The Real Reason For the Season (or) The Original Christmas Tree

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.  Isaiah 53:3-12

By now everyone has decorated their Christmas tree, wrapped all the presents, hung enough lights to qualify as an electrician, and gradually grown sick of "its the most wonderful time of the year" and the rest of the music loop played since Thanksgiving.

But what of that Christmas tree?  You know the one.  The little one Charlie Brown fretted over.  The aluminum one that kids these days don't understand.  The live one that may or may not have a woodland creature still inhabiting.  The pre-lit plastic-y one that lives in a box in the attic from New Years day to Thanksgiving.  The giant one next to a famed ice skating rink in the Big Apple.

How about the real one?  The only one that matters?

This is why Jesus Christ was born.  To die.  For you and all of creation.  To pay for your sin, the sins of all mankind, and the sin that brought death.  And to rise again from the dead so that you may rise also on the Last Day.

So think on the real reason for the season as you sip hot chocolate and watch Rudolf for the fiftieth time.

Glory to God in the highest.

Is "borrowing" from pirates still piracy? (or) Why the Shack is actually a Lean-To

Yep, I have no shame.  I'm stealing ("borrowed, borrowed with intention to credit") from Pirate Christian Radio.  If you're not listening to their shows, you should be.

Anyway.  Pr. Rosebrough has an article in the Log about the most recent attempt at evangelical Christianity to make a movie.  Thought the article was good, so I'll just post the link here.

The Shack movie bombs as evangelism tool.

Happy Monday, and if you're looking for a movie, try the latest Batman.  8 out of 10 Michael Keatons and 9 out of 10 Val Kilmers agree this Batman is the best Batman.

The Story of Salvation

In 2009, I was given an assignment to write the story of salvation from my perspective.  While most of my fellow student-teachers personalized the Passion Week account or spoke metaphorically about how Good Friday and Easter effect their lives, I took a broader approach.  I started my story of salvation when The Story of Salvation starts: Eden.  I strove to compose an account that not only tells my story, but the story of all humankind.

~

It started with sin; perfectly harmless and quite pleasing.  Listening to the lies that had been told, the child of God had eaten from a tree that had been forbidden.  It was not forbidden so as to punish the child, but rather to protect.  And yet, the child thought that the Father was being unfair.  Now, the Father, being fair, had to punish the child.  And the punishment: eternal separation from the Father. 

The child, horrified, tried to fix the problem with the means available.  Sacrifices, piety, fancy prayers, festivals, religious services, self-mutilation, fasting, solitude; no mater what the child did, the Father was not satisfied.  Then the day came for the Father to punish the child.  The Father led the child to a hill with a Tree.  The child knew that the Tree was where those who sinned were punished.

When the child and the Father reached the top of the hill, both were brought to tears when they found the child’s Brother already there, hanging in the place of the child.  He had accepted His sibling’s punishment, even though He had not sinned.  Remorseful, the child knelt at the base of the Tree, vowing to follow in his Brother’s footsteps.  Both the Father and child left the hill, their hearts broken.  When they reached the bottom, the child looked up at the Father and asked why his Brother sacrificed Himself.

“Because I love you.”  The child turned to see his Brother standing there, alive yet scarred.  Embracing Him, the child begged for forgiveness, apologizing for the sin he committed.  His Brother simply smiled and said: “All is forgiven, left at the foot of the Tree.  Now, let Me teach you of a new Life.”

That day the child’s name was changed to Christian, the bearer of Christ.  The rest of the child’s life was spent taking Christ, his Brother, to everyone he met, so that everyone might know of the wondrous act of love that occurred that day on the hill with the Tree.

~

Happy Easter!  Χριστός ἀνέστη!

When Being Banished Is A Good Thing

One of the first things we learn in Bible class is the difference between Law and Gospel.  The basics are in their names: Law is rules, Gospel is good news.  Now, where in the Bible is the first example of Law and Gospel?

Most people can easily figure out that finding Law is easy.  Simply look for rules that God gave us.  Gospel seems more challenging, but it isn't.  Many think that we don't see Gospel until the New Testament.  "The Old Testament is Law, and the New Testament is Gospel."

But is it that clear cut?

No.  The entire Bible is Law and Gospel.  That's how it works.  You cannot have the joy of Gospel without the realization that we cannot live up to the Law.

It can be argued that the first Law occurs shortly after the first Gospel.  Hold up!  Am I seriously saying that the Gospel came first?  But doesn't it work the other way around?  Didn't I just say that you need Law telling you how much you suck to know the Gospel of how much God loves you?

This may seem like a bit of chicken-egg controversy, but hear me out.  In Genesis 3 we read about the Fall of Man.  In that chapter is a lot of important stuff, so I'll take us through it first, then explain why I think Gospel came first.

The first character in this drama is Satan, the serpent.  And what is the first thing he says?  A lie?  No.  The first thing he does is ask a question.  Remember, all good liars use this method: Question, Half-truth, Unfulfillable Promise.  So he asked "did God really tell you that?"

And who does he ask?  Eve.  The reason why is simple.  Eve is the "younger" of the two first people, and was not as aware, I guess we could say, of what the exact rule or reason for God's instructions were.  Adam told her, no doubt, but when put on the spot, her memory falters a bit.  She explains it correctly, but adds too much.  Maybe God said "just to be safe, don't even touch the tree."  But, using child-like logic, Eve connects "don't eat" with "you're gonna die."

Satan follow this question with his half-truth and promise together.  "You will not die."  Well, technically we won't die.  We have an eternal soul, which will live forever.  And we won't die immediately, it will take time.  He then promises that we will be "like God."  Again, technically, we are like God, but in a different way.  Before the Fall, we were more like God, since we were perfect and sinless.  After the Fall, we were no longer innocent, but now we could know the full truth.  We weren't children anymore.  We understood what "evil," "selfishness," and "corruption" are.

It didn't take God long to figure out that we messed up His garden.  In fact, He knew how it would happen even before He breathed life into Adam.  So why did He make us so that we could sin, and why did He allow us to do this?  God loves us.  Always has, always will.  And because He loves us, He gives us the choice to love Him back.  God gave our First Parents to choose to remain His, or try to go our own way and be "like" Him.

God asked the three culprits what happened.  Adam blamed Eve, and God.  Eve blamed the serpent.  Satan was too smart to blame anyone.  Besides, he wanted them to know it was all his master plan.  You see, he told Adam and Eve they could be "like" God.  He wanted to be God.

So God passed the first sentences.  Adam would have to work hard to provide for his family.  Eve would have to work hard to care for children.  And Satan… he was cursed with the First Gospel.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

If you've seen the scene at the end of "The Passion of the Christ" then you know Satan's reaction to this.  This wasn't a curse.  It was the announcement of Victory.  Satan did something so heinous that God would be forced to either concede defeat or the most unspeakable thing possible: provide a sacrifice.  Someone would have to die.  It was either us, or God.

Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son, but God provided a replacement: a ram.

Aaron and all the high priests sacrificed goats, sheep, oxen, and doves.

Gideon slaughtered his father's oxen and sacrificed them to God.

Solomon dedicated the Temple with a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats.

Elijah sacrificed a bull on Mount Carmel.

Mary and Joseph brought two doves when they dedicated the infant Jesus at the Temple.

God set up a plan of repayment.  In a way, all these sacrifices were like paying off the interest.  But one sacrifice tops them all.  The Sacrifice.

"Carrying his own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha)."  (John 19:17)

Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God, died.  He was the ultimate Sacrifice.  When God told Satan that He would "crush your head" the liar knew God was speaking of this event.  Satan could not win, any more than an ant can win in a fight with a tank.  Satan knew he was doomed, that his bluff was called and God would follow through.  So he set about making sure he could hurt God as much as possible.  And since you can't kill God (not permanently) he had to find a different way.

Any psychopath from a crime drama knows the best way to hurt your enemy is to hurt your enemy's loved ones.  So, Satan began targeting humans.  First it was simple embarrassment at being naked.  But it soon escalated.  Now is the first Law.

"He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."  (Genesis 3:22b)

God could not allow us access to Eternal Life while we were Sinful.  To do so would be devastating.  It also would allow Satan to win.  Because if we could live forever while in our corrupt nature, we would be miserable.  Always dying, never dead.  Living forever in our pain, agony, strife, and hatred.  To keep us safe, God had to kick us out of our first home.  Harsh.  But at the same time, grace.  This rule, like so many others, was not to punish, but protect.  We were not thrown out of Eden because He was mad at us, but because we could not safely stay there.

This banishment was not punishment, but grace.

And it wasn't the end of the story.  Adam and Eve knew that God promised to send a savior.  And they looked for him.  As did their children.  Millions of people searched for Him, listening to prophecies, hoping and praying to see Him restore the world.

We are still technically banished, but we have also been repaired.  God promised Abraham that through him would come a blessing to the nations.  That blessing was, and is, Jesus Christ.  And with His death and resurrection, our banishment officially ended.  So why are we still here, in prison?

To minister to those who do not yet know that full pardons are available to them for free.

Psalm 23: The Valley

It's probably one of the most read portions of the Bible.  Psalm 23, also known as "the Shepherd's Psalm," is one of the most well know of King David's songs.

David, being a former shepherd, wrote about what he knew: a shepherd leading his dumb sheep.  Only this time, it's David who's wearing the wool coat.  Which is fair.  God is the shepherd; we are the sheep.

In the psalm, David writes about safe and restful places that God leads him to.  The green pastures and quiet waters sound pretty nice, don't they.  Positively restful.  Like the picture at the top of the post, right?  It appears to be quite an idillic oasis nestled in the midst of natural fortress.  Perfect for a shepherd to rest... right?

But what if it rains?

What you see in the picture is called a wadi.  Basically it translates to "valley," but may be a dry riverbed.  Usually in the desert anywhere with water is prized.  But wadis can be very dangerous due to the very thing that makes them a haven: water.

Two words: flash flood.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,"  (Psalm 23:4a)

If you are standing in the lowest point of a wadi, especially one with steep sides, and it starts raining very heavily, it is not a question of sink or swim.  You won't have time to swim.

The valley David writes about is not a literal one, though I have no doubt he dealt with the dangers of wadis in the rainy season.  No, David's "valley of death" is life.

Our life can be seen as a journey.  There are parts of our journey that looks like the "easy road," so we take it.  It has plenty of cool water and shade and looks like exactly what God wants for us.  Then we look up and see the hills.  They looks a little rocky, and getting to them will be difficult, but we might be able to see where we're going from there.

Beyond the hills, we can see storm clouds.

If we stay in the valley, we could drown.  If we try to climb to reach the hills, we might give up because it's too hard.

We feel trapped.  And maybe we are.  Trapped by our own doing.

"I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."  (Psalm 23:4b)

"I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."  (Psalm 121:1-2)

In the study, practice, and ministry of faith, there are times we label as "mountain top experiences."  These are the "good times" with God.  The times when His will is clear, or we are in close fellowship with fellow believers.  They are times when our faith is energized and recharged.  Times when we realize that our struggling and toiling on our own was foolish and we should have gone to our Father at the first sign of trouble.

We long for these mountain top moments.  We chase after them sometimes.  But we cannot stay on the mountain.  Peter tried that at the Transfiguration.  But the point was not to stay and "hang out" with Jesus on the mountain.  The disciples had to descend into the valley so that they could find the sheep that have gone astray.

God needs us in the valley, because that is where the work is.  But that doesn't mean that is where we are supposed to stay.  The clear water and green pastures God is leading us to is not in the valley, or even on the ridges and hills we can see.  No, God is leading us to a high plateau far from the valleys.  First seen on this earth as the bedrock threshing floor Solomon built the Temple on, then finalized here as a spiritual plateau we journey to each week in worship.  But even this is a mere rest stop on our journey.  No, the peaceful place the Good Shepherd is leading us to is not on this earth, but our Father's mansion.  Our home: heaven.

While the valleys we travel through are still dangerous and tiring, we can hold our heads high, knowing that while we are not home yet, the Shepherd will see us safely there.

So don't fret about the valleys.  God holds the high ground.

Feeling Down?

Have you ever felt alone?  Abandoned?  Lost?  Without hope?

Well, I've been struggling with a bit of that lately.  Things here in southern Illinois have been challenging.  And it looks like it will only continue.  I know, its been quite a while since I last posted, and it really isn't fair that I am posting something a bit depressing.  In a way I'm not posting it for you to read, though you should.  Instead I'm using the blog as a vent.  I wrote the following devo a while back, but its fitting at times like this.



Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.


Sometimes, in our most desperate times, God seems far away.  We know He can swoop in and rescue us from our trials.  And we know about His promise that we are saved.  Yet we still feel abandoned.  Even Jesus felt abandonment when He was on the cross.

But are we really alone?

David had moments when he felt abandoned by God.  On the run from a possibly insane king out to kill him, David sought refuge.  He went into hiding, pretending to be crazy.  Yet in all this, he recognized and acknowledged that despite his feelings, God was not missing.  He was still there, comforting and protecting David.

Just like He’s still with us.

It’s a simple fact, but easy to forget.  No matter what struggles we go through, God has not abandoned us, even if we feel He is.  Because that’s just it: we feel He’s far off.  Perhaps we are the ones who have moved.

Father,
Sometimes we wander off and get ourselves in predicaments that are painful or demoralizing.  We feel abandoned by You.  Help us to realize that it is us who did the leaving.  Despite this, stay close, comfort and save us.
Amen

Νίκη!

Been paying attention to "March Madness?"  I really haven't.  But there was a pretty big upset last Friday.  I wonder if you caught it?  It wasn't a big game, and it wasn't televised.  Actually, it didn't happen this year.  Or century.  Or even this millennium.  And to be honest, "game" is the wrong word. More like a "one-on-one" match, only the stakes were pretty high.  I doubt there's ever been a basketball game with even a tenth riding on it.

Two opponents in a winner-take-all battle to the death.  Except only one was in danger of death, and they both knew who it would be.  There were two ways it could go: the good guy decides to ignore the set rules and simply defeat the bad guy before starting; or the good guy dies, allowing the bad guy to win.  I was rooting for the good guy.

The good guy died.

WARNING- Incoming Greek Lesson: Νίκη (roughly transliterated: nikae) = victory.  Also name of Greek goddess of victory.  Shoe company "Nike" took this as their name.  "E" at the end much longer in sound, like the "Ei" in Eight.

For those who know, the "good guy" is Christ, and the "bad guy" is Satan.  "But wait," you say, "He won, didn't He?  Isn't that the whole reason for Easter?"  Yeah, it is.  But it wasn't so obvious that first Good Friday.

Everyone was dead sure He had lost.  (Pun intended.)  The Disciples were positive the reason Christ came was to drive out the Romans and restore the Davidic line and kingdom.  The Jewish leaders were positive He was a blasphemer.  The Romans thought He might be part of a new rebellious movement in an already rebellious province.  For the rest of the world, it seemed it was better that Christ had died.

Satan knew the truth.  He would have liked nothing better than to have killed Christ, permanently.  But he knew that wasn't possible.  He knew the very moment Christ stopped breathing that he lost.

Everyone else figured it out Sunday morning.

Χριστός ἀνέστη!  (Christ is Risen!)

Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid of terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

Put me in, coach! I'm ready!

Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:3-6

Meg wanted to watch “Facing the Giants” last night because of the whole “praying for rain” metaphor.  While I like it as well, I latched onto the second verse of “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns.  (If you haven’t heard it yet, go to You Tube and listen before continuing, just because it’s a good song.)  It’s a summary of David’s fight against Goliath; fitting for a movie where a football team is defeated by a field goal kicked by a kid named David.

Anyway, it got me thinking.  I have been struggling the last couple months with the teacher call process.  I feel that I have worked so hard and that I deserve to get a call.  It is frustrating that it seems everyone else is getting to go out and serve God, but not me.  It's like I'm a soldier who just finished training and all I get to do is stand on the pier and watch as my fellow warriors, orders in hand, board the troopship and head out to battle.  And here I stand, ready to go, practically screaming at God: "HERE I AM! SEND ME!"  I keep hearing an echo of part of the refrain of "Unbreakable" by Fireflight, repeating it almost as if it is a prayer.  "I want to go there; this time I'm not scared!"  The whole song is quite inspirational, I think, but that part is particularly powerful to me.

While watching "Facing the Giants" I was reminded of an Israelite shepherd.  The night before I had this urge to read about Joseph.  In the case of Joseph, he was humbled because he claimed to have the ability to read dreams and be a great manager.  It was only later, when he had nothing, that God called for him.  With David, he immediately declared God to be the ultimate power, specifically the one that would deliver his enemy to him.  Both men acknowledged God as their source of strength; the source of everything.

That is something I have been struggling with.

I keep saying that it was "I" who did all the work.  Was it really?  The most important lessons I have learned were not ones I created, but rather life-changing events that God blessed me with.  Going back to the soldier analogy, God has been the Drill Sergeant, providing me with challenges to "reshape" me into what He needs.  A song by Family Force 5 emphasizes that, though their slant is looking at God as the potter.  "Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me, make me what you want me to be."  But I still wonder why things have been so difficult.  He said that all things work out for those of us who love Him (Romans 8:28).  At the same time, though, He has given us the ability to do more than just conquer our trials (Romans 8:37).  The struggle, then, is in persevering to the end.

And that lead me to the section at the top of the post.  "Suffering produces perseverance."  If things were not hard, would anyone ever develop a "stick-to-it" attitude?  And don't we consider that attitude, that work ethic, to be a characteristic that is to be admired?  Especially because hard-workers tend to be very optimistic and hopeful about the future.  How can they be when life is so hard?  Because they know that God does not disappoint.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."  This isn't about whether I get my "dream job" or not.  This is about God giving me an opportunity to let everyone know how awesome He is.  While I was powerless, worthless, without hope, unable to do anything, He DID.  I must put aside my fear of giving Him the glory.  I should humble myself as His willing servant.

O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your, the son of Your maidservant; You have freed me from my chains.  (Psalm 116:16)

He has bought me, given me new life, given me gifts and a purpose and a mission.  Why then should I doubt that He will continue to provide for me?