Somebody brought this YouTube clip to my attention a little over a year ago. It cracked me up. This is an actual news report. I still laugh about it. I hadn't thought about it in a while, but for whatever reason, it came up this week, and I thought I'd share it with you.
Verbal No-No's
I came across an article that talked about Lake Superior State University's annual list of words that need to be banned from the English language.
First of all, I know y'all are dying to know where Lake Superior State University is... and what it's mascot is; however, I can't seem to get their website to work (let's hope they aren't a great school for website design), so you'll just have to continue to wait in anticipation for it. Let's just assume that it is actually in Lake Superior State, which is somewhere near Michigan, and their mascot is the Mule Whitefish (yes, that's an actual fish that can be caught in Lake Superior... I looked it up... I'm a nerd, reason #12). *sidebar - I just found their mascot; it's the Lakers... LAME! I'm going to petition that they change it to Mule Whitefish - end sidebar*
The list includes (apparently) commonly used offenders:
- Wall Street to Main Street
- bailout
- green OR going green
- maverick
- staycation
- <3 ("text" speak for "heart"; Congratulations! The first emoticon to make the list...)
- monkey (for it rampant-monkey use as a suffix)
- carbon footprint
- first dude
- icon OR iconic
- game changer
- desperate search
- not so much
- winner of five nominations (that doesn't even make sense in the first place!)
- it's that time of the year again (well.... it is...)
What do you think? Anything you would add to the list?
Random iTunes Sermon Prep Music
I'm working on Sunday's sermon this afternoon. And, now that I have this cool new iPod and iTunes rockin' the computer, I thought I'd share a little of the sermon process. Maybe this will be a weekly feature for both of my readers... maybe not... we'll see how I feel.
This week, it's from my Chill Mix playlist, and the first 10 songs are:
1. The Scarlet Tide, Alison Krauss
2. Winter, Joshua Radin
3. Don't Know Why, Norah Jones
4. First and Last Waltz, Nickel Creek
5. Alaska or Bust, Andrew Peterson
6. Faith to be Strong, Andrew Peterson
7. Lemonade, Chris Rice
8. Shower the People, James Taylor
9. Northern Star, Ollabelle
10. Song and Dance, Andrew Peterson
Stepping Into the Digital Age...
Well, as I type this, I'm in the process of making a major move in my life. After saving up my allowance for a few weeks (geez... that makes it sound like I'm 13 again...), I went out and bought a 16GB iPod nano from Sam's Club today. I'm in the process of putting all my CD's into iTunes now, and then I'll be transferring them to the iPod. I never thought this day would come. How exciting!
Welcome to the Family
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, December 28, 2008. The text for this week's message is Galatians 4:4-7.
Today marks the first Sunday of Christmas. Up to this point we have been in the season of Advent, which is the time when we prepare for the coming of the King. This week and next week, we enter into the season of Christmas, in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Next week, we will celebrate Epiphany, which is when we celebrate the coming of the wise men, who revealed Jesus as more than just another newborn. Next week will also be a time for us to covenant together and orient ourselves for the new year. But, this week, I want to look at the birth of Jesus and think through some of the implications of the Son being born on that night so long ago.
Paul begins this section by saying, “when the fullness of time had come.” One of the disadvantages, at least from our perspective, of an eternal God who exists outside of time as we know it is that He has a much better view of the big picture of this thing we call “life”. God has a different perspective on things than we do. We may often think that God doesn’t move fast enough, but every single time, God moves at just the right time. God’s lack of action from our perspective is nothing less than divine patience and sovereign timing. God’s timing is different from our timing. We live in a fast-paced world that is constantly changing and you have to be always running in order to stay just a step or two behind. We often don’t have the patience to wait on God, and end up jumping the gun.
And while it may have seemed to the Jewish people that God was taking His time to send the Messiah, God’s timing was perfect. Jesus was born in a period of history known as the Pax Romana, or the “Roman Peace.” In the Monty Python movie “The Life of Brian” there is a scene that talks about some of the good things that the Roman Empire actually did in Judea by the first century. There is a group of people who call themselves the “People’s Front of Judea,” and they are sitting around talking about how the Romans have ruined their lives by occupying their land. One of them, Reg, asks, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” Each time he asks the question, someone pipes up with “irrigation” or “medicine” or “education.” By the end of the conversation, Reg says, “All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” Someone else, says, “Brought peace?” It sounds a little silly, and being a Monty Python movie, it is, but it brings out a good point. Relatively speaking the Roman occupation of Judea wasn’t entirely terrible if we look at it from a different perspective.
The Pax Romana was a period of time that ranged from roughly 27 B.C. to 180 A.D. It was the Golden Age of the Roman Empire. The borders were relatively secure. The Roman legal system brought law and order to a vast majority of the Empire. And there was relatively little internal division and social upheaval. The Romans built roads that aided trade across the Empire and provided security along those trade routes. The point is this: the first century was the perfect time for the birth of Christ and the rise and spread of the gospel.
Paul continues by saying, “God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law.” In this one sentence, Paul affirms both the divinity of Jesus and the humanity of Jesus. In theology, there are sometimes things that don’t make sense according to our logic. That Jesus could be fully divine and fully human is one of those things. Logically, it doesn’t make any sense for us to say that Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine. But I think this points to the mysterious nature of God, and it also points to the fact that we have a tendency of making an idol out of logic. I’m not saying that logic is totally without merit, but I do think that our logic is a bit limiting when it comes to an Almighty, eternal God. In fact, there are a lot of things in our theology that just don’t make sense if we strictly apply human logic. But the simple truth is, God is not bound by the limitations of our understanding. Our failure to understand the nature of God is not proof that God is some kind of illogical figment our imagination, as some might argue. It is simply proof that God is bigger than we could ever imagine.
Paul end this clause by saying that Jesus was “born under the law.” In this day and age, we don’t really understand what he means by this. We live in an age of grace because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; however, at the time of his birth, the people were still under the old covenant. Because of Christ, we are no longer bound by the old covenant. We are free to live a life of grace. The old covenant, or the Law, helped us to understand what sin is, and it even provided for temporary atonement for our sin. But the keyword here is “temporary.” The Day of Atonement was an annual event, which happened at the time of the Passover in which a lamb was slain at the Temple to atone for the sins of the nation. But as long as people live under the old covenant, there was never an opportunity to truly live under grace, which is only possible in the new covenant through Jesus Christ. The Law helps us to define sin so that we know what it is, but it doesn’t provide the means to permanently overcome sin. That is only possible through the grace of Jesus Christ.
When the Son came, he lived his life under the Law, but he did so in such a way that relied on the strength and grace of the Father. In doing so, Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, as he says in Matthew 5. He did not come to abolish, or get rid of the Law. He came to show us that it is possible to live a life of obedience by relying on the strength and grace of the Father, and he came to provide, once and for all, atonement for when we do fall short. That is what Paul means when he writes that Jesus came “to redeem those who were under the Law.” Paul writes elsewhere that those who die to sin are raised with Christ, and they are no longer under the Law. Again, while the Law helps define sin, it does not save us from our sins. Those who are raised with Christ live by the Spirit and are redeemed, and those who are redeemed are redeemed for a purpose.
Paul continues, “so that we might receive adoption as sons.” I heard a story once about an adopted boy who kept getting picked on by the other kids at school because he was adopted. Finally, he had enough and retaliated. He turned to the other kids and said, “My parents chose me. Your parents are stuck with you.” That’s what we have as adopted children of God. We have been chosen by God to come into the family. We are redeemed from our sins through Jesus Christ so that we can live out our lives as was intended. We are meant to live in relationship with the Almighty God, but our sin prevented it. However, because of Christ, we are invited into this relationship, and not only are we invited in, we are adopted as children of God.
In the Roman world, adoption was not uncommon. The Greek word for “sons” that is used here is huioi, which was a legal term used in adoption and inheritance laws of the first century. As adopted children of God, we can enjoy all the privileges, obligations and inheritance rights of God’s children. We are full-fledged members of the family.
One of those privileges is the fact that we are never separated from God. In verse 6, Paul writes, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’” Because we have been adopted into the family of God, the Spirit dwells within us. In Romans 8, Paul says that the Spirit witnesses to us that we are children of God. We can know that we are children of God because of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. When we come to that point in our lives when we have given it over to Christ, the Spirit dwells within us. The Spirit leads us. Now, this is not to say that we will automatically be able to hear an audible voice that tells us what to do and what not to do. It means that we no longer seek out our best interests first. We strive to live our lives in such a way that God is glorified in all we do. We seek out God’s will in the major decisions. We search the Scriptures and listen for the still, small voice of God in our lives.
In verse 7, we see the consequence of being adopted by the Father. “You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” We are no longer slaves. We are no longer under the guardianship of the Law, as Paul says in verse 2. We are under the grace of Jesus Christ, which gives life. Remember the words in the communion liturgy? We have been delivered from our slavery to sin and death and a new covenant has been made with us by water and the Spirit. Through our baptism, we enter into a saving relationship with God and the Spirit dwells within us.
When we enter into this relationship with God, we become part of a larger family. I know there are probably quite a few people here today that are familiar with what a big family is like, especially given that you may have seen a whole lot of them in the past week. Personally, I have a relatively small family. Katie’s family has given me some experience in what it means to be a part of a big family, and one of the things that I have picked up on is that it is a place where there are so many different people, yet they all have one thing in common: they are family. That’s is what the body of Christ is like as well. It is a big family. There are certainly a lot of different people in this family, but we are family nonetheless. So, if you haven’t taken that step to be in relationship with God, I want to invite you to do that today. Step out in faith and rely on the One who wants to adopt you as a child. Welcome to the family.
Passing the Light
The following is the third of three reflections given at the Hillsboro UMC Christmas Eve service on 12/24/2008.
How is it that one night can profoundly change the course of the world? How is it that one newborn baby can be so important that a host of angels will sing praises to the Almighty God because of his birth? It is because when God fulfills His promises, He does so in a big way, even though it starts small. When God fulfills His promises, the very heavens are amazed and praise His holy name, but the rest of the earth simply goes on, life as normal. God didn’t send Jesus with fanfare and a megaphone. It wasn’t a spectacle that was on display for the world to see. The Son of the Most High came into this world with an announcement to a group of shepherds who were out taking care of their flocks. He was born at night while the rest of the world around him slept – life as normal; though, on that night, it was anything but. Life itself was anything but normal on that night. Life itself was given a new sense of normal on that night.
A group of shepherds were the first people to hear of this incredible event disguised as the ordinary. After all, what is so special about a young woman giving birth in the town of Bethlehem? To those who may have been present at the birth, it was just another newborn. And, yes, each and every newborn is special, but there is nothing earth-shattering about it. But for this group of shepherds, there was nothing ordinary about it. We’re going to do a quick survey here. All those who have had the birth of an unknown child announced to them by an angel of the Lord, please raise your hand. It’s not too common. The shepherds knew right away that there was something different about this baby.
As soon as the angels went away, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and the newborn. I get the sense that the shepherds told everyone they saw along the way too. Can you imagine the expression on the face of the shepherds after the visit from the angel? I can see all of them standing around, staring at one another, asking, “Did you just see that?” After all, if just one person had this vision, they could have been dreaming or hallucinating; however, with multiple people seeing it, there is a sense of unbelievable wonder. They had a profound encounter with God, and this is the type of encounter that generates excitement, and when you are excited about something, it is hard to not tell others about it. It comes up in your daily conversations, you look for opportunities to share it with others – you make opportunities to share it with others. It becomes a priority.
This Christmas, we remember the birth of a Savior. If that’s not exciting news, then I don’t know what it. That is news worth sharing with anyone and everyone. It is the news that God Himself broke into our ordinary lives and did the extraordinary – He came that we can have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. This has to be something that you decide to enter into – you can’t ride in on someone else’s coattails, or sit in a pew every week and just assume that you have this relationship because it’s simply not there. You don’t have a relationship with somebody just because you know a couple of their friends, and you don’t become a mechanic by spending a couple of hours in the garage each week. But the exciting news is that this relationship is readily available. All it takes is you realizing the simple fact that you can’t do this thing called life on your own. You weren’t meant to, and you don’t have to. You were created to be in a relationship with the God who created all thing and because of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this week, that relationship is possible. Now, that is some exciting news worth sharing.
A Promise Fulfilled
The following is the second of three reflections that were given at the Hillsboro UMC Christmas Eve service on 12/24/2008.
Isaiah 7 says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” While in its original context, the prophet was speaking of another situation, it is important to note that the people of God saw another layer of meaning to this prophecy. In its original context, it was a sign to Ahaz, king of Judah, that the Lord will be with them and that their enemies will not overcome them. Remember, God’s promises do not go unfulfilled. When these words were spoken, Ahaz was dealing with a threat from both Syria and Israel. They had conspired together to overthrow Ahaz and put in power a king who would join them in rebellion against the Assyrian empire. Ahaz is encouraged to trust in the Lord and his enemies will no longer be a problem.
The child that was conceived and born was to be named Immanuel as a reminder that the Lord was with them through this trial. Ahaz failed to see that and ended up getting Judah into deeper trouble. Ahaz turned to Assyria, and in doing so, he invited one of history’s most ruthless armies to his door step. And, as often happens when we fail to trust in the Lord, a bigger problem loomed on the horizon. Sure, the Assyrians took care of Syria in 732 and Israel in 722, but by 701, the Assyrians had laid siege to Jerusalem.
We can read the story of Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem in 2 Kings, but here is the summary of what happens. The Assyrian army is led by Sennacherib who appears at the gates of the city and tells the people not to trust in Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son who is king in Judah, and not to trust in the Lord. Hezekiah does what his father Ahaz failed to do. He trusts in the Lord. And overnight, 185,000 Assyrians were struck down by an angel of the Lord. The Assyrian army was devastated, and they left Jerusalem for home. Failure to trust in the Lord on the part of Ahaz led to disaster. Trusting in the Lord on the part of Hezekiah led to deliverance.
We can see this drama played out again and again in our own lives. Failure to trust in the Lord can lead to disaster, while trusting in Him will lead to deliverance. The promise that began so long ago about one who will deliver the people of God was temporarily fulfilled in Hezekiah’s time and it would be eternally fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus would stand ultimately as Immanuel – God with us. He would be the one who delivered, not only Israel, but all humanity from the world’s most dangerous and ruthless foe – one who is always waiting on our door step.
And so it was, the time for God to fulfill His promises had come, but the fulfillment was far more than was ever expected. We’ve talked before about how the Messiah was expected to be a military and political ruler, who was supposed to kick out the oppressive Roman government and reestablish Israel’s prominence among the nations. These expectations are a far cry from the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9. Though the Messiah was expected, he was not understood. But then again, we often don’t understand what God has in store for us, even when we think we understand His promises. God has a way of taking everything we think we know, throwing it aside and absolutely blowing our mind by showing us what He really has in store. God’s grace is unbelievable. Jesus was a promise that was fulfilled, but done in a way that completely overshadows any and every thing that we could have ever possibly imagined.
The God Who Wasn't There, a.k.a. A Moronic Documentary...
Do you like the subtitle there? I've been catching up on a couple of blogs on my Google Reader (one of the most fascinating things I've come across on this "intrahighway" - alongside electronic mail, also known as "e-mail" and up to the minute access to St. Louis Cardinal baseball games via Gameday, courtesy of MLB.com or MLB radio, for the low, low price of $15 for a season)... where was I?
Oh, yes, I've been catching up on a couple of blogs on my Google Reader, one of the most... oh, already said that. Anyhoo! One blog I follow is the USAToday.com Movie Top Stories, and in a couple of the posts that have come up lately there has been an advertisement for a DVD "duck-umentary" entitled The God Who Wasn't There. Now, I put a link to the website, but do NOT take this to mean I am endorsing this DVD, because I absolutely am not. You want to know why I referred to it as a "duck-umentary"? Because it is L. A. M. E. - LAME. (Get it? Lame duck, powerless and pointless? Stick that in your thesaurus and smoke it... what does that even mean?)
Here is an actual excerpt from the web page: Own the taboo-shattering documentary that Newsweek says"irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed."
Seriously? Did somebody take their stupid pill this morning? Even in the first century, nobody argued that Jesus didn't exist. In fact, Roman and Jewish writers mention Jesus by name regarding some events that were going on around the Roman world in the first century. How is it that 2000 years later, after he lived on this earth, "pioneering scholars" can say that they have evidence that mysteriously has been overlooked for centuries that throw doubt onto Jesus' very existence?
Sometimes I really have to wonder why people go to such extremes to prove something didn't happen, when it clearly did happen. The only question that we really have to face regarding Jesus' time on this earth is: what do we do with the evidence that has been given? We can either choose to live a life in response to what Christ has done, or we can choose to ignore it, but we can't seriously argue that this one we call Jesus didn't exist. That's just plain dumb...
The Path Has Been Prepared
The following is the first of three reflections that were given at the Hillsboro UMC Christmas Eve service on 12/24/2008.
It sometimes seems like God takes forever to fulfill His promises, doesn’t it? As we read the Old Testament, we see promises that take centuries to fulfill. God calls Abram to leave his homeland and promises that his descendants will live in the Promised Land. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, 400 years of slavery and 40 years in the desert pass by before Joshua finally leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. Once they are in the Promised Land, the Israelites start several cycles that found them falling away from God, getting into trouble with various peoples in the region, returning to God and being freed from oppression.
They eventually desire a king, and God gives them a monarchy beginning with Saul. David and Solomon follow, but after Solomon the nation falls apart and breaks into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. After repeatedly being warned by the prophets, starting as early as 760 B.C. with Amos, Israel becomes the first to fall into God’s judgment. The mighty Assyrian empire sweeps in and conquers the northern kingdom by 722 B.C. Eventually, Judah is conquered and exiled to Babylon in 586 B.C. It didn’t take a whole lot of time for God to work in these instances, but it was still several decades. The Messiah is mentioned most heavily in Isaiah, whose ministry was from about 760-700 B.C; however, the Messiah doesn’t appear until the first century, over 700 years after he is first discussed by the prophets. Jesus talks about his return in the early first century, and here we sit, nearly 2000 years later, awaiting this event. God takes his time, but God is faithful.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, he told Zechariah that his waiting was over. After many, many years of waiting, Zechariah was going to be a father. But Zechariah’s child was not going to be just any child. He was one who was spoken of long ago, by promises that the Lord had yet to fulfill. Malachi 4:5-6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Gabriel says to Zechariah that his son will “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children” (v. 17). It is no coincidence that Gabriel uses the same words that are found in Malachi. The time had finally come for God to fulfill the promises he made centuries before through the prophet.
When John was born there was some debate as to what the boy would be called. Elizabeth knew of Zechariah’s message from the Lord and insisted that he be named John. The neighbors and relatives were insisting that he be called Zechariah, after his father, who had been unable to speak since he was visited by Gabriel in the Temple. However, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that his name would be John, and he was able to speak once again. Immediately he began praising God and the people knew that there was going to be something different about this child.
John’s ministry was one of preparation. He was the one who was to prepare the hearts of the people of Israel. We’ve seen earlier this month how John fulfilled the role of Elijah that is found in Malachi, and how he was the voice crying out in the desert from Isaiah 40. It was time. God’s promises were finally being realized right in front of their eyes. And John knew what his role was. His role was to point others to Jesus so that they may encounter the Lamb of God, as he puts it in John 1. Hearts had been turned, the people have been prepared. The time for God to fulfill His promises had finally come.
Ah, the Good Ol' Days
Remember the days when the Yankees went out of their way to buy all of the top free agents at the highest possible price? Remember the days when the Red Sox referred to the Yankees as the "Evil Empire" because it seemed like the Yanks had a monopoly on the market? The days when all the mid-major market teams didn't have a chance because the Yankees had ridiculous amounts of money to throw away?
I honestly think the Steinbrenner's have an incinerator in their home and every once in a while, just decide to dump a couple million dollars into it just to see the amount of smoke two million George Washingtons make. They then probably use the smoke to send signals to Red Sox nation, as if to say, "We're the top tribe around here, and we're ready to kick your booty back to the days of the Ruthian curse."
Well, I think those days are back. The Yankees have continued their quest to buy championship #27 this offseason with three key free agent acquisitions.
1) C. C. Sabathia, pitching's crown jewel of the offseason signed with the Yanks for 7 years and $160 million
2) A. J. Burnett, the supposed runners-up prize for whoever fell short in the C.C. sweepstakes, also signed with the Yankees for 5 years and $82.5 million.
3) Mark Teixeira, hitting's crown jewel of the offseason also just signed with the Yankees for 8 years and $180 million.
That's right, three of baseball's top free agents this offseason all signed with the Yankees for a combined 20 years and $422.5 million. I have to be honest here, I kinda pulled for the Yankees last year because they were down, and they hadn't been big spenders in the previous offseason. Well, remember the good ol' days? You know, when it was fun to hate the Yankees? Well, those days are back...
Fantasy Football Update, Championship Edition
Well, after last week's disappointing showing, I found myself in the third place game this week. And all the players that failed to show up in last week's match up showed up in a big way this week. The final this week was 120-85, not even close. I hade 20+ point games from: TEN def (20), Vikings TE Shiancoe (25), Peyton Manning (26), and of course, stud magnet DeAngelo Williams (34). Those four alone gave me 105 points for the week (after combining, combining!, for 39 points last week).
All in all I can't complain about the outcome this season. After starting off 1-3 on the year, I was thinking that this was going to be a terrible season. So I guess an overall 12-4 season is nothing to complain about. Now, if I could only find a free keeper league and ride the horses that are Peyton Manning and DeAngelo Williams for another season. You can bet that those two will be at the top of my draft board next season.
So, until August, this is the last edition of Fantasy Football Updates. I might try to have a couple of leagues next year, my usual Yahoo! league, and possibly another one with some friends.
All in all I can't complain about the outcome this season. After starting off 1-3 on the year, I was thinking that this was going to be a terrible season. So I guess an overall 12-4 season is nothing to complain about. Now, if I could only find a free keeper league and ride the horses that are Peyton Manning and DeAngelo Williams for another season. You can bet that those two will be at the top of my draft board next season.
So, until August, this is the last edition of Fantasy Football Updates. I might try to have a couple of leagues next year, my usual Yahoo! league, and possibly another one with some friends.
Responding to a Call
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, December 21, 2008. The text for this week's message is Luke 1:26-38.
The time has finally come. I’m not sure what has happened to this month, but this Thursday is Christmas. We’ve spent the last several weeks preparing for this very time, but it seems like it is too soon. Of course, if we think back, perhaps it is appropriate that Christmas has come upon us so quickly and unexpectedly. After all, we’ve seen multiple times this month that Jesus’ return will happen quickly and unexpectedly. It is important for us to be prepared for Christmas this week. Nobody wants Christmas morning, or whatever day it is that you celebrate Christmas with your family, nobody wants that day to come and to be totally unprepared for the festivities. It would be unthinkable, even horrifying, if we were not ready. We would be so embarrassed if that happened. But why is that? Why are we so embarrassed about being unprepared for something like a family Christmas, but we don’t even think twice about being unprepared in our spiritual life. Today’s passage reminds us of the importance of being ready, but also that when the time comes we need to be able to respond out of obedience. Not only did Mary have to be spiritually prepared for her encounter with Gabriel, she had to be ready to respond when she was called.
Luke begins by saying, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.” Now the “sixth month” that is referred to here is not the sixth month of the year, but rather a continuation of the story that begins with an angel’s appearance to Zechariah at the Temple. And in order to get some idea of the background of what is going on with Mary, let’s take a look at the opening of the narrative in Luke.
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were along in years, and to this point they did not have any children. However, this angel comes while he is praying and tells him that they will conceive and bear a child who would “be filled with the Holy Spirit… and turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to make them ready for the Lord” (Lk 1:15-17). Here it is! The time that Israel has been preparing for so long is almost upon them!
Remember, according to Malachi, Elijah would come before the Lord to prepare their hearts. The one who has been expected for so long has just been announced to a priest, who doubtlessly has been praying over and over again for the blessing of a child. His prayer is more than answered by a messenger of the Lord, in the Temple no less! My goodness! Take just a minute and think of something that you’ve been praying about for a long, long time. Now, imagine that you are sitting in this sanctuary praying one day, and an angel appears to tell you that your prayer has been heard and will be answered a thousandfold. That is what is going on with Zechariah here, and what’s his response? Well, basically, it’s, “Are you kidding me?” Now, as you can imagine, the angel Gabriel wasn’t too fond of this response, and basically said, “Do you know who I am? I stand in the presence of God, and He told me to come tell you this.” Zechariah was prepared, but his response when God’s call came was less than positive, and because of this, he ends up with the divine equivalent of getting his mouth washed out with soap. Zechariah is unable to speak until John is born, and that brings us to Mary.
