Tag: Savior

Be Not Afraid

Have you ever anticipated something so wonderful, that, when the time came, you were almost afraid of it? Afraid that the anticipation would exceed the wonder of the actual event? Afraid that the wonder would be eclipsed by some unforeseen tragedy? Afraid that your dreams were too big? That you could never deserve such happiness or blessing?

“ 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– but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying
 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke 2:8-20 NLT (Emphasis added)

The shepherds on that first Christmas were terrified– their ordinary night had been shattered by the appearance of an angel of the LORD. And that was only the beginning! The angel announced the birth of Messiah– Christ, the LORD– in the nearby village of Bethlehem. And then an angelic host– a vast army– of angelic beings chose to worship in the skies that, just moments before, had been dark, still, and lonely.
“Fear not!” “Be not afraid!” Through the terror and overwhelming glorious radiance came a calm voice. “I bring good tidings of great joy!” “..shall be to ALL people…” “PEACE on earth!” “Christ is Born!”

The fulfillment of centuries of longing was finally here. The central hope of the entire nation of Israel had arrived. And the angel left no doubt that the shepherds were welcome, even commanded, to GO and see this miracle with their own eyes. The Biblical account says that they did go– but it also says they stopped to discuss it first. They talked it over and decided to face the mixture of thrilling joy and weak-kneed trembling. Could it really be?! The Messiah! Here and now! But…a babe? Wrapped, not in robes of glory, but in swaddling cloths? And…lying in a manger? Surrounded by sheep and donkeys? What if this was a cosmic hoax? What if there was a mistake? Would they be disappointed? Ashamed? Turned away because of their lowly status?

“Be Not Afraid!” The shepherds talked it over. How could they NOT go and see? What if the news was true?! And in going, they became the first ordinary witnesses of the most extraordinary birth in history! They came. They saw. They believed! And they worshipped.

And then, they shared their experience with others. They went back. They probably shared the news first with the sheep, rehearsing how they would spread the fantastic tale to those who still lay sleeping. But they may also have shouted it in the streets, waking up all the neighbors with the joyous news. The Bible doesn’t give us details. But it does tell us that they went back with joy and gladness. And conviction–“It was just as the angel had told them.” Nowhere in the Bible story did they show any more fear. They had no doubt. The wonder of Christ’s birth was everything they had been told to expect, and more!

This Christmas, we look back at the shepherds, and we try to recapture the wonder of that Holy Night, and the visit of the angels, and the discovery of a tiny Savior in a manger. And we will have the opportunity to celebrate, just as the shepherds did.

What will be our response to His coming? Will we spend this season glorifying a praising God? Will we “astonish” our neighbors as we tell about the Savior’s birth, and His subsequent death and resurrection? Will we heed the angel’s calming tones to “Be Not Afraid” as we encounter the Messiah? As we go “back to (our) flocks” and fields and daily life?

I pray that we will “consider well” this Christmas how “our good God” gave us His “beloved Son”– born in a humble manger, willing to die a humiliating death He did not deserve so that we could be free from the curse of Sin and Death. And may we pray for the courage and conviction to live out and speak out the Joy and Glory of His coming!

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On a Cold Winter’s Night…

One of the great classic Christmas carols, “The First Noel,” describes the night of Christ’s birth as a “cold winter’s night, that was so deep.”

It is dreamy and dramatic to think of Jesus coming into a cold, dark, dreary (and even snowy) world, bringing angels, glorious stars, kings bearing expensive gifts, and joyous songs.

We tend to look at Advent as a time of darkness and silence, in anticipation of the coming light and the Gospel. The idea that the world before the Birth of the Savior was cold continues the pattern of absence. Darkness does not exist independently. Neither does silence or cold. Each is the absence of something else– Light, sound, warmth–and it can only be known by the degree to which its opposite is reduced, distant, or absent.
In contrast, the light, sound, or warmth is made more evident in contrast with its opposite–we may not notice a slight difference in lighting on a sunny day, or a slight difference in temperature; but a candle in a dark room, or a whisper in a silent auditorium has a dramatic effect.

We don’t actually know the exact date of Jesus’ birth, and while December falls during winter, that doesn’t always mean a cold night in every part of the world. If shepherds were watching their flocks in fields just outside of Bethlehem, it is not likely that the temperatures were below freezing, or that there was snow and ice all around. The Middle East is not known for icy winters, after all. Nighttime generally brings colder temperatures, and it may be close to freezing by the middle of the night if you have no fire or protection from the wind, but a “cold winter’s night” is more likely to be found in Minnesota or Finland, not in Bethlehem, and usually in the middle of winter– January– rather than the beginning of the season.

However, just like the darkness and silence, the cold of that first Christmas was spiritual in nature. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A9-12&version=ESV). Jesus entered a frigid world– a world of closed-off people, suspicious, oppressed, angry, sick, and world-weary. Hatred can be cold, but colder still is apathy and disdain and hopelessness. The world of Advent is a world desperate for the light and heat and sound of God’s love– not because God is absent, but because people have moved so far away from Him. The light becomes dimmer, the songs become a series of indistinct noises, and the cold and damp of night creep into our souls. Today, even with the hope and light of the Gospel story, we take our focus off of the true light of the world, and the true source of warmth and love, and too often focus on the lesser warmth of a new jacket, or the glittering lights of a shopping center, or the strident sounds of greed and envy.

Jesus may not have come in the cold of midwinter. But He came into a world of cold hearts as a helpless baby in a strange and unwelcoming land. And he was wrapped in rags and placed in a feeding trough– the warmest place that could be found. But even in this tiny, shivering baby, there was the warmth of Pure Love. And it was felt by all who came in contact with Him– shepherds rejoiced, Mary pondered, Wise Men knelt in adoration.

I love seeing candles and firesides at Christmas time– I love coming into a warm house, full of laughter and love, or singing carols on a cold night, and being invited inside to share the warmth. I love fellowship at church, and sharing a hug and a smile with those I meet. Imagine the warmth of God with us–All of the warmth and life of being wrapped in the arms of Grace, and held by the nail-scarred hands, never to be cold or alone ever again. Can you feel it? Can you anticipate it? Imagine passing that on to someone who has never known such warmth…on a cold winter’s night…

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Forgetting the Names of God

My given name is Lila June. I was named after my great-grandmother, Lila, and my aunt, Ila June. I have never used a nickname or my middle name, but my Aunt June rarely used her given name of Ila. In fact, she used it so seldom that she forgot it. Not literally forgot that it was her name but forgot that anyone might use it to refer to her. She and her husband lived on a series of Army bases, and when she went to the doctor’s office, they used the name on her official paperwork. A nurse would come out and call for Ila to come back to see the doctor. Startled at first, she looked around the waiting room to see who else could possibly have the same unusual name– only to hear the nurse call for Ila Mellinger! SHE was the Ila being called. But it took her a few moments to respond.

I was reminded of my aunt, and her name, this week. On my Facebook feed, there was a short video by a pastor. In the video he was lamenting that, in his view, the modern Christian church is so focused on practical Christian living– on good deeds and kind words; on outreach programs and building projects– that we have lost sight of WHO GOD IS! We serve the church; we serve the community; we serve our own notion of what makes us “good people,” but we do not serve God, because we don’t really know Him.

He was placing much of the blame for this on other pastors and institutional leaders– saying that they were at fault for not teaching the names of God. I’m not sure I totally agree with him. I think there is some merit in what he said, but ultimately, when I stand before the throne of judgment, I’m not going to be asked whether my pastor taught me the names of God. I will not be asked how much I knew ABOUT God. I won’t even be asked whether or not I know God–I will either hear that my name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, or it isn’t! My pastors might face judgment for how true they were in teaching the Gospel, but my mission is to know God experientially. It is MY job to learn who God is, and to follow Him— to trust and obey Him.

But I DO agree that modern churches spend less time on this subject than I remember in my church growing up. Not because we spent so much time on the list of individual “names” of God, but we spent more time in worshipping God for WHO HE IS, and not for what he’s done for me, or what I can be doing for Him, saying about Him, or “identifying” as a Christian, a Christ-follower, or a Believer (and all the tiny differences in meaning that those terms might have).

Part of that comes from the habit of studying the Bible as a narrative. We used to study the “patriarchs” of the Old Testament, the “red letter” words of Jesus Christ, and the letters and “acts” of the Apostles. In fact, it is no longer politically correct to even use words like “patriarchs,” and out of fashion to teach the Bible as historical fact. But there is a value in studying this way– not because the characters are mostly men, or even because they are “heroes of the Faith.” It is important to study them precisely because they are so flawed and broken and in need of a Savior– just as we are! And as they encountered God or walked with Jesus, they saw Him– and NAMED Him– for all of His attributes.

In the Old Testament, He is Yahweh, Jehovah, the LORD. He is Almighty. He is the God who sees, the God who hears, the God who saves, the God who provides, the God who saves, the All-sufficient One, the Lord (who) is my Shepherd, the Most High God, the One whose name is a Strong Tower, the Everlasting God and the Lord of Hosts, among others. Jesus, the promised Messiah, also has a host of names, including Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Lion of Judah, Son of God, Son of Man, Emmanuel, Light of the World, the Living Word of God, Savior, Master, Redeemer, Rabboni, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Lamb of God, the Risen Lord, the Alpha and Omega, and many more. What a rich picture of God we get from His Names!

I also remember the old hymns and worship songs doing a better job of helping us to see the God of the Bible. I know we have modern worship songs that include God’s many names and attributes, but others seem to concentrate, not on who GOD is, but who I AM because of God–I’m forgiven, I’m a Child of God, etc. I miss the old hymns that remind me that God is a Mighty Fortress, He is my Vision, my Blessed Redeemer, the Rock of Ages, whose grace is Amazing, and whose Love is “greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell!”

I don’t want to “forget” any of the many titles and attributes of my Father, His Son, or the Holy Spirit. When I lose track of them, I am less likely to worship, less likely to obey, and less likely to turn to Him first in every situation. As we close in on Easter this year, I want to spend some time looking at some of His many Names. But for today, I want to take a deep breath, and worship the one who is “worthy, O LORD, to receive Glory and Honor and Power” (Revelation 4:11).

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Let Heaven And Nature Sing!

Christmas is so much bigger than just us. That struck me afresh as I was listening to Christmas Carols earlier this week. It is more than just preparing our individual hearts, as crucial as that is, to accept the wonder and miracle that the God of the Universe would empty Himself of all His Royal Prerogative; all His Glory, to become, not just a human being, but a baby! To grow up among His flawed and rebellious creation; to know hunger and exhaustion; to wait in lines, to obey His “elders.”

His coming was not just a quiet birth in the night– though it was that, too. Such a paradox. His birth split the heavens, and divided all time into “before” and “after.” And yet, it went unnoticed by so many people crowded into Bethlehem that night. People living outside of Judea had no idea (other than some wise men from the East) that their King and Savior; their Creator and Redeemer, had just burst into history and humanity with a tiny mewling cry and covered in placenta.

But the Heavens knew! Angels marveled and shouted His Praise! Rocks and hills thrummed with the joy of it. The oceans may have danced, mountains skipped, trees cheered, frosty air molecules jumped up and down, and the stars– the suns of millions of galaxies– laughed in delight! For this was Their Savior, too! Jesus came to redeem all of creation–to fulfill God’s perfect plan!

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How can this be? After all, we still have earthquakes and tidal waves; we still have forest fires and smog. Nature is still unpredictable and untamed. And yet, Christ’s coming was the sign that the “groaning” of all creation would certainly come to an end. The promise was true! The Hope of Heaven, the Light of the World, the Word of God, was HERE. Living ON the earth. Able to climb a tree, step into (or walk on top of) the water, breathe the scent of flowers, and look up at all the stars He Himself had placed in the reaches of space. Able to enjoy– as He meant for US to enjoy– all the bounty of the Earth. 

And this same Savior has prepared another place– one that is already perfect and needs no redemption, no taming or saving or reclaiming–for those who put their Trust in Him. This tiny Babe, held in the arms of an ordinary girl in a grubby little stable in a tiny corner of the world He holds in His own arms. He is Lord of ALL Nature– that we can see on the Earth, and that which awaits us in a New Heaven and a New Earth!

Christmas is bigger than you and I. It is bigger than our lights and traditions. It is bigger than all of history. Bigger than the night sky; bigger than all we can imagine or dream. Because Christmas is the Advent of Christ– the one who encompasses everything. Let ALL Heaven and Nature Sing! Let the Angels announce His Glory! And let us Repeat the sounding JOY!

Father, I marvel at your Creation. I marvel at your desire to enter into it; to teach us how to have Joy in our journey through it. And I bow in Awe that You would include me in the bigger picture of eternity. Help me to carry this marvel into each moment, as I seek to Honor You and Enjoy the Wonder of Your Nature– both Your Creation, and Your Character! Amen!

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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

During this season of Advent, we often sing this ancient hymn.  It dates back nearly 900 years, and continues to be sung and/chanted in Latin.  https://hymnary.org/text/o_come_o_come_emmanuel_and_ransom

The hymn is a contrast of weary longing and hopeful prophecy.  The promised Messiah has not yet arrived, but his coming is sure, and cause for great rejoicing.

The hymn is also a prayer– pleading for the coming of Messiah, even as it comforts with the reminder that he WILL come.  And it reminds us of the power of prayer– not just the power of approaching Almighty God, but the power of acknowledging our longings, our needs, and our dependence on God.  Even in our darkest hours, even in captivity and oppression, we can have hope in God’s timing and wisdom.  He DOES see our struggle; he DOES care, and he WILL send hope and rescue.

But the song also points out a pitfall–in the first verse, the prayer is for Emmanuel to rescue Israel from Roman Occupation; to end its immediate plight of being politically and economically oppressed.  There were many people who saw Messiah, heard him speak, even felt his touch, who rejected him because he did not do what they were expecting.  There are many today who cannot believe in Jesus Christ because he doesn’t take away their current circumstances of pain and suffering.

In their narrow focus, people miss the greater miracle of what Messiah is all about.  Jesus did not come to free us from temporary troubles and trials; to make us comfortably apathetic or arrogantly victorious over personal poverty or sickness.  He came to free us to be able to endure and/or overcome our circumstances; to offer hope where there seems to be no hope.  He came to show us that our circumstances don’t define us or cut us off from God’s love; that our past is not more powerful than His forgiveness and power to heal; that even suffering and oppression can be endured with joy, even as we work together to overcome them.

This year, as I ponder this hymn, I am both discouraged, and emboldened. I am discouraged, because I hear voices calling out for many things, but few of them are calling for a Messiah. We live in a world that desperately wants what Christ offers– peace, unity, forgiveness, eternal life– but without a Savior. We want to save ourselves, and we want to do it casually, heroically, and without acknowledging our helplessness. We read books, seek out gurus and life coaches, haunt the internet, all searching for answers that only God can provide. We long to see an end to injustice and oppression– or whatever seem unfair or difficult to us or those we champion– but we don’t want to submit to the example of a humble Christ who serves others.
But I am emboldened to pray that more of us would desire more than the “quick fix” or the “feel good” solutions of the world. I pray that we would earnestly desire that this Advent Season would be a time of yearning for MORE of Christ; more of His Joy; more of His Love for others; more of His Hope to spread around us. I want us to Rejoice– not in the bright lights and decorations, or even the beautiful melodies of Christmas carols– but in the real gift of Christmas! Emmanuel!

This season, as we sing this hymn, I pray that we would see the continuation of its message.  Emmanuel HAS come– Jesus not only came and won the victory over sin and death on Calvary; he has commissioned US to be the bearers of the Good News.  There are dark places in the world praying for hope and rescue to COME.  Will we share the love of Christ in our own neighborhoods?  When we bear the name of Christ, we should be on mission to rescue those who are captives, not of Rome, but of Sin and the tyranny of Death.  So that we all can  know the reason to Rejoice! Rejoice!

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“Discovering” Jesus

Some places in America are observing Columbus Day today. This has become a controversial subject. For many years, schoolchildren were taught that Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer working for the Spanish, “discovered” America when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492.

Modern scholars are offended by this for a variety of reasons. First, there were already people in the Americas– Columbus didn’t “discover” a new-found continent devoid of people or culture. Just because the Spanish court, and most of Europe, didn’t recognize the existence of North and South America and the Caribbean, doesn’t mean they were undiscovered. It only means they were undiscovered by the major European powers. Scholars go on to argue that Columbus and the Spanish (and the French and English and Portuguese who followed) did not so much “discover” the “New World;” they invaded and stole it from those who were living here “in peace.”

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I disagree with the way scholars have “revised” the history of Western culture. But it causes me to think of how, over the years, we have also revised the message of the Gospel, and our concept of Christianity.

Much like the modern scholars’ version of Columbus “Discovering” America, many people like to talk about “discovering” Christianity. We “encounter” the Gospel. Maybe we join a local congregation of believers, or a Bible study group. It’s exciting– at first. It is new and amazing in its message of hope and love and grace.

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But then we hear ugly stories of Christians who are hateful, judgmental, condemning, greedy, hypocritical, and hurtful. “That can’t be true; that can’t be what Christianity is about,” we say. And so we vow that “our” Christianity will be different. We adapt our message to the current trends in our society. We tailor our message to our friends and neighbors, even when the it’s no longer true. We wipe out and “conquer” and reshape those verses that cause offense. We recreate Jesus into a “great teacher,” a pal or a guru, rather than a Sovereign Savior. We end up following our own gospel, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Or, we double down on legalism, making our walk with Christ more like a walk with His accusers, the Pharisees. We scream and argue about the “right” way to worship, or dress, or manage money. And we seek to wipe out those who don’t follow our traditions. We remove the promise of Grace from our Christianity, and replace it with judgment.

Except it isn’t “our” Christianity. We haven’t “discovered” the Gospel to make it into a “new” and better religion. We haven’t “discovered” a Jesus who is kinder or more accepting or less judgmental than He ever was. And We don’t follow a Jesus who refuses to love those who are not perfect or forgive those who have “fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

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Our “discovery” of Jesus should be a lifelong discovery– a lifelong journey of becoming who He wants us to be; becoming more like who He really is. Part of that is living out our faith in a world that refuses to understand or accept the Gospel. Part of it is living our lives according to the Bible’s principles, and not our culture’s trends. Part of it is trusting that God’s word never changes, even when the world around it does. And part of it is a consistent pursuit and practice of humble and earnest prayer. Otherwise, we may well be guilty of the same conquest and colonization as those we are condemning who came before us.

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