truthfulness by insisting it includes historical inaccuracies.
Mohler responded, "You take the Jesus of your scholarly imagination, and I'll take the Jesus of the gospel."
Hough, pointing to a Bible Mohler had brought, asked, "Do you believe that Bible literally?"
"Yes, I do," Mohler answered.
The entire program had similar clear divisions between panelists. Joining Mohler in representing traditional Christianity were Michael Brown, a Messianic Jew who is president of the Pensacola, Fla.,-based ICN (Israel, the Church and the Nation) Ministries. Flip Benham, president of the pro-life Operation Rescue, joined the discussion by remote.
Hough, Donahue and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach argued against Christianity's exclusive claims, saying such beliefs were dangerous and resulted in the Crusades and the
Holocaust.
Panelists fielded questions from Donahue, audience members and viewers.
Donahue opened the show by asking, "Why do evangelicals -- particularly Southern Baptists -- target Jews for conversion?" He then asked Mohler, "How do we get into heaven?"
"Only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ," Mohler said.
But Boteach, author of "Judaism for Everyone," strongly disagreed with Mohler's comments.
"Sadly, Reverend Mohler is a spiritual racist," he said, adding that Ku Klux Klan members once killed minorities in the name of Christ.
Mohler responded by saying that such a person was not a Christian in the first place.
"The Lord himself said we shall know them by their fruits," Mohler said. "Therefore, the authenticity of one who claims the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is demonstrated by ... his love for all persons -- including the Jews -- and his desire that they will come to Christ."
A discussion on judgment, heaven and hell dominated the program. At one point an audience member asked Boteach what he believed about Old Testament verses
describing "sin and judgment."
"Did you realize that I don't give a darn if I'm going to heaven or hell?" Boteach responded. "I didn't have children so that they look after me when I'm an old fool with drool coming out of my mouth. I had them because I love them. I serve God because I love him. ... Why are you so fixated with heaven and hell, punishment and sin?"
Speaking to Boteach, Brown said, "We're saying there is judgment. Everybody's sinned. Everybody's fallen short. It's true."
"What is this judgment thing?" Boteach asked, laughing. "[It's] all we hear."
Hough said he was "not interested in where we're going when we die. I'm much more interested in what our religion teaches how to live."
While some audience members supported traditional Christian beliefs, several expressed outrage at its claim of uniqueness. One said the panel's evangelicals "are more fanatical than half of the people who are causing problems in Israel and around the Arab world." Another audience member said the "saddest part of this entire discussion is that these young children of these bigots are being brought up to mimic and memorize and read [and] not to think for themselves."
Benham disagreed with the description.
"We don't force a dogma like the Ayatollah does, or like the Orthodox Jew does," he said. "Jesus says, 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' It's an invitation to the whole world."
An audience member asked Mohler if a serial killer who believed in Jesus could get into heaven.
"If we take the gospel seriously, it's impossible to imagine that one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and as his disciple could be a serial killer," Mohler said. "Then you have another question. After committing that sin, is it possible even for someone who has been a serial killer to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes. We are all sinners, and grace is to those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ -- serial killer, serial liar, serial sinner."
After fielding another hypothetical question about who gets into heaven, Mohler addressed the problem of man's sinfulness.
"The audience assumes what most people these days assume, and that is that the default position is [that people are] going to heaven," he said. "[However,] we are born sinners destined for hell. The miracle is that God loved us so much that he sent his Son so that all who believe in him might have life and life everlasting. That's the good news of the gospel."
Brown agreed, and spoke to the assertion that exclusive views are the cause of wars.
"There's been bloodshed under atheists, bloodshed under communists, Nazis," he said. "That's because human beings are fundamentally flawed -- created in God's image but fallen. We need help. ... Jesus in his extraordinary love died for our sins and says everybody can have a chance."
Pointing to a past comment by Mohler -- in which he said "the biggest problem with Islamic theology is that it kills the soul" -- Donahue challenged the Southern Seminary president to lose some of his "devotion" and work to harvest "love and understanding."
But Mohler said he was doing just that -- loving others.
"The most important thing we can do if we love persons is to tell them the truth, and I believe this is the truth based on God's Word," he said in a comment that elicited applause.
12/18/2002
preaching plans
disclaimer: the following agenda is subject to change pending an unforeseen movement of the will of the Holy Spirit
Following Christmas, I'll be preaching A Blockbuster Winter Sermon Series
Sermon will include:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Far From Heaven
Lord of the Rings
City of God
I did this once before, about two years ago (in Craig) and the messages seemed to make a connection
Back then, the messages were:
The Patriot (Daniel & Fiery Furnace -- Daniel 1)
The Perfect Storm (The Flood -- Genesis 6-9)
X-Men (living as a Christian -- Ephesians 5)
Gladiator (Samson -- Judges 16)
Following Christmas, I'll be preaching A Blockbuster Winter Sermon Series
Sermon will include:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Far From Heaven
Lord of the Rings
City of God
I did this once before, about two years ago (in Craig) and the messages seemed to make a connection
Back then, the messages were:
The Patriot (Daniel & Fiery Furnace -- Daniel 1)
The Perfect Storm (The Flood -- Genesis 6-9)
X-Men (living as a Christian -- Ephesians 5)
Gladiator (Samson -- Judges 16)
a shepherd's story
It was a night like no other, though I had done it a thousand times. The sheep calmly grazed by a bright star-filled night. My friends kept watch, commenting on the brilliance of one particular star overhead. I had just laid my head on a stone for a nap when a frightening light filled the air.
It was an angel, giving words of comfort.
Don't be afraid I bring good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
We still weren't quite so sure.
Suddenly, the angel was surrounded by a host from heaven, singing,
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men!
Then they were gone.
After we picked ourselves off the ground, I suggested we go to Bethlehem to find this infant who would give salvation to one like me.
Just like the angel said, when we went into town we found the baby.
Wrapped in swaddling cloths Lying in a manger
Gathering around the infant, we watched Him And we worshipped Him.
Coo Spit up Squeal with delight Cry in hunger
Then, He smiled at me, and dropped off to sleep.
He was ordinarily beautiful
After quietly stepping out, we ran through the streets telling everyone we met
It's hard to believe that was more than thirty years ago.
Just the other day, I watched from afar as Roman Centurians hammered spikes through the wrists and ankles of a rabble-rousing Rabbi. They nailed him to the cross.
His crime?
They called him a threat a blasphemer an agent of Satan.
Soon the crowds gathered to look at Him who they had pierced
mocking teasing scorning taunting
I was too far away to hear the words He spoke to two criminals on either side of Him.
One smiled peacefully in his last moments. The other wept bitterly in his.
This One in the middle abandoned by everyone. You know who He is
In the shadow of the cross, the manger seems so far away, so long ago.
And I couldn't go near I was filled with dread
After a horrible silence, He cried out
Then He was gone
Friends and followers later took and buried Him in a borrowed tomb.
But this morning, the most unusual thing happened
Mary, the one who was once a demon-possessed prostitute
Peter, the former fisherman
And the one Jesus loved like a brother I think his name is John
They've come, saying something amazing
They say His tomb is empty
Jesus
The baby born to a virgin
The child who amazed the scholars
The man who performed miracles - just to prove He could forgive sins
The Rabbi who frustrated the establishment
Is alive
He is the Savior!
Scared sheep don't make good hiding places.
It was an angel, giving words of comfort.
Don't be afraid I bring good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
We still weren't quite so sure.
Suddenly, the angel was surrounded by a host from heaven, singing,
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men!
Then they were gone.
After we picked ourselves off the ground, I suggested we go to Bethlehem to find this infant who would give salvation to one like me.
unclean unworthy a sinner
Just like the angel said, when we went into town we found the baby.
Wrapped in swaddling cloths Lying in a manger
Gathering around the infant, we watched Him And we worshipped Him.
Coo Spit up Squeal with delight Cry in hunger
Then, He smiled at me, and dropped off to sleep.
He was ordinarily beautiful
Regally plain
Divinely human
After quietly stepping out, we ran through the streets telling everyone we met
God has kept His promise!
He has sent His Savior!
To God be the glory!
It's hard to believe that was more than thirty years ago.
Just the other day, I watched from afar as Roman Centurians hammered spikes through the wrists and ankles of a rabble-rousing Rabbi. They nailed him to the cross.
His crime?
Teaching about God. Healing the sick. Providing miracles.
They called him a threat a blasphemer an agent of Satan.
Soon the crowds gathered to look at Him who they had pierced
mocking teasing scorning taunting
I was too far away to hear the words He spoke to two criminals on either side of Him.
One smiled peacefully in his last moments. The other wept bitterly in his.
This One in the middle abandoned by everyone. You know who He is
He was that baby
laying in the manger wrapped in swaddling cloths introduced by the angelic choir
His name was Jesus
In the shadow of the cross, the manger seems so far away, so long ago.
And I couldn't go near I was filled with dread
After a horrible silence, He cried out
it is finished
Then He was gone
Friends and followers later took and buried Him in a borrowed tomb.
that was three days ago
But this morning, the most unusual thing happened
Mary, the one who was once a demon-possessed prostitute
Peter, the former fisherman
And the one Jesus loved like a brother I think his name is John
They've come, saying something amazing
They say His tomb is empty
I had to see it for myself
The tomb is empty!
Jesus
The baby born to a virgin
The child who amazed the scholars
The man who performed miracles - just to prove He could forgive sins
The Rabbi who frustrated the establishment
Is alive
He is the Savior!
He is Lord!
He's alive!
signs of the impending apocalypse #13
it has to be a sign of the impending apocalypse if I can actually find, on the Internet, a sign of the impending apocalypse, right?
well, I give you...
well, I give you...
12/17/2002
baptist news
Roy Spannegel, an associate pastor at Riverside, has accepted a position on the Missouri Baptist Convention staff as associate director of missions and education (I'm not sure if that's the 'official' title). He is an awesome man of God, and Missouri will be blessed to have him.
Missouri: 1
Colorado: 0
Kingdom: we'll only know in eternity!
Missouri: 1
Colorado: 0
Kingdom: we'll only know in eternity!
12/16/2002
please pray for
Kim Gregorich....prayed to receive Christ as Savior yesterday. planning to be baptized on Sunday.
news of note
From Baptist Press: Ike Reighard joins HomeBanc as chief people officer.
ATLANTA (BP)--Well-known Southern Baptist pastor Ike Reighard has assumed the new position of chief people officer for HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., a loan company with nearly 1,000 employees and $5 billion in loans throughout the southeastern United States.
Reighard, 52, will be responsible for shepherding the company's corporate culture and honing ethical standards and leadership. He also will serve on the eight-member executive committee, a group of HomeBanc's highest-ranking executives.
Reighard, pastor of NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, Ga., near Atlanta, is a former president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference. He served as senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., from 1976-96 and at First Baptist Atlanta in 1996. He founded NorthStar in 1997 and the congregation has been among the fastest- growing church plants in the Southern Baptist Convention.
"There's been some significant gaps in character that's been displayed in leadership in corporate and government roles," HomeBanc chairman Patrick Flood told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "CEOs have gotten way too full of themselves, believing they're the success of the business. The fact is, we play a real role, but the real success are the people who do the heavy lifting -- the workers."
HomeBanc officials had gotten to know Reighard through the company's monthly Bible studies and Reighard's motivational talks to employees.
Reighard told the Journal-Constitution he believes his 28 years in the ministry will help him in his new job, which is chiefly about people. In addition to serving as senior pastor at NorthStar Church, he's adept in leadership and organizational behavior. He's already turned over day-to-day management of the church to others and will preach twice a month for a period of time.
A native of Andrews, N.C., Reighard earned an undergraduate degree from Mercer University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Luther Rice Seminary.
This is pretty cool news. The first time I met Ike Reighard was at the first wounded heroes retreat (now called wounded ministers), where he was one of the speakers, and I had been invited to come and cover the event for Baptist Press.
interlude #1: this was an awesome week for me as a young man entering the ministry. It was so powerful for me to be surrounded by two dozen ministers and spouses who were battling through being damaged in ministry. The Lord used that week to deal with me in my sinful way of "fighting to win." I learned that I was not immune from teh potential pitfalls of destruction.
interlude #2: The Ken Cooper Clinic in Dallas is one of the coolest places I've visited. Cooper is the guy who coined the term "aerobics" and is a pioneer in exercise science. I was out on a walk that week around the complex, and watched President Bush (41) cross my path, jogging with a contingent of Secret Service agents. Also, the guy who was the retired Ranger on Walker Texas Ranger (actor Noble Willingham, I've learned) lived there.
Anyway, back to the story -- Ike & Robin gave their testimonies at the Wounded Heroes retreat -- and their lives are phenomenal testimonies to the grace and mercy of God. I'm fascinated that HomeBanc has created this position for which he has been hired. Certainly, in light of Worldcom, Enron, et al., its not hard to understand why. The dynamics at play here are very intriguing, and the potential is limitless. This story has a 'Joseph'-type feel to it, in that Reighard will have a tremendous influence over the world's most important resource -- the human resource. It's easy to be excited for him because this ministry is unconventional, and it certainly is 'front line.'
postlude: the funniest story I remember him telling was that, as a new Christian, he was invited to preach. Scared silly, he invited the congregation to open to John 3, where he began preaching about the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus. The entire time Reighard pronounced his name Ni'.cod.um.us. (with a long 'i' and a short 'o'). At the end of the message, a congregant politely corrected him, saying the name is pronounced, "Ni.co'.dee.mus" (with a short 'i' and a long 'o'). His very slick reply was something like, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just pronouncing it using the common Greek form instead of the Americanized pronunciation." I'm never that quick on my feet.
Just last night in Bible study it took me (literally) five times to get out the word 'millennarianism' correctly. I sounded like Elmer Fudd after 4 cups of coffee.
ATLANTA (BP)--Well-known Southern Baptist pastor Ike Reighard has assumed the new position of chief people officer for HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., a loan company with nearly 1,000 employees and $5 billion in loans throughout the southeastern United States.
Reighard, 52, will be responsible for shepherding the company's corporate culture and honing ethical standards and leadership. He also will serve on the eight-member executive committee, a group of HomeBanc's highest-ranking executives.
Reighard, pastor of NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, Ga., near Atlanta, is a former president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference. He served as senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., from 1976-96 and at First Baptist Atlanta in 1996. He founded NorthStar in 1997 and the congregation has been among the fastest- growing church plants in the Southern Baptist Convention.
"There's been some significant gaps in character that's been displayed in leadership in corporate and government roles," HomeBanc chairman Patrick Flood told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "CEOs have gotten way too full of themselves, believing they're the success of the business. The fact is, we play a real role, but the real success are the people who do the heavy lifting -- the workers."
