Characters of Christmas

 

When you think of Christmas, what characters come to mind? Santa Claus, elves, Scrooge, Clarance the angel, Frosty the snowman, the infamous Grinch, or any multitude of people or animals that are trying to catch the elusive Christmas spirit. I love to watch the various movies made around the Christmas season but I am not confused about the real characters of Christmas. The first Christmas was all about the coming of the Messiah to the world as Immanuel, God with us.

The Christmas story begins with an angel visiting a young virgin named Mary with some unbelievable news. From that auspicious beginning many other interesting characters appear and each responds to this first Christmas in similar ways to our responses today. Joseph courageously takes a stand for faith and family, the inn keeper puts business above compassion, shepherds come to worship, wise men sacrifice time and treasure to come see this new King, and the current king kills innocent children, all as a response to this earth changing event. We will continue to look at many of these characters each Sunday through Christmas. Please join us for each service. 

On this blog I will introduce you to many characters, some you may have never meet or thought about when you think about Christmas.

 

Clay Jars

I have been enjoying throwing pottery again (not at people but on the potter's wheel). Pottery was one of my majors in college and I have been away from it for a long time. In the studio are many examples for us to better understand the many references to clay, pots, and the potter's house.  Recently God spoke to me through a reference in 2 Corinthians 4:7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the all surpaassing power is from God and not from us....for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

At our best we are still fragile and unworthy to claim any glory on our own for any deed that has eternal significance. God's power is seen through us when we realize we are but jars of clay. When we are humble.

A piece of pottery must go through muliple firings of increasing heat before it becomes a useful vessel. The firings that we go through in this life make us more fit vessels for God's use. Ultimately our troubles build up for us a weight of glory in eternity.

I need to see trouble for what it is...light and momentary and see eternal reward for what it is..weighty and eternal. The suffering I have experienced does not begin to match what my Lord did for me. I pray that God will use every fire in your life to make you stronger and more fit for Him to use.

Ministry by Paranoia by Dr. Dan

I was intrigued and convicted by this last weeks Monday Morning Memo from my professor and friend Dr. Dan Crawford. I thought you might enjoy it:

Ministry by Paranoia


Paranoia is a thought process heavily influenced by anxiety or fear. Many people minister by paranoia – fearful of what someone might think or say. In my younger days, working hard to be liked and fearing rejection, I practiced ministry through paranoia. Basically I liked to be liked and I feared failure. Jesus, on the other hand, was never anxious or intimidated by what others thought. After He called Zacchaeus down from the tree, He walked with him through the streets of Jericho, unafraid of the watching crowd or the wagging tongues. He was intent on going to the home of a rather notorious sinner where not only Zacchaeus, but the entire household would be saved. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Lord, deliver my friends and me from ministry by paranoia.

Dr. Dan's Morning Memos. www.Discipleallnations.org

Gauges of our Lives

I was recently asked a question: Can a person be emotionally immature and still be spiritually mature?  Why or why not?

Good question. there are 4 areas or gauges in our life that we must monitor. They are: 1. Physical health (our fuel gauge). We must take care of our bodies in order to live healthy and active. To not get proper rest and exercise diminishes all other aspects of our lives. 2. Spiritual health (our temperature gauge). Are we hot or cold? If we are lukewarm then God says He will spew us out of His mouth in Revelation 3:16. If we are cold, we are at the bottom of the barrel of our lives and we will naturally look up to God for help. If we are hot, we are in touch with God and ready to serve Him. 3. Mental health (our volt meter) What is it that charges us up. We need a level of stimulus that comes from new information and new knowledge. If we quit learning we quit maturing. The Bible is the best source of knowledge for everyday living – 2 Timothy 3:16-17. You can study it over and over and never exhaust it’s depths or the challenges it presents. 4. Emotional health (our pressure gauge). This gauge is often ignored until the pressure becomes so great we blow a gasket. Stress is one of the greatest causes of collapse in the other areas of our lives. We need a certain amount of pressure (eustress, good stress) to challenge us and help push us to grow in areas that we would not on our own. Too much stress, however, redlines our emotional gauge and results in an explosion that can have devastating results with a lot of collateral damage. We hurt not only ourselves, but also those around us; the closer the relationship, most often, the more damage -  Matthew 11:28-30.

To answer your question more specifically: Each of these areas, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional, are so tied together that to suffer in one makes an impact on the others. If we are not taking care of our bodies, we shorten our lives and are not able to grow and serve. In the specific case of being emotionally immature and spiritually mature, both of these need to rise together or the one that is ignored will not be able to be fully accomplished. If we do not follow Jesus’ admonition to not worry (an emotion) then ultimately the problem is in our lack of trust in God to handle the situations that we are worrying about (a spiritual problem). If we are consistently angry (an emotion) with people then we are not successfully loving them (a spiritual problem) as we are admonished to by Jesus in John 13:34-35.

All of us have room to grow in all the arena’s of our lives. Because they are interconnected we cannot expect to mature in one area and ignore the others.  Spiritual growth is so interconnected with emotional well being that both need to be raised or neither will be as healthy as they can be. Spiritual maturity is often confused with knowledge of spiritual facts (Bible, doctrine, and traditions) and not the wisdom that comes with the practical application of that knowledge. In applying the knowledge we enter into the other three areas of our lives including the emotional. We cannot have wisdom without application. Thus, our spiritual maturity will be stunted without maturing in the other areas of our lives. 

