KNEE DEEP IN RIBBONS AND WRAP!

 

Thursday, December 26, 2024

 

KNEE DEEP IN RIBBONS AND WRAP!

 

Eph 4:4-8

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

 

Whether your gifts were many or few, old or new, the idea of gift giving is an integral part of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Indeed, gifts have taken the spotlight away from the newborn babe. The Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All these were very valuable and all very symbolic of various aspects of the life and ministry of Jesus. The gold represented his royalty, the frankincense spoke of his priesthood and the myrrh foretold his suffering and death.

 

          Mary gave gifts too. She gave her body to be used as the first home of the savior. Within her womb God and man would join and grow. She also gave her reputation as a pure woman sacrificed on the altar of slander, gossip, and disbelief. A sword shall pierce her heart also! This was the prophecy of Simeon.

 

          Joseph gave his love, protection, and fatherly leadership. To Mary he gave the gift of acceptance and understanding. He took part of her shame and became the earthly father of the Son of God. It was a valuable gift.

 

          The greatest Giver is God who gave the gift of His Son to die for the sins of a fallen race and to offer salvation to any who would receive it. “He gave gifts to men” is what Ephesians 4:8 tells us. The Greek word for gifts is doma which simply means “a present”!

 

          Even for a few days after Christmas you will hear people ask: “What did you get for Christmas?” The answers will be as individual as the person responding to the question. I have received the wonderful gift of grace, a robe of righteousness which is a perfect fit, the forgiveness of all my sins, a companion to be with me forever and at all times. I also received a gift card worth a home in heaven to be redeemed at a later date. Yes, this Christmas, I am knee deep in ribbons and wrap!

 

2 Cor 9:15

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

 

Dear Lord, thank you that along with the psalmist I can say: “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life – and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord – forever”! AMEN

 

CHRISTMAS IS LIKE A MAGNET!

 

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

 

CHRISTMAS IS LIKE A MAGNET!

 

Luke 2:1-7

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

            His birth drew Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes, and each Jewish male had to return to the city of his fathers to record his name, occupation, property, and family. Augustus Caesar had become an unknowing and unwilling participant in the plan of God to provide a savior for man. Like a magnet, Bethlehem drew the holy family to herself.

 

            His birth drew the angels from heaven. They came to see the Creator being born as a creature. It amazed and excited them, and the air became electric as they rushed to and fro. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Tim 3:16)

 

His birth drew shepherds from the field. The angels were quite convincing as they shouted their “glory to God in the highest.” The shepherds left their flocks and came with haste. The barn was becoming crowded.

 

          His birth drew Magi from afar. Although we don’t know much about these wise men, it has been speculated that Daniel may have introduced them to the Jewish prophecies while in Babylon. The Magi, star gazers, would have pieced together physical phenomena with prophetic verses to conclude that there would be a king born to the Jews. The preparation and dedication required to take their journey is amazing.

 

          His birth draws churches and families together. Christmas produces floods of worshippers in churches. Families travel great distances to be together mimicking the journey of Mary and Joseph. Who can resist when they hear the popular “I’ll be home for Christmas?”

 

            His birth draws sinners to redemption. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” (John 6:44) The infant in the manger would become the savior on the cross. He came to take our sins and give us salvation. He took our ugliness and gave us beauty for ashes.

 

Dear Lord, there is a tug at my heart this Christmas season. Let me become closer to you in devotion. Let me become closer to my church in dedication. Let me become closer to family in love. AMEN

 

JOY IN THE MIDST OF SORROW

 

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

 

JOY IN THE MIDST OF SORROW

 

John 16:21-22

21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

 

During America’s Civil War, Henry W. Longfellow penned the words to “I heard the bells on Christmas Day.” In this classic hymn Longfellow acknowledges the frustration and depression that often accompanies the glitter and glamour of the season. The fourth stanza talks of his despair, but he finishes with triumph of the spirit.

