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Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Follow the Star, Part 2

Luke 2:8-14
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Introduction
            Sometimes God gives us signs to show us the way.  If you believe in them and really want to know God’s will for you, you might be able to see and follow the signs to Jesus’ will for you.  Sometimes the sign may just appear—one bright star in a sky filled with twinkling stars.  Are you watching for the star?  Will you notice?
            At other times, God’s sign to you might be big and dramatic.  It might even be frightening—like an army of angels singing to the shepherds on a cold Bethlehem night.  It that case, the challenge may be—not so much noticing the sign, but—deciding what to do with it.  What will you do when God sends a sign so big it stops you in your tracks and shakes you to your very core?
            The shepherds could have run away and hid in fear.  They might have been frozen with fear and done nothing.  But instead, their fear turned into a blessing because they obeyed and went to Bethlehem and found Jesus.

A Cold, Dark Night
            Night time can be an eerie occasion.  It probably was for the shepherds.  I remember a cold, dark and eerie night when God gave me a big (and frightening) sign.  I was only 18-years-old.  I was driving from my mom's home in Macon back to college in Marietta.  Now I don't know about you, but when I have a long drive like that by myself, I like to turn up the radio.  And since I'd driven that route so many times, I wasn't paying much attention to where I was. 

'84 Mercury Marquis
            Then, my '84 Mercury decided to die.  Smoke billowed from beneath the hood.  The car decelerated and I pulled off to the shoulder.  The car shut off and would not start.  I found myself on the side of I-75 at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night somewhere between Macon and Atlanta and I had no idea where.  This was before cell phones so I needed to walk to a gas station to find a payphone.  The problem was, I didn't even know if I needed to walk forwards or backwards!  I chose to go forward.
            As I walked forward in the dead of night, cars speeding by at 65, 75, 85 MPH, it dawned on me--for the first time in my life--this could be my last night on earth.  All it would take was one of those speeding cars to swerve slightly off the road and hit me.  I'd heard of things like that happening before.  Or maybe, some serial killer decided to pull over and abduct me and cut me up into little pieces just for fun.  I'd heard of things like that happening before too.
            I realized that night that I was not ready to die.  "Why not?" I thought.  "I'm a Christian.  I gave my life to Christ.  I will go to heaven when I die.  What's keeping me from being ready?"  Yet I still felt I was not ready to die.  Something was left unfulfilled in my life.  I realized I walked that lonely dark road I was not walking the road God wanted me to walk in life.  And that dark road became a frightening sign to me that I needed to do some things different.  I needed to change the direction of my life so I would be ready when my time came.  God's sign to me helped change the course of my life.

Other Signs
            I have heard of dramatic signs in other people's lives too.  When I was in seminary, I volunteered as a chaplain for The Carpenter’s House, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.  I heard several recovering addicts share how their addiction landed them in the hospital or nearly ended their lives.  They realized they had to change or else their addiction would kill them.  God must have saved their life for a reason so they better get busy finding help to overcome their disease.
            I have seen others signs too.  I had a church member once who had a heart attack.  He realized he needed needed to be there for his daughter as she grew into a young adult, found a mate, and got married.  He started walking and exercising and eating healthier.  His heart attack was a sign.
            Perhaps you lost your job.  It was hard--not only because of the money, but--because your job was an important part of your identity.  Maybe God is trying to tell you your job is not your identity; find your identity in Christ.  Maybe God is telling you to trust money less and trust God more.
            Maybe someone you love dies unexpectedly.  That can be a sign from God.  One of my former church members died this past weekend--Jim Ham.  Jim was a father grandfather county commissioner, and he was only 54 years old.  He died in a single car crash.  No one saw it coming.  Unexpected deaths like this can be a tragic sign that reminds us to cherish those you hold dear.  They jar us out of our complacency and teach us to take full advantage of the present moment for we never know how much time we have; nothing is guaranteed.
            What if someone you love looses faith?  When my brother came home one Christmas many years ago saying he no longer believed what he'd learned about Jesus in church, our family was very concerned.  Furthermore, Nelson seemed to know so much more about the Christian religion and what the Bible says than I did.  This was a big sign to me that I needed to make the effort to know what I believed and figure out if I was just taking for granted the things people had told me about Christianity over the years.  Perhaps when someone you care about has doubts about their faith, it is a sign to you to take your beliefs and how you live more seriously.  Maybe it's time to get serious about your own faith and GRO a little.
 
Slide – G.R.O.
            If you want to get serious and grow in your faith, you need to G.R.O.
            Growth can only come when you are committed to growth.  I hope you will commit to personal growth throughout your life. True Christianity doesn’t mean we get saved and then hide in a corner for the rest of life.  We are constantly growing to become more like Christ.  Growth should occur in all areas of our life--spiritually, intellectually, and physically.  These areas are all interrelated and you cannot be truly healthy in one area if you are lacking in the others.
            Respond.  In order to grow, you have to respond to the Holy Spirit.  You are responsible for your growth.  that doesn't mean you make yourself grow.  The Holy Spirit makes you grow.  However, when the Holy Spirit guide you to do something, you are able to respond by doing it.  So you must respond because you are responsible.
            Obey.  You grow when you are obedient.  You can't expect to grow if you disobey the Holy Spirit.  But if you respnd with obedience you will grow.  If the Holy Spirit guides you to study your Bible, you will grow spiritually.  If the Spirit tell you to exercise and you obey, you will improve your health.  But if you disregard or disobey, you will not grow.

Are You Ready to GRO?
            Sometimes God gives us a really big sign to shake us to the core.  If God has done that for you, I hope you will Grow by Responding with Obedience to what the Holy Spirit has said.  Perhaps God's sign to you was more subtle, but if you're paying attention, you can still see the sign like the star shining for the Wisemen.  Let God get your attention and ask Him to reveal what he wants you to do.  Next week we will discuss how you can interpret the meaning of Gods signs.

Holy Communion (AKA The Lord's Supper or the Eucharist) is a tremendous sign of God's love and presence with us.  The bread represents the body of Christ God gave us.  The wine represents the blood Christ shed for us on the cross to forgive our sins.  This simple meal reminds us of Christ's loving sacrifice for us and also his living presence with us today.  When have you last received Holy Communion?  Do you see God's sign to you in this sacrament?

Monday, November 28, 2016

Following the Star, part 1

Matthew 2:1-2
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

Introduction
            Advent and Christmas are seasons of signs and symbols.  We decorate our homes, our trees, our church, our community.  Even stores and public buildings maintained by non-Christians adorn their spaces with signs of the seasons—stars, angels, trumpets, and Santa Clause (who was a Bishop in the Catholic Church many centuries ago, St. Nicolas).
            All these signs have meanings for those who are wise enough to see.  I hope you will take the time to notice the signs of the season and seek to understand their meaning more clearly.  But what about life?  Does God still give us signs—the way He gave a star to the Wisemen to guide them to Bethlehem and the baby Jesus? 
            Over the next few weeks, I hope to share some of my experience in sensing God's signs and guidance so that you might better sense His signs to you and find the divine guidance you need in your life.