HomeBanc officials had gotten to know Reighard through the company's monthly Bible studies and Reighard's motivational talks to employees.
Reighard told the Journal-Constitution he believes his 28 years in the ministry will help him in his new job, which is chiefly about people. In addition to serving as senior pastor at NorthStar Church, he's adept in leadership and organizational behavior. He's already turned over day-to-day management of the church to others and will preach twice a month for a period of time.
A native of Andrews, N.C., Reighard earned an undergraduate degree from Mercer University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Luther Rice Seminary.
This is pretty cool news. The first time I met Ike Reighard was at the first wounded heroes retreat (now called wounded ministers), where he was one of the speakers, and I had been invited to come and cover the event for Baptist Press.
interlude #1: this was an awesome week for me as a young man entering the ministry. It was so powerful for me to be surrounded by two dozen ministers and spouses who were battling through being damaged in ministry. The Lord used that week to deal with me in my sinful way of "fighting to win." I learned that I was not immune from teh potential pitfalls of destruction.
interlude #2: The Ken Cooper Clinic in Dallas is one of the coolest places I've visited. Cooper is the guy who coined the term "aerobics" and is a pioneer in exercise science. I was out on a walk that week around the complex, and watched President Bush (41) cross my path, jogging with a contingent of Secret Service agents. Also, the guy who was the retired Ranger on Walker Texas Ranger (actor Noble Willingham, I've learned) lived there.
Anyway, back to the story -- Ike & Robin gave their testimonies at the Wounded Heroes retreat -- and their lives are phenomenal testimonies to the grace and mercy of God. I'm fascinated that HomeBanc has created this position for which he has been hired. Certainly, in light of Worldcom, Enron, et al., its not hard to understand why. The dynamics at play here are very intriguing, and the potential is limitless. This story has a 'Joseph'-type feel to it, in that Reighard will have a tremendous influence over the world's most important resource -- the human resource. It's easy to be excited for him because this ministry is unconventional, and it certainly is 'front line.'
postlude: the funniest story I remember him telling was that, as a new Christian, he was invited to preach. Scared silly, he invited the congregation to open to John 3, where he began preaching about the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus. The entire time Reighard pronounced his name Ni'.cod.um.us. (with a long 'i' and a short 'o'). At the end of the message, a congregant politely corrected him, saying the name is pronounced, "Ni.co'.dee.mus" (with a short 'i' and a long 'o'). His very slick reply was something like, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just pronouncing it using the common Greek form instead of the Americanized pronunciation." I'm never that quick on my feet.
Just last night in Bible study it took me (literally) five times to get out the word 'millennarianism' correctly. I sounded like Elmer Fudd after 4 cups of coffee.
spreading the cheer
from my dad in the email....slightly edited
I went to the store the other day, and I was in there for only about five minutes. When I came out there was a motorcycle cop writing a parking ticket. So I went up to him and said, "Come on, buddy, how about giving a guy a break?" He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. So I called him a pencil-necked Nazi. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for worn tires! So I called him another choice name. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket! This went on for about 20 minutes... the more I abused him, the more tickets he wrote. I didn't care.
My car was parked around the corner....I try to have a little fun each day. It's important.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
I went to the store the other day, and I was in there for only about five minutes. When I came out there was a motorcycle cop writing a parking ticket. So I went up to him and said, "Come on, buddy, how about giving a guy a break?" He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. So I called him a pencil-necked Nazi. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for worn tires! So I called him another choice name. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket! This went on for about 20 minutes... the more I abused him, the more tickets he wrote. I didn't care.
My car was parked around the corner....I try to have a little fun each day. It's important.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
point/counterpoint
both from mikey's funnies at youth specialties
Point:
Why Santa is a Man!
By Bill Helker
1. Santa lives at the North Pole.
Anyone who has ever dated/married/been in the same room with a woman knows that unless the air temperature is high enough to cook a small turkey, she will complain about it being too cold. So, there is NO way she would choose the North Pole as her base of operations. The Bahamas would be more to her taste.
2. Santa is fat and jolly.
I dare ANYONE to describe ANY woman as "fat and jolly" to her face and expect to survive! If Santa was a woman, and you refereed to her as this, you wouldn't find coal in your stocking, you'd find a pipe-bomb!
3. Santa at the mall.
Now, I know that others have used the "Mall" example as proof that Santa is a woman. However, you see both men and women at the mall. And let me ask you this...What does Santa DO at the mall??? HE SITS DOWN!!! Do you ever see women sitting down at the mall??? Noooo! Women are running around trying to find a dust ruffle that matches the throw pillows on her sister's day-bed! Men sit...Santa sits. 'nuff said.
4. Santa walks around on rooftops.
I don't know about you, but my wife REFUSES to get on the roof! If there is anything to be done up there, she sends me. In fact, I don't think I have EVER seen a woman up on a roof. The fact that Santa is perfectly comfortable walking around on a slippery, angled housetop is further proof that he is a "He!"
5. Santa likes Milk and Cookies.
If Santa were a woman, we'd have to leave Godiva Chocolate and International Foods Flavored Coffee. Or maybe herbal tea. Of course, if she was still sensitive about the whole "Fat and Jolly" thing, she would demand nothing more than a carrot stick and a glass of water.
6. Santa uses the Chimney.
No woman would ever THINK about crawling into a dirty, smelly chimney. A woman would carry a spare set of keys for every house. Of course, this would never work because she wouldn't be able to find them in her purse.
7. Santa has reindeer.
Reindeer are totally for guys; they are big, hairy, smelly, and have huge antlers. A woman would never use them. She would prefer to be driven around in a stretch limo. Or, if she really wanted to use the traditional sleigh, they would have to be pulled by horses. I mean, what is it with women and horses??
And that's why Santa is a man!
Copyright 2002 Bill Helker. Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
Counterpoint: SANTA IS A WOMAN
Santa is a woman
I'm convinced it must be true
So many things he takes credit for
Most men just will not do
He spends his days in shopping malls
Passing out candy and gum sticks
He gabs with moms and kids alike
And takes great party pics
Santa always keeps a list
And always checks it twice
Why, isn't that the story
Of every woman's life?
Santa's into arts and crafts
He's always making toys
And he keeps tabs on all the neighborhood kids
Knows the nice girls and boys
Santa likes to decorate
They say he has a flair
He can do the trees all by himself
Knows which ornament goes where
Santa does not mind asking directions
There's a lot of deliveries, you know
To houses all over the universe
In cities high and low
Santa makes a fashion statement
That few other men would copy
In a fur-trimmed suit of velvet red
Never wrinkled, never sloppy
Yes, Santa Claus there is a Virginia
And a Mary, Sue and Jane
You must know all of them quite well
For you are much the same
Santa has to be a woman
It's the only thing that's right
Who else would work on holiday presents
All hours of the night
Copyright 2000 Laura Walton. Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
Point:
Why Santa is a Man!
By Bill Helker
1. Santa lives at the North Pole.
Anyone who has ever dated/married/been in the same room with a woman knows that unless the air temperature is high enough to cook a small turkey, she will complain about it being too cold. So, there is NO way she would choose the North Pole as her base of operations. The Bahamas would be more to her taste.
2. Santa is fat and jolly.
I dare ANYONE to describe ANY woman as "fat and jolly" to her face and expect to survive! If Santa was a woman, and you refereed to her as this, you wouldn't find coal in your stocking, you'd find a pipe-bomb!
3. Santa at the mall.
Now, I know that others have used the "Mall" example as proof that Santa is a woman. However, you see both men and women at the mall. And let me ask you this...What does Santa DO at the mall??? HE SITS DOWN!!! Do you ever see women sitting down at the mall??? Noooo! Women are running around trying to find a dust ruffle that matches the throw pillows on her sister's day-bed! Men sit...Santa sits. 'nuff said.
4. Santa walks around on rooftops.
I don't know about you, but my wife REFUSES to get on the roof! If there is anything to be done up there, she sends me. In fact, I don't think I have EVER seen a woman up on a roof. The fact that Santa is perfectly comfortable walking around on a slippery, angled housetop is further proof that he is a "He!"
5. Santa likes Milk and Cookies.
If Santa were a woman, we'd have to leave Godiva Chocolate and International Foods Flavored Coffee. Or maybe herbal tea. Of course, if she was still sensitive about the whole "Fat and Jolly" thing, she would demand nothing more than a carrot stick and a glass of water.
6. Santa uses the Chimney.
No woman would ever THINK about crawling into a dirty, smelly chimney. A woman would carry a spare set of keys for every house. Of course, this would never work because she wouldn't be able to find them in her purse.
7. Santa has reindeer.
Reindeer are totally for guys; they are big, hairy, smelly, and have huge antlers. A woman would never use them. She would prefer to be driven around in a stretch limo. Or, if she really wanted to use the traditional sleigh, they would have to be pulled by horses. I mean, what is it with women and horses??
And that's why Santa is a man!
Copyright 2002 Bill Helker. Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
Counterpoint: SANTA IS A WOMAN
Santa is a woman
I'm convinced it must be true
So many things he takes credit for
Most men just will not do
He spends his days in shopping malls
Passing out candy and gum sticks
He gabs with moms and kids alike
And takes great party pics
Santa always keeps a list
And always checks it twice
Why, isn't that the story
Of every woman's life?
Santa's into arts and crafts
He's always making toys
And he keeps tabs on all the neighborhood kids
Knows the nice girls and boys
Santa likes to decorate
They say he has a flair
He can do the trees all by himself
Knows which ornament goes where
Santa does not mind asking directions
There's a lot of deliveries, you know
To houses all over the universe
In cities high and low
Santa makes a fashion statement
That few other men would copy
In a fur-trimmed suit of velvet red
Never wrinkled, never sloppy
Yes, Santa Claus there is a Virginia
And a Mary, Sue and Jane
You must know all of them quite well
For you are much the same
Santa has to be a woman
It's the only thing that's right
Who else would work on holiday presents
All hours of the night
Copyright 2000 Laura Walton. Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
12/15/2002
who's happier
From NBC: Gore not to run in 2k4
like an old optical illusion
whose smile is larger, the Dems' or the GOP's?
Though I don't think I'm saying much, I really thought he was the most viable Dem candidate.
But much can happen in two years. As we have already seen.
like an old optical illusion
whose smile is larger, the Dems' or the GOP's?
Though I don't think I'm saying much, I really thought he was the most viable Dem candidate.
But much can happen in two years. As we have already seen.
uh oh
someone brought this yummy little sausage biscuits for our Sunday School breakfast.
I had 3
now I have heartburn.
Just in time for worship.
I had 3
now I have heartburn.
Just in time for worship.
my 2 cents
insomnia hit last night...until I got sleepy.
in that time of awaked-ness, I watched Al Gore on SNL. I was mildly amused at most his material. I didn't care for his Trent Lott impersonation, and not because it wasn't any good. It was just mean-spirited. Lott certainly can blame only himself for the avalanche of criticism. I just don't like the "kick-em-while-they're down" attitude. This Lott issue has illustrated the difference (IMHO) between conservatives and liberals. When liberals make similar statements, they receive 'protection' from colleagues and media. When a conservative chokes on his Nikes, there is no rest or quarter to be found anywhere. This is not a complaint of "poor conservatives." I'm actually pleased that conservatives are holding Lott accountable, although I don't think he deserves the lynching that some suggest. Al Sharpton has acted like this is the greatest offense in the last since MLK's assassination.
I don't know what the stupidest thing I've ever said is. The very first sermon I preached I blurted out 'circumcision' for no real relevant reason. But I know I'm not always the witty erudite sophisticate that I seem to be.
I recently finished Ann Coulter's book Slander. It's an interesting read because she has done so much research to back up what she says. It's a difficult read because she's guilty of the same mean-spiritedness that I mentioned earlier. Wading through that part of it though, are many interesting points that are contextually relevant.
"that's all I have to say about that." -- Forrest Gump
in that time of awaked-ness, I watched Al Gore on SNL. I was mildly amused at most his material. I didn't care for his Trent Lott impersonation, and not because it wasn't any good. It was just mean-spirited. Lott certainly can blame only himself for the avalanche of criticism. I just don't like the "kick-em-while-they're down" attitude. This Lott issue has illustrated the difference (IMHO) between conservatives and liberals. When liberals make similar statements, they receive 'protection' from colleagues and media. When a conservative chokes on his Nikes, there is no rest or quarter to be found anywhere. This is not a complaint of "poor conservatives." I'm actually pleased that conservatives are holding Lott accountable, although I don't think he deserves the lynching that some suggest. Al Sharpton has acted like this is the greatest offense in the last since MLK's assassination.
I don't know what the stupidest thing I've ever said is. The very first sermon I preached I blurted out 'circumcision' for no real relevant reason. But I know I'm not always the witty erudite sophisticate that I seem to be.
I recently finished Ann Coulter's book Slander. It's an interesting read because she has done so much research to back up what she says. It's a difficult read because she's guilty of the same mean-spiritedness that I mentioned earlier. Wading through that part of it though, are many interesting points that are contextually relevant.
"that's all I have to say about that." -- Forrest Gump
two presents
This year's Christmas is special to us for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is special because it will be the first Christmas we'll be celebrating in our own home since our house fire of 2000. We love spending our holidays with our parents and extended family, but there certainly is much joy found in establishing our own memories and experiences in our own home. We're very much looking forward to that.
But another reason why we're really looking forward to this Christmas season is because this is the time of the year when we get to introduce Kelsi to the world. We decided this year not to send out birth announcements when she was born in February. Instead, we just determined to wait until sending out our annual Christmas card picture with this precious nine-month old little girl joining her brother and sister dressed in Christmas finery. Just this past Wednesday, we got everyone all spiffed up and arranged for the annual wrestling match we lovingly call "photo time."
Our mission that we choose to accept each and every year is to take one roll, 24 photos, of our children. Also, I do my best to accomplish this without losing my patience, my temper, or my mind. This year's attempt didn't start off that well because I told Kaylyn her smile looked fake, which broke her heart, and I had to spend adequate time consoling her and making sure she now didn't look "splotchy" for the photo. Once that drama was resolved, we snapped an impressive seven photos before Kelsi determined she had done her time, and she was making a break for it. We managed to placate her, or more accurately, managed to redirect her attention, and get the rest of the role. And Cotter, for all the times I have commented on his being an adventurous little boy, I must tell you, he was great. And he made sure to let us know just how good he was being.
Last week, we began our countdown to Christmas at our church by looking at the scriptures that share the details of Christ's coming and the visitation of the magi. Today, we're moving from the book of Matthew to the book of Luke and we'll see look at the spiritual truths behind the presentation of Jesus by Mary and Joseph in the temple, and the reaction His presentation caused by two of those who were worshipping there at the time. Read with me, from Luke 2:21-38:
First, we see this principle of obedience exemplified in several acts of obedience. Beginning with verse 21, we discover that Jesus lived a life that was defined by obedience. Jesus had the blessing of being born into a family where His parents desired to obey God. They, according to the law established in Leviticus 12:3, waited eight days to have their son circumcised by the high priest. We also see that, according to the same section of law, they waited an additional 33 days (40 days total) until Mary was no longer ceremonial unclean before they brought Him to the temple for his ritualized circumcision. They made the appropriate sin offering, and even had obediently given Him the name told to them by the angel in chapter 1 verse 31.
It was in this context of obedience that they have this interesting encounter with the man named Simeon. This is what we know about Simeon. He was just and devout. This meant he was obedient to the law. He was well respected and known as one who sought to live according to the law that God had given.
We also see that the outgrowth or purpose of his life was given to the waiting for the one who would be known as the Consolation of Israel. This man had invested his life in seeing the one God had promised as the Messiah. He wasn't playing church games. He wasn't trying to look important. He was just a man who reverently worshipped God, and was counting on God to fulfill His promises.
We see one other important detail - the Holy Spirit was upon him. Oh, what blessed words to have associated to one's identity. He wasn't a man who was operating in his flesh. He was being led by God, guided by the Holy Spirit. And we see that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his life's pursuit would not be unfulfilled. He would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ.
It is under the dictates of this promise that the Holy Spirit led Simeon into the temple. Turn in your Bible to the book of Malachi, chapter 3, and read verse one along with me:
"Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. behold, He is coming,'' says the Lord of hosts. (Mal. 3:1)
Did Simeon know this Scripture? I don't know, but I think he probably did. He was righteous. He was just. He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Lord's Christ before dying. So, I imagine it was with great expectation and anticipation that Simeon made his way to the temple.
And it was when he walked in to the temple, he encountered this couple that had brought their 40-day-old child to do for Him what was right according to the custom of the Law. We see in this verse that their motivation was to do the right thing. They weren't motivated by the ceremony itself, they just knew it was their responsibility to obey the Lord. It's clear that obedience was a very compelling factor to them. And it counters the argument that they were the biblical equivalent to today's counter-culture rebels. They weren't hippies trying to 'bring down the system.' They were seeking to obey the law, to honor God, and to do what was right.
It was in this context of obedience that they encountered Simeon. Now, let's see the observations of this man of God.
First, Simeon makes observations of fulfilled promises. Listen to what he says in verses 29-32. He is declaring that God has been faithful. God can be trusted. He has fulfilled His promises. He has provided His salvation. He has brought the light of the world to the world, to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and glory to Israel.
Then, Simeon offers observations of future promises to Mary. I find it interesting that Simeon is only addressing Mary, perhaps because of the Holy Spirits foreknowledge that Joseph will at some point die early in the life of Jesus. But Simeon offers these words (verse 34-35). He offers a prophecy that is an echo of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. And we discover, thanks to the hindsight of 2000 years, that these promises told for the future here, will be fulfilled scarcely three decades later.
There's a point to all this - not just that Jesus obeyed the law, that He never broke it. The point is not that they met a real swell guy who had some interesting things to say. The point of all this is that Jesus, from the moment of His birth, to the moment of His death, satisfied the religious requirements of God. The book of Hebrews tells us that all the Old Testament sacrifices were insufficient because the priest making the sin offering sacrifice was not himself sinless. That changed with Jesus. He was born sinless and He remained sinless throughout His life. He's the only One in all of history to accomplish it. Accordingly, when He brought His sin offering to the altar, for the first and only time in all of history, it was sufficient.
Following their encounter with Simeon, Jesus, Mary and Joseph then encounter Anna, and when they encounter Anna, we discover that Jesus not only provides religious satisfaction, but He also provides relational satisfaction. Let's look at that second presentation now.
Just as God was good enough to give us some background information on Simeon, He does the same with Anna. We see that she's a prophetess. She comes from a priestly lineage, and that she was what we'd label today as "spiritual." She was an old gal. Scholars are divided on whether she was 84 years old, or if she had been a widow for 84 years. But either way, Anna was a lady who had been around for a while. And the Word says that she was a woman who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers day and night.
Before we go on, I want to pause here to note that Anna was a woman who understood something important. She was a woman who had lived a life dedicated to serving God. Now here she was as a senior lady, and she gives us an example to live by. She wasn't focused on what she was once able to do, but now is unable to do. She certainly hadn't taken the position that "she had done her time," and had earned her spiritual retirement. She had determined that she still had a place of service, and her mission service was to serve as a prayer warrior.
Now, we see, through this presentation of Jesus to Anna two wonderful truths worth embracing today. First, we see that from the beginning of His life, Jesus made a practice of encountering the faithful. It was Jesus Himself who said, "draw near all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus has said He will be closer to you than a brother, and that He has chosen to make your very body His dwelling place. God has ordained to encounter His creation. When you read in the book of Acts, Paul preached to a group of people in the areopagus in Athens who were worshipping at a false altar that bore the inscription, "to the unknown god." We know that this is not true god, because God has ordained to make Himself known to His creation.
Friends things are no different today. New Age theology isn't so "new," after all. We see that this is much of what New Age theology teaches - that God is some "unknowable force." That He is not personal, but just a part of a larger collective spiritual entity. But this is not the God I know. The God I know has constantly and continually sought out a relationship with man. He was the one who called Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and countless others by name. He is the one who revealed Himself and His glorious plan to His prophets. He is the One who spoke with David, a man after His heart. He is the one who was presented in the temple to the faithful. First to Simeon, and then to Anna, two faithful servants of God, who weren't interested in religion, but were instead consumed with redemption.
And we also see that God encourages us toward fellowship. The next thing Anna did was this: she went and told everyone she could find who was interested in the redemption of Israel. The natural response to a faithful person encountering God was for that faithful person to go and initiate purposeful fellowship with others. She didn't stay in the temple, which had been her practice for quite some time (since that was the detail used to primarily describe her).
For her entire life, Anna had lived a life in expectation and hope that God would send the Messiah He had been promising for thousands of years. And when He did, God chose to send the Messiah first as a baby. And that was okay with Anna. She didn't place expectations on God. She didn't have a preconceived mind set on what the Messiah would look like, how old He would be, and what His reign would consist of. She was open to whatever God had determined was appropriate. And when He sent the Messiah, she knew it was time to tell others.
This is what she didn't do: She didn't stay in the temple. She didn't start up a Bible study class that just talked about what it meant now that He was there. She didn't keep the news to herself. She didn't think her job was done. She was a woman who is much like our awesome group of senior adult ladies - she was a woman on a mission. She had renewed purpose. She had focus. She had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop her from doing it.
Here is the point - Jesus was not only Messiah because He satisfied all the religious requirements, but also because He satisfied all the relational requirements, too. The Bible says that over the course of His life, He was tempted in all ways that a man could be tempted, yet He never sinned. Do you know the only way that is possible is through interacting with humans? When Jesus was presented to Simeon and to Anna, it was the introduction to the religious world of God, in the flesh. And thus began a thirty year relationship with God interacting with sinful man. Jesus, this infant became the man who was known as a friend to sinners. He was identified as the one who hung out in the leper colonies, who dined with tax collectors. He befriended a harlot. He walked the back alleys and stopped at the healing pools. Why? Because He loved people. He was the God who was seeking out the weakest, most feeble, the most hurting, the most needy, the lost. From this very encounter, we see that God made a practice of revealing Himself not to the proud, not to the self-sufficient, but instead to those who were seeking Him.
But another reason why we're really looking forward to this Christmas season is because this is the time of the year when we get to introduce Kelsi to the world. We decided this year not to send out birth announcements when she was born in February. Instead, we just determined to wait until sending out our annual Christmas card picture with this precious nine-month old little girl joining her brother and sister dressed in Christmas finery. Just this past Wednesday, we got everyone all spiffed up and arranged for the annual wrestling match we lovingly call "photo time."
Our mission that we choose to accept each and every year is to take one roll, 24 photos, of our children. Also, I do my best to accomplish this without losing my patience, my temper, or my mind. This year's attempt didn't start off that well because I told Kaylyn her smile looked fake, which broke her heart, and I had to spend adequate time consoling her and making sure she now didn't look "splotchy" for the photo. Once that drama was resolved, we snapped an impressive seven photos before Kelsi determined she had done her time, and she was making a break for it. We managed to placate her, or more accurately, managed to redirect her attention, and get the rest of the role. And Cotter, for all the times I have commented on his being an adventurous little boy, I must tell you, he was great. And he made sure to let us know just how good he was being.
Last week, we began our countdown to Christmas at our church by looking at the scriptures that share the details of Christ's coming and the visitation of the magi. Today, we're moving from the book of Matthew to the book of Luke and we'll see look at the spiritual truths behind the presentation of Jesus by Mary and Joseph in the temple, and the reaction His presentation caused by two of those who were worshipping there at the time. Read with me, from Luke 2:21-38:
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord''), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'' And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.'' And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'' Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.Let's look at the first presentation, when Jesus, the Christ child is presented to Simeon. We see that this presentation accomplishes religious satisfaction. You see, God for about 4000 years had been running the earth using a according to a system that was designed to show humanity that they couldn't get to heaven on their own. And as such, He had established a series of laws that regulated and detailed every aspect of life. What we see as we look at this passage is that Jesus, the infant, satisfied every religious regulation under which He existed.
First, we see this principle of obedience exemplified in several acts of obedience. Beginning with verse 21, we discover that Jesus lived a life that was defined by obedience. Jesus had the blessing of being born into a family where His parents desired to obey God. They, according to the law established in Leviticus 12:3, waited eight days to have their son circumcised by the high priest. We also see that, according to the same section of law, they waited an additional 33 days (40 days total) until Mary was no longer ceremonial unclean before they brought Him to the temple for his ritualized circumcision. They made the appropriate sin offering, and even had obediently given Him the name told to them by the angel in chapter 1 verse 31.
It was in this context of obedience that they have this interesting encounter with the man named Simeon. This is what we know about Simeon. He was just and devout. This meant he was obedient to the law. He was well respected and known as one who sought to live according to the law that God had given.
We also see that the outgrowth or purpose of his life was given to the waiting for the one who would be known as the Consolation of Israel. This man had invested his life in seeing the one God had promised as the Messiah. He wasn't playing church games. He wasn't trying to look important. He was just a man who reverently worshipped God, and was counting on God to fulfill His promises.
We see one other important detail - the Holy Spirit was upon him. Oh, what blessed words to have associated to one's identity. He wasn't a man who was operating in his flesh. He was being led by God, guided by the Holy Spirit. And we see that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his life's pursuit would not be unfulfilled. He would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ.
It is under the dictates of this promise that the Holy Spirit led Simeon into the temple. Turn in your Bible to the book of Malachi, chapter 3, and read verse one along with me:
"Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. behold, He is coming,'' says the Lord of hosts. (Mal. 3:1)
Did Simeon know this Scripture? I don't know, but I think he probably did. He was righteous. He was just. He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Lord's Christ before dying. So, I imagine it was with great expectation and anticipation that Simeon made his way to the temple.
And it was when he walked in to the temple, he encountered this couple that had brought their 40-day-old child to do for Him what was right according to the custom of the Law. We see in this verse that their motivation was to do the right thing. They weren't motivated by the ceremony itself, they just knew it was their responsibility to obey the Lord. It's clear that obedience was a very compelling factor to them. And it counters the argument that they were the biblical equivalent to today's counter-culture rebels. They weren't hippies trying to 'bring down the system.' They were seeking to obey the law, to honor God, and to do what was right.
It was in this context of obedience that they encountered Simeon. Now, let's see the observations of this man of God.
First, Simeon makes observations of fulfilled promises. Listen to what he says in verses 29-32. He is declaring that God has been faithful. God can be trusted. He has fulfilled His promises. He has provided His salvation. He has brought the light of the world to the world, to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and glory to Israel.
Then, Simeon offers observations of future promises to Mary. I find it interesting that Simeon is only addressing Mary, perhaps because of the Holy Spirits foreknowledge that Joseph will at some point die early in the life of Jesus. But Simeon offers these words (verse 34-35). He offers a prophecy that is an echo of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. And we discover, thanks to the hindsight of 2000 years, that these promises told for the future here, will be fulfilled scarcely three decades later.
There's a point to all this - not just that Jesus obeyed the law, that He never broke it. The point is not that they met a real swell guy who had some interesting things to say. The point of all this is that Jesus, from the moment of His birth, to the moment of His death, satisfied the religious requirements of God. The book of Hebrews tells us that all the Old Testament sacrifices were insufficient because the priest making the sin offering sacrifice was not himself sinless. That changed with Jesus. He was born sinless and He remained sinless throughout His life. He's the only One in all of history to accomplish it. Accordingly, when He brought His sin offering to the altar, for the first and only time in all of history, it was sufficient.
Following their encounter with Simeon, Jesus, Mary and Joseph then encounter Anna, and when they encounter Anna, we discover that Jesus not only provides religious satisfaction, but He also provides relational satisfaction. Let's look at that second presentation now.
Just as God was good enough to give us some background information on Simeon, He does the same with Anna. We see that she's a prophetess. She comes from a priestly lineage, and that she was what we'd label today as "spiritual." She was an old gal. Scholars are divided on whether she was 84 years old, or if she had been a widow for 84 years. But either way, Anna was a lady who had been around for a while. And the Word says that she was a woman who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers day and night.
Before we go on, I want to pause here to note that Anna was a woman who understood something important. She was a woman who had lived a life dedicated to serving God. Now here she was as a senior lady, and she gives us an example to live by. She wasn't focused on what she was once able to do, but now is unable to do. She certainly hadn't taken the position that "she had done her time," and had earned her spiritual retirement. She had determined that she still had a place of service, and her mission service was to serve as a prayer warrior.
Now, we see, through this presentation of Jesus to Anna two wonderful truths worth embracing today. First, we see that from the beginning of His life, Jesus made a practice of encountering the faithful. It was Jesus Himself who said, "draw near all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus has said He will be closer to you than a brother, and that He has chosen to make your very body His dwelling place. God has ordained to encounter His creation. When you read in the book of Acts, Paul preached to a group of people in the areopagus in Athens who were worshipping at a false altar that bore the inscription, "to the unknown god." We know that this is not true god, because God has ordained to make Himself known to His creation.
