Listen

Today, my topic (that I chose weeks ago when I was doing the calendar) is listen. My challenge to you is to listen to what people aren't saying. And especially listen to what Christ is asking you to say/do to those whose words speak one thing and then their actions say another.

Songs of the Season

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

Refrain

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, He shuns not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

Refrain

See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;

Refrain

Lo! star led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child bring our hearts’ oblations.

Refrain

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?

Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

Refrain

Third Sunday of Advent

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent and I missed blogging and church... Here are my thoughts on the third Sunday anyway. 

Mary and Joseph: Receiving God’s Promise

To have a life filled with God’s power and victory it is imperative that we take the lesson from Mary and Joseph and receive God’s promises. Sometimes God’s promises are a scary and difficult to understand. Mary and Joseph knew that very well.

      When a friend of mine was a child, his parents used to bribe him to get him to study. His parents told him when he was in first grade that if he got all A’s he could get any toy he wanted at the end of the term. As a result he did well very well during that school year, and his parents kept bribing him through elementary school. But when Jr. High came they stopped bribing him. We can all guess what happened, he stopped doing well. Today if I tell you I will give you the car of your dreams when you do your job well, and if I hold the keys in front of you, I believe that you would want to do your vest because you want to get the prize. It is not just solely about the prize but the fact that there is something ahead to look forward to. In the same way, God gives us promises. Not that God dangles a carrot ahead of us to keep us going, but God understands that in the journey of the Christian life, He has to nudge and prod us along. So He gives us promises.

      God promised a Savior through a virgin birth and Mary and Joseph believed that and got to receive it first hand. God gives us lots of promises all the time, to receive God’s promises you have to: know who the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper is, if anybody makes you a promise, you have got to determine the integrity and credibility of the person. If it is somebody wacky, someone who is not credible, you are not going to take them seriously. The person who gives you the promise has to have credibility and integrity. In this case, the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper is God Himself. As we study about who God is throughout the Scriptures, we discover that He is Almighty God. Because He is Almighty God, there is credibility in His promises. He possesses all ability, all power and all power to fulfill His promises.

      The word ‘power’ in Greek talks about both dunamis and exousia. Dynamite comes from the word dunamis. There is an explosion, a power, which is the ability to do. But that is not all. God himself also has exousia – the authority or the right to do.

j.    Some of us have the ability to do something, but not the right to do so. Some of us have the right to do something but we don’t have the ability to accomplish it. But God is the Almighty God, which means that He has both the ability and the authority. If God has all power and all might, and He makes this promise to you, you can be sure that He will fulfill it. God always fulfills His promises. The Bible tells us that God is not a man that He should lie  Numbers 23:19), and that the promises of God are “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). But we also need to understand that as God gives us a promise, He waits for us to live within the boundaries of His condition. God loves to give us promises, He wants to fulfill His promises, but He waits for us to meet His conditions. I believe fully that Mary and Joseph both had to have a willing spirit for the promise of Christ to come through them.

      Know what the promise is Besides knowing the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper, we need to know what the promise is. If you do not know what the promise is, you will not be able to grasp it and experience its fulfillment. So you have got to know what God’s promises are.  I believe that Mary and Joseph knew and understood the intensity of the promise that was about to be brought forth in their lives. Are we open or closed to receiving God’s promises in our lives?

      Seven is the traditional number of completion in the Bible and theology. I believe that there are seven promises that we as Christians need to become more consistent about receiving.

     Promise #1 The Promise of Promotion, Deuteronomy 28:13 says, “ And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.” You are born to lead. God promises us that you will always be leading. This promise talks about a promotion of God in our lives. The promises of God is putting you and I into a leadership position and He will promote you. Am I saying that you will always be the first, or the boss? No, I am saying that when we are living in the promises of God you won’t be lacking. God will give you guidance and that translates into leadership.

      Promise 2 is you are blessed. You have the promise of purpose through this. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You are going to be blessed with all the good things of heaven. You are blessed because God has a purpose for your life. You are blessed to be a blessing.

      Promise #3 You are more than a conqueror this is the Promise of Victory Romans 8: 37 – Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. This third promise deals with victory. It doesn’t matter what situation or difficulty you are in right now; you will be victorious because you are more than a conqueror.

      Promise #4 You will have a way where there seems to be no way [The Promise of Open Doors] Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I will do a new thing! Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. You will have a way where there seems to be no way. That’s the promise of open doors. God promises you open doors. Sometimes it takes many closed doors to find the open one, closed ones are a blessing that don’t always feel good. Keep believing but He waits for us to meet His conditions.

     

      Promise #5 is the promise of Grace and Sufficiency: you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This has to do with God’s grace and God’s sufficiency. You can rise above your situation and say, “I can do all things, because God’s promise backs you up.

      Promise #6 You have a hope and a future [The Promise of Hope and a Future] Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you”, says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” You have a hope, you have a future. Don’t let the devil chisel you and knock you off your feet because you have hope, you have a future in God.

     Promise #7 the Promise of Peace Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God has promised you peace in the midst of chaos. It doesn’t matter what the situation is; it may overwhelming but even in the midst of it, you have God’s peace to anchor you, and you will walk through it successfully. I believe these are promises God wants to release into your life. If you receive God’s promises, they will transform you. They will cause you to live with intent, and living a life of intent will lead you to success. Perhaps we aren’t living with intent in the past. Perhaps you have had some bad experiences. But you can be intentional and experience new meaning in your life starting today. The Promise Giver is God Himself, and His promises are “Yes and Amen”. Receive God’s promises today!

Songs of the Season

My training schedule really impeded my blogging this week... sorry. Here is my absolute favorite song of the Christmas season:

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Refrain Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave. Refrain O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Refrain O come, O come, great Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height In ancient times once gave the law In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree, An ensign of Thy people be; Before Thee rulers silent fall; All peoples on Thy mercy call. Refrain O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

May you rejoice that our Emmanuel has indeed come!

Hungering for God

Sorry for my lack of communication yesterday...

John was so hungry for God's spirit and presence he was willing to live in the wilderness and be ridiculed by common men and women. Are we that hungry?

Second Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist: Proclaiming God’s Promise

Mark 1:1-8

 1The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^[a]

 2It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
   "I will send my messenger ahead of you,
      who will prepare your way"^[b]—
 3"a voice of one calling in the desert,
   'Prepare the way for the Lord,
      make straight paths for him.' "^[c] 4And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I baptize you with^[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

A.      Last week we talked about Isaiah proclaiming the promise this week we will be seeing how John the Baptist prepared for God’s promise, but first we need to look back at Isaiah quickly

B.      Our scripture lesson today echoes what Isaiah 40:1-11 says they are both talking about preparation for the promise, so let’s look at Isaiah quickly.

C.      1 Comfort, comfort my people,
       says your God.

 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
       and proclaim to her
       that her hard service has been completed,
       that her sin has been paid for,
       that she has received from the LORD's hand
       double for all her sins.

 3 A voice of one calling:
       "In the desert prepare
       the way for the LORD;
       make straight in the wilderness
       a highway for our God.

 4 Every valley shall be raised up,
       every mountain and hill made low;
       the rough ground shall become level,
       the rugged places a plain.

 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
       and all mankind together will see it.
       For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

 6 A voice says, "Cry out."
       And I said, "What shall I cry?"
       "All men are like grass,
       and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
       Surely the people are grass.

 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       but the word of our God stands forever."

 9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,
       go up on a high mountain.
       You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
       lift up your voice with a shout,
       lift it up, do not be afraid;
       say to the towns of Judah,
       "Here is your God!"

 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
       and his arm rules for him.
       See, his reward is with him,
       and his recompense accompanies him.

 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
       He gathers the lambs in his arms
       and carries them close to his heart;
       he gently leads those that have young.

D.      John the Baptist is clear prophecy, he appears to be vital testimony of who Jesus is -> people understood prophecy

E.       nothing can completely prepare us for the greatness of the incarnate Christ, but we can take steps in preparation of our hearts and lives

F.       God’s kingdom was breaking into the ordinary! Are we allowing that today?

G.     God’s kingdom changes the rules, breaks bondage, forgives sin, heals the sick, raises the dead, casts out demons, and sets all types of people free!!! Are we prepared for that? Are we preparing for that?

H.      I know it sounds crazy, but I know a man Dale Begley who was pronounced dead, and was dead for almost 12 hours before his mother got there… she prayed for the power of God to come down, and he woke up. Now do I know if it wasn’t some sort of medical mistake? No, but I believe that it was God. Some people will suggest I believe that it was God, because that is what I want to believe… but isn’t that the truth for anything we believe.

I.        John the Baptist was saying that the new had begun and there would be much much more

J.        where is the edge of the wilderness? where are you?

K.      who is crying out there?

L.       how has the coming of Jesus the second time already become? I know that sounds like a crazy question, but seriously if we are getting closer and closer to the second coming all the time how has it already started?

M.    how are we preparing in our own lives, the church, business?

N.     how are we living now?

O.     John the Baptist’s good news, then, was the kingdom of God had come and that He, Jesus, is its herald and expounder to men. More than that, in some mysterious way, he is the kingdom. The good news now, is that Jesus still is.

P.      Preparation like all action is forever. You can’t take action back.

Q.     In our preparation have we been so seized by a transforming conviction, extravagant grace, and overwhelming love and forgiveness that all we can do is proclaim God’s promises?

R.      at every moment of ever day of our lives we are living in the interface between our lives and God’s kingdom among us—we should be proclaiming something and preparing for something

S.       God is actually here, and actually out there and actually in our hearts and lives are we preparing a life that we are happy to have him a part of?

T.       So let us go out proclaiming God’s promises and preparing for them to come to pass.

He Came in a Season of Darkness to Give Light

John 1:4-5, "In him was life, and that life was the life of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 8:12, "Jesus spoke again to the people and he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

When Christ was born the Lord had been quiet for quite sometime. More than 400 years pass from the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew. But then the light of the world appeared. When we are in the darkest seasons of life we must remember that we know the One who came to give light!

Songs of the Season: I Hear the Bells

Here is another great song for us to meditate on: 

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

And the bells are ringing
(Peace on earth)
Like a choir they're singing
(Peace on earth)

In my heart I hear them
(Peace on earth)
Peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill to men

But the bells are ringing
(Peace on earth)
Like a choir singing
(Peace on earth)

Does anybody hear them?
(Peace on earth)
Peace on earth, goodwill to men

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
(Peace on earth, peace on earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, goodwill to men

Then ringing singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

And the bells, they're ringing
(Peace on earth)
Like a choir they're singing
(Peace on earth)

And with our hearts we'll hear them
(Peace on earth)
Peace on earth, goodwill to men

Do you hear the bells, they're ringing?
(Peace on earth)
The life the angels singing
(Peace on earth)

Open up your heart and hear them
(Peace on earth)
Peace on earth, goodwill to men

Peace on earth, peace on earth
Peace on earth, goodwill to men

He Came to Comfort

On this fifth day of Advent I am meditating on the promise that Christ came to comfort us. After struggling for three years with the same types of stomach problems comfort seems far away. However, Christ DID in fact come to give me not only physical comfort but comfort for my spirit as this is a trying time. The tribulation of physical illness is rough, but God is much bigger and much better than I can even imagine.

He Came to Give us Rest

Let us find our rest in Thee.

This is a season known for its busyness but Christ came to give us rest.

Advent Day 3: He Came to Free Us

As we read yesterday, Jesus was "born to set thy people free." He came to set us free from sin, captivity and every hindrance from following Him wholeheartedly. We are in captivity in so many ways: worry, expectations, possessions, addictions, people and the list could go on and on. 

I think for me worry is near the top of the list of things that hold me captive. I worry about silly things. But I also worry about serious things. Nonetheless, Jesus tells me and you in Matthew 6 not worry about our lives. The bottom line is I have given my heart and life to Christ and therefore he has it in His hands; so, I shouldn't worry about it. 

Isaiah 61:1-4 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

Songs of the Season: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne

This song is a great meditation for the beginning of Advent. 

The First Sunday of Advent

Before I start my actual post, I want to take a second and be brutally honest and extremely vulnerable. I love Christmas and Advent more than words can express; however, there is never a time when I am more sad or miss being a pastor than this season. Everything I loved about being a pastor is wrapped up in the Advent season: good (easy to prepare) messages, great music, tons of fellowship and lots of food and celebration. I miss being a Methodist. I miss being a Pastor. I miss the two congregations I had the honor and privilege of serving... I am very sad today and it seems very alone. 

Sad rant over.

Isaiah 9:3-6 You have enlarged the nation
       and increased their joy;
       they rejoice before you
       as people rejoice at the harvest,
       as men rejoice
       when dividing the plunder.
 4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
       you have shattered
       the yoke that burdens them,
       the bar across their shoulders,
       the rod of their oppressor.
 5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
       and every garment rolled in blood
       will be destined for burning,
       will be fuel for the fire.
 6 For to us a child is born,
       to us a son is given,
       and the government will be on his shoulders.
       And he will be called
       Wonderful Counselor, ^[b] Mighty God,
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Today is indeed the first Sunday of Advent. The Sunday of Hope. God's promises never fail and are always present to the believer. Advent is all about our hope rooted in the promise that was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The incarnate Christ is still where all of our hope is and shall ever more remain. 

Isaiah trusted in a promise he never saw fulfilled. The promise turns back hope of new life and freedom and Isaiah new that. We have seen God's promise of a savior but this season gives us a special time to reflect on how he came the first time and the promise that he will return again.

Isaiah was proclaiming God's promises; are you?

Are we truly prepared for the greatness of this promise? God still comes to us all the time. We have the Holy Spirit to come to us. To light the Advent candle is to say in the face of all that suggest to the contrary that God is still alive! God is still the Lord of this world and because of that All will be well. Furthermore we believe those promises to be true in a world that would beg us to believe they are not. 

Today's candle was hope. Hope is precisely that, a vision of a life that guides itself by God's promise, irrespective of whether the situation looks optimistic or pessimistic at any given time. 

Advent is about joyful anticipation of the coming of the Lord. It is the joyful anticipation of the realization of a promise and the actuation of that same promise. It is hope fulfilled! We can count on the promise and hope of God. How great is that?! Advent gives us a special opportunity to reflect on God's promises and his fulfillment of his promises.