On the eleventh day of Christmas… Jan. 4, 2014

 (Revisiting Pastor Tom’s message for Advent) and beyond!

An Advent Conspiracy:  It’s when Someone has a secret plan to do something to another, and it’s out of the other’s control.”  It’s where we conspire against everything that depresses, stresses, and drains us of joy during the Advent season.”

Hence:  a simple four-fold focus for the season:
 

WORSHIP FULLY = which simply means taking time & effort to focus on Jesus and what it means to be ‘present’…a relational gift.  He desires to be in relationship with us.  Have we got the time?  Can we be attentive to what he’s up to in this world?

SPEND LESS = is a great place to start.  Spend less on gifts that the people you’re buying for don’t really need.  Spend less on stuff (just to meet the expectation that everyone needs more stuff...)

GIVE MORE = is what you can do when you spend less.  Give more TIME to be with the ones who need your time and attention.  Give more like “coupons” for an afternoon (or a day) together; do something outside; cook, build, make music, sew, play together, create art…serve together.

LOVE ALL = that’s where all this leads.  It’s becoming more like Jesus…giving from God’s abundance to bless other people; to show them that God and at least one other person cares.

What if we focused more resources on actually making a difference in the world?  What impact could we make if we channeled a percentage of what we spend on gifts towards giving people…clean water, farm animals, small loans…so they could use their God-given talents to have a fighting chance to lift their families and communities out of poverty?  What if we all chipped in to buy a water well for a community ($2,500)?  25 families spend $100 less and give $100 more…?

CHALLENGE : Can we conspire together? …moving forward

Fruitful Lord, increase the power of your Spirit in my life.  Focus my attention on your goodness and mercy that I might be fruitful for you and for those you send me to serve.

On the tenth day of Christmas… Jan. 3, 2014

He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'   –Matthew 22:37 (NRSV)

Did you know that the wheat fields in Israel have fed God’s people for generations?  Bethlehem’s name means “House of Bread.”    Hmm, interesting.  Does that ring any bells in your head when you think of Sunday Communion and the fact that Jesus chose to use bread in this Sacrament?  God seems to have a theme that is evident in Scripture.  He uses the simple things, the everyday, common things around us to illustrate many truths. 

Is God a God of simplicity?  It doesn’t appear so when we study the words written in Scripture; when we try to understand the deep truths of the Bible.  Yet God asks us to do only one thing from our hearts to receive every good and perfect gift from him:  Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, and mind.  God desires one thing from us and that is worship.  Can you lay down your life, like Mary, and let God use you as he wills?

Do you have a desire to simplify your life?  Confessing the Lordship of Christ will simplify your service as well.  If this is important to you then just find the answer to two questions.

These are the questions Paul asks Jesus on the road to Damascus:  “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5) and
“Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6).

God loves us and wants us to love each other.  In this, the season of giving, are we willing to give ourselves into God’s service? 

There is a church tradition that says when John, the apostle, was an old man in Ephesus, he had to be carried to church in the arms of his disciples.  At these meetings he was accustomed to say no more than, “Little children, love one another”.  He said this because it was the Lord’s command.

God of love, teach me daily what it means to love you wholly and to love myself and my neighbor with grace and justice.

On the ninth day of Christmas… Jan. 2, 2014

"But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.   –Micah 5:2 (NRSV)

Today, consider the words of the beautiful hymn below.  Take the time to speak them out loud and take them into your very soul.  This is the story of God’s gift of our Lord and Savior given through grace to us forever.  Please take this seriously, no fair skipping over words.  The prayer here is a balm to the soul.

O’ little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by;

Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light.

The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, And, gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the king,

And peace to all the earth!

How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is giv’n!

So God imparts to human hearts The blessing of His heav’n.

No ear may hear His coming; But, in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

O’ holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in; Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell;

Oh, come to us, abide with us Our Lord Immanuel!

What did the Holy Spirit say to you through these familiar words?  Did he speak words of truth and great comfort?

Gracious God, enter again into my heart and bless my soul.

On the eighth day of Christmas… Jan. 1, 2014

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.          –Matthew 2:11 (NRSV)

What do you give a young king?  The Magi, traveling more than 500 miles to see the child, brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Why those gifts?  What did the gifts mean in relation to Jesus?  And what did they mean for those who gave them?

GOLD:  The magi knew without a doubt they were searching for a king, and in that day gold was currency only for kings.  This was a gift of great value, symbolizing sacrifice on their part as worshipers.  Gold represented their willingness to give everything to God, because God alone is King of all.

FRANKINCENSE:  Worshipers in the OT inserted the dried gum of frankincense into candles to make offerings in the temple. The magi chose this gift to acknowledge the Child as not only a King, but also a Priest who would intercede for humanity before God.  In this way, the gum was a symbol of the magi’s humility before the Child, recognizing their dependence on a holy and just God.

MYRRH:  The ancients used myrrh when embalming the dead, making this gift especially appropriate for Jesus whose death would change history.  While the magi likely had no concept of the death Jesus would die, the gift signified the importance of Jesus’ death.  (Myrrh was a resin extracted from a variety of trees in the Middle East.)

The King received the gold.  Our Intercessor took the frankincense.  And the One who died on the cross had myrrh wrapped around His body by His friends.  The magi’s gifts to Jesus pointed to the utterly unique, glorious and sacrificial ministry of the Lord Jesus.  [WORSHIP FULLY]

What gift would you give our young King?  How about worship?  

King Jesus, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, lead us to realize your authority over us & humility before us.

On the seventh day of Christmas… Dec. 31, 2013

I see him, but not here and now.

      I perceive him, but far in the distant future.

A star will rise from Jacob;

      a scepter will emerge from Israel.           –Numbers 24:17 (NLT)

A star shone brightly in the heavens -- His star.  The magi who saw it knew they had to follow!  [WORSHIP FULLY] Possibly hailing from somewhere near Babylon, they would have been familiar with the stories of the biblical prophet Daniel, who had been appointed in his day as “chief of the magicians.”  Daniel’s teachings and the biblical writings his people brought into exile, including those of the hope for a kingly Messiah, would have been passed down through generations of wise men. 

These magi were astrologers.  They drew on their knowledge of astronomy and prophecy to watch the heavens for a sign.  God spoke to what they would understand by using the star.

So convinced were they when they saw it, they packed treasures and followed the mysterious star to the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem, ready to worship the King of the Jews. 

After an encounter with King Herod, these magi followed his word.  “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”  (Matthew 2:8)  Upon arriving in Bethlehem, with the star leading them, the magi “fell down and worshiped Him.  Then opening their treasures they offered Him gifts.’ (Matthew 2:11)  [GIVE MORE]  Being warned in a dream, the magi departed for home away from Jerusalem.

Interesting observation about this story:  The magi were Gentiles.  They were ‘heathens’ who became God’s servants.  The beginning of the fulfillment of the promise to “bless all families on earth”? (Gen. 12:3)  [LOVE ALL]

Generous God, may your Spirit move us to recognize peoples of all nations and languages as your own.