Friends things are no different today. New Age theology isn't so "new," after all. We see that this is much of what New Age theology teaches - that God is some "unknowable force." That He is not personal, but just a part of a larger collective spiritual entity. But this is not the God I know. The God I know has constantly and continually sought out a relationship with man. He was the one who called Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and countless others by name. He is the one who revealed Himself and His glorious plan to His prophets. He is the One who spoke with David, a man after His heart. He is the one who was presented in the temple to the faithful. First to Simeon, and then to Anna, two faithful servants of God, who weren't interested in religion, but were instead consumed with redemption.
And we also see that God encourages us toward fellowship. The next thing Anna did was this: she went and told everyone she could find who was interested in the redemption of Israel. The natural response to a faithful person encountering God was for that faithful person to go and initiate purposeful fellowship with others. She didn't stay in the temple, which had been her practice for quite some time (since that was the detail used to primarily describe her).
For her entire life, Anna had lived a life in expectation and hope that God would send the Messiah He had been promising for thousands of years. And when He did, God chose to send the Messiah first as a baby. And that was okay with Anna. She didn't place expectations on God. She didn't have a preconceived mind set on what the Messiah would look like, how old He would be, and what His reign would consist of. She was open to whatever God had determined was appropriate. And when He sent the Messiah, she knew it was time to tell others.
This is what she didn't do: She didn't stay in the temple. She didn't start up a Bible study class that just talked about what it meant now that He was there. She didn't keep the news to herself. She didn't think her job was done. She was a woman who is much like our awesome group of senior adult ladies - she was a woman on a mission. She had renewed purpose. She had focus. She had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop her from doing it.
Here is the point - Jesus was not only Messiah because He satisfied all the religious requirements, but also because He satisfied all the relational requirements, too. The Bible says that over the course of His life, He was tempted in all ways that a man could be tempted, yet He never sinned. Do you know the only way that is possible is through interacting with humans? When Jesus was presented to Simeon and to Anna, it was the introduction to the religious world of God, in the flesh. And thus began a thirty year relationship with God interacting with sinful man. Jesus, this infant became the man who was known as a friend to sinners. He was identified as the one who hung out in the leper colonies, who dined with tax collectors. He befriended a harlot. He walked the back alleys and stopped at the healing pools. Why? Because He loved people. He was the God who was seeking out the weakest, most feeble, the most hurting, the most needy, the lost. From this very encounter, we see that God made a practice of revealing Himself not to the proud, not to the self-sufficient, but instead to those who were seeking Him.
12/14/2002
the gospel according to cotter
from the mouth of my son
"This is the part where Baby Jesus is on the rocket ship."
"This is the part where Baby Jesus is on the rocket ship."
12/13/2002
a word or two on m&ms
I wasn't planning on blogging any more today, but I read this, and I was inspired (or maybe you should be the judge of that).
I play a game with candy. I will put two differently colored m&ms in my mouth and see which color's "hard candy shell" lasts longer. It becomes the winner. Then, I take another of that winning color and introduce it to the challenge of a new color. The final color to win is the grand champion. I've been told that all the brain power wasted on this diversion could light a 100 watt bulb for approximately 7 1/2 minutes.
other thoughts about m&ms
-- Kaylyn & I have an ongoing debate. She, a traditionalist, calls them m&ms. I believe they should only be called ms. There is only one m stamped on the shell. It is an m. Where two or more are gathered, they are m & ms.
-- m &ms are best when added to a freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn. We thank my parents for this discovery. Try it. In a bowl -- not the bag (too messy). Especially when watching a movie.
-- the official m&m candy website is hard to find. It's not this or this or this
-- m&ms are not just a tasty treat, they are also offer a wdie variety of non-caloric enjoyment, too.
-- you can special order m& ms. Orange and blue for the Broncos. Red, white & Blue for America. Red & Green for Christmas. but be prepared to pay a pretty penny.
wow. I didn't know had had so much to say on this issue.
I play a game with candy. I will put two differently colored m&ms in my mouth and see which color's "hard candy shell" lasts longer. It becomes the winner. Then, I take another of that winning color and introduce it to the challenge of a new color. The final color to win is the grand champion. I've been told that all the brain power wasted on this diversion could light a 100 watt bulb for approximately 7 1/2 minutes.
other thoughts about m&ms
-- Kaylyn & I have an ongoing debate. She, a traditionalist, calls them m&ms. I believe they should only be called ms. There is only one m stamped on the shell. It is an m. Where two or more are gathered, they are m & ms.
-- m &ms are best when added to a freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn. We thank my parents for this discovery. Try it. In a bowl -- not the bag (too messy). Especially when watching a movie.
-- the official m&m candy website is hard to find. It's not this or this or this
-- m&ms are not just a tasty treat, they are also offer a wdie variety of non-caloric enjoyment, too.
-- you can special order m& ms. Orange and blue for the Broncos. Red, white & Blue for America. Red & Green for Christmas. but be prepared to pay a pretty penny.
wow. I didn't know had had so much to say on this issue.
a holiday thought sponsored by lifeway christian resources
from Dr. Jimmy Draper, Lifeway president, in his weekly email letter
***
In many ways, the wise men are the most interesting characters of the Christmas story. They were not Jews. They hailed from the East and they were students of the stars. They had seen a new star in the sky which they understood symbolized the presence of a child born to be king of the Jews and they had come to worship him. They had traveled a great distance and brought valuable gifts. Theirs was a clear vision of Christmas.
The wise men followed the star because they believed the vision they had been given. They were willing to follow the star, whatever the cost. They believed their purpose was to find this King.
Like the wise men, we must have such a purpose. We know the King for whom the wise men searched and Christmas tells us there is a purpose worth living for. That worthy purpose is called the Kingdom of God. We can join in that vision by following the Christ of Christmas.
When the wise men began their journey, they may have had little understanding of their purpose beyond following the star. But I believe their convictions grew as they traveled. They came to understand that they were truly following a vision that would change their lives forever. The trip was long. They grew tired and weary. They stopped in Jerusalem to find out where the baby was. Drawing on the writings of prophecy, the chief priests and teachers of the law directed the wise men to Bethlehem.
As we live our lives always seeking to grow more like Christ, we must remember that we follow a vision that will not die. We serve a risen Savior and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Finally, the wise men knew that if they persevered they would find the child. And when they found Him they worshipped Him and presented their gifts. They had been warned in a dream not to follow King Herod's instructions to come back to Jerusalem and tell them where the child and his parents were living, so they returned to their country by another route.
If we stay in close communication with the Christ of Christmas, our vision will remain clear. God will walk ahead of us, beside us and behind us to the end of our journey. Praise the Lord!
***
In many ways, the wise men are the most interesting characters of the Christmas story. They were not Jews. They hailed from the East and they were students of the stars. They had seen a new star in the sky which they understood symbolized the presence of a child born to be king of the Jews and they had come to worship him. They had traveled a great distance and brought valuable gifts. Theirs was a clear vision of Christmas.
The wise men followed the star because they believed the vision they had been given. They were willing to follow the star, whatever the cost. They believed their purpose was to find this King.
Like the wise men, we must have such a purpose. We know the King for whom the wise men searched and Christmas tells us there is a purpose worth living for. That worthy purpose is called the Kingdom of God. We can join in that vision by following the Christ of Christmas.
When the wise men began their journey, they may have had little understanding of their purpose beyond following the star. But I believe their convictions grew as they traveled. They came to understand that they were truly following a vision that would change their lives forever. The trip was long. They grew tired and weary. They stopped in Jerusalem to find out where the baby was. Drawing on the writings of prophecy, the chief priests and teachers of the law directed the wise men to Bethlehem.
As we live our lives always seeking to grow more like Christ, we must remember that we follow a vision that will not die. We serve a risen Savior and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Finally, the wise men knew that if they persevered they would find the child. And when they found Him they worshipped Him and presented their gifts. They had been warned in a dream not to follow King Herod's instructions to come back to Jerusalem and tell them where the child and his parents were living, so they returned to their country by another route.
If we stay in close communication with the Christ of Christmas, our vision will remain clear. God will walk ahead of us, beside us and behind us to the end of our journey. Praise the Lord!
12/12/2002
this blessed me
I got this e-card e-card from a dear family in our former church. I smiled. And prayed for them.
a web gem
this interesting site has a wealth of information for those who'd like to learn just a little bit more....
one unbiased opinion
Kaylyn gave her first performance last night. An emotionally moving piece entitled "The Littlest Christmas Tree." She was part of a larger troupe known as The Eastern Fremont County Kindergarten Classes Performers. Now, while she was on the playbill as "One of the Trees in the North Pole Christmas Tree Lot," she really did steal the show. She knew all the words to all the songs, and virtually all of the choreography as well. I'm still working through my discontent that the casting agents didn't recognize her obvious acumen for the craft, but there was a sweet sense of justice when Kaylyn just offered a virtuoso chorale rendition of The Christmas Tree Rap while unnamed 'headliners" kept begging for cues like pigeons after breadcrumbs. Auditions for "Have a Hoppity Easter" begin shortly after Christmas break, so we've already started on Babsy Bunny's motivation for painting and hiding eggs. We'll let you know how it goes!
I give her performance
I give her performance
continuing the discussion
I've decided to reprint my ongoing discussion begun at the journey simply because if I'm going to type this much, I may as well do it here.
Brett wrote:
I'm a little surprised at the cynical tone over your assessment of the SBC statement on racial reconciliation. I'm not so much of a pollyanna to believe that it was unilaterally genuine. But this is impossible to quantify since the SBC is a collection of autonomous churches. LIke on any matter, you're going to have a wide range of opinions or 'degrees of backing on this issue.' But are you qualified to discern the collective brokenness of those we have entrusted with our denominational leadership? Am I? ISn't the fact that SBC leadership even offered a statement compelling, when there was no real motivation to, coupled with the fact that the SBC has more black leaders in all its agencies than at any point in its history? What does 'true brokenness' look like on this matter? Even your worship gatherings at RBC remain predominantly white. While RBC has started many ethnic churches, the regular worship times for each of those tend to be primarily ethnically unmixed. And RBC does it better than most, in terms of 'getting the picture' that heaven's going to be a colorful place, racially speaking. Even so, we must understand that worship tends to remain segregated (for the most part) not because of church-imposed restrictions, but because people -right or wrong - will migrate to worship where they feel comfortable and familiar.
last -- your last words are a pretty harsh blanket condemnation on 16 million people. I can't speak for all 16 mil, but I know many who are trying hard to live right and close the gap of incongruity through the grace and mercy of the One who saved them.
Brett wrote:
Our denomination may have issued an apology but we sure have not repented. Repentance involves brokenness and hatred for sin. Southern Baptist are not broken over our role in slavery. In many of our churches people of different ethnicities are still not welcome. Go to our convention and look at the percentage of people of color. I have heard pastors in our denomination use the word "nigger." DO NOT confuse a politically motivated letter of apology with repentance.
Our denomination's own past is a prime example that our words can be deconstructed, and even valued, without a lifestyle to back them up. If this were not the case then not only should we disregard Stonewall Jackson and Hitler's nuggets of truth but we must also avoice our own denominational founder's nuggets of truth, since their lives were probably very close to Stonewall's.
And one more thing, Southern Baptists know nothing about "the incongruence of words vs.deeds."
I'm a little surprised at the cynical tone over your assessment of the SBC statement on racial reconciliation. I'm not so much of a pollyanna to believe that it was unilaterally genuine. But this is impossible to quantify since the SBC is a collection of autonomous churches. LIke on any matter, you're going to have a wide range of opinions or 'degrees of backing on this issue.' But are you qualified to discern the collective brokenness of those we have entrusted with our denominational leadership? Am I? ISn't the fact that SBC leadership even offered a statement compelling, when there was no real motivation to, coupled with the fact that the SBC has more black leaders in all its agencies than at any point in its history? What does 'true brokenness' look like on this matter? Even your worship gatherings at RBC remain predominantly white. While RBC has started many ethnic churches, the regular worship times for each of those tend to be primarily ethnically unmixed. And RBC does it better than most, in terms of 'getting the picture' that heaven's going to be a colorful place, racially speaking. Even so, we must understand that worship tends to remain segregated (for the most part) not because of church-imposed restrictions, but because people -right or wrong - will migrate to worship where they feel comfortable and familiar.
last -- your last words are a pretty harsh blanket condemnation on 16 million people. I can't speak for all 16 mil, but I know many who are trying hard to live right and close the gap of incongruity through the grace and mercy of the One who saved them.
12/11/2002
commenting on the comment on the statement previously stated
the following is my rebuttal to hippocrit's reply to my comment to Brett's post over at the journey. I've put it here because Brett's comments have a 2500 character limit, and I just barely missed it by, ohh, about a thousand characters. And, If you are completely uninterested in this, I understand.
***
One of the frustrations of text communication is the inability to communicate tone or inflection. I actually am not disagreeing with the statement made by Jackson. Nor, by my own question generated by Jackson's disclaimer, was I implying that Jackson himself was incapable of such wisdom or truth. Your commentary to my post appears to be based upon such an inaccurate conclusion. Furthermore, your reply, while itself a bit idealistic, is a bit of a straw man argument, in that it likens an extreme example (Hitler) with the generalities of an 'everyman' comparison. Understanding that we’re all just struggling through this experience called life, and that from time to time God chooses us to bless us, undeservedly, with thoughts of brilliance (or merely supernaturally profound insight), does not permit us to use those experiences to think too highly of ourselves. None of us should claim infallibility. That said, I'm an 'everyman.' Hitler was not. Jackson was not. So, the question is still valid – how much of a disparity must exist between one’s words and one’s actions before one’s actions discredit one’s words? Isn’t ‘what is said’ weighted by the baggage of the one who said it?
For Example:
“The theory of communism may be summed up in one simple word – abolish all private property.”
Who said it? Ronald Reagan or Karl Mark? Well, your understanding of a quote (especially a printed quote) is vastly different depending upon the source. If it were Reagan, we’d read the quote as a condemnation. If it were Marx, as a ‘selling point.’ BTW, it was Marx, along with Engels who said this.
"That is the mightiest thing which our movement must create: for these widespread, seeking and straying masses a new faith which will not fail them in this hour of confusion, to which they can pledge themselves, on which they can build so that they may at least find once again a place which may bring calm to their hearts."
Who said it? Hitler, in regard to the Nazi movement or Bill McCartney, in regard to the Promise Keeper’s movement? Hitler, of course. But if McCartney had said it, it might be something around which Christian men would rally today.
You stated that Hitler did at times speak with wisdom and simplicity. Perhaps. But do we have the luxury to use his profundity at our leisure? Or is it worth the risk of our true message being confused and combined with the rest of his message that isn’t so “wise and simple?” Hitler isn’t readily accepted as a man who dispensed love, compassion, simplicity and wisdom to the Jews. Probably not the most effective source of wisdom to a Jewish audience. Jackson – probably not the most effective source of wisdom to those impacted (even generations later) by his less-than-godly actions. The only way this is overcome these barriers is repentance (or in the words of Jim Bakker, "I was wrong"). Hitler didn’t bring that to the table. And I really don’t know that Jackson did either. The denomination that I am a member of was partially founded over the issue of slavery, yet just a few years ago offered a statement of apology and repentance because it collectively saw the incongruence of words vs.deeds.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge your right to use Hitler as a quotation source, and Brett’s to use Stonewall. And mine to use Satan if necessary to illustrate a point. But just because we can doesn't mean we should. But why say in 30 words what I can say in 650?
***
One of the frustrations of text communication is the inability to communicate tone or inflection. I actually am not disagreeing with the statement made by Jackson. Nor, by my own question generated by Jackson's disclaimer, was I implying that Jackson himself was incapable of such wisdom or truth. Your commentary to my post appears to be based upon such an inaccurate conclusion. Furthermore, your reply, while itself a bit idealistic, is a bit of a straw man argument, in that it likens an extreme example (Hitler) with the generalities of an 'everyman' comparison. Understanding that we’re all just struggling through this experience called life, and that from time to time God chooses us to bless us, undeservedly, with thoughts of brilliance (or merely supernaturally profound insight), does not permit us to use those experiences to think too highly of ourselves. None of us should claim infallibility. That said, I'm an 'everyman.' Hitler was not. Jackson was not. So, the question is still valid – how much of a disparity must exist between one’s words and one’s actions before one’s actions discredit one’s words? Isn’t ‘what is said’ weighted by the baggage of the one who said it?
For Example:
“The theory of communism may be summed up in one simple word – abolish all private property.”
Who said it? Ronald Reagan or Karl Mark? Well, your understanding of a quote (especially a printed quote) is vastly different depending upon the source. If it were Reagan, we’d read the quote as a condemnation. If it were Marx, as a ‘selling point.’ BTW, it was Marx, along with Engels who said this.
"That is the mightiest thing which our movement must create: for these widespread, seeking and straying masses a new faith which will not fail them in this hour of confusion, to which they can pledge themselves, on which they can build so that they may at least find once again a place which may bring calm to their hearts."
Who said it? Hitler, in regard to the Nazi movement or Bill McCartney, in regard to the Promise Keeper’s movement? Hitler, of course. But if McCartney had said it, it might be something around which Christian men would rally today.
You stated that Hitler did at times speak with wisdom and simplicity. Perhaps. But do we have the luxury to use his profundity at our leisure? Or is it worth the risk of our true message being confused and combined with the rest of his message that isn’t so “wise and simple?” Hitler isn’t readily accepted as a man who dispensed love, compassion, simplicity and wisdom to the Jews. Probably not the most effective source of wisdom to a Jewish audience. Jackson – probably not the most effective source of wisdom to those impacted (even generations later) by his less-than-godly actions. The only way this is overcome these barriers is repentance (or in the words of Jim Bakker, "I was wrong"). Hitler didn’t bring that to the table. And I really don’t know that Jackson did either. The denomination that I am a member of was partially founded over the issue of slavery, yet just a few years ago offered a statement of apology and repentance because it collectively saw the incongruence of words vs.deeds.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge your right to use Hitler as a quotation source, and Brett’s to use Stonewall. And mine to use Satan if necessary to illustrate a point. But just because we can doesn't mean we should. But why say in 30 words what I can say in 650?
a thousand words... for Christmas
This was sent to me by....you know who you are (i have decided to protect the guilty!)
signs of the impending apocalypse #!2
no sense in commenting about it, because the author does a fine job of doing so himself.
go and see, how it has begun
go and see, how it has begun
O Tannenbaum, take two
a Christmas devotional, written for the season two years ago
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
The words are printed plainly enough on my Bible. These words are the third command of God in creating the universe with His spoken word. Yet, they don't stand out from any others spoken in the course of time's first week. Yet, I read the words and they cause me to pause.
I pause because the very next verse of Scripture tells me that after He surveyed the grass and herbs and trees that sprung forth all over the earth, with satisfaction "God saw it was good." I imagine "God saw" thick trunks, abrasive bark, jagged branches, and offered His approval seasoned with an odd mixture of joy and pain. Here, in the white spaces between the letters of Scripture, I envision God looking at the trees He created with a deliberate pause of sentiment and poignancy, He alone knowing the fullness of what He created when He created the trees.
But they're just trees, you might think. Sure, you appreciate shade offered by generous green leaves. You enjoy succulent fruit of various kinds that falls from branches. But the tree wasn't the crowning achievement of creation. The highlight of creation came a mere 72 hours later, when God stirred man from the dust of the earth. Why then would God linger as he affirmed His own leafy creation when humans were still on His creation agenda?
Over 2,000 years ago, a small town farmer chose a few lengths of planked wood, possibly from a rarely used pile of scraps. Hammering them together with crude nails, he fashioned a manger to feed the animals grazing on his land. Little did he know that it would serve as the first bed for a special newborn, an infant of promise.
The baby was of royal lineage and of priestly heritage. He was conceived by a miracle, and would change the course of history. He was the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Spotless Lamb. He was nothing less than God's only Son, Jesus Christ. Despite this, God Himself ordained that this child would be born in obscurity, on a anonymous hill outside an unremarkable town, wrapped in plain swaddling, bedded in a weathered, worn, and faded animal's wooden manger.
When God created the trees on the third day, He knew those trees would beget the wood that would one day give His Son warm comfort and security, formed as a humble box that would serve as His cradle. Truly, God saw this and "saw that it was good."
Barely more than three decades after that special night, we come to another special time. Again, we are on a hill. Again, we find wood being used for an immensely important purpose. Again, God's Son, Jesus Christ, is here.
Our minds prepare us for a scene of joy, for we remember that Jesus is now the man of promise, the man of deliverance, the man of redemption. He is the Messiah, the High Priest and the King of Kings. Yet what we observe absolutely assaults our senses. It defies logic. It baffles our understanding.
Here, we see Jesus, not in regal gowns, but stripped to a loin cloth. He wears not a crown of gold, but one of thorns. He bears not sashes of proclamation, but gashes of gore. He is not exalted, but shamed, humiliated, mocked, scorned, and ridiculed. We see not a king of victory, but a man of defeat.
And the wood? It's there, too. But rather than being hammered together to make a throne for the lone Son of God, it is being roped together in cruciform for the death of the Son of Man. Large spikes are driven into the logs, but only after each one pierces the flesh of this man Jesus. The abrasive bark opens the whip-induced wounds on His back, and His blood runs freely down the channels on the log's surface. This cross is lifted up, with Jesus nailed upon it, and planted into the ground. Onlookers raise their eyes to this man on this tree, and they weep. Slowly, painfully, but certainly, Jesus dies. God ordained for this to be so. And when He created the trees on the third day, He did so knowing they would one day beget the wood that would be used for the purpose of killing His Son, Jesus. Even so, and perhaps with a pause of poignancy, God saw this and "saw that it was good."
Greater than God's act of creation was God's act of Redemption. Jesus was born to die. He wasn't born to give us an example, or to teach us great lessons. He was born to die. When He died, He died for you, and He died for me. And He died so that we could live. It is only by placing your full faith and trust in Him that His death was sufficient for your eternal life, that you can experience life in the fullness that God intended when He created you.
Amidst the joys and the toys and the noise this Christmas season, take a moment and thank God for His Son. Look at the Christmas tree in your home and remember that "God saw that it was good." Thank Him that the story doesn't end in a manger, or even on a cross. Thank Him for loving you so much that that the story never has to end, and will not if you belong to Him, because of the sacrifice of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
The words are printed plainly enough on my Bible. These words are the third command of God in creating the universe with His spoken word. Yet, they don't stand out from any others spoken in the course of time's first week. Yet, I read the words and they cause me to pause.
I pause because the very next verse of Scripture tells me that after He surveyed the grass and herbs and trees that sprung forth all over the earth, with satisfaction "God saw it was good." I imagine "God saw" thick trunks, abrasive bark, jagged branches, and offered His approval seasoned with an odd mixture of joy and pain. Here, in the white spaces between the letters of Scripture, I envision God looking at the trees He created with a deliberate pause of sentiment and poignancy, He alone knowing the fullness of what He created when He created the trees.
But they're just trees, you might think. Sure, you appreciate shade offered by generous green leaves. You enjoy succulent fruit of various kinds that falls from branches. But the tree wasn't the crowning achievement of creation. The highlight of creation came a mere 72 hours later, when God stirred man from the dust of the earth. Why then would God linger as he affirmed His own leafy creation when humans were still on His creation agenda?
Over 2,000 years ago, a small town farmer chose a few lengths of planked wood, possibly from a rarely used pile of scraps. Hammering them together with crude nails, he fashioned a manger to feed the animals grazing on his land. Little did he know that it would serve as the first bed for a special newborn, an infant of promise.
The baby was of royal lineage and of priestly heritage. He was conceived by a miracle, and would change the course of history. He was the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Spotless Lamb. He was nothing less than God's only Son, Jesus Christ. Despite this, God Himself ordained that this child would be born in obscurity, on a anonymous hill outside an unremarkable town, wrapped in plain swaddling, bedded in a weathered, worn, and faded animal's wooden manger.
When God created the trees on the third day, He knew those trees would beget the wood that would one day give His Son warm comfort and security, formed as a humble box that would serve as His cradle. Truly, God saw this and "saw that it was good."
Barely more than three decades after that special night, we come to another special time. Again, we are on a hill. Again, we find wood being used for an immensely important purpose. Again, God's Son, Jesus Christ, is here.
Our minds prepare us for a scene of joy, for we remember that Jesus is now the man of promise, the man of deliverance, the man of redemption. He is the Messiah, the High Priest and the King of Kings. Yet what we observe absolutely assaults our senses. It defies logic. It baffles our understanding.
Here, we see Jesus, not in regal gowns, but stripped to a loin cloth. He wears not a crown of gold, but one of thorns. He bears not sashes of proclamation, but gashes of gore. He is not exalted, but shamed, humiliated, mocked, scorned, and ridiculed. We see not a king of victory, but a man of defeat.
And the wood? It's there, too. But rather than being hammered together to make a throne for the lone Son of God, it is being roped together in cruciform for the death of the Son of Man. Large spikes are driven into the logs, but only after each one pierces the flesh of this man Jesus. The abrasive bark opens the whip-induced wounds on His back, and His blood runs freely down the channels on the log's surface. This cross is lifted up, with Jesus nailed upon it, and planted into the ground. Onlookers raise their eyes to this man on this tree, and they weep. Slowly, painfully, but certainly, Jesus dies. God ordained for this to be so. And when He created the trees on the third day, He did so knowing they would one day beget the wood that would be used for the purpose of killing His Son, Jesus. Even so, and perhaps with a pause of poignancy, God saw this and "saw that it was good."
Greater than God's act of creation was God's act of Redemption. Jesus was born to die. He wasn't born to give us an example, or to teach us great lessons. He was born to die. When He died, He died for you, and He died for me. And He died so that we could live. It is only by placing your full faith and trust in Him that His death was sufficient for your eternal life, that you can experience life in the fullness that God intended when He created you.
Amidst the joys and the toys and the noise this Christmas season, take a moment and thank God for His Son. Look at the Christmas tree in your home and remember that "God saw that it was good." Thank Him that the story doesn't end in a manger, or even on a cross. Thank Him for loving you so much that that the story never has to end, and will not if you belong to Him, because of the sacrifice of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
12/10/2002
i don't get it
in the process of sermon prep, I have this question
why does 'smitten,' which we now understand to mean 'head over heels in love,' come from 'smite,' which means (according to Webster), "1 : to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand
2 a : to kill or severely injure by smiting b : to attack or afflict suddenly and injuriously
3 : to cause to strike
4 : to affect as if by striking
5 : CAPTIVATE, TAKE
intransitive senses : to deliver or deal a blow with or as if with the hand or something held"
It's the only definition that doesn't seem to fit. And in Isaiah 53, Jesus was smitten by God, and the Hebrew word is nakah, which means 'to strike.'
Here's the etymology, also from Webster (yes, I am a language dork): Middle English, from Old English smItan to smear, defile; akin to Old High German bismIzan to defile
Somewhere through history, we thought it was sweet to basically say, "My dear, I have been smeared and defiled by your beauty."
Can't you just see the Hallmark card now?
why does 'smitten,' which we now understand to mean 'head over heels in love,' come from 'smite,' which means (according to Webster), "1 : to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand
2 a : to kill or severely injure by smiting b : to attack or afflict suddenly and injuriously
3 : to cause to strike
4 : to affect as if by striking
5 : CAPTIVATE, TAKE
intransitive senses : to deliver or deal a blow with or as if with the hand or something held"
It's the only definition that doesn't seem to fit. And in Isaiah 53, Jesus was smitten by God, and the Hebrew word is nakah, which means 'to strike.'
Here's the etymology, also from Webster (yes, I am a language dork): Middle English, from Old English smItan to smear, defile; akin to Old High German bismIzan to defile
Somewhere through history, we thought it was sweet to basically say, "My dear, I have been smeared and defiled by your beauty."
Can't you just see the Hallmark card now?
O Tannenbaum
From Should a Christian Celebrate Christmas?
Evergreen trees, because of their ability to remain green through-out the winter season when most other forms of vegetation are dormant, have long symbolized immortality, fertility, sexual potency, and reproduction, and were often brought into homes and set up as idols.
The full mystical significance of the evergreen can only be understood when one considers the profound reverence the ancient pagans had for all natural phenomena -- "To them, Nature was everywhere alive. Every fountain had its spirit, every mountain its deity, and every water, grove, and meadow, its supernatural association. The whispering of the trees ... was the subtle speech of the gods who dwelt within" (W.M. Auld, Christmas Traditions). This is nothing but nature worship or Animism.
The custom of bringing the tree into the home and decorating it as is done today has legendarily been attributed to Martin Luther. In truth, the modern custom has been lost in obscurity, but almost every culture has some such tradition. For ages, evergreen trees would be brought into the house during the winter as magic symbols of luck and hope for a fruitful year to come, It may also be that the star with which many of today's trees are topped did not originate as a representation of the star that the wise men followed, but rather a representation of the stars to which the ancient Chaldean astrologers looked for guidance.
The first decorating of an evergreen was done by pagans in honor of their god Adonis, who after being slain was brought to life by the serpent Aesculapius. The representation of the slain Adonis was a dead stump of a tree. Around this stump coiled the snake -- Aesculapius, symbol of life restoring. From the roots of the dead tree, then comes forth another and different tree -- an evergreen tree, symbolic to pagans of a god who cannot die! In Babylon, the evergreen tree came to represent the rebirth/reincarnation of Nimrod as his new son (Sun), Tammuz. In Egypt, this god was worshiped in a palm tree as Baal-Tamar. (Heathen people in the land of Canaan also adopted tree worship, calling it the Asherah -- a tree with its branches cut off was carved into a phallic symbol.) The fir tree was worshiped in Rome as the same new-born god, named Baal-Berith, who was restored to life by the same serpent. A feast was held in honor of him on December 25th, observed as the day on which the god reappeared on earth -- he had been killed, and was "reborn" on that day, victorious over death! It was called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." Thus, the annual custom of erecting and decorating evergreen trees was brought down to us through the centuries by the pagan Roman Catholic Church -- the paganism of Tammuz and Baal, or the worship of the sun, mingled with the worship of Aesculapius the serpent. Whether erected in private homes or in churches, decorated or not, the evergreen tree is a glaring symbol of this false god.
This issue may be much like the one I commented on regarding Halloween, so I'll defer to the same 1 Corinthians argument. If you can't put up a tree without feeling like you're taking on the mark of the beast, then don't do it. If your conscience is clear before the Lord, go for it.
What do you think God's talking about here?
Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. (Jeremiah 10:1-4)
Hmmmm....interesting. Or maybe entirely unrelated.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
And our tree is up.
And we celebrate advent nightly using a homemade wreath.
Evergreen garland lines our plant shelf.
And Kelli calls me Father Christmas and I call her Mother Earth until January 6.
Just kidding about that last one(Although we agree that "The Santa Clause 2" movie should have instead been entitled "The Mrs. Clause).
The only unusual thought I've had about Christmas trees is that, if I were a dog, the tree in the house would pretty much be standard furniture. But it'd be in the bathroom instead of the living room. And it probably wouldn't get too fancied up around the holiday season -- its that 'form follows function' thing.
I know, sometimes I can be pretty deep.
At what point do we abandon a tradition due to pagan origins, or reclaim it for the glory of Christ? You see, I never knew of the pagan tie-ins to the numerous traditions of Christmas (wassel, wreaths, mistletoe, until I became a Christian. Does my newfound information invalidate the innocence of the previous Christmas experiences? Of course not. And because God's grace is a liberating gift, rather than a restricting one, I see no justification for throwing the proverbial Baby Jesus out with the bathwater. And this also begs the question that, if indeed pagan influences introduced all these matters (which would cause Satan joy), then doesn't claiming these traditions for Christ frustrate the Adversary?
As far as any Christmas tradition goes, or even the holiday itself -- if people are simply celebrating the birth of Christ, then they're missing the point. Jesus only told us to remember his death. We should always remember that his birth is a celebration only because it marked the initiation of the great sacrificial plan of God, culminating a little more than three decades later on lonely, sin-laden cross at Calvary.
fyi
From Baptist Press
Rick Warren fields Larry King queries for Dec. 25 show on faith amid crisis
By Staff
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," will appear on CNN's Larry King show Dec. 25.
Warren will be part of a show focusing on Ryan Corbin's miraculous recovery from a brain injury. Corbin is Christian entertainer Pat Boone's 25-year-old grandson and his parents, Lindi and Mike Corbin, are members of Saddleback.
"The entire program is a wonderful witness to Jesus," Warren said after the show was taped Dec. 5. "The Boones shared their moving testimonies about the role of faith and prayer in Ryan's recovery, and Larry [King]
asked me theological questions like, 'Why do bad things happen to good people?' 'Why didn't God prevent this accident?' and 'What is the meaning of life?' He was clearly tuned in to the answers I offered."
Rick Warren fields Larry King queries for Dec. 25 show on faith amid crisis
By Staff
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," will appear on CNN's Larry King show Dec. 25.
Warren will be part of a show focusing on Ryan Corbin's miraculous recovery from a brain injury. Corbin is Christian entertainer Pat Boone's 25-year-old grandson and his parents, Lindi and Mike Corbin, are members of Saddleback.
"The entire program is a wonderful witness to Jesus," Warren said after the show was taped Dec. 5. "The Boones shared their moving testimonies about the role of faith and prayer in Ryan's recovery, and Larry [King]
asked me theological questions like, 'Why do bad things happen to good people?' 'Why didn't God prevent this accident?' and 'What is the meaning of life?' He was clearly tuned in to the answers I offered."
a tech question
i have approximately four years of sermons that I'd like to transfer from cassette tape to CD-R. Does someone know how I can transfer teh cassette files to my PC into an MP3 format?
around the horn #2
spudlets started this. I continue it.
my 5 favorite Christmas movies.
1. Its a Wonderful Life
2. Christmas Vacation 
3. Scrooged
4. The Santa Clause 
5. A Christmas Story
how about you?
my 5 favorite Christmas movies.
1. Its a Wonderful Life
2. Christmas Vacation
3. Scrooged
4. The Santa Clause
5. A Christmas Story
how about you?
12/09/2002
signs of the impending apocalypse #11
wow....read this:
ROME, DEC. 8, 2002 (Zenit.org).- During a traditional homage for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, John Paul II entrusted to Mary's hands the peace of the world.
"Pray, O Mother, for all of us. Pray for humanity that suffers poverty and injustice, violence and hatred, terror and war," the Pope said in a strong voice when he delivered the meditation he composed for today's occasion.
Before the 30-meter-high (100 foot) bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, the Holy Father, wearing his red cape, continued praying to the Virgin: "Help us to contemplate with the holy rosary the mysteries of him who 'is our peace,' so that we will all feel involved, in a specific effort of service for peace."
The Pontiff then prayed for the Middle East. "Look with special attention upon the land in which you gave birth to Jesus, a land that you loved together and that is still so tried today."
"Pray for us, Mother of hope! Give us days of peace, watch over our way. Let us see your Son full of joy in heaven," he added.
Later, the Pope made a brief private visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, to venerate the ancient icon of the Blessed Virgin, "Salvation of the Roman People," protectress of the Eternal City.
The Dec. 8 homage in the Roman piazza is a tradition started by Pope Pius XII in 1957. The statue of the Virgin was placed there in 1857 by Pope Pius IX to commemorate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which he proclaimed three years earlier.
At his Angelus address earlier in the day at the Vatican, John Paul II summed up the sense of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this way: "The humble maiden of Nazareth, who with her 'yes' to the angel changed the course of history, was preserved from her conception from every stain of sin."
He added: "We are invited to imitate her: Mary was pleasing to God because of her docile humility. [...] 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.' It is with these same interior dispositions that believers are called to accept the divine will in every circumstance."
Don't get me wrong -- Mary's a great gal, but this is what God's word tells me:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)" This is a prophecy of the Peace-Bringer. Son. His Government. His shoulders. Everlasting Father. His Kingdom. yeah, this is Jesus we're talking about here. Not Mary.
Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.'' He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.'' "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ` `You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' '' Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2) This is a discussion between the Trinity (can you see where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each talking?) If Mary has a role in world peace, God's forgotten to include her in it here. The Father has said peace will come through Jesus. Not Mary.
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.(John 14:27)" Jesus said that. Not Mary.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'' Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new.'' And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful.'' And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Rev. 21:1-7) Jesus. Not Mary.
If you want a good read on the heresy of the "Mother of God" doctrine, buy this.
She didn't hear the prayer of the pope. And couldn't have answered it even if she had.
Mary. An ordinary, God-fearing teenage girl who grew to be a wise fortysomething mother who teaches us much by her example. But make no mistake about it. She died. Just like all humans do. But now she's alive. In heaven. Worshipping Jesus. Forever. Just like all faithful believers that Jesus is the Christ. The only One who hears our prayers and intercedes to the Father at His throne of Grace, on our behalf.
To pray for world peace is to pray for Jesus' swift return.
"your will be done...on earth as it is in heaven."
ROME, DEC. 8, 2002 (Zenit.org).- During a traditional homage for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, John Paul II entrusted to Mary's hands the peace of the world.
"Pray, O Mother, for all of us. Pray for humanity that suffers poverty and injustice, violence and hatred, terror and war," the Pope said in a strong voice when he delivered the meditation he composed for today's occasion.
Before the 30-meter-high (100 foot) bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, the Holy Father, wearing his red cape, continued praying to the Virgin: "Help us to contemplate with the holy rosary the mysteries of him who 'is our peace,' so that we will all feel involved, in a specific effort of service for peace."
The Pontiff then prayed for the Middle East. "Look with special attention upon the land in which you gave birth to Jesus, a land that you loved together and that is still so tried today."
"Pray for us, Mother of hope! Give us days of peace, watch over our way. Let us see your Son full of joy in heaven," he added.
Later, the Pope made a brief private visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, to venerate the ancient icon of the Blessed Virgin, "Salvation of the Roman People," protectress of the Eternal City.
The Dec. 8 homage in the Roman piazza is a tradition started by Pope Pius XII in 1957. The statue of the Virgin was placed there in 1857 by Pope Pius IX to commemorate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which he proclaimed three years earlier.
At his Angelus address earlier in the day at the Vatican, John Paul II summed up the sense of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this way: "The humble maiden of Nazareth, who with her 'yes' to the angel changed the course of history, was preserved from her conception from every stain of sin."
He added: "We are invited to imitate her: Mary was pleasing to God because of her docile humility. [...] 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.' It is with these same interior dispositions that believers are called to accept the divine will in every circumstance."
Don't get me wrong -- Mary's a great gal, but this is what God's word tells me:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)" This is a prophecy of the Peace-Bringer. Son. His Government. His shoulders. Everlasting Father. His Kingdom. yeah, this is Jesus we're talking about here. Not Mary.
Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.'' He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.'' "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ` `You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' '' Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2) This is a discussion between the Trinity (can you see where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each talking?) If Mary has a role in world peace, God's forgotten to include her in it here. The Father has said peace will come through Jesus. Not Mary.
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.(John 14:27)" Jesus said that. Not Mary.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'' Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new.'' And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful.'' And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Rev. 21:1-7) Jesus. Not Mary.
If you want a good read on the heresy of the "Mother of God" doctrine, buy this.
She didn't hear the prayer of the pope. And couldn't have answered it even if she had.
Mary. An ordinary, God-fearing teenage girl who grew to be a wise fortysomething mother who teaches us much by her example. But make no mistake about it. She died. Just like all humans do. But now she's alive. In heaven. Worshipping Jesus. Forever. Just like all faithful believers that Jesus is the Christ. The only One who hears our prayers and intercedes to the Father at His throne of Grace, on our behalf.
To pray for world peace is to pray for Jesus' swift return.
"your will be done...on earth as it is in heaven."
hmmm....how about that?
my blog is accessible to China. for now. Is your URL accessible?
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11
signs of the impending apocalypse #10
from the Indianapolis Star via Holy Weblog! (just added to my blog roll to the right).
I don't know that I'm horribly offended that cross-dressers would dress up like nuns. I suppose I'm more offended that liars, murderers, philanderers, cheats, and all sorts of sinners dress up like Christians every day.
I don't remember where I first learned it, but I'm encouraged by this:
Paul wrote to Timothy: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Tim. 1:15)"
If God's Word is truly inspired and God means every word that is written in the Bible, then we must take this declaration at face value. Paul is not just being self-deprecating. God has declared that Paul was chief among sinners. Yet, God was able to extend grace to Paul.
Grace enough to save Paul.
Grace enough to use Paul.
Grace enough to change the world through Paul.
So that means there is hope for me.
I know I'm a sinner. By the standards that Jesus has established in Matthew 5, I'm guilty of virtually sin identifiable to man. But as long as my 'rap sheet' is, I know that if God's grace was sufficient for Paul, then surely it is sufficient for me.
God's grace has saved me.
From death
From a lesser life
From myself
My prayer today is that I recognize my covering of grace, so that when I "dress up like a Christian," I bring honor, and not disgrace (interesting word) to His wonderful name.
I don't know that I'm horribly offended that cross-dressers would dress up like nuns. I suppose I'm more offended that liars, murderers, philanderers, cheats, and all sorts of sinners dress up like Christians every day.
I don't remember where I first learned it, but I'm encouraged by this:
Paul wrote to Timothy: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Tim. 1:15)"
If God's Word is truly inspired and God means every word that is written in the Bible, then we must take this declaration at face value. Paul is not just being self-deprecating. God has declared that Paul was chief among sinners. Yet, God was able to extend grace to Paul.
Grace enough to save Paul.
Grace enough to use Paul.
Grace enough to change the world through Paul.
So that means there is hope for me.
I know I'm a sinner. By the standards that Jesus has established in Matthew 5, I'm guilty of virtually sin identifiable to man. But as long as my 'rap sheet' is, I know that if God's grace was sufficient for Paul, then surely it is sufficient for me.
God's grace has saved me.
From death
From a lesser life
From myself
My prayer today is that I recognize my covering of grace, so that when I "dress up like a Christian," I bring honor, and not disgrace (interesting word) to His wonderful name.
12/08/2002
signs of the impending apocalypse #9
wasnt' intending to send out a 2-fer today, but this from CNN demanded it.
no, this is not an illustration of earth, but instead of a virtual "earth twin," which is explained by this lead: Biologists, astronomers and computer scientists are working together to construct planets from scratch to explore the variety of physical bodies that could host life. The ingredients for the new world stew will be mixed in a virtual laboratory managed by NASA, which would like to figure out what to look for when it launches planet-finding missions in the coming years.
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. -- Genesis 11:6
(read on in your own Bible, its pretty interesting how God handles this whole "anything God can do, we can do better" mentality.)
an old, but related joke
One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."
God listened patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well! How about this? Let's have a man making contest."
To which the man replied, "OK, great!"
But God added, "Now we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."
The scientist said, "Sure, no problem" and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. You go make your own dirt!"
no, this is not an illustration of earth, but instead of a virtual "earth twin," which is explained by this lead: Biologists, astronomers and computer scientists are working together to construct planets from scratch to explore the variety of physical bodies that could host life. The ingredients for the new world stew will be mixed in a virtual laboratory managed by NASA, which would like to figure out what to look for when it launches planet-finding missions in the coming years.
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. -- Genesis 11:6
(read on in your own Bible, its pretty interesting how God handles this whole "anything God can do, we can do better" mentality.)
an old, but related joke
One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."
God listened patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well! How about this? Let's have a man making contest."
To which the man replied, "OK, great!"
But God added, "Now we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."
