A Wild Ride at Disney World

A Series on Advent
The candle of hope – Joseph
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 1:18-25

[Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Tradition includes lighting four candles: hope, love, joy and peace. To celebrate Advent, we will be looking at four people plus one who were intimately involved in the Christmas story, and then relating their part of the story to one of the Advent candles.]

  

Recently, my wife and I went to Disney World with our daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, ages 12, 8 and 4. It was Magical! Where else could you do any of these?

 

Eat in a restaurant where Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Grumpy or Snow White might stop by your table for a photo op.

Go to “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” where we dressed up as the Seven Dwarfs. (After all, there was seven of us.)

Go on the roller coaster ride Expedition Everest, where during part of the ride you’re in total darkness going backwards! It's wild!

 

I would imagine that Joseph might have felt like he was on a roller coaster ride with all the ups and downs; flying around turns; abruptly changing directions with no control over where he went; riding in total darkness, not knowing where he was going. It was unchartered territory.

 

After all, Joseph was your “average Joe” – nobody special. He was just living life. He had started his carpentry business and was engaged to be married, when suddenly the roller coaster went off the rails. His fiancé was pregnant… but not by him.

 

An angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him an unbelievable story. That Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit; that he should still take her as his wife; that she will have a son and they should name him Jesus. Why that name?

 

²¹ And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”    NLT

 

You could imagine when Joseph woke up the following morning the thoughts that were running through his mind. “What just happened? Did I have bad pizza last night? Was the dream even real? The angel couldn’t have said all those things. Surely, I misunderstood.” But he didn’t.

 

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.             NLT

 

Like Joseph, sometimes life can feel like a roller coaster… out of control, even hopeless. But, there is a plan; there is hope. For Joseph, that plan included the extraordinary fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah.

 

²² All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

²³ “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”            NLT

 

As you contemplate and celebrate the birth of Jesus, keep in mind that God has a plan and that he is sovereign. And, because of this, there is hope. And, because of that hope, we can live faithfully like Joseph.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

We Are… Marshall

A Series on the letter of 1 John
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 John 5 

[The author of this letter is John. Prior to being a disciple of Jesus, he was a fisherman with a reputation for his bad temper. In fact, he and his brother were called the “Sons of Thunder”. But he was also known as “the one whom Jesus loved”. In this letter, John shares that same love with us.]

  

The 2006 movie titled “We Are Marshall”, is based on a true story about a college football team, a school and a town that needed to mourn a tragic loss and to heal. On November 14, 1970, a plane crashed that was carrying the Marshall University football team, coaches, staff and boosters. All died!

 

In the movie, the newly hired coach gave his newly recruited team an inspirational message before their first game. He took them to the memorial site where six of the deceased players were buried. This is an excerpt from his message.

 

“When you take that field today, you’ve got to lay your heart on the line until the final whistle blows. And if you do that, we cannot lose. We may be behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game, but if you play like that, we cannot be defeated. This is your opportunity to rise from the ashes and grab glory.”

 

The players responded with a “we’re ready-to-run-through-a-wall coach”, call and response chant of - “We are… Marshall”!
(You can watch this scene by clicking on the link below.)
We Are Marshall

 

In the closing paragraphs of John’s letter, he summarizes several significant themes. He does it with a repetitive phrase starting with “We know”. As I read these it reminded me of the movie. It’s not a call and response like the Marshall chant, but it has that feel to it.

 

In a way, John’s giving the believers a pep talk to teach them; prepare them; inspire them. They’ve already faced the adversity of heretical teachings which led to people they knew, some of them were likely friends, rejecting their faith and leaving the fellowship. Plus, the believers would certainly face more adversity.

 

¹⁸ We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

¹⁹ We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.            NLT

 

As you read these verses, could you feel the rhythm of the chant from the movie? We know… that God’s son holds you in his arms; we know… that you are a child of God living in a sinful world; we know… that you live in fellowship with the Son of God.

