Peter’s Posts

I have already used this picture once today but I think it is an amazing shot that encapsulates so much of the meaning of Christmas for my wife Mary and for our family.

First, it’s dark. Winter is dark up here in the northern part of the U.S. We only get about nine hours of sunlight. There is snow on the tree. Along with being dark in the winter, it is cold. If we get precipitation at all, it comes in the form of snow and ice. There is a moon. I can’t think of any significance for the moon and Christmas, but it is a mostly full moon, which is mentioned in the poem “The night before Christmas”.  “The moon on the crest of the new fallen snow, gave luster like midday to objects below”. There is the star. It is a star that my Wife Mary has looked at and cherished every Christmas of her life. If it was just a star shaped light it wouldn’t be that special, but it symbolizes another star, a star that led wisemen to seek a new king. That king was Jesus. That Jesus became the king of my wife Mary’s heart, then my heart, then our children’s hearts and now our grandchildren’s hearts.

Christmas is special to us because God became flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life, and died the death we deserve to pay a debt we cannot pay. He was raised to life and now lives forever to intercede for us.

Mary wrote a song about a special Christmas memory from her past. She doesn’t mention it in the song, but the star was shining over her little town that night, symbolizing another star that shown over another Bethlehem Ephrata, that led wise men to seek a king.

Please click on the link and listen to Mary’s song, “Merry Mary” and remember all the Christmases, especially the first one, when Jesus Christ was born.

 

When my wife Mary and I were first married we moved to Vancouver Washington because I was going to school across the river in Portland Oregon at Concordia College. We were very young and very newly married and Mary was pregnant with our honeymoon baby. She was homesick for her home town of Ephrata and would cry herself to sleep over the thought of missing out on her favorite Ephrata Christmas tradition, the giant star being lit on top of the hill that overlooks the town.

The town of Ephrata is named after the town of Bethlehem. An early traveler to our sleepy little whistle stop looked around and said the setting reminded him of the town of Bethlehem. The name is found in a prophecy about the coming messiah being born there, found in the minor prophets book, Micah, chapter five.

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”

Micah 5:2 – NLT

I’m not sure when it started but for as long as my wife has been alive, seeing the Star on the hill over Ephrata has been a meaningful experience.

The town elders who installed the star were prompted to by the story found in the book of Matthew. Wise men followed a star and found Jesus in Bethlehem.

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

Matthew 2:1-8 – NLT

This mornings bible reading took me to Micah 5, then as I was leaving for work the fog that had blanketed our town overnight, lifted just enough for me to see both the star on the hill, and a waning moon, framed by our weeping fir covered in snow.

It was like looking down the hallway of time. I saw the Old Testament prophet speaking words about his coming messiah, then the fulfillment of that prophecy at Jesus’ birth, then the connection of our little town to that town by a stranger passing through, then my personal connection to the star through my wife who has never missed a Christmas seeing the star on the hill.

Yes, even the year we were in Vancouver, God provided a way for Mary to see the star over Ephrata, which symbolizes the star over Bethlehem, which was the sign to the wisemen that the savior, the King had been born.

The angels said it best, “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:8-14 – NLT

My father-in-law was a really good man. He lived his whole life serving others, doing the right thing, even when it hurt, going the extra mile just because it was needed. He rescued people, he rescued dogs and cats, he put out fires, he served in the national guard going and doing whatever needed being done. He was a selfless servant. He didn’t ask for much in return. In the 40 plus years I knew him I rarely saw him angry.

When Mary finished her first album her dad looked it over and asked if his favorite song was on it. He loved Mary’s song that she called “Glory”. Mary told him that Glory did not make it on the album because it was more of a Christmas song. His response was a little out of character, he actually got a little miffed and said, “Well then, make a Christmas CD!” At first we scoffed at the thought. The recording process was expensive and time consuming but eventually we came up with a plan and of course we knew whatever else we put on the album, “Glory” had to be among the songs listed.

Harold passed away before the project was finished. We believe because of his faith in Jesus, that he is now experiencing in person, what we can only imagine, the Glory of the great God of the universe. God is a great and powerful and awesome God, but he showed his grace and mercy to us in sending us his son Jesus to die in our place, to pay for our sin which separates us from God.

If you have a few minutes to relax, please click on the link and listen for free to Mary’s dad Harold’s favorite song, “Glory”. If you like the song, please share this link with family and friends, you are our distribution system.

Merry Christmas, and Harold, thank you for your serving heart and hands.