A Critical Question
            To begin, each person must answer a crucial question for themselves. Does God give us signs?  Well, not everybody believes in God.  Some people are atheists—they don't believe God exists—and so they obviously don't believe God gives signs because they don't believe in God.  But what about religious people?
            Religious people (who believe is God) fall somewhere along a spectrum between two extremes.  There are superstitious people who see everything as a sign or supernatural event.  Every time it rains, every time a bird lands on a window sill, every time the phone rings, it is a supernatural act of God (or the Devil).  I had a youth pastor once who we paid $8,000 per year.  He was paid monthly, so his monthly pay check came out to $666.66!  He was like, "Hey, can y'all do something because I just can't accept a pay check with the number of the beast on it."  So we paid him twice a month, which came out to $333.33, which is a really good number (like the Trinity).  Now there wasn't really anything to the numbers.  It was just a coincidence.  But some people are very superstitious and see supernatural signs and event in everything that happens!
            On the other end of the spectrum, there are deists who believe God is not involved at all in human events.  They use the analogy that God is like a watch maker who designed the machinery of creation with all the laws of nature as the gears; God wound up the machine like you would wind up a watch and then He stepped back to let it run all by itself, never more stepping in to interfere.  So the deists believe God does not give signs at all or even intervene in human affairs in any way.  Another variation of this is people who believe God acted in biblical times, but no longer does.
            So we have the two extremes—deism and superstition.  As with most things though, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  Either extreme will lead you astray.  The Truth is, God is not a micromanager.  He is not like a puppeteer up in heaven holding the strings to every person's life and every event on earth.  He is not standing over us controlling every choice we make and every thing we do.   We are not robots.  God gives us free will.  We can choose to love Him or not love Him.  We have the choice.  That was the kind of creation God wanted—one that could move and act independently of His interference, for that is the only way real love and real relationships can exist.
            On the other hand, God is not a distant, uninvolved spectator either.  Read your Bible. God was actively involved throughout the Bible. He performed miracles. He intervened. The New Testament is full of stories and eyewitness accounts of God supernaturally influencing the affairs of the world on a very intimate, personal scale.  The very foundation of the Christian faith is the direct intervention of God's power over the natural law of death.  Jesus was crucified, buried in a tomb, and on the third day God rolled the stone away and Christ rose from the grave.  That is not natural!  That is a supernatural occurrence made possible by the direct intervention of God.  If we don't have that, we have nothing.
            And I think there is an important Truth the modern Church needs to hear—especially the Methodist Church (which tends to be so fixated on rationalism and intellectuality that we want to explain away everything with science and logic; we are so hesitant to talk about miracles and divine power). There is an important Truth you need to hear this morning. The Truth is that the Holy Spirit is still as alive and as active and as involved today as He was during biblical times.  Read the Book of Acts and see how the Holy Spirit moved and empowered people. Acts is the story of the New Testament Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the mission of Christ to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  It is said the book of Acts is the only unfinished book of the Bible.  It is unfinished because we are the Church and we are still on the mission and we are still writing the story.  We are still the Church of Acts!  And the same Holy Spirit that empowered them, that opened prison doors for Peter, that healed the sick and the lame and the blind and the deaf, that saved the lost and changed the world, is the same Holy Spirit that is living and moving and breathing in our Church today.  What's changed?  Nothing!  The only thing that's changed is the way we think and believe.  Maybe we need to change our thinking and realize the Spirit's power is still in us.
            Each person has to decide what they believe, for what you believe affects what you see and how you interpret the signs around you. Do you believe God can and does give signs to guide us? Or do you believe God does not bother to speak to us anymore as he did in the New Testament?  I want you to know that I believe God does still give us signs to guide us if we are willing to look for them.

Seeing the Signs
            In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
            Do you want to know God’s will for you? I mean do you really care what God wants you to do with your life? What about your day? Do you care what God wants you to do today?  Many people go through life missing all God’s signs, because frankly, they’re not that interested in what God wants them to do. 
            The Wisemen in the East saw the star, but what about all the Jewish scholars in Jerusalem?  They had the Old Testament and their job was to focus on God and His teachings and to interpret His will.  Why didn’t they see the star? Why did a bunch of foreigners from a totally different religion have to travel thousands of miles to find the new “King of the Jews”? Could it be that the Jewish teachers and Jewish King Herod were too wrapped in their own selfish pursuits to look for or even care about what God was trying to do (at least until it threatened their own self-centered plans)?  So are the vast majority of people in our world today. We are too busy chasing our own dreams to see God’s vision for us and so we walk right past the signs God puts in our path.
            If you want to see the signs God gives you, you have to know God’s will; yearn for it like a the dry Southeast is yearning for water during this drought. As Jesus said, you have Ask, Seek, and Knock.
            You have to Ask to know God’s will. Make it your daily prayer. “Lord, what do you want me to do with my life? What do you want me to do today? What do you want for my family? What do you want for my church?”  I once saw a child ask their mama for a candy bar in the grocery store.  Have you ever seen this happen?  Mama said "No!", but that wasn't the end of it.  The child fell on the floor, kicking and screaming, "I want a candy bar!  I want a candy bar!  I want a candy bar!"  That's the passion we need when we ask God to show us His will.  (Maybe we need to be a little more mature about it, but that's the passion and commitment we need.)  
            You must Seek God’s will for you through the Scripture.  Study the Bible and see what it says. It teaches us all how to live. There are some parts of God’s will that apply to all of us the same. Look in your Bible to find God’s will for us.  And as you study the Bible, you will also hear God revealing things just for you.  The Church can help you test what you hear God saying and help clarify God’s word to you. Then, the Church can help hold you accountable to God’s will for you.
            You must Knock on the door of Heaven if you want to know God’s will. But when you ask, seek, and knock, God will open the door for you and you will begin to see the signs He gives to guide you.

