Tag: Pondering God's Promises

From Generation unto Generations: Hope for The Coming Generations! Judges 2:6-10.

Judges 2:6-10Amplified Bible

Joshua Dies

6 And when Joshua had sent the people away, the [tribes of the] Israelites went each to his inheritance, to take possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 Also, all [the people of] that generation were gathered to their fathers [in death]; and another generation arose after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

How amazing!

An entire generation had passed after Joshua died (aged 110) that did not

“know the Lord or knew the work that He had done”.

How could this happen to God’s chosen people?

These were the same people He performed miracle after miracle for.

Again, a whole generation of Israelites don’t know who God was!

This might seem like a familiar story to you if you live anywhere on earth.

A generation is currently on the rise that has never stepped foot into church, never or barely reading their Bible, never taught or even learned about Jesus.

What do we make of this?

It can be easy to place blame on others but, really, the next generation comes down to you and me.

We are responsible for the discipleship and upbringing of the next generation.

Let us stop passing the blame and start taking responsibility.

If you have kids, don’t just expect the church or school to teach and disciple them; be involved.

If you have generations of people coming to your church, do not just expect the church alone to reach and teach and disciple them; be and become the involved.

If you have friends or family or neighbors who are struggling, take an active role in their lives, and in sharing with them the truth about God with them.

My legacy is not what I did or I will do for myself, it is what I am doing right now, what I will do in all of my collective tomorrow’s for the next generation.

Our ministry and mission is to serve all generations for the coming generations.

Acts 13:34-37Amplified Bible

34 And [as for the fact] that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay [in the grave], He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David [those blessings and mercies that were promised to him].’ 35 For this reason He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers and experienced decay [in the grave]; 37 but He whom God raised [to life] did not experience decay [in the grave].

There are many deeds that David did during his life.

He did many great things even as a young man.

He did many not so great things for the generations of his own children.

Despite all of that, God still referred to David as “Man after my own heart.”

However, none speak as loud to us as this text. “David served his generation.”

The question is in our goodness and mercy, “can we serve our generation?”

The question is in our faults and failures, “can we still serve our generation?”

Can we still acknowledge, preach, teach God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Can our witness and our testimony remain genuine and influential for others?

Our witness and testimony as a church is to reach our generation for the Lord.

Considering socio-economic, political pressures, the task seems impossible.

Jonathan Edwards said “The obligation of every generation is to understand what God is doing and then do it with Him.”

Reverend Andy Stanley asks me one question that simply wrecks me as I pray.

He asks this question of me and of all generations: “What breaks your heart?”

He framed the question with this statement: “You do not have to change the world, but you do have a responsibility – you have to change something.”

His point was God did not ask us to change everything, but he did give us each particular gifts and passions – it is those passions that pave the road to change.

The moment he asked the question, I knew my answer.

My heart breaks for the coming generations – of my step son, and of his son.

My heart breaks for young, younger people growing up in a culture increasingly antagonistic, negative and downright brutally hateful towards Christianity.

My heart breaks for the next generation and the hostility they face from both the outside and the inside of the church.

Yes, inside the church – their knowledge of the real Jesus Christ of the Gospels.

I want to fight for them.

I want to affirm them.

I want to prepare them.

I want to teach them and even preach to them ….

I want to witness and testify to the real and genuine Jesus Christ to them.

You see, I believe the next generation should receive the church from us better than we found it.

We should prepare the next generation to take the baton and run past us.

Ephesians 4:17-24Amplified Bible

The Christian’s Walk

17 So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls], 18 for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. 19 And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand]. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way! 21 If in fact you have [really] heard Him and have been taught by Him, just as truth is in Jesus [revealed in His life and personified in Him], 22 that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, 23 and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], 24 and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation].

We have an accountability to God for those future “great clouds of witnesses!”

Handing the next generation a battered and beaten and defeated version of the church we inherited means we fail to add to God’s “great clouds of witnesses.”

Truth is: Investing in the next generation isn’t easy.

Truth is: Investing in the next generation is never going to be easy.

Truth is: Investing in the next generations was never meant to be easy

Truth is: It involves Christ-Like sacrifice.

Truth is: It involves Christ-Like grace.

Truth is: It involves Christ-Like humility.

Truth is: It involves a Christ-Like future-focus.

Truth is: It involves our becoming like Christ Jesus.

Truth is: Jesus has a lot to say about reaching the next generation.

I want to highlight a few of those.

Here are 4 things Jesus tells us about reaching the next generation.

1.) Jesus came down to others. He didn’t expect others to come up to his level.

Salvation and redemption are a product of Jesus refusing to accept equality with God (Philippians 2).

He wasn’t content with his throne in heaven.

He came down to us.

Jesus had more knowledge and power than any person on earth.

Yet he used the power to serve others.

He used the knowledge to reach those who were powerless.

For us to acquire power and knowledge but not use them to affirm, serve and encourage those without it is not only horribly bad stewardship, it is ungodly.

I hear these statements often.

“The next generation needs to practice patience. They need to stop making everything about them. We sat in pews every Sunday and listened to boring sermons. We paid our dues. The next generation needs to do the same.”

Now, does the next generation have selfish tendencies?

Absolutely.

But this is not a generational problem.

It is a human problem.

So, what does Jesus reveal to us about solving this problem?

He comes down.

He empties himself.

He does not tell the apostles to come up to his level.

He gave up everything, humbled Himself – He humbly came down to them.

When the church asks the next generation to give up all their desires and ways to connect with God, we are not effectively modeling the ways, mind, of Jesus.

We are expecting those less mature, less powerful, and less knowledgeable to reach up.

Instead of coming down and engaging the next generation on their level, they must come up to ours.

Truth is: It is selfish pride.

Maybe the next generation is leaving the church because they are exhausted from constantly having to feed those who are already full.

Maybe the next generation is leaving because they are tired of reaching up and conforming to our way of doing things. Maybe the next generation is leaving because the church’s attitude is more self-centered than Christ-centered.

2.) Jesus spoke the language of the culture.

When I was in high school if you wanted to call someone, you used something called a dial phone.

Anyone under 20 or even 30 has no idea what I am talking about.

Today, land lines are virtually non-existent.

Why?

They aren’t the most effective way to communicate.

That title belongs to cell phones.

Cell phones allow us to message anyone in the world instantly, check social media with a click, make phone calls anytime and accomplish virtually any task in life no matter where we are.

Today, if are not using a smartphone, you and I are generations behind.

What does this have to do with Jesus?

Glad you asked. Jesus believed strongly in effective communication.

This is why he spoke in parables.

He didn’t use large “churchy,” academic words when speaking to crowds.

He could have, but he chose not to.

Why? He wanted to effectively communicate.

That is why he used stories.

Stories connected.

Stories were the most effective way to communicate God’s message.

The church should want to effectively communicate as well.

“Why doesn’t the next generation call someone instead of always texting?

Why are they on social media so much?”

Well, the answer is because text messages and social media are the most effective and quickest forms of communication today.

It’s ridiculous to use a dial phone to do business, and it is ridiculous to not embrace the most effective ways to communicate.

So, we can stop throwing up our hands because the next generation does not communicate like we do.

Or we can embrace a new, more effective form of communication.

After all, Truth is: They might have something significantly GOD to teach us.

3.) Jesus did nOt lecture. He loved.

“When it comes to the next generation, we need to stop lecturing them and start loving them like Christ first Loved them.”

I can’t tell you how many “lectures” I received from my dad over the years.

“what were you thinking? You know better than that! here’s why you are wrong, I cannot believe you could ever make such a terrible decision!”

And you know what those lectures did for me?

EXACTLY! Pushed me further away.

Maybe it’s time to admit lecturing the next generation does little to change or influence change within them.

What the next generation needs to know is we are FOR them.

They need to know we love them.

They need to know they will struggle.

They need to know they will fail.

They need to know they will have their share of faults.

But when they know they are affirmed and loved, they will be compelled to get back up and keep moving, they will run toward the cross and not away from it.

When the next generation constantly hears what they did wrong, what message are we sending to them?

I know what message was sent to me: You better not mess up or God will be mad at you. Unless you do things the “right way,” you aren’t accepted around here.

It’s weird.

Jesus seemed to understand better than anyone that lecturing did not serve the ultimate goal or purpose of transforming people.

The only ones Jesus lectured were the Pharisees.

But that’s because they were gluttons of knowledge and power.

They did the very opposite of Jesus.

The Pharisees expected others to come up to their level.

You won’t find an example of Jesus lecturing those aware of their sin.

Instead, you will find Jesus loving them and embracing them.

You will find Jesus speaking life to them.

He did not excuse their sin, but he did not lecture them either.

There is a way for one generation to push the next generation towards God without lecturing them.

Truth is: Just look at Jesus.

Jesus not only came down to those with less power, he invested in them.

He spent his time preparing a group of men to take over after he left.

Jesus knew his time on earth was short, and he knew his mission was larger than his time on earth.

Jesus didn’t come to earth seeking to build an earthly kingdom that wouldn’t sustain after his departure.

He came to build God’s kingdom that would last forever.

Jesus came to prepare people, not allow people to feed him.

The problem with many churches is they aren’t preparing the next generation.

They aren’t concerned with the church after their departure.

“Who cares what happens after our departure? After all, we paid our dues, now it is time for us to enjoy the fruit of our patience.”

If Jesus had the attitude of many church leaders today, the church would be non-existent.

But Jesus did not believe power, wisdom, and title were grounds for others to feed him.

He poured into others.

2 Timothy 4:6-8Amplified Bible

6 For I am already being [a]poured out as a drink offering, and the time of [b]my departure [from this world] is at hand and I will soon go free. 7 I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]. 8 In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.

The goal was for everyone to cross the finish line.

Not just him.

Not just those alive during his earthly ministry.

Everyone.

Jesus came to earth with a future-focus.

He came to earth with a selfless focus.

Jesus knew if the message terminated on him, his mission failed.

The same is true for the church today.

If our infinitely selfish actions and attitudes create an untenable environment is not sustainable for the “great clouds of witnesses” next generations, we’ll fail.

The church is infinitely larger than us.

The church is infinitely more than the here and now.

Again, the next generation is my passion.

I will never give up on them.

I vow to spend more time affirming and loving them than condemning them.

The real and genuine and living Jesus of the Gospels shows us some principles for reaching into every single one of all those “next upcoming generations.”

– I pray we’ll think seriously about them!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us pray,

Psalm 100Amplified Bible

All Men Exhorted to Praise God.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 
Serve the Lord with gladness and delight;
Come before His presence with joyful singing.
3 
Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, [a]not we ourselves [and we are His].
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 
Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.
5 
For the Lord is good;
His mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting,
His faithfulness [endures] to all generations.

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Today, Why Should Anyone be Asking Themselves this Question: Am I Telling Coming Generations My GOD Stories? Psalm 78:1-4

Psalm 78:1-4English Standard Version

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil[a] of Asaph.

78 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
    that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
    but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and the wonders that he has done.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Do you take any nominal or significant measure of time in these hectic days of getting everything exactly “just right” for Christmas or any other day, to look into mirror before and after you brush or comb your hair, to consider, ponder,

Everyone who calls themselves a Christian is in essence a teacher of the faith, because we represent God to the outside world. What we say and do is a testimony to our faith and beliefs. To honour our Heavenly Father’s great love and compassion for all mankind, let us represent Jesus well to all our family and friends.

“What has God done in my life?”

“What has God done in your life?”

“What is God doing in my life right now?”

Looking at your husband or your wife, your children, grand children, best friends, the workers being busy in the grocery store or department store?

Looking at all your neighbors house’s outside your living room window?

Looking at the rest of the surrounding homes on the street where you live?

At the person who just drove their car or their SUV or their truck by you?

Maybe God healed someone in your family…

Maybe God helped you restore a broken relationship…

Maybe God miraculously provided for unmet financial needs…

Maybe God just healed and restored them or a member of their family?

Miraculously provided for and just met one of their specific financial needs?

Miraculously provided measure of courage and strength to meet a difficult and insurmountable personal challenge – talking to their bosses or their coworkers?

No matter what God has done, is doing and will certainly do for you or others, in their immediate and far off futures, we always be prepared to give an answer to that question with a story, a personal story, an inspired and empowering story.

The human brain is wired by God to tell, to learn from, and remember, stories.

That is why today’s verses from what would later become Psalm 78 were so fully and completely and utterly meaningful, Asaph had to write them down.

Not just write them down in some private personal journal kept in his bedroom.

But written down for the benefit of countless future generations yet to be born.

That’s why today’s devotional verses from Psalm 78 are so MY GOD powerful.

When the psalmist wrote:

“we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, tell of his power, and the wonders he has done,”

God very specifically meant parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, leaders and teachers, those ‘influential ones’ in all our lives would share of their God stories with their kids, God’s, their neighbors, at every available opportunity.

When we zoom out, the Bible is not primarily a singular collection of rules or of covenant propositions—it is filled with stories of God’s power and wonders too.

