Memorizing Moments

Today is New Year's Eve. The weather is warm and ambiguous -- cloudy for a while and then clear and sunny. I can watch the clouds scurrying across the sky, moving as if they had a place to go and a certain time to be there. Perhaps for an important appointment for which they could not be late.

I am thinking of a song we sang many years ago. It was popular for a while.....My Cup Runneth Over With Love. It is romantic and poignant. It is a true love song. (I guess some people might call it a "girly song," but I just think of it as a wonderfully romantic 'til death do us part' kind of song).)

Sometimes in the morning, when shadows are deep
I lie here beside you, just watching you sleep
And sometimes I whisper what I'm thinking of
My cup runneth over with love.

Sometimes in the evening when you do not see
I study the small things you do constantly
I memorize moments that I'm fondest of
My cup runneth over with love.

In only a moment we both will be old
We won't even notice the world turning cold
And so, in this moment, with sunlight above,
My cup runneth over with love.

I think often of the line I memorize moments that I'm fondest of.....and remind myself that the moments I should memorize are the good moments...

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse....
Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

The moments I should NOT memorize?

I Corinthians 13: Love...keeps no record of wrongs.

So I guess that's it: my resolution for 2020...Keep good moments recorded and cherished in my memory.

Throw out the record of slights and insults and perceived misbehaviors of others, and remember all the goodnesses that have been--and are--shown to me, almost 100% of which I did not--and do not--deserve, but are graciously given to me by people who mercifully overlook my wrongs and misbehaviors....

friends and family who have not kept a record of my wrongs.

Robert Cottrill - Who are the Merry Gentlemen?

One of the chapters in Robert Cottrill's book, Discovering the Songs of Christmas, is about the old carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

[This is such a delightful book, and if the author had not responded to one of these blogs, I would never have known about the book --  and I would have missed a real treasure!]

Anyway, here's the story about that carol.

It was written about 500 years ago.

Our wonderful English language, with its vibrant words and phrases, is in constant change, and this carol is an example of how the meaning of many words changes through the years.

The text does not refer to  "merry gentlemen," as though they were some giddy revelers. Nor is the word "rest" used as it is today. Five centuries ago it meant "make" or "keep."  A modern paraphrase of the words might read, "May God keep you joyful, gentlemen. May He fill your hearts with gladness!"  -- Robert Cottrill

[Also, there should be a comma between "Merry" and "Gentlemen" and many publishers forget to put that important punctuation in place.]

The poem then reminds us of the words of the angel in Luke 2:10: Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy. And then in verse 11 we find the reason for that great joy: For there is born to you...a Savior....

So let's all sing it -- like Anna would have sung it -- sing it loudly and joyfully --  (Remember God loves to hear us sing -- He must, because He keeps reminding us to sing to Him and about Him!)

God rest ye merry, Gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born upon this day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy!

P.S. During the time of the Reformation (1500's) carols were very popular among the people. They were not sung in church, but were sort of folk songs -- expressing the joy of the common people during the Christmas season, and, in fact, they were sung throughout the year. (Maybe they understood the Gospel message better than most of the churchmen and religious leaders in those days.)

Then in the 1640's the Puritans took over the government of England and the Puritan Parliament outlawed the celebration of Christmas and all festivals -- saying they were all too pagan and worldly. Christmas carols could not be sung anytime. (My ancestors came to the New World from London in the 1640s -- I don't know exactly what prompted their voyage to this wilderness, but maybe they just wanted to keep singing Christmas carols!)

About 175 years later Queen Victoria came to the throne (1837) and she revived the practice of carol singing. She loved the carols herself and urged the clergy to begin teaching them to the congregations, and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" was one of the first!

That's why much of our Christmas imagery today has a "Victorian touch" - a reminder that Queen Victoria restored Christmas! And what a celebration it became!

P.P.S. Remember the White Witch in Narnia? While she ruled, it was "always winter and never Christmas." What a sad state of affairs....always winter...but never Christmas....

For those of us who have received the Gospel message -- it is always Christmas!

Hanging On or Letting Go?

I am re-reading Perelandra, by C. S. Lewis, one of my favorite ways of beginning the new year.


This is what I am looking at now: God sends His goodness to us in packages, or in waves, that just keep coming and keep coming.  But if we try to cling to one too long or too hard, we might miss the next one coming our way.

The idea is too plunge ourselves into the wave of blessings He sends. To plunge in with our whole hearts and souls and minds. And then open our hands and hearts for the next one... It will be even better.

