Friday, January 03, 2014
Proclaim
Christmas is over and the new year is under way. In the next few days (for some, it will take weeks - you know who you are!), the lights will come down, the trees put away, the music has probably already been moved off your current playlist. Life is returning back to normal. And that's the problem....
For man, the name that evokes the very season is packed away, just like the baby in the nativity scene that's boxed away for another year. But not for us. Not for the believer. Not for the one who is identified by Christ's name. For the Christian must never pack away Christmas.
We must always "prepare Him room." The truth is, if we are not vigilant, our lives quickly become over scheduled with commitments and responsibilities and passions. Our hearts become crowded with the detritus of our misplaced priorities and without realizing it, we have no room for Jesus. (I'm not just talking about church attendance here - although, that is surely one indicator....)
"Preparing Him room" is not just an advent admonition for one hectic season of the year, much less one season of our lives. This should be a daily activity that begins in our waking moments. (OK, at least during that first cup of coffee.) We must make room...
Our lives must proclaim "the good news of great joy." The Message of Christmas must not be silenced and it must continue throughout the year. Like the angels who declared the good news with great joy. Like the shepherds who spread the news throughout Bethlehem. Like Simeon and Anna in the temple. The refrain must continue, "Christ has come! God's redemptive plan is still in effect!"
For man, the name that evokes the very season is packed away, just like the baby in the nativity scene that's boxed away for another year. But not for us. Not for the believer. Not for the one who is identified by Christ's name. For the Christian must never pack away Christmas.
We must always "prepare Him room." The truth is, if we are not vigilant, our lives quickly become over scheduled with commitments and responsibilities and passions. Our hearts become crowded with the detritus of our misplaced priorities and without realizing it, we have no room for Jesus. (I'm not just talking about church attendance here - although, that is surely one indicator....)
"Preparing Him room" is not just an advent admonition for one hectic season of the year, much less one season of our lives. This should be a daily activity that begins in our waking moments. (OK, at least during that first cup of coffee.) We must make room...
- for quiet, to hear Jesus’ voice
- in our schedules to wait on Him
- in our plans to follow His directions
- for Jesus by giving to others
- in our celebrations by celebrating Him.
Our lives must proclaim "the good news of great joy." The Message of Christmas must not be silenced and it must continue throughout the year. Like the angels who declared the good news with great joy. Like the shepherds who spread the news throughout Bethlehem. Like Simeon and Anna in the temple. The refrain must continue, "Christ has come! God's redemptive plan is still in effect!"
Labels: Christmas; advent; proclaim; witness; prepare; new year; Joy to the World
Friday, November 08, 2013
Small Graces
I was sick earlier this week. Believe me, you don't want any of the details. Suffice it to say, that I was laid up in bed from Sunday night until Tuesday morning. Not quite an eternity, but for those who know me, you understand how truly excruciating it is for me to be in bed for a whole day.
I was somewhere between the land of the living and the state of Truly Miserable on Monday morning, when Gina asked me if I wanted the
curtains opened in our room. She said that the sun was shining, so I said, "Sure. Anything to make me feel better. Oh, and can I have one of those little popsicles?"
As she drew the curtain aside, the vibrant reds of the
burning bushes that border one side of our yard and the yellows and oranges of the pin oak tree filled the window, and in
a small corner of this backdrop, a thin slice of bright blue sky. All seen from my sick bed.
I believe that is an illustration of small graces. You know what I'm talking about - those little
joys that God sends our way to lift our spirit, and our perspective.
Often times, in our hurried preoccupation, or because we are caught up in self-pity, or mired in our misery, we miss them. But they're there. Small graces come in so many different packages... In the
beautiful laughter of a child. In a phone call from an old friend. In the
poignant memory that only a song can evoke. In the cool breeze of spring, the warm rain on a summer afternoon, the colors of fall or the
fragrance of Christmas. In the gentle touch of a loved one. In a clear night sky where the stars shine on the velvet canvas of space. It might be in the smile of a stranger or in an encouraging text message
from a friend. They can even come in the form of cold popsicle.
The point is that they are there. Small graces sent by God as reminders of a bigger picture. A tap on the shoulder
to say that all is not lost, there will be a tomorrow. A note from heaven to remind us that He's still in control. A call to lift up our eyes and experience the grace of the moment, even in the midst of our storm.
Small graces, sent by God. A gentle reminder of His tender
loving care.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Two Flats Later
Well, this
week began with two flat tires. Seriously. Last Sunday, Gina was
following me to lunch after church, when I heard a pop and my car started to
pull hard to the left. I crawled into the Lowe's parking lot and...sure
enough, blown driver's side front tire. And no, I did not get upset,
freak out or go into any hysterics. Really! (If you don't believe me,
just ask Gina!) I use this illustration way too much in my preaching to
over-react to it. You know, it usually gets inserted into the category of
"when things don't go as planned," or "when bad things suddenly
happen." Anyways, changed the flat (and no, Gina did not help, but
provided wonderful moral support - "Are you sure you know what you're
doing?") and saw that it wasn't punctured, but it was actually a blowout
on the upper inside wall of the tire.