 

Do these words move your heart and soul? Like the players, are you ready to run through a wall for your faith? Do they inspire you to “rise from the ashes and grab glory” for the Son of God?

 

John also wrote these simple words of encouragement for us.

 

¹¹ And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.    NLT

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

Life is a Test

A Series on the letter of 1 John
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 John 4 

[The author of this letter is John. Prior to being a disciple of Jesus, he was a fisherman with a reputation for his bad temper. In fact, he and his brother were called the “Sons of Thunder”. But he was also known as “the one whom Jesus loved”. In this letter, John shares that same love with us.]

  

Tests are expected in school. You learn a section on fractions… it’s followed by a test. You learn how to spell three syllable words… it’s followed by a test. You learn about World War II… it’s followed by a test. Tests are a way to find out if you actually learned the material, and what you need to work on.

 

Sometimes a test can be scary. This is especially true in college where your whole grade could very well depend on just two tests: a midterm and a final. If you have a bad day or miss the final, like I did once, your grade for the quarter or semester could drop dramatically.

 

Chapter four of 1 John is about tests. However, the result of John’s tests wouldn’t just impact a short period of your life, but your eternal life. Talk about scary!

 

During the first century, there were people who at one point had claimed to believe in Jesus, but then went astray. They didn’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh, only in the spirit. John warned the believers to be wary of these false prophets and gave them a way to test a person’s beliefs.

 

² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God…      NLT

 

This was a test about truth, but John also gave the believers a test about character based on the character of God’s love. His love for us and our love for him is exemplified by how we treat others.

 

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?                         NLT

 

John was known as “the one who Jesus loved”. He didn’t earn that love. In fact, like the other disciples, he deserted Jesus when he was crucified. But Jesus gives his love freely and unconditionally. Even when it is undeserved. Even at our worst moment.

 

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

 

Life is a test. John faced them. First century Christians faced them. We face them. Those tests may come in the form of what you believe or how you treat others. But they may also come through an illness, an accident, a broken relationship, an addiction, problems at work… anywhere that life happens.

 

So the question for you and me is, “How will we respond”? Will your love for God strengthen or weaken? Will you learn from your tests and grow in your faith? John gives his own personal answer with these words.

 

¹⁶ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the Day of Judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.                     NLT

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

Put on the Shoulder Pads

A Series on the letter of 1 John
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 John 2:28-3:24 

[The author of this letter is John. Prior to being a disciple of Jesus, he was a fisherman with a reputation for his bad temper. In fact, he and his brother were called the “Sons of Thunder”. But he was also known as “the one whom Jesus loved”. In this letter, John shares that same love with us.]

  

It’s often said that a sports team takes on the personality of their coach.

 

Tom Izzo is the head men’s basketball coach at Michigan State University. He’s an intense, hard-nosed coach that pushes his players to be the same. In the past, to make his point, Izzo had his basketball team wear football shoulder pads during practice. By doing this, his players could visualize what he wanted. Point made!

 

In John’s letter, he tried to help the believers to visualize who they shouldn’t be. Specifically, the Gnostics, who believed that the spirit was good, and the flesh was inherently evil. Because of this, they also believed that there were no consequences to how they lived. So, they could sin without any repercussions.

 

John flatly refuted this. He maintained that God was their Father, and they were his children. He emphasized that continual disobedient behavior was unacceptable.

 

⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.              NLT

 

John also helped the believers to visualize who they should be by giving them a goal. It focused on how they live their lives now in light of the expected return of Christ.

 

²⁸ And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

 

² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.                 NLT

 

Finally, John challenged believers to follow the commandment to “love one another”.

 

¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

 

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. NIV

 

John’s words still ring true today for us. He’s telling us to “put on the shoulder pads” and practice so that we’re ready for the game. He’s giving us a picture of who we are to be and how we are to live so that we will “remain in him”.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams