12-21-14 Jesus Come in the Flesh

12/22     1 John 4:3  spirit acknowledging Christ in the flesh

…2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. (1 John 4:2,3)

Thoughts: That Jesus came in the flesh is what the Christian celebration of Christmas is all about.  Much like the Jews celebrate Passover as a way to remember their salvation each year, so Christians celebrate that God has come for our salvation.  There have been some who have said (Docetists) that Jesus did not really come down as a man- he just appeared to do this (some Muslim groups think this today).  On the other extreme are those who think Jesus did not come down at all- but just