On Monday
afternoon, I was taking Gina's car to run an errand and I noticed that the steering
wheel wasn't responding well. At the stop sign at the bottom of the hill
from our house, I stopped to check the tires and...yep, it was another
flat. I hobbled the car back up the hill and when I parked it in the
driveway, I saw that this one had a large screw imbedded in it. I asked Gina if
she had noticed the tire was low and she just indicated that it was driving
"kinda funny." Changing this tire was no fun at all. It's
an older car and the donut spare was pitiful. Once again, Gina provided
great moral support - "You got this!" No kidding. By
myself! Again. She just smiled that sweet smile and went back into
the house.
Two! Two flats in two days! What's the lesson in this? As I labored over the second tire, I asked God, "What's the message here? You know, there are easier and cheaper and less time consuming ways to get my attention!" It was quiet. So, muttering under my breath (I know, HE heard me), I finished the tire change and waited for some explanation from the One who oversees every detail of my life.
The insight didn't come quick. In fact, it wasn't until the next night that I remembered that on Saturday, Gina and I had gone to Louisville (about 45 minutes away). We traveled at a pretty good clip on I-65 to get there. If I had the blowout doing 70-75 miles an hour, things may have been much worse. I thanked the Lord for His timing.
But that wasn't all that the Lord wanted to communicate. Remember when I told Him that there were "easier ways to get my attention"? Well, that wasn't exactly true. Most people that know me would tell you that I am a pretty active person. I admit that I have a hard time sitting still. Gina would also include that I have ADD. I don't know what she's talk...Hey! Check out that play on Sportscenter! Getting my full attention can be a challenge. And God wanted my full attention.
Two flats later, we had a talk. Actually, He talked and I listened. I can't tell you all that He spoke to me, but there was a challenge in it and a lot of reassurance. We didn't talk about automobile maintenance or better tire care. God needed to talk to me about better life maintenance and soul care. And that was just what I needed in the midst of the stress that I have felt over the past couple of months.
I've been running at a pretty good clip lately and burning out for Jesus just isn't the kind of life that He has called me to. God doesn't want me to experience a physical, emotional or spiritual blowout doing a hundred miles an hour in the pursuit of His work. So God just had to get my attention...the hard way.
Two! Two flats in two days! What's the lesson in this? As I labored over the second tire, I asked God, "What's the message here? You know, there are easier and cheaper and less time consuming ways to get my attention!" It was quiet. So, muttering under my breath (I know, HE heard me), I finished the tire change and waited for some explanation from the One who oversees every detail of my life.
The insight didn't come quick. In fact, it wasn't until the next night that I remembered that on Saturday, Gina and I had gone to Louisville (about 45 minutes away). We traveled at a pretty good clip on I-65 to get there. If I had the blowout doing 70-75 miles an hour, things may have been much worse. I thanked the Lord for His timing.
But that wasn't all that the Lord wanted to communicate. Remember when I told Him that there were "easier ways to get my attention"? Well, that wasn't exactly true. Most people that know me would tell you that I am a pretty active person. I admit that I have a hard time sitting still. Gina would also include that I have ADD. I don't know what she's talk...Hey! Check out that play on Sportscenter! Getting my full attention can be a challenge. And God wanted my full attention.
Two flats later, we had a talk. Actually, He talked and I listened. I can't tell you all that He spoke to me, but there was a challenge in it and a lot of reassurance. We didn't talk about automobile maintenance or better tire care. God needed to talk to me about better life maintenance and soul care. And that was just what I needed in the midst of the stress that I have felt over the past couple of months.
I've been running at a pretty good clip lately and burning out for Jesus just isn't the kind of life that He has called me to. God doesn't want me to experience a physical, emotional or spiritual blowout doing a hundred miles an hour in the pursuit of His work. So God just had to get my attention...the hard way.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Are You Ready for the Final Exam?
OK. It may seem like overkill on this subject, but when you're preparing to preach on a difficult subject, a lot of things end up on the cutting room floor. By the way, one of the great challenges of modern preaching is to get great Truths to fit inside of that barely tolerable 45-minute window I call a sermon. I say "modern" preaching because there was a time (not that long ago) that preachers averaged over an hour to communicate God's Word. Anything less was quaintly termed "sermonettes." (If you're used to the 20-30 minute message, I'm probably not your preacher of choice. And yes, I know all about series and I usually preach within them. AND I know that the mind can only retain what the seat can endure - which explains why we have comfy padded seats in our sanctuary.) Anyways, back to my reason for writing this blog...
I've been thinking a lot about what the
Bible says comes next for us after death, and the Judgment Day is a major event
on God's itinerary for us. This had me thinking
about when I was in college. Every professor gave us a syllabus for his or her
course. The syllabus gave us an outline and summary of the course. It
told us what the professor expected of us as students – attendance, term paper
requirements, and the dates of mid-term and final exams.
God has given us a
syllabus. It is called the Bible. In it, we discover God’s plan,
all that He wants to teach us, and what is expected of us – attendance
requirements, the practicum (where we apply what we’ve learned), and the
certainty of pop quizzes, tests, and a very final exam.