Here is part of that thought in the Lady's words:

"I thought," she said, "that I was carried in the will of Him I love, but now I see that I walk with it.   I thought that the good things He sent me drew me into them as the waves lift the islands; but now I see that it is I who plunge into them with my own legs and arms, as when we go swimming...It is a delight with terror in it! One's own self to be walking from one good to another, walking beside Him as Himself may walk...I thought we went along paths--but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path."

The conversation goes further and she speaks about grasping or clinging to one wave and when she does that she can't meet the next wave and then misses it.

It reminds me that so much of life is learning to take God's gifts with a light hold - grab them and treasure them, and then let them go as He gives us new gifts. Perhaps pass them on, but not to grasp and hoard them.

So much of life is letting go....releasing our hold on people, pets, homes, dreams.....just learning to let go and take the next gift, because there will always be another coming at us.

Sometimes we can't take hold of a new dream unless we let go of the one we are attached - like a balloon -- let it rise and float away -- treasure its memory and watch it leave our hands - then grab the next -

We have lost a number of precious people in our church this year. But God has brought others in for us to love and cherish. We don't ever forget the ones who are no longer with us. We just learn to live
with their memory and thank God with grateful hearts for their time with us --  and then reach out to embrace new ones He brings us.

We must learn to hold God's gifts, not tightly and tenaciously, but with open hands.

Open your heart for the gift I am bringing says the song.

2 Kings 2 gives us the story of Elijah getting ready to leave Elisha, and, in fact, to leave his ministry and this earth. Elisha knows what is going to happen, but he refuses to leave Elijah.

Elijah tells him to "Stay here." Elisha says, "as surely as you live and the LORD lives, I will not leave you."

When Elisha is told, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" he replies, "Yes, I know. But do not speak of it."

"As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.....and Elisha saw him no more."

"...separated the two of them...."

Elisha tried to hold on to Elijah. When he couldn't, he tore his clothes and then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen.

He went to the bank of the Jordan, took the cloak and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

The company watching said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha."

But even they would not let go. The verses tell us they decided to go looking for Elijah. Elisha told them not to go. But they went anyway. Fifty men spent 3 days searching for Elijah.

When they returned without finding Elijah, Elisha said, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"

Elisha had finally learned that it was time to let go. 

(I just love those words, "Didn't I tell you..?" They remind me of my father so many times telling me something, I argued, went my own way, failed, and then he said "Glorya, didn't I tell you...?" As I remember it, it was always spoken in love, maybe some exasperation, but always in love.)

Much of life, I am finding out, is learning to let go.

Not too early to begin to reflect - James Montgomery Boice

....If you make room for Christ, then from this day on, the world will have no room for you.

We see this in Luke 2:7. For, notice, it does not say "because there was no room for him in the inn." It says "for them." That includes Mary and Joseph as well as the infant Jesus.

And who are Christ's mother and father and sister and brother today? Are they not those who do the will of Christ's Father, as He told us in Matthew 12:48-50?

He replied to him, "who is my mother, and who are are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples he said, "Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

Are they not those who open their hearts to Him and follow Him?

Well, then, if you have followed Him, the world will have no more room for you than it had for Him.

You must not think that if you follow Jesus you will be praised for doing so. The "angels will rejoice over every sinner who repents," no matter how insignificant in the world's eyes.

But the world will not rejoice.

The world will scorn your decision. The world will seek to put you down. Then, if it cannot get you to renounce your decision or compromise your stand, it will turn its back on you and go its own way, shutting you out.

That is what Jesus foretold. It was He who said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (John 15:19).

Jesus said, "Woe to you when men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26).

Jesus said to His disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

To be Christ's follower is to be a person without a country. A displaced person. It is to follow Him into the poverty of the early years at Nazareth, the loneliness of the itinerant ministry, eventually to the cross, all the time knowing that the disciple, like the Master, has no place to lay his head.

Taken from The Christ of Christmas, by James Montgomery Boice

Christmas - 0 Holy Night - Thoughts from Ace Collins

                                     O Holy Night

Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by US abolitionists, the song continues to inspire......

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared and the world felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born

O night, O holy night, O night! O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand

O'er all the world a star is sweetly gleaming

Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land.

The King of Kings lay in a lowly manger

In all our trials born to be our Friend.

He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

The story begins in France, in 1847, when a parish priest of a small town asked the local commissionaire of wine to compose a poem for Christmas mass.