The scientist said, "Sure, no problem" and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. You go make your own dirt!"
signs of the impending apocalypse #8
Barbie has her own blog
for further proof that the world is soon ending, watch her webcam.
maybe perhaps possibly this is why I'm encouraging moving away from Barbie gifts for the girls.
for further proof that the world is soon ending, watch her webcam.
maybe perhaps possibly this is why I'm encouraging moving away from Barbie gifts for the girls.
countdown to Christmas -- three presents
One of the best Christmas movies of all time is called "A Christmas Story" and was produced in 1983. The star of the movie was a child actor named Peter Billingsley, no relation to our brother Al, as far as we know. Anyway, Peter plays a character named Ralphie who spends the entire moving trying to convince his parents that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect gift for a boy in the 1940s. The classic line from the movie is something like, "if you get that gun, you'll put somebody's eye out."
Well, its not very difficult to remember some of the very best gifts you've ever received at Christmas, is it? For me, a couple of gifts really stand out. The first gift that really excited me was a fireman's hat that I got when I was four years old. It had a battery operated flashing siren that used to drive my parents crazy. I'm pretty certain my uncle got that for me, and I'm not certain his motives were all that sweet. I'm also pretty certain my dad had something to do with the siren suddenly not working anymore after about two straight weeks of playing with it. The next year, I got my first bicycle for Christmas. It had these very cool flames painted on the frame. I named it Fireball. The problem was, I wasn't terribly coordinated, and my love for Fireball was quickly extinguished when I managed to crash into a parked UPS truck while learning to ride my bike. I was well on my way to seven before I actually mastered the bike riding challenge of life.
Now, I've received some other fabulous gifts as I've gotten older, ones from my wife that I will cherish forever, gifts from my children that are more valuable to me than a precious gem. A gift is truly wonderful when you who receive can know that thought, care, and planning went into its selection.
I think that's why Kelli and I tend to agonize over gifts that we give, as do many people. We don't want the gifts we give at Christmas to be perceived as trivial or as an afterthought. When thinking about a gift to give, we ask several questions: Does the person need it? Will they like it? Will they use it? Will they repackage it and give it back to us in the future?
Well, as we move ever closer to the big day we call Christmas, we find ourselves undertaking countdown after countdown. Only 16 more shopping days until Christmas! Only 13 more days until the relatives arrive! Only 18 more days until the relatives are gone! Over the next three weeks, we're going to be undertaking a countdown of our own. Today, we'll begin the countdown by looking at three presents. These gifts we'll examine today are the first three presents Jesus received to celebrate His arrival on the earth as the anointed King of the Jews.
The account of this event is found in the book of Matthew, chapter two, verses 1-11. Read them with me now:
Commonly, people will hear or talk of the birth of Christ and the visitation by the Magi and comment that the Christ child received three significant gifts from them - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I want you to know that I agree with that assessment - Jesus did in fact receive the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the Magi. And we'll even look at each of those gifts a little later on as part of our worship today. I would like to suggest, however, that a close reading of the biblical text illustrates that these are not the first three gifts that were given to the Christ child. In fact, I share the theory right now that the only reason that Jesus was given the three gifts we commonly think of when thinking of this account, was because the Magi first gave Him three other gifts that are incredibly important and instructive to us, even today.
One more quick aside - nowhere in the Scripture do we see that there are three Magi - we have only come to infer that because three gifts are mentioned, and later traditions have even named them Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. But there may have been more, or possibly less.
Without further ado, as we look at the text, I believe we'll see that the first gift given to Jesus by the Magi was the gift of their attention. Let's re-read the first six verses of Matthew 2 to observe the attention of the Magi given to the birth of the King of the Jews.
Now, to understand why this is a significant exchange that is taking place here, let's dig a little deeper. First, let's try to understand a little better about the identity of the Magi. Who are the Magi? Well, we don't really know for sure. But we can make some fairly educated determinations about their identity. First of all, the scripture says here that they are "from the East." This word 'magi' is not a Greek word, it is a transliterated word that actually has Babylonian origins. In fact, its from where we get words today like both magician and magistrate. And we can actually observe that there were these magi, these wise men, who were men of significant political and spiritual influence who were responsible for the placing of individuals into positions of power and authority in the pagan lands. We find reference to these wise men throughout the Old Testament - in Job, in Esther, and in the book of Daniel. In fact, if you want to really see something interesting, turn in your Bible to the book of Daniel, chapter 4. Read verses 4-9 with me.
What we see here is that Daniel is identified by Nebuchadnezzar as being the chief of the magicians - he was the leader of these very same wise men! In fact, 2:48 says that the King had made Daniel the chief administrator over all the wise men! Now, if we fast forward approximately 600 years, we find wise men from the east (literally, from the land of the rising) looking for the king of the Jews. Some scholars think that their presence in Jerusalem stems from their reading of a scrap of Scripture -- Numbers 24:17, which states, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult."
This is pretty amazing - that a centuries-old group of pagan wise men would have traveled great distances to discover the king of the Jews simply because of a scrap of Scripture that had recorded the prophecies of God spoken through one of their own false prophets. But this amazing fact begins to make sense when you realize that they came into possession of this scrap of paper through the faithful service of a god-fearing foreigner named Daniel who, over 600 years ago repeatedly honored God in the context of serving pagan kings as their most trusted wise man.
But let's not be so amazed at their identity that we miss the amazing truth of their investigation. They had this record of prophecy - and they had spent the next 600 years searching the skies for this star that would signal the arrival of the King of the Jews. Can you imagine the faithfulness that is being demonstrated here? For six centuries, they vigilantly watched the skies. For sixty decades, they searched the stars. For six hundred years, for approximately 216,000 nights they peered into the night's sky, waiting, anticipating, hoping, and expecting. And these were pagans! Oh that we would have faith enough to investigate the promises of God as did these wise men. Yet we, the children of God, are so quick to give up on Him, so inclined to disbelieve, to abandon the watch. But they had nothing more than a simple promise from the God they did not know first hand, but had only heard of through generations of story-telling of the man named Daniel. And it was enough to compel them to investigate the promise, without ceasing.
Wow. This story gets more and more amazing as we continue, but let's not move on until we see that this first gift of their attention is only completely wrapped when the final bow is placed upon it. And that bow is the inquiry of the wise men. After their identity has been established, and their investigation has been engaged, now we discover the peak of their attention in the simple inquiry that they pose. They say, "where is He?"
Listen, it makes perfect sense that these three foreigners would come to Jerusalem and to Herod in particular to see the king of the Jews. But when the King is not there, it only makes perfect sense that they would go to those under the King's authority to discover where He could be found. And look what we discover - they didn't have a clue! Verse 3 says that Herod 'was troubled." But do you want to know what else is interesting - all of Jerusalem was troubled, too! I tell you, that Jesus was troublesome to the Jews from the moment of His birth to the very last breath He took! But verse 4 says that Herod had to scramble and gather all the chief priests and scribes together to discover where to find Him. And then, once they had ascertained from the Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah had to have been born from Bethlehem, only then could Herod give the wise men the answer.
You know, I really don't mind being caught not knowing something, just so long as everyone knows I wasn't supposed to know it in the first place. But I absolutely cannot stand to look stupid, when it is something that I'm supposed to know. I don't know how to split the atom. But I can live with that. But one of my greatest fears is ever going on to a game show and losing the game because I don't know the answer to a Bible question! So, I can understand Herod being a little edgy when these strangers show up and say, "where is it that you keep your king? Yeah, the one whose been promised for about 3,000 years…yeah, the one we've been watching for for 600 years. Where is He?" And all Herod wanted to say, was, "No, I'm sorry Alex, I said I wanted 'long expected rings' for $2000."
Did these wise men bring a gift? Absolutely they brought the gift of their attention. They demonstrate it through their identity, through their investigation, and through their inquiry.
They also brought with them the gift of their arrival. The gift of their arrival is so important for us to understand because it is in the giving of this gift that we observe the difference between having a 'head knowledge' and an 'experiential knowledge' of Jesus Christ. You see, these three could have been content to have seen the star, put a check mark by the prophecy, and said, 'yep, that one came true, too! Too bad I'm not a Jew. Too bad that's not my God." But that's not what they did. They instead took the perspective, "I have to see this for myself."
We see this gift presented, again, in three different ways that we'll address rather directly. First, we see this presented in their pursuit. The fact that these three guys were here looking for the king of the Jews was a big deal! If these men had originated from Babylon, which is a reasonable expectation, they would have traveled approximately 520 miles, if they had come in a straight shot. In all likelihood, they would have had to take a much more circuitous route, having to travel north around the Euphrates, and then south down to Jerusalem. And according to modern estimates, camels travel an average of 5-8 miles a day, and I would assume that that's because conditions have improved. The fact that they would even undertake this quest is an amazing statement of their desire to arrive in the presence of the King of the Jews.
If you do the math, its not unreasonable at all to see that it could have taken the wise men well over a year to arrive in Jerusalem. In this, we see that their pursuit is only surpassed by their perseverance. They went all the way. They didn't give up. And it didn't stop when they arrived in Jerusalem. When they asked where the King was, and the men who were supposed to be "king-seekers" didn't have a clue, they didn't turn around and go home. They waited until the "experts" figured it out. And they continued their journey!
I think this is amazing - how many of the chief priests and the scribes accompanied the wise men? Zero! Did Herod tag along to get a glimpse at his new boss? Nope! I think this is one of those fascinating places in Scripture where God says something incredibly profound without saying a word! None of "God's people" were even interested in finding out the identity of the Messiah. They weren't looking for a king. They only wanted to eliminate anyone who happened to be a threat to their power, prestige, and prominence.
And their arrival culminates in praise. Verse 9 says they left Herod and his half-hearted holy men behind and once again discovered the star that had led them to this point. And what does verse 10 say? When they saw it, they rejoiced with exceeding joy! These guys were not just on some diplomatic mission. These guys were not doing something dull or routine, they were moment-by-moment experiencing a miracle. They were walking by faith and seeing this strange, foreign God show them merit and favor! They were worshipping! They were rejoicing!
That's what brings us to the third gift - that is the gift of their adoration. And before we get into this, I just want to make it clear that that these three men were only able to give this third gift because they were willing to give the first two gifts. If they hadn't had given this very important matter their attention, and if they weren't so determined to arrive, they'd never have experienced the joy and blessing of giving the gift of their adoration to Jesus, the King of the Jews.
And you should take a moment to understand this important detail as well, because in a moment, we're going to get all caught up in those famous triplets, gold frankincense and myrrh. But before we do, remember and don't forget that the real gift is their adoration. These three items are manifestations of those gifts, but the heart of the gift itself is the adoration they gave to this special, precious God-child.
Verse 11 says that they entered the house (which shows us significant time had passed from the birth in the manger), and when they saw Mary with Jesus, they fell down and worshipped who? Him! That's right, Jesus. And only Jesus. Not Mary. They - these godless pagans fell down and worshipped Jesus! They adored Him.
And they expressed their adoration for Him by giving Him three gifts. We don't know if these are the only three gifts that were given to Him, but we know at least these three were given, and you can be pretty well assured that these three are mentioned because they are spiritually significant and spiritually symbolic and they are also the fulfillment of prophecy. Listen to these promises:
Psalm 72:10-11 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
Isaiah 60:3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Obviously, these three men showing up on Jesus' doorstep was a lot more than an interesting coincidence. Likewise, that they came with gifts shouldn't simply be dismissed as a nice gesture. So, let's spend the rest of our time looking at these three special gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus.
First, they brought to him gold. No doubt, it makes sense to bring the gift of gold to a King. But gold is important for more than just being 'gold.' It is also very important because of what gold symbolizes. Primarily, gold symbolizes purity. When we look at the various passages in the Bible and learn about the items of the tabernacle, we find something interesting. The ten lavers, the molten sea, and the altar are all brazen - made of bronze - which represents judgment. The high priests are washed clean in judgment and the sins are judged on the altar of sacrifice. These are all the first steps to enter into the tabernacle. After this, though, one would encounter the Menorah, the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Incense Altar, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat, all of which are either made of solid gold, covered in gold, or rest upon gold. Particularly relevant is that the mercy seat, which is much more than simply the lid to the Ark of the Covenant, is fashioned out of pure gold. Gold symbolizes the purity, the holiness, the righteousness of God Almighty.
Gold is also symbolic of the royalty of Jesus. Gold was often understood as the gift most fitting to give a king, a symbol recognizing His royalty and authority. It was a gift of honor and respect. So for the Magi to give this gift to Jesus, they were acknowledging that He was King, that He was the authority, and that He was anointed by God. Their giving of this gift to Him was the demonstration of respect and deference to Him.
The symbolism of purity and royalty in gold is significant in the giving of this valuable gift to Jesus. We don't have any hint that this gift was a "seed gift" to Christ's ministry, especially when we consider later that Jesus had no place to rest his head. This giving of this gift is for our benefit, showing us that the recipient is pure, without sin, without blemish. He is holy, righteous, worthy of glory and honor.
Next, the wise men brought frankincense. Frankincense, as you probably can determine is an incense offering. In the Old Testament, after the priest was washed clean in the brazen lavers, the first act of worship he did was to light incense in the golden incense stand. In this manner, frankincense is symbolic of the priestly nature of Jesus. By placing frankincense before Jesus, it is a symbol of worship, of acknowledgment that Jesus is God.
Certainly, it isn't difficult to understand the significance of this gift. Jesus deserves to be worshipped. It is insufficient to simply study Him, to talk about Him, to try to analyze Him. He is God incarnate. He is divine. He was born of a woman, and of God. He is eternal. He reigns eternally, and He will return again! As such, a gift of incense hails back to the Old Testament practices of lighting incense before God, representing how God receives our prayers, our devotion, our confession, our adoration.
Finally, the wise men brought myrrh. Myrrh is a bitter gum and a costly perfume that was used in funeral preparations. It was expensive, it was used in the anointing oils of the high priests and also in the purification of women. What is interesting about myrrh is that the only way to extract its fragrance is to crush it. Myrrh is symbolic of suffering.
In this regard, it is easy to understand that myrrh is significant because Jesus came to die. He came to suffer. He came to pay the sin penalty for your transgressions and for mine. We see that Jesus is offered, in Mark 15:23, myrrh while still on the cross. We also know that Jesus was embalmed with myrrh. Friends, these Magi came for far greater reasons that to have a baby shower for this infant named Jesus. They were part of a beautiful, prophetic experience that demonstrates that this infant, as Hebrews states, would be both the spotless sacrificial lamb, as well as the sinless high priest.
One more note in closing. Turn in your Bible to the book of Isaiah, chapter 60, verse 6. This verse says that there will be another gathering and another celebration for the Messiah. And some familiar gifts will be given. Gold and frankincense will again be placed at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this time, there will be no myrrh, because there will be no more suffering. This infant Jesus already received the myrrh. He already received the suffering. And on the cross, as a man, He said, "It is finished."