Sometimes we don't monitor our gauges well and the idiot light comes on. Hopefully we will stop and see what is wrong before we are not able to go forward or make progress. If we carelfully watch the gauges on the dashboard of our lives we will be able to continue to grow into the mature person that God has designed for us to be. Don’t wait for the check engine light to come on. Check where you are Spiritually, Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally. 

Intelligent Design

I have enjoyed beginning a study of the book of Genesis with a series called "Intelligent Design." There are many arguments for a belief in a Devine Creator when you look carefully at His creation. I picked up the following information from the "Answers in Genesis" website:

Strong evidence for a Designer comes from the fine-tuning of the universal constants and the solar system

• The electromagnetic coupling constant binds electrons to protons in atoms. If it was smaller, fewer electrons could be held. If it was larger, electrons would be held too tightly to bond with other atoms.

• Ratio of electron to proton mass (1:1836). Again, if this was larger or smaller, molecules could not form.

• Carbon and oxygen nuclei have finely tuned energy levels.

• Electromagnetic and gravitational forces are finely tuned, so the right kind of star can be stable.

• Our sun is the right colour. If it was redder or bluer, photosynthetic response would be weaker.

• Our sun is also the right mass. If it was larger, its brightness would change too quickly and there would be too much high energy radiation. If it was smaller, the range of planetary distances able to support life would be too narrow; the right distance would be so close to the star that tidal forces would disrupt the planet’s rotational period. UV radiation would also be inadequate for photosynthesis.

• The earth’s distance from the sun is crucial for a stable water cycle. Too far away, and most water would freeze; too close and most water would boil.

• The earth’s gravity, axial tilt, rotation period, magnetic field, crust thickness, oxygen/nitrogen ratio, carbon dioxide, water vapor and ozone levels are just right.

Former atheist Sir Fred Hoyle states, ‘commonsense interpretation of the facts is that a super-intelligence has monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces in nature.’

Science continues to confirm the proof for a cosmic watchmaker whom we know as Yahweh. Whether it is the cosmological argument presented above or many other scientific findings in the areas of genetics, biology, archeology, or any other scientific discipline, the proof is overwhelming. Of course belief in God has never been dependant on enough proof. God has always given plenty of proof as He says through Paul in Romans:

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: Don't be afraid - News with a Christian Perspective

The House has just passed what President Obama declares as "historic legislation." All of us have an opinion as to whether the health care bill is good or bad, but what is a proper Christian response? Russell D. Moore from one of our six seminaries helps us understand that no matter what we think about our governments actions we should always maintain a solid confidence in our Lord. Please read this excellent article.

Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: Don't be afraid - News with a Christian Perspective

Don't be afaid. Good advice from Jesus Himself. God is still on the throne and all else is less important than this one great fact.

Recognizing Great Service

Chris and I were eating out with some friends from the church and had the opportunity to receive some great service. This waitress responded to our needs and even anticipated them bringing us an extra portion of steak fries (just what we needed?). We had volunteered to pray for her and she was deeply appreciative. It turns out that we had set in a different section the last time we were there but we had prayed for her upcoming surgery a couple of months before. She explained that they found cancer and Chris was able to share with her some encouragement having just come through some similar situations. The last time we visited she sought us out and updated us on how things were going. We prayed for her again. Please remember this young single mom, Heather, in your prayers as well. In this case we were glad to recognize great service with a large tip and some much needed prayer.

I appreciate good service, and this past Sunday we had the opportunity to recognize such service with more than a tip. Russ Dusky has put in almost as many hours as his tractors have here at Brookwood, serving the body by taking care of the grounds. I cannot begin to tell you how faithful he has been in helping keep the lawns and outside plants presentable to our many guests and a pleasure to all of us members. Of course we are not discounting the many people who have helped and will continue to help in this task, but we did want to recognize the man who has for years sought to glorify the Lord by taking care of His house. Donna has done similar work with the Young at Heart group as her latest project. Both are worthy of receiving an award for great service.

Howard and Fran Saxton have been solid supporters of the Lord's work here at Brookwood and have even at times risked life and limb in their service for the Lord. Can you remember Fran 35 feet in the air putting in insulation and Howard reaching out over space helping lay down sheet after sheet of our metal roof. Whether it is sewing a quilt (not Howard) or hauling away metal (not Fran), their service has gone above and beyond.

Bill and Dixie Evans are at the church as much as the staff. We often do not see them here unless we walk around the back of the church and see their truck or car. They not only do ministry worthy of the chairman of deacons but also do many maintenance things that most people never know about. We would not be approved (sans elevator) for our final occupancy permit without Bill, Dixie, Dede, and John Lute. They each put in a lot of effort and time with diligent inspectors to wrap things up on this worthy goal.

Of course we have failed to recognize so many people who have put in hours of work and effort to make this a great place to meet God. These couples are now retired from jobs but have not retired from serving God. While they cannot do all they want to or once did, it will take a lot of work from the younger generations to match the zeal, commitment and just plain faithfulness of these Christian pioneers. Many more have given us (the body of Christ) great service, but, I am glad we have had the opportunity to recognize these fine servants of the Lord.

Thanks Mark for the inspiration and the work putting this together.

 Pastor Albert