Mea Culpa!

Hi folks. I wanted to tell you that I am sorry that this week's Advent series has been put on hold. I have been sponsoring a party this week and it has been more than I can do to get both things done. I will get you accounts of the major angelic encounters leading up to and immediately following the birth of Jesus. Hopefully things will be back on track next week. Thank you for your patience.

Logan's Testimony

Here is an incredible testimony about our God. Not only does He care for us, but He is close to us and speaks to us - even to kids.

What a great God we serve!

A Useful Tool

Have you ever managed to read the Bible through from cover to cover? It can be a daunting task, especially when you are struggling through the opening chapters of 2 Chronicles! However, to develop the "global picture" of God's Word that is necessary to interpret the Bible correctly, there is no discipline more critical than the regular, repeated reading through the entirety of the Scriptures.

I have found The One Year Bible a valuable aid in achieving that goal. The Bible is broken down into 365 daily readings that include an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a passage from the Psalms and a passage from Proverbs. So when you get to one of those passages that are more difficult you know that you will be gleaning from a different passage before long. It also comes in many different translations. I switch translations every year or so to get a different perspective on the texts. It aids my understanding and helps to keep things fresh.

I have a leather Bible that was given to me for my 21st birthday. I don't write in that Bible. However, I do make notes and write questions in my One Year Bible as thoughts come to me. I started using the One Year Bible 10-years ago, and as a result have managed to actually complete 5 trips through the entire Bible. There are also chronological versions as well although I think a different publisher produces them. I may take that up in the near future. It would probably help to draw better connections between people and events in the different books of the Bible.

Another strategy that I use is that each year I try to pick a theme and look for Scriptures that pertain to that theme as I am reading that year. It is a really helpful exercise. This year I was focusing on the nature of God. It was very enlightening.

So there you go. Something that might help you on the way!

Don't Give Up!

The prayer that sparks revival begins long before the countryside seems to awaken from its slumber in sin. It starts when men fall on their knees and cry out to God. That's where true intimacy with God takes place and we begin the journey of being transformed into the image of Christ. And as men are transformed, the course of a nation can be changed.

— Wellington Boone, pastor, speaker and author

Advent Day 9: Unbelievable News!

Today's Text: Luke 1:5-25

Angelic visitations - a person would tend to think that they are a rare thing. I mean, how many people do you know that have seen an angel and knew it? So I was very surprised to discover that there are many accounts throughout the Bible of human encounters with angelic beings when I was doing research for this post. The second theme in our preparation for Christmas is the angelic announcements.

Today we begin with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

There are some important things to notice here. First, we see that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were from the tribe of Levi - Aaron was a descendant of Jacob's (Israel's) son Levi. This will be important to know later this week. Secondly, we see that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were considered righteous by God. Which makes the fact that they had no children amazing because barrenness was often considered a disgrace among the people of Israel, and because the Scriptures tell that children are a blessing from the Lord. Something else that is interesting to me is that Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as being very old. According to the Law the Levites weren't supposed to perform service in the tabernacle after they were 50. While I don't consider 50 old, I will concede that it is pretty old to be having children. (If anyone has any insight into this point I would appreciate it. Has anyone seen anything in a commentary about this Levitical law?) Anyway, on with the story.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

The first thing that I notice in this part of the story is that Zechariah was chosen by lot to perform this duty. It is possible that he had never done it before, but today God had ordained for him to burn incense to Him.

Then Zechariah encountered the angel of the Lord. Sadly we don't have a description of the angel, but I doubt it looked like the one to the right. Instead, "Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. " I dare say that our art falls FAR short of capturing the appearance of an angel. In nearly every encounter recorded in scripture, when human beings encounter angelic beings they are usually so terrified that they are undone. In this case, as in almost every other, the Angel tells Zechariah to not be afraid.

Then the angel told him something amazing. He told him that God has heard his prayer. I wonder if this statement surprised Zechariah. I wonder if he knew immediately what prayer the angel was talking about, or if he was puzzled, wondering, "What prayer?" Well, he didn't have to puzzle for very long, for the angel gave him a wondrous message of a great prophet that God was going to bring about through him and Elizabeth. What a message! Not only was he going to finally have a son, but that son would be a mighty prophet - the prophet foretold many years ago that would prepare the way for Messiah! And even better than that, it meant that Messiah was finally coming! You would think that Zechariah would be excited beyond description by this news, but the Scripture tells us a different story.

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

This was the wrong response. In fact, it is a shocking response. How could you doubt the veracity of the message when you are talking with an angel? What more proof do you need than to see Elizabeth's belly begin to swell? It would seem that the prayers for a child had ceased long ago from Zechariah. He had accepted the "fact" that this dream wasn't to be and had believed that God had ignored his prayers.

How many times we do the same thing. We believe that we have seen a promise in the Scriptures or have heard a promise from God and we believe it. We pray, and believe, and hope, but we don't seem to be getting any results. Eventually our hope begins to flag, our prayers slow from a stream to a trickle and eventually dry up. We are wounded in our souls because God has let us down and mourning, we bury that promise. We accuse God of lying to us and it becomes even harder for us to believe the next time.

I believe that this is where Zechariah was. He still assented to the fact that nothing is impossible for God, but he really didn't believe that God would. Friends, if this is where you are, you must repent for you have believed a lie. God cannot lie. His promises are true. And He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Everything that He does is for our benefit - even the unpleasant things and the delays.

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

Thank God, that Zechariah's unbelief did not hinder the will of God. What a great encouragement! There are far too many times that I also despair of waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled in my life. This may also be a good opportunity to mention that it is wise to be careful what you ask for - Zechariah found out that you just might get it. He lost his ability to talk as a sign that what the angel said was true.

The text doesn't tell us whether or not it is so, but what if this was Zechariah's last tour of service before retiring? So often God seems to wait to the last possible moment to make the things that we have been dreaming about and praying for to become a reality. Wouldn't it be just like God to make Zechariah's last opportunity to burn incense before Him a moment that he would never forget? Be encouraged! God hasn't ignored your prayers. Sometimes, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, He is just making you wait because the gift is so great, and the time isn't quite right yet!