Today, recognize that adoring Jesus means bringing him the sacrifice of worship. And to truly worship Jesus, you must submit to His Lordship, you must acknowledge His righteousness, and give thanks for His suffering. But to adore Him, you must first give Him the gifts of your attention and of your arrival in His presence. For truly, Jesus is the gift who keeps on giving.
Well, its not very difficult to remember some of the very best gifts you've ever received at Christmas, is it? For me, a couple of gifts really stand out. The first gift that really excited me was a fireman's hat that I got when I was four years old. It had a battery operated flashing siren that used to drive my parents crazy. I'm pretty certain my uncle got that for me, and I'm not certain his motives were all that sweet. I'm also pretty certain my dad had something to do with the siren suddenly not working anymore after about two straight weeks of playing with it. The next year, I got my first bicycle for Christmas. It had these very cool flames painted on the frame. I named it Fireball. The problem was, I wasn't terribly coordinated, and my love for Fireball was quickly extinguished when I managed to crash into a parked UPS truck while learning to ride my bike. I was well on my way to seven before I actually mastered the bike riding challenge of life.
Now, I've received some other fabulous gifts as I've gotten older, ones from my wife that I will cherish forever, gifts from my children that are more valuable to me than a precious gem. A gift is truly wonderful when you who receive can know that thought, care, and planning went into its selection.
I think that's why Kelli and I tend to agonize over gifts that we give, as do many people. We don't want the gifts we give at Christmas to be perceived as trivial or as an afterthought. When thinking about a gift to give, we ask several questions: Does the person need it? Will they like it? Will they use it? Will they repackage it and give it back to us in the future?
Well, as we move ever closer to the big day we call Christmas, we find ourselves undertaking countdown after countdown. Only 16 more shopping days until Christmas! Only 13 more days until the relatives arrive! Only 18 more days until the relatives are gone! Over the next three weeks, we're going to be undertaking a countdown of our own. Today, we'll begin the countdown by looking at three presents. These gifts we'll examine today are the first three presents Jesus received to celebrate His arrival on the earth as the anointed King of the Jews.
The account of this event is found in the book of Matthew, chapter two, verses 1-11. Read them with me now:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'' When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.' '' Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.'' When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Commonly, people will hear or talk of the birth of Christ and the visitation by the Magi and comment that the Christ child received three significant gifts from them - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I want you to know that I agree with that assessment - Jesus did in fact receive the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the Magi. And we'll even look at each of those gifts a little later on as part of our worship today. I would like to suggest, however, that a close reading of the biblical text illustrates that these are not the first three gifts that were given to the Christ child. In fact, I share the theory right now that the only reason that Jesus was given the three gifts we commonly think of when thinking of this account, was because the Magi first gave Him three other gifts that are incredibly important and instructive to us, even today.
One more quick aside - nowhere in the Scripture do we see that there are three Magi - we have only come to infer that because three gifts are mentioned, and later traditions have even named them Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. But there may have been more, or possibly less.
Without further ado, as we look at the text, I believe we'll see that the first gift given to Jesus by the Magi was the gift of their attention. Let's re-read the first six verses of Matthew 2 to observe the attention of the Magi given to the birth of the King of the Jews.
Now, to understand why this is a significant exchange that is taking place here, let's dig a little deeper. First, let's try to understand a little better about the identity of the Magi. Who are the Magi? Well, we don't really know for sure. But we can make some fairly educated determinations about their identity. First of all, the scripture says here that they are "from the East." This word 'magi' is not a Greek word, it is a transliterated word that actually has Babylonian origins. In fact, its from where we get words today like both magician and magistrate. And we can actually observe that there were these magi, these wise men, who were men of significant political and spiritual influence who were responsible for the placing of individuals into positions of power and authority in the pagan lands. We find reference to these wise men throughout the Old Testament - in Job, in Esther, and in the book of Daniel. In fact, if you want to really see something interesting, turn in your Bible to the book of Daniel, chapter 4. Read verses 4-9 with me.
What we see here is that Daniel is identified by Nebuchadnezzar as being the chief of the magicians - he was the leader of these very same wise men! In fact, 2:48 says that the King had made Daniel the chief administrator over all the wise men! Now, if we fast forward approximately 600 years, we find wise men from the east (literally, from the land of the rising) looking for the king of the Jews. Some scholars think that their presence in Jerusalem stems from their reading of a scrap of Scripture -- Numbers 24:17, which states, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult."
This is pretty amazing - that a centuries-old group of pagan wise men would have traveled great distances to discover the king of the Jews simply because of a scrap of Scripture that had recorded the prophecies of God spoken through one of their own false prophets. But this amazing fact begins to make sense when you realize that they came into possession of this scrap of paper through the faithful service of a god-fearing foreigner named Daniel who, over 600 years ago repeatedly honored God in the context of serving pagan kings as their most trusted wise man.
But let's not be so amazed at their identity that we miss the amazing truth of their investigation. They had this record of prophecy - and they had spent the next 600 years searching the skies for this star that would signal the arrival of the King of the Jews. Can you imagine the faithfulness that is being demonstrated here? For six centuries, they vigilantly watched the skies. For sixty decades, they searched the stars. For six hundred years, for approximately 216,000 nights they peered into the night's sky, waiting, anticipating, hoping, and expecting. And these were pagans! Oh that we would have faith enough to investigate the promises of God as did these wise men. Yet we, the children of God, are so quick to give up on Him, so inclined to disbelieve, to abandon the watch. But they had nothing more than a simple promise from the God they did not know first hand, but had only heard of through generations of story-telling of the man named Daniel. And it was enough to compel them to investigate the promise, without ceasing.
Wow. This story gets more and more amazing as we continue, but let's not move on until we see that this first gift of their attention is only completely wrapped when the final bow is placed upon it. And that bow is the inquiry of the wise men. After their identity has been established, and their investigation has been engaged, now we discover the peak of their attention in the simple inquiry that they pose. They say, "where is He?"
Listen, it makes perfect sense that these three foreigners would come to Jerusalem and to Herod in particular to see the king of the Jews. But when the King is not there, it only makes perfect sense that they would go to those under the King's authority to discover where He could be found. And look what we discover - they didn't have a clue! Verse 3 says that Herod 'was troubled." But do you want to know what else is interesting - all of Jerusalem was troubled, too! I tell you, that Jesus was troublesome to the Jews from the moment of His birth to the very last breath He took! But verse 4 says that Herod had to scramble and gather all the chief priests and scribes together to discover where to find Him. And then, once they had ascertained from the Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah had to have been born from Bethlehem, only then could Herod give the wise men the answer.
You know, I really don't mind being caught not knowing something, just so long as everyone knows I wasn't supposed to know it in the first place. But I absolutely cannot stand to look stupid, when it is something that I'm supposed to know. I don't know how to split the atom. But I can live with that. But one of my greatest fears is ever going on to a game show and losing the game because I don't know the answer to a Bible question! So, I can understand Herod being a little edgy when these strangers show up and say, "where is it that you keep your king? Yeah, the one whose been promised for about 3,000 years…yeah, the one we've been watching for for 600 years. Where is He?" And all Herod wanted to say, was, "No, I'm sorry Alex, I said I wanted 'long expected rings' for $2000."
Did these wise men bring a gift? Absolutely they brought the gift of their attention. They demonstrate it through their identity, through their investigation, and through their inquiry.
They also brought with them the gift of their arrival. The gift of their arrival is so important for us to understand because it is in the giving of this gift that we observe the difference between having a 'head knowledge' and an 'experiential knowledge' of Jesus Christ. You see, these three could have been content to have seen the star, put a check mark by the prophecy, and said, 'yep, that one came true, too! Too bad I'm not a Jew. Too bad that's not my God." But that's not what they did. They instead took the perspective, "I have to see this for myself."
We see this gift presented, again, in three different ways that we'll address rather directly. First, we see this presented in their pursuit. The fact that these three guys were here looking for the king of the Jews was a big deal! If these men had originated from Babylon, which is a reasonable expectation, they would have traveled approximately 520 miles, if they had come in a straight shot. In all likelihood, they would have had to take a much more circuitous route, having to travel north around the Euphrates, and then south down to Jerusalem. And according to modern estimates, camels travel an average of 5-8 miles a day, and I would assume that that's because conditions have improved. The fact that they would even undertake this quest is an amazing statement of their desire to arrive in the presence of the King of the Jews.
If you do the math, its not unreasonable at all to see that it could have taken the wise men well over a year to arrive in Jerusalem. In this, we see that their pursuit is only surpassed by their perseverance. They went all the way. They didn't give up. And it didn't stop when they arrived in Jerusalem. When they asked where the King was, and the men who were supposed to be "king-seekers" didn't have a clue, they didn't turn around and go home. They waited until the "experts" figured it out. And they continued their journey!
I think this is amazing - how many of the chief priests and the scribes accompanied the wise men? Zero! Did Herod tag along to get a glimpse at his new boss? Nope! I think this is one of those fascinating places in Scripture where God says something incredibly profound without saying a word! None of "God's people" were even interested in finding out the identity of the Messiah. They weren't looking for a king. They only wanted to eliminate anyone who happened to be a threat to their power, prestige, and prominence.
And their arrival culminates in praise. Verse 9 says they left Herod and his half-hearted holy men behind and once again discovered the star that had led them to this point. And what does verse 10 say? When they saw it, they rejoiced with exceeding joy! These guys were not just on some diplomatic mission. These guys were not doing something dull or routine, they were moment-by-moment experiencing a miracle. They were walking by faith and seeing this strange, foreign God show them merit and favor! They were worshipping! They were rejoicing!
That's what brings us to the third gift - that is the gift of their adoration. And before we get into this, I just want to make it clear that that these three men were only able to give this third gift because they were willing to give the first two gifts. If they hadn't had given this very important matter their attention, and if they weren't so determined to arrive, they'd never have experienced the joy and blessing of giving the gift of their adoration to Jesus, the King of the Jews.
And you should take a moment to understand this important detail as well, because in a moment, we're going to get all caught up in those famous triplets, gold frankincense and myrrh. But before we do, remember and don't forget that the real gift is their adoration. These three items are manifestations of those gifts, but the heart of the gift itself is the adoration they gave to this special, precious God-child.
Verse 11 says that they entered the house (which shows us significant time had passed from the birth in the manger), and when they saw Mary with Jesus, they fell down and worshipped who? Him! That's right, Jesus. And only Jesus. Not Mary. They - these godless pagans fell down and worshipped Jesus! They adored Him.
And they expressed their adoration for Him by giving Him three gifts. We don't know if these are the only three gifts that were given to Him, but we know at least these three were given, and you can be pretty well assured that these three are mentioned because they are spiritually significant and spiritually symbolic and they are also the fulfillment of prophecy. Listen to these promises:
Psalm 72:10-11 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
Isaiah 60:3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Obviously, these three men showing up on Jesus' doorstep was a lot more than an interesting coincidence. Likewise, that they came with gifts shouldn't simply be dismissed as a nice gesture. So, let's spend the rest of our time looking at these three special gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus.
First, they brought to him gold. No doubt, it makes sense to bring the gift of gold to a King. But gold is important for more than just being 'gold.' It is also very important because of what gold symbolizes. Primarily, gold symbolizes purity. When we look at the various passages in the Bible and learn about the items of the tabernacle, we find something interesting. The ten lavers, the molten sea, and the altar are all brazen - made of bronze - which represents judgment. The high priests are washed clean in judgment and the sins are judged on the altar of sacrifice. These are all the first steps to enter into the tabernacle. After this, though, one would encounter the Menorah, the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Incense Altar, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat, all of which are either made of solid gold, covered in gold, or rest upon gold. Particularly relevant is that the mercy seat, which is much more than simply the lid to the Ark of the Covenant, is fashioned out of pure gold. Gold symbolizes the purity, the holiness, the righteousness of God Almighty.
Gold is also symbolic of the royalty of Jesus. Gold was often understood as the gift most fitting to give a king, a symbol recognizing His royalty and authority. It was a gift of honor and respect. So for the Magi to give this gift to Jesus, they were acknowledging that He was King, that He was the authority, and that He was anointed by God. Their giving of this gift to Him was the demonstration of respect and deference to Him.
The symbolism of purity and royalty in gold is significant in the giving of this valuable gift to Jesus. We don't have any hint that this gift was a "seed gift" to Christ's ministry, especially when we consider later that Jesus had no place to rest his head. This giving of this gift is for our benefit, showing us that the recipient is pure, without sin, without blemish. He is holy, righteous, worthy of glory and honor.
Next, the wise men brought frankincense. Frankincense, as you probably can determine is an incense offering. In the Old Testament, after the priest was washed clean in the brazen lavers, the first act of worship he did was to light incense in the golden incense stand. In this manner, frankincense is symbolic of the priestly nature of Jesus. By placing frankincense before Jesus, it is a symbol of worship, of acknowledgment that Jesus is God.
Certainly, it isn't difficult to understand the significance of this gift. Jesus deserves to be worshipped. It is insufficient to simply study Him, to talk about Him, to try to analyze Him. He is God incarnate. He is divine. He was born of a woman, and of God. He is eternal. He reigns eternally, and He will return again! As such, a gift of incense hails back to the Old Testament practices of lighting incense before God, representing how God receives our prayers, our devotion, our confession, our adoration.
Finally, the wise men brought myrrh. Myrrh is a bitter gum and a costly perfume that was used in funeral preparations. It was expensive, it was used in the anointing oils of the high priests and also in the purification of women. What is interesting about myrrh is that the only way to extract its fragrance is to crush it. Myrrh is symbolic of suffering.
In this regard, it is easy to understand that myrrh is significant because Jesus came to die. He came to suffer. He came to pay the sin penalty for your transgressions and for mine. We see that Jesus is offered, in Mark 15:23, myrrh while still on the cross. We also know that Jesus was embalmed with myrrh. Friends, these Magi came for far greater reasons that to have a baby shower for this infant named Jesus. They were part of a beautiful, prophetic experience that demonstrates that this infant, as Hebrews states, would be both the spotless sacrificial lamb, as well as the sinless high priest.
One more note in closing. Turn in your Bible to the book of Isaiah, chapter 60, verse 6. This verse says that there will be another gathering and another celebration for the Messiah. And some familiar gifts will be given. Gold and frankincense will again be placed at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this time, there will be no myrrh, because there will be no more suffering. This infant Jesus already received the myrrh. He already received the suffering. And on the cross, as a man, He said, "It is finished."
Today, recognize that adoring Jesus means bringing him the sacrifice of worship. And to truly worship Jesus, you must submit to His Lordship, you must acknowledge His righteousness, and give thanks for His suffering. But to adore Him, you must first give Him the gifts of your attention and of your arrival in His presence. For truly, Jesus is the gift who keeps on giving.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