Closing
I must confess that I’m no expert in seeing and following God’s signs.  Sometimes my eyes and ears are just a little cloudy.  However, I started diligently Asking, Seeking, and Knocking when I was 18 years old.  So, following God’s will for me and my family has been my number one focus for 24 years.  I started out by reading my Bible every day.  Soon God led me to my wife, my church, my family, and ultimately to my ministry.  So I have some experience with this.  I hope my experience will help me share something of value with you over the next few weeks as we consider how God shares signs to guide us through life.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Christ Our Hope is Born - Christmas in July

Isaiah 9:6

Introduction
            Christmas is a time of hope and joy.  It’s a time for people to love and give.  It’s a time when families come together and a also a time when we remember we are all part of one big, human family.  Christmas reminds us of these truths, but these are virtues we need all year long.  We need Christmas in July—especially this year.  We've had a lot of reasons to lose hope.  Our world seems to be more filled with violence, terrorism, hate, fear, anxiety, and anger than ever before.  We need to hear the angels singing:  “Joy to the world!  Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!"  We have reason to hope today, because Christ our hope was born.
            I have a question I want you to ponder in our message today.  Are you hoping in the right things?  For if you are hoping in the right things, your hope will not be disappointed, but if you are hoping in the wrong things then you have cause for concern.
            Listen to the Word of God in Isaiah 9:6, a prophecy about Jesus given over 500 years before his birth.  Isaiah tells us about the hope we can find in Christ.

Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.  The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Let’s look at a few key ideas this passage tells us about our hope in Jesus.


The government will rest upon his shoulders…
            I didn’t watch either the republican national convention or the democratic national convention.  Although I was curious, I consciously chose not to watch.  I findthat right now the news cycle only feeds my worldly anxiety, anger, and fear of our world’s current situation.  I can find out all I really need to know to be informed by listening to the news highlights each day.  This keeps me informed without overwhelming me with a deluge of negativity.
            Both the RNC and the DNC are just prime time infomercials for their candidates.  Both parties spend millions in a very strategic effort to sell their candidate to the American people.  However, when you look past all the glitz and glamour, it’s basically a week long pep rally for people to cheer for their political team.  Don't be fooled; not a lot of honest, unbiased information gets shared at a political convention.  I didn’t watch and I don’t feel like I missed anything important.  As I said, I picked up what I need to know from the news highlights.
            Isaiah prophesied, “The government will rest upon his shoulders…”  He’s talking about Jesus.  Isaiah didn’t mean that a “worldly government” would rest upon Jesus' shoulders.  In other words, it is not God’s ultimate plan that some worldly government will fulfill God’s plans—whether it be a king in Jerusalem or even American democracy.  All human governments are flawed.  America—though I believe it is the best “worldly” system implemented so far—is still seriously flawed because it is the product of flawed, fallen people.  God has something infinitely better in mind.
            Isaiah reveals God’s ultimate plan is for Jesus to rule the world.  Our faith teaches us that one day Jesus will return and personally govern the whole world.  I long for that day.  And let me tell you something, America will no longer exist in the end.  So don’t get your hopes too caught up in our government.  Be a good citizen.  Be informed.  Do your duty.  But don’t place your hopes in a flawed worldly government that can’t deliver and will soon pass away.  Jesus is the great GOVERNOR, the Lord we need and long for in this mixed up and crazy world.  Isaiah tells us who Jesus is.

He is the Wonderful Counselor.
            Jesus wisdom and understanding are awe inspiring.  No longer will we have to worry if our president is someone who has the knowledge to run the country—handling the wide range of very different but equally important issues like foreign policy, economics, law and order, immigration, the military, and politics.  We will not have to worry if our leader will be careless or dishonest or embarrassing.  Jesus will rule with wisdom, inspiring awe and confidence and wonder in everyone.


Jesus is also Mighty God.
            Jesus is all powerful.  Not only does Jesus know what to do; he has the power to do it.  He will subdue all his enemies, provide safety for all his people, and build his eternal Kingdom.  We never need to doubt Jesus' ability to deliver, because Jesus is mighty God.






Jesus is also Everlasting Father.
            I don’t know about you, but I have never thought of our presidents as “fathers.”  I have viewed them as important people, as world leaders, as politicians, but never as a father.  We have no real access to our presidents (unless you have thousands of dollars to buy a ticket to some fundraising banquet).  They are people we see on TV, or perhaps passing through town in a guarded motorcade, behind tinted glass in an armored limousine.  They are unapproachable.
            Not so with Jesus.  Isaiah describes him as a father.  Not everyone has had an intimate father, but ideally a father is someone you can hug and have tickle fights with or when you get older, you call them up and share your joys, concerns, or just talk.  A good father is one who will personally come and help you fix your broken car or take you to a daddy/daughter dance.  A good father is loving and protecting and he is there when you need him or want him.
            Fatherhood is the image of Jesus and how he will govern us.  However, unlike earthly fatherswho are good one day and irritable the next, who get tired and lose patience, who grow feeble with age and eventually pass awayJesus is an everlasting father.  He will never grow old or feeble.  He will never die.  He will never grow weary of us or lose patience.  He will always be there, always be patient, always be good, always be reliable, always be loving, always, always, always.

And Jesus is the Prince of Peace
            When Jesus rules, there will be peace and not war.  No more mass shootings.  No more violence.  No more racial strife.  No more unrestrained anger.  No more terrorist or fear of terrorism.  The peace Jesus brings is more than just worldly peace.  For he said, “The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.”  (John 14:27)  The world offers a kind of peace, but not like Jesus.
            Worldly peace often just means keeping the status quo.  It means nothing changes.  Things stay the same and so are reliable and people can continue on with their own lives.  That’s OK if your life is decent, but what if you are suffering or if you are oppressed or if your life could be better?  Wars and fighting and strife usually happen because someone somewhere feels it is the only way to better their situation.  Often, our “worldly” peace actually bars other people from the justice they deserve.
            Jesus offers more than just worldly peace.  Jesus will bring inner peace, true serenity, happiness, and joy like we rarely ever experience on earth.  Jesus brings peace to everyone—no more “haves” and “have nots”.  Everyone will experience peace.  No longer will it be the “pursuit of happiness”.  Most of us don’t even know what will make us truly happy and yet we chase after happinessworrying and toilingand most of us never really find it.  Jesus knows what will make you truly happy.  And when Jesus is Lord, we will be done with this relentless, exhausting, and futile chasing for happiness.  We will find it all when Jesus is Lord.

Conclusion
            It’s Christmas in July.  Remember that Christ our hope was born.  “And the government will rest on his shoulders.  And he will be called:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
            We have all this to look forward to when Jesus ultimately comes to set up his kingdom.  But what about now?  I have good news for you.  You don’t have to wait until Jesus returns to experience his Kingdom.  You don’t even have to wait until you die and go to Heaven.  You can experience Jesus’ Kingdom now!  The glorious Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus is Lord now.
            It is not that Jesus will be Lord one day.  He is Lord now.  Just because the world around us and its people are still in rebellion, that does not mean Jesus is not rightful Lord.  He is Lord.  He is patiently calling us all back to him.  Patiently waiting for us to recognize His Lordship.  How long must he wait for you?
            When we become a Christian, we officially recognize Jesus is Lord.  The more we accept Him as Lord—in every area of our life—the more we experience the realities of His Kingdom now.  We experience inner peace.  We find Joy.  We have hope.  We worry less about this world and all its troubles because our hopes are in the eternal Kingdom of God, which will never disappoint, and never pass away!  Take heart oh Christians!  Jesus is Lord, now and forever!  Place your hope him and do not hope in the world!
            And what about you?  You who have never turned your life over to Jesus?  You who are still hoping in vain in this world?  You have trusted in the government and look where it’s got you.  You have trusted in the people of this world, but they let you down.  You have trusted in yourself, but you see how well that’s worked out.   How long will you go on hoping in things that cannot satisfy?  Repent!  Turn your life over to Jesus today!  Trust in Him, for He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

Monday, December 21, 2015

I'll Be Home for Christmas, Part 4 - Anger

Isaiah 61:8-11
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice.
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be recognized
    and honored among the nations.
Everyone will realize that they are a people
    the Lord has blessed.”

10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
    For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
    and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding
    or a bride with her jewels.
11 The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
    Everyone will praise him!
His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
    with plants springing up everywhere.

