One of the most important, and yet most understood facts about Jesus Christ is that He is God and came to live as a man among the people of that specific time and place in order to do what only God could do for all mankind.
Matthew 1:23 says, "They shall call his name Emmanuel." That name, Emmanuel, literally means "God with us." Yes, it can be difficult to understand how that babe which lay in the manger so long ago could have been fully God and fully man. In fact, the only way for any of us to begin comprehending this crucial point is for God's Spirit to reveal this truth in His way and in His time to each of us. But this crucial point is exactly what God wants each of us to know and to trust!
The only way Christmas can make any real sense is to understand that God had a divine purpose in coming to this earth. He had created mankind to live in a close relationship with Him. Sin, though, totally disrupted that relationship and affects every person who has ever lived. God's sense of justice demanded that sin be punished, and His holiness requires that those guilty of sin could never enter into His perfect Heaven. As much as man might try, we can never be "good enough" to earn our way into Heaven, and so we faced a terrible dilemma.
Not only is God just, He is also love - not just loving - He is love! That love compelled Him to provide a way for the most important part of His creation - people - to experience complete forgiveness and restoration. And that is why He came to be with us . . . to be Emmanuel. He lived among us, without ever sinning, and gave Himself as the one and only sacrifice which satisfied His sense of justice, and proved His unfailing and eternal love.
Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, was born to die! His death gives meaning to His birth, and His resurrection gives meaning to His death. I pray that this Christmas finds you trusting Jesus, and Him alone, as your Savior . . . as I do. I don't say that with any sense of bragging on my part because I know that it is only because of His grace (unmerited favor) that I know Him as my Savior and my Lord. I never did anything to deserve it. I simply trusted and received God's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. That grace is available for all!
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
It's all about the gift!
At Christmas-time children of all ages enjoy the giving and receiving of gifts. Some folks begrudge this activity thinking it takes away from the spiritual nature of Christmas. The truth is, Christmas is all about giving . . . God giving His Son for the salvation of man (John 3:16). Let me share with you this thought about The Gifts...
From the beginning of Christmas celebrations, gift giving has been a part of the season. The Wise Men gave out of their treasures, and the shepherds gave of themselves. Both expressed the Gift of God in giving Christ as the Savior of the world.
Unique in our history of generous givers is the story of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia in the fourth century A.D. He is reputed to have been wealthy, his emblem being three purses and three golden balls. This was the symbol of rich Italian families of his time. The good Bishop gave his money away secretly to three dowry-less daughters. The eldest two each received from the chimney, on successive nights, a substantial gift money purse the generous Bishop had dropped down the chimney.
Christians today exchange gifts and fill their children's stockings as expressions of love and commemoration of the greatest gift ever given. Let our hearts be filled with a spirit of generosity and love as we celebrate the birth of the King, and may it be that through each of our lives that the Good News of this great event will assure that the Gift goes on!
Heavenly Father, as we begin this Advent, give light to our eyes and peace to our hearts. May the Lord find us watching and waiting in joy when He comes. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
From the beginning of Christmas celebrations, gift giving has been a part of the season. The Wise Men gave out of their treasures, and the shepherds gave of themselves. Both expressed the Gift of God in giving Christ as the Savior of the world.
Unique in our history of generous givers is the story of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia in the fourth century A.D. He is reputed to have been wealthy, his emblem being three purses and three golden balls. This was the symbol of rich Italian families of his time. The good Bishop gave his money away secretly to three dowry-less daughters. The eldest two each received from the chimney, on successive nights, a substantial gift money purse the generous Bishop had dropped down the chimney.
Christians today exchange gifts and fill their children's stockings as expressions of love and commemoration of the greatest gift ever given. Let our hearts be filled with a spirit of generosity and love as we celebrate the birth of the King, and may it be that through each of our lives that the Good News of this great event will assure that the Gift goes on!
Heavenly Father, as we begin this Advent, give light to our eyes and peace to our hearts. May the Lord find us watching and waiting in joy when He comes. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, December 7, 2009
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!