 

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

 

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

Till ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

And in despair I bowed my head

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men."

 

          It is a great encouragement to know that God is not disgusted with our periods of depression. He does not blame us for our fainting and moves quickly to our aid.

 

Ps 22:24

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for always showing up on time. Thank you for understanding our troubled hearts in these troubled times. Thank you for the triumph of our spirits by your own Spirit. AMEN

 

A SINGLE ORANGE!

 

Monday, December 23, 2024

 

A SINGLE ORANGE!

 

Phil 4:12-13

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

          At Christmas 1971, I was a bi-vocational pastor of a baby church. I was fresh out of college and working at a hospital in a small Kansas town. On the time clock in the basement was a note that said, “be sure to pick up your orange in the cafeteria.” This was the Christmas bonus given to each hospital worker that year. A single orange.

 

          I went to the cafeteria to see what might be there. On a table was a cardboard box full of oranges. No bow and no wrapping! Just an orange. I picked through the box to find one that was not too soft, and I took it home to share with my wife.

 

          Why did I tell you this story? Because it was a learning experience. I learned how to be abased, which is the Greek word tapienoo. It means “to humiliate.” It wasn’t pleasant at the time, but I needed to learn how to respond to such conditions. Only then was I ready to enjoy abundance.

 

Dear Lord, most of us move through life with much more than we need and much more than we think we have. Thank you not only for daily provision but for overflowing blessings. AMEN

 

WHAT MADE THE ANGELS SING?

 

Sunday, December 22, 2024

 

WHAT MADE THE ANGELS SING?

 

Luke 2:8-10

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

          It was not glitter but glory that caused the angels to sing or, rather, to SAY. What might that have sounded like? Countless voices shouting in spontaneity regarding the wonder of the beginning of redemption must have been quite a hum.

 

          Oh, I am not condemning the attempt to remanufacture that at Christmas time. I am definitely not a humbug guy, but all our celebratory attempts fail when compared to that night on shepherds’ hill.

 

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o’er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

 

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

 

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him Whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee,

Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

 

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

 

Lord, although our attempts to sing glorias fail to attain the heights of those angels, let us lend our feeble sounds to theirs. Glory to God in the highest. AMEN

 

DEALING WITH LOSS AT CHRISTMAS

 

Saturday, December 21, 2024

 

DEALING WITH LOSS AT CHRISTMAS

 

Luke 2:33-35

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

 

          Eight days after Jesus was born, He was brought to the temple for ceremonial circumcision. While there, the holy family was met by two unusual characters. Simeon prophesied that Jesus would bring the “fall and rising again” of many in Israel. It was not national but personal.

 

          My father-in-law passed away on December 7^th many years ago. We knew he had been sick in the nursing home and a gloom hung over us, but there we were at the local Christmas parade. It was a Sunday after church, and I was a pastor.

 

          My very kind church offered to either fly us home or buy new tires for my car. Being practical souls, we chose the new tires not knowing just how much they would be needed through the snow and ice of Ohio and Illinois. The danger accentuated our grief. One kind lady helped Irene clean and pack for the trip while I had the tires installed. It was all a blur. Our Savior was a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He never left us without help and helpers.

 

          Acknowledge your grief and loss. Pretending to be jolly will not be very successful but avoid being gloomy. Acknowledge joy also. You will find it and it will find you. Cling to those that remain for they are grieving too. Acknowledge the Holy Spirit for He will surely be present to help you deal with the absence. Receive gifts and give them. They will have a special significance as time passes. Comfort yourself with positive “self-talk.”

 

Luke 2:18-19

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

 

Lord, not all who approach these days do so with joyful abandon. Some are grieving and others have suffered loss of other kinds. Be very near to them and help them. AMEN

 

CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART

 

Friday, December 20, 2024

 

CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART

 

Eph 4:31-32

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

 

          It was a cold and dour Christmastide in the counting house of ole Scrooge and Marley. Ebenezer hunched over his books making marks with an unsharpened quill. Bob stood at his upright desk too cold to work and too frightened to move. At home, what few things that Bob had was warm and welcoming. At home, the many things that Ebenezer had were covered in dust and disappointment. So, Christmas came to both. But each celebrated it, or didn’t celebrate it, according to his own heart.