Anger
Over the last few weeks, we explored how Jesus helps us overcome sin, manage our time wisely, and deal with grief so we can be at Home with God this Christmas.  Today, we will look at one more common obstacle that can keep us from saying, “I’ll be Home for Christmas”—anger. 
            I once heard a Christmas song that said, “Half way round the world, sometimes that’s how it seems when walls of anger keep us from familiar Christmas scenes.  We ache for them to disappear, but don’t know how to start.  Lord with Your light, somehow tonight, bring Christmas to our hearts.”  I love those lyrics because they expresses so beautifully the way many people feel this time of year.
            This year, don’t let anger keep you from saying, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”  In an imperfect world, we have many reasons to be angry.  Anger can be a normal and healthy emotion that motivates us to seek justice.  But anger also has a dark side.  When it is not channeled properly, it can fester deep inside a person and turn into something very dark and ugly.  Anger can become a prison that keeps us locked away from those we love and those we are called to love.
            Jesus came to help us overcome the walls of anger that keep us from being at Home with God.  He has the power to break our chains, but we must cooperate with his liberating work.  The first step is to be willing to let go of our anger.  Sometimes, anger feels good.  It makes us feel good about ourselves when we hold another in contempt for the bad things they’ve done.  But we must humble ourselves and remember that we are not perfect either. 
Christmas is a time when we think of that cute baby, Jesus, lying in a manger, but we forget that Isaiah 53:5-6 says, “He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.”
            We have no right to self-righteous indignation against anyone.  No one is perfect.  We have all sinned.  Jesus came to bring forgiveness.  The famous prayer he taught us says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…”[i]  It is not good for us to harbor resentment. 
We should deal with our anger with humility and love.  The moving words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 are a good model for us to follow.  “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.”  How much better off we would be, how much easier it would be for us to get along if we embodied this kind of love—especially with the people to whom we are closest.
          
            Patience and kindness…  How often do we overreact about some silly little thing?  It’s easy to be irritable and impatient with your family.  It’s as if they know just how to push your buttons.  Have you ever seen the movie, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?”  In the movie, the Griswold’s plans for a big family Christmas, but it turns into a big disaster.  The father, Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase), is obsessed with making everything go perfectly during the holiday season, but as soon as everyone arrives, things start going haywire, especially when Cousin Eddie shows up with his crazy family as uninvited, surprise guests from Kansas.  Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) is well-meaning but, sloppy, obnoxious, and rude.  He drives Clark Griswold crazy!
            Every family has a “crazy Cousin Eddie.”  He’s the guy that dresses weird or smells funny or acts crazy.  If you can’t figure out who in your family is the “Crazy Cousin Eddie,” watch out—it might be you!!!  Humility reminds us we’re all a little bit “crazy” in our own way.  Yet God loves us in spite of our irritating habits.  Patience and kindness and humility help us to bear with the idiosyncrasies of others without being irritable or rude.
            And love keeps no record of wrongs…  This doesn’t mean we pretend as though a wrong didn’t happen.  It means we don’t keep beating people up about their past sins.  Jesus said, “If your brother wrongs you seven times in a day and each time repents and asks forgiveness; you must forgive him.”[ii]  You shouldn’t hold people hostage with yesterday’s sins.  If they repent, forgiven them and try to move on.
Here’s some more helpful advice gleaned from scripture about dealing with anger.  Avoid acting on impulse when you are angry.[iii]  When tempers flare, wisdom takes a back seat to emotion and you do things you will regret latter.  Wait until you calm down and can think more clearly.  Timing is very important.  And try not to impulsively speak your mind when you are angry.[iv]  A sharp tongue cuts its own throat.  (That’s not in the Bible, but it’s true!)  Wait until you aren’t so hot before you speak your mind with a sharp tongue.  That way you will choose your words more carefully or even realize that you don’t need to say anything at all.  And avoid disciplining people when you are angry.[v]  The difference between harmful abuse and helpful discipline can be as little as ten seconds.  Stop, take a deep breathe, count to ten, and ask your self, “Is what I am about to do retaliation?  Or am I genuinely trying—in love—to help this person do better next time?”
Conclusion
            Because Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh and lived among us, he understands the struggles we face that make being Home for Christmas difficult.  But because Jesus is the Son of God, He has the power to overcome any obstacle that threatens to separate us from God. 
            What keeps you from being at Home with God?  Is it sin? Are you too busy?  Are you weighed down by a load of grief?  Is there anger in your heart?  Jesus understands your struggles and he has made a way for you to come Home.  Do you hear him calling you Home?  Will you accept his invitation?  Will you come Home for Christmas this year?   

Gracious Heavenly Father,
            Thank You for inviting us Home for Christmas.  Help us to be faithful as we take up our cross and follow Jesus on the road that leads us Home.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.