Growing up in the 60's and 70's I have seen the traditional "Peanuts" cartoon "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!" many times. One of my favorite parts of the cartoon deals with the scrawny tree Charlie Brown brings for the Christmas pageant. It had only a few needles hanging precariously on the branches, and when he set it down the needles all fell to the stage. Needless to say, the other characters were not too happy with Charlie's selection.
The Christmas tree is a major part of our Christmas tradition. Hear how the Christmas tree originated and what it means to our preparation for receiving the Christ child . . .
Today, the Christmas tree is the center of the season's festivities. Glittering with lights and ornaments, it is a part of the beauty and meaning of Christmas. The Christmas tree originated in Germany during the 1500's. According to legend, Martin Luther wandered into a forest on Christmas Eve and was moved by the beauty of the star-filled sky and its effect upon the fir trees. Wishing to share this loveliness with his family, Luther cut a tree, brought it indoors, and decorated it with candles to represent the glorious heavens he had seen. He compared the Christmas tree, with its top pointing to heaven, to hands folded in prayer, pointing to the throne of grace from which we received our Savior.
The Christmas tree is a major part of our Christmas tradition. Hear how the Christmas tree originated and what it means to our preparation for receiving the Christ child . . .
Today, the Christmas tree is the center of the season's festivities. Glittering with lights and ornaments, it is a part of the beauty and meaning of Christmas. The Christmas tree originated in Germany during the 1500's. According to legend, Martin Luther wandered into a forest on Christmas Eve and was moved by the beauty of the star-filled sky and its effect upon the fir trees. Wishing to share this loveliness with his family, Luther cut a tree, brought it indoors, and decorated it with candles to represent the glorious heavens he had seen. He compared the Christmas tree, with its top pointing to heaven, to hands folded in prayer, pointing to the throne of grace from which we received our Savior.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Continued thoughts for advent.
"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" as the song goes, and indeed it is a blessed and glorious time of year. We celebrate the most precious gift ever given, God's Son!
With today's post I am continuing with a series of brief articles about the various elements usually involved in our preparation for the season, or Advent as it is called. Our first post explained what the season of Advent is about. The second dealt with the Advent wreath and candles. Today, let's focus for just a moment on the Evergreens. I am drawing from the readings which I wrote for the "Hanging of the Green" service at our church (Central Park Baptist in Decatur, AL) on November 29th.
Perhaps the most striking and universal feature of Christmas is the use of evergreens in our churches and homes. Among ancient Romans evergreens were an emblem of peace, joy, and victory. The early Christians placed them in their windows to indicate that Christ had entered the home. Laurel and Ivy, along with pine and fir, are called evergreens because they never change color. They are ever-green, ever-alive, even in the midst of winter. They symbolize the unchanging nature of our God, and they remind us of the everlasting life which is ours though Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together, to beautify the place of Your sanctuary." Tonight we beautify this place (and our homes) as we celebrate His everlasting glory!
With today's post I am continuing with a series of brief articles about the various elements usually involved in our preparation for the season, or Advent as it is called. Our first post explained what the season of Advent is about. The second dealt with the Advent wreath and candles. Today, let's focus for just a moment on the Evergreens. I am drawing from the readings which I wrote for the "Hanging of the Green" service at our church (Central Park Baptist in Decatur, AL) on November 29th.
Perhaps the most striking and universal feature of Christmas is the use of evergreens in our churches and homes. Among ancient Romans evergreens were an emblem of peace, joy, and victory. The early Christians placed them in their windows to indicate that Christ had entered the home. Laurel and Ivy, along with pine and fir, are called evergreens because they never change color. They are ever-green, ever-alive, even in the midst of winter. They symbolize the unchanging nature of our God, and they remind us of the everlasting life which is ours though Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together, to beautify the place of Your sanctuary." Tonight we beautify this place (and our homes) as we celebrate His everlasting glory!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Looking toward Christmas!
This post marks the second in a series of thoughts concerning Advent or the season of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Does Christmas hold any real meaning for you? If not, perhaps it's because you aren't preparing for it in the right way. Christmas isn't just about the giving and receiving of gifts, it is about the greatest gift ever given, the Son of God!
The following shares with you the purpose of the Advent Wreath and Candles which are often seen in churches and even many homes . . .
Of the many symbols we use during the Advent season to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth, the wreath and candles stand at the forefront. The circle of the wreath is endless, with no beginning and no end, like God Himself. The evergreen also reminds us of God's eternal nature, and of His everlasting love for us. It also testifies of the life without end God promises to us with the coming of the Christ. The Advent Wreath is a symbol of hope - hope for salvation, hope for a redeemer, hope for eternal life, hope of God's everlasting love for us.
Four candles light the wreath, representing the four Sundays of waiting. Each week of Advent one of the candles is lit in expectation of God's Messiah. Three candles are purple, symbolizing the royal line from King David to the Messiah, who comes as the King of kings and Prince of Peace. The pink candle is to be lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent, and it represents joy. These four candles encircle the Christ candle, which is pure white. The candles are lit in a progression symbolizing various aspects of our waiting experience - Prophecy, Preparation, Proclamation, and Rejoicing. The culmination of the season comes as we light the Christ candle on Christmas Eve, declaring to all mankind that Jesus, God's Son, is the Light of the World!
The following shares with you the purpose of the Advent Wreath and Candles which are often seen in churches and even many homes . . .
Of the many symbols we use during the Advent season to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth, the wreath and candles stand at the forefront. The circle of the wreath is endless, with no beginning and no end, like God Himself. The evergreen also reminds us of God's eternal nature, and of His everlasting love for us. It also testifies of the life without end God promises to us with the coming of the Christ. The Advent Wreath is a symbol of hope - hope for salvation, hope for a redeemer, hope for eternal life, hope of God's everlasting love for us.
Four candles light the wreath, representing the four Sundays of waiting. Each week of Advent one of the candles is lit in expectation of God's Messiah. Three candles are purple, symbolizing the royal line from King David to the Messiah, who comes as the King of kings and Prince of Peace. The pink candle is to be lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent, and it represents joy. These four candles encircle the Christ candle, which is pure white. The candles are lit in a progression symbolizing various aspects of our waiting experience - Prophecy, Preparation, Proclamation, and Rejoicing. The culmination of the season comes as we light the Christ candle on Christmas Eve, declaring to all mankind that Jesus, God's Son, is the Light of the World!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
What is Advent?
Each year many churches around the world prepare themselves for the celebration of Christmas by observing the season of Advent. Our church began our observance last Sunday night with the annual "Hanging of the Green", a special service of decorating the Sanctuary while singing Christmas hymns, hearing various ensembles of all ages sing, and hearing readings which explain the elements of the Christmas celebration. This, and my next few posts, will be excerpts from those readings which I had the privilege of writing for our congregation.
The first reading deals with the question - What is Advent? . . .
The word "Advent" is a Latin term which means "the coming." Thus, this Holy Season of Advent is a time when we remember the words of the prophets foretelling of the Christ and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We celebrate these days of Advent in celebration of His birth and in expectation of His return, at which time He will establish His Kingdom on this earth.
Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is a time for reflection and preparation, but its mood is joyful. Advent has been enriched by Christian tradition to reflect its distinctive Christian meaning. It proclaims the revelation of God's love as expressed in Christ's birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ's coming again as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King. Let us today prepare room in our hearts, our lives, and our homes!
The first reading deals with the question - What is Advent? . . .
The word "Advent" is a Latin term which means "the coming." Thus, this Holy Season of Advent is a time when we remember the words of the prophets foretelling of the Christ and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We celebrate these days of Advent in celebration of His birth and in expectation of His return, at which time He will establish His Kingdom on this earth.
Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is a time for reflection and preparation, but its mood is joyful. Advent has been enriched by Christian tradition to reflect its distinctive Christian meaning. It proclaims the revelation of God's love as expressed in Christ's birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ's coming again as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King. Let us today prepare room in our hearts, our lives, and our homes!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Where have you been?
Well, I finally made it back. When I began this blog earlier this year I knew that it might be tough to blog daily, and there might even be short periods of intermission between posts. Little did I realize in June that I would be nearly six months in returning to this little task of sharing a few thoughts with whomever might take time to read them!
Life seemed to jump into hyperdrive last summer and it is only beginning to slow somewhat. There has never been any problem in finding plenty to do, especially around my church, but that aspect of my life became even more involved than usual, and all that I was trying to do around the house during my "spare time" pretty well consumed the rest of my waking hours.
Enough of that. I want to share briefly what has been one of the real highlights of the past six months for me. Our new Pastor and I consulted for a while after he arrived in April. We wanted to do something that would make our church's outreach ministry much more effective. It had become pretty lifeless and few of our people participated.
We determined that we wanted to use the G.R.O.W. Outreach strategy developed by Jerry Tidwell, who is now at Union University, but previously served as Pastor of the West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. We brought Dr. Tidwell to our church one Sunday evening in September to help us kick-off the preparation for G.R.O.W. and we followed that with three more weeks of training and enrollment.
Very honestly, I was praying that we would get as many as 100 of our church folks to participate, and I thought that to be pretty ambitious. To my total surprise and great delight, over 170 of our adults and youth signed up and are actively involved. This is in a church that only runs a little more than 250 in Sunday School!
Our people are divided into four teams and come for about 1 1/2 hours each month to visit, or write letters and cards, make telephone calls, pray in the chapel, keep the children of parents involved, or prepare and serve a snack when everyone returns from their visits. The first six weeks of G.R.O.W. has seen approximately 500 letters and cards sent out, several phone calls made, and dozens of visits to prospects and members who haven't been to church in a while.
G.R.O.W. stands for "God Rewards Our Work" and that is a promise that I am claiming. I truly believe that the seeds we plant today will produce fruit in God's time. We are doing what Christ commanded us to do, and obedience always results in blessing. Pray for us as we seek to reach our community with the Good News of the Gospel. And may God be glorified for His good work!
Life seemed to jump into hyperdrive last summer and it is only beginning to slow somewhat. There has never been any problem in finding plenty to do, especially around my church, but that aspect of my life became even more involved than usual, and all that I was trying to do around the house during my "spare time" pretty well consumed the rest of my waking hours.
Enough of that. I want to share briefly what has been one of the real highlights of the past six months for me. Our new Pastor and I consulted for a while after he arrived in April. We wanted to do something that would make our church's outreach ministry much more effective. It had become pretty lifeless and few of our people participated.
We determined that we wanted to use the G.R.O.W. Outreach strategy developed by Jerry Tidwell, who is now at Union University, but previously served as Pastor of the West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. We brought Dr. Tidwell to our church one Sunday evening in September to help us kick-off the preparation for G.R.O.W. and we followed that with three more weeks of training and enrollment.
Very honestly, I was praying that we would get as many as 100 of our church folks to participate, and I thought that to be pretty ambitious. To my total surprise and great delight, over 170 of our adults and youth signed up and are actively involved. This is in a church that only runs a little more than 250 in Sunday School!
Our people are divided into four teams and come for about 1 1/2 hours each month to visit, or write letters and cards, make telephone calls, pray in the chapel, keep the children of parents involved, or prepare and serve a snack when everyone returns from their visits. The first six weeks of G.R.O.W. has seen approximately 500 letters and cards sent out, several phone calls made, and dozens of visits to prospects and members who haven't been to church in a while.
G.R.O.W. stands for "God Rewards Our Work" and that is a promise that I am claiming. I truly believe that the seeds we plant today will produce fruit in God's time. We are doing what Christ commanded us to do, and obedience always results in blessing. Pray for us as we seek to reach our community with the Good News of the Gospel. And may God be glorified for His good work!
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