  • Of Adam and Eve, their Sin, hiding from God, the resultant consequences…
  • Of Noah and his hardcore faithfulness before God – building an ark…
  • Of the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children…
  • Of a young idealistic boy named Joseph and his techno colored coat…
  • Joseph, betrayed by his brothers out of jealously, thrown down a well…
  • Joseph, conspired against eventually sold into slavery into Egypt…
  • Joseph, whom God used to set the example of redemption, mercy…
  • A Judge named Deborah who led her people, delivered them in battle…
  • Young Barren Woman named Hannah severely scorned by her people…
  • The Scorned Hannah who prayed and found favor with God – A Son …
  • Young Samuel, who said: “speak Lord for your servant is listening”…
  • God delivering the Israelites from Egypt through miracle after miracle…
  • The Miraculous Life of a once condemned Moses – leading God’s people…
  • The faith and courage of a young David standing up to the bully Goliath…
  • God answering young King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom to rule wisely…
  • Story of a man named Job going from blessed to utter chaos and back…
  • Stories of genealogies’ and generations – Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:21-38
  • The Story of a young teenage Girl named Mary who found favor with God…
  • Fulfillment of Prophecy: The Birth Narratives of Immanuel, God With Us…
  • Story of an older couple Zacharias, Elizabeth who found favor with God…
  • Miraculous Interactions with the Thousands, of Feedings and Healings…
  • Of a Good Samaritan, a Prodigal Son, A lonely, isolated woman at a well…
  • Crossing un-crossable Borders long considered to be “high end taboo.”…
  • the unredeemable – at a tax booth, Zacchaeus climbing a community tree…
  • the outcasts, one’s no one else would dare to approach, named “Legion”…
  • who were declared to be untouchables – Lepers, Incurables, Prostitutes…
  • those who have struggled their whole lives for anyone to help them…
  • raising the dead of a lonely widow, of a family friend named Lazarus…
  • Jesus’ perfect life, substitutionary death, and resurrection…
  • The Holy Spirit’s work through the New Testament church…

And these are just a few I could think of in this devotional moment

The list quite literally goes on!

Too many personal stories to tell in this one short devotion ….

Each one with a story of immeasurable significance to us reading this today.

Everyone one of us who calls themselves a Christian is in essence a teacher of the faith, because we represent God to the outside world. What we say and do is a testimony to our faith and beliefs. To honour our Heavenly Father’s great love and compassion for all mankind, let us represent Jesus well to all our family and friends.

So, here’s a challenge I am presenting to you and for your consideration:

Write down a list of your God stories to share with the next generation.

What if every holiday you shared a new story with your kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews?

What if everyday you would share a new story with your wife or husband, your children, your grandchildren, your siblings, your friends, your own neighbors?

What would happen, what could happen, what might, will happen if the next generation saw God didn’t just do “blessed and highly favored” “praiseworthy” “trustworthy, stuff untold thousands of years ago—GOD IS still active today?

Every single one one of us who confesses Christ as their Savior, who calls upon the Lord for His Grace and for His Favor, who calls themselves a James 1:22-25 Christian, is in essence a teacher and proclaimer of the faith, because we each represent, each reveal, God to the outside world. What we say and do, how we act and behave, in public and in private is a testimony to our faith and beliefs. To genuinely honor our Heavenly Father’s great love and compassion for all of mankind, as Jesus did, let us represent Jesus well to all our family and friends.

And not just in other families, but in your own.

Not just in your home but other people’s homes?

In a whole entire street and block of homes?

In a whole entire community of neighborhood homes

You don’t even need to be a parent to do this.

If you teach Sunday school, volunteer at youth group, mentor kids…

Share your God stories!

If you talk to someone while you are shopping or you are working …

Share your God stories!

If you are talking to someone about getting help for your computer or your internet service or for your smart phone ….

Close the conversation with something like this …

When they ask if you have anymore questions or if there is “anything else” …

“Yes, there is just one thing more thing … “May you find favor with God today!”

You just never know what that will do for that person on the other end …

You just can never know what GOD will do for that person on the other end …

Make your list.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit …

Check it once and then check it twice and then thrice times more …

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit …

Share your God stories. Do not “hide them from your ‘descendants.’”

Countless future generations are counting on you and me to do our parts!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God, my Father ….

Let my testimony of you in my life be as true and faithful your testimony is faithful and true of me in your life. Please, let my story reveal your story!!!

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Ecclesiastes 3:11 Our Vision For Eternity: Advent Week Three: “And the Word became Flesh and He LIVED Among Us!”

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13The Message

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

God has no bounds ….

God will fit in no one’s box even if the size of that box is the size of the universe.

Yet, in restrictive confines our own humanity, we serve a God of boundaries.

In God’s limitless capacity, endless creativity, indescribable glory and infinite wisdom, His boundless existence, God still chose to create boundaries for us.

God still had vision for what was good, right, pleasing, and perfect.

And as children made in his image, we are to live, think, and create as he does.

In a world marked by unbounded busyness from seemingly boundless infinite opportunities, it’s important now more than ever for us to create boundaries.

And still, in God’s infinite wisdom, He knew we would never be satisfied with such a limited, narrowed and restrictive space being forced and pushed upon us.

Our ever wiser God, full of grace and truth and a vision of and for reality, knew we would never be satisfied with our unlimited limits and unlimited boundaries.

This is a lesson we learned from the Tower of Babel – we want to reach the sky!

We are insatiable creatures.

We are insatiably curious, we have this insatiable desire, in that we want to know, to see, to experience, go far beyond the limits of the known Universe.

And the miraculous part of it is this, even after Babel …. IT IS A GIFT OF GOD!

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 Amplified Bible

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

To be a true person of vision is to live this life in light of eternity.

Without a real revelation of eternity, this life will be marked by hopelessness and a sense of aimless wandering.

Without a real revelation of eternity, our limited vision for a life of unlimited abundance and blessings would stop directly with eyes in front of our hands.

God wants us to know Him!

God wants us to be in relationship with him!

God wants us to be in an everlasting connection with Him.

“remove THY hands from in front of THY faces, seek MY face, seek MY hands!”

Only when our destination comes into view can we rightly see the diverse array, the myriad and myriad of various circumstances littered, strewn along the long and winding and widening concourses of this temporary life God limits us to.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13Easy-to-Read Version

11 God gave us the ability to think about his world,[a] but we can never completely understand everything he does. And yet, he does everything at just the right time.

12 I learned that the best thing for people to do is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants everyone to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. These are gifts from God.

To look to eternity requires us to trust.

Our minds are finite.

In the only world we have ever known, life is marked by a beginning and end, by birth and death.

But in and throughout the length and breadth of Scripture we discover that God is the Maker of life, the Great and infinite Physician and the Conqueror of death.

We discover in the coming of Jesus, as is revealed in the four Gospels, we are promised eternal life in unhindered, unveiled, communion with our Creator.

To live with our limited vision for eternity is limitless trust things are not as they will be and to surrender the entirety of this life with hope for the next.

When we live seeking satisfaction from the things of the world, we live as if heaven did not exist and God did not usher in his kingdom through Jesus.

Our limited vision for the things of this world would grow abundantly, blessedly grow more and more dim, to only have final value in the Giver of all good gifts.

So our possessions, relationships, and work only have value here because they are a series of diverse shadows of what is to come when all things are made new.

God planted the seed of eternity within us knowing, only through Him, it will germinate and raise itself above the ground revealing the vast beauty therein.

Having such a vision of vast beauty here on earth our vision for eternity should prayerfully lead us to create beautiful boundaries around everything in this life.

It should lead us to such an abundantly beautiful lifestyle of surrender that our hearts might never become tied to that which is fleeting, can never fully satisfy.

Leads us to a lifestyle of fully enjoying all the beautiful the things God has given and gifted to us, including our vision of Immanuel, all the while knowing all the things of this life are merely fleeting shadows in comparison to what is to come.

Do you feel tied to the things of your life today?

Feel as if your unlimited vision of eternity is forever tied to your possessions, relationships, work owns you rather you enjoying them to the glory of God?

From your vision of eternity, are you only seeking to find total satisfaction in the “rusty” things of the world, or are you finding peace in the hope of heaven?

Take time today in guided prayer to surrender your life again to Jesus.

Allow God to cut away any ties you have to that which is chaining your heart to this world.

Find abundant joy and peace in the unlimited freedom that comes from God’s promised gifts of abundance and blessings living in light of a limitless eternity.

May you find freedom and joy these days as you receive the gift of vision and set up beautifully hopeful, prayerful boundaries under the leadership of Holy Spirit.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Take quality time today in guided prayer to surrender your life again to Jesus.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on what the Bible says about eternity. Allow Scripture to fill you with vision for what’s to come.

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” Psalm 102:25-27

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:2-3

2. Are you living in light of eternity? Do you feel your heart tied down to any things of the world?

31 “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.” Matthew 6:31-34

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

3. Hopefully, Prayerfully set boundaries around having vision for eternity. 

Lay down anything holding you back from living in freedom from this world at the feet of Jesus.

Take time to enjoy God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, that the foundation of your vision for life would be full communion with him.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek[a] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”[b]
9     Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    O God of my salvation! Psalm 27:7-9

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

84 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you! Psalm 84

In Galatians 5:16 Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

When you take time to enjoy God every day and seek to live in communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God will faithfully guide you away from your vision of the “rust worthy” things of the world and full into His fullness of joy in Him.

May you find comfort and hope in connection with the living God today as you seek to live with God’s boundless, boundary less, unlimited vision for eternity.

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Advent Week Three: “And The Word became Flesh and Lived Among Us.” “We Actually Beheld His Glory, Actually Full of Grace and Full of Truth.” John 1:14-18

John 1:14-18Amplified Bible

The Word Made Flesh

14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). 15 John testified [repeatedly] about Him and [a]has cried out [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [b]has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’” 16 For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. 17 For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Some of us are what we might call “truth people.”

We tend to draw firm lines between right and wrong, and we feel that we have a moral responsibility to speak up when something just does not sound right.

Sometimes this is a gift because God can use us to identify sin and injustice, urging people to bring about change.

But sometimes it hurts our relationships because we can focus on the negative and be judgmental, pushing people away.

Meanwhile, some of us are “grace people.”

We gravitate toward the idea of God’s love and forgiveness, and we don’t like making a scene or creating conflict.

Instead, we try to forgive others and move on.

This too can be a gift because God can use us to bring harmony into tough situations.

But we likewise need to be very careful not to ignore serious hurts and problems that should definitely and decisively be addressed.

In the Bible we learn what God is like in the life and teaching of Jesus.

And we see how Jesus brings the practices of grace and truth together.

Jesus is infinitely compassionate—willing to unconditionally forgive the sins of all who place their faith in him.

At the same time, he is definitely not the least bit afraid to speak a hard word of of extraordinarily hard and difficult truth to bring someone deeper into faith.

At this time and season in my life, what do need from God?

At this time and season in your life, what do you need from God?

Grace extended from every which direction into every which direction?

Ceaseless, Unrelenting, Repetitive Messages of Encouragement?

Daily Unimaginable Miracles of Indescribable Unbelievable Forgiveness?

Ten thousand Words of harshest truths to set me in the right “GOD” direction?

John 1:14-18The Message

14 The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

15 John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”

16-18 We all live off his generous abundance,
    gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses,
    and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding—
    all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God,
    not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
    who exists at the very heart of the Father,
    has made him plain as day.

“I promise I will be back soon,” a World War II soldier told his young wife before leaving her and their infant son.

Four years of war and fighting went by.

The young mother would show her boy a portrait of the soldier and say, “See, that’s your daddy. One day he’s going to come home.”

In reality, she didn’t know what to expect of the promise her husband made.

One morning the boy said, “Mommy, wouldn’t it be great if right now Daddy would just step out of the picture frame and we became a whole family again?”

In a sense that is exactly what God did 2,000 years ago.

As part of his eternal plan, he stepped out of heaven and became a man so you and I could look at Jesus and say, “That’s what God looks like.”

The apostle John described the stepping out,

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV).

This verse is the climax of John’s prologue as John completes his introduction of Jesus by proclaiming his humanity in the midst of his divinity.

This verse contains the truth behind the story of the angels and shepherds and their journey of witness they made to Bethlehem that first Christmas morning.

Without this singular verse the rest of the story has no meaning.

John 1:14 tells us what really happened 2000 years ago-and what it means to us today.

The key words are grace and truth.

This verse reveals four great certainties:

Jesus became human;

Jesus lived among us;

Jesus revealed his glory;

Jesus invites us to himself.

I. Jesus became human

John states, “The Word became flesh.”

Notice the link with verse one: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NIV).

The Word that always “was” (verse 1) now became a temporal event at a point in history.

Furthermore, the Word that “was God” (verse 1c) now came into being as flesh, that is, he exists as a human being.

We often say that Jesus is God.

That is true.

But here’s an incredible statement: God became Jesus of Nazareth!

When he stepped out, Jesus Christ became the visible expression of the invisible God, He became a visual aid, as it were, to reveal the nature of God the Father.