NOTE: If you are interested, two other very good devotions using this text can be found HERE and HERE.

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) What are your chores around the house? Do you expect anything interesting to happen while you are doing them?

2) How do you imagine angels to look? If you saw one that looked like the one in your imagination, would you be afraid? Why do you think Zechariah was frightened? You can click HERE for a description of an angel from the Bible. Would you be frightened if you saw something like this?

3) What is the best news you ever got? How did you react to the news?

4) Who was Elijah? (His story begins with the beginning of the rule of Ahab in 1 Kings 16:29 and runs through 2 Kings 2:11) How would you feel if you were told that your son was going to have the spirit and power of Elijah?

5) The angel's message told Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born. What does this statement tell us about the beginning of life? Does life begin for us at birth or before?

6) Have you ever prayed for something that didn't come to pass? Why do you think that it didn't?

7) Have you ever had to wait for something? Did it make you appreciate it more? Have you ever given up on a dream and then it was finally fulfilled? How did that make you feel?

Advent Day 8: "Forsaken"

Well, today brings us to the end of the first theme of the Advent cycle: the prophetic announcements. Let's take a brief moment to review the territory that we have covered so far.

Last Saturday we looked at the first Messianic prophecy. On the heels of Adam's disobedience and in the midst of the judgment that God declared, we find a promise that God will send a descendant through Eve who will "bruise the head" of the serpent - though in the process His heel would be bruised by the serpent. It shows us that even though man was now separated from God by his sin, because of His great love for man, God was making a way to restore their closeness.

The topic covered by Sunday's lesson (although it wasn't delivered until Monday) was the prophecy about the virgin birth of Jesus. This lesson showed us that God is able to do the impossible. It also showed us that the birth of the Messiah could not happen by man's will or through his agency, but could only be brought about miraculously by God.

Monday's lesson talked about some of the things that the Messiah would accomplish, but more importantly showed where much of His ministry would take place. We get a glimpse that the Messiah was not only here for the Jews but also for the Gentiles as well.

The fourth lesson in our series talked about Jesus' birthplace and put a lot of emphasis on the meaning of the names for Bethlehem. Not only would the Messiah be a descendant of David, but He would be the vine that is "fruitful" and would be the "bread" of life for all who would come to Him.

Wednesday we dealt with the theme of the suffering servant. Our passage made it clear that the Messiah would suffer mightily and would be misunderstood and rejected by the very people that He was coming to save. However, the passage also made it clear that it was worth every bit of the suffering for the prize that would be achieved through it.

The next topic in our series looked more closely at Isaiah 53:2 and considered the ramifications of the revelation that Jesus came here with no "special tools" in His belt. Although He was born free of original sin, Jesus took no advantage of His Divine nature, and instead chose to fulfill the law relying only on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday we considered the miraculous signs that the Messiah would perform, and discussed how as His disciples we are commissioned to go and do the same. Far better than Santa Claus if you ask me!

Which brings us to today's lesson, which I have titled "Forsaken."

Prophetic Passage: Psalm 22:1-18

Fulfillment of Prophecy: Matthew 27:35-46

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" This is the cry of anguish that greets us at the beginning of today's text (NASB). Although our text would allow us to return once again to the physical sufferings of the Messiah, I want to focus our attention primarily on this one verse. For this is a cry not of physical anguish, but one of the despair of the Son over the loss of the intimacy that He had enjoyed with His Father, God, His entire life. This was Christ's greatest sacrifice for us - not His life - but the sacrifice of His relationship with God as He took our sins upon Himself.

Jesus had spoken of this moment earlier in His ministry, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:14-17)

We have seen some of these images already this week. Who was the serpent? Right, the devil. We learned that last Saturday. So is Jesus saying that He and the serpent are the same? No, not at all. But even as the serpent in the garden was the embodiment of evil, even so Jesus was going to take upon Himself the sin of every man and woman ever born. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us "He made Him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

As the spikes were driven through His flesh into the cross, Jesus became accursed for our sake and bore on our behalf the wrath of an outraged God against sin - our sin. And Jesus lost His greatest treasure - the deep, intimate relationship that He had with God the Father. Though the physical pain that He had endured to that point had been superlative, not even Jesus was ready for the pain of His broken heart.

Jesus endured this, His greatest trial so that no one would ever have to experience the loneliness and despair that comes from being separated from God. For millions of people, (even those in the church) this time of year brings the greatest loneliness and despair of the whole year.

As Christ's disciples, we must learn to treasure our connection with God's presence as much as Christ did Himself. Jesus compared this relationship to a "pearl of great price" and "a great treasure hidden in a field."

Sadly, too often we are like the poor person who sells a Picasso at a yard sale for $2. We hold in our hands the answer to any problem anyone could ever have, and we have no clue. As we properly assess the value of God's gift to us, our joy will overflow to everyone around us. What is your relationship with God worth to you?

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Have you ever been depressed and/or lonely? Has it ever seemed like God has abandoned you? How did you respond to those feelings? How did Jesus respond when He was separated from God?

2) Have you ever been punished for something that you didn't do? How did that make you feel? Were you able to forgive the person who punished you? Were you able to forgive the person who deserved the punishment instead? What if the guilty person mocked you while you were being punished?

3) Have you ever given a gift to someone that didn't appreciate it? What did you want to do? What did you do?

4) Have you ever received a gift that you didn't appreciate? What did you do?

5) Have you ever had a very close friend who suddenly stopped talking to you? Who or what caused the break? Did you try to fix the relationship?

6) Hey, this sounds like an Easter story. What does this have to do with Christmas?

7) In what do you place more value than your relationship with God? If you aren't sure, consider the things that keep you from spending time with Him in His Word, prayer, fellowship, and service to others.

Advent Day 7: "The Works Of Messiah"

Prophetic Passages: Isaiah 35:4-7, Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 61:1-3

Prophecies Fulfilled: All four gospels, but here are some good key verses. Luke 7:18-23, Matthew 12:18-21, John 9, Matthew 15:30, John 5:8-9, Matthew 9:32-33, Luke 11:14, Luke 4:16-22

Yesterday we learned that Jesus, the Messiah, lived His life just like us. He wasn't even especially handsome or noteworthy in His appearance. That being the case, how on earth did He manage to draw the crowds that He did? By His works. Today we are keying on three passages that tell us the things that Messiah would do.

I am assuming (yes, dangerous, I know) that the primary audience reading these posts has at least a basic understanding of the types of things Jesus did when He was walking about on earth. Therefore, I will not be comparing and contrasting the prophecies of the Old Testament with the New Testament evidences that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. I have included numerous links above if you would like to do that.

Instead, I want to focus on the works of the Messiah as predicted by the prophet Isaiah in three key passages. By far Jesus' greatest work was his death and resurrection, and we covered His suffering and death on Wednesday. Even though His suffering ended in His victory and glorification, it is still a sad topic to discuss. However, discussing the works that Jesus did while He walked among us brings a joy and amazement that exceeds even the magic of the stories of Saint Nicholas. I hope that you will allow yourself to be caught up in the wonder of the accomplishments of our Messiah!

I mentioned on Wednesday that there was much disagreement about the Messiah and what kind of a role He would play. It would seem that even John the Baptist had some confusion about what role the Messiah was to play. He even sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He really was the Messiah or if John had been mistaken when he made that declaration earlier. (For another really good devotion about this event you can click HERE.)

18 The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, 19 and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

20 John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to Him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”

21 At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and He restored sight to many who were blind. 22 Then He told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 23 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” Luke 7:18-23

Jesus answered John's questions by pointing to His works - the works that had been foretold by the prophets.

Here are our key passages:

4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 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. 7 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. Isaiah 53:4-7

What are the themes of our first passage? Deliverance, healing, and regeneration. These themes can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. For instance this passage says that the Messiah will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. Our proof texts listed at the beginning show us that Jesus literally caused the blind to see and the deaf to hear. However, on another level He also caused blinded "spiritual eyes" to be opened so that they could recognize Him, and deafened "spiritual ears" to hear the Gospel. (Cross references HERE) In a similar way, the environmental regeneration seen in verses 6 and 7 could be both figurative and literal.

1 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. 4 He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is He who says, 6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. 8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” Isaiah 42:1-9

What are the themes of this passage? Justice, gentleness, zeal, righteousness, covenant, light, healing, release, and glory. This passage has something interesting in it that I would like to point out. Did you notice verse 4? It seems that God was even prophesying about the Western Hemisphere in this verse. Perhaps He was only referring to distant places like Spain, but it also seems plausible that God was talking about people that hadn't even been discovered yet. How cool!

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:1-3

What are the themes of our final passage? Good news, comfort, release, favor, justice, beauty, blessing, and joy. This was the passage that Jesus quoted at the beginning of His public ministry. When He told the assembled Jews that the prophecy was fulfilled that day in their midst, He was claiming to be Messiah. Oddly enough, they took offense at Him because they had watched Him grow up. (I guess they thought the Messiah would just appear out of nothing one day.)

However, Jesus didn't just make empty claims, He backed them up with action. Throughout His ministry, Jesus performed amazing miracles - some that had never been done before. There had certainly never been anyone who performed such miracles on the massive scale that He did.

Then Jesus did something unbelievable. He commissioned His followers to do the same things that He had been doing! We are called to bring all of these things to the earth as His disciples. (Don't believe me? HERE is the proof!) How amazing! And what is just as amazing is that His disciples did as He told them to do. When they did God performed extraordinary miracles through them. HERE are a few examples. The greatest miracle of all is that through their testimonies, many others were saved - and if you have been saved your salvation is the result of their work.

Here is the true joy of Christmas - the great reason to celebrate: Jesus Christ came to us to set us free from our bondages, give us hope, destroy fear, heal our sicknesses, tell us good news, and give us light for our darkness. As Christians - as disciples of Christ - we are called to be like Jesus, and if we will take a step of belief we will see our families, communities, nations and world changed in wonderful ways.

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Name the things that the Messiah would do according to the key Scriptures. I was able to come up with about 20 + or -.

2) What is the coolest present you ever got? How did you react when you opened it?

3) What is the typical reaction (according to these passages) of those that receive from the Messiah?

4) Have you ever had something that was very precious to you that was lost or broken? Have you ever a case where that item was found or made as good as new again? How did that make you feel?

5) Review the themes identified after each key passage. As believers we should be causing these things to spread to our culture. What are some practical ways that can we do that?

6) What happens when God prophesies something?

7) Do you believe that God can use you?

Advent Day 6: "Just Like Us"

Prophetic Passage: Isaiah 53:2

Prophecy Fulfilled: Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 2:10-18

Supporting Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

I'm going to color outside of the lines a bit today. The texts that were on the guide that I have been using were Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 11:12-13, Zechariah 12:10, Matthew 21:1-10, Matthew 26:15, Matthew 27:3-10, and John 19:27 but I just didn't feel like talking anymore (at least for now) about the crucifixion, Jesus' betrayal, and things like that. Instead, I want to turn back to one of the verses from last night and examine it a bit more closely.

If you have ever looked at the artwork created about Jesus you will notice that in much of it He tends to stand out. He usually has a halo and is making some weird gesture with His hand. When we sing our Christmas songs we talk about the "little, Lord Jesus no crying He makes," and our nativity scenes all feature a what would appear, judging by his size, to be a child of about 3 years. Our key scripture paints a different picture.

"There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him."

Doesn't that mess with your mind a little bit? I mean He is the son of God, certainly He must have looked different - at least a little, right? Not according to the Scriptures. Jesus came into this world just like you or me. When the shepherds arrived they found everything just like the angels had told them. Sure enough there was a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. No halos that we know of.

Paul wrote to the Philippians:

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus, who is fully God, laid all of the privileges of Godhood aside and became just like us. The only difference between Jesus' manifestation as a baby and you is that Jesus was born without a sin nature.

