Sing a New Song to the Lord

Psalm 33: 1 - 1 (NIV): 1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. 4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 

    There is power in the spoken word. God spoke the universe into existence with the word of his mouth. And we have the privilege of praising him with ours. But our praise should extend beyond what we say or sing, it should be a part of who we are. This psalm says to "play skillfully", to give God our best in church and out. I encourage you to give God your best this new year. Don't just phone in your worship, put your heart into it. After all, he has been so good to us. He created us and sustains us by his power. He is faithful to watch over us.

    Sing a new song to him. Introduce new songs into our worship services, sure, but also realize that our relationship with God is alive and active. We don't just remember a good man and give him our respects, we have fellowship with a Savior who is central to our lives. We worship a God whose mercies are new every morning. I like listening to Christian radio stations to see if I can hear a new song that expresses how I feel and how much I love God. 

    This passage also reminds us that God's will is always done. He is God and he gets his way. He allows us freedom to choose and live our lives, but ultimately, his will is done. Only a powerful God could do this, and our God is a powerful God. This new year, give him your best and tell him how you feel about him so he will know, and so the whole world will know.

The Prince of Peace

Luke 2: 8 - 14 (NIV): 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

    We think of peace as the absence of conflict or the absence of stress. We say our country is at peace if we are not at war. We think of being at peace if all is well and we are not stressed. How has your Christmas season been so far? Stress free? How could Jesus bring us peace if the holiday celebrating his birth brings so much stress, strife and conflict?
    There must be more to peace than just the absence of conflict. Jesus said (Matthew 10:34) “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” This sounds like a contradiction. Jesus was proclaimed the "Prince of Peace" and he said he was bringing a sword instead. What gives?

    Peace means more than the absence of conflict or stress, it means wholeness. It means we have found what we are looking for. It means we are now complete because we have found God and are no longer in conflict with him. We each have a "God shaped hole" in our hearts and we have now filled it. Our search for meaning and purpose is over and that gives us a peace that the world cannot give. Even when we are in conflict; even when we are stressed, we are satisfied because we have found rest for our souls.

    But there's more, we couldn't have peace with God without Jesus because Jesus satisfied God's wrath toward our sinful rebellion (Ephesians 2: 3-5). We will still experience conflict, stress and yes, even war, but because of the Prince of Peace, we are at peace with God, we are at peace within our souls, and we can have peace with one another.

Advent – God’s Good News is for All People

Luke 2: 4 – 11 (NIV): 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

    8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

    The people in this story are celebrities today, but not at the time. They were witness to the most joyful event in history, but it wasn't easy. Mary had the privilege of holding the infant Jesus in her arms. Think of the joy he brought. But she had to suffer through the pains of childbirth to receive that joy. Often the suffering we experience today is preparing us for a future blessing. And she would not have been chosen as the mother of the Christ if she had not been righteous. May we never forget that God seeks clean vessels to use for his most blessed purposes.

    Joseph also received the joyful gift, but only after showing tremendous faith. He believed the angel's report about Mary and her miraculous pregnancy. It is impossible to receive God's full blessings if we do not trust and obey him. Joseph is a great example of that.

    The shepherds received the joy of seeing Jesus, but only after being terribly afraid. Often we are frightened when God intervenes in our lives, but God always brings good news and great joy. The shepherds were the first to hear the good news, yet they were in such a low class of society, they were not allowed in the temple. God's good news is for all people.

    This passage ends with the people of Bethlehem hearing the good news and being amazed. Yes, they received the joy too, but only because the shepherds told them what happened. The only way our community is going to hear the good news is if we share it.

Prepare the Way

Luke 1: 76 - 80 (NIV):  76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

    This passage is the second half of "Zechariah's Song", which Zechariah said after the miraculous birth of his son, John the Baptist. Yes, John's birth was a miracle, but so is every birth. God, and only God, gives life and we should recognize this. And John was born with a purpose: to prepare the way for the Lord.

    We, too, are born with a purpose. John the Baptist helped prepare the way for Jesus' first coming, but we are preparing for his second. We do so the same way John did, by calling people to repentance and preaching that God will fulfill his prophecies and promises.

    The Bible had foretold that a light would dawn on people living in darkness (Isaiah 9:2). God would shine his light of hope and love, guidance and salvation on people living in distress. We can take comfort that God fulfilled this promise. Jesus was born just where the prophet Micah said he would be, then he grew up and began his ministry in Galilee, where Isaiah said he would. Jesus brought light to all who believed. He brought salvation through his sacrifice. He brought hope to the world. And he brings peace – with God, with each other, and within ourselves. Now, it is our privilege to prepare the way for his return. And we begin by preparing our hearts this Advent Season.

The Sign of Immanuel

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV): 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

    There are many passages in the Old Testament that make no sense if you take Jesus out of the equation. This is one of them. Other examples are Moses lifting a serpent on a pole in the desert; Jonah being in a large fish for three days; the sacrificial system where an innocent lamb was killed to redeem sins; David describing being crucified; Isaiah stating that God would intentionally crush the Messiah. All of these passages only make sense when we look at them in light of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection.
Isaiah told King Ahaz, who was an evil king, that God would give him a sign: a virgin would give birth to a son and call him Immanuel, which means "God with us". Did Isaiah really mean a virgin, or just a young woman? The scholars who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (The Septuagint) more than a hundred years before Jesus was born used the word virgin. But if we keep reading this passage, we don't find a virgin giving birth, and we don't find any person being called Immanuel. Clearly, this was a prophecy that had a double meaning. It told Ahaz that in just a few years the war that he was fearing would be settled. Ahaz probably thought it meant a young woman. But it had another meaning too, it foretold a virgin birth that would not happen for another seven-hundred years.

    The Christmas season makes no sense if you take Jesus out of the picture either. We celebrate God himself becoming one of us and offering to take away our sins. We celebrate the hope he gives. We celebrate Immanuel.

The Lord is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 (NIV): 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

   I fear we have come to associate this psalm only with funerals. I myself always read it when I conduct one. But it is about so much more than comfort when a person dies, it is full of life and joy and the promise of God's goodness for today.

David knew how to be a good shepherd and he knew that God was one. God takes care of all of our needs. He places us where good food and water is. He provides the rest we need and gives us guidance on where to go. Sheep are notorious for going astray and getting into trouble. God guides us along paths that are a blessing to us and an honor to him. And God protects us. He walks with us through whatever we go through, and has the power to protect us along the way. The rod was used to fend off animals that came to attack the sheep, and the staff was used to guide the sheep along safe passages.

Even though the shepherd analogy is a beautiful one, David knew it only went so for so he abandons it in verse five. We are not God's pets or possessions, we are his children. God preparing a table before us gives me the picture of a father welcoming his grown son to banquet with him. God accepts us as children and anoints our heads with oil. This is a picture of God pouring his joy and Spirit in abundance on us. The world will see that our faith is true and we will be vindicated in our belief.

Finally, God's love and goodness follows us throughout our lives and we have the promise of heaven for all eternity.

Honoring Our Veterans

Psalm 144: 1 - 6 (NIV):  1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. 3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. 5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. 6 Send forth lightning and scatter [the enemies]; shoot your arrows and rout them. 

    On Veteran's Day, we honor all of the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. We might would think that God hates war because of the suffering it causes, and yes, God hates suffering, but this passage, written by David, reminds us that what God hates most is unholiness. Unholy, ungodly leadership has caused much of the suffering of mankind throughout History. Those who stand against God can expect his wrath. We must understand this.

    To me, the best way we can honor our veterans is by keeping America holy. Remember, holy means set apart, different. In other words, keep America a country that honors God and that honors moral behavior. America was built on hard work and the fear of God. America was built on strong families who, in turn, built strong businesses and communities. The secret to America's success has always been its government which was established in such a way that it rewarded hard work. Beyond this, though, America has enjoyed God's blessings because American's have traditionally honored God.

    David is praising God in this passage for training him to win in battle. To kill the enemy! Today's media cannot stand this idea, but the Bible does not teach that everyone is equal. What the Bible teaches is that God is for those who serve and honor him, and he is against those who hate him and his people.

    Yes, it's sad when people suffer because their government stands against God. But suffering for being God's enemy is much worse. God ordains war to show the world that he demands holiness. The best way we can honor our veterans is by keeping America holy. 

The Mystery of Salvation

John 3: 3 - 8 (NIV): 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 

    There's a mystery to salvation. It happens in the spiritual realm, but it changes the physical world. Jesus uses the illustration of wind -- it can cool your face or pick up a leaf or knock down a tree, but it is invisible. In the same way we cannot see the spiritual world that encompasses us, but we can see its effects. We can see changed lives, and we can feel God's comfort and peace, but the spiritual power itself is hidden from our eyes.

    So Christians are born twice, first physically, then spiritually. Our physical birth gets us here and we can experience life through our senses, but the spiritual birth is more mysterious. No one can see the act of salvation itself, just as we cannot see the wind. But we see the transformation of life that results. I can't see my faith, but I can see the results of having it. I can't see God himself, but I can feel his Spirit in my own.

    How are we born again? Jesus goes on to say we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven when we believe in him. Is it really that easy? James reminds us that the demons believe but are not saved (James 2:19). So it is more than head knowledge, more than mental ascent. It means we put our trust in him for salvation. We believe we need him to save us and that he will if we ask. It happens at the junction -- the crossroads -- of the physical mind and the spiritual universe. Again, it's a mystery.

An Evil Spirit Returns

Matthew 12: 43 – 45 (NIV): "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

 Can a person really have a demon? This passage is one of many the clearly teaches that we can. Jesus often cast out demons. Paul said our struggle is with “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). I believe a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon because the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts when we are saved (Ephesians 1:13, 14). But clearly, we are in a spiritual warfare.

    Jesus’ point of this story, though, is that casting out a demon and leaving your heart empty only opens you up for more and worse possession. God never intended for us to live a clean, but empty life. Cleaning up our acts will never work. If we run out one evil spirit, Jesus said, it will not only come back, but it will bring friends. It will return and find our hearts wide open, ready to be re-occupied. We are fooling ourselves if we believe we can turn over a new leaf on our own power and expect to remain in a better state.

    Jesus doesn't want us to be religious – there were plenty of religious people all around him as he said this – he wants us to have a relationship with him. There's a huge difference. God doesn't want your heart to be clean and full of rules, he wants it to be full of him.

    Once we do this, God will take care of everything else. He will run out the evil spirits and he'll put up a “no vacancy” sign. He'll do the cleaning and he will keep the enemy at bay. What God desires is a world full of people who, by faith, have invited him into their hearts. A world of people who live a life filled with hope, love and power. A world of people filled with him.

The Church Has Reclaimed Halloween

1 Corinthians 9: 21 - 23 (NIV): 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

    Halloween is short for "All Hallows (Holy) Day Evening". In Western (Catholic) society, it began as the evening before a holy day -- a holiday to celebrate Christians who have gone to be with the Lord. Worldly influences (including Druids) nearly hijacked it and caused it to become something evil instead of something good. But we never have to think of Halloween as being evil. It didn't begin that way and it is only evil if we make it so.

    The church struggled with this for much of my life, but practicality won the day. Christians realized that Halloween was an opportunity to get people to come to the church. They could offer fun events and families could come and get loads of candy, have fun, maybe get a chili dog or some other goodie. And churches did this right, with hay rides, fun events for the kids, candy and treats, all in a safe and controlled environment. More treats per minute and a lot less effort than trick-or-treating.

    And people did come. Year after year. Now, the church has retaken Halloween. This is such a wonderful time of year: cooler weather, football, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, turning leaves. And yes, decorations and costumes. But I've noticed that Halloween is now less and less about horror and more and more about harvest. The church has earned the right to influence the holiday by embracing it and, like Paul in today's passage, using it to spread the Gospel. Halloween is now firmly set as a family holiday. I'm glad Halloween is back where it began and where it belongs. 

A Faith Without Limits

Luke 17: 1 - 6 (NIV): 1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the LORD, "Increase our faith!" 6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

     Jesus never taught that a partial commitment would do. He always taught total faith, total allegiance, and total devotion. This passage shows this. It begins with a warning: that we will answer for causing children to sin. No one should ever think that he will get away with sinning. There will be a day of reckoning for all of our actions. Numbers 32:23 says, “…and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” A Christian will be forgiven, of course, but sin always has its consequences. We must not put limits on our good behavior.
    Yes we are our brother's keeper. Jesus said to hold each other accountable; to rebuke fellow Christians who are caught up in sin. We must do this without being judgmental, but there is a balance and we must find it. And if he asks for it, we give him forgiveness, over and over. We do not put limits on our forgiveness, just as God doesn't.
     And we do not put limits on our faith. It starts small and grows as we use it, like a muscle. Jesus says, in effect, that if we have any faith, we have faith. Use what you have and don't limit it. God will reward us for having and using our faith.
    If we continue to read this chapter, we see that our devotion to him must not be limited either. It is a total commitment, a total faith. A faith without limits.