Mary is betrothed to Joseph. A betrothal is something like an engagement in the first century, but it was much more serious. It was a legally binding agreement to be husband and wife, but the marriage would not be consummated for a full year after the betrothal. The only way to end a betrothal was by divorce. Mary is going about her daily business, when she is greeted by Gabriel – the same angel who visited Zechariah in the Temple. I can only imagine what it would be like for one to be greeted by an angel of the Lord. It must be incredible and terrifying at the same time. It seems as though everytime one appears in Scripture, the reaction is one of fear. Zechariah is said to be troubled at the angel’s appearance, and Gabriel tells Mary not to be afraid. The unexpected visitor appears and tells Mary that she is highly favored by the Lord, and she will conceive and bear a child, who will be the Son of the Most High and will sit on the throne of David. How do you take in this kind of information? In this one simple conversation, Mary’s life is turned upside down.
Remember, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. She was supposed to be a virgin when it came time for them to consumate their marriage, and now she is being told that she is going to conceive and bear a child. In the experience of human history, only one thing leads to a baby being conceived, and I’m sure y’all are familiar with what that is. According to the Old Testament laws, unfaithfulness during a betrothal would be considered adultery, which was punishable by death. In Matthew, we find out that Joseph was going to quietly divorce Mary so that she wouldn’t face this punishment. While it would be easy to quietly divorce Mary, it would be much more difficult to hide a pregnancy, especially one that was unplanned and unexpected.
I don’t think Mary woke up that morning thinking that she would conceive a child. And something tells me that giving birth to a child conceived by the Holy Spirit wasn’t in her long term plans. But that is how God works sometimes. Sometimes God will show up in our lives when we least expect Him and turn our world upside down. Mary wasn’t expecting her day to turn out this way. In the same way, Paul, on his journey to Damascus, wasn’t expecting to have a profound encounter with the risen Christ that would forever change the course of his life and the course of history.
On the day that you finally gave it all to Christ, something tells me that it wasn’t part of your schedule for the day. Maybe that day hasn’t come for you yet, but I can guarantee you that it’s not on your calendar right now, nor will it be on the day that it finally happens. Maybe that day is today. You probably didn’t wake up thinking that this would be a day that you would encounter the risen Christ, but maybe there is something in this service today that has spoken to your heart, or in a conversation that you’ll have later on this afternoon. The question is, “Are you willing to act when the time comes?”
God has a way of breaking into our world and changing everything in an instant. And sometimes, no, often it is at an inconvienent time in our lives. We like the way our lives are going. We don’t want to give that control over to a God who has seemed so distant for so long. Yet, the reality is, God has been with us all along, and we are the ones who have been distant. God’s call in our lives is not about our personal convenience or comfort. It is about being who we are supposed to be, and that is neither convenient nor comfortable in a world that tries to shut out God. And often, our call doesn’t seem to make sense either.
When the angel tells Mary about her call, it doesn’t make sense. She doesn’t understand what is going on. In verse 34, she says, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She’s not saying, “Are you kidding me?” like Zechariah was saying in the Temple. She’s saying, “I don’t know how this is possible because I haven’t been with a man.” Mary knew where babies came from, and she knew that physically, what she was being told was not possible. She is not doubting the messenger, she just doesn’t understand how it is going to happen. More often than not, we simply don’t understand how our calling is even possible.
I remember helping out with a middle school youth program when I was in high school. For some reason, the youth pastor asked me to lead the devotion time one week. I worked hard on the message, and I thought that it went pretty well. Afterwards, I was sitting around talking to some of my friends, and one of them referred to me as Pastor Swish. And immediately, I said that there was no way that I was going to be a pastor. I didn’t see how it was possible. Just a few months later, God called me to ministry. At the time, it didn’t make any sense to me. Now, 11 years later, I can see how God worked in my life to bring me to this point. Thankfully, God is not done with me yet. I’m sure many of you can see the same thing in your life. Why are you here this morning? Because somewhere along the way, God has worked in your life to bring you here at this point and time. But the question is, “Why?”
Why are you here? Why are we here as a congregation? What call has God placed on us for this time in our lives? I believe that there is something that God has in store for us as a congregation. I can’t say exactly what it is right now, but I know it is something that we just might think is impossible. And why is that? Because of what Gabriel says in verse 37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” I really, and truly believe with all my heart that God has a call for us as a congregation; that we can make a major impact on our small community if we only listen for His guiding and are obedient to that call, and that is the final point that I want to make this morning.
It is not enough for us to be prepared. We have to be willing to step out in faith when the time comes. When God has given us a clear direction, it is our responsibility to respond like Mary, and not like Zechariah. Zechariah’s response was, “Are you kidding me?” Mary’s response was, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
I read an article this week that said, “Faith is not simply expressed in obedience – faith is obedience. To be faithful is not to be full of an emotion or a belief; it is to act steadfastly on the basis of a commitment or a relationship.” Christmas is Thursday. Christmas is not just a time to enjoy one another’s company and open presents. Christmas is a time when we need to think about what it is that we have been preparing for during this season of Advent. Are we preparing for a commitment or a relationship from which we can express our faithfulness? Or are we simply preparing for another fun season of parties and presents?
I believe that this year, we need to take Christmas as more than just a time to gather with friends and family. We need to take it seriously as a time in which we have the opportunity to respond to God’s call. I want to challenge you to pray about this over the next week. God has a call for us as a congregation. I cannot figure out what that call is on my own. It has to be all of us turning to God together to listen for the call that He has placed on this congregation, and to respond by following the example of Mary – even if it is inconvenient, even if it is impossible, we need to be able to say, “We are servants of the Lord; let it be to us according to Your word.”
I Know It's Business, But... (Part II)
Just to follow up on a post from Wednesday regarding what I will now refer to as "Furcal-gate," the Braves' team president John Schuerholz said that he would not be dealing with the firm that represented Furcal in their negotiations at any time in the future.
I guess that is what happens when you put your integrity on eBay. I can't say I'd blame Schuerholz at all. You expect a certain amount of fairness when it comes to such negotiations, and I think the Braves saw that they were definitely given the short end of the stick on this one.
Koine Greek
I came across this clip this morning, and I think you have to be a certain breed of theological student to really find this funny. So, given that I'm a big nerd (see here), I found this hilarious! This is the type of stuff that we would laugh about during seminary softball....
Economic Bailout
So, apparently not everyone is very excited about the proposed economic bailout. Personally, I'm going to see if the government would be willing to bail me out of my student loan debt; until I hear a definitive answer on that issue, I'll reserve judgment.
For Those Who are Feelin' Down...
I came across this video on Mark Oestreicher's blog. I think I'm going to watch it whenever I need inspiration.
I Know It's a Business, But...
I'm not naive. I know that baseball is a business just as much as it is a game. But I thought there was some sort of understood honor code when it came to baseball; a sense that there is fairness throughout the known world in the end. However, if you're in the Atlanta Braves organization, it is difficult to see the justice in it all.
I read just last night that Rafael Furcal was going to sign with the Atlanta Braves, pending a physical. I get home this evening to find out that he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, I know that this time of the year there are a lot of rumors flying around the ol' "Hot Stove," and that nothing should be taken for granted, but typically, it is not said that a person is going to sign with a team unless it is certain. Maybe I'm way off base here. Maybe I'm not. Here's the low-down on what happened.
Furcal's agents - we'll call them Agent #1 and Agent #2 for the sake of simplicity - had been working on a deal that would bring the veteran back to the Braves, the team for which he played the first six years of his career. You see, three years ago, Furcal left the Braves as a free agent in favor of the City of Angels. Apparently, Braves officials were not pleased that they were not given an opportunity to counter the offer that was made by the Dodgers. This time around, the roles were reversed. There was a verbal agreement that Furcal would sign with the Braves, which was made between Agent #1 and Braves officials. That is when Agent #2 decided it would be a good idea to allow the Dodgers to counter the Braves' offer (which he didn't let the Bravos do three years ago). Less than 24 hours later, the Braves were given The Chop, and Furcal is heading back to L.A.
Apparently Agent #1 and Agent #2 are unaware of the unwritten rule regarding a verbal agreement. You see, the Braves operate in a world where a person's word is solid and binding; however, Agents #1 & #2 apparently don't live in this world. It's sad really. And perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by the latest twist - after all, it was said a couple weeks ago that the A's were the only team in the running for the 31 year old's services.
Hopefully, this will not damage the Braves' outlook towards these particular agents, but somehow, I doubt that is the case. I would certainly hate to be an athlete who wanted to play for the Braves and have those guys as my agent. If I were in the Braves front office, I would be very careful about dealing with those guys again, if ever. Ah, well. Thus is the life in offseason baseball...
Top 10 Reasons Why I'm a Nerd...
I was listening to my Flight of the Conchords station on Pandora this morning, when Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" came across the airwaves. This song cracks me up, and it got me thinking about some of the ways that I am white and nerdy, and just because I have a few minutes before I head out for a visit, I'm going to share them with you.
1) I actually started thinking about writing this blog while I was taking a shower and listening to Pandora with my computer's speakers at 1/2 volume. I'm fairly certain my neighbor's could hear it too.
2) I gave serious consideration to buying the new Lord of the Rings computer game... five times... while I was at Target last week.
3) Speaking of which, I want the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings movies, even though I already have the version that was found in the theaters.
4) I saw this clip on HBO, and couldn't stop laughing. And yes, that makes 3 LotR references in this list... and maybe I should add another one because I just used "LotR" in the middle of a sentence.
6) ...and can figure them out.
7) I actually wrote a blog about how excited I was about a new edition of the ESV being released. I own it now, leather-bound. It is the single most exciting book that I have ever owned.
8) I have actually played fantasy baseball and football for 6 seasons now.
9) I laugh endlessly at Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but I still think the book was funnier than the movie.
10) And, yes, I say things like, "The book was so much better than the movie."
Well, there you have it, 10 "linktastic" reasons why I am a nerd. I just used "linktastic" in a sentence. Does that count as #11?
American Idol Rejects
I was watching TV the other night, and I saw a commercial for the upcoming season of American Idol. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of reality television, but sometimes, Katie and I will watch some of the auditions for American Idol. (I was about to shorten it to AI; however, I think that lends too much sci-fi credibility to the show... Besides, it would only be half right, and I'll leave it up to you to decide which half,). Perhaps one of the funniest moments was the now infamous William Hung auditions. Ironically, he is more remembered than the person who made the show and was booted off first. Strange, really.
Anyhoo! I came across this clip this afternoon because of a minor rabbit trail from a Facebook posting. Good stuff...
Living Out Faith
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, December 14, 2008. The text for this week is Isaiah 61.
Today marks the third Sunday of Advent. During this season of the Christian year, we are preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of the King of Kings. We remember the birth of the Savior and look forward to the return of Christ – a time when all of creation will be redeemed. We listen to the words of John the Baptist, who is the voice crying out in the wilderness. We are preparing the way for the Lord to enter into our hearts and redeem us from the spiritual exile in which we have lived. We eagerly live in expectation of the coming Messiah, who first came as an infant with no earthly fanfare or fame. Today we turn our attention to what it is that the Messiah did and how we should live in response.
Isaiah 61 begins by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me.” First off, remember that the Hebrew word Messiah means “Anointed One.” The main speaker in view here is the one who has been anointed by the Lord, the one upon whom the Spirit rests. In Isaiah, this looks back to the messianic servant, who is discussed in some key passages throughout the second half of Isaiah. And it is no coincidence that at Jesus’ baptism it is said that the heavens opened up and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove. It cannot be lost on us that though Jesus is the Son, it is only through the empowerment of the Spirit that he was able to fulfill his role as the anointed one. Now, if Jesus had to constantly rely on the Spirit to fulfill his ministry, how much more must we rely on the Spirit in trying to be obedient to our call?
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus escaping for some quiet time. He is frequently getting away so that he can spend some time in prayer. We see it in Mark 1:35 after Jesus begins his ministry; in Mark 6:46, after he feeds the 5,000; and also in Mark 14:32ff when Jesus is praying in the garden at Gethsemane. In order to stay in the Spirit, we must be intentional about it. Relationships don’t happen on accident. They happen because people invest time into these relationships. We are meant to exist in relationship with an ever-present, eternal God, which means we don’t have to wait on His schedule in order to spend time with Him. We merely have to make the time in our schedule. And I realize, more than you may think, it’s not always easy to spend time with God on a daily basis.
And, just between us, I don’t care when you do it, as long as it is getting done. Someone once told me that they try to have their quiet time in the morning because that is what John Wesley did. He got up at 4a.m. every day to spend time in the Word. I quickly reminded him that England is about 6 hours ahead of us, that is more like 10p.m. our time. The point is – it doesn’t matter when you do it; it matters that it is getting done.
I have found that it is helpful to have a journal handy when I’m reading Scripture, but it has taken me a long time to realize that I don’t have to have some kind of profound insight every single day. My journal is just that – my journal. Nobody is going to read it in 50 years and be amazed at how spiritually in tune I was at the age of 27. There are days when I’ll write a page in my journal, and there will be days when I just write down the segment that I’ve been reading. The point is that we have to make the effort to listen. And when we make the time to listen to the Lord and be in His presence, we can begin to understand the calling that has been placed in our lives and rely on Him to help us accomplish it. That is what it means to rely on the Spirit. We realize that we can’t do it on our own, and we listen for the Lord’s guiding.
Now Isaiah 61 is not an all-encompassing job description for the Messiah, but it does give us an idea of what the Messiah would do. It gives us a glimpse into five key tasks of the Messiah. In Luke 4 Jesus points to this passage when he went before the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. What I find interesting about that passage is that Luke tells us that Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where Isaiah writes these words in order to share them with the congregation on that day. Why is this so interesting? Well, I’m glad you asked because I’m going to tell you.
The Jewish synagogues read through Scripture in an orderly way. They would read from a scroll, and pick up where they left off for the next time. And remember, the Old Testament didn’t exist in the same form that we have before us now. We can easily flip between any of the 39 Old Testament books to find a particular passage with the chapter and verse number. However, in Jesus’ day, they had scrolls. Each book would be hand-written on a scroll. In some cases, the books took more than one scroll, which is why we have 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Chronicles and 1 & 2 Kings. Isaiah was contained on one scroll, and Jesus takes this scroll and looks for this particular passage, without it being marked by chapter and number. He reads this passage and says that it has been fulfilled on that day. So, what was it that the Messiah was to do?
The first task of the Messiah is to bring good news to the poor. In Isaiah 29, it is said that the poor will exult the Holy One of Israel. And as we look back on Christian history, it is not hard to see why it primarily spread through the poor. The gospel is essentially a message of hope. It is something that we can cling to when all other things around us are falling apart. What we see all too much in this world is that people are running out of hope. For those who are living in broken neighborhoods, it sometimes seems as though they are trapped. They are told that they won’t amount to much. Eventually, they believe it, but the simple fact of the matter is that it is not true.
We live in a broken world, but it is not a world where people are supposed to be trapped in a cycle of poverty because they end up believing a lie that they aren’t worth anything. We need to be offering hope to this broken world. So many people build walls around themselves to keep out the hurt of the world, but these same walls end up shutting out all that is good in the world. We need to offer the kind of hope that will shatter these walls and give people an opportunity to truly live life, maybe for the first time. That is the hope of the gospel. The gospel doesn’t care if you live in a bad neighborhood or a great one; had attentive or negligent parents; are poor or rich. The gospel provides hope to all, but especially to those who have no hope whatsoever.
The second task of the Messiah is to bind up the brokenhearted. In the same way that there are many people who are materially bankrupt in this world, there are those who are emotionally devastated as well. They face the day in utter turmoil, uncertain of what to do or, in some cases, why they are even here. Their hearts are broken and they are in need of a Savior to wrap them in His love. Who do you know that has a broken heart right now? Is it a co-worker, friend, family member, yourself? Let them know about the one who has come to mend our broken hearts. This isn’t to say, “Believe in Jesus and your troubles will go away.” I don’t believe that, and I don’t think that is true to Scripture. But I do believe that those who have broken hearts can be healed, in time, through the power of the Messiah.
The third task is to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prisons to those who are bound. We read in several places in the New Testament where Jesus drives out demons. We live in a world where people are locked up because of sin. When we read through the liturgy for communion, we recognize that we have been delivered from slavery to sin and death. The Messiah brings freedom from captivity. Everyone thought that the new thing that God was going to do would be culminated in their return from exile in Babylon; however, we read in Nehemiah 9 that the people recognize that they are still in a state of slavery, even after returning to their homeland. When John the Baptist appeared, baptizing people in the Jordan River, not only was he preparing their hearts for the coming of the Lord, he was signifying that the time of exile was over. No longer would they be slaves, but their master wasn’t some foreign government, it was the power of sin in their lives that kept them in bondage. With the coming of the Messiah, the people were set free.
The fourth task is to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance. Now, this sounds like two different things, doesn’t it? It seems like favor and vengeance are polar opposites; however, that reality is that they are more like different sides of the same coin. God’s judgment will eventually come upon all people. The only question is, “Which side will you be on?”
I find it very interesting that people will say that the Bible gives us two different pictures of God. The Old Testament God is one of wrath and judgment, while the New Testament God is one of love. But I have to tell you, I don’t see it. Yes, there is a good amount of judgment in the Old Testament, but it is not because God is cranky. It is because he loves Israel. When I read through the Old Testament, I see a picture of a God who judges, but who will quickly relent if Israel would just turn its hearts to Him. That’s what I see here in the fourth task of the Messiah. God’s judgment will be favorable if we only turn our hearts to the Lord, but if we continue to live in our sin, then it will be a day of vengeance. Throughout the Old Testament Israel and the nations are being judged in vengeance by God, but that is because they kept turning away from Him and turning towards other gods of the ancient world. The Babylonian exile changed all of that. Once the people returned to the land following the exile to Babylon, they never fell into idolatry again. Now, there were other issues that came up; issues that Jesus had to deal with regarding empty religion, but idolatry was never an issue following the return from exile. God’s judgment ultimately proved to be the reason why the people of Israel turned to him fully.
The day of judgment is not something to be feared for those who love the Lord with all of the their heart, soul, mind and strength. It will be a day when the righteous are vindicated. But it will also be a day when the wicked are punished. So, favor or vengeance? It’s really up to us to decide. If we live our lives in such a way that God is glorified, then it will be a day of favor. If we fail to do so, it’s not going to be a fun day.
The fifth and final task of the Messiah that is listed in Isaiah 61 is to comfort those who mourn. That is pretty much was verses 3-4 are about. Those who mourn will be transformed by the Messiah. No longer will they adorn their head with ashes, but they will be given beautiful headdresses; gladness instead of mourning; praise instead of a faint spirit. That which was destroyed will be rebuilt. This also is the power of the hope that is found in the gospel. It has the power to transform even the darkest of circumstances. In Revelation 21, we are given the promise that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes in the new Jerusalem. No longer will there be sorrow, but life will have a new outlook for those who trust in the Lord.
The Messiah will be the one who brings good news, who heals the brokenhearted, who frees the captives, who brings forth judgment and who changes our mourning into joy. During this time of the year, we recognize that the Messiah has already come, and we live our lives in response to His first coming while we await His second. In the first coming, the Messiah came as an infant who showed us how to live. In the second coming, the Messiah will be here as one who judges the lives that we lived in response to His example. In living a mortal life, Jesus showed us that it is possible to live a fully obedient life by relying on the power of God. Humanity has been redeemed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is up to us now to follow His example. It is up to us to live our lives in such a way that God is glorified, but we have to remember that we cannot do this on our own. It is only when we rely on the power of God that we can live out a redeemed life.
Fantasy Football Update, Playoffs Edition, Round 1
Well, after winning 10 straight games to get the #1 seed in the playoffs, my opponents players decided to show up in a big way... and mine didn't. He had both Dallas Clark and Steve Smith; Clark had a mere 142 receiving yards and 1 TD, and Smith had 165 receiving yards and 1 TD. He also had Philip Rivers, who managed to throw 2 TD passes in the final minute and half of the game.
Conversely, I managed to have Marvin Harrison, Kevin Walter and Visanthe Shiancoe combine for a grand total of 2 points. How in the world can Marvin Harrison have only 22 yards receiving against the Lions? What kind of weird, twisted world are we living in? Along the same lines, how can Walter only have 8 yards receiving while his teammate has 207?
I decided to sit Berrian this week, against my gut, and he ends up with 41 yards receiving because of a 41 yard TD reception, and returns a punt for a TD as well. While his 16 points would have made the game a lot closer, it wouldn't have been enough to pull out the win. And my RB's? They had decent games, but nothing like the 20 and 30 point performances they have been putting up lately. Jones and Williams had 13 and 14 points respectively, but not enough help from the rest of the team.
Bottom line: 97-63 final. Watch out third place game, here I come!
Ah, The Memories...
I came across a video that was posted on another blog that I read, and it reminded me of what was quite possibly the best summer of my life. The summer began on June 5, 1999.
My youth group (as in the one I was in when I was in high school) went to see Billy Graham at the RCA Dome. I was already in a relationship with Christ, so from that standpoint, it wasn't life changing for me. I was actually a little bored at how simple his message really was. Of course, looking back now, that's the power of the gospel. It really is a simple message, but it has the power to change our lives forever.
The next day was my high school graduation. Family was over from Illinois, and we got together for a family party that afternoon. At one point I realized that my life would never be the same, and it made me a little sad. Of course, now, I barely remember anything from high school. Funny how time work, isn't it? That night, I was out with friends at their graduation parties, and got home and went to bed.
The next day, Monday June 7th, I left from Indianapolis to drive to Lineville, Alabama to be an intern at SIFAT for the summer. A handful of mostly strangers gathered together for what would be quite possibly more fun than any group of people should ever have in their entire combined lives. We would work hard all week long, get to know some great youth from around the country each week, eat some good food (and some less than good food), make our Tuesday run to the Piggly Wiggly, and our Saturday run to the booming metropolis of Anniston. But perhaps no event was greater that summer than our Nerf Wars.
Yes, you heard me right. During our Saturday runs to Wal-Mart in Anniston, we would take our $40 we earned on that week and blow it all on Nerf Guns and ammo. It was, simply put, amazing. Perhaps there was no greater weapon that summer than the Nerf Lock 'n Load, which is referred to as "arguably the best single shot Nerf weapon available." I can't agree more. The review said that the only problem with it is that it tends to shoot high. I don't see that as a problem because a chestshot easily is transformed into the glorious headshot. There is nothing more exciting than aiming at an English guy right in the chest only to have the dart hit the unsuspecting Brit right between the eyes.
The Lock 'n Load had a range that was unbelievable for other Nerf guns, and that gave unsurpassable power to the bearer this this firearm. You could face an opponent at 15 yards, watch his/her pathetic dart land at your feet, and then blast away. It was awesome and awe-inspiring. And just to add a picture to the beautiful descriptions of these fantastic events, I have included a clip and somewhat demonstrates our glorious battles.
The Hope of Advent
On Tuesday, December 9th, I was asked to speak at the candlelight memorial service for Dickerson Funeral Home in Veedersburg, IN. It was a beautiful service in which both I and another pastor in town were able to share briefly about hope, grief and the life that is available through Jesus Christ. The following is my message from that service. It is based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
A couple Sundays ago marked the beginning of the season of Advent. Advent is the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. It marks a time in the Christian year when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. It is more than decorating the house, buying Christmas presents, and scheduling parties with loved ones. It is a time when we can really examine ourselves and prepare ourselves spiritually for the birth of the Savior, but it is also a time to remind us that we don’t know when Christ will return. It is a time when we face the realization that Christ could come back at any point, and our job is to be ready for it. Our task is to live our lives in such a way that the hope which comes from above shines before all people.
For centuries, people have struggled with the expectation of the second coming. And perhaps that has something to do with the unknown nature of it all. We like to know what is going to happen because it makes things go a little smoother. But the simple truth of the matter is that just as the birth of Christ was unexpected, so will be the second coming. We are not to figure out when it will happen; we are to live in expectation of it.
Paul writes this letter to the church in Thessalonica during a time in which so many of the Christians were worried about their friends and family who had passed away. They despaired because they thought that these people would miss out on the second coming altogether. They believed that those who passed away would never be able to participate in it. Because of this, they were having a difficult time coping with their passing. Paul writes to reassure them that those who have passed on, or “fallen asleep,” will indeed be remembered upon Christ’s return.
Part of the reason why they were worried about this in the first place can be found in Act 17.
Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica during Paul’s second missionary journey. They went directly to the synagogue for three straight weeks and taught about Jesus and how he fulfilled Scripture, and that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. Many Jews and even some prominent Gentiles heard and accepted Paul’s message. However, there were several people who stirred up trouble, which caused Paul and Silas to leave in the night for Berea. Because of this disturbance, Paul was unable to teach the Thessalonians on some of the other aspects of the faith, which undoubtedly would have included Christ’s return, which is why he begins in verse 13 by saying, “We do not want you to be uninformed about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”
The message of the gospel is essentially one of hope. There is no need for despair when it comes to the gospel. It has the power to mend broken relationships. It has the power to overcome the difficulties of life. It has the power to defeat even death. What this means is that life as we know it right now, is not all there is. The idea that death has the final word is no longer true in light of the truth of the gospel. Death is not the end; it is the cocoon in which we find ourselves after our life as a catepillar has come to a close. And, when God’s timing is right, that cocoon opens to reveal a new creation.
Death is a step that ultimately brings us closer to who we are intended to be. This is the message of the gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). The promise of the gospel is that even though we will die, we truly find life in Christ. God is a God of promise, and what he promises is as good as done. His Word does not go unfulfilled.
Paul assures his readers that God will not forget those who have fallen asleep. In fact, he writes that those who have fallen asleep will be among the first to see the Lord upon his return. The dead are awaken by a great call from heaven, and they are taken up with the living. The Greek word for “caught up” gives us the picture of one who is suddenly, and unexpectedly, snatched up. This reinforces the uncertain, but sudden, timing of the return of Christ. And the Greek word for “to meet” is a specific term that is used when dignitaries would visit an area and all the people would come out of the village to meet him. Imagine the grand scene that Paul is painting here: we are going about our daily duties, then suddenly and unexpectedly, we are taken up to heaven and reunited with our brothers and sisters in Christ and we form a receiving line for the coming King.
In light of this understanding, we can look at death in a new way. This isn’t to say that there won’t be sorrow for those who have passed on, but to say that we need to recognize that this sorrow is only temporary. For the day will come when we will meet again, and it will be the day of Christ’s return. It will be a day of such significance that everything we know will be flipped upside down. The world as we know it will not exist because the world as we know it is not how it is supposed to be. In Isaiah, God promises a new heaven and a new earth. The same promise can be found in Revelation, alongside the promise that God will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death.
Let me close tonight with some words of encouragement. The ones we love who have passed away this year are not gone forever. They are asleep right now and will be awaken with a great trumpet call from heaven as we are taken up to meet our Lord. It is okay to grieve for those who have passed on, but Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians that there is no need for us to grieve as those who have no hope. We do have hope. We have the hope of the gospel, which is God’s promise to us that one day, every tear will be wiped away, and there will be nothing but rejoicing and praise as we live out eternity in His loving presence.
Fantasy Football Update, Week 14
DeAngelo Williams is a total stud. He had another huge game last night against the team that made him look bad back in Week 6. Going into last night's game, my opponent and I were tied up at 81 apiece. He didn't have anyone going, and I had Williams, so unless he gained 20 yards and lost 3 fumbles, I wasn't worried about losing this week. He ended up running for 186 yards and 2 TD's, which was good for another solid 30 points, making the final this week 111-81.
The regular season has closed out in grand fashion for Team Swish. After starting the season 1-3, I have strung together 10 straight wins to finish the season at a nice 11-3. I've captured the #1 overall seed in our playoffs, and came in second in total points scored for the season, being outscored by the third place team by a mere 14 points. All in all, this has been probably the best regular season that I've ever had in fantasy football. But all that doesn't matter now. This Thursday's game marks the beginning of the playoffs. I've finished in first in the regular season before and lost in the first round of the playoffs, so we'll see how everything goes
And just to point out how much I attribute this season to DeAngelo Williams:
- my original RB's were McFadden, Thomas Jones and Jamal Lewis
- McFadden (who was supposed to be the impact rookie this season... yeah right) began the season with some injuries, and Lewis was starting off by playing on a poor Cleveland team (though, nobody knew it at the time)
- the various Lewis/McFadden/Jones combos combined for point totals of 12, 25, 6 and 20 before I started looking for a new RB to throw into the mix.
- on Week 5, I tried Rudi Johnson and Michael Pittman because all three of my RB's had a bye week. They combined for a stellar 12 points, and I looked to the waiver wire once again. I came across a story that said DeAngelo Williams would be a good pick-up on the waiver wire, so I gave it a chance. Week 6, against the Bucs, 2 points.
- on Week 7, I sat Williams in favor of Jones and Lewis. Jones had big yards for 15 points, and Lewis only had 9 on the day. Williams was sitting on the bench with 12 points.
- beginning Week 8, Williams broke out in a big way, with weeks of 17, bye, 20, 24, 19, 32 and 30. He is currently ranked #2 overall in the Yahoo! standings.
DeAngelo? More like DeAngelico.... I haven't had a sports man-crush on anyone like this (not named Albert Pujols - the perpetual sports man-crush) since Scott Spiezio in the 2006 playoffs. However, my man-crushes are temporary. If he falls apart in the next two weeks, he'll go from man-crush territory to second on my draft board next season.
All right, I'm going to finish my Strawberry Frosted MiniWheats and get some work done!
Hearing Voices
The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, December 7, 2008. The text for this week is Mark 1:1-8.
This week marks the second week of Advent – the time in which we prepare ourselves to celebrate the coming of Christ. Last week we talked about how it was important for us to live our lives in preparation for the second coming of Jesus. We are to live as people of Advent, who are eagerly expecting the second coming of Jesus. The simple truth is that we don’t know when he will return, but we do know that it is going to happen. We know what we are preparing ourselves for, now the question turns to how do we do this? I guess the simplest answer would be to listen to the voices.
Today’s passage comes to us from Mark 1. I have spent a fair amount of time in today’s passage over the years because Mark is one of my favorite books in the Bible, and he begins by quoting another one of my favorite book - Isaiah. So, to translate, this passage is my version of a Buy One Get One Free sale. Before we go too far into the passage, I want to give just a little bit of background to place it in context.
The author of this gospel is John Mark, who appears in Acts 12-15 as a companion of Paul on his first missionary journey, which is recorded in Acts. Mark left Paul to return to Jerusalem before the completion of this first missionary jouney, which caused him to be the focal point of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. Paul did not want to bring him on their second missionary journey, but Barnabas did, which resulted in them going their separate ways prior to leaving for this journey. In time, Mark ended up in Rome with Peter, and that is where he wrote the gospel. The Gospel of Mark is actually Mark’s recollection of Peter’s message. So, whenever you read Mark, you are reading the teachings of Jesus as related by Peter.
Mark does not have a birth narrative like Matthew and Luke, nor does he have a theological reflection like John. Mark does not waste any time in his gospel. It is almost like he is trying to write down everything as quickly as he possibly can. In fact, one of the more common words found in Mark is “immediately” – the Greek word is found 41 times in Mark’s 16 chapters. The story is always in motion, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that he starts off with a very brief introduction, and then begins the story at the point when Jesus’ ministry really starts, which is following his baptism by John. But, believe it or not, there is a lot of punch packed into these very few verses, and there is a lot that we can learn from them.
The first verse alone makes a couple of profound statements about Jesus. Marks begins by saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Now, on this side of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we take certain words and phrases for granted, but when Mark was writing, “gospel,” “Christ,” and “Son of God” were some bold statements to be making.
First of all, “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew concept of Messiah. So there is everything that goes along with the claim that Jesus is the Messiah – the expectation that Jesus is the long awaited savior of Israel from the line of David.
“Son of God” is a pretty straightforward phrase as well. A son is one who has the characteristics of the father. Whenever people see my dad and I together, there is no doubt that I am his son. We share many of the same characteristics, both physical and personality-wise. In the same way, Mark is making the claim that when one looks at Jesus, one is looking at God. This is also a highly subversive term in the Roman Empire. In the Roman Empire, the only one who would be the Son of God would be the emperor. It was believed that emperors became gods following their death, and that the ensuing emperor was his son. Likewise, we have the word “gospel.”
“Gospel” in this context would have also been highly subversive. This is the one whose real meaning is probably lost the most on many of today’s readers. “Gospel” comes from a Greek word which literally means “good news” or “good message.” However, in the Roman Empire, the concept of gospel was reserved for a particular purpose. “Gospel” in the Roman Empire had to do with celebrating the ascension, or birth, of a king or emperor. So, when Christians started proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, it was perceived as a threat to the Roman emperor. It was understood as treason in the Roman Empire to claim anyone but Caesar as the emperor. So, in one very short sentence, Mark manages to get his audiences attention in a big way by basically claiming that Jesus is the Messiah, and using words that were reserved for news about the emperor. In the midst of Rome, this is a very dangerous beginning to a document that is not about Caesar, and we’re only in verse 1!
Verse 2 brings us to the Buy One Get One Free sale, and, realistically, that’s not even accurate. Verses 2-3 are more like the super sale at Wal-Mart where it’s buy one, get two free. You see, even though Mark attributes the quote to Isaiah, the first part is actually found in Malachi 3:1. Mark is making a connection between two passages that both point to a significant figure that would arrive prior to the coming of the Lord.
Now, when a New Testament author quotes something from the Old Testament, he is not only bringing to mind the verse that he is quoting, but the entire context that surrounds that passage as well. Many of the Jews in Rome would have been very familiar with the Old Testament, and would also be very familiar with the context of Old Testament quotes. There was not the need for a long teaching to give the background because the background was already known.
Malachi 3 discusses the messenger who would be sent before the Lord would come. In chapter 3, there is not an abundant amount of discussion on the characteristics of this messenger, but in Malachi 4:5, the prophet Elijah is said to be the one that will be sent prior to the coming of the Lord. This led to speculation that Elijah, who never actually died in the Old Testament, would come back before the Messiah. You can pick up this expectation in some of the questions that are asked of John the Baptist in John 1. He is outrightly asked if he was Elijah. He replies by saying that he isn’t, and literally speaking, he wasn’t Elijah, but he fulfilled that role which is first discussed in Malachi. He was the one who turned hearts and prepared the people for the coming of the Lord. Mark also points to John’s fulfillment of the role of Elijah.
Remember, Mark doesn’t waste any time when it comes to writing his gospel. He doesn’t put in a lot of details that aren’t important in moving the story forward or making a particular point. That being the case, we need to really look at what he says in verse 6. Mark writes, “Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.” If Mark is in such a hurry to write his gospel, why would he comment on what John was wearing? Was the Jordan River the red carpet of the first century? Of course not! The answer to why Marks makes this comment can be found in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings. In chapter 1, Elijah is described as wearing a “garment of hair and a leather belt around his waist.” John’s clothing further emphasizes his connection to Elijah the prophet, who was to come and prepare people for the coming of the Lord.
And, while John’s ministry was important, he was always careful to make his ministry about Jesus. He is constantly drawing people to himself for the sole reason of pointing them to Christ. He recognizes his place in the pecking order, if you will, and realizes that no matter what, his ministry is about Jesus, not himself. In fact, even in Mark, he plays down his role, as we can see in verses 7-8. There’s an important lesson that we need to learn from this. We do ministry so that we can point others to Jesus, not to ourselves. We don’t do ministry so that we can look good to others in our congregation or even our community. We do ministry in order to point others to Jesus. If there is a point in which we are doing something so that we look good, then we have missed the point entirely. Okay, now that I’ve gone to the end of the road with the Malachi quote in verse 2, let’s take a look at the context of the Isaiah quote, which is found in Mark 1:3.
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,’” Is found in Isaiah 40:3. The context of this passage also points to a significant event in the lives of the Israelite people. Throughout the book of Isaiah, the prophets weaves in a theme that is known as the New Exodus. For the Israelites, the exodus from Egypt was their defining event. It was what they referred to time and time again as a landmark event in their history, demonstrating God’s care for them. The Passover was celebrated each year as a way of remembering this event. Many Jews, even today, will celebrate the Passover as a way of remembering God’s faithfulness through the generations. However, in Isaiah, there are several places in which God himself claims that he will do a new work that will be remembered for generations to come (chapters 42, 43, and 48). The new thing will be so incredible that the former things (that is, the exodus from Egypt) will be forgotten.
At the end of Isaiah 39, King Hezekiah is told that the day will come when all of his possessions and all in his house will be taken away to Babylon. Hezekiah responds with, “Well, at least I don’t have to deal with it.” Now Hezekiah’s response is not exactly the kind of attitude that God is looking for when it comes to something like this. He is definitely an example of how not to respond in such situations. Realistically, though, he serves as a good attitude check for us, and perhaps we need to use this chapter from time to time to remind us that our decisions now often have effects that go down through the generations. However, we are going a little too far down a rabbit trail here. The bottom line that we need to remember as we head into Isaiah 40 is that the people of Israel will undoubtedly face exile for their unfaithfulness, but what are the first words of Isaiah 40? They aren’t words of condemnation; they are words of comfort. In fact, that’s how it starts, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”
Isaiah 40 seems to pick up after the exile. The penalty for their sin has been paid in full, and they are pardoned. The people will return to the land of their forefathers. There is a voice that is crying in the wilderness that the way needs to be prepared for the Lord. The valleys will be raised, and the mountains and hills will be laid low. The rough terrain of the desert will be smoothed out for the Lord. This was the ministry of John the Baptist.
He was the one who cried out in the wilderness for people to prepare their hearts for the Lord. In preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins, John was raising the valleys and lower the mountains and hills. Let’s also not forget about the symbolism of where John is located. He is at the Jordan River. The same river that reminded Joshua and the Israelites of the exodus from Egypt. The same river that stopped flowing even though the banks were overflowing at the time. The same river that the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land on dry ground. It is no accident that John’s ministry happened here.
John was preparing the way for the Lord at the Jordan River because it was time. The time had finally come when the former things were forgotten and the new thing that God was doing was going to take place. This was the time when all of the promises of the Old Testament would be more than just something to hope for; it was the realization of all the hopes of the Old Testament. Mark realized the significance of this time, and he didn’t want to waste any time letting his readers know of it significance. Everything that the Israelites were waiting for was finally happening. No longer would the people be in a state of spiritual exile, but now, because of what happened in an insignificant region of the Roman Empire, all people – not just the Jews, but all people around the world - were invited to return from exile.
I stand here today to let you know as well. The time has come. We no longer live in exile. God has indeed done a new thing, and in doing so, all people are invited to live in relationship with Him. Today we celebrate the Lord’s Supper because it is a reminder of what God has done. God has destroyed the barrier that exists between Himself and humanity. We no longer live in a state of spiritual exile. We are invited to return home and live in a renewed relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Busy Week
In case someone was uncertain as to what a pastor does during the week...
I spent most of my day yesterday in Lafayette, as someone in one of my congregations had surgery. The gentleman ended up going in earlier than scheduled, so I talked with the family for a little while, ran some errands, ate lunch and came back to catch him as he was getting ready to head home. Doesn't sound like a lot of busyness; however, Lafayette is an hour away. It pretty much took all day.
I have started attending a Bible study that is working through Max Lucado's He Still Moves Stones. They asked if I would lead this week's lesson, which is tomorrow morning. I still need to prepare for it.
I was asked to take part in a special service that the funeral home in Veedersburg is hosting for those who have lost loved ones in the last year. I'll be giving a 10-15 minute message next Tuesday evening. I need to call one of the other pastors in town just to make sure we don't speak on the same topic.
I have two people having surgery today. One is at the heart hospital near St. V's in Indy. The other is in Champaign, IL. I talked to both of them yesterday, and they said that they didn't want me to make the trip to see them (it's about 1-1.5 hours in opposite directions from the 'Burg). Hopefully, both surgeries will be outpatient, and they'll be home tonight. I'm planning on calling them this evening to check up on them.
I'm also working on a Christmas Eve service. I got this idea that it would be really cool to have a service of carols and lessons that walk through the Christmas story. I've been thinking about it for a week now and spent some time working on it during my lunch yesterday. It is going to be exciting.
I also have to work on this Sunday's sermon. It's from Mark 1:1-8, which is a passage that I have studied a lot, but I still need to do the background work and write it. I have a near pathological dependancy on my manuscript right now. I'm slowly getting away from it, but it is going to take some time. Besides, if I didn't type out a manuscript, what would I post on Monday mornings?
Let's also throw on top dinner, some minor cleaning and hiding Katie's Christmas presents, and it is looking like a pretty full day today.... So, why am I blogging right now....