the point

Well, it’s the end of 2017. A lot happened this year. Some really big things - my son changed careers, we got a new CEO at work, one of the plants I oversee was doubled in size. A major project I worked on the past 18 months is more or less complete. There were smaller things too - birthdays and anniversaries, vacations, illnesses. Relationships broke up, fights happened. Happiness and sadness.

Here, at the end of it, I feel a lot like I did last year, like I always do. I take a brief pause to reflect, but then I start planning for the next year. I set goals. I look at events. I get ready to keep going.
And there’s always a time somewhere in the process where it all seems kind of pointless. Decades of plans and goals and work accomplished or left undone has gotten me to a comfortable financial point, but in all the parts of life that matter, it can seem I’m on a treadmill.

As I wonder about the point of it all, I read again some of the most familiar verses in the entire Bible, in Revelation 21:1-4: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

That’s what I’m headed toward! That’s the destination, the goal of this journey here on earth. Someday, I’ll live in that new earth and God will be right there with us. The ultimate relationship, mine with God, will be fixed. Life will literally be perfect!

I think in 2017 I made some good movement down the road toward heaven. I think in some noticeable ways I’m a more holy person than a year ago. Becoming more like Jesus has been a key part of my planning for 2018. Because that’s really the point.

wedding invitation

The end of our story arc lays out beautifully in Revelation, the end of scripture. And here’s an intriguing event that I’ve never paid much attention to before, from Revelation 19:6-10:

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
‘For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.’
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

I know that the church is the bride of Christ, but I’ve never actually thought about the wedding. I think, I hope, I’m one of the ones invited. And I hope I contributed a bit to the wedding gown.

It’s a great mental image, and a pleasant thing to think about. And another thing that makes Jesus’ walk on earth so amazing.

saved

I just saw the new Star Wars movie. It was a lot of fun - don’t believe the critics - but it was also basically two hours of the impending end of hope. I thought about it a lot as I read chapters 12 and 13 of Revelation. Those chapters are full of blow after blow against God’s people on earth, as evil does its utmost to win the last war.

And, at the end of these two chapters of oppression and carnage, this, from Revelation 14:1: “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”

It’s like that moment in the movie, in a lot of movies, when at the blackest of moments the hero arrives. The message of hope is delivered. Good stops losing and starts winning. In the darkest part of this end-times story, Jesus stands firm on the mountain with his people.

No matter how bad things get between now and the end, Jesus will preserve his elect. That’s a huge comfort as things seem to go more and more against us. It’s another reason that Christmas is a big deal.

justice

As I read through the Bible each year, it at first seems odd to be reading Revelation during the Christmas season. I’ve come to appreciate and even enjoy it, though. Oh, I love reading Matthew and Luke in church and singing of angels and shepherds and Magi. But for me Revelation answers the “so what” question like no other book. One of the biggest “so whats” of Jesus birth is that finally, for the first time since the Garden of Eden, there can be justice.

And there will be. Revelation is provides a detailed description of the abuses that will come, figuratively or literally, in the last days. And then, this, from Revelation 11:19: “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”
At the right time, Jesus will say, “Enough! No more! I’ve given you all the time to repent that I’m going to, and now it’s the age of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!”

At that time, all of the predators and victimizers and bullies, and the greedy money-grubbers and gluttonous self-indulgers and selfish hoarders, and the ones who twisted all of God’s good gifts of sex and food and fellowship into lies that lure and entrap people - all of those who make it so hard to live for Jesus in this world - will face justice.

The wrongs will be set right. The right will be recognized and affirmed. This world will be the way it was created to be. Because Jesus was born and lived and died and rose to heaven for just that purpose.

Merry Christmas!

Joy to the world! The Lord has come! Today truly is one of the most wonderful days of the year, equaled only by Easter Sunday. I wish all my family and friends the fullest blessings that life in our Lord Jesus can bring!

I think Joy to the World would make a much better greeting this time of year than either Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, but I do like Merry Christmas. I like it because the word merry connotes a carefree celebration, a temporary setting aside of the things that trouble us to mark without inhibition the birthday of our King.

Here’s a glimpse of it, from Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’”

No matter what sorrows and worries weighed on us yesterday, and will again tomorrow, for today most of us can celebrate the fact that, because of baby Jesus and all he would do on this earth, our futures are certain. To be sure, our cares aren’t that easily forgotten, but if there ever was a day for being merry, this is it.

So Merry Christmas! Today we remember that little baby in a manger who would win salvation for us and today sits on the throne. That’s a big deal! Joy to the world!

keys of death

Christmas is almost here. We’ve walked again with God’s ancient people through that time of anticipation, of longing, of light in the darkness. Our wait is almost over. The next time I write will be on Christmas Day.

This year Advent has been personally impactful. Our country is heading down the moral slippery slope, and the world is so turbulent, that I find myself longing for Jesus return. I feel like we are increasingly entering a time of darkness, and I long for the light.

This morning, as I began my annual read through Revelation, I was reassured, and reminded of the entire point of Christmas, as I read this about John’s vision as recorded in Revelation 1:17-18: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’”

Here’s the most completely awesome thing about Christmas: Jesus came, Jesus lived, Jesus died. And by doing all of that, Jesus won.

So guess what? Jesus defeated my most lethal enemy. Jesus now has the keys to death and Hades! Jesus, my Lord, who loved me enough to debase himself as a man and die in my place, has the keys. He’s not going to open Hades for me. And the only way I can go through death is if Jesus unlocks it - and at that point he’ll be there to walk me through.

I don’t have the words to communicate how much comfort I find in that. But it’s why Christmas is a big deal.

kept

I found another gift in an obscure place this morning. I think of Jude’s letter to the churches as pretty grim, a fire and brimstone sermon. But look what’s there, in teh greeting in Jude 1:1-2: “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”

What jumped out at me this morning was the little word “kept.” Kept for Jesus Christ. In fact, called, and then loved by God and kept for Jesus.

There’s a ton of meaning suggested by the word kept. It implies someone else is bearing the cost. It infers that someone else is protecting from danger. It suggests that someone is nurturing and encouraging.

That’s what Jesus did for me, and for all the saints in all of the many congregations that make up the universal church. Once he paid the price for all my sin, God sees only Christ’s righteousness when he looks at me. He no longer sees all my sin stains and sin scars. He sees one of Jesus’ beloved, and he loves me and . . . keeps me. For Jesus. All of those things suggested by that word, he does.

It’s another wonderful Christmas gift, only possible because of the first Christmas. And it’s a big deal.

the lady

I read something in 2 John this morning that both warmed and inspired me. Here it is, from 2 John 1:1-3: “The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth —and not I only, but also all who know the truth — because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.”

“The lady chosen by God” is a reference to the church. That makes me a child of the lady. I love the connotations here. “Lady” suggests decorum, gentility, good manners and propriety. And John addresses her with respect and love. As a child of the lady, I’m warmed by this reminder of a more traditional time of respectful relationships and basic good manners.

But I’m also inspired by the lady. I’m reminded that the church, as the Bride of Christ, has a high standard to live up to. We’re to be the opposite of what we see in our world; we’re counter-cultural. And when we are, we’re the antidote for all the world’s evil, and the anti-virus that inoculates all believers against it.

The church of Jesus Christ was established in his ministry on earth. It’s one of his most significant gifts to the world, and critical to me. And it’s another reason that Christmas is a big deal.

love

There are people I love like crazy, but sometimes I’m shocked at how badly I treat them. Even my best, most pure attempts at love are in some measure self-centered. My closest, longest relationships are filled with more regret than my failed ones.

I think that’s good, overall. I think it’s because I care about those people so much, and want so badly to get it right. But it’s a problem, and at bottom, as they all turn out to be, it’s a sin problem.

But here’s hope, in something I read this morning from 1 John 4:7-12: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

It's another thing I can and do thank Jesus for – that the closer I am to him, the more I’m able to love. And that the more I love, the more God lives in me, and his love is made complete in me.

As I consider how the Jewish people longed for their Messiah, as I reflect on the people living in darkness, I always end up thinking about my own darkness. I think about who and what I’d be without Jesus, and all the things I used to do before I began my holiness journey.

It’s an amazing thing, to see how much better I can love people since I started walking with Jesus. It’s another reason Christmas is a big deal.

fellowship

If the studies and my own experience – which for once match up – are to be believed, Americans are lousy at fellowship. It appears that adult men especially struggle; men over 30 are reported to get together with a male friend one-on-one on average once or twice a year. And at church, although more fellowship is always something people are asking for, fellowship events are often poorly attended.

That’s why this passage from 1 John 1:1-4 strikes me: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched —this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”

Fellowship is another one of those things that Jesus modeled for us perfectly, and fixes for us if we let him. John writes the churches here that Jesus not only provides eternal life, but he ensures we won’t spend it alone. Already here on earth we begin to make the friends who will “graduate” with us and spend the eons in the new earth with us. That’s what the church is. We proclaim the good news to others so that they may fellowship with us. The answer to our fellowship problem is the church, and our church friends.

That’s another reason Christmas is a big deal. Life isn’t much fun alone, and eternal life wouldn’t be either. But God took care of that too.

everything we need

I like multi-tools. I own a couple of them, one made by Leatherman and the other a Gerber. I like having a pliers, knife, a few screwdrivers and other assorted tools in a single pouch on my belt.

I’ve found, though, that the promise of a tool to do everything is an illusion. Multi-tools actually do a lot of things not very well. You can turn screws with them, but it’s so much work you wouldn’t want to use one to assemble something. Same with most of the other tools. Multi-tools are best used as emergency stopgaps for those times when you need a tool but are far from your toolbox.

My experience with multi-tools has led me to be skeptical of things that claim to be panaceas. There’s one such claim, though, that I wholeheartedly believe. In fact, I pin my hope on it. You can find it in one of my favorite passages, 2 Peter 1:3-4:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

The one referred to here is named in the previous verse as Jesus our Lord, and this is another great Advent passage. The corruption in the world referred to here is what life without Jesus would be like. After the fall, all of God’s good gifts were twisted by sin. Instead of a loving, procreative act between committed married couples, sex became a tool of power and barter. Marriage itself has been warped from a divine picture of Christ’s love for his church to an expression of self-indulgence and self-permission. Food gives rise to gluttony some places while whole populations starve in others. Drink no longer makes the heart merry, but instead destroys lives. Community has broken down, government is no longer about giving the best to the people. Our world is indeed corrupt.

And without Jesus I’d be sucked into it and pulled down. I’d be completely unable to live out a good marriage, to have healthy appetites, to seek the good of others.

That’s another reason Christmas is a big deal. Look at these verses again. Jesus my lord has given me everything I need for a godly life, one that allows me to escape the corruption of the world. Here’s how: Jesus finally gave us true knowledge of God, both by explaining him and by showing us through his life. By knowing God, we now understand all those promises that we find everywhere in scripture, covenantal promises to love us, care for us, help us prosper, rescue us from sin, empower us against evil, and in the end, a new body in a new creation. And those promises, God’s strength, enable us to participate in God’s own divine nature.

That’s a lot in a few verses. That’s a lot in my life. That’s way bigger than a big deal – it’s everything!

a new will

I have a problem. Actually, I’m a sinner. I struggle with sin. These days we say things like “I have a problem,” or a weakness, or that we make mistakes. We say those things because we don’t like to admit reality: we do things that offend God. We sin.

But here’s a piece of good news, from 1 Peter 4:1-2: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”

It’s Advent, the time we remember the time before Jesus came, when people lived in darkness. It’s a good time to reflect on the darkness that has at times claimed me and would like to claim me again. Because the answer to that darkness is the same Light who came that first Christmas.

Here’s another reason Christmas is a big deal: I’m free from my sin. That’s not to say I won’t be tempted sometimes, but Jesus’ death combined with his call to me and claim on me means that sin just doesn’t have power anymore. Jesus is the only person, and his death the only event, that could equip me to ignore my evil human desires and instead live according to God’s will.

The implications are enormous, but chief among them is this: I can have joy! No matter what else my sin ever gave me, it always robbed me of joy. Joy and sin can’t coexist; they’re like, well, light and dark.

Living God’s way brings almost un-imaginable joy. Without Jesus, I’d never have that.

church

This past Sunday night I sat in a packed church watching children sing their hearts out as they told the Christmas story. I looked around at my friends and their families, not all from my congregation but all a part of one somewhere. I looked and was struck by what a wonderful thing a church is.

Yesterday and today I received emails about prayer concerns, and prayed for several fellow church members. I thought again of the time and effort it takes to really care for each other even in this simple way.

That was my context this morning as I dug into the first part of 1 Peter, and ran into this familiar passage in 1 Peter 2:4-5 and 9 “As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

At Christmas we celebrate the time when Jesus, the living Stone, came to do what we couldn’t. As a result, here we are, the followers of Jesus Christ, all the big stones and little ones, being built into this fascinating thing called the church. We’re a holy priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. And we have a job to do, one that we’d do anyway out of gratitude: to sing God’s praises.

So today I’m grateful to be a part of a church. I’ll pray for some people and some people will pray for me. I’ll disagree with some people about our new building project but we’ll all do our best to make it work. And on Sunday I’ll be there again, twice, and I intend to soak in that great feeling of being part of a church.

Because this is another reason Christmas is a big deal.

wisdom from heaven

James 3:13-18: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

As we move further into the Advent season it seems as if peace on earth is farther away than at this time last year, and last year was pretty bad. Republicans and Democrats, men and women, Christians and humanists, Americans and North Koreans – we are divided in so many ways. We’re to the point where we fight over whether it’s OK to watch NFL football, or certain networks. Rather than celebrate diversity, our differences are now almost universally points of disdain, if not open conflict.

That’s another reason I’m so thankful for Christmas this year. Without Jesus, as James points out, I’m an envious, selfish, ambitious person, and bitter because of it. That’s the way we are without a savior. Until we know Jesus, the best wisdom we have is the kind James puts in quotes, earthly wisdom that tells us to keeping competing with each other. We’ll think that if we want to win in life, someone else has to lose.

But Jesus showed us how to be considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. And most of all, peace-loving. That’s the wisdom he brought from heaven and taught to us.

This new wisdom is exactly what the world needs, and Jesus made sure his church is equipped to change the world with it. Another reason Christmas is a big deal.

no favorites

It’s almost impossible to escape favoritism. As a Vikings fan, it’s obvious that ESPN and most refs have a preference for Green Bay, and will give Aaron Rogers any call he asks for. (Don’t @ me – I know this is just perception.) In grade school, there were teachers’ pets. At work every boss has a favorite. And “Dad always loved you best” is a catch phrase that works precisely because so often it’s true.

That’s why God’s church is such a great thing. Jesus has no favorites.

Look at this, excerpted from James 2:1-9: “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? . . .  If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”

Think of what that means. Really, think about it: have you ever been part of anything here on earth where favoritism wasn’t real? Not that it’s always a problem because we all get it, and we don’t make a big deal out of it because we’re trained to be adults about such things. But all of us have resentments that remain to this day from times we were wounded by this problem.

Among the many worldly problems Jesus confronted and defeated while he was here on earth was favoritism. In heaven all are equal, and in God’s church it must be so as well. Another reason Christmas is a big deal.

dancing angels

I once preached a sermon I called “A Tale of Two Mountains” that was based on a passage I revisited this morning, Hebrews 12:18-24:

“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.’ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.”’

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

The first few verses are a reminder of the time when Moses went up Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments. That spectacle terrified the people. By contrast, the second part of this passage describes the joyous afterlife I can expect on Mount Zion.

What catches my attention this morning is the participation of the angels. At Mount Sinai there were angels too, with a specific job: to keep the people from God. You can read about it in Exodus and Deuteronomy – God set limits and warned that the people would be struck down if they ventured beyond them.

In Zion, though, when I’m singing and dancing in the streets, there will be angels right there with me, “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” right there with the church of Jesus the firstborn. And Jesus himself will be there; his is the sprinkled blood that finally did what no other man’s could.

As I consider this season what makes Christmas so special, I imagine dancing with angels in the streets of the new Jerusalem. That seems like a big deal!

the way

While he was on earth, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). That seems kind of cryptic, but I read this from Hebrews 10:19-22:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

This is another reason why Christmas is a big deal for me. Before Jesus, there was this room in the inner part of the temple called the Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place) that only priests could enter, and then only at certain times and under certain circumstances. This was where the presence of God was supposed to be, along with the most sacred artifacts of the Jewish religion. That room was shielded by a curtain, a separation from the more public areas of the temple and this off-limits space.

But Jesus came, and died, and one of the things that happened when he died was the temple curtain tore in two. As spooky as that was, it wasn’t the real miracle.

The real miracle is this: Jesus death also destroyed the barrier between me and God that was there because of my sin. Before Jesus, God was unapproachable for me. After Jesus, I’m welcome in God’s throne room any time.

But there’s only one way to get there: “a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body . . . .” When I go to Jesus, the man who is God, the God who became man, I approach the Father.

Without Christmas, I’d still be on the outside looking in. 

weak and useless

It’s been a while since the Moral Majority came and went, but I retain one strong impression that I consider a lesson learned. As admirable as their goals were, very few actually translated into cultural change. Despite exerting a considerable amount of political clout, most of what they stood for has eroded and most of what they stood against has gained ground. The lesson: you can’t legislate morality.

Here’s why: rules are for rule breakers, not rule followers. People who want to do the right thing will do it without a law. And while laws are sometimes effective in changing behavior, they don’t change minds or hearts. Laws work by being punitive – there’s a consequence for violation – so whatever effect they have is simple pain avoidance, not a change of belief or values.

The authors of Hebrews pointed out this exact reality when they noted another of the great benefits of Jesus’ human birth. Look at this, from Hebrews 7:18-19: “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”

During the Advent season, we remember the time when the only hope we had was the law. All those rules let people know what was expected, and, more to the point, exactly what they had to do to atone when they failed. Because failure was inevitable, atonement was repeatedly necessary in an endless pattern that was literally a death spiral.

No more. No more! Jesus completely fulfilled the entire law. Jesus’ perfect obedience and blood sacrifice not only met God’s requirement for human behavior and motivation, but accounted for any human who believes that fact. And it worked for one reason: Jesus was born here on earth. He was as human as any of us.

The law was weak and useless because it changed behaviors, but couldn’t change hearts. And because hearts didn’t change, behavior change was only temporary.

My own attempts to be good are also weak and useless. That’s because I look to the same place for my goodness: a bunch of rules and standards and measurements that assess my behavior and tell me if it’s good. That never works. What works is when I simply acknowledge my complete dependence on Jesus; then I’m prone to live right as an outcome of the immense gratitude I feel.

So this makes an excellent Advent passage. The law was weak and useless, but Jesus’ life and death were powerful and effective. Hope for a people living in darkness.

weaknesses

It’s Advent, and one of the things I’m trying to do this year is find and remind myself of all the reasons that Christmas is a big deal for me personally. I’m doing this because, frankly, my work year has worn me down and December just looks tiringly busy to me.

But I got a little boost of energy for the holiday this morning while reading in Hebrews. With my question “What’s the big deal about Christmas?” in the back of my mind, I read this, from Hebrews 4:14-16: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

That’s a big deal, because it hits head-on a big problem I have. I have weaknesses. Actually, I sin, but these days we don’t call it that. I don’t want to. I want to do good (and do well). I want to obey. I want to live into good relationships, and work on kingdom-forwarding ministries. But I find myself being small-minded, petty, self-indulgent, and far too often, just outright bad. As much as I want to be good guy Greg, I’m not strong enough to do it all the time.

But my high priest, Jesus, can feel me on this. He gets it. He, in the words of Hebrews, empathizes with my weaknesses. Know why? Because he was here! He lived it, he walked through all of it, he knows how hard it is. So he understands why I get it wrong so often. I can go to God confidently, because Jesus knows how to explain me. At that same time, what he did here on earth is why I’ll find grace and mercy when I do approach God.

Jesus knows because he lived it – that’s one reason why Christmas is a big deal for me.

what's so special about Jesus?

It’s Advent, one of those great periods in the Christian calendar that helps me feel what can too often been an intellectual faith. The reality of Jesus doesn’t always sink it, but it did this morning as I began reading in Hebrews. The entire salvation story seemed to be capture in a handful of precisely crafted phrased that make up the first three verses of that book:

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Finally, because of Jesus, God connects directly to us. But what was so special about Jesus? Those things come rapid-fire in these verses, and I see six of them.

1.       Jesus is God’s son, the heir of all creation.

2.       Jesus was God’s agent in creating the world.

3.       Jesus reveals God to us – he’s the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of his being.

4.       Jesus sustains everything by the power of his word.

5.       Jesus provided purification for sins.

6.       When all this was done, Jesus sat down at God’s right had to rule forever.

There it is, the entire trajectory of the events that saved me, real-life historical happenings that centuries ago made every difference in all my todays and tomorrows. This the entirety of the Gospel, the greatest news ever told.

It’s also a great summary of Christmas, and an amazing start to Advent. Advent reminds me of the time before – before Jesus came to the Jews, and before I recognized him as my Savior. Both times of darkness, with hints of light and hope to come.

It’s also a reminder to read scripture slowly and thoroughly. That’s a lot in three verses.

purity

In the past year I’ve seen enough out of our national leaders that I didn’t think I could be shocked anymore. However, I have to say I did get a shock last week when a pastor claimed a politician, when in his 30s, dated high school girls “for their purity.” I thought the potential statutory rape was bad enough. Hearing a so-called man of God ascribe it to godly motives gave me a far worse jolt.

I confess I don’t understand how a man like that could say a thing like that, but Paul helped me a little bit in his letter to Titus. Look at this, from Titus 1:15-16: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

If, as is certainly possible, this politician actually hoped to despoil the purity of those girls, then he is corrupt. That makes complete sense to me. Less apparent is any kind of faithful reason why his pastor would defend him. That sounds to me like a person who claims to know God but denies him by his actions. If so, then Paul calls him detestable and disobedient, and so he seems to me.

