Merry Christmas

What a joyous season this is. Although that is sometimes too easily lost. Perhaps that comes from all the expectations that we place on this time and on ourselves. It is almost as if we have this idea of a "perfect" Christmas, but things never actually live up to it, and we are left with disappointment. Christmas is quite simple, quite miraculous, and quite mysterious. Because God became a human being. He was incarnate by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He would grow up and suffer and die and rise again. And because he died and rose again, there is for you and me life. This life is not just something that we have to wait until we die to enjoy, but it is life that is before death. I pray that this life is a source of strength and encouragement for you, and that in this Christmas season (it is 12 days long) you would know God's peace in Jesus. Merry Christmas.

 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

The Gospel According to David

I have long wanted to write a book. But have not had the opportunity, but can at least take the time to get those thoughts down now, so that someday, I can get them into a book format. For those of you who do not know David is one of my sons, and from him, I have seen some amazing gospel moments. Here is one of them.

One Thanksgiving, David was lying on the floor watching TV. He was minding his own business after a long day of turkey and torture. Not that he was being tortured, but that he was torturing his sister. And so exhausted, he lay there watching TV and minding his own business.

When out of the blue, WHACK. A sippy-cup, from nowhere materialized and connected directly with his forehead. His sister, not willing to take the torture was smart enough to wait until he was not expecting anything until she exacted her sweet revenge.

I was torn, between feeling pride in the fact that my daughter knew how to stand up for herself, keep in mind she is only about one and a half, and knowing that I want to teach my children that we do not resolve our issues with violence. So I knew that I had to act.

Well, if you want to teach a child that hitting it is wrong, it really does not make much sense to spank them, so I decided to put Emily in time out. But at that age, she did not fully understand what time out was. So I had to stand there with her, and every time she would try to get off of that couch, I would have to put her back on the couch.

David made his way into that living room. He was rubbing his forehead. I was getting ready to tell him that watching his sister be punished is not a good form of entertainment. When, without saying a word, he climbs up onto the couch. He sits down right next to his sister, and he places his arm around her. He gives her a squeeze and tells her, "It's OK, Emily. I want to be in time out too."

It was all I could do to keep the tears back. Here was a child who was wronged, and went to his sister in the midst of her suffering and sat there with her. Willing to go through that punishment with the one who wronged him.

I saw in this a glimmer of what our God has done for us in Jesus. Only he did not just go through the punishment with us, but he took that punishment on our behalf. What was deserved by our sins, he took and suffered so that we would not have to, and having paid the price, we have been given the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation. It is truly an awesome thing.

And if that were all that our God has done for us, then it would be enough reason to honor and praise him, but he does even more. Just as David was with his sister in timeout, our God promises to be with us always, no matter what we are facing, no matter what is going on in our lives. And, not only has he promised to be with us always, but he has also promised that nothing will be able to separate us from his love for us in Jesus.

May this great truth be a source of strength for you, and may it help you to celebrate the incarnation, the birth of our Savior, now and always.

 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

I’ve got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart…

Have you heard this song before? It is one of those that has a tendency to get stuck in your head. And yet it is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact it is quite good to be reminded of that Joy that is ours in Jesus Christ. Too much happens in life to try to convince us otherwise. It seems like we are constantly bombarded by situations in life that would cause us to fall into the temptation to think differently, but our God is faithful. He keeps his promises. He is living among us. He is a mighty savior. With his love he calms all our fears, and in that relationship and life with him there is Joy. Now, this joy is not merely a feeling or emotion but it is something much deeper. It is something that comes out of our relationship with our God. It is something that that comes out of God's promised future. It is something that is for God's people a source of strength, it is a mark of the lives of God's people.

This is a very good thing. It is a joy that lasts forever and can never be outlasted. Because this joy is anchored in the promises of our God. Our God is faithful, he always has kept his promises, and he always will. And in that we find Joy. May that joy be evident in your life during this Advent season and always.

 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

Life in the Waiting Room

Hurry up and wait. The waiting is the hardest part. Wait for it. Whatever your favorite lines from movies and songs and life in general, there are a lot that are about waiting; probably because waiting is such a difficult thing to do. I have often said that if I had wanted patience, I would have been a doctor. Waiting is not something that is easy for us to do, and yet, it is something that we have to do whether we like it or not.

In our instant world of having things right away (I would rather buy something that I can download than have to go to the store or even worse, wait for it to be delivered) in this world, waiting is not something that comes naturally or easily. But what is the point?

Answer: I don't know. But I do know this. That in waiting, we can learn to see our God in a whole new light. Because if our waiting is waiting for him or waiting on him, then as we wait, we are learning about who he is and how he loves and cares for people. Just because God may not give us what we want, when we want it, that does not mean that he is uninvolved or that he is ignoring us. It could be that he is trying to teach or something, especially as it relates to depending on him and having him be the most important thing in our lives.

There is one more piece to this. We are not to wait idly. That is, while we are waiting, for whatever we happen to be waiting for, we are not to be doing nothing while we wait. Neither are we to be about seeking after selfish motives. But instead, while we wait we are to be about the work that God has given us to do. Maybe we are waiting so that we are better able to serve and love our neighbor in the mean time. Maybe we are waiting, because in that waiting there is an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in word and or deed. Maybe we are waiting so that we can help connect another person to God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that come from no other place that Jesus Christ.

When we look at it from that perspective, suddenly life in the waiting room is not all that bad.

Advent is a season of waiting. And while we are waiting for Christmas and waiting for Jesus to come back, I pray that in this time of waiting, God would draw us closer to himself and that he would give us opportunities to share is love, grace, mercy and forgiveness with others. God bless you this week and always.

 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