The commissionaire, Palcide Cappeau de Roquemaure, was surprised by the request. He rarely attended services but was well-known for his accomplishments as a local poet.

He was honored at the request from the priest and
and began thinking about what he should compose.

While riding in a dusty coach down a bumpy road to Paris, he considered the words of the Christmas story as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

He imagined being there and witnessing the miraculous events.  By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" was completed.

As he re-read the lines he sensed the words were not just a poem, but worthy of a master musician's hand.
He turned to his friend, Adolphe Charles Adams, for help.

Adolphe was the son of a well-known classical musician and had studied music in Paris, filling numerous requests for orchestras and ballets all over the world.

But the words Placide had given him were a different kind of challenge - he was a Jew and didn't celebrate Christmas or worship the Christ Child!

But he loved Palcide's beautiful words and set about to compose a worthy musical score.

His finished work pleased both the poet and the priest. And the song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Initially "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the French church and was heard often throughout the country.

Then Placide, in the philosophical change of heart, left the Catholic church and united himself with the socialist movement. And church leaders found out that Adolphe was a Jew.

So the leaders of the French Catholic Church declared the moving "Cantique de Noel" to be unfit for church services and would not allow it to be sung.

Yet, as the Catholic Church tried to discredit and bury
the popular Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a unknown American writer brought it to the United States to a new audience halfway around the world....

The Rest of the Story ...

The American writer -- John Sullivan Dwight -- saw another vision for the great carol.

An ardent abolitionist, he took note of the message in verse 3 and his English translation fell on eager ears, especially in the North, during our Civil War:

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His gospel is peace

Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

It was sung, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, during the struggle to eliminate slavery.

Back in France

Though banned from the churches, many commoners still sang, "Cantique de Noel." Legend tells us that on Christmas, 1871, in the midst of the fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Boldly standing, with no weapon, he lifted his eyes to the skies and  began singing, "O holy night..."

When he finished three verses, a German infantryman climbed out of his hiding place and answered with a well-known Christmas hymn by Martin Luther; "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."

There was a 24-hour truce as both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day.

But There's More.....

Christmas Eve, 1906. Reginald Fessenden, a 33-year old university profession and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison, did something long thought impossible.

Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances.

Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke.

To those who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle -- hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Perhaps some might have even believed they were hearing the voice of an angel!

Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle.

After finishing his recitation on the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves.

Material from The Amazing Story of 'O Holy Night' by Ace Collins

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on  your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

  

Back to Genesis - What did Abraham Do?

"Abraham is our father," they answered.

"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did."

   -- John 8:39


So what did Abraham do?

That's easy. Look back to his story recorded in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis.

     Abram believed the LORD, and he credited to him as

          righteousness.  Genesis 15:6

Abram believed God. That faith made him righteous in the eyes of God.


Then over in the New Testament, 2000 years later, Paul reminds us: Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:3)


Abraham was given the free gift of righteousness because of his faith.

And Paul tells us in is letter to the church at Ephesus:

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

So how was Abraham saved? Through faith (trust) in God's promises.

[By faith Noah...by faith Moses...by faith Jacob...by faith Joseph...by faith Rahab....read about all of these people of faith in Hebrews 11, in the New Testament.]

And how was Paul and the Ephesians saved? By faith in God's promises.

And how are we saved?

The same way -- through trust in God -- faith that He will keep His promises.

The Bible is all one story - from Genesis to Revelation - man comes back, restored to a relationship with God, through faith.

One story, and every page whispers the story of divine grace.

Every page whispers the miracle of Jesus!

No matter when we live our lives in this epic of mankind's history, we are still saved through faith.

Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ...and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

For He Himself is our peace...

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.

Ephesians 2:12-19

Christmas - Emmanuel - Sally Lloyd-Jones

Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from.

But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full. Every bed had been taken.

"Go away!" the innkeepers told them. "There isn't any place for you."

They couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable

So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.

In there, in the stable, among the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world His wonderful gift.

The baby that would change the world was born -- His baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep Him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him, Jesus, "Emmanuel" -- which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, He had.

     --From The Jesus Storybook Bible
                      by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Christmas - For Christmas Day - O Rest Beside the Weary Road

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long.

Beneath the heavenly hymn have rolled

two thousand years of wrong.

And man at war with man hears not

the love song which they bring --

O hush the noise and cease your strife

And hear the angels sing!

And ye, beneath life's crushing load

whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

with painful steps and slow

Look now, for glad and golden hours

come swiftly on  the wing --

O rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing!

--- Edmund Hamilton Sears



Be still...listen...hear the angels sing!

Christmas - God is with us!

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

Six hundred years later.....

The angel said to Joseph:

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us' (Matthew 1:22-23).



At the beginning of Matthew's Gospel - Immanuel - God with us -- and in the closing verses:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).


God is with us. God is with us always.

So many wonderful Names of God are given to us in Scripture:

Messiah,
Redeemer,
Priest,
King,
Alpha and Omega,
Beginning and End,
Wonderful Counselor,
Savior,
the Only Wise God,
Ancient of Days,
the Lamb Slain from the Foundation of the World,
the Lion of Judah,
Almighty,
Good Shepherd,
Anointed One,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace,
Resurrection and the Life,
Light of the World,
Door,
Bread of Life,
King of Kings,
Faithful and True, 
Lord of Lords...
and so many more...

My favorite? IMMANUEL!

God is with us! Always!

From John's Revelation of the future new Jerusalem:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:3).


God is with us.

God is with us always.

God will be with us forever!

What's your favorite?

Christmas - Simeon and Anna Understand!

                           Simeon and Anna Understand!

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

     Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.
      -- Luke 2:25-32



Here's an old man holding baby Jesus and making some bold claims....Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples...a light for the Gentiles...and a glory for Your people Israel....

(But, Simeon, it's only a baby!)

Notice "all peoples" and "Gentiles" are mentioned before Israel. Simeon understood Jesus' rescue mission better than most.

Then a prophetess, Anna, appears on the scene.


Coming up on them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

               -- Luke 2:38



Luke does not give any more of her speech.

But it is interesting that Luke relates the story of a man and a woman here, dual threads of the story he is weaving for Theophilus.

This is typical of Luke's writing. In his gospel he makes it clear that Christ came for all -- Jew and Gentile - men and women.

There are at least twenty-seven "sets" of stories in his book that focus on both men and women.

In Luke 15 - the parable of the shepherd who lost his sheep and then the good woman who lost her coin.
In Luke 13 the farmer who plants a mustard seed in his garden and the woman who kneads some yeast into her bread dough.

In Luke 7 we see the story of the faithful centurion whose servant was sick, and then the raising of the widow's son at Nain.

Even the mother of John the Baptist is singled out: I tell you of those born of women there is no one greater than John....Luke 7:28

And here in the story of His miraculous birth we read that Gabriel visited two people: Zechariah and Mary. Two hymns of praise are written: Zechariah's and Mary's. Two witnesses in the temple: Simeon and Anna.

When Luke looked back over the ministry of Jesus,
he must have found Christ's attention to women and the particular needs of their world rather extraordinary. Certainly nothing like this exists in any other literature of the ancient world.

[The reactions of Zechariah and Mary to the message of Gabriel are quite different. Zechariah hesitated and chose to doubt - he was struck dumb until the child was born.

Mary, however, humbly received the gift of costly discipleship. "Let it be done to me according to thy word," she said. And so she was able to witness a second miracle, the news that her cousin would also have a miracle baby.

Zachariah's response of doubt brought him also a second miracle, but one of judgment (his temporary dumbness), not one of blessing.]


Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph marveled at Simeon's words to them about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and the rising of many in Israel ..... And a sword will pierce your own soul also.'

Your own soul also....A prophecy for two. 

Faithful Jews realized from the "suffering servant" prophecies that the Messiah would be wounded.
Now Simeon included Mary in the suffering of God's Anointed One.

Thirty-three years later she chose to stand at the foot of the cross, witnessing the cruel punishment of her Son, and she felt the sword pierce her own soul also.

She was not under arrest. She could have left. She could not have saved Him. She could not have convinced the soldiers to take her Son down and give Him to her so should could take Him home and take care of Him.

She made the free choice to stand by and enter into His suffering and feel the sword pierce through her heart. A memory she would never forget.

It's the cost of discipleship.


[I remember reading about the assassination of President Garfield in 1881. When officials went to visit his mother and give the harsh news to her, she  responded in shock, "But who would kill my baby?"
That's the hard burden of love.]

Christmas - What Kind of a Child is this?

I just heard the old, wonderful Christmas carol, "What Child Is This?"

2nd verse:

Why lies Him here in  such mean estate

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians fear:

For sinners, here, the silent Word is pleading.

Two thoughts:

(1) The glorious fact of our rescue plan...

designed by God before the creation of the world...

described to mankind at the beginning of history...

reminded to mankind continually throughout history...

revealed to mankind in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Word...

explained to mankind through the written record of the New Testament...

and, finally, completed through the coronation of Jesus Christ as Lord of All.

Then, "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2).

When Mary laid Him there in that manger, when the shepherds came to worship, when Joseph stood by to protect Him, in that tiny Body God's grace was already being worked out.

The silent Word was already pleading.....

(2) God loves to surprise us!

Think of it! The Creator -- God -- King -- arriving in Bethlehem of Judea in a stable! Who would ever make up a story like that?

And then in the last (future) days the Apostle John sees the throne of God and the elders call, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."

But what does he see?  "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne" (Revelation 5.)

Not a fearful mighty Lion, but a wounded Lamb...the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13).

God's amazing rescue plan -- wrapped in a surprise package -- and we can now begin to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh

Come peasant, king, to own Him

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts adore Him.

Raise, raise the song on high

The Virgin sings her lullaby

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Learning from Simeon - Timothy Keller

Little Jesus was presented at the Temple.....From Luke 2:34-35


Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.'


Jesus said He came to bring a sword. Simeon said so, too. Do we see what that means? It means we will get hostility for Jesus' sake.

It means we will have many painful struggles in the Christian life. Christmas, then, teaches us that Christians should not give in to self-pity. Nor should they be shortsighted, because the ultimate results of these conflicts are deeper peace and joy.

The word of Simeon is that Christians should expect and be ready for trouble. They should expect conflict as a way to get to peace. We can see it in Jesus, in how He brought peace through the agony of the cross. We should not be surprised, then, when conflicts come upon us.

How can we resolve to face the "sword" of trials and difficulties? Only by seeing how Jesus got the resolve to face the ultimate sword for us. Genesis 3 describes how God exiled humanity from His presence and from the tree of life. When He did that, we are told that "a flaming sword" was put in place to guard the way back to eternal life (Genesis 3:24).

That was another way to say that "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23). The entire Old Testament bears witness to this, because every time sin is atoned for in the tabernacle or temple, a substitute animal goes under the knife and dies.

What was Jesus doing, then, when He went to the cross? He was paying the penalty for sin; He was going under the sword. It came down on Him. "He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished" (Isaiah 53:8).

Let's not give in to self-pity or cowardice. The sword that passed through Jesus, the battle that He fought for us, was infinitely greater than anything He asks us to endure. And when He faced His final moment, and the sword was descending, He was utterly alone and forsaken, even by the Father. (Matthew 27:46).

When we walk through our difficulties, however, we are never alone. He always walked there with us. "I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless and sanctity to thee thy deepest distress" (From the hymn How Firm a Foundation).

When Simeon said to Mary, "There'll be a sword through your soul, what if Mary had said, "I don't want a sword in my soul"? What if Jesus had said, "I don't want a sword in my soul! I don't want to bring peace that way," and then where would you be? Where would I be? 

Don't shrink back. Follow Him to  peace.

          -- From Hidden Christmas, by Timothy Keller, Chapter 7.

That Christmas Ache

From Alicia Bruxvoort:

"Next time that yuletide yearning shows up like an awkward guest,
we don't need to let it steal our joy; we can simply let it stir our hope. Because God's promises are clear -- one day, our Advent ache will turn into eternal awe.   Until then, we can let it remind us that the best is yet to come.

Dear Jesus, sometimes I'm discouraged by the longing in my heart. Would you use Your Word to turn my awkward ache  into eager anticipation?  And help  me to stand firm in hope until I see You face to face. In Jesus' Name, Amen."


*For many hundreds of years the church celebrated Jesus' first coming to Bethlehem and also His future coming to reign - both
celebrated together at Christmastime.

One significant result of remembering both is many of our Christmas carols. For example, Joy to the World. Notice the words. They are about His future second coming, not His birth at Bethlehem!

Joy to the world! The Lord is come.

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart  prepare Him room 

and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns. 

Let all their songs employ

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sound joy!

No more let sins and sorrow grow, 

nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to  make His blessings flow

far as the curse is found!

He rules the world with truth and grace 

and makes the  nations prove
The glories of His righteousness 
and wonders of His Love!

                                                 -- By Isaac Watts

Who Did Jesus come to Save? Kenneth Bailey

Some thoughts from Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey ~~~


In Matthew 1:20-21 Joseph is told,

"Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

In Hebrew or Aramaic these words provide a word play that is lost in Greek and English. "Jesus" in Hebrew is Yesua and the verb "to save" is yasa.

If Hebrew and English are combined in a single sentence, it can be translated, "His name will be called Yesua for he will yasa his people."

[He will be called Savior, because he will save his people.]

During Jesus' time the Jewish community in the Holy Land was occupied and oppressed by the Romans. Before the Romans, the country had been ruled by the Greeks, and before that by the Persians.

At the time of Jesus much of the land was owned by foreigners who controlled large estates. Local farmers were obliged to rent land and were often treated unfairly.

In a situation of political and economic oppression people naturally want salvation, but from what? The salvation they seek is deliverance from their oppressors.

...In a situation of oppression it takes enormous courage to tell the oppressed community that all are sinners and all must repent, for everyone is in need of grace for salvation.

The angel affirms this theology to Joseph before Jesus is born by announcing, "and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Their primary problem is their sin -- the Roman occupation is an important concern, but it is secondary.)




In Zechariah's prayer praising God for the promised birth of John the Baptizer, he says  (Luke 1:68-77)


     Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
     for he has visited and redeemed his people...
     that we should be saved from our enemies,
     and from the hand of all who hate us...

     For you will go before the Lord to prepare his
     way, to give knowledge of salvation to his
     people in the forgiveness of sins.


Suddenly the tables are turned. Now the community's problem is not merely "those who hate us," but that they are declared to be in need of deliverance from their own sins.

The oppressed are also sinners! A Savior for sinners is a Savior for all, because all are sinners.

This perspective is present as early as Ecclesiastes 4:1 which reads:


     Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced
     under the sun. And behold, the tears of the
     oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them!
     On the side of their oppressors there was power,
     and there was no one to comfort them.


In such a text both the oppressors and the oppressed are trapped in prisons from which they cannot escape.

Each needs grace from outside the prison.

The text in Luke speaks of salvation from "our enemies" and of the bigger problem -- the internal problem of "our sins."

Christmas - How wise were those wise men?

The Bible does not tell us very much about those visitors from the East who came to worship the Christ Child.

Christmas carols and Christmas cards speak of the three 'kings' presenting their treasures to the infant.

Were there three? We don't know. There were three gifts mentioned, but nowhere are we told how many Magi came.

We are not told they are kings and we don't know when they arrived in Bethlehem.

Since they came from a great distance, their journey would have taken more time than the shepherds' trip. And since Herod had all children under 2 years of age be killed, we would think that they arrived some months after Jesus was born.



In Matthew 2:16 we read:

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.


Likely in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi indicated that they had seen the star almost two years earlier and Mary and the family were then settled in a house in the area.


On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh (Matthew 2:11).


What about that star?

We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him, the Magi told the people in Jerusalem.

Many scholars have explained 'his star' as an astronomical phenomenon.

One of the earliest explanations was that it was a comet. That was the view of the great church father
Origen of Alexandria.

Later, Johannes Kepler, the father of modern astronomy, explained it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces in the year 7 BC.

This fits a logical timeline and is probably the favorite view of astronomers today. (It makes a great planetarium demonstration!)

More likely, though, is that the 'star' was a miraculous phenomenon. (Remember Jonah and the great fish? The text says God "provided a great fish to swallow Jonah").

Maybe God "provided" this miraculous appearance in the eastern sky.

And maybe, since the Jews were scattered throughout the known world, the Magi had heard rumors about their coming Messiah/King and understood he would come to Israel.

So when they saw the display in the sky, their thoughts turned toward the Jewish homeland.

Maybe this miraculous star was the appearance of the Shekinah glory that accompanied the people of Israel in their desert wanderings, signifying God's presence with them. James Montgomery Boice favors
this view.

Only something like the Shekinah manifestation could have led the wise men over the desert to Jerusalem, reappeared after their meeting with King Herod, guided them to Bethlehem, and then "stopped over the place where the child was" (Matthew 2:9), which seems a clear explanation of the written record.

What's most important?

Matthew doesn't seem concerned with exactly where the wise men came from, how many there were, or with the star itself.

Rather, he wanted us to know that from the very beginning of Jesus' story, Gentiles came to worship the Jewish Messiah, and that the message Jesus brought was for the whole world.

Which brings us back to Matthew's closing words when Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to His disciples:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,  baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).

So during the first months of the life of Baby Jesus, Gentiles, not just Jews, came to worship Him. And at the end of His earthly life, He reminds us to go out to the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike!

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations....



From John's Revelation of the future....

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 in front of the Lamb....
(Revelation 7:9).

Disciples from all nations!