In college, I was a
procrastinator. I put off thinking about tests or term papers until I
absolutely had to. (Which might explain my less than stellar grades.)
Look, being all preoccupied with tests would have spoiled all the fun I was
having in college! I was away from home. I was the captain of my ship and
I couldn’t be bothered by petty professors who tried to make my life miserable
with more lame school work! But no matter how much I attempted to put it
off, or ignore it, those exams still came with an alarming sense of urgency
and...well, panic.
I believe that
many Christians would rather not think about the final exam when we stand
before God. That just cramps our style, doesn’t it? It makes us
uncomfortable because any serious consideration of our personal judgment would
probably make us pause and evaluate our lives. We might have to take life
more seriously and be more conscious of wasting our time on things that really
don’t matter in light of eternity. But here's what the syllabus says:
10...For we will all stand
before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written, “As I
live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give
praise to God.”
12 So then each one
of us will give an account of himself to God.
(Romans 14:10b-12,
NASB)
It is not wise to ignore the
inevitable or to put off facing the facts. (Apply this to almost any other area
of your life and isn't that an absolute understatement?!!?) In this
case, we will all be judged – both believer and unbeliever alike. The
Bible describes two separate judgments and according to scripture, they are a
serious certainty.
For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done
in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV)
But the degree to which we are upset by
this topic is based on how ready we are for the final exam. Think about
it: When you waited till the last minute to get ready for your history test,
you were in full-blown panic mode. But when you had studied, and prepared
well in advance, there was some anxiety perhaps, but there was also a
confidence that you had prepared – you had done your part to get ready.
What’s amazing to me, as a
pastor, is how many people (both believers and nonbelievers) want me to talk
about end-time events, but don’t want to hear about the Judgment. Our
Final Exam IS a pretty significant end-time event. And we had better be
ready for it.
Labels: final exam, judgment, preaching
Friday, April 12, 2013
Happy Judgment Day!
This Sunday, I will be stepping back into our series on "What's Next?" You know, what happens after we die. Many Christians have only a vague idea of what comes next, but the Bible gives us a pretty clear picture. We've talked about life, death and resurrection. Now, we need to see what comes after that - JUDGMENT. I know, right? It sounds so...bad. (Did you hear the creepy organ music when you read that?) And it looks even worse in all-caps. The writer of Hebrews just says it the way that it is, and the way that it will be...
"...people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..."
The only reason that this sounds really bad for all of us is that we haven't read this truth in context. Let's try it again...
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:24-28, NIV)
The reason that we fear the judgment is because we tend to be sinful people. And sinful people having to stand before a holy God is a picture that should instill fear in our hearts. BUT... (Remember that this word is strategically positioned to tell us a greater truth. And it occurs twice in this passage!) This is the Good News for all of us destined to die and face judgment! I like the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in The Message...
26b But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all...the final solution of sin.
27-28Everyone
has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a
one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever.
And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him
is, precisely, salvation.
This is the greater truth that changes our view of the judgment that is to come for each of us. Notice that the writer of Hebrews is less concerned with death and judgment than he is with salvation. In fact, the truth in verse 27 is almost conveyed flippantly because it is overshadowed by the greater truth of Christ's once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. Jesus bore God's judgment for our sin! And in the words of the old hymn-writer...
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save"
"Jesus died my soul to save"
my lips shall still repeat
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow
(Jesus Paid It All, Elvina M. Hall, 1865)
I'm not trying to diminish the gravity of that moment when we will all stand before God in judgment. (I believe that there will be tears and some anguish - even for believers. See 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 for more info!) But our hope is secure because of what Christ has done for us! If we have placed our trust in Christ's sacrifice for sin, we don't have anything to fear and it WILL BE a happy Judgment Day.
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died--more
than that, who
was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is
also interceding for us. (Romans 8:34, NIV)
Labels: death, Hebrews 9:24-28, judgment
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Backyard Spring Symphony
This afternoon, I was sitting outside on our patio for the
first time this year. Gina has been out
of town at a Women’s Conference and I was enjoying wonderful spring weather, take-out
Chinese, a book and abundant sunshine.
At one point, I closed my eyes and reveled in the moment and
listened.... In a matter of moments, I heard
a siren, several different birds calling out, a train’s lonesome horn, the wind
through the trees with some old fall leaves clattering through our
carport. As I listened more intently, I
heard a plane overhead, our neighbor’s wind chime, a motorcycle’s throaty roar,
the voices of children from a neighborhood away calling out, and a couple of
dogs in the distance barking. This was
the background music of my peaceful moment.
At first, I was tempted to call it noise, but these sounds were not
obnoxiously vying for my attention and they did not tyrannize the moment. What I was hearing did not disrupt the wonderful feel of the sun after what has seemed a long
winter’s grip. The truth was that I had
not really heard them at all until I paused to listen. In reality, all of these "instruments" were forming a soundtrack
to my spring moment.
I know that on some days my ADD would not allow me this
kind of peaceful meditation, but today, the song was serenity and the symphony
of different instruments were somehow all in the same key. I thanked the Lord, enjoyed the moment and
just hummed along to the beautiful spring-time tune in my backyard.
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