 

             Does it not seem that the world is divided into those two characters? The one surrounded by unnoticed blessings and the other pinched by unnoticed want move through life in opposite directions. One seems destined for perpetual misery and the other singing like a bird in the rain. The difference is the heart, you see!

 

          The heart makes all the difference. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) On the other hand “with the heart man believes unto righteousness.” (Romans 10:10) The heart colors and flavors all other circumstances. This is very noticeable at Christmas time.

 

          How about your own heart? Is it right with God? Make your complaints known to God and cry out for mercy because His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. A broken and contrite heart He will not ignore. Let God change your heart. When that happens everything else will become new.

 

Ps 51:7-8

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

 

Dear God, don’t let my heart ruin Christmas for me and those around me. Change my heart, O God. Let me see the beauty that has been hidden from my eyes. AMEN  

 

 

THE REAL SAINT NICHOLAS!

 

Thursday, December 19, 2024

 

THE REAL SAINT NICHOLAS!

 

Isa 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

 

Matt 1:23

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 

          "A Visit from St. Nicholas", more commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837. Some commentators now believe the poem was written by Henry Livingston, Jr.

 

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads

 

          The real Saint Nicholas was Nikolaos of Myra, a historic 4th-century Greek Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor (modern-day Demre, Turkey).  His legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus through Sinterklaas. He was cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian but was released after the accession of Constantine and was present at the Council of Nicaea.

 

          The Council of Nicaea was convened, among other things, to determine the true nature of the Son of God and His relationship to the father. Questions lingered regarding the virgin birth and whether Jesus was “begotten” and had no beginning or “created” and therefore did have a beginning. The amazing thing to me is that a group of men believed they could convene to determine truth! Truth stands regardless of the consensus of any council. Greek iconography indicates that he either slapped or punched Arius who did not believe in the virgin birth or the deity of Christ.

 

          It seems appropriate to me that the man who gave birth to Santa Claus would historically be involved in defending, literally and physically, the truth that Jesus was virgin born.

 

Luke 1:35

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 

Dear Jesus, thank you for your virgin birth, your sinless life, your sacrificial death, and your victorious resurrection! AMEN

 

THE ABUNDANCE OF THINGS!

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

 

THE ABUNDANCE OF THINGS!

 

Luke 12:15

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

 

          The above verse is part of an encounter with a man who came to Jesus asking him to help parcel out the family inheritance. In verse 13 the man asks Jesus to demand that his brother share the inheritance with him. Jesus responded in verse 14 by explaining that He did not come to be a judge of such things and then, in the following verses, gives the story of the rich man who had no place to store his goods.

 

          The language of verse 15 is interesting, even amusing. The word “beware” means “to isolate” and the words “take heed” literally meant “to stare at.” The idea is to isolate and fix your gaze upon covetousness. The word “covetousness” is pleonexia and indicates goods gained by fraud or extortion.

 

          Christmas is full of stories about fraud and greedy money grabbers. Ebenezer Scrooge and surly Mr. Potter were not happy with their great horde of money and goods. Threadbare George Bailey had a “drafty old house” full of love and laughter. Crippled Tiny Tim was able to say, “God bless us every one!” All these Christmas stories compliment the teaching of Jesus regarding things. The abundance of things can never enrich one’s life. Isolate and stare at this truth.

 

1 Tim 6:6-9

6 [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.

7 For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world;

8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content (satisfied).

9 But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.

AMPLIFIED

 

Dear Lord, during this season of great, grabbing commerce, let me be content with family, friends and with you! Give us such things as we truly need and help us to isolate and stare hard at covetousness. AMEN