Jesus: The Message of Hope

Christmas Character Series

John 1:1-18

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A1-18&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

This headline appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on Christmas Eve morning. Initially, I thought how cool that on Christmas Eve they printed a story about Jesus. Instead, it was an article about the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 8 space mission that circled the moon.

 

Here is how the journalist introduced the story.

“At the end of a violent, turbulent 1968 in which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy were assassinated, protesters and police battled outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and American troops were mired in the war in Vietnam, there came a semblance of peace from 230,000 miles away.”

 

That “semblance of peace” was issued on December 24, 1968, as the astronauts looked out the window of their spacecraft, and saw the earth in a way that no human had ever seen before. As a message of hope, they quoted a passage from Genesis 1. However, I think the following verses would have been better.

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.         NIV

 

This is the best message of hope possible. It is the message of God becoming man; of the word made flesh; of God with us. In The Message, it is paraphrased this way:

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and blood,
                        and moved into the neighborhood.          MSG

 

Thank goodness we don’t depend on the Columbus Dispatch, or any other temporal source, for lasting hope. But we can depend on the Living God, who sent His one and only Son into our world to seek us out and bring us love, joy, peace and hope.

 

May you experience “The Message of Hope” throughout the coming year.

 

 

 

 

The Shepherds: Unexpected Servants

Christmas Character Series

Luke 2:1-21

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A1-21&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Many years ago, we went to a Christmas program called Journey to Bethlehem. It was a series of scenes leading up to the birth of Christ. The manger scene was in the

sanctuary where there was a young couple playing Mary and Joseph. What made it especially touching was that their newborn baby was with them as Jesus.

 

As we walked into the sanctuary, the baby began crying, as babies will do. Just like that, the theatrical scene suddenly became a real-life scene. It took me back two thousand years to the real baby Jesus crying in his mother’s arms.

 

For over sixty years, I’ve celebrated Christmas with outdoor decorations, a Christmas tree with lots of presents, a big Christmas meal with family and a special Christmas Eve service. Despite all of that, it only took a little baby seconds to make Christmas real. It was unexpected, just like it was for the shepherds.

 

On that very first Christmas, the Shepherds were in the fields minding their own business. They weren’t aware of Caesar Augustus and his big plans for expanding the Roman Empire. They’d never heard of Joseph and Mary, and had no idea of what had been happening in their lives.

 

All they knew was to watch their sheep. That was their world. That is, before it was turned upside down when suddenly an angel appeared to them. Surprise!

 

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”    NLT

 

Once the angels left, the shepherds decided to go into Bethlehem to find the baby. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, except for the hint given them by the angel. Look for the sign. After all, how many new born babies would be lying in a feeding trough?

 

The crying baby was an unexpected sign for me. The angels were unexpected for the shepherds, as well as the baby in a manger. Are you ready for what God has for you that is unexpected?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joseph – A Devout Servant

Christmas Character Series

Matthew 1:18-25

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1%3A18-25&version=NIV

 

There’s a new TV series titled “A Million Little Things”. The title is a play on the saying, "Friendship isn't a big thing – it's a million little things."

 

 

The series is about a group of close friends dealing with the suicide death of Jon, who before his death would always say, “Everything happens for a reason”.

 

My Mom was really good about making up stories about strangers. She would see a couple in a restaurant, and create a story just from how they looked and acted. We don’t really learn very much about Joseph in this passage, but based on the few facts available to us, my Mom might have made up the following story.

 

Joseph grew up in Nazareth where his father Jacob was the local carpenter. He had inherited the business from his father before him, and no doubt Joseph would do the same. They weren’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but there was always work.

 

The family were devout Jews going to synagogue every Sabbath. Jacob of course, was a descendant of King David. As a young man, sometimes Joseph would see a very pretty girl at synagogue by the name of Mary. However, they never spoke but only gave each other side glances.

 

Mary’s family also lived in Nazareth, but had moved there from the hill country of Judea where her cousin Elizabeth lived. Mary’s father came to Nazareth to find work. They lived a day to day existence.

 

At the appropriate age, the local yenta, or “match maker”, was approached by Joseph’s parents. She knew just the right girl – Mary. Soon the two were betrothed, but then the train fell off the tracks.

 

Mary told Joseph she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The story was just too unbelievable though. So, after much discussion with his parents and the rabbi, Joseph decided to divorce her quietly.

 

But before he could act on his plan, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream confirming what Mary had told him. When Joseph woke, he discussed his dream with his parents and the rabbi; this time, deciding to stay with Mary.

 

I don’t know about you, but God hasn’t intervened in my life through an angel - by a dream or otherwise. For me, God intervenes through “a million little things”.

 

As a young person, He did it through my parents who raised me; through the plastic case of gem stones we bought on vacation; through my high school girlfriend who dumped me; through a college classmate who befriended me; through… a million little things. I believe that everything does happen for a reason.

 

How has God intervened in your life? How is God intervening right now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary: A Willing Servant

Christmas Character Series

Luke 1:26-38; 46-55

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-38%2CLuke+1%3A46-55&version=NIV

 

God has a habit of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

 

Consider Moses, who wasn’t good at talking, but led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. Or David, who was a young, shepherd boy, but became the king of Israel which eventually led to his Messianic lineage.

 

A classic example of this was Mary; a teenage girl, living a hard scrabble life, who got pregnant by someone other than her betrothed, only to give birth to, and raise, the son of God.

 

But if you think about it, God could have chosen anybody that He wanted as the Mother of Jesus. It was His choice to set the criteria for her. If God had only used ZipRecruiter to find the best qualified mother then his ad might have appeared something like this:

 

Looking for a young, mature female with parental experience, either as a current mother or possibly a nanny or au pair. Needs to be able to deal with high stress, emotionally painful and complex situations. Must have the financial means to provide, not only for the child’s material needs, but also for his emotional, educational and missional needs. Should have a spouse who can provide the stability and security of a nuclear family that is necessary for a child to thrive.

 

Instead, God called Mary who was so insecure; so unstable; that God had to send an angel to build her up; to reinforce her; to give her the confidence that she was capable of actually doing the job.

 

²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”      NIV

 

To Mary’s credit, she asked only one question. Following this, she was ready to commit to the job. She was ready to follow God’s calling; to be His servant no matter what it would mean.

 

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”           NIV

 

Are you able to give such an unconditional commitment to follow Jesus? Mary has set the bar high. She has set a great example for us to follow. Despite the fact that, in many ways, Mary was unqualified for the job, she plowed ahead by faith.

 

When God calls you to what seems to be an insurmountable, unachievable task – remember how Mary responded. And then, like Mary, take the first step; say yes.

 

(Here’s a link for the song “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill. I hope you enjoy it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw

 

 

 

 

The Buckeye Faithful

Revelation 7:9-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%207%3A9-17&version=NIV;NLT

 

When we moved to Columbus in 1985, we had no idea how rabid Buckeye fans could be. However, we quickly learned when virtually every time we were introduced as moving from Lansing, Michigan, the response was invariably the same, “Well at least you’re not a Michigan fan!”

 

The center of these comments came from the rivalry between Ohio State and the University of Michigan. It was perpetuated by their coaches in the 70’s – Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. However, since the year 2000, U of M has won only three times. This was to be the year when the tide turned, or so they thought.

 

Last Saturday, Ohio Stadium was packed with 106,588 mostly Buckeye fans. It was a sea of red screaming for their team. A friend of mine, who has season tickets, said he had never heard the crowd as loud when during the game Ohio State blocked a punt and ran the ball in for a touchdown.

 

Similar to “The Game” last Saturday, here is a different kind of victorious scene.

 

⁹ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”            NLT

 

John draws us a picture of believers who surround the throne of God worshipping Him. Because no matter what happens in life; no matter how bad our circumstances are; no matter how painful life is; when all is said and done; God is victorious. And His victory ultimately is ours.

 

The people who John was writing to were suffering great persecution. John himself had been exiled to an island penal colony because of his faith. Through this passage, he was giving them a vision of hope; of purpose; of salvation. He was giving them a reason to not compromise, but to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

 

That reason still exists today for you and for me. We may not experience victory every minute of every day, but it is there waiting for us. That’s a promise made by the Living God who is faithful yesterday, today and forever.

 

Therefore, like the Buckeye faithful, let us “shout with a great roar”, only not for the Scarlett and Gray, but for our victorious Lord.