O Holy Night

A Series on Advent – The Christ Candle

John 1:1-5; John 3:16-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A1-5%2CJohn+3%3A16-17&version=NIVUK;NLT

 

Advent is a time to meditate on the meaning of Christmas; the birth of Jesus; the birth of Immanuel, which means God with us.

 

Traditionally, churches light a candle each of the four weeks before Christmas, remembering a different aspect of Advent. Hope, peace, joy, love, and tonight, The Christ Candle.

 

At the church I attend, the Christmas Eve service always includes a touching rendition of “O Holy Night”. Usually it is done by a soloist, but this year the choir is singing it. As we rehearsed, I realized that I had never really paid close attention to the words.

 

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

It doesn’t paint an idyllic picture of a baby laying in a manger swathed in rags. It doesn’t conjure up images of an angelic Mary with her loving husband Joseph and their newborn baby in a sterile stable. It doesn’t describe the three wise men traveling from the east to bring him gifts.

 

But it does paint a picture of a world, weary from sin; a world that desperately needs a savior; a world that has nowhere else to turn.

 

We received a Christmas card this year from some good friends. The card had one of those idealistic pictures on the front. But the message said it all with a poem by Roy Lessin titled, “God’s Gift”.

 

Little baby on the hay
soon there'll be another day
when nails shall pierce
Your hands and feet
as you provide our sin's defeat.

This poem reminds us that Jesus came as a baby, but died on the cross for our sins. It truly was a holy night.

And how should we respond over two thousand years later?
 

Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born

You can listen to O Holy Night as sung by Carrie Underwood by clicking on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxJxU6VYkUY&app=desktop

 

 

 

Won’t You be My Neighbor?

A Series on Advent - Love

Isaiah 9:6; John 3:16-17; John 1:14; 1 John 4:9-10

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209%3A6%2CJohn%203%3A16-17%2CJohn%201%3A14%2C1%20John%204%3A9-10&version=NIV;NLT

 

If you haven’t seen the movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” - you should.

 

 

There is a scene where Mr. Rogers is having lunch with a journalist by the name of Lloyd Vogel in a busy New York City restaurant. Vogel has been driven throughout his life by his deep seated anger towards his Father, who deserted his Mother when she was dying.

 

During the conversation, Mr. Rogers leans over the dining table, looks him in the eyes and says this to Lloyd Vogel, “Take a minute to be still, and to think of all the people who loved you into being”. As he did this, the whole restaurant grew quiet; as did the theatre.

 

When I took a few minutes to think about Mr. Rogers’ advice, my parents came to mind. My Mom always supported me and believed in me no matter what. Like a momma bear with her cub, my Mom would have defended me to the death. She loved me without limits.

 

My Dad didn’t really know how to express his love, but he did provide for me. And, he took me places on Saturdays. He took me to the bank; to his office; to sporting events. It may not sound like much, but that was how he showed his love.

 

Christmas is a good time to think about “who loved you into being”. Psalm 139 tells us this.

 

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful, I know that full well.     NIV

 

Indeed, He did create us into being, and yet something is missing in our life unless we have discovered the truth of Christmas.

 

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.           NLT

 

The lyrics from the theme song from Mr. Rogers’ TV show begin like this:

 

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?

 

That’s what Jesus is saying to you this Christmas. Won’t you be his neighbor?

 

¹⁴ So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.            NLT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joy to the World

A Series on Advent

Luke 15:1-32

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015%3A1-32&version=NIV;NLT

 

Something has really been bugging me this week! First, I should explain that I’ve been collecting coins recently; not a serious collector, just when I get change.

 

This week I found two older dimes and brought them home. But when I went to put them in my “collector’s box”, they were nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere… twice; on my desk, on the dresser, in the car, at the office. Everywhere.

 

Then today after work, I put on my jeans and low and behold, the dimes were in my pocket. I went running out to tell my wife. My coins had been lost, but now were found. I felt great joy to have found my coins.

