December 24, 2018

We Wait

“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, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

– Luke 1:76-79

The stores are finally closing. Traffic is slowing down. Take a deep breath. Christmas is almost here.

It was never supposed to be this way. The hustle and bustle. All the gifts for ourselves and others. Christmas was never about that. It was always about a child, a baby born to save us all.

John the Baptist knew his role from the very beginning. These verses are part of the prophecy Zechariah gave over his son. The words were a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Remember Zechariah had doubts when the angel Gabriel came to give him the news that Elizabeth would give birth to a son. For that reason, Zechariah remained silent, unable to speak, until after John was born.

Zechariah learned a few things on his journey. He learned never to question any message God sends through his angels. And he learned that sometimes the greatest among us are the ones who lead the way.

That was John’s job in life. He was to point others toward Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less. He would come to say later in his life that he would decrease as Jesus increased. It was never about John and he knew that.

It’s not about us either. Do we know that? In the midst of this holiday do we understand that we are here to glorify God, to praise Him, to lead others to know Christ as Lord and Savior? Do we understand our purpose?

I’ve certainly got nothing against a beautiful tree surrounded by gifts. I love the gathering of family and friends. I enjoy the food a little more than I should. But the challenge comes when we get so involved in all those things that we miss the coming of the Lord.

Do we see the baby in the manger? Can we imagine his cries? He left heaven for this so that we might be free from the sins that doomed us to eternal death. He came out of love for us. Do we love Him in return? Do we understand in the silence of the night that our lives are meant to point others to Him?

Our church has a beautiful Christmas Eve service. There is lots of merriment and singing of Christmas carols. But the end really brings it back to what’s important. After communion, we pass the light around the dark room. Silence echoes as each person lights the candle held by the person next to him. It is in that moment that we remember. We wait quietly, expectantly, for the sound of a newborn crying in the night.

Jesus. Messiah. Savior. King. Lord. Emmanuel.

Come.

December 13, 2018

Bad Behavior

But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

– Luke 3:19-20

We don’t want anyone to point out our sin to us. We get defensive. We blame them. We’re good at pointing fingers but don’t you dare say anything about our own behavior.

That extends to others. This political climate we’re in amazes and distresses me. A common defense is we can’t hold one person accountable for their sins because of the sins of another person. What’s that old cliché? Two wrongs don’t make a right. Someone else’s wrong behavior doesn’t justify your behavior or the behavior of someone you support in the political arena.

How many times have we heard a child explain their behavior with “everyone” was doing it? It’s as though going along with the crowd makes wrong behavior okay. That excuse isn’t limited to kids. Adults do it too.

Think about the excuses you or others offer up: Everyone was drinking; Everyone was padding their expense accounts; everyone was making derogatory comments; everyone was doing whatever they wanted.

Herod was no exception. He was in charge. How dare John the Baptist – or anyone – question whatever he wanted to do? He wanted his brother’s wife. It didn’t matter what John said. It didn’t matter what God said. It didn’t matter what anyone thought or said. It was all about what Herod wanted.

John the Baptist was brave enough to call him out on it. John refused to remain silent even though it cost him his life

Do you remain silent when you see wrong doing? We don’t want to get involved. We judge. It’s not that. We just don’t want to suffer for it. We’d rather voice our opinions, our judgments, behind someone’s back or as a political rant, than to actually go face-to-face with someone.

We don’t want to be criticized or condemned for offering up our “opinions.” A few months ago a friend once again shared and commented on ugly political views. There’s no truth to the allegations she shares but she believes it. That’s her choice. But someone else called her out on it. They were nice but they asked why her comments were so hateful and mean. They wanted to know why she thought it was okay.

She offered up the standard opinion response. I admired the woman who challenged her. She is braver than I. Or maybe I know this woman well enough to know that only Jesus can change her heart. She is a wonderful Christian woman, with a good heart, who prays and tries to live as Jesus lived. Until it comes to politics.

But here’s something else I noticed: After the exchange, she stopped sharing so much ugliness. Oh, every now and then, she’ll share something hateful but mostly she doesn’t anymore. I hope it’s because the Holy Spirit convicted her.

It’s not about opinions. Everyone has a right to their own opinions. It’s about passing on untruths that are mean and bigoted and justifying bad behavior as your opinion. It’s like Herod believing because he was the ruler, he could do what he knew was wrong.

When someone starts pointing the finger at someone else, pause before you chime in. It could just be that the one full of condemnation is only trying to cover up their own sins.

December 12, 2018

Faith Comes First

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

– Luke 3:8-9

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

– James 2:18

They are good. They’re quick to point that out if anyone tries to tell them about Jesus. They don’t want to listen. They aren’t willing to hear.

In their minds, they are good people. “I’ll just take my chances,” is a popular response. It’s not about chances. If you believe in Jesus, believe He came and died for our sins and rose three days later, you are saved. If you don’t, you are headed to hell.

Sometimes we try to cover the truth with platitudes. Maybe if we surround it with nice things, we won’t have to deal with the black and white nature of sin. We don’t want to tell people we like, people who are basically good people, that Jesus is the only way to live.

Some people truly believe their deeds will save them. They just do. It’s not true but it gives them an excuse to continue on without ever really making a decision. They don’t want to turn their lives over to Jesus. They don’t want to hand Him control.

Others know all the answers. They’re saved. They love Jesus. They attend church. They tithe sometimes. But they aren’t quite willing to give up their sins. They’re forgiven so what does it matter? They want the security of Jesus, they want the reassurance that Heaven is in their future, but they also want to live however they choose in the hear and now.

Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe you know someone, or several someones, who fit into one of the other of those categories. Maybe one of those categories describes you.

John the Baptist was preaching about the Messiah. He was baptizing people with water. He was laying the way for what was to come. Some Jews thought they were good. Abraham was their father. They had no need for a Savior.

Yet, they did. God sent His Son and they missed it. They rejected Him and crucified Him. They were so busy with their rules, with knowing everything, that they missed what was truly important.

The same is true for those who claim a faith they don’t live. How is it possible to have true faith without wanting to change your life and please the One who gives us life? It isn’t. Because true faith brings change inside of us.

That’s what James was saying. Some people think being good, doing good, is all they need to be saved. They’ve got it all wrong. It is faith that saves us and, because of that faith, we want to do good to honor Jesus.

Life is hard. Do good. Be kind. But don’t ever forget that none of it matters if Jesus Christ isn’t in your heart.

June 14, 2018

Doubts Are Normal

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” – Matthew 11:2-3

There are moments of clarity, times when you know what God has called you to do and you step out boldly in faith. Then real life settles in and the doubts start playing with your mind.

Did you really hear God correctly? Is it truly the Holy Spirit leading you or is it Satan telling you what you want to hear? Are these obstacles just another hurdle to overcome or are they sent by God to stop what He hasn’t ordained?

Don’t you wish you could have a clear reading of exactly what God wants you to do? I’ve often joked that I wish God would give me MapQuest directions for my life journey. I want to do His will in all things but sometimes it sure is difficult to drown out the voices of the world and concentrate on what He is telling me.

It consoles me to know that John the Baptist had doubts too. He knew who Jesus was. Listen to this:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29

John was confident that Jesus was the Messiah. At least, until John found himself sitting in a jail cell. There’s something about being alone with your thoughts that lets the worry seep in. There’s something about idle time that causes you to question what you thought you knew.

John was fortunate that he could send his disciples to Jesus and ask for confirmation. Jesus didn’t brush off the questions. He didn’t seem offended by John’s sudden doubts. Instead, Jesus provided the reassurance John needed to continue his journey toward death.

So how do we get confirmation for our own journey? Ask the Savior. If you truly seek God’s voice, the Holy Spirit will tell you what to do.

The problems come when the world tells us something different. There’s always someone around to say you can’t do what God has called you to do. There’s always someone to point out all the difficulties that lie in your path. There’s always someone to doubt your calling.

But at the end of the day we aren’t meant to follow the world. We are meant to follow Christ. We are to do God’s will, recognizing that He is the God of miracles. He doesn’t call us to something without intending to make it happen.

That doesn’t mean it will be instant. There is frequently a season of waiting. That’s hard. We are an instant people but God sometimes has lessons to teach us as we wait. Ask what the lesson is. Do all you can where you are. Trust that God didn’t call you forward to abandon you before the end.

Everyone has doubts sometimes. The key is to seek reassurance from the One who knows all things. Don’t give up. You may not see the path but trust that it’s there. God knows the way. Your job is to follow Him one step at a time.

March 25, 2015

Point Others Toward Jesus

 

"He must become greater; I must become less."

-- John 3:30

John the Baptist understood his role. He was to point others toward Jesus. Period. We're to do the same.

Several years ago a woman with flowing red hair joined our church. She came to us through a mandatory recovery program. We fell in love with her joy and the way the Spirit seemed to flow through her. She was so determined to make it this time. She wanted to remain a recovering addict rather than fall back into addiction like she'd done several times before.

We prayed for her and with her. We all wanted her to succeed so badly. Maybe she has. She graduated from the program and moved on to live with her son in another state. But I've always had this niggling doubt that began with the last Sunday she was with us.

I didn't realize at the time that I probably would never see her again. Her Sunday school teacher was out of town and that class was told to join other classes that day. I invited her to join ours. She couldn't. She was almost in panic mode. She was "loyal" to her teacher. She couldn't possibly attend another class, even for one day. I assured her -- repeatedly -- that it was okay.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that her allegiance, her grasp on recovery, was tied not to Jesus but to her teacher. That couldn't last, not just because she was leaving, but because other people can't save us, especially not from ourselves.

We want to save others. We do. And we want credit for it. We have the best of intentions. We want to be good friends, good caregivers, good people. But our goal should be to point others toward Jesus and we can't do that if we're taking credit for ourselves.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Cling To Jesus, Not People

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. -- John 3:30

John the Baptist knew his role and it was to prepare the way for Jesus. He rejected those who wanted to proclaim him the Messiah and focused instead on the mission God had given to him.

Shouldn’t we all be focused on what God has called us to do and not what God has called others to do? And shouldn’t we all live our lives to give greater glory to Jesus and less and less to ourselves?

I recently met a wonderful woman in the midst of a recovery program. She loudly proclaimed her devotion to Jesus. She seemed to finally have grasped the One who could hold her hand and steady her life as she ventured beyond a structured treatment program and into the world.

Shortly before she completed the program, her Sunday school teacher was absent and class members were asked to attend another class. I invited her to our class. She refused to go to any other class, insisting that she was devoted to her teacher. It was only for the one week. There were several class options. She just couldn’t do it.

It was then that I began to wonder how much of her recovery was based on Jesus and how much on the people who had come to represent Jesus to her. The difference likely will mean success or failure for her recovery.

As people, we fail each other repeatedly. It doesn’t matter how hard we try to always be there for each other, to do and say the right things, we can’t and we don’t. We’re humans and we let each other down. Just like her Sunday school teacher had let her down by being absent one week.

This woman moved out-of-state when she completed her recover program. I have no idea how she’s doing. We haven’t heard. All we can do is pray for her, pray that she will truly cling to the One who can save her from the demons that haunt her.

John the Baptist recognized the difference between his mission and what he could do and Jesus’ journey toward the cross. He might not have foreseen all the details, but he knew that Jesus was the Messiah who had come to save us all. One could guide. The other could offer eternal salvation.

It’s important to listen to church leaders and pastors. We can learn a great deal and they can guide us toward a deeper faith and understanding. But it’s far more important to understand the difference between fallible humans and our Heavenly Father. One is an unwavering Rock we cling to in all circumstances. The other will always let us down.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Be God’s Messenger

It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way -- a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 -- Mark 1:2-4

Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, John the Baptist told the world He was coming. John was set aside for God’s service and, eventually, he would give his life.

There was nothing normal about John. The Bible tells us he wore clothing of camel’s hair and he ate locusts and honey. Can you imagine how odd he must have appeared? Yet he loudly proclaimed the Messiah’s coming. Perhaps his differences made people notice and listen. Maybe a few even believed.

We are all called to be messengers for God. We are to prepare the way for those who are lost, those who are seeking, those who need a Savior. Yet we tend to shove our responsibility aside. We pay the preachers to do that sort of thing, don’t we?

I doubt God will let any of us get away with that excuse. Because that’s all it is. We don’t want the responsibility of talking to others about Jesus. We don’t want to boldly live our faith. We don’t want others to see us as religious fanatics.

What do we want others to see when they look at you or me? A decent person. A honest person. A hard worker. Someone who is kind and caring? Maybe, for most of us. But don’t we also want others to see us as someone who loved Jesus with all our hearts? Someone who lived our faith boldly in a fallen world that was so lost?

Our world could sure use a large dose of bold Christian living. Not judgment. Not condemnation. Not law. But of love and kindness and forgiveness. Because those are the things Jesus preached. Those are virtues He showed us how to live. So why do we hide behind a mask that tells us to hide our faith when we are outside the walls of our churches?

I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus. My faith is tested and true. And that bothers some people. So be it. I will continue to live my faith out loud. I will pray in public. I will speak of Jesus and all He has done for me. I will credit my God with all the good things He has and continues to do for me. To the best of my ability, I will live my life as a testimony of what I believe.

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for others to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. What about your life? Are you preparing others? Are you leading them toward the cross? Are you showing them what the promise of eternal life means today? God has set you apart. He has claimed you as His just as you claimed Jesus when you cried out to Him for salvation. So be God’s messenger. Show others the right path.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Do You Hear God Calling?

John’s clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach. -- Matthew 3:4-5

What would you think of John the Baptist if you met him today? Would you cross the street rather than pass right by him? Would you ignore him? Would you laugh and point? Or would you listen to his message and realize that what he was saying was something you really needed to hear?

Pastor Meghan spoke yesterday about letting the hustle and bustle of the season drown out things we really need to see and hear. We are so focused on shopping and parties and cooking and kids that we forget to make room for the baby in the manger.

Our world is much like the wilderness in which John preached, Pastor Meghan told us. She’s right. Look around you. This past year has brought greater political discord in our nation. Storms ripped through the country, sowing devastation and taking lives. People are homeless and hungry, jobless and sick. Abuse seems rampant with no end in sight.

It’s hard, sometimes, to see the light when everywhere we look just seems so dark. Maybe that’s one reason the holiday season is hard for those who are alone or grieving. Pastor Meghan noted that the blues just seem to be magnified during this joyous season.

But we are not alone. God hears our cries. He sees the strain the busyness of life causes us. He knows the traumas we push down deep inside. He is calling to us -- if we will only hear His voice.

Isaiah had spoke of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’” -- Matthew 3:3

Do you hear God calling you to Him? Do you long to answer Him, to be the person He has called you to be? You can be you know. Not by your strength or knowledge, but with His. As Pastor Meghan pointed out, we all need to hear the Good News that God has come down to rescue us, to save us from ourselves and this world of sin.

At Christmas we don’t just celebrate a baby lying in a manger. We celebrate God’s Son, who came down from Heaven to live among us and save us through His blood. That baby became our salvation. That’s what we need to know, to hear and to see.

God has prepared a path for you. The way is straight. Do you hear God calling you? Listen and repent. Receive His forgiveness and know what it is like to truly live.