[i] Matthew 6:12
[ii] Luke 17:1 (paraphrased)
[iii] 1 Samuel 19:9-10
[iv] James 3:5
[v] 2 Corinthians 2:5-7, Ephesians 6:4

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

I'll Be Home for Christmas, Part 3 - Grief

Isaiah 61:1-3
1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
    for the Lord has anointed me
    to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
    and to proclaim that captives will be released
    and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
    that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
    and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel,
    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
    festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

The Obstacle of Grief
            In the last two articles of this series, we explored how Jesus helps us overcome sin and get our priorities straight so we can be at Home with God this Christmas.  Another obstacle that keeps us from saying, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” is grief.  Losing someone who is dear to you is traumatic.  Some have said it is like having one of your limbs cut off.  You may “get on” with life, but you may never fully “get over” your loss because your life has changed forever. 
Christmas can be especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones.  People often feel guilty because everyone says they are supposed to feel happy at Christmas, but instead they feel sad and lonely.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you how you should feel.  There is no right or wrong way to feel.  You can’t control the way you feel.  You just feel the way you feel.  And everybody grieves in their own unique way.  Some people who grieve are dramatic and tearful.  Some are very reserved.  Some people grieve for a long time and some seem to work through their grief quickly.  We must be patient with ourselves and others as we grieve.
Grief is important and necessary.  Psychologist tell us that people who repress their grief find it will eventually bubble to the surface latter on—even if it’s ten years down the road.  It’s important to participate in the process of grief so it doesn’t cause problems latter in life.  Even Jesus—the son of God—grieved.  The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:34, “Jesus wept.”  He wept because his dear friend Lazarus died.  He grieved, even though Jesus knew he would raise him back to life in just a few moments.
One of the beautiful things about Christmas is that it reminds us that God cares about us.  In Jesus Christ, God wrapped our injured flesh around His Holy Spirit and became one of us.  He walked a mile in our shoes.  His name is Emmanuel—God living with us.  He is with us in the happy times and the sad times.  God is with us in our grief.  Because of Christmas, we never have to be alone—even when we feel alone.
And because Jesus was born on Christmas our grief will not last forever, but only for a season.  Even if our grief lasts until we take our final breath, it will not last beyond the grave.  For at death, we are liberated from the pain and suffering of this world.  In heaven, there is no more night and no more pain.  The only tears shed in our Heavenly Home are tears of joy.  Indeed, many of the people we grieve for in this life are at Home with God in Heaven this very moment!  They are experiencing the ultimate reality of the hope and joy and peace and love we pray for and long for and sing about and celebrate at Christmas time!
I think Richard Lewis Detrich says it best in his book How to Recover from Grief.  He says:
Over the years we’ve created a highly commercialized cultural myth that Christmas is a time of happiness, good cheer, family, and friends.  We feel guilty, upset, and cheated if, because of grief, we don’t experience the orgasm of happiness that seems to be expected.  But Christmas is, after all, a time of holy days and not a happy daze.  The meaning of Christmas is in the event, in the coming of Christ into our world and into our lives.  Focus on that event.  Christ wasn’t born at a party or even a family reunion but in a stable, with few other people around.  Planning ahead and focusing on the meaning of Christmas will help you through this difficult time.[i]

            The Home God invites us to is a place where tears are welcome.  You don’t have to act as if you don’t feel sad.  You don’t have to feel guilty for your sorrow.  When no one else understands, God understands your pain—He has lived it; He is with you as you go through it. 
God’s Home is not a commercialized fantasy
where everything is happy, happy, happy. 
God’s Home is a reality that deals candidly
with real pain and ultimately overcomes it.

Conclusion
            Because Jesus, the word of God, became flesh and lived among us, he understands the struggles we face that make being Home for Christmas difficult.  But because Jesus is the Son of God, He has the power to overcome any obstacle that threatens to separate us from God. 
            What keeps you from being at Home with God?  Is it sin? Are you too busy?  Are you weighed down by a load of grief?  Jesus understands your struggles and he has made a way for you to come Home.  Do you hear him calling for you today?  He is calling you Home.  Will you accept his invitation?  Will you come Home for Christmas this year? 

Gracious Heavenly Father,
            Thank You for inviting us Home for Christmas.  Help us to be faithful as we take up our cross and follow Jesus on the road that leads us Home.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.


[i] Richard Lewis Detrich and Nicola J. Steele; How to Recover from Grief; revised edition; page 23