 

Sometimes joy is hard to find. Maybe because we look for it in the wrong places. Or, maybe because we define it incorrectly. If joy is defined by our circumstances, those can change in an instant. True joy, the joy that we sing about at Christmas, is something much deeper.

 

Jesus loved to tell stories to teach a lesson; to teach people spiritual truths. On one occasion, Luke wrote how because “tax collectors and other notorious sinners” were listening to Jesus teach, and even eating with him, the religious leaders complained. So Jesus told them three stories.

 

The first was how one lost sheep out of one hundred, was so important to the shepherd that he left the rest of them in the wilderness, and went looking for it. When he eventually found it, he carried it back on his shoulders and told all of his friends how happy he was to have found his lost sheep.

 

No doubt, the listeners in the pastoral society of Jesus’ day, could easily relate to this story. However, you may need to think in terms of lost dimes or a wedding ring or relationship or job. In this story, Jesus is explaining why he came to earth as a baby, and what Christmas is all about. It’s about the joy of finding lost sheep.

 

Sir Isaac Watts wrote the famous carol, Joy to the World which echoes this same spiritual truth.

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
…Let earth receive her King
    …Let every heart prepare Him room
        …And Heaven and nature sing.

 

There is true joy when your heart; my heart; any heart; prepares to receive your King. So don’t let your joy be lost this Christmas; don’t tell him there’s no room in the inn; don’t settle for the joy of finding a lost dime. Instead, prepare Him room in your heart, and receive your King.

 

 

 

Peace on Earth

A Series on Advent

Luke 2:8-15; Philippians 4:4-9

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

 

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

      Luke 2

Where do you go to find peace on earth?

 

The Advent season is a time of preparation; of reflection; of contemplation on the true meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, the reality of Advent is far from that. Instead of being “the most wonderful time of the year”, like the song goes, often times, it’s the most stressful time of the year. And for many, the most depressing.

 

So how do we experience peace in our lives?

 

Growing up, I used to draw mountain scenes during art class. Silhouettes of one mountain range in front of the other. If I was to analyze why I liked drawing those scenes, I think it might have been because it was so peaceful that it brought me peace.

 

As an adult, many years ago, I was going through a time of transition where I was leaving my twenty year career with a youth ministry. I decided to go away for a twenty-four hour retreat by myself. No phones, no TV, no interruptions; just meditating on God’s word and prayer. When I returned, I was a different person. I had peace about the decision that I was about to make.

 

Paul had a significant insight into peace.

⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ESV

This is sound advice that Paul gave to the church in Philippi. And it still applies to us today. When I went away for that overnight of prayer and meditation, it brought me peace, not only for my decision, but for my life.

 

Therefore, during this time when peace on earth is talked about a great deal, may you actually experience the peace that “passes all understanding”. Not only now, but throughout the year.

 

 

Hope for Humpty Dumpty

A Series on Advent

Leviticus 25:8-12; Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:14-19

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2025%3A8-12%2CIsaiah%2061%3A1-3%2CLuke%204%3A14-21&version=NIV;NLT

 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

This famous English poem is about a character who apparently is quite clumsy. As a result, he is broken beyond repair. It’s hard to relate to Humpty Dumpty on a personal level. But, as a metaphor to real life, because of our sinful nature, we are all broken beyond repair.

 

The nation of Israel was certainly not exempt from this. Even though they were God’s chosen people and He made a covenant with them to lead them to the Promised Land, they failed time and time again. They were truly a broken people. They were a Humpty Dumpty nation that only God could put back together again.

 

Therefore, in Leviticus, God gave them a routine that would bring them hope. The Year of Jubilee, and the preceding Sabbath Years, were to be a vision of hope that would regularly remind His people that He would always be with them. It was to be a cycle of life that would help the people to realign themselves with the kingdom of God.

 

Unfortunately, the people of Israel did not take kindly to realigning their lives. As a result, they were sent into exile. As indentured servants and slaves in Babylonia,

Isaiah reminded them about the Year of Jubilee. It was a promise to return to their homeland; a promise of hope; of the Messiah that was to come.

 

Into this historical setting, Jesus went to the town where he had grown up – Nazareth. And on the Sabbath, he read from Isaiah in the synagogue.

 

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”                    NIV

 

By quoting Isaiah, Jesus was reminding them of the Year of Jubilee. Following his reading he sat down, and with all eyes on him, pronounced that he was the fulfillment of this promise; that he was the Messiah; that he would heal the brokenhearted; that he would put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

 

 

COMMENT:

Hope is the theme of the first week of Advent; four weeks of preparation; four weeks for us to be reminded of the historical setting of the birth of Christ; of the coming of the Messiah; of God with us; of hope for a broken people.

 

The Year of Jubilee, found in Leviticus 25, came once every 50 years. At that time, slaves were freed, debts were canceled and ancestral property was returned to the original family. By referring to these verses, Isaiah predicted primarily the liberation of Israel from the Babylonian exile; but Jesus proclaimed liberation from sin and all its consequences.

  

There is hope for all of us who are broken. Click on the link below to listen to the song by Matthew West called Broken Things.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdUu6ZsdVfM

 

 

 

Dreams that Disappear

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 90

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2090&version=NIV;NLT

 

⁵ You sweep people away like dreams that disappear…
¹⁰ Seventy years are given to us!
    Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
    soon they disappear, and we fly away.           NLT

 

Losing someone is painful and irreversible. Over the past three years I’ve lost two friends who played a significant role in my life. Lynn was my best friend growing up. He was my steady rock who I depended on for security, support and guidance. He died at the age of 66.

 

Bob was the primary person that led to my family moving to Columbus, Ohio. We didn’t know anybody, but Bob and his wife Linda helped us to adjust to this major life change by being our best friends. He died at the age of 62.

 

In this Psalm, Moses paints a gloomy picture of the crucible of life. Because it is filled with pain and trouble, and then we die, life can expose you, your short comings, your sins and your warts; life can be out of control, and your dreams can quickly disappear.

 

In the middle of his melancholic reflection, Moses called out to God asking for wisdom by understanding the brevity of life; to satisfy him with God’s unfailing love; to see God’s work in his life; and to gain God’s approval.

 

Horatio Spafford was also a man familiar with dreams that disappear. In 1871, following the great Chicago Fire that destroyed his real estate investments, his four year old son died of scarlet fever. Then, on November 22, 1873, his four young daughters died as they were crossing the Atlantic and their ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel.

 

He knew what it was like to experience a sudden, tragic loss. He knew what it was like to experience the pain and struggle of daily living. He knew what it was like to experience life out of control. He knew what it was like to feel exposed and helpless.

 

But he found solace in the unfailing love of God, and wrote the lyrics to It Is Well With My Soul.

 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

When your dreams disappear; whatever your lot is; whatever your struggles are; the unfailing love of God is always waiting for you to embrace it, so that you too might be able to say, “It is well with my soul”.

 

 

 

 

 

When God is Silent

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 83

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2083&version=NIV;TPT

 

Life is a battle!

 

 

 

Sometimes it’s a battle at work; your boss is a bully or your coworkers are cut throat. Sometimes it’s a battle at home; your spouse is selfish or you have a child that’s strong willed. Sometimes it’s a battle within yourself; you struggle with an addiction or with a mental illness. Yes… life is a battle.

 

For the Israelites, it was literally a battle for life or death.

⁴ Our enemies keep saying, “Now is the time to wipe Israel off the map. We’ll destroy even the memory of her existence!”

⁵ They’ve made their pact, consulting and conspiring, aligning together in their covenant against God. ^6–8 All the sons of Ishmael, the desert sheiks and the nomadic tribes, Amalekites, Canaanites, Moabites, and all the nations that surround us, Philistines, Phoenicians, Gadarenes, and Samaritans; allied together they’re ready to attack!                    TNT

 

You most likely aren’t facing this kind of battle, but that doesn’t change the fact that life is a battle. And, in the midst of your battle, you might feel the same way as the Psalmist. That God has left you; He has deserted you; He doesn’t answer your prayers; you might even feel hopeless, desperate, at the end of your rope.

 

¹ God, you have to do something! Don’t be silent and just sit idly by.         TPT

Or here’s the NIV translation:

¹ O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. 

 

There’s a song by Lauren Daigle called Rescue that could easily have spoken to the Psalmist in his battle. And most certainly can speak to you in yours.

 

 

You are not hidden
There's never been a moment
You were forgotten
You are not hopeless
Though you have been broken
Your innocence stolen

I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It's true, I will rescue you

 

Where is God when He is silent? Right there with you! His promise to be with you always; even when you can’t tell.

 

(If you click on the link below, you can listen to the complete song.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U4Q2R7ZZAE

 

 

Rejected and Forgotten

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 74

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2074&version=NIV;TPT

 

In the summer of 1978, my wife and I were expecting our first child. Many preparations were made in anticipation of the arrival including painting and wall papering the nursery; buying a rocking chair for those middle of the night feedings; and refinishing the high chair that I used as a baby.

 

The preparations were wonderful, but then, something awful happened. While my wife was at her weekly pre-natal checkup, they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. At the hospital they eventually determined that the baby was still born.

 

When I went home that night, everything seemed wrong. The high chair, the nursery and the rocking chair were only painful reminders of the lost baby that we would never hold or feed or change her diapers.

 

We’ve all experienced loss. Something that was unexpectedly ripped away from you. Something that was foundational to your life. It might have been your career calling; a broken relationship; or the death of a loved one. When it happened, you knew that your life would never be the same.

 

For Asaph, who wrote Psalm 74, it was the destruction of the Temple. Here’s how he described it.

 

⁵ Now everything is in shambles! They’ve totally destroyed it. Like a forest chopped down to the ground, there’s nothing’s left. ⁶ All of the beauty of the craftsmanship of the inner place has been ruined, smashed, broken, and shattered. ⁷ They’ve burned it all to the ground. They’ve violated your sanctuary, the very dwelling place of your glory and your name. ⁸ They boasted, “Let’s completely crush them! Let’s wipe out every trace of this God. Let’s burn up every sacred place where they worship this God.”                 TPT

 

Where is God when it hurts? When you feel rejected and forgotten? He’s right there. And truthfully, He never left you.

 

¹² You have always been, and always will be, my King.
You are the mighty conqueror, working wonders all over the world.          TPT

 

 

 

 

Baptism by Fire

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 60

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2060&version=NIV;TLB

 

I had never flown before. As my plane was circling the Hancock airport to approach the landing strip, darkness covered everything like a blanket.

 

 

Having never visited Michigan Tech, I had no reference point other than all the lights below from the Houghton/Hancock area. It looked like a big city; daunting and dangerous.

 

It was a huge, scary unknown world waiting for me.

 

My parents had tried to prepare me for this. All parents do. They try to prepare their children to become responsible adults who are able to live on their own; who can face the battles of the world; who can struggle and survive. I was now truly on my own; a baptism by fire. But was I ready?

 

Psalm 60 was written by David when he was at war with Syria in the north while Edom invaded Judah from the south. All seemed lost and he wondered out loud if God had rejected him; if God would march with his armies again. David knew what it felt like to be thrown into a baptism by fire.

 

But in the midst of his lament, David remembered God’s banner. Like a flag that soldiers rally around in the heat of battle, David rallied to God’s promises; to His Covenant.

 

^4-5 But you have given us a banner to rally to; all who love truth will rally to it; then you can deliver your beloved people. Use your strong right arm to rescue us. ^6-7 God has promised to help us. He has vowed it by his holiness! No wonder I exult! “Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh—still are mine!” he says. “Judah shall continue to produce kings, and Ephraim great warriors. ⁸ Moab shall become my lowly servant, and Edom my slave. And I will shout in triumph over the Philistines.”                   TLB

 

When you are feeling “rejected by God; shaken and torn open; facing desperate times”; do what David did and reflect on God’s Covenant with you.

 

 

And like David, you can rally around God’s banner; the banner of Jesus Christ; the banner who brings you hope; the banner who will lead you through your own baptism by fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betrayed or Betrayer?

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 55

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2055&version=NIV;TPT

 

It was a crisp, clear winter night in Houghton, Michigan. One of those Upper Peninsula nights that makes everything sharper, cleaner, more crisp. Not bitter cold; just cold.

 

I went for a walk to get away; to be alone. The snow crunched under my feet until I found a spot where nobody else would be. I laid down on the bed of snow, looking up at the starry night, and cried out, “Why God? Why!”

 

It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement; an indictment really. “Why did you let this happen to me God! It hurts so bad to be betrayed”. As a nineteen year-old whose self-image revolved around having a girlfriend, my world was crushed when my fiancé dumped me for another guy. Not only had she betrayed me; but I felt like God had too.

 

David knew how it felt to be betrayed.

 

¹² It wasn’t an enemy who taunted me.
If it was my enemy, filled with pride and hatred,
then I could have endured it. I would have just run away.
¹³ But it was you, my intimate friend—one like a brother to me.
It was you, my advisor, the companion I walked with and worked with!
¹⁴ We once had sweet fellowship with each other. We worshiped in unity as one, celebrating together with God’s people.             TPT

 

Jesus knew what it felt like to be betrayed also. Not only was he betrayed by his closest friends in his greatest hour of need; but he was betrayed by his Heavenly Father. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

 

But are we any different than Jesus’ disciples? Would we have done any better had we been there? Wouldn’t we have betrayed him just as Peter did? Don’t we betray him still when we rebelliously sin?

 

Is there anything left for us to do but to follow in the steps of David as he cried out to God, even when feeling betrayed?

 

¹⁶ But as for me, I will call upon the Lord to save me, and I know he will!
¹⁷ Every evening I will explain my need to him.
Every morning I will move my soul toward him.
Every waking hour I will worship only him,
and he will hear and respond to my cry.            TPT

 

 

What is the worst thing you have ever done?

A Series from the Psalms on “Disappointment with God”

Psalm 38

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2038&version=NIV;NLT

  

In preparing for this devotional, I ran across a You Tube video where 100 people answered the question, “What is the worst thing you have ever done”? How would you answer that question?

 

For myself, I made a short list at first; but the more I thought about it, the longer my list got. Apparently, David could have made his own list.

…my health is broken because of my sins.
My guilt overwhelms me…
My wounds fester and stink…
I am bent over and racked with pain…
A raging fever burns within me…
I am exhausted and completely crushed…       Psalm 38:3-8 NLT

 

Sin has consequences! For David, it resulted in an illness that sounds like a catastrophic combination of a severe open infection, the H1N1 flu pandemic of 1918 and intense stomach cramps, no doubt resulting in repeated trips to the bathroom.

 

In reality, we are all sick like David. Maybe our sin doesn’t result in physical illness, but there’s no doubt that we are sick. It’s a sickness that alienates us from our Heavenly Father, and ultimately leads to death. It’s a sickness that only Jesus can heal.

 

In his own words, David was a broken man; he had reached the bottom; there was no place else for him to turn. His life was out of control; so he cried out to the Lord in disappointment and desperation.

 

¹⁵ Lord, the only thing I can do is wait and put my hope in you.
I wait for your help, my God.

¹⁸ I confess all my sin to you; I can’t hold it in any longer.
My agonizing thoughts punish me for my wrongdoing;
I feel condemned as I consider all I’ve done.    

²² God, hurry to help me, run to my rescue!
For you are my Savior and my only hope!        TPT

Have you reached the bottom? Are you at the point where you are ready to turn away from your sin? Is it time for you to cry out to the Lord? There’s no better time than now. And He’s waiting to listen to you.