He was God in a suit of flesh.

He was God expressing himself in a language that we could understand.

He was God announcing to the world: “I have come!”

Theologians refer to this action as the Incarnation.

This is a hard concept for us to understand.

In fact, many debates transpired in the early church as to what it really meant.

Some people said Jesus was not really a man; he just ‘looked like’ a man.

Others said he had the body of a man but he did not have a human soul.

Still others said Jesus was two people in one body-sort of half-God, half-man.

And unbelievers said it was all nonsense-that Jesus wasn’t God at all.

They claimed he was an ordinary person like you and me with a sin nature just like everyone else on planet earth.

All of those ideas are wrong.

When Jesus stepped out, the infinite God took on the form of a tiny unborn baby boy.

The Son did not cease to be God when he became a man.

He added humanity but he did not subtract deity.

He was fully God and fully man-the God-man.

Ponder that for a moment.

The Almightiness of God moved in a human arm.

The love of God now beat in a human heart.

The wisdom of God now spoke from human lips.

The mercy of God reached forth from human hands.

Jesus was God wrapped in human flesh.

Remember the story of the little girl who was frightened at night during a thunderstorm.

One dark and stormy night, She cried out to her Daddy, “Help me.”

Her Daddy in the next room said, “Honey, God loves you and will take care of you.”

Another bolt of lightning and clap of thunder caused the girl to cry out again, “Daddy!”

Her Daddy gave her the same response, “Honey, God loves you and will take care of you.”

The storm raged again and the frightened girl yelled again.

Her Daddy’s response was the same.

But then girl replied, “Daddy, I know that you love me and I know that God loves me, but right now I need someone with skin on.”

When Jesus stepped out he was God with skin on.

God became a man in human flesh.

II. Jesus lived among us

Notice the next phrase of John 1:14, it reveals the residence of God on earth, “. . . and made his dwelling among us.”

The word dwelt literally means “to pitch a tent;” or as military folks call it “to bivouac;” or as theologians define it as “to tabernacle.”

In fact, the Tabernacle was sometimes called the Tent of Meeting because it was the divinely-appointed meeting place between God and man.

In the same way-but in a significantly deeper sense-Jesus is the place where we meet God today.

Eugene Petersen in The Message paraphrases this verse,

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 MSG).

For thirty-three years God moved into our diversity of neighborhoods.

He walked up and He walked down our alleyways streets and boulevards.

When he stepped out, Jesus lived among us.

Why?

“Pitching a tent among us” implies God wants to be on familiar terms with us.

He wants to be close to us as our skin is to us.

He wants a lot of interaction.

If you come into a community and build a huge mansion with a wall around it, you are probably saying that you don’t really want to be bothered by people.

But if you set up a tent in my back yard, you will probably use my bathroom, eat often at my table, play with the neighborhood kids.

This is why God became human.

He came to pitch a tent in humanity’s back yard so that we would have a lot of dealings with him around the campfires and firepits.

III. Jesus revealed his glory

Next John speaks of the manifestation of God’s glory: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father.”

Again, Eugene Peterson rewords, “We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son.”

When John writes, “We have seen,” he uses a word that means to gaze intently upon, to study intently as under an electron microscope as in a laboratory.

It’s a word from which we get the English word theater.

The word glory refers to the visible manifestation of God’s presence and power.

It carries with it the idea of significant weight, authority and importance.

When Jesus stepped out, when he walked on the earth, people could see, gaze upon, God’s presence shining through him.

They saw the importance of God in their lives.

And, just so there was no mistake John recorded seven signs or miracles that openly declared the glory of God.

When Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana of Galilee, John tells us that “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11 NIV).

Jesus was not even minimally trying to be invisible nor was he obscure.

When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God.

God wants to be seen and to be known through his Son.

When you hear Jesus teach; you hear God teach.

When you come to experience Jesus; you experience God.

In Jesus we see God.

From my days as a Counselor for Homeless Veterans, I remember this talk:

An older man sat in my office and listened as I explained the gospel to him.

Finally he said, “I just can’t believe all that stuff.”

So I asked him, “What would it take for you to believe?”

I would believe if God came down, stood in front of me and told me himself!”

“My friend, he already has come down,” I replied.

“He came down 2,000 years ago and lived among us.

If you don’t believe that, then I have nothing better to offer you.”

“Go, and learn what that means ….!”

IV. Jesus invites us to himself

Finally, this verse ends with a powerful word of invitation.

It tells us that Jesus came to the earth “full of grace and truth.”

Eugene Peterson says he was

“Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

When he stepped out, Jesus offered grace and truth.

These are the final two great pair of words of John’s prologue as he introduces Jesus.

Grace is an irresistible compulsion to give men more than they deserve which springs spontaneously from the deep, boundless, unlimited generosity of God.

Truth, on the other hand, has roots in a divine determination to be consistent, predictable, and thereby continuously trustworthy in dealing with mankind.

Grace without truth is easily seen as sentimentality while truth without grace can appear to be an inflexible rigidity.

These two words explain why Jesus stepped out, coming to the earth.

Because he was full of grace, he died for you and me while we were yet sinners.

Because he was full of truth, he was able to pay for our sins fully, completely.

Here is the good news for people like us.

Because Jesus is grace-full, we can come just as we are to him.

We don’t have to clean ourselves up first.

Because he is truth-full, you can come in complete confidence knowing that he will keep his promises.

When he promises a complete pardon for your sins, He absolutely means it.

The one present the world needs is grace and truth.

We find it in unmatched, unmatchable, abundance in Jesus Christ.

Over and over again, I have asked alcohol and drug abusing depressed homeless veterans what is constantly pushing them to the brink of life at home or streets.

Their answer is so sadly consistent that it must have a deeper meaning than we realize.

“Oh, that’s easy …. I am just no damned good,” they tell me.

Sometimes they are hearing voices, so I ask what the voices say.

“That I am absolutely worthless to everyone including me, that I should die.”

The problem is excruciatingly real as it is excruciatingly dangerous and lethal.

The problem is minutely, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, annually, perennial.

As long as humans have existed, we have always somehow sensed that we were not something that we ought to be – and never going to be who we ought to be.

As long as we have been wounded by family, friends or strangers, or enemies we have always found a way to severely devalue ourselves, to crush our self-worth.

The ONE cure for all the fractured suffering of the human heart, all the terror we visit upon one another, all the guilt we bear with bent spines our whole lives, all the horrible, condemning voices, is the fact of grace.

Grace in its simplicity, I propose, is the greatest concept in human history.

This season, we celebrate the birth of the author of grace.

He came to Earth worthless and was born into oppression and domination.

He came to a place and people broken, and in the end was broken himself.

The author of grace was told by many that he was no good, that he was a liar, that he a drunk, was useless, deluded, demon possessed and intensely mad.

Finally, he received the ultimate rejection and insult, and paid with his life.

He was broken for the broken and hated for the hated.

He was “despised and rejected,” so that the despised and rejected would have a living hope and comforter – and yet, in all of it, he announced the cure of grace.

He told us what we already knew; that we were broken and needed repair.

He told us the repair would be free for the taking, that we were all loved in spite of the voices in our heads, hands of the bullies hurting us, words of our enemies trying their harshest to crush our spirits, cruelties of our families and friends.

In bringing us grace he changed the world.

He said that we could never do enough to be truly good; but we could share his goodness and accept the gift he offered equally.

In that one fell swoop, he negated any other contingent therapy for the misery of humanity.

No wealth or position could cure our loneliness; no rule or law could overcome our weakness; no plan or good deed could earn our healing.

Only the gift He Himself brought – Only Himself.

At Christmas, Jesus shouts down the voices in our ears with:

“You are worth absolutely everything to me!

I will make you good!

You do not need to die.

I came to do it for you.

Then you will actually, truly, genuinely, really live!”

At Christmas, the cure of grace embodied came for all.

Brokenness was broken at last.

Jesus Christ, only begotten Son of God …. full of Glory, Grace, and Truth!

What are the deeper implications of this to us personally?

What are the deeper implications of this to us connectionally?

What are the deeper implications of this to us relationally?

What are the deeper implications of this to us intimately?

What are the deeper implications of this to us ULTIMATELY?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, thank You that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh and came to dwell among us as the unique and only begotten Son of God, Who alone truly qualifies to be our Redeemer. Thank You that He was born into the human race as a man – fully God yet fully man – so that by His birth, life, death and Resurrection, He could become the singular substitute for the sin of the world. Thank You that by grace through faith in Him, I have been redeemed. What a wonderful loving Savior, full of all grace and all truth. To Him be all praise and glory, AMEN.

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An Indescribable Joy, An Undeniable Presence: We Were Made to Reflect the Glory of the Lord! Created in the Image of God to Shine Forth! Exodus 40:34-38

Exodus 40:34-38Amplified Bible

The Glory of the Lord

34 Then the cloud [the Shekinah, God’s visible, dwelling presence] covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud remained on it, and the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 In all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey on until the day when it was taken up. 38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

“I just want to give all the glory to God.”

We’ve all heard athletes and artists on T.V. who have made this statement.

After winning a championship, or a Grammy, they point it all back to God.

Their words are correct but what does that mean?

At the end of the day, we are either living for God’s glory or for our glory.

We are either building God’s kingdom or building our own kingdom.

Making Jesus famous or living to make ourselves famous.

Our goal as Christians should be to make Jesus famous.

Living for God’s glory simply means living for Jesus and inviting Jesus into every area of our lives.

This means that our aim should be to please God in all we say and do.

It is this posture and attitude of praise and worship which brings God glory.  

We go to church and we bring the weight and the burden and the glory of all the stuff which occurred during the week prior – all of our personal stuff, all of our family stuff, all of our children’s stuff, all of our work stuff and after worship we hope to leave church with a significantly less burdened shoulder and soul.

We have all had experiences where we have left church on Sunday or a worship retreat or Bible study of some kind, felt the presence of God as we worshiped Him – a wonderful experience and we did not ever want that feeling to end.

But yet, how long does it take until we fall back into sin or go back to living like before – our shoulders are burdened again, our backs and souls are bent over?

Usually not too long – Monday morning – thirty seconds before our first coffee.

If the presence of God was visibly and tangibly around us before that first cup, and again all day, every day, do we think we’d fall into the same trap of sin?

By the time we walked out the door of our house and to our vehicles to start the day, we were reflecting the glory of that first cup of coffee and not that of God?

Before you’re too quick to answer, let’s look at the cloud of the Lord and Israel.

The Bible tells us that throughout all of Israel’s journeys, the glory of God’s presence was continually with them – in quite a remarkably tangible way.

They could see His glory in the cloud that filled the tabernacle by day and fire was on it by night.

From the moment they left Egypt all the way through the books of the prophets who foretold of yet another exodus out of Babylonian captivity, the Cloud of the glory of the Lord our God held both great theological meanings and functions.

It represented the following, and probably much more in their ancient context:

  • guidance and leading Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness into the promised land (Exodus 13:21; Numbers 14:14, Nehemiah 9:12; Psalm 78:14)
  • a sign that the nations was to break camp and continue their journey or to stop and set up camp (Exodus 40:36-37; Number 9:17-23)
  • protection from Pharaoh and his army (Exodus 14:19-20)
  • the personal presence of God/the angel of the Lord was among them (Exodus 13:22; Exodus 14:19, Exodus 14:24, Exodus 40:38, Numbers 9:15-16)
  • it summoned them together to battle (Numbers 10:34-35)
  • it summoned them to together to prayer, praise and worship (Exodus 33:10)
  • it both concealed God glory and was a manifestation of it (Exodus 16:10, Exodus 19:9, Exodus 19:16; Exodus 20:21, Exodus 24:15-18, Exodus 34:5, Deuteronomy 4:11, Deuteronomy 5:22)
  • provided revelation (Exodus 33:9, Psalm 99:7)
  • a dwelling place of God (Numbers 9:18, Numbers 9:22, Numbers 10:11)
  • God dwelt over the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:2)
  • a visible manifestation of God for installing the 70 elders and Joshua into service (Numbers 11:25, Deuteronomy 31:15)
  • inaugurated the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35)
  • provided shade from the sun and protection from storm (Number 10:34; Psalm 105:39, Isaiah 4:5)
  • at night it became a pillar of fire to give them light (Exodus 14:20)

Wherever they went, the cloud of the glory of the Lord their God led them.

And still, despite God’s obvious presence the nation ended up turning to idols.

As they left Egypt and met God at the mountain, they stood as a nation and said they would do what God wanted them to do – they would obey his commands.

They said that God would be their only God and they would be His people.

They said God’s glory would be their only glory and that glory would shine!

But when Moses goes to the top of the mountain for 40 days they get Aaron to make a ‘god’ – a Golden Calf – for them to serve and to pray and to worship too.

When God recognizes what is going on, He nearly removes an entire mountain in rage, Moses is left to try, convince God the people are still worthy of mercy!

Throughout the Hebrew Testament those ancient Israelites struggled mightily with idol worship – nearly all of the ancient Prophets condemned them harshly.

Bringing this into the New Testament,

Bringing this into the time of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus our Savior …

John 14:1-12New Living Translation

Jesus, the Way to the Father

14 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.[a] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.[c] From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

John 14:23-26New Living Translation

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Ephesians 2:11-22New Living Translation

Oneness and Peace in Christ

11 Do not forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

A Temple for the Lord

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20  Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

As believers, God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwells within us. (John 14:23)

We are His temple. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

We are carefully joined together in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Together, we the Body of Christ, are His house, built on the foundation of the Apostles, the words, deeds of the Prophets – Christ Jesus is our cornerstone!

Yet, I cannot help but wonder ….

Even in these most uncertain of times when our faith is tested every which way to Sunday by the glory of our socio-economic, socio-political shenanigans’ ….

Why should our hearts be nearly as troubled as those of the ancient Israelites?

Are we any less different than those ancient Israelites with our own idols?

Are we more or less worthy of our own condemnation for our idol worship?

If it came right down to it, if we were brutally honest with ourselves, whose glory do we reflect and shine forth- that of our idols or that of the Lord God?

If each of us walked around God’s neighborhood with the cloud of the Lord by day and fire by night as a meter for how much our lives reflected God’s glory, would there be a big cloud or a tiny one or worse yet, a totally empty blue sky?

Would the fire by night be burning bright or just a little flicker or not at all?

The glory of God isn’t just a feeling, an event or an Old Testament experience—

Its a towering spiritual tsunami of everything contained in the character of God.

The word glory is literally translated “heavy weight,” meaning the heaviest, biggest, grandest thing about someone.

It has been called the manifested presence of God, but it is far more than just a presence, it’s power.

The kind of power which redeems, resurrects, delivers, overcomes, transforms.

It is infinitely greater and infinitely stronger than any other power in existence.

And it belongs to us.

Yet, maybe you feel like the glory of God is untouchable, unreachable.

Maybe you think of the manifestation of the glory of God as something reserved for special church services or an extraordinary circumstance.

All the while, though, you long to see the power of God manifest in your life, your family, friends, communities, neighborhoods, church and your country.

But did you know that the glory of God is available to you 24/7?

It’s built-in.

That’s how God designed it—it’s how He designed you.

Because you were born of God (John 1:13), that glory is inside you right now!

All things that the Father has—including His glory—belong to you and to me.

This means His glory isn’t too far out of reach.

It’s right within your grasp!

Below are four ways you and I can tap into the glory of God by faith.

  1. Look for the Glory

“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God.” –Acts 7:55, NKJV

If we aren’t expecting to see the glory of God, we probably won’t reach for it.

Just like anything in the kingdom of God, it takes faith to see a manifestation.

The glory of God is a visible power.

In the Hebrew Testament, the glory appeared as a cloud, smoke or fire.

This visible power is also known as Shekinah glory, which is the Hebrew name given to the presence of God dwelling on the earth.

The nation of Israel saw the glory when God came down to meet them on Mount Sinai.

Exodus 24:17 (KJV) says, “The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount.”

The prophet Habakkuk got a glimpse of that fiery glory, too.

He described it as like the sun, blazing in the sky:

“His brightness was as the light; he had horns [or shafts] coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power” (Habakkuk 3:4, KJV).

The same glory that raised Jesus from the dead was manifested as fire by night and a cloud by day in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21).

This same glory separated Israel and the land of Goshen from the rest of Egypt when there was light in the land of Goshen, but not in Egypt (Exodus 10:23).

What was that light?

The glory.

The glory of God’s presence.

Can we see those same physical manifestations of God’s glory today?

Yes!

There are countless testimonies of individuals and groups of believers having seen visible evidence of God’s glory – up to and including both yours and mine.

  1. Pray for the Glory

“For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” –Romans 8:18, NKJV

How do you pray for the glory of God?

First, pray that the glory will be revealed to you and in you.

You and I can see and experience the glory of God, but we must diligently ask and seek for it to be revealed.

When we pray the glory into the earth, miracles, signs and wonders will occur in the Body of Christ, God’s own Church and in our own personal lives also.

When Moses saw the glory of God, he asked, saying, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18, NKJV). 

When believers gathered together in a spirit of unity, seeking the Lord, the glory appeared in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost, and sat on the head of each person there (Acts 2:1-4).

Each born-again believer has the ability to manifest God’s glory here on earth, but we must steadfastly believe when we fervently pray. (James 5:12-18)

That’s why Jesus told Martha that if she would believe, she would see the glory of God (John 11:40).

Finally, pray Ephesians 1:17-18—that you would know the hope of His calling, which is the hope of His glory.

Pray that you will understand the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

When we inherited Him, glory was deposited in us, but we have to receive revelation of what it means to walk in that glory.

  1. Prepare for the Glory

“…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” –Romans 5:5, NKJV

Did you know there are degrees of the glory?

If we want to experience the fullness of God’s glory, we must prepare our spirit.

How?

By walking in faith hope and love. (Romans 12:10-13, 1 Corinthians 13)

It takes faith to receive and operate in the glory—and faith works by love (Galatians 5:1-7).

That means the glory of God will increase in us in direct proportion to how we walk our walk and talk our talk all in the maximum glory of God in His love.

So, to increase the amount of the glory in your life, we must walk in love.

Put simply—more love, more glory.

The spirit of strife and division is always there, lurking and looking for an opening and a way into your life and mine. 

Never, ever let our love guard down!

Then you and I are on our way to being filled with the glory!

  1. Walk in the Glory

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” –2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV

The glory of God looks for a dwelling place.

The original house for the glory of God was the tabernacle.

But under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit builds a temple in every believer.

First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NKJV). 

We are God’s house—His temple. Only, this temple is no longer in a fixed location.

This is a house where serious amounts of multi-tasking takes place ….

This house can walk and talk and live and love and correctly preach the gospel!

Now, it’s one thing to have the glory, but it’s another to know how to walk in it.

The good news?

You and I have everything you and I need inside you and me to do so.

When the believers experienced the glory of God at Pentecost, they didn’t just go back to living normal lives.

They emerged from that place as separate from the rest of the world and as light in the midst of darkness.

They went out and started turning the world upside down for Jesus.

They preached the gospel; worked miracles, signs and wonders; and the Lord added thousands to the Church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

That’s the glory we need to be operating in!

The early Christians were no different than Christians today.

But here’s the key: Those first believers received the same Spirit we did when we got saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost.

Christians today are carriers of God’s glory just as surely as they were!

When we walk in the glory of God, we have a fire in us which the devil himself cannot withstand. (John 1:1-5)

We are told to put on the armor of God, which includes the shoes of the glorious gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15).

There’s glory in your feet and in mine!

That’s what gives you and me the power to walk on Satan.

That’s why the only thing the devil is to the Church is a footstool.

Start practicing these four ways to tap into God’s glory by looking, praying, preparing and walking, and watch the glory of God be revealed in you!

Don’t live without understanding God’s glory and what it means to your life.

Start saying by faith right now:

“The glory is in me! I receive it! I’m walking in it!”

Get more God-inside minded,

Start acting, being, doing, like a glorious temple of the Lord of glory today!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Alleluia! Amen.

Heavenly Father, you have called me to glorify You, to model a life of love and service and sacrifice to those around me. Teach me to live and minister in Your glory, to love and serve my fellow believers, neighbors, coworkers, and those you have brought into my sphere of influence. I realize I have been uniquely wired and placed where I live and work. Teach me to love well. You are my perfect example of walking in love. You sent your son to die on the cross for me. Teach me to be sacrificial in how I treat and love those around me. This brings you glory, and my heart’s desire is to bring you the recognition you deserve. I pray the world will see your love in me. I long to bring you glory through the way I treat each person. Help me to see everyone as humans made in your image. And help me extend the love that’s been extended to me through your son Jesus. It’s in Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Father, fill us with your glory and may it go forth, shine bright in a lost world that desperately needs you.

https://translate.google.com/

Hark, the Herald Angels and Shepherds Sing: “The Glory of the Lord has Shone All Around Them.” Luke 2:8-11, Luke 2:12-20

Luke 2:8-11Amplified Bible

8 In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for [a]all the people. 11 For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

The way all too many of us approach Christmas has not changed in years.

Consider this illustration I just received from a friend ….

A family during the great depression was unable to afford anything but the bare necessities, and even then, barely.

One day the news came that a circus was coming to town.

Tickets cost one dollar.

The little boy came running home excited with the good news and eager to get the money from his dad, he jumped up onto his fathers lap as he read the paper.

The father regretfully told his son that he could not provide him with that much money, but if he went out and worked on some odd jobs, he might make enough to purchase a ticket on his own.

The dad promised to match what the boy could earn.

The boy worked feverishly around the neighborhood and, just a few days before the circus came to town, he found that he had just enough, including his dad’s contribution, so, He took the money and ran off to town to buy his circus ticket.

The day the circus came to town, he grabbed his ticket from his dad and rushed out to the main street, where he stood on the curb as the circus parade went by.

He was so thrilled to watch the clowns, elephants, and all of the performers. A clown came dancing over to him and the boy put his ticket in the clown’s hand.

He eagerly watched as the rest of the parade went by.

After the parade, the boy rushed home and told his father that he had been to the circus and how much fun it was.

The father, surprised that the boy was home already, asked him to describe the circus.

The boy told of the parade that went down the main street and of giving his ticket to the passing clown.

The father sadly took his son in his arms and said,

“Son, you did not see the circus; all you saw was the parade.”

That boy reminds me of myself and so many other people at Christmas time.

They get caught up with “stuff of the season,” the carols, trees, lights, gifts.

They think that they are experiencing what Christmas is all about.

But the reality of it all is this, all they are doing is seeing the parade passing by and do not realize they are missing the main event, the true joy of Christmas.

More importantly we go through life thinking everything is good with our souls – we walk like ducks, smell like ducks, quack like ducks but we are not ducks…

get the picture?

Good time to remember that the first Christmas night:

“The glory of the Lord shone around them”

This season of Christmas let us be more aware, make it about God’s glory.

Luke 2:8-11Complete Jewish Bible

8 In the countryside nearby were some shepherds spending the night in the fields, guarding their flocks, 9 when an angel of Adonai appeared to them, and the Sh’khinah of Adonai shone around them. They were terrified; 10 but the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am here announcing to you Good News that will bring great joy to all the people. 11 This very day, in the town of David, there was born for you a Deliverer who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Let’s go through the passage and comb through to learn…

We will make pit stops and pickup 7 words to help us take it in.

I. LUKE 2:8. SHEPHERDS

“IN THE SAME REGION THERE WERE SHEPHERDS…”

The greatest event yet on the face of planet earth has just happened in Bethlehem; and we read that in that “same region” there were shepherds.

A. Same region:

i. In the same region: The divine dignitary shares the same space.

I understand the narrative requires this telling but I had to pause to take it in.

This is the first pit stop.

Let me explain what caught my attention…”same region”

This ‘divine dignitary’ invited the shepherds to share his space —“in the same region”.

ii. In the same region: Translation = This was David’s city.

The fields were probably the same area where he kept watch – fought the lion and killed the bear and confronted with God’s aid, the Philistine giant Goliath.

Now in this same city is now born another Shepherd like no other.

A shepherd who is also a lamb – the Lamb of God. [John 1:29; John 10:11].

B. The Shepherds:

i. The Status

Shepherds were the lowest on the social ladder.

They lived in the fields and cared for the sheep 24/7 and so could not keep the Mosaic law, the Sabbath, the other traditionally required temple ceremonies.

Not very different from all those long years ago from a land called EGYPT.

Genesis 46:33-34Complete Jewish Bible

33 Now when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 tell him, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors.’ This will ensure that you will live in the land of Goshen — for any shepherd is abhorrent to the Egyptians.”

“Shepherds were an utter abomination to the Egyptians”. Genesis 46:34.

They were infinitely worse than social outcasts.

ii. The privilege accorded to the shepherds

Why is this important?

Many years later when Jesus begins His ministry we read how crowds were amazed at Jesus’ teaching.

…”How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” [Jn 7:16].

This statement was not about being literate but about being a Scholarly Rabbi which took years of disciplined learning.

They had come to believe only such will receive and explain the revelation of God.

This first Christmas the privilege accorded to the Patriarchs, the Pharisees the Priests and the Rabbis was now granted to shepherds.

The first proclamation of the glad tidings was to those who were poor and social outcasts.

C. Fulfillment of the Isaiah 61 Prophecy

This beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 61 starts with the lowly shepherds.

This is what the Lord reads in Nazareth when the scroll was given to Him.

“The Lord has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor,” [Isaiah 61 / Luke 4 / Luke 2].

“IN THE SAME REGION THERE WERE SHEPHERDS…”

All praise and thanks be to God that even today just as the shepherds, you and I are invited to “the very same region,” watch the Divine unfolding, centre stage.

Then this story that happened 2000 years ago is something you and I can be a part of.

II. SILENT NIGHT

LUKE 2:8. “…KEEPING WATCH OVER THEIR FLOCK BY NIGHT.”

This is our second pit stop.

It was a ‘silent night’ as the carol goes.

That night seemed no different from any other night – except of course that the hands of Almighty God pulls apart heaven’s veil for all those glorious moments.

However, on earth it was a different story.

There were political and social rumblings that’s worth noticing.

A. Augustus Caesar’s taxation:

Luke Chapter 2 opens with the news of taxation.

Bethlehem was probably swarming with ‘Censees’ and ‘Censors’—those who came to give their census and those who were there conducting the census.

However, I sincerely doubt that the census experience was a pleasant one.

Years later as Luke’s readers would read or hear about the birth of Jesus they would be confronted with the context or the time when Jesus was born; and it would have undoubtedly brought up past memories that were not pleasant.

Let me explain:

i. Taxation changed from ‘kind’ to ‘coins’:

Paying taxes in kind was acceptable in some sense by the Jews but the coins contained the image of Caesar which led to a revolt by Judas and his bands.

Acts 5:34-37English Standard Version

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.

Gamaliel refers to Theudas when confronted with the issue of Peter and John and the Council determining the acceptable disposition of the other Apostles.

Theudas and his group had believed God will give them victory for opposing the coin taxation since they were standing up against idolatry.

However, the uprising was squelched by the Romans.

The Jewish rulers were increasingly cautious not to upset the Romans and thus lose their temple and their land and their livelihoods if not their very lives too.

But the issue of coin taxation continued to be a contentious even 30 years later.

Luke 20:19-25English Standard Version

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,[a] but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.[b] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

That was the ‘trap’ question that Jesus was asked, “Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar?”

We know the Lord’s classic answer –

whose image does it bear? And whose do you bear?

Luke 20 verse 25: He said to them “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s ….”

ii. Poll Tax:

Poll tax is a tax not on the income of the person but on the number of heads in the family.

Apparently Joseph was not a ‘clever’ businessman but an obedient servant.

Joseph did not wait till after the census for him to avoid having to pay for two additional heads.

2000 years ago we read about the timing, Quirinius was governor of Syria, the lives of all those so affected are wonderfully connected to the Gospel narrative.

Truth be said: Whether AD First Century or our 21st Century the incident that occurred that silent night is something that will 100% change our lives forever.

Get this:

It is in the ‘light’ of those darkest socio-economic, socio-political moments the rest of the first Christmas story unfolds before every single coming generations.

We can be thankful to God the silence of that night [indicative of the silence for the past 400 years of the inter-testamentary period between Malachi and the Gospels] was torn apart by the angels long awaited announcement of Messiah.

III. SH’KHINAH OF THE ADONAI [GLORY OF THE LORD]

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [Luke 2:9-10].

This is our third pit stop.

A. NOT THE GLORY OF THE ANGEL

In the two appearances of Gabriel, Gabriel prefaced his announcements with “fear not”.

While we do not know the identity of this angel, we still hear the phrase “fear not”.

However, we are now not confronted by a “mere” angel but by the glory of the Lord – which is certainly, definitely, a more fearful experience than any other.

We read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, about their Mt. Sinai experience that the children of Israel had:

Hebrews 12:19. and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.

Here now for the first time, the revelation of God’s glory was with ‘glad tidings of great joy’.

• A ‘terrible thing’ that froze the feet and the vocal cords of their fore fathers and killed their priests, suddenly, is now, an indescribable matter of great joy.

B. UNDERSTANDING GLORY

We have a terrible time wrapping our head around the theme of “Glory of God”.

i. What is Glory?

Manifestation of His holiness

Isaiah 6:3. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, the whole earth is full of His… [not holiness] but glory.

• Glory of God from this passage is the inherent quality of God.

• Glory is the manifest beauty of God’s holiness.

No wonder it has been a terrible thing.

How could sinful men ever meet a glorious God?

God’s answer is Jesus Christ.

ii. Glory of God in Jesus Christ

Though we cannot know what the shepherds experienced that night,…

We too are given the privilege to experience the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

We read:

Hebrews 1:3.

 He is the radiance of the glory of God and

• the exact imprint of his nature,…

John 1:14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory,

[whose glory?]

• glory as of the only Son from the Father,

• full of grace and truth.

A PASSAGE BY REVEREND DR. JOHN MAC ARTHUR:

Excerpt from: Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas.

“..…God only whispers in His creation. He revealed a shadow of His glory in the Shekinah. But He speaks with absolute clarity in his Word.

“God…spoke” [Hebrews 1:1] – and not in a whisper but in full voice.

Still, there was an incompleteness in it all until,

“[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. [Hebrews 1:2].

Now that is God shouting.

You cannot mistake it.

John 1:1-5Amplified Bible

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the [c]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

Christ is 100% God, and you see every attribute of God manifest in Him: His judgment, His justice, His love, His wisdom, His power, His omniscience.

It is all there in person as we read and study and pray through these Gospels, we see Him physically walking through the world, working His work, living His life.

The fullness of God may be seen as it was never seen before in Jesus Christ.

Who is Jesus Christ?

He is the glory of God. He is the “express image” of God’s glory.

He is the embodiment of the brightness of God’s glory. [John 1:14].

Jesus is the shining forth of God.

– Just as the bright untouchable radiance of the Sun reaches the earth to light us, to warm us, to give us life and growth, so in Christ do we sense the warmth and fullest radiance of the glorious light of God touching on the hearts of men.

– The sun is never without its brightness.

The radiant brightness of the sun cannot be separated from the sun and yet it is distinct.

And so, Christ is God and yet distinct.

– He is God and yet He is the manifestation of God.

– He is the glory of the Lord who shouts the reality of God, which was only whispered in time past.

God’s answer to the dilemma of sin is Jesus Christ – the glory of God made manifest in human flesh.”

We are thankful that the Son of God became the Son of man that first Christmas.

C. No common ground

In the old Hebrew covenant, when the glory of the Lord came down, all business stopped.

• Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle [Exodus 40:34-35].

• When Solomon built his temple for the Lord as a place to offer sacrifice and the glory cloud came down, the priests were so overwhelmed with its presence that they could not do their priestly duties. [1 Kings 8:10-11].

In the old covenant the glory cloud and the presence of the Lord did not abide in the same space that was occupied by men.

Moses: The glory of the Lord left Moses wanting more. Even though Moses had personally witnessed such astounding miracles and the coming of the cloud on Mt. Sinai, on the Tabernacle, his true longing was to see the glory of the Lord.

He had to be “merely satisfied” with “seeing” the “back” of the goodness of the Lord, and obviously ONLY after the Lord fully passed by where he was standing.

D. A promise that “all flesh will see the glory of the Lord”

Isaiah 40:3-6.

The first part was fulfilled by John the Baptist [Luke 3:4-7]; and the later part by Jesus Christ though its complete fulfillment is still in the future.

A voice cries:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, the rough places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

E. This coming of the ‘glory of the Lord’ is the good news of great joy

The angel announces the Gospel – “the euaggelizō”.

The original expression is: “I evangelize unto you great joy”.

• Jesus is the “Good news”

• Jesus is the matter of great joy.

• Jesus makes possible for the revelation of the glory of God to all flesh.

In Jesus, heaven’s gate have been opened wide – the news is to “all people”.

• You are now no more the outcasts of the society.

• You and I can now become the citizens of heaven.

IV. THE SAVIOR

Luke 2:11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

A. The gift: Jesus is our Christmas Gift

• “Unto you”: God’s gift to us on Christmas day is Christ Himself.

• Born…City of David: Christ is born in the city of David, so that Psalm 87 will be true for us with regards to the city of God:

Speaking about the city of God,

we read in Psalm 87.4.

“This man was born there.”

This possibility for man and woman to be born in the City of God opens up because of the incarnation, death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• Christ the Lord: Your savior is Christ the Lord.

He is Immanuel, God incarnate.

B. The Result: Our transformation, as we “Behold the glory of the Lord in Jesus Christ”

2 Corinthians 3:18. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image [the image of Christ] from one degree of glory to another.

John Owen: One of the greatest privileges and advancements of believers, both in this world, and unto eternity, consists in their beholding the glory of Christ.

If the glory of the Lord does not grip our attention exactly today and in this exact world, we are exactly eternally lost.

C. The Warning: Consequence of rejecting the glory

Woe to the one who rejects the glory of God made manifest to us.

We read in Romans chapter 1.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. (Romans 1:22,23, NASB).

Earlier, we read about the children of Israel:

Psalm 106:20. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of a golden ox that eats non existent grass.

The nation of Israel, having seen and experienced the glory of God thought Him being no more glorious than a golden calf utterly incapable of eating or moving.

The natural expression of glory of God is praise that must bubble over; an over zealous thanksgiving that cannot, under any circumstance, ever be contained.

• Anything less is spiritually dangerous.

• Anything less indicates that we are still dead in our sins.

Luke 2:12-20Complete Jewish Bible

12 Here is how you will know: you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly, along with the angel was a vast army from heaven praising God:

14 “In the highest heaven, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among people of good will!”

15 No sooner had the angels left them and gone back into heaven than the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go over to Beit-Lechem and see this thing that has happened, that Adonai has told us about.” 16 Hurrying off, they came and found Miryam and Yosef, and the baby lying in the feeding trough. 17 Upon seeing this, they made known what they had been told about this child; 18 and all who heard were amazed by what the shepherds said to them. 19 Miryam treasured all these things and kept mulling them over in her heart.  20 Meanwhile, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen; it had been just as they had been told.

V. A SIGN

Luke 2:12. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

This is our fifth pit stop.

Sign is “Semeion” in Greek means the “finger-marks” of God.

A. The paradox

Not sure if you caught the paradox of this passage yet?

Paradox ….

a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

a statement or proposition that, despite its sound (or its apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems utterly senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.

Shepherds had just seen the great display of Divine glory.

What could be the next possible steps?

• That they would have expected now to be invited to the palace?

• That they would witness the transformation of Bethlehem – the city of David because the Messiah is now here?

We all probably expect to see something that would top this experience or at least something that somehow or in some minimal was, almost matched it.

Instead, they are invited to go and find “a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”.

Notice 3 things that’s in stark contrast to what they just observed:

a. It’s a baby.

• How can a baby be a savior? The Christ?

b. In swaddling cloths

• A baby just like any other. For they were all wrapped just the same. You wouldn’t be able to identify the Messiah if laid in a nursery together.

• If they had not witnessed the grand spectacle they would never have identified this baby as the Savior of the world.

c. Lying in a manager

• Something is terribly wrong with this picture – a picture framed by human mindset.

Notice: the revealed Glory of God by His angel armies on one hand; and the humility of a lowly mom and dad, the baby in a feeding trough on the other.

No wonder we sing:

Wisdom unsearchable, God the invisible. Love indestructible in frailty appears.

Lord of infinity stooping so tenderly.

Lifts our humanity from our own lowly troughs to the heights of His throne.

O what a mystery meekness and majesty.

Bow down and worship for this is your God.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

Cherished Sons and Daughters of the Most High God,

This is our God.

B. The sign screams He is now one of US.

The sign screams out that He who is the Christ has become one of you.

Not just a human but one whom even the poor can associate with.

The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this that none of us are excluded in the glad proclamation.

We all can be a part.

VI. THE SONG/SHOUT

Luke 2:13-14. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!

This is our sixth pit stop.

A. And Suddenly with the angel…

R C Sproul:

“All heaven broke loose… [and I think that hell must have frozen over]”

This angelic choir would make Handel’s Messiah concert look like a class of kindergarten singing.

B. “Glory to God in the Highest; and peace on earth”

A praise that rose heavenward; and a peace that came downward.

“Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.”

Peter talking to Cornelius and his household says:

Acts 10:36. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Angels in heaven praise the Lord.

But now even the shepherds – so you and I can say:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

VII. THE SPONTANEITY

Luke 2:17, 20.

verse 17. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

verse 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The seventh and final pit stop.

A. The speech of the shepherds

[verse18] What do you make of the phrase “all who heard”?

• Was it Joseph and Mary?

• Was it the milling of those who like Joseph had come to Bethlehem for the census?

Who saw the baby but had not idea what they were beholding till the shepherds told them.

• Was it crowding of the heavenly hosts in that cramped cavern or the open courtyard, trying to catch a glimpse of Deity.

The shepherds were hyper excited to tell the story:

• The shepherds didn’t seem to care that they would not be believed for such an improbable story.

• They didn’t seem to care that no one would listen to them.

They just could not an would not stop talking.

• They had just seen the ‘fingermarks’ of God – a baby laid in the manger.

That’s the timeline of the Gospel story isn’t it?

• The Gospel story reminds me that the one who was laid in the manger by Mary [Luke 2:12] is the one who was, some 30 years later crucified upon a wood cross.

Three days after being sealed into an impenetrable tomb, HE walked out ALIVE!

• Hallelujah!

However, the story neither begins in the manger nor ends in the grave.

My response is therefore to rejoice. I cannot and will not ever keep quiet.

