Monthly Archives: December 2015

NEW AND IMPROVED

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Just a few months before, he publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Then after a series of radiation treatments and undoubtedly a great deal of prayer, he was later able to state that he was cancer-free. Now the former President of the United States, standing in the presence of members of his church, delivered the news that his 28-year-old grandson had passed away the day before. Although visibly shaken – our thirty-ninth President, Jimmy Carter, then went on to teach the Sunday School lesson he had prepared. Known to be a devout Christian, he urged the congregation to “be filled with a sense of joy and thanksgiving” despite his own personal family tragedy. What did the former President recognize that many others do not? Maybe he understood the full impact of the message of the Apostle Paul when he said, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Did you ever notice how many people seem to be going through a tough time in their lives at Christmas? I have often wondered whether things happen with greater frequency or if our sensitivity to care just increases at this time of the year. In the midst of the holiday cheer – going through difficult situations can be very frightening and disconcerting, especially for those who do not truly understand “the reason for the season.” When we are faced with having to let go of the comfort and familiarity of what we know, feelings of depression and loss of hope can surface as we are challenged by the prospect of having to embrace the unknown. But there is a new beginning that we will come to regard as a blessing — sometimes unde­s­erved, but always welcome. If we have journeyed to the manger this Christmas, we found it in the presence of the Christ child who came to earth to offer Himself as a living sacrifice for each of us. We come to understand: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our society offers a vision that many times clouds the judgment of an already confused world. In a variety of forums, advertisers try to fool us with catchphrases like “New and Improved.” How can that be? If something is new, we have not experienced it before.  If it is improved, then it’s just a revision of what already existed. It cannot be both. There is only one presence who can make that claim, and He is reflected in the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. Through His gift of salvation, He offers us a New Covenant as He becomes a living sacrifice for our sinfulness. And He promises that there will come a day in which “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:4-5).

At the beginning of a calendar year, some people make resolutions. Perhaps you are one of those. For many, the start of a new year seems to be a time to wipe the slate clean. We vow to give up bad habits, go on a diet, or otherwise change our ways. Let’s face it; resolutions can only go so far. The heartache and pain that many folks feel at this time of year are not going to somehow instantly change by the flipping of a page on their planner. At the threshold of the New Year, let us make our first resolution to hear those words of extraordinary promise which began in a manger in Bethlehem. Then we will experience a precious transformation leading to new hope, new joy, and new life. Henry Ward Beecher once said, “Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.”  Like Jimmy Carter, I think he understood the true essence of the fact that ‘new and improved’ can only be found when we invite Jesus to take up residence in our hearts and in our homes so that we can indeed begin anew.

REFLECTION: How will you make sure that Jesus is part of each day of the New Year?  If you know someone who is having a difficult time, in what ways can you help them find purpose?  How might you lead them on a path to Jesus for a new and improved life?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT., JANUARY 2, 2016.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE FREE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED)

FINDING PEACE ONCE MORE AT CHRISTMAS

“The LORD gives his people strength; the LORD blesses them with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

A few years ago, a friend of mine and her teenage daughter sat at my kitchen table just a few weeks before Christmas. About a month later – my friend told me that her daughter, who was in her final year of high school, was pregnant. The mother went through many emotions ranging from anger to empathy, knowing how increasingly difficult her daughter’s life might become if the child remained in her life. For a brief time, the option of giving up the baby for adoption was discussed. But no matter how complicated a newborn might change their lives, it was decided that the child would be welcomed and remain with this family.  I must say when I first heard the news, my goal was to help my friend accept the situation and comfort her with the understanding that while this may have been a mistake on her daughter’s part – God doesn’t make mistakes. Now looking back, I think about how scared the daughter must have been halfway through her pregnancy knowing that soon not only her parents would be aware of her situation but it would also be very public. How she ever had peace that Christmas, I will never know.

Over two-thousand years ago, another teenage girl found herself with child. Although it was under very different circumstances than the daughter of my friend – she too must have been frightened. Scripture says that Mary was “greatly troubled” (Luke 1:29). “But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God’” (Luke 1:30). Mary felt acceptance stating “I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). She had her own prayerful song of praise having found peace in her situation (Luke 1:46-55). Her husband, Joseph, also had to find his own peace, because when he first found out Mary was pregnant, “he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19). But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream explaining that he should not be afraid to take Mary home as his wife because “what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” and that “they will call him ‘Immanuel’ which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:20-23). So Joseph did what the angel asked of him.