Ah to be a kid again and to be thrilled with the white stuff. It snowed last night, probably close to 2 inches so now our bleak winter landscape has a fresh fluffy white blanket and everything is beautiful. It is lovely, the snow tends to make me grumpy because of the impact it has on me. I have to shovel the walks, scrape the windows of my truck, drive slower than normal, walk carefully around the campus at work. So now I am the grumpy old man grumbling about how snow inconveniences me.

But what if I could see the fresh snow like it looks to a kid? Kids love snow, it creates a playground. Every flat surface is slide, every hill is a sledding hill. The white stuff becomes a builders master lego set with every shape possible, the warriors among the children have an inexhaustible arsenal at their fingertips.

Our granddaughter Molly wrote a song about the joy of snow. Click on the link and listen for free. If you enjoy the song, please share with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas and I hope you find multiple reasons to enjoy the season.

 

I am reading a book titled “Redeeming Sex”

By Debra Hirsch

In chapter 7 she writes this:

“Apparently the Gospel doesn’t involve God simply obliterating our history. God is a redeemer not an eraser. Our past, in some way , will always be with us, always a part of who we are and have become, an inextricable part of our life narrative. “

The book is not so much about sex as an act but about sex as gender and how Jesus helps us through the minefield of gender identity and how we can love people no matter what.

Before I read this I was at Church. We have a wall at church that is purposefully rustic. I felt like God said to me, “look at this wall” and I said “ok, I’m looking,” and he said “no, Peter, look at this this wall and let it teach you something about me,”.

The wall is paneled with boards from pallets. The colors, size, shape and texture of each board are all different. As I gazed at it, I was looking at the boards first as a whole, as the entire wall, then individually, as boards that make up the wall. I noticed two distinct patterns on the wood. On some boards there had straight lines cut in. Others had curved lines cut in. I then realized that these patterns were made by the saws used to cut the wood. The boards with the straight lines had been cut with a band saw which has a straight blade and cuts in a straight line. The boards with the curved lines had been cut with a circular saw which spins on an arbor making the half circle lines.

I see this wall like a picture of our church, we are an assemblage of people from all over and we are all in varying states and places in our life, different shades, different textures, some of us are knottier than others but we all need each other to complete the wall.

We have been cut out with different methods. Our life’s have been sliced and shaped by different means. We carry the marks of the saw with us.

When Jesus was traveling south to north he made an unusual travel deviation. Unlike the other Jewish travelers of his day,he went through Samaria instead going around it.

He ended up at Jacobs well, a spot that would be special to both Jews and Samaritans.

While he was there he bumped into a woman with a dubious past and a scandalous present.

During their conversation Jesus exposes his knowledge of the woman, her past and present and is unoffended by her life and lifestyle and racial lineage.

“Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”

John 4:5-26 – NLT

This woman had both a past and a present that made her an outcast but Jesus sought her out. She will go on from this point in the story to tell her whole village about Jesus because he knew about her life yet loved and cared for her anyway.

God is not an eraser. Our “saw lines” stay with even after we encounter him and his grace and mercy.

In his letter to the believers in Rome Paul wrote this:

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Romans 5:6-11 – NLT

God is not an eraser, he is a redeemer, I hope that brings us relief and hope. Maybe we can find someone who needs to hear about this God we serve who seeks us out, while we were yet sinners.

Hebrews 7

There are 2 history lessons here but I won’t go into them now. The story of Melchizedek and the story of the Judaic priesthood. Great stories, must reads. Maybe later.

I’m excited to share this next section because it encapsulates Jesus’ mission.

“And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

‘You are a priest forever.’”[b]

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”

That part, vs 25 Jesus saves completely, and he always lives to intercede for us.

At work we have a tech support contract for our control system. They offered 2 levels. Entry level was support M-F 8-5. We run 24/7. Most break downs for some reason happen in the middle of the night. We took option 2, for the 24/7 support. Jesus is on 24/7 for each one of us. He saves us completely and then is there to support us all day, and all night.

We have 24/7 support. That is good news. He is there to support us and as we saw recently, he understands our situation. He has been where we are, yet without messing up.

Jesus help me come to you with my problems and concerns and junk and yuck and thanks and good reports. I tend to hang onto them too long trying to fix it myself. Help me ask for help.

(Originally posted 12/11/15)

Instrumental music can be very helpful on an ordinary day in an ordinary season. However, with Christmas upon us, days are more hectic than usual and this season of joy and happiness can easily become a season of pressure and chaos as we flit around trying to make it to all of the joyous celebrations, complicated by gift buying with money that doesn’t stretch any further now than it did last month. During the Christmas season, we may need a instrumental interlude even more than any other time of the year.

If the Christmas season is stressing you out, Please take a couple of minutes, click on the link and listen, and breath, and reflect on the invisible God, who took on flesh, was born in a barn and slept in a feeding trough. He did it all because he loves us so much, he couldn’t bear to let our sins separate us from him.

Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright….

Psalm 69 vs 32 & 33

I’ve been sick for a couple of days and I’ve used my early morning hours for sleep rather than study or devotions. On Monday before I got sick I read Psalm 69. It was on my reading list because of the messianic prophecies.

There are four verses that Jesus fulfilled.

Vs4 “Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.”

Psalm 69:4 -NLT

Fulfilled as he hung from a cross dying. Accused of crimes he did not commit.

Vs8 “Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.”

Psalm 69:8 – NLT

Fulfilled at the cross, he was abandoned by his followers and his family. Only his mother and a few other women and his disciple John were there.

“Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.”

John 19:25-27 – NLT

Vs9 “Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

Psalm 69:9 – NLT

Fulfilled as he cleansed the temple of the money changers, also when he was 12 and was left behind in Jerusalem by his family. They found him in the temple discussing scripture with the priests and elders.

Vs 21 “But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Psalm 69:21 – NLT

Fulfilled at the cross John 19:28.

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:28-30 – NLT

These verses show thatJesus is the one promised, the one hoped for, the messiah, our messiah, my messiah.

But wait, there’s more.

I was personally encouraged to read these verses below.

“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.”

Psalm 69:32-33 – NLT

I am not in prison but because of debt I am not free either. As the proverb says the borrower is a slave to the lender. Things changed at work recently and I no longer have overtime. It’s a substantial drop in pay. We are having to work on our faith, not blind faith that says it will all work out but focused faith in the God who spoke and world and planets were formed, who created light, who heals the sick and raises the dead, who has his people, not walk around but walk through a sea on dry ground, who has provided for Mary and I day in and day out. I have had faith, faith in myself, faith in the status quo, and in some measure of faith in God but my faith in God has weakened. Like working on a weak muscle, The only way to strengthen a weakness is to exercise it. Here we go, God make me stronger. “He hears the cry of the needy. “

One phrase of the verse stuck out to me, “will see their God at work”. I believe what the writer meant is that we will see God working, but could it also mean that I will see God at my work place, in other people, see him doing stuff “at work”?

That seems to interweave with A memory verse I’ve been working on. Philippians 4:5 “let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near”. I’ve also been looking at that in more than one way. The Lord is near, I need to be gentle with people because my Lord and God is observing me. He is near me for my good, and to keep me aimed in the right direction. There’s that way and another way, the Lord is near, he is coming back, I need to be gentle with people because Jesus will be back soon and I have a job to tell people about him, in a gentle loving way. Mercy triumphs over judgement. I’m contemplating both of these aspects of this verse while I spend my days at work.

In all circumstances and over all our lives, thank you God for your heart of care and concern for me, for us. Provide for us God, financially and also lead us into the fields of yours that are “ripe unto harvest”.

My wife Mary and I were both born in the tail end of the baby boomer generation. We grew up in the 60’s. We were part of this mass of kids, everywhere we went there were bunches of kids. It was fun to have kids everywhere, we frequently outnumbered the adults 2 to 1. One of the most fun times was when our families would get together because every family seemed to have more kids to add to the mix.

Mary wrote a song about a childhood memory, waiting for her cousins to show up and a magical Christmas event happened, a Christmas snow. With Mary every magical event will eventually produce a song.

Please click on the link and listen to “Merry Mary”, a song about Mary’s magical Christmas past. If you like the song, please share it with your family and friends.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and to listen to Mary’s song,  and Merry, Mary, Christmas to you.

Hebrews 4C & 5

A priest is someone who goes to God on my behalf. The high priest was the guy who went before God to make the annual sin offering. Jesus is my high priest.

He has “been there” but he hasn’t “done that”.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We can be “honest to God” with Jesus. We can tell him what we are going through, say exactly what our temptation or trial is. He is familiar with our situation. He knows how it feels.

“7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus is our priest. Jesus is also our sacrifice. Jesus is our intercessor, our lawyer before God.

My goal is to grow up. To be maturing. To be able learn and share my learning.

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

(Originally posted 12/08/15)

Those middle school notes, you send them to a crush and hope they respond in the affirmative.

Sometimes I do this with God. I get to feeling separation from him and I start wondering if he still loves me.

This morning’s reading took me to Isaiah 54.

I found the answer to my question in verses 9&10.

““Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”

Isaiah 54:9-10 – NLT

God loves me and is committed to me. God also loves you. Have you stepped out in faith and confessed your love for him? Have you entered into a relationship with him by believing in Jesus and his death and resurrection?

I love the way the new living translation translates Gods name. It is used in verse 5 but I will add verse 4 for context.

““Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood. For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.”

Isaiah 54:4-5 – NLT

The Lord of heavens armies, that’s God name and who is and what he does.

The shame of my youth, I did some shameful stupid things as a youth, I was just going over those memories this morning. I still feel the shame but in the Lord of Heaven s armies eyes, they are forgiven and forgotten.

God loves me. God loves you. God does not remember our shameful past. He is committed to me, to us. I wonder if my neighbor knows about that yet?

Hebrews 4

Rest.

During the busy holiday season it’s what I crave. A chunk of time to rest. I Just looked over Mary’s holiday schedule. There isn’t much room for rest for her and as her “roadie” for me either.

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.[a] 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’”[b]

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[c] 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”[d]

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[e] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”

Faith in Jesus, trusting in his work that he accomplished when he died for our sins, hearing that message and believing it. That is how we enter spiritual rest.

Again the day we can decide to believe is today. Today is the day we do all the important stuff. It’s the only day we can do anything. We may plan on doing it tomorrow but we can’t. We have to wait until tomorrow becomes today. Yesterday is filled with memories, they may be regrets or joys but today is the only day we have to act.

Jesus died to forgive our mistakes. It’s his gift to us this Christmas season. A gift of forgiveness and rest from our striving. Will we receive his gift this today?

(Originally posted 12/07/15)

Our producer Brandon Bee had a word that he used to express delight or approval. When he saw, or heard something he liked he would exclaim, “Glory!”.

I never learned the story behind why he chose that word. The more I have gotten to know Brandon Bee, I have seen that everything he does, while it may from an outsider as random, is actually thoughtfully chosen so I know it was for a good reason, maybe it was Mary’s song. That could be, but more likely it was the way that the good things that happen in life continuously reveal God’s glory to us. God loves us and is on a mission to bless us and grow us and love on us. Even stuff that seems bad at first, God can use to bless us.

Mary wrote this song a long time ago, it was her dad Harold’s favorite song that she had written and he would often request it when Mary was at a piano. In all the years I knew Harold, his constant love and support were amazing. That is why it seemed so out of character that when he heard that Mary’s first album did not include his favorite song the he got a little angry. But because he insisted that we do a second album so he could have a recording of his favorite daughter (only daughter) sing his favorite song. We didn’t make it in time for Harold to listen to it, he passed away before the project was complete.

If you have the time, please click on the link and listen to Mary’s dad Harold’s favorite song, it is called “Glory”. If you like it please help us distribute this song to the rest of the world by sharing it with your friends and family.

Isaiah 35

I read Isaiah 35 this morning. It has a prophecy in it that Jesus fulfilled.

“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.

The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived. And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.”

Isaiah 35:5 – 8 – NLT

Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, he also healed the mute, healed lepers, healed internal bleeding, and he raised the dead. This he did literally.

The second half of the prophecy seems to be more metaphorical.

It may have seemed that the entire prophecy was metaphorical to the original readers, even up to the time Jesus began his ministry. It was impossible for a human to heal the maladies listed here. Even today it is difficult, I have friend who has a birth defect in his right eye and even with modern science his eye cannot be restored. Most people with spinal chord injuries are doomed to a wheel chair because there is no cure. But with Jesus, blind men were given sight, lame men were healed and walked for the first time, deaf could hear, mute people were given speech.

Jesus did not bring water to the desert, nor did he build a Hiway,…or did he? Certainly not literally but metaphorically Jesus brought (and continues to bring) water to thirsty souls. In John 4, while talking to a woman with a dubious past He described himself as a spring of water.

“Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”

John 4:7-26 – NLT

Jesus brings to every dry desert place, a well that bubbles up giving eternal life.

In John 14 Jesus declared himself the way. He is the hiway to Heaven.

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 – NLT

In Jesus this prophecy is fulfilled.

I believe that Jesus is the promised messiah. He is the one who gives us the righteousness, the holiness, required to travel on the Hiway of holiness and to join our Father in heaven and our spiritual family.

On the way home I had two strong ideas that seemed linked.

The gospel according to Winter, Winter Warlock.

(Winter Warlock is a character in the Rankin/Bass animated show, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.)

And these verses, especially the first 1/2 of verse 5.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”

2 Peter 1:5-9

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith.

Now how do theses verses and Winter Warlock come together? What if I add some words from James?

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:14-17

Well here is how they connected in my brain.

Peter tells us to add to our faith. When we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection and that his gift of love for us pays for our sin, we are saved, it is a done deal. Like when in “Santa Claus is coming to town” animated feature Winter Warlocks frozen heart is melted by Santa’s gift. But Peter said to add to our faith. If our salvation is secure in Jesus what is there to add?

When a baby is born it is a complete baby. But is that baby a finished product? No, it must be fed and nurtured and cleaned and guided and protected. The baby is added to, even though it is a complete human at birth. So it is with us we are born anew or born again. We need to add to our faith, grow our faith, nurture the new life that Jesus has birthed in us.

The verse in James says that we show that our new birth has made us new by our change of heart which is shown in our change in behavior. Winters heart was changed which changed the way he acted, and what he was able to do. He couldn’t curse, he could only bless.

Winter Warlock doesn’t mention Jesus, but he is changed by love. It isn’t a perfect fit but I hope it brings a new dimension to our Christmas season viewing.

Merry Christmas. Thank you Jesus for coming as a child, then finishing the grueling work of redeeming the world. Thank you to for continuing your work in me until I’m finished in your eyes.

(Originally posted 12/06/17)

The original title of this song is The lullaby of our Savior. It was written by a priest around 1855. The priest lived in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland (pictured). The song has 29 verses and was first written for midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

Mary sings the first verse in Scots Gaelic. She learned how to pronounce the words of the verse, but She is now studying the language to learn how to speak it. Mary selected her favorites of the 29 verses to record.

The song talks about a miracle. God came to earth. He didn’t come as mighty warrior, or regal king, or a staunch iron fisted ruler. He came like all the rest of us come, as a baby. His parents followed an angels instructions and named him Jesus. He experienced life as we experience life. He then experienced death as we deserve to experience death, except he was innocent. Our sin has earned us a horrible painful death. An innocent man, Jesus, died in our place. God raised him up on the third day so now Jesus is alive forever.

Please take a moment and click on the link and listen to Mary’s version of Taladh Chriosda. If you like it, please share it with your friends and family. You are our only way of getting this beautiful song out to the ears that need to hear it during this special season of the the year. Thank you for taking the time to read this and now please click and listen.

Eph 6:18 “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…continually keep on praying for all the saints”.

When I was a kid I used to play with green army men. My least favorite man was the guy with the radio. He wasn’t fighting anyone, he was to my mind useless. As I’ve have grown up watching documentaries on war, I have learned how important the radio guy is. He is the one to call for air strikes, to call in more troops, and to call in for medical help. Paul here in this passage is telling all of us that we all need to be radio men. We need to stay in contact with the God who controls the spiritual air strikes, supplies and troops and the medics. I need to pray more because God is my help.

(Originally posted 12/05/12)

Relational estrangement. Two parties separated by some force. It’s kind of like when I try to push two magnets together using the same polarity. They will not adhere, there are invisible lines of opposing force separating them, pushing them apart. No amount of force will connect them, they actually repel each other.

That is kind of like where we are at with God. When we are born we have a nature of rebellion, of selfishness, of isolation. We are opposed to God. That nature in us repels us away from God. But God would not let that opposition stand. He wants to be with us, to be near us, to love on us, to live in us, to be our Father.

Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God had been working up to his plan to redeem our relationship with him. Then God visited us. He came as a baby so he would experience life as one of us. He lived a life as workman, a carpenter and then when it was time, he died a sacrificial death, as a payment for our rebellion. Death could not hold him in the grave and on the third day he rose from the dead. God is with us. He has reversed the polarity of our magnet and now we can be together again. We just need to believe in what he did, and receive him as our payment, our polarity reversal.

Mary recorded this song about God coming to earth, God with us. It starts with our grandchildren singing away in a manger and then Mary sings and then she is joined by our son Aaron. Please click on the link and listen for free. If you like the song, please share it with your friends and family. May this song and this season end all of our estrangements, between us and God, and between each other.

 

Hebrews 3

Are you a fan? A fan of a team or a movie star or an athlete or anything? I am a Chevrolet fan. I own 2. When I talk about one of the two, my 57, my eyes glass over, my lips curl into a smile, my speech speeds up and even my voice gets a little louder. I am a fan of Chevrolet s but especially a fan of my 57 Chevy pickup, (I call him Rusty) and I love to talk about him.

The writer of Hebrews is a fan of Jesus. One of the biggest fans. Rightly so. Who else is worthy of our attention and affection? Who else has saved us and who else intercedes for us? There have been great men, great servant leaders, Moses was one. But as great as Moses was as a leader, Jesus is better.

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.”

We have only one day to do what we have to do. That day is today. All we can do is work in the moment that we are in. If we knew we were dying what would do? Put our affairs in order. What day do we put our affairs in order? Today.

““Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.””

We get right now. What will we do with it?

Jesus loves us and died to

Prove it. He lives now to intercede for us. Have you accepted his gift yet?

I think I slipped into rabid used car salesman mode. “What’s it going to take to get you into this…?.” Im not selling anything. Jesus is giving us freedom, forgiveness, family and salvation.

““Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.””

It’s today. Now what?

(Originally posted 12/04/15)

I grew up a Lutheran

I grew up a Lutheran, in our house we were not C&E Lutherans, where we occasionally attended, like on Christmas and Easter. No, my mom had some kind of built in radar and if the church doors opened, our family would be in attendance. Yes we would be late, but we would be there.

Lutherans have a liturgical service, and as part of that liturgy, we sang a lot. There were so many words and little songs. I was not an avid bible reader in those days. I didn’t realize that most of the words and the little songs were excerpts from the Bible. All the words drove me crazy as a kid but now I realize what we were doing, actually singing and reciting the Bible, as I have aged I now appreciate the hymnal writing and the writers and kind of miss the liturgical nature of the service.

My own personal bible reading recently took me to 1 John. As I read it I recognized it as part of the liturgy that I recited as a kid. Parts of Chapter 1&2 are part of the order of service.

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

1 John 1:5-2:2 -NLT

In Jesus, there is forgiveness for sin, but we need to confess our sins.

When we were raising our kids and they did something wrong we would make them say that they were Sorry. In addition to saying sorry we would often have them tell us what they did that was wrong. They had to confess. They to verbalize what they had done wrong, what rule they had broken, or how they violated boundaries or hurt someone else. In this way they had to think about what they had done.

We recently had an opportunity to visit a Presbyterian Church and participated in their Sunday worship service. Part of their order of service was a printed confession that we read together as a congregation. I thought it was good. I will quote it here and hope that whoever wrote it gets the credit due them.

“Father, you have revealed your will to us. It is clear. No other gods. No idols. No misuses of your name. We are to worship weekly and honor our parents. There is to be no killing and what we do with our bodies must come under your intentions for sexuality. We are forbidden to steal and speak falsely about our neighbors. And internally our hearts are not to covet what others possess. Such commandments reveal our absolute need of Jesus Christ. Forgive us for ignoring your word and our failure to take your commandments seriously. We humbly repent and ask you to forgive us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hear us in your mercy as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us.”

Then we corporately prayed the Lord’s Prayer.

I thought this was a very good way to remind us of what Gods standard is and then how we have failed to measure up. The confession is walk through the 10 commandments. We can forget where we fall short if we don’t use the measuring stick that God said is the standard. Jesus is our ruler both in that he is our King and he is the standard we measure ourselves against. The Ten Commandments are not a whacking stick to punish us when we fail, but a guide to live by and beacon to bring us back to Jesus for forgiveness when we fail.

“If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us… but if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness…”

I can be prideful at times when I consider my avoidance of sin, not stealing, or lying or killing or cheating on my spouse, but Jesus took it even deeper when he said that if we hate someone we have killed them in our hearts, or if we look lustfully at another person, that we have already thought about act and are guilty. God looks at and know our hearts so even if we have clean hands, our hearts can be dirty.

In Psalm 51 we get to read a confession from a man who had an adulterous relationship, got the woman pregnant, then had her husband killed so he could cover it up. He thought he had gotten away with it but was confronted by a friend.

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:4-7,10-12 NIV

I remembered this verse in part because it was a part of the liturgy that recited every Sunday for most of my childhood and adolescence.

We all sin. We all break the rules in one thing or another. The rules are not there to shame us but to guide us and bring us back, through confession and repentance, to a relationship with our loving Heavenly Father who sent his son Jesus to die to pay for all of our mistakes and failures, our sin.

So I say to myself, as well as to you who are reading this, repent and confess and be restored. Our God loves us and wants us to come home to him.