As always, instead of looking at others scripture calls me first of all to look at myself. It seems that one measure of my own closeness to God is how highly I value purity. Do I love the God-reflecting beauty of all those truly pure things, like young children and self-less service and committed marriages? Do I love those things enough to sacrifice for them? To fight to protect them?

I think I do, but I confess that sometimes it’s easy to put those concerns behind more urgent things like my job or writing  a sermon, or debating the value of a church building project. I know I can do better, and I have a way to go before I see purity with the high value that Jesus sees it.

rotten bones

I heard a seminar recently about how to make sure your energy goes toward the most productive things. Part of the presentation described the least productive energy sinks, which the presenter called mental cancers. One of those is comparing. Comparing my life and accomplishments and possessions to other people’s, this person says, is like an eroding mental disease that will sap my productivity.

As with most wisdom, this premise was stated much more concisely and clearly in the Bible centuries ago. Here it is, in Proverbs 14:30: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

It’s an interesting mental picture, isn’t it? Our bones are the structure that gives us form and strength. When they rot, we become less attractive and less capable at the same time. In fact, rotting bones is something we associate more with crypts. Yet scripture says that’s what envy will do.

I think my own experience validates this proverb. I have a great life, full of blessing. My kids and grandkids are nearby, as are both sets of parents. I have a challenging job that pays more than I thought I’d ever earn. By most standards, I’ve accomplished a lot so far. And I have a wife who loves me, a God who loves me more, and ample proof of both those loves every day. There’s every reason my heart should be at peace.

Still . . . .

There are a handful of people at my 800-person company who outrank me. My new house isn’t as big as the ones being built across the street. I don’t seem to have the same available cash for vehicles and boats and campers as a lot of my peers.

With just a little bit of looking around, I can destroy the delight I should feel in every blessing I have. When I do that, my dissatisfaction drags at me; I don’t attack life and work with the same energy. That’s envy rotting my bones. It is a cancer.

Contentment and a peaceful, non-comparing heart would have a greater, faster impact on my health and energy than almost anything I could do. 

soldiers

I don’t know how it is now, but when I was in the Guard we had to be very careful about political involvement. We couldn’t do anything that would suggest military support of a certain person or idea. If we chose to get involved somehow, we would never do so in uniform, and would make very clear any time we spoke that we weren’t representing anyone but ourselves.

There were very good reasons for that. The military mission of national security is a critical one, requiring full commitment no matter what’s going on in our various capitols. Not only could we not afford the distraction of politics, but we couldn’t allow any partisanship to weaken our resolve to follow the orders of the national command structure. Also, it was important that confidence in our constancy was high no matter who was in office.

I was reminded of that period of my life this morning when I read 2 Timothy 2:4: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” This is a true statement, which makes it an excellent analogy.

Paul was using soldiers as an example of exemplary discipleship. He was making the point that our focus on obeying Jesus should be as single-minded as a soldier’s determination to follow orders.

In that context, I don’t think I’m doing as well soldiering for Jesus as I did when I took the king’s gold, as the saying went. Then I was very clear about the boundaries, and it was a matter of professional pride always to honor them. By contrast, I think that often when Jesus checks on me he finds me completely distracted by worldly affairs.

Success in my career and personal goals are distracting by themselves, but often I jump into one side or another of a political or church or community controversy. There are ways to do these things that will advance the cause of Jesus, especially if my words and actions are notably loving and considerate. But I think to often what I do is shaped by our culture’s focus on winning arguments instead of friends.

Am I sometimes absent from my post as a Christian soldier? As serious as it is to go AWOL, I’m afraid sometimes that’s exactly what I do.

contentment

Yesterday was Cyber Monday. In addition to Black Friday, the mega retail shopping day after Thanksgiving (which I hear started on Thursday evening this year), we now have a second day devoted to the binge-buyer in all of us.

Much as I like a good deal, I don’t like these days. Estimates are that somewhere around seven billion dollars were spent by Americans yesterday on Cyber Monday deals. It’s hard not to think what good that amount of money could do to, say, ease the plight of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh or feed starving Yemeni women and children.

It seems to me that we’re a long way from the ideals of the early church. As Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-8: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

I can’t think of a single person I know who would be content with that. In fact, we consider people who have only those things to be poverty stricken and disadvantage. Yet in Puerto Rico, in Somalia, in Haiti, and in a dozen other places there are people we no longer think about who don’t have regular access to either food or clothing. And while they shoo the flies from their starving babies’ faces, we splurge on our iPhones, new outfits and 4K TV sets. Sometimes I’m not so proud to be an American.

Godliness with contentment would be great gain. I wonder if we’ll ever achieve it?

jewelry on a pig

Proverbs 11:22: “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

This is one of my favorite proverbs. I think of it when I see news of Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus. I think of it when I see ads for the Victoria’s Secret Christmas Fashion show. I think of it when I hear women swear.

It’s true: crass and brassy behavior, or flaunting and taunting using the beauty God gave them, makes the most attractive women much less so. Not that it diminishes their value – the gold ring in the pig’s snout still is worth it’s weight in, well, gold. Beautiful but tactless and graceless women are still God’s image bearers and have great intrinsic worth just by being human.

But ungodly behavior diminishes what should be a wonderful creation meant to bring glory to God.

I’m not blind to the fact that this proverb can be interpreted and applied in a gender-neutral sense. Certainly men can detract from their attractiveness by their arm-pit scratching and Speedo wearing. Discretion is the most flattering accessory for anyone.

But I think men have other weaknesses like rage and abuse of power that they’re more likely to exhibit to the un-glory of God. Women are less prone to those, but perhaps the temptation to use those things that make men stupid is too much sometimes.

The bottom line for all of us is this: we’re at our best when we behave the most like Christ. Otherwise we’re like jewelry on a pig.

conflict or love

Christians are supposed to be loving; I get that, and I like to think that I am. I believe in love as a fruit of the Spirit and a core Christian attribute. Yet I’m challenged by Proverbs 10:12:

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”

I feel OK about the first part of that verse, because I’m getting better and better at keeping away from conflict. I don’t participate in many arguments; I certainly try not to start them. And I’m learning to be a calming voice and have successfully ended conflicts.

No, it’s the second part that makes me cringe. Sometimes I don’t let love cover wrongs. In fact, there are some wrongs I treasure. I hang onto them and pull them out once in a while to remind myself of how right I am and how wrong other people are.

I mean, really, my love is supposed to overlook those clueless drivers who inconvenience me? Or the idiot commentators who just don’t get how bad the other party is? I’m supposed to give people a pass when they do dumb things that cause me more work? Because that’s how Christian’s love?

Yes, I think I am. But often I don’t, which is why I cringe.

God is love, and the world will know we are his followers by our love. The fact that I can struggle with it just shows how distinctive actually doing it will make me. And that’s what Christians are supposed to be: distinctive, meaning noticeably different from non-believers. Through our lives, we’re supposed to give people an idea of what the love of God is like, and how it can change people.

A love that covers over all wrongs. That’s Christian love. Can I do it? Yes. Will I?

giving thanks

This morning, at our Thanksgiving service, we’re going to have a time for open mic. It’s the formal church version of the question that is asked so often at this time of year: “What are you thankful for?”

There isn’t any doubt what Paul gave thanks for most of all. He said it in most of his letters, like his second one to the Thessalonians. Here’s the pertinent part, from 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.”

I think that’s a great thing to be thankful for, that Christian brothers and sisters are growing in faith and in the love they have for each other. I am thankful for that, in my church and my community.

I don’t think I’ll say it at open mic, though. I think most people would think that was kind of weird. But I’m going to be thinking it. And I’ll pray it.

life plan

A friend and I were talking the other day about writing a self-help book. We were noting all the different ideas for health plans and diets and financial success that had made their authors wealthy. We discussed the new trend of life coaches, people who make a living telling other people how they should live. Surely, we thought, we can come up with something people would buy, since they seem to buy almost anything.

It was all in fun, but this morning I found it. I found that life advice I would write a book about. Paul summed it up in 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

It’s a simple plan, isn’t it? Only three steps.

Rejoice always. Isn’t that great? You don’t have to decide to be sad or mad or discouraged; the attitude that’s appropriate for every occasion is rejoicing.

And pray continuously. That’s the best way to be effective and productive. It’s the way to have the most energy and do the best things with it. An extended conversation with our Lord and Boss and Father and Provider is sure to yield everything we need.

And give thanks in all circumstances. Rain or shine, healthy or not so much, wealthy or not so much, thanks are appropriate, because our future has already been secured for us.

What could be easier? We only have to remember three things: rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving. And they’re so closely linked its easy to do them simultaneously.

What these three things communicate is a singular truth: God, who made us, and Jesus, who died and rose for us, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us and advocates for us, are more than enough to get us through anything we face. They’re more than enough to help us accomplish any of God’s works. Because God himself is for us, no one can possibly stand against us.

That’s the only way we rejoice always, pray continuously and give thanks in all circumstances, by living that reality. People who don’t put their hope in God won’t get it. But those of us who do now have our perfect life plan.

memorable work

1 Thessalonians 1:3: “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

One of the hard things about an obedient life is that it’s not about what I do so much as why and how I do it. There are a lot of hard workers out there who do amazing things for reasons that have nothing to do with Jesus. It would be easy for me to be one of them.

Paul, writing his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, praises them – in fact, remembers them before God – for work that was produced by faith, and labor that was prompted by love. On top of that, this church was able to endure a time of suffering, referred to in following verses, because of their hope in Jesus.

Work isn’t enough, it has to be work produced by faith. What does that look like? Maybe work that seems beyond my ability to do on my own, like trying to stop human trafficking or helping a friend beat addiction. Or introducing a blasphemous soul to Jesus.

Labor isn’t enough, it has to be labor prompted by love. My reason for the effort I put in has to be other people – wanting the best for others is what love is all about, right? Kingdom work will always be done to benefit others and not myself.

All of this becomes possible because of the hope I have in Jesus. Jesus is Lord! My God reigns! That’s the basis of my ability to endure whatever the day throws at me, whatever obstacles come up as I pursue my faith-produced, love-prompted work for Jesus.

This verse seems to me to be a call to look for that need that I’m not certain I can fill, but I know God wants filled. My passion for Jesus and compassion for his image-bearers should be what motivate me, not whatever time I think I have available, or whether I think I have the right skills. I should expect it to be hard – I wouldn’t need endurance otherwise – but it will produce something worth remembering before God himself.

To do something worth remembering before God himself – work so memorable that people don’t just tell each other, but praise God – is a staggering, sobering goal. Do I have enough faith?

new clothes

There are some things you just don’t wear. Gang colors in certain inner-city neighborhoods can get you in trouble. So can a flashing Raiders sweater at Thanksgiving if your in-laws are all Chiefs fans.

What we wear signals some things about what we value. That may have been true in Paul’s day too, because of language he uses in Colossians 3. I’ll give you the larger passage, verses 11-15, because it will help understand:

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

The first statement is critical: in God’s kingdom all those old ways we used to identify all those who aren’t like us – race, religious rites, social status, country of origin – are erased. Instead, Christ is everything to all of us, and he is in all of us. That’s the only point of commonality we should care about.

Because of that, Paul calls us to change our clothes. Here’s our new outfit: compassions, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Paul starts that sentence with the word therefore. That means we need this change of wardrobe because those differences no longer matter.

We used to wear things like anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language (those are in verse 8). We used to lie to and about each other. Various tribal markings used to be in style, the things that let us readily pick out our own and avoid others. But those clothes simply won’t do anymore. God’s sacrifice puts all of us in the same place: at the foot of the cross.

These aren’t just a new fashion, though; these are work clothes. They’re intended to help us in this business of bearing with one another and forgiving each other so that we can be united in our love for each other and Jesus. Practical clothes, but attractive too.

What a great outfit to wear for the holiday season.

investments

People who know about money tell me I'm not very smart with it. They say that because I don't like debt; that makes me do dumb stuff like keeping my mortgage small when the interest on it is low. I'm not trying to become a millionaire, or even become richer than I am. In fact, the problem with a lot of money is that you have to manage it, and I'm happiest when I can go all day and never once think about money.

I wouldn't exactly brag about my wisdom either, but I got a little bit of affirmation this morning while read in Proverbs 3. Look at verses 13-15:  

"Blessed are those who find wisdom, 

 those who gain understanding, 

 for she is more profitable than silver 

 and yields better returns than gold.  

She is more precious than rubies;  

nothing you desire can compare with her." 

I do spend time most days trying to add to my wisdom and understanding. In fact, while I don't like to think about money, I consider a day wasted if I haven't added to what I know. It's especially wasted if I don't spend some time pondering what I read in the Bible. 

And this chapter in Proverbs promises some good things if I do that, in verses 16-18: 

"Long life is in her right hand;  

in her left hand are riches and honor.  

Her ways are pleasant ways, 

 and all her paths are peace.  

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; 

 those who hold her fast will be blessed." 

Long life, and pleasant and peaceful paths to travel on – those are better returns, aren't they? In fact, aren't these things often the thing we think we'll get with our money? It's a reminder that the good things in life are available to the poorest among us, and not guaranteed to the wealthiest.