I have heard it suggested that before Adam sinned in the Garden that he was clothed in God's glory. He was sinless and made in God's image. That seems reasonable. That being the case, Jesus would have been eligible to run around displaying God's glory too, but, Paul wrote in Romans 8:3 that God sent "...His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh... as an offering for sin." Jesus even laid aside the glory that was due Him because of His sinless nature to be just like you and me.

We do know of one instance where Jesus unveiled His glory while here on earth. You can read about it HERE.

Why do you suppose that Jesus came here "incognito?" Hebrews 2 gives us some clues.

10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters. 12 For He said to God, “I will proclaim Your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise You among Your assembled people.”

13 He also said, “I will put my trust in Him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.”

14 Because God’s children are human beings — made of flesh and blood — the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; He came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.

I love that. Jesus didn't get any special perks just because He was God's son. (How many leaders could say that they don't use their position to gain a personal advantage?) No, He did everything just like you and me - except He did it without sinning. He faced the same temptations and struggles all of us face, but He came through it all without sinning even one time.

It was His perfection that allowed broken, dirty, vessels like us to be used of God and made into beautiful vessels of honor. Praise be to God!

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Have you ever felt plain and unattractive? Have you ever wished that you looked like someone else?

2) Have you ever been comforted in the midst of a hard time by someone sharing that experience with you or by someone who had experienced it before you?

3) The Bible tells us that Jesus was just like us in many ways. He suffered the pain of rejection, loneliness, sorrow, and even the same temptations that you and I face. Do you believe this statement? What is your reaction to this statement?

4) Why was it important for Jesus to become a human?

5) Who had the power of death? How was his power broken?

6) Are you afraid of dying? Why? What did Jesus do to take away this fear?

7) What did Jesus' sacrifice do?

Just Wondering...

Hi folks,

I was wondering if the Advent series is helping you out? Has it been useful with your families? I could really use some feedback. Yesterday's post "Suffering Servant" was a tough one and dealt with a bunch of difficult Scripture.

Let me let you in on the philosophy that I have taken with these posts. My plan is to produce a study that provides the Scripture and a devotional reading on a level that will be suitable for grown-ups. I am just not equipped to try to write these devotions on the level that a small child can understand. I just haven't had much practice with that! However, I have tried to provide meat for the adults with the assumption (a dangerous thing, I know) that parents will process this material and present it in a way that will be meaningful to whatever age children they have. I have also tried to write questions that will spark conversations that get at the heart of the devotion rather than just have pat answers.

So now I need to know how well these devotions are hitting these goals. What would make them better?

If you don't know how to post a comment it is pretty simple (once you know what to do.) Look at the bottom right hand corner of a post - all the way at the end. You will see in the bottom margin something that says "X comments." (Where X represents a number between 0 and... well, I don't know how high they go!) Click on it. It will open a box where you can enter your comment. You'll receive further instructions once you get this far. It really isn't hard.

Of course you can also just email me if you know the address!

Thanks!

Advent Day 5: "The Suffering Servant"

Prophetic Passage: Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-12

Prophecy Fulfilled: Matthew 27:11-60
Key verses: 12-14, 57-60

In yesterday's devotion we read about the glorious promise of the Messiah's birth in the small village of Bethlehem. It was wonderful news. Who doesn't like babies? Who wouldn't be excited about the long-awaited Messiah's birth?

Today's message is not as pleasant in many ways, for it deals with the purpose and destiny of the Christ at His first advent. It is the message of the suffering servant.

There was much disagreement between Jewish scholars about Messiah. Some believed that he was coming as a glorious king to liberate them and deliver them from their enemies. Yet others looked at today's key passage and believed that the Messiah would come to suffer. It turns out that both were right - there was just going to be a break between one event and the other. Here is today's passage:

13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. 15 And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected — a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Isaiah 52:13-15, 53:1-12

I wish that the text weren't so long today because it is so full of significance and there are so many things that should be said about it.

Let us begin with verse 13. This contains a pun of sorts - although not a funny one. The Scripture tells us that the Messiah will be highly exalted. Sounds great, right? But exalted is another way of saying "lifted up." Yes, Jesus gained much glory through what He suffered, but this phrase also shows us the manner in which He would die - by crucifixion.

Verse 14 gives us far more information about how severely Jesus was treated by His executioners than the Gospels do. Isaiah 53:2 tells us that there was nothing special about Jesus' appearance (even at the best of times) to indicate that He was anything special. He wasn't glowing on the cross or any of the stuff you see in the paintings about the crucifixion. He was a mess.

Verses 4 through 6 show just why He suffered - it wasn't for any sins that He had committed; instead it was for our sins, for our rebellion, for our brokenness, and our sickness that He was so severely punished.

We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in this passage from Matthew:

26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. 27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Matthew 27:26-31

In verse 7 of Isaiah 53 we learn that the Messiah wasn't even going to answer in his own defense. The fulfillment of this prophecy took place in Matthew 27 as well.

12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise. Matthew 27:12-14

Even the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 came to pass:

57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Matthew 27:57-60

What is the point of these prophecies about Jesus the Messiah, and why is it important that they were all fulfilled? First of all I believe that God gave this information to His prophets so that His people would know the Messiah when they saw Him. Secondly, they show that God knew hundreds of years before the Messiah appeared what would happen. This demonstrates God's sovereignty. It also demonstrates God's very great love for man. Jesus laid aside His majesty so that we could be bought out of the slavery into which we had sold ourselves so cheaply. The price that He paid for His people was dear, but it was worth it to Him.

What does this story have to do with Christmas? Christ's birthday was the day that Jesus became fully human - capable and worthy of being the sacrifice that would save so many. But first, He had to grow up just like you and me and live His life completely without sin - fully dependent on His Father. That all began in Bethlehem, but it had been planned for all eternity.

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:
1) Have you ever been wrongfully accused of doing something? How did you respond? How did Jesus respond?

2) Have you ever sinned? Isaiah 53:6 tells us that we have all gone astray. We have all sinned. Romans 6:23 tells us that the penalty for our sins is death. How does that make you feel?

3) Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission (or forgiveness) for sin. In other words, for sinners to be forgiven someone or something had to die. In the past God had ordered the Children of Israel to sacrifice lambs, sheep, goats, and bulls for their sins. At Passover a lamb was killed and its blood was put on the door frames of the Jews' homes. This reminded them of the very first Passover when God "passed over" the homes with the blood on the door and spared the people inside, but killed all of the firstborn of Egypt who did not have the mark on their doors. Verse 7 of Isaiah 53 compares the Messiah to a lamb. How was Jesus like the Passover lamb?

4) Why did Jesus die?

5) Our key passage (53:10) today tells us that "it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief." Does it seem strange to you that it was the Lord's plan to crush Him and that the plan was good? Do the following verses (11 and 12) explain why God would do such a thing and how Jesus' suffering could possibly be good?

6) Jesus took a punishment that we deserved because of our sin. It was a dreadful punishment, and yet He took our punishment willingly so that we would not have to face God's wrath. God had mercy on us when He allowed His Son to die on our behalf. Why would God do such a thing?

7) Do you recognize that you are a sinner? Do you know that you need someone to save you from your sins? Do you know that the only person who could do that is Jesus? If you have never received God's free gift of salvation I hope that you will today! Here are some verses that will help to explain what you must do to be saved: Acts 2:37-40, Romans 10:9-10, John 3:16

Don't Miss Beautiful Star If You Can Help It

The following announcement is not sponsored by StillWaters in any way. We are in no way affiliated with this production, but I have seen it twice and can heartily recommend it!

- Jonathan



In this return of last season's sold out holiday hit, Reverend Roy Ledbetter and his congregation are back to bring the Christmas story to life in an Appalachian setting with down home laughter, toe-tapping music and a tug at the heart. This new holiday tradition is a musical and storytelling journey from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus. In the tradition of the medieval mystery plays of Old England, Beautiful Star weaves music, humor and awe together, re-telling great stories from the Bible in a festive gathering of family, friends and faith.

Beautiful Star is set on a cold winter evening, high in the mountains of North Carolina, where the members of a small Open Heart Community Fellowship gather to tell the story of the first Christmas. But this is no ordinary Christmas pageant. As this fellowship brings these glorious stories to life, their simple mountain church is transformed by the power of music, the telling of tales and pure faith into a world of magic and wonder.

See what critics called, "the best show I've seen in this or any holiday season" (The Charlotte Observer) and "perfect family fare...[that] will lighten your heart and put a lump in your throat." (Greensboro's News & Record)

TICKET INFORMATION

Advent Day 4: "House Of Bread"

"I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen — that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike."

- The Apostle Paul



Prophetic Promise: Micah 5:2-5a

Prophecy's Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1-6

Beit lechem - these are the Hebrew words that mean "House of bread" and are the same words that we translate to the name Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small, insignificant town situated on a hill about five miles from Jerusalem. The area around Bethlehem was ideal for agriculture - indeed the primary industries in Bethlehem were farming and shepherding.

Yes, Bethlehem was a small and insignificant town at the time of Augustus Caesar's census, but it had a rich history. Many significant events in the history of God's people had taken place in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the birthplace of Rachael's last child, Benjamin, and the place that she died. It had been the home of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi. It was the birthplace of David, Israel's great king.

In the intervening years, Bethlehem's importance waned - much like that of our hometown, Salisbury, but something was coming that would cement its significance as one of the most important cities of all; for a prophecy had been made about Bethlehem long ago by the prophet Micah:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,
one whose origins are from the distant past.
The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
will return from exile to their own land.
And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
And he will be the source of peace.

The Messiah was going to be born there! Ephrathah - an ancient name for Bethlehem that means "fruitfulness" - was going to be the birth place of the one who would one day stand and say, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world....I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:32-33, 35) He is the same one who would tell the people,

"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me."

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:1-5

Truly, Bethlehem was the true house of bread - a home of great fruitfulness.

I cannot help but wonder if any besides Mary and Joseph were contemplating that wonderful promise to the little town of Bethlehem in the midst of the bustle and chaos that likely existed in the midst of this decreed census. I wonder if Mary and Joseph's relatives suspected that the baby born in their home and laid in their manger was the Christ, the promised Messiah.

Regardless of whether anyone was aware of the significance of that birth or not it happened just as the prophet had foretold:

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.’”

Matthew 2:1-6

Right under everyone's nose the King of kings was born in a little, insignificant home in a little, insignificant town - or was it? For it was the town of his great ancestor, David; the town whose very names attested to its destiny. If you are discouraged because you have an unimportant seeming role or live in an insignificant town or belong to a small church, take heart! God specializes in drawing the momentous from the midst of the lowly.

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Do you know what your name means? HERE is a link that you can use to find out. How did your parents pick your name? Are you anything like the meaning of your name?

2) Have you ever been the smallest one in a group? Have you ever felt unimportant or overlooked?

3) Who is your oldest living relative? Are any of your ancestors famous? Are there any pastors in your family tree? Any heroes? Any godly forebears?

4) What is the significance of the meaning of the names Bethlehem and Ephrathah? How do they point to Bethlehem's true destiny?

5) Bethlehem was a sheep herding and and agricultural town. What is the significance of these occupations in Micah's prophecy? Do you think that this was by accident?

6) King David had not had a descendant on the throne in Judah since the time of the exile. Why do you think that God chose David's birthplace for Jesus to be born?

7) As we have discussed, the names of Bethlehem mean "bread" and "fruitfulness." Can you name something that we do in church that involves "bread" and "fruit?" What does this sacrament represent?

Advent Day 3: "The People That Walked In Darkness Have Seen A Great Light"

Scriptural Truth: Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. Hebrews 1:1-2a

Prophetic Promise: Isaiah 9:1-7

Prophecy's Fulfillment: Matthew 4:12-17

They were dark times indeed. The prophets had been silent for 400 years, and massive changes had taken place politically in the nation of Israel. The Jews had finally learned their lesson with the exile and tenaciously held to their belief in and worship of the one true God in the midst of a sea of paganism. Life was anything but stable during this period. It was a period of wars, intrigues, persecutions, and unrest.

In fact, in many ways times were just as dark as they had been during the days of the prophet Isaiah, when he told Israel, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

Light shining in the land of the shadow of death! What a promise! But where would the light come from? According to the Scripture it would come from a child.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Those who heard and understood the message would be greatly encouraged by this news. A Messiah was coming, and the prophecy said of Him:

You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

Sadly, many misunderstood these passages to believe that the Messiah was coming with an earthly kingdom to execute vengeance upon their enemies. Instead the Messiah would enlarge the nation of Israel by extending mercy to the Gentiles. He broke the yoke of their slavery to sin, and lifted the heavy burden of the law from their shoulders. He broke the rod (another sign of authority) of the enemy of mankind - the devil.

The fulfillment of this prophecy came in Jesus of Nazareth.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Jesus testified of Himself, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

Things haven't changed that much. We still live in a world of great darkness, but Jesus is still the light of the world. Perhaps you are wondering how Jesus could be the light of the world when He physically is no longer here. He has commissioned us to carry His light:

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
Matthew 6:14-16

Make this a season to let the light of Christ shine through you like never before!

UPDATE: I just realized that Hanukkah, the Jewish "festival of lights," begins tonight at sundown! What good timing!

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Have you ever been camping in a place where you weren't allowed to have a fire? What was that like? Have you ever been in the dark and afraid? How did you feel when a light was turned on?

2) What is a Gentile? What is a Jew? Why is it significant that God was bringing His light to the Gentiles?

3) What do the titles of the child in Isaiah 9:6 tell us about who Jesus is? Which of the titles is your favorite? Why?

4) What is zeal? What does it mean when the Scripture says that "the zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this?" Another way of saying it is "The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!" Why would God be so eager to make sure that this happens?

5) What are some of the things that have made this a dark time? Have you done anything to contribute to the darkness?

6) Jesus told the people to repent of their sins. What does repent mean?

7) What can you do today to shine the light of Jesus?

Advent Day 2: "The Virgin Shall Conceive..."

The first theme that we are going to explore during this Advent season is that of the prophetic announcements about the coming of Messiah. These announcements were numerous - so numerous that there is no way that we will exhaust the many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah over the course of the next seven posts.

One thing to understand about the Scriptures and the prophecies contained in them can be summed up in this passage from 2 Peter:

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:16-21

Here is the information about tonight's study.

Texts: Isaiah 7:1-14 and Matthew 1:18-23
Key verse: Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah was astounded. God was sending him to Ahaz - one of the most wicked and stubborn kings in Judah's history - to offer to help him out of a major crisis. The northern tribes and Syria were threatening to come and attack the land of Judah, and Ahaz was scared. He had come up with a desperate plan to join forces with the Assyrians to defeat the armies that were coming against him. But God had a better plan. He told Isaiah to tell Ahaz:

But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“This invasion will never happen; it will never take place; for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus, and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be crushed and completely destroyed. Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”

Well, Ahaz's faith wasn't too firm, so a little while later God sent Isaiah back to Ahaz.

God had instructed Isaiah to tell Ahaz that God would perform a sign for him to prove that the word that He had spoken through Isaiah was true. Ahaz could ask for ANYTHING at all and God would do it for him. But Ahaz refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” Wrong answer. Perhaps Ahaz was trying to be humble or appear spiritual. Perhaps he thought that God (or at least Isaiah) would be impressed that he knew that somewhere in the Good Book it says "Thou shalt not put the Lord Thy God to the test." It is even possible that he was just being petulant and stubborn in his refusal to acknowledge the God of his fathers. But God wouldn't take no for an answer.

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:13-14

As I was studying earlier on some of the meaning of this passage I found a really good observation about this passage and both its Old Testament and New Testament implications:

Isaiah 7:14 is a beautiful prophecy of hope and deliverance during time of distress. It is also a powerful testimony to the grace of God Almighty, who is not willing to quickly abandon even the most obstinate among us. God delivered His people Judah from the threat they faced during the time of King Ahaz. He also, in a far more significant way, has delivered His people of all ages from the threat of sin and death with the incarnation of His Son -- the true embodiment of Immanuel: "God with us!" Praise God for His matchless grace.
- Al Maxey

In the New Testament book of Matthew we find the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 1:18-23

God proved that He was true to His word, and God proved that He is not willing to allow sinners to perish without a fight - a fight that required God Himself to enter the world.

Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:
1) If God gave you the same opportunity that he did Ahaz what would you ask Him to do to prove His faithfulness? How has God already proven His faithfulness in your life?

2) The Lord told Ahaz "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." Have you ever experienced this in your life? Have there been times when you couldn't "stand firm?" How can a person make their faith firm? See Romans 10:17.

3) What does today's passage have to do with Christmas?

4) Why do you think that God did the impossible when He caused Mary to conceive Jesus as a virgin? Why was that sign so important? How does God do the "impossible" for us?

5) In the Bible, names and their meanings are often very significant. The prophecy said that the child would be called "Immanuel" which means "God with us." The name "Jesus" is a derivative of the name "Joshua" and means "Yahweh is salvation." What do these names tell us about what and who Jesus is?

6) Can you imagine what it would be like to have God/Jesus visit your home? How would you act if Jesus were to come to your house?

7) Why do you suppose that God was so patient with Ahaz? Have you ever done anything that required your parents, siblings, teachers, or friends to have patience with you? Do you need for God to be patient with you?

Worth Millions in Baseball

In recent days a sports-related item has made the leap to the news pages of papers all across America, and I suspect, Japan. One Mr. Alex Rodriguez has signed a ten-year deal to play (may I stress that a moment?) PLAY baseball for the New York Yankees in return for a mere $305 million dollars. Uh huh, the Steinbrenner boys are willing to shake on this one.

I am a baseball fan.
(except for the five years following the strike in the Nineties)
I am a staunch free-market Capitalist.
("Yeah!" Founding Financial Fathers)
I am more than a little surprised, and scary jealous.

What if I had actually kept playing the game into my adulthood? What might have been the career outcome of my dedication to the art and science of America's pastime? What makes A-Rod worth more per minute than THOUSANDS of teachers... first-responders... single Moms... pastors... and almost everybody else besides plumbers, Union Sanitation Engineers, or global warming-gurus? (Trust me on that last one, friends.)

305 Million U.S. Dollars for ten years comes out to exactly $3,481.73 per hour. That's almost 3500 bucks for every hour Mr Rodriguez breathes for the next 120 months. Asleep. Awake. Visiting friends in the Dominican Republic. All the time. "Ca-Ching!"

Here is a snippet of info from Wikipedia regarding said, A-Rod, "Since 1996 (his first full season) through 2007 he leads the Major Leagues in home runs (HR), runs scored, runs batted in (RBI), total bases and extra-base hits. Of all players in baseball history at age 31, he is first all-time in HR, runs scored and total bases; second in extra base hits and RBI, and 4th in hits. To this point in his career Rodriguez has more HR, RBI, runs scored and more base hits than all-time leaders Hank Aaron (RBI), Barry Bonds (HR), Rickey Henderson (runs scored), and Pete Rose (hits) did prior to their 31st birthdays."

Well, more power to him (since he already has everything else).

Makes me think of other ball players in the "Bigs" who can cash large checks for hitting the ball once every three times they are at bat. Millions. Batting .333 is considered something of the "gold standard" for hitters in the Major Leagues. Did you hear me, MILLIONS for doing something one third of the time your employer / spouse / girlfriend / mother expects you to. Seems like good work if you can get it. Oh, and you get to guest-star on scores of TV shows, too. Then there is the whole "endorsement" genre of stealing, uh, making millions more for eating a certain kind of peanut butter, or smiling as an announcer declares that "A-Rod wears only bio-degradable cleats from Green Weenies Shoes."

One-out-of-three is good, huh?
Well then, the parties StillWaters hosted last evening in Salisbury and Mooresville were hugely successful because over a third of the folks invited from the neighborhoods actually attended! Add to that the many folks who served and supported the outreach events and you are up into the platinum strata of performance. Woo Hoo! Yeah God.

Join everyone who cares about the spiritual and community health of our neighbors by praying for some lasting benefit from the dual events. The intention of each of the hosts and helpers last night was that relationships may be developed and deepened in order that Jesus the Christ might be known and followed by LOTS more of the people near us where we live. Perhaps, due in no small measure to the selfless efforts and prayers of so many StillWaters families, some folks may come to a saving knowledge of the Son of God in the days ahead. What an honor to lift us His Name at this time of the year when He is almost forgotten by the larger community in America, and elsewhere, as shopping and celebrating avarice and excess is rampant.

Gentle reminder people of the world, "It's CHRIST-mas."
Enough said.

This year I will not be buying presents in the volume, at the rate, or to the expense of years gone by. Finances play their part in the decision Carol and I have made, but even more important is the notion of making a difference (for good) in the lives of the folks around us. We hope your hearts are full this Christmas, dear friends. Your participation in the Kirker and StillWater families has certainly caused ours to overflow. Thank you... really.

While Mr. Alex Rodriguez EARNS just under one dollar per second for the next 315,360,000 seconds (no, I am not bitter...) the rest of us Christians may take comfort in the fact that every one of those dollars will remain on earth till they burn, while our redeemed spirits will soar to the heavens to dwell with Jesus in Paradise eternally when we leave this tired old planet.

So, my advice to you is this, "trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved! You and your household."

Oh, and also teach your sons how to throw a baseball 60.5 feet left-handed at about 100 mph.

Both of these are excellent retirement programs.

Like you, I don't think $305 million dollars would change me.

Right.

My Apologies

I apologize for not being able to get an Advent post done yesterday. There just wasn't time. I intend to double up today and include two prophetic passages about Messiah in today's post. I will do my best to have it finished by supper time so that you can use it with your family in tonight's devotions. In the coming weeks, will make my best attempt to have Sunday's devotion ready on Saturday night so that you can use it on Sunday with your family. There is just too much to do on Sundays for me to get a well-thought post done.

What A Night!

Wow. The StillWaters family pulled off two very successful Christmas parties last night. Unfortunately I don't have all of the details to give you numbers, but at the party I attended the first guests showed up right at 4:30 and the last one left around 7:45. There was an abundance of food, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Hopefully, I will be able to entice the hosts of these parties to give us the full details here in the coming days.

Last night was also the debut of the StillWaters Jazz Band (SJB). By all accounts it was a successful outing. If you are bummed that you missed the debut you will have another opportunity to see SJB in action on Tuesday, December 11th from 7:00 to 7:30. They will be playing at South Rowan High School as part of a fund raiser for The SRHS Drama Club called The Coffee House. Come on out if you can!

There are also opportunities to continue serving our neighbors THIS WEEK. Lunch With Lois is planned for this Saturday, December 8th at 12:00 Noon at the Kirkers'. Lois is a sister in the Lord who is in the midst of a financial struggle right now. The plan is to enjoy lunch together and visit with her and then provide her with a monetary gift and wrapped Christmas gifts for her two grandchildren (a boy 10 years old and a girl 12 years old.) If you can help with this outreach and/or would like to attend let Carol know. (If you are not from this area and would like to help, church contact information is located at the bottom of the blog!)

Also be looking for information about an upcoming Servant Evangelism project that we are trying to pull together for Saturday, December 15th. The plan is to assist customers at the Salisbury Mall in getting their packages to their cars. The entire event including travel shouldn't take more than 2 hours (unless you want to fellowship some afterwards!) As I firm up the details I will post them here on the blog.

Man, who would have thought that serving our neighbors could be more fun than riding in a one horse open sleigh?

Advent Day 1: "Original Promises"

Today is the first day of Advent (at least according to the Advent calendars I have seen around.) I wasn't raised with the tradition of Advent, but I like the idea of it, having been exposed to the practice more recently in my Christian walk. In the midst of all of the gross commercialization and secularization of the holiday it is wise to make a conscious effort to focus on the actual point of the Christmas season - the coming of the Messiah who would deliver the children of God from their bondage to sin and usher in a new Kingdom to the earth. The event that would mark the end of satan's dominion over the earth and would be the beginning of the end of his influence over the earth.

It is with this end in mind that we at Conspiracy of Kindness and StillWaters intend to provide a daily devotion based on the various themes of Advent that you can use with your family as we approach Christmas. It is our sincere hope that these meditations will help you and your family to have a very meaningful, Christ-centered holiday.

December 1, 2007

Ancient Words

Text: Genesis 3

Key Verse: Genesis 3:15 "And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

It had been a glorious week! God had started with next to nothing, a formless blob of... well, we're not sure, but we know there was water. Then by the word of His mouth God spoke light into existence. BAM! There was light. Then He spoke and the sky was formed. Then He commanded the land to arise from the waters and ordered plants and trees to grow. Just like that it happened. After that He ordered the stars and the planets and the sun and the moon into existence. He arranged them in the sky and gave them set paths to follow.

Next God set Himself to populating the world. First He spoke all the fish, birds, and sea-creatures into existence. Then He spoke and created all of the land dwelling animals, but God saved the best for last.

God had an amazing plan - an audacious plan - to make a creature in His own image. He would make man to be like Him and give him dominion over the entire creation that He had made. When this work was finished, God looked everything over and declared that it was, "Very good."

So, after God had set Adam up as supreme ruler over creation and provided Eve as his wife He gave them only one rule. The only thing that they couldn't do was eat from one particular tree in the garden.

We really don't know how long it took, but eventually satan entered the garden as a serpent and talked Eve into eating from the forbidden tree. Then she gave some of the fruit to Adam and he ate it too. Instantly they knew that something was horribly wrong. That sense was heightened when God showed up in the garden. Instead of running to Him as they usually did, they hid themselves from Him.

Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.”

And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”

Thus, man gave away the glory that God had created him for. God had justly dealt with Adam's sin, but the damage had been done: from that point forward man has had a sinful nature. This sinful nature made it impossible for God and man to enjoy the kind of friendship that they had enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. But God wasn't satisfied with this arrangement.

Perhaps you didn't notice it, but in verse 15, during God's judgment of the serpent, God makes the very first prophecy about His provision to re-establish His friendship and fellowship with man. God promised that one day one of Eve's descendants would bruise the serpent's head, but in the process of doing so the serpent would bruise his heel.

We know from other scriptures that satan was the serpent in the garden. So from this prophecy we know that one was coming who would bruise satan's head, but what does that phrase mean? The head is a symbol of authority. It is where kings wear their crown - the symbol of their authority. So if one was coming that would bruise satan's head, that means that one was coming to remove satan's authority over Eve's descendants.

Now who do you suppose is the descendant that God was talking about? Have you heard of any Bible stories where someone's heel was injured? Of course it is talking about Jesus.

God was promising in the midst of the punishment that He had to deliver that He would make a way to put everything back to the way it was supposed to be. When Jesus was born thousands of years later it marked the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy and when He was crucified He destroyed satan's authority over God's children.


Questions and thoughts to discuss with your family:

1) Of all of the things in creation what are your favorites? As beautiful as all of these things are we know from this story that they are only a shadow of what God created them to be. With that in mind, try to imagine what life would have been like in the Garden of Eden.

2) Has anyone ever tricked you into doing something wrong? What did you want to do when you knew you had been tricked?

3) Do you ever have trouble obeying the rules? Have you ever done something that you know was bad, but don't know why you did it? How did it make you feel?

4) Have you ever had something nice or special that someone else stole or broke? How did it make you feel? What did you want to do to the person who messed up your property? How did God respond when Adam, Eve, and the serpent ruined God's creation?

5) In the key verse, God told Eve that one of her descendants would strike the serpent's head and that the serpent would strike his heel. Which of Eve's descendants is God talking about? Who is the serpent? How did the serpent strike his heel?

6) What does this story have to do with Christmas?

7) Why do we need a Messiah?

The Best Play I Have Seen In A Long Time

If you can, you would be incredibly blessed to see this play that is being performed at the Triad Stage in Greensboro. I saw it last year and enjoyed it so much that I took my parents back a week later. It was absolutely wonderful. If I had the money I would take each of you.

In this return of last season's sold out holiday hit, Reverend Roy Ledbetter and his congregation are back to bring the Christmas story to life in an Appalachian setting with down home laughter, toe-tapping music and a tug at the heart. Developed by Triad Stage Artistic Director Preston Lane and Laurelyn Dossett of Polecat Creek, the same creative team behind Brother Wolf and the upcoming Bloody Blackbeard, this new holiday tradition is a musical and storytelling journey from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus. In the tradition of the medieval mystery plays of Old England, Beautiful Star weaves music, humor and awe together, re-telling great stories from the Bible in a festive gathering of family, friends and faith.

Beautiful Star is set on a cold winter evening, high in the mountains of North Carolina, where the members of a small Open Heart Community Fellowship gather to tell the story of the first Christmas. But this is no ordinary Christmas pageant. As this fellowship brings these glorious stories to life, their simple mountain church is transformed by the power of music, the telling of tales and pure faith into a world of magic and wonder.

See what critics called, "the best show I've seen in this or any holiday season" (The Charlotte Observer) and "perfect family fare...[that] will lighten your heart and put a lump in your throat." (Greensboro's News & Record)

Click HERE to buy tickets.

Groups of 10 - 49 persons save 15%. For more information and to reserve your group's seats, call Sherry Barr, Director of Audience Services, at 336.274.0067 ext. 218 or email groupsales@triadstage.org.

And click HERE to download the podcast.

I was impressed by the insight into the stories of the Old Testament that Preston Lane showed as he wrote this play. I was especially impressed by his understanding of the significance of the story of Abraham and Isaak on Mt. Moriah. (This was also the most poignant moment of the play.) The fellow that played the enemy was especially good too. I would consider his performance last year the strongest. The music is fabulous too. It well worth every penny that you will pay for a ticket.