VIII. WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Why this unnatural silence?

Why isn’t our spirit extolling in the glory of the Lord?

If the shepherds were UNABLE BUT to talk about the what they saw, why is it that we are silent?

A. Telling all who will hear

We often wonder how can we can tell our neighbors about Jesus?

Our excuse!

• I don’t know where to begin?

• I don’t know what to say?

If those are your questions, then learn from the shepherds.

• They said what they saw.

• They repeated what they heard.

And so can you and so can I.

Let me end with two closings.

A. Remember the Shepherd was also the Lamb

Because of Jesus, I can face anything.

That is something I will share.

1954 film, White Christmas:

“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep.

I count my blessings instead of sheep.

And I fall asleep Counting my blessings.

When my bankroll is getting small.

I think of when I had none at all.

And I fall asleep Counting my blessings.

If your worried and you can’t sleep.

Just count your blessings instead of sheep.

And you’ll fall asleep Counting your blessings.

B. Remember that gratitude cannot be silenced.

Shepherds and the glory of the Lord in the same sentence.

Shepherds enjoyed a great heritage in Israel with Abraham, Moses, and David as notable shepherds, God being identified through Psalm 23 as a great shepherd.

But by this time in Israelite history, they were not highly regarded.

They smelled like sheep.

They spent their time with sheep.

They were not really clean and religious enough to be considered spiritual.

So when God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds with his contingent of angels he makes his point clear: Everyone is loved by God, everyone has immediate access to God, and everyone is desired by God.

Because of Jesus, I am grateful.

That is why I will share.

Let your gratitude and praises last forever!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, thank You in Jesus’ name for purposing to redeem mankind, by sending Him to be born in Bethlehem of Judea on that astonishing night, while shepherds watched their flocks. Thank You for the good news of great joy, which is for all people who trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Thank You, Father, that You did not leave us dead in our sins, but purposed from the foundation of the world, to give Jesus as the perfect Lamb of God, Who would take away the sin of the world and become the good Shepherd of the sheep, for all who would trust in His holy name. Thank You that in my Savior Christ I have nothing to fear and everything for which to be thankful. Thank You in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

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Christmas Joy! Christmas Characters! Joy of the Shepherds, Joy of the Angels We Have Heard on High. Luke 2:8-15

Luke 2:8-15 World English Bible

8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. 11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    on earth peace, good will toward men.”

15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

As you and I have read these scriptures each year, have we ever seriously noticed how the characters in the Christmas story tend to respond to angels when they show up? 

If we rewind to Luke 1:11-18, the angel came to Zacharias as he was going about his priestly duties in the temple and announced the pregnancy of Elizabeth, his wife who has long been barren of child and is beyond her child bearing years.

Zacharias was initially afraid, but then almost immediately settled back down to fulfill his responsibilities.

Then in response to the angelic announcement, he seemed to casually brush the announcement aside incredulously asking; “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (verse 18)

It seems that the angel expected Zacharias to suddenly raise up, “jump for joy,” start running around the temple telling everyone, everywhere of his good news.

Zacharias expresses his disbelief with a loud “harrumph,” basically telling the angel to go back to where ever the angel came from and to “leave me alone!”

To which the angel replied – “because you have disbelieved, you will have no voice to speak to anyone until the time of your son’s birth. then you will sing!”

When his wife Elizabeth had given birth to their son, John – Zacharias had his voice restored and then indeed did sing his prophetic song …. Luke 1:67-79

If we rewind to Luke 1:30 when the angel Gabriel visits Mary, he tells her, “do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Mary said, “so be it!”

Here, in Luke 2, we read that these rough tough shepherds are instantly “filled with fear” at the sight of an angel and are quickly told to “fear not…”

Angels play an important role throughout the entire birth narra­tive of Jesus.

An angel visits Zechariah to announce the coming of John, who would prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry (Luke 1:11-20).

An angel appears to Mary to announce the coming of Jesus, the Son of God (Luke 1:28-38).

An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, urging him to stay with Mary because she is carrying the baby Jesus, who will “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

Then, when Jesus is actually born and an angel announces his birth, a crowd of angels appears, lighting up the night sky in the fields near Bethlehem.

“A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God. . . .” This was no simple birth announcement—the Savior of the world had come!

“Angels We Have Heard On High” tells the story in a beautifully lyrical way.

And the refrain picks up the angels’ song, using the Latin phrase “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” which means “Glory to God in the highest.”

The angels could not contain their praise.

As we celebrate Christmas this season, we are reminded of God’s great love for us in the birth of Jesus.

Like the angels, we too have the opportunity to burst into praise. And let’s invite others to join us as we give glory to God, for the Savior has come!

With all of these angelic proclamations of “Good News!” and “Great Joy!”

This should just maybe make us wonder why they were initially frightened?

Maybe viewing angels as cute, cuddly versions of cupid is completely wrong.

If we scan the the scope of scripture, it appears that whenever angels showed up on the scene they were on a mission to bring a message from God; quite often to announce, that is “open wide the can” of the good news of God’s judgement.

Some type of serious destruction often followed their arrival.

Luke writes that as this angel is sharing the news of Jesus’ birth with the shepherds, that suddenly, a “multitude of the heavenly host appears.”

For some reason, this multitude is often displayed as a white robed angelic choir, sometimes with song books in hand.

Ironically, the word “host” gives a radically different picture

https://www.blueletterbible.org/web/luk/2/13/t_conc_975013

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4756/web/tr/0-1/

— it’s translated from the Greek word stratia, and literally means a military encampment or a band of soldiers.

This was not a choir of cupids but an angelic army straight from heaven.

God had sent His army to announce that the Messiah had arrived and the rescue mission for humanity had begun.

This army had no intention of dethroning an arrogant Caesar in Rome or removing a corrupt High Priest in Jerusalem.

They weren’t about to wipe out the Roman army or restore Israel as a world power.

They had arrived to announce “a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”— an undeniably unexpected way for God’s rescue mission to begin.

Why do you think God sent an angelic army to announce the birth of Jesus?

The good news this angelic choir delivered was for ALL humanity.

For God loved the whole world so much that His gave His only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn but to be the ONE sacrifice for the sin of the world –

Not Judgment!

Not Condemnation!

But unconditional, undeserved LOVE so that everyone in the world who would believe on Him would not remain at enmity with God, but would be forgiven of their sin, regain fellowship with God, the Father and receive life everlasting.

This message of goodwill to all men, is particularly remembered when we celebrate the birth of Immanuel – God with us, God within us – recalling the beautiful story of a young virgin, her espoused husband, entrusted with the upbringing of God’s only begotten Son – Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

But the true message that was shared on that ordinary Bethlehem hillside, was that these extraordinary good tidings which spoke of joy to mankind, peace on earth were for a particular group of people – the Shepherds – men of good will!

The good tidings of great joy and lasting peace about which the angels sang, were for MEN OF GOODWILL.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men – the MEN, with whom God is pleased. Peace on earth to people who enjoy God’s favour.” 

We read that on earth there will be peace… among men of goodwill.

God has promised peace to men with whom the Lord is well-pleased – those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ.

Although the gospel message these angels shared continues to be available to ALL men, only those that enjoy goodwill before the Lord, by believing on the infant Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and trusting in the name of the only begotten Son of God for the forgiveness of sins, will enjoy the peace on earth that this heavenly choir proclaimed.

Only they will discover the joy of the Lord in their hearts and peace with God in their lives.

Although the message of salvation was for all people –

the Messiah had to be Jewish.

He had to be the Son of God, born of a Jewish virgin, in the little town of Bethlehem, as a descendent of David and Abraham.

He had to fulfil these and numerous other prophecies to fulfil Scripture, and thus He became qualified in two distinct areas

1) as Messiah of Israel and

2) Saviour of the world.

Christ came to fulfil both the Law and the prophets and not one prophetic scripture relating to Christ’s first advent was broken – and every prophecy relating to His second coming will likewise be fulfilled, to the glory of God.

Although this extraordinary good news which was delivered by the army of angels is open to ALL who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – nowhere in Scripture is it specifically taught that peace on earth is “for all men.”

Peace with God and the favour of God comes by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Peace WITH God is received when one is justified by faith.

The peace OF God within and peace ON earth, during Christ’s millennial reign, is only given to – men of goodwill.

Only those that trust in the name of the only begotten Son of the Father are identified in this verse as, “men of goodwill.”

John 14:19-31World English Bible

19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 One who has my commandments and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words. The word which you hear isn’t mine, but the Father’s who sent me. 25 I have said these things to you while still living with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. 28 You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I. 29 Now I have told you before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let’s go from here.

Come, and let us arise and join with Jesus, the author, perfecter of our faith!

Come, let us join our voices and our lives with that angelic army, with that angelic chorus, and hearken unto souls that are dead in their sins the truth.

Let us hearken unto the song of the angels, tell all who are at enmity with God,

the extraordinary good news of the gospel of grace – that Christ died for their sins, and rose again.. so that ALL who believe on Him would not perish, but receive peace with God and will be granted the peace of God in their heart.

Only those who have been saved by grace, will be among the joyful congregation witnessing the glory of the coming of our Prince of Peace, when He finally comes to set up His everlasting Kingdom – when true peace on earth will be governed in righteousness, Jesus is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, Giver of every good and perfect gift. Thank you for Immanuel, thy Son! Thank you for the Host of Angels with their message of the coming good news. Let us hearken unto their song of peace to those for whom You have found favor. Thank You for the revelation of your Son to your biblical servants, and their ancient responses which have set the best example of faithfulness for all generations to come.

Thank You that I have peace with God, and as Your born-again child, that I have received Your goodwill and grace, not only in this age but in the ages to come. Thank You that because I am positioned in Christ and clothed in His righteousness, I am identified with Him, have found favour in Your sight, and the peace of God in my heart. I know that without Jesus there is nothing I could have done to warrant peace with You, for I acknowledge that I am a sinner, deserving of death – but glory to God in the highest, that peace has been granted to men with whom You are pleased.

Beloved Immanuel, beloved God with us and within us, Dear Jesus, may we celebrate your birth by rejoicing and joining voices with others in singing your praise. Amen.

Praise Your holy name that both peace with God and the peace of God, is available to who place their faith in the only begotten Son of God, in Whose name I pray, AMEN.

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How Am I Living Out all of my Joy in My Lord? Ordinary Shepherds being made Extraordinary Missionaries. Seeing all of our God’s Extraordinary Inclusiveness. Luke 2:15-20

Luke 2:15-20World English Bible

15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. 17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

David, the king who had led the nation of Israel to greatness a thousand years earlier, spent much of his boyhood as a shepherd in the outlying fields around Bethlehem.

While he was leading his father’s flocks into hills and valleys, he witnessed firsthand how a shepherd’s care is a fitting picture of God’s care for his people.

He summarized with imagery in a song he wrote, saying, “The Lord is my shepherd . . .” (Psalm 23:1).

Ten centuries after David, other shepherds were in those outlying fields outside Bethlehem, and one night they were met by a chorus of magnificent angels!

One of the angels spoke of a baby, born in the town of David, a child who was Christ the Lord.

The other angels, with voices that exploded into the night, cried out: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

God had found favor with these Shepherds. God was still shepherding his people! And now God would begin doing that through these Shepherds and a newly born baby lying in a manger who would become a Savior of His People.

Later, after seeing the child, the shepherds at Bethlehem became the Lord’s first missionaries, declaring, spreading the word about all that had happened.

God sent to the citizens of Bethlehem, simple shepherds—people trained in the not so glamorous art of tending clueless, helpless animals, not so glamorous art of defending and protecting those clueless helpless animals against predators, and thieves whose intent is clearly to cause great discomfort and harm.

With this new found purpose, the Shepherds rose up from the ground and with a newfound determination and passion and God given, God driven plan for life.

Perhaps they were inspired, pushed by God into finally believing in themselves.

Being pushed by God to finally believing they could move beyond the ordinary;

With a new found confidence in themselves, with the strength of God in them;

Perhaps they remembered the most timely words of their ancestor King David:

Psalm 18:31-35World English Bible

31 For who is God, except Yahweh?
    Who is a rock, besides our God,
32     the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
    and sets me on my high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war,
    so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
    Your right hand sustains me.
    Your gentleness has made me great.

Psalm 144World English Bible

By David.

144 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
    who teaches my hands to war,
    and my fingers to battle:
2 my loving kindness, my fortress,
    my high tower, my deliverer,
    my shield, and he in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues my people under me.
3 Yahweh, what is man, that you care for him?
    Or the son of man, that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath.
    His days are like a shadow that passes away.
5 Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down.
    Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
6 Throw out lightning, and scatter them.
    Send out your arrows, and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from above,
    rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,
    out of the hands of foreigners,
8     whose mouths speak deceit,
    whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song to you, God.
    On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you.
10 You are he who gives salvation to kings,
    who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners,
    whose mouths speak deceit,
    whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants,
    our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision.
    Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
14 Our oxen will pull heavy loads.
    There is no breaking in, and no going away,
    and no outcry in our streets.
15 Happy are the people who are in such a situation.
    Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh.

Lowly ordinary shepherds of Bethlehem, mightily, extraordinarily stirred up by God began to stir up their latent much suppressed curiosity, their hearts, souls and vocal cords to now announce the arrival of the Good Shepherd from heaven.

Whenever we read the story of Jesus’ birth or attend a church Christmas play, we expect the shepherds to play a prominent role.

Every nativity scene includes a cute “little angel” and “gentle shepherds.”

They are just an ordinary, traditional part of the seasonal Nativity package.

We may easily embrace shepherds as key characters in the story, but a Jewish person 2000 years ago would have found this echelons beyond incredulous.

For the birth of the Messiah, surely God would invite kings or chief priests, political influencers, scribes or religious insiders, but never shepherds.

God would not “stoop so fully, and completely, utterly low,” invite shepherds.

Shepherds were social outcasts.

They were poor, uneducated, uncultured, filthy in their hygiene and uncouth.

They were rough characters in a small town on the furthest fringes of society, so much so their testimony was not even admissible in court.

If you were with your family, walking through town, and took even minimal notice of you would very likely go to the other side of the street to avoid them.

Shepherds were religious outsiders.

Because of the incredibly disagreeable work of caring for the sheep made them ceremonially unclean, they were just not allowed into the temple courts or the temple community, no expectation to be an active part of synagogue worship.

Religious leaders often considered them on the same level as prostitutes.

When it came to religion, they were always kept on the outside looking in.

Into this most disagreeable scene of exclusion, God has just invited a group of guys who had been labeled as outcasts and outsiders by everyone, and placed them at the tip top of the invite list for the most important birthday in history.

This early in Luke’s Gospel Narrative, this introduces our ordinary existence to an extraordinary theme we will see continue throughout the story of Jesus’ life:

An extraordinary theme we should know today as extraordinary inclusiveness.

  • Jesus dines with and hangs out with religious outsiders, social outcasts, and “sinners” so much that He is accused of being a glutton and a drunkard.
  • Jesus casually crosses across the path of the much hated tax collectors, to offer them something extraordinary, which no one had previously dared: Salvation!
  • Jesus heals a man with leprosy—considered contagious and religiously unclean— by touching him. Most people would have avoided lepers altogether.
  • Jesus “crosses borders” previously, traditionally, left uncrossed, intentionally, directly, decisively walking His disciples into “no man’s land” – into Samaria.
  • Jesus chooses an inner circle of followers that includes uneducated fishermen, a former tax collector who has sold out countrymen, a zealot who wants to kill the Romans, and even a former prostitute.
  • Jesus consistently looks beyond hindrances, the shouts of the gathered crowds to see those who would otherwise not be recognized, to their needs for God.
  • Jesus sees those whom we would ordinarily push away, not associate with.
  • Jesus consistently seeks out all those who are considered social outcasts and religious outsiders and invites them all to be at the very center of His ministry.

Those who have been relegated to the outside, excluded for one rationale or reason, are not only focus of His rescue mission—they become its leaders.

The shepherds had nothing to offer Jesus.

They were not religiously trained or socially polished.

Unlike the wise men who would arrive later, they did not have exquisite gifts.

These guys lived under the stars with only the clothes on their backs, a staff to guide the sheep to still waters and meadows for food, and a rod for protection.

They had nothing of ordinary value to bring to Jesus except for themselves.

That’s exactly what He wanted, and what He still wants today.

Who are “shepherds” in your community— social outcasts and religious outsiders?

Do you believe God can use them to impact your community, point people to Him?

Can God use your “ordinary” to invite them to extraordinarily join Him in mission?

Bringing the light of God’s extraordinary inclusiveness into the not so extraordinary darkness of man’s exclusiveness – creating extraordinarily extraordinary disciples?

Edifying the Kingdom of God – that His Kingdom is the ONLY one being Revealed?

Imagine all the extraordinary “GOD” possibilities which await us ordinary people!

All of those God sized possibilities for all other “ordinaries” just made available!

Are we too, tired of our ordinary?

Are we, too, tired of the extraordinary finding another reason to pass us by?

Seeking something or someone who is a wee bit more extraordinary?

Seeking an awareness of a glory infinitely more purposeful than our own?

This close to Christmas, feeling strangely warmed by a baby in a dirty trough?

Stirred, to engage in the extraordinarily extraordinary works of the Lord God?

The Word of God for even the most extraordinarily ordinary among us says;

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16World English Bible

A Poem by David.

16 Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.
2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
    Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints who are in the earth,
    they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.
    Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
    nor take their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.
    You made my lot secure.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.
    Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel.
    Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set Yahweh always before me.
    Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.
    My body shall also dwell in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,[a]
    neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life.
    In your presence is fullness of joy.
In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!

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What Ordinary Joy is there left for us in our Extraordinarily Extraordinary God? Ode to Joy? Where Exactly is all of our Extraordinarily Extraordinary Joy in our One Extraordinarily Extraordinary God? Luke 2:15-20.

Luke 2:15-20Authorized (King James) Version

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Two words which best describes the actual day before, the true day of, and the beginning of the night infant Lord Jesus was born – extraordinarily ordinary.

The sky was extraordinarily ordinary. 

An occasional, ordinary gust of stirred the leaves and chilled the air.

The stars were sparkling like diamonds sparkling on ordinary black velvet.

Fleets of ordinary clouds floated in front of the moon.

It was a beautiful night – a night worth peeking out of your bedroom window to admire – but not necessarily an unusual or an extraordinary one as it all began. 

No reason for anyone to expect an extraordinary surprise.

Nothing out of the ordinary as this night began designed to keep you awake.

An ordinary night with an ordinary sky. 

The sheep were ordinary too.

Some fat.

Some scrawny.

Some with barrel bellies.

Some with twig legs. 

Common everyday ordinary animals probably owned by ordinary people.

No fleece made of gold.

No history makers.

No blue-ribbon winners.

They were simply ordinary sheep – sleeping silhouettes on an ordinary hillside.

And the shepherds?

Ordinary peasants they were.

Ancestors of today’s Bedouin.

Wearing all the ordinary clothes they ordinarily owned.

Ordinarily smelling like the ordinary sheep and looking just as woolly.

True they were conscientious, and hardy as well, to spend every night outside guarding their ordinary flocks.

But you won’t ordinarily find their staffs in a museum.

You won’t ordinarily find their writings in a library.

No one asked for their extraordinary opinion on social justice or meaning of the Torah – after all – they were exactly this: anonymous, simple, ordinary people.

An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds.

And were it not for the extraordinary God who delights in transforming the ordinary, the night would have ordinarily gone unnoticed and unrecorded.

No breaking news event expected here for the first Jerusalem Press- the sheep would have been forgotten, the shepherds would have slept the night away.

Except an extraordinary God, lost in the ordinary, dances amidst the common.

The black star lit sky suddenly exploded with an extraordinary brightness.

Ordinary rocks and trees previously hidden in shadow jumped into clarity.

Sheep that had just a few moments before been ordinary and silent became a extraordinary chorus of extraordinary curiosity.

One minute, these ordinary shepherds were fast asleep, the next they were rubbing their eyes, staring into the face of an extraordinary angel of the Lord.

This ordinary night was ordinary no more.

It was indescribably extraordinary ….  

The angels came in the night because that is when light is best seen and when light is most needed.

An extraordinary God transforms the ordinary for the same reason.

That’s also probably why the announcement came first to the shepherds.

They did not ask God if he was sure he knew what he was doing.

Had the angel first gone to the scribes, the leading theologians of the times, they’d have first run headlong into committee consulted their commentaries.

Had the shepherds first gone to their local politicians, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching, finding none – gone back to “so what?”

Had he gone to the influential and powerful they’d have checked their sundials.

So?

Guess what?

Our extraordinary God went straight to the ordinary fields, ordinary shepherds.

People whose testimony ordinarily did not count in a law court.

People who did not have a reputation to protect, or an ax to grind, or a ladder to climb, or an opinion to express, or a sword to swing.  

Three simple observations we can make from this story.

Three observations about how the Lord brought glory to the ordinary, when he brought heaven to earth.

Three ordinary observations about how the extraordinary Lord ordinarily longs to work in and through an extraordinarily ordinary you and extraordinarily me.

1. The Shepherds Searched for Jesus

“the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby.” (Luke 2:15-16)

The shepherds were probably several miles away from Bethlehem in the Judean wilderness.

Their ordinary curiosity was extraordinarily peaked – they obeyed the angel.

They went looking for the infant Jesus, in the dark, leaving their flocks behind.

The word ‘found’ in verse 16 means ‘found after a search’.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/luk/2/16/t_conc_975016

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g429/kjv/tr/0-1/

It must have taken some considerable time to find Mary and Joseph and the baby.

They searched and they searched and searched until they finally found Jesus.

They heard the Word of God and they obeyed. 

They wanted to see whether what they had been told was true.

It took an extraordinary amount of time and effort to find Jesus, but boy was the extraordinary effort they made ever much worth it for generations of believers.

In this respect, the ordinary shepherds are extraordinary role models.

Let me ask, have you (lately) extraordinarily searched for Jesus – personally?

Let me ask, How extraordinarily desperate are you to extraordinarily find Him, to extraordinarily know Him, and to be with Him extraordinarily? 

Jesus said,

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).

It is extraordinarily important that we search the scriptures for ourselves.

The three most extraordinarily important questions we will ever ask are these:

1. Who is Jesus?

2. Why did Jesus come?

3. What does it mean to follow him?

A secondhand faith based on what our parents or family believe will not be strong enough to withstand the storms of life.

A secondhand faith will not ordinarily save us.

We must each develop extraordinarily deep personal convictions based on the historical facts. Based on the extraordinary eyewitness testimony of those who first encountered Jesus. They extraordinarily searched for Jesus. We must too.

  1. The Shepherds Shared News of Jesus

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:17-18)

Perhaps because they had no fixed address, like Bedouin today, shepherds could not testify in court.

How extraordinarily Ironic therefore that God choose these shepherds to be the first human witnesses to tell others that prophecy had been fulfilled, that God’s extraordinary angels had appeared and that the Messiah had finally been born.

And they didn’t need to go on an evangelism course first.  

Their extraordinary testimony was extraordinarily spontaneous. 

The ordinary shepherds spoke from the heart and their extraordinary words extraordinarily connected with generations of the deepest needs of others.

When you hear extraordinarily exciting news, it’s hard not to share it isn’t it?

You don’t think about your ordinary self or the ordinary words to say – you are simply consumed by the extraordinarily good news and you cannot keep it in. 

When a baby is born in the family, you can’t stop talking about your child or grandchild, you can’t resist pulling out the photos, can you?

It brings an extraordinary smile to your face, a skip to your walk, and you find your ordinary self sharing with anyone, even strangers, who will stop to listen.

The more extraordinarily exciting, the more extraordinarily amazing the news, the greater the extraordinary eagerness to extraordinarily share.

The gospel is the greatest news on earth.

If we ordinarily feel reluctant or embarrassed to share it, perhaps we have not really understood what “extraordinary” Jesus has extraordinarily done for us.

The more extraordinary time we spend with Jesus the more extraordinarily infectious we become.

We are His extraordinarily extraordinary ordinary witnesses exactly right now!

These ordinary shepherds extraordinarily searched for our extraordinary Jesus.

After an extraordinary discovery – The shepherds shared news of Jesus.

And ….

  1. The ordinary Shepherds extraordinarily Praised God because of Jesus

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:20)

Worship is simply our high praising our extraordinarily extraordinary God for exactly who he is and our giving our extraordinary thanks for what he has done.

That is why worship and evangelism flow from the same heart attitude.

The more we extraordinarily understand what our extraordinary God in Jesus has extraordinarily done for us, the more we will praise him and thank him.

Perhaps that is why some of the most extraordinarily beautiful and memorable Christian hymns are actually Christmas Carols.

Perhaps that is why at this time of year they are even extraordinarily played on TV and radio stations, in shopping centers, even in elevators and Dental offices.

If our ordinary hearts have been extraordinarily warmed in the fire of God’s love, how can we not extraordinarily sing in spontaneous thanks and praise?

The ordinary shepherds extraordinarily searched for an extraordinary Jesus.

And extraordinarily, when they found Jesus, the shepherds extraordinarily praised God for Jesus and shared the news of Jesus with all who would listen, “and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them”.

Maybe you feel rather ordinary yourself today.

Behind the ordinary festivities, maybe you secretly feel rather self conscious, insecure, unsure how you would respond to such a visitation from angels.

Then remember our extraordinarily extraordinary God delights in the ordinary.

Today, a small unassuming church building marks the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.

It is the oldest church in the world.

Underneath the altar is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps.

Crusader crosses are etched into the marble pillars, witness to countless generations of ordinary “shepherds” and ordinary pilgrims.

Unlike many of our Cathedrals, you can freely enter the building and admire this ancient church.

You can even step down into the quiet cave where a star embedded in the floor denotes the place where the Savior of the world was probably born.

But there is one condition, one requirement, one stipulation.

You have to stoop.

The entrance to the church is so low only a child can enter standing up.

A most profound an extraordinary parable.

To view the place where Christ was born, we must humble ourselves.

We must bow to enter his presence. 

On our ordinary TV screens and in our ordinary newspapers, we see the world standing tall, ordinarily the taller, ordinarily the more impressive, but to bear witness to our extraordinarily extraordinary Savior, you get on your knees.  

On your ordinary knees.

So… While the ordinary theologians were ordinarily sleeping,

While the ordinary elite were dreaming and while the successful were snoring, the extraordinarily extraordinary ordinary meek were ordinarily kneeling.

They were ordinarily kneeling before the extraordinarily extraordinary One only the extraordinarily, extraordinary, ordinarily meek will ever truly see.

Extraordinarily, ordinary shepherds were extraordinarily kneeling before Jesus.

They were the first to worship and they were the first to share the good news.

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them… glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:17-18, 20)

May our extraordinary God extraordinarily bless you and may the extraordinary infant, Emmanuel, God extraordinarily with us, extraordinarily keep all of you.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

An Ode to Extraordinary Joy ….

Psalm 150

1 Praise ye the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary:
praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts:
praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance:
praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.

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Advent Week Two: What Joy in the Lord? Turning Christmas Chaos into Christmas Joy, Embrace Uncertainty! Luke 2:8-20

Luke 2:8-20 Common English Bible

Announcement to shepherds

8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully.  20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

It’s better to give than to receive, as the saying goes.

This Christmas season, however, I must definitely admit that I find both giving and receiving quite difficult.

Some people – my wife. for example – seem to have no problem buying gifts, giving gifts and receiving gifts all with the very same wide smile on her face.

I, however, am pretty much the polar opposite, I prefer being self-sufficient.

That feels safer somehow.

It does not seem to matter what the gift is: someone’s time, money, or material possessions, there are definite moments when I genuinely fear that one feeling of being incredibly burdensome or way over the top indebted to the gift-giver.

On the other side of the equation, I want to have a generous heart in giving, but worry that whatever my gifts to someone else will be, they will be insufficient.

Truth is this … Buying, Giving and Receiving all require personal vulnerability.

They are foundational expressions of love, and love requires vulnerability. 

Deep within our hearts, this need to express our love as buying, giving and receiving is essential at all times of the year, but the Christmas holidays can be a very great reminder to recommit to practices that have fallen by the wayside.

As I reflect on God’s generous love and faithfulness to me this past year, I am compelled to not only pass that generous love along to others, but to try to allow them to pass it back on to me in the spirit I originally passed it to them.

Faithful to this call to love, I must surrender my fears and insecurities to God.

In receiving God’s gift of love – His Son, to me, I have to be able to acknowledge that God often chooses to express that same measured love through His people.

It may come in the form of a kind word, an investment of time, an act of service, or a material gift – it may come some other more quieter way – this devotional.

But, it all requires a very definite, decisive and intentional act of vulnerability!

And that very definite, decisive and intentional act causes great internal chaos.

Right Gift – Right Intentions – Right Time?

Right Gift – Right Intentions – Wrong Time?

Right -Gift – Right Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!

Right Gift – Wrong Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!

Wrong Gift – Wrong Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!

Wrong Gift – Heartless Intentions – Deliberate Infliction of Great Distress!

How can we know the true nature of our hearts when that moment arrives?

How prepared are we to receive that moment, under what and whose mindset?

Much Fear and Trembling, Stressed Out and uncertain degrees of Uncertainty?

With “Joy to the World” “Ear to Ear Smiles” Tidings of Good News, Great Joy?

I mean who wants Christmas to be that time of the year when friendship is lost?

Who wants Christmas to be that one time of the year when God’s greatest gift of the very tiniest of miracles goes, unrevealed, unnoticed, untried, unembraced?

Luke 2:8-14New English Translation

The Shepherds’ Visit

8 Now[a] there were shepherds[b] nearby[c] living out in the field, keeping guard [d] over their flock at night. 9 An[e] angel of the Lord[f] appeared to[g] them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.[h] 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully,[i] for I proclaim to you good news[j] that brings great joy to all the people: 11 Today[k]  your Savior is born in the city[l] of David.[m] He is Christ[n] the Lord. 12 This[o]  will be a sign[p] for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”[q] 13 Suddenly[r] a vast, heavenly army[s] appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory[t] to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among people[u] with whom he is pleased!”[v]

The shepherds were going about their every day business of being a shepherd.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord took over their senses and shone around them and they were absolutely terrified!

Friend to Friend

How many of us take some medication for stress-related causes each week.

During the holiday season, how many millions of people battle what experts refer to as the holiday blues?

Being a retired Psychiatric Nurse I am very familiar with anxiety, depression and the amount of pain it holds, must constantly battle to stay out of that pit.

Now, what can we do to turn it around – maybe bring out the Joy of the Season?  

To correctly address anxieties and depression and other mental health issues, we must first come to a place of total surrender to God and His plan of healing, even if, in our current mental states we cannot see or understand that plan.

Remember that the bottom line of God’s heart is always toward His children is always about a safe, secure connection, relationship restoration and healing.

Always seek out professional help from Licensed Mental Health Professionals.

I thoroughly believe in my God’s power of bringing restoration and Shalom. I can say that I have been healed and can reflect upon many “mini-miracles!”

However, I also deeply believe that we also need the presence of Mental Health Professionals to help us sort out what is real from what is not, to talk things out with another human being and if we need Medication, then it can be prescribed.

We are each given by God certain spiritual gifts which God expects us to use to compassionately give support, build up and edify the Children of His Kingdom.

Over time, God brings together those whom He uniquely gifts with patience and love and brings together those who have been uniquely gifted with the ability to sit still and listen with those who find themselves in highest need of those gifts.

Our own benevolent and charitable God gave some the gift of compassion which they deeply, and desperately want nothing more than to give it away to another.

God has a definite plan for healing and restoration, we just need to give Him the time, season, the circumstance upon which we finally experience His Presence!

But will we on this day, this season, receive the gift in the spirit in which it was first given – will we even consider allowing ourselves to be healed of ourselves?

Luke 2:15-20New English Translation

15 When[a] the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord[b] has made known to us.” 16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger.[c] 17 When[d] they saw him,[e] they related what they had been told[f] about this child, 18 and all who heard it were astonished[g] at what the shepherds said. 19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean.[h] 20 So[i] the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising[j] God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.[k]

My own experience ….  

While I am not a big fan of television, perusing all of the myriad channels of this programmatic offering or that, I do enjoy watching home improvement shows.

On a recent program, an interior decorator and homeowner were discussing a list of great big changes that needed to be made in order to update their home.

“First, foremost, we have to do something about those windows,” the decorator announced. I was surprised that she listed this task first – until I saw the house.

The existing glass was not only a seriously ugly shade of gold, but it was thick and chunky as well.

The windows let in no light and made it virtually impossible to see in or out.

The result was a dark isolated home.

The distressed homeowner protested, “But I like my privacy.

And if I thought anyone could see in, I feel totally exposed, and vulnerable.”

When it comes to dealing with mental health, many people feel the same way.  

Sometimes without even trying, sometimes quite purposely, we will construct walls over which no one would climb because the cost of friendship is too high.

We fill the windows of our soul with emotional excuses in order to avoid dealing with pain.

The result is darkness, loneliness, and missed opportunities for restoration.

We do not always want to understand our mental health when things trail off, depression or find the treasures of that darkness; we simply want to be rid of it.

Many people will only try to cope, understand and deal with their mental health issues on a superficial level – just refusing to confront head on, to face painful experiences, difficult relationships, and the broken places where darkness lives.

We have this tendency to only look for the nearest, quickest exit, hoping to ease by, to subtly bypass transparency because the price is just far too high to pay.

Emotional integrity is an essential step to dealing with mental health issues.

Embracing the critical importance of taking care of our mental health issues.

Embracing God with the same fervor and Joy as God is Embracing Joyfully Us.

Luke 2:15New English Translation

15 When[a] the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord[b] has made known to us.”

As God revealed His Glory to the Shepherds,

God is revealing His Glory to us even today ….

At least He is trying to reveal it to us ….

God showed the Shepherds where to look ….

God even told the Shepherds what and who to look for ….

God told them and showed them exactly where their mini-miracle was,

God is always trying impossibly, indescribably hard to get our attention!

We must be real with God as God is being real with us

We must be real before God we can be right with ourselves.

We must be willing to raise ourselves up and go and see this “mini-miracle!”

Leave the places where we are used to being both comfortable, uncomfortable.

Actively, with great and greater and greatest intention, seek our miracle of joy.

Until we are willing to risk everything with being 100% transparent with God, we can neither be transparent with ourselves, understand nor effectively deal with our mental health issues during the holidays or any other time of the year.

The holiday season always seem to tug harder and harder at the masks we carefully hold in place, push the emotional buttons we desperately try to hide.

The arrival of certain family members can resurrect uncomfortable and painful issues that have just kind of wallowed in our souls, never really been resolved.

Financial pressure to “get up and go” travel, try to buy all of those “right gifts” opens up like a widening sinkhole, waiting to steal our joy, destroy our peace.

Personal schedules, meeting all our demands, demands of family, of friends demand every ounce of energy, false expectations leave us empty and hollow.

The dark and ever widening and deepening pit waits for us to stumble, fall in.

We can choose to make this Christmas different.

We can choose to embrace God as God embraces us ….

We can choose to embrace baby Immanuel as baby Immanuel longs for and desperately needs and requires the embrace of His mother and his father.

Immanuel, God with us ….

Immanuel, God within us ….

Immanuel, God within us …. the miracle of life soon to be revealed in us ….

We can choose to embrace His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

We can choose to embrace God the Holy Spirit as we are embraced, prayed for.

We can choose to give God praise.

We can choose to give Jesus our presence ….

We can choose to give the Holy Spirit our prayers ….

Choose to focus on the victories and joys we have experienced during the year, and then intentionally find new ways to share that victory and joy with others.

This season of Christmas can be a miracle of true celebration of fresh starts and new beginnings if we choose to focus on the miracle of a tiny little baby born in a manger, who came with a miraculous message, to save us and give us true life.

The darkness can be effectively addressed if we will deliberately, intentionally raise up from our places and go, choose to face and deal with whatever it holds.

Now It’s Our Turn to Get Up and Raise up ….

Read Luke 2:1-20.

Invite that infant into your life ….

Sit down next to that infant, Immanuel ….

Sit with Mary and Joseph ….

Sit in the coldness and the darkness of night which they did ….

Together, answer these questions after reading with them the Christmas story.

  • What was the attitude of Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem?
  • How did the shepherds react to the news of Jesus’ birth? What did they do?
  • How would you describe the emotions and thoughts of Mary, of Joseph, of You?
  • How can your choice to “ponder” the miracles of Jesus’ birth change theirs and your personal perspective of the holiday season?

Get to know the true God and His Son, Immanuel through the Holy Scriptures.

Write a letter of commitment to that infant Jesus, asking Him to empower the choices you have made.

Make a plan or a list of “dos” and “don’ts” that will help you experience the best holiday season of your life.

Include this “first family”, and your family in making this plan, and make the prayerful commitment to covenant with God, to hold each other accountable.

Right now, choose the attitude of those shepherds, choose an attitude of joy by focusing your mind on the tiny things of heaven – not earth, and by fixing your heart on baby Jesus Christ -our Christmas chaos will turn into Christmas joy!

This year be determined to give gifts generously and to receive them graciously, because God was highly determined to give us the very best gift possible. I know both the acts of giving and receiving reflect God’s generous love unto the world.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

42 As a deer[c] longs[d] for streams of water,
so I long[e] for you, O God!
2 I thirst[f] for God,
for the living God.
I say,[g] “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”[h]
3 I cannot eat; I weep day and night.[i]
All day long they say to me,[j] “Where is your God?”
4 I will remember and weep.[k]
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.[l]
5 Why are you depressed,[m] O my soul?[n]
Why are you upset?[o]
Wait[p] for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.[q]
6 I am depressed,[r]
so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan,[s]
from Hermon,[t] from Mount Mizar.[u]
7 One deep stream calls out to another[v] at the sound of your waterfalls;[w]
all your billows and waves overwhelm me.[x]
8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love,[y]
and by night he gives me a song,[z]
a prayer[aa] to the God of my life.
9 I will pray[ab] to God, my high ridge:[ac]
“Why do you ignore[ad] me?
Why must I walk around mourning[ae]
because my enemies oppress me?”
10 My enemies’ taunts cut me to the bone,[af]
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”[ag]
11 Why are you depressed,[ah] O my soul?[ai]
Why are you upset?[aj]
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.[ak]

Father, I want this holiday season to be filled with light instead of darkness. Please help me discard my emotional masks and be real before You as well as my family and friends. Father, help me make this holiday season an offering of praise to You.

In Immanuel’s most blessed and precious Name,
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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