Finding peace in our lives can at times be very difficult, especially when one is engaged in any battle. On Christmas eve over a hundred years ago in the midst of a world war, it is reported that thousands of British, Belgian and French soldiers stepped out of their trenches and spent Christmas in a truce mingling with their German enemies. It is written that it all began with carol singing first from one side and then the other, each melodiously sharing the familiar tunes in their own language.  The next morning German soldiers emerged from their trenches saying “Merry Christmas” in English while allied soldiers hesitantly came out of hiding to greet them.  Gifts such as cigarettes and chocolate bars were exchanged, and some say makeshift soccer games and other signs of human comradery broke out. While it was only a truce – it proves that the wars of our nations are about the ideologies of those in control while the greater power finds its place in the hearts of mankind who desires peace and goodwill for all.

What is the battle that is preventing you from finding peace this Christmas? Are you my workmate who is lying in a hospital bed waiting for an answer as to how they will treat your recently diagnosed cancer? Are you related to the wife and mother I recently heard about who went for a jog one morning being left for dead along a highway by a hit-and-run driver?  Or are you like the lady I visited this week who is only a few birthdays away from a hundred wondering whether your life still has purpose? My prayer is that each of you will find your own path to the manger this Christmas. There you will be introduced to the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In a world filled with turmoil – we each struggle to find peace along our own journey, no matter what the conflict. But like my friend who describes her new granddaughter as “the light” of their family, the baby Jesus would years later refer to Himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). As we grow closer and walk with Him daily, we will hear the angels say once more – “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

REFLECTION: Are you letting God work within you to accomplish His will, or are you fighting through a situation finding yourself distant from Him this Christmas? How might you renew your relationship with the Savior so that you can experience the “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT., DECEMBER 26, 2015.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE FREE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED)

BEWARE OF THE WRAPPING

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”      (Luke 2:8)

His name was Bill, and for a number of years we attended the same church. He was a motorcycle enthusiast, to say the least, and it was not unusual for Bill to come to worship wearing jeans and a Harley-Davidson t-shirt. Before the service began, he would be up and down the aisles welcoming people. On occasion, he would take the pulpit to share something that had happened in his life or promote a mission or upcoming activity in the church. I would criticize him for being far too wordy and would usually roll my eyes when I knew he was getting up to speak.  He pretty much drove me nuts. Then I went through a difficult time in my life, and one day when I went to the mailbox – there was a card from Bill.  In the card, he wrote a personal note of encouragement and offered to come to my home and pray with me if I desired him to do so.  I never took him up on his offer, but months later I saw him and told him how much I had appreciated his card.  About a year later, I opened the newspaper one morning and saw his obituary. I realized that Bill had given me a gift of joy. There are persons I would not have been surprised to reach out to me during that time, but “Harley Bill?” Never would have expected it!

The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” seems to apply here. The Gospel of John reminds us: “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly” (John 7:24). In the Old Testament, the story is told of Samuel who was commissioned by the Lord to go to Jesse of Bethlehem in search of a new king.  Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. However none of them fulfilled the words of the Lord:  “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). It was not until Jesse sent for his youngest, a shepherd boy named David, that the Lord’s words were satisfied. We should not be surprised, as we prepare to come to the manger this Christmas, that we find the baby Jesus in this very same city of Bethlehem (“The City of David”) being visited by the shepherds,

Isn’t it interesting that out of all of Jerusalem society, God picked a band of shepherds to hear the news of Jesus’ birth? They would have been among the lowest and most despised social groups of their day and would have no doubt be dirty, smelly and unkempt. But Luke tells us that “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). Depicted in several versions of the painting entitled “The Adoration of the Shepherds” – they are shown kneeling before the crib, hands raised in gestures of prayer and amazement reflecting what that had been told by the angel: “I bring to you good news of great joy that will be for all people” (Luke 2:10). More significant, they came to see Him the night He was born and, despite the many versions of the story that are told – most likely no one else did. They were the first eyewitnesses who spread the word of His birth, “and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:18).

As we enter the third week of the Advent season, we should be aware that joy proclaims itself in many different ways. Sometimes, it comes as an enthusiastic follower attired with a Harley insignia. It can be seen in the shepherds as they enter with haste and use their staff to kneel in the presence of the newborn king. Or maybe we find it in the words of a carol reflected by our own desire to feel in our hearts once more the true meaning of Christmas. But don’t be fooled; it is there waiting for you. Just be aware of the wrapping  . . . for it doesn’t always appear in a way you might expect.

REFLECTION:  Are there times in your life when you have received unanticipated joy from someone whom you least expected? Is there a person you know who might have a heart very different than what you might be judging by their external persona? How might you work at experiencing new joy this Christmas?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT., DECEMBER 19, 2015.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE FREE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED)

ALL ROADS LEAD TO BETHLEHEM

“You, O Bethlehem…are only a small village…Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you.” (Micah 5:2)

Each year as I carefully unpack each piece of my Nativity set, I think about the placement of the figures and justify in my mind where they should be. My homemade shelter houses a few animals where the manger holding baby Jesus, as well as Mary and Joseph, take center-stage. The shepherds receive a prominent spot, revealing that they “came with haste” (Luke 2:16) to Bethlehem “to see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about” (Luke 2:15). The wise men with their gifts are grouped facing the Christ-child, fulfilling the scripture that they “bowed down and worshiped Him” (Matthew 2:11), although at a later time according to most accounts. It is safe to say that the companies which create nativity scenes have taken great liberties over the years to include more characters, making it appear as though there were far more present at the birth of Jesus than there actually was. With these additional personas evolving from storytellers, songwriters, and mythology – the purchase of a fine Nativity set is often far pricier than it would need to be, especially if the pieces are separately purchased.

While some people imagine the manger scene with snow, singing angels, and many other worshipers – none of that is actually found in the Biblical account. I must admit that my own set contains a drummer boy. He no doubt is representation of the fictitious character in “The Little Drummer Boy,” a well-known Christmas song from by Katherine Kennicott Davis. It was written in 1941 and became popularized in the 1950’s by several groups. In the lyrics the song-writer tells of a poor young boy called by the Magi to the nativity where he played his drum with Mary’s approval for the baby Jesus, because it was the only gift he had to offer. When I place the pieces of my Nativity set, the drummer boy is right there hanging out with the other visitors just as if he belongs there . . . and maybe he does, at least for conversation sake.

In my own life’s journey, I have heard about that trip to Bethlehem for many years now. I have had several occasions to see and actually participate in live Nativity modernizations. One of the most moving I have seen is in the concluding act of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show which has elaborate staging, beautiful music, and even live camels on stage. Such re-enactments, as one might call them, often take their own liberties which also frequently stray from scripture.  I am challenged to think about what it must have been like to really be there in that town of David’s birth (Luke 2:11) where there was no room for the Son of God to also be born except in a humble stable (Luke 2:7). God chose some small, quiet, out of the way place and there changes the course of history for all of eternity. To be sure – Love came down at Christmas. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9).

In many ways, I can reflect upon and identify with that little drummer boy in my own Nativity set who has no business being there in the first place. But then I hear the voice of Jesus saying, “No, you belong here too.” For it is here in Bethlehem that God makes Himself meek and helpless. It is here at the Nativity where He invites all of His children throughout the world to love Him.  This is where we belong also, beside the manger, beholding this child who is of God, adoring Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Perhaps we each need to look in that isolated part of ourselves when we are searching for God. There we will find our own inner Bethlehem, the place in us where He comes alive. We simply have to trust that God will lead and guide us, as He did for the Holy Family. The Advent journey is nothing less than making your heart and home a place for Christ to be born. After all – all roads lead to Bethlehem.  We simply have to find our way there.

REFLECTION:  With what character do you identify in the Nativity? Does the scene draw you in, or do you think there is no place for you there? When you come to understand how much God loves you that He was willing to become like one of us – are there ways in which you might journey to Bethlehem and once again feel close to the Christ-child during this season of Advent?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT., DECEMBER 12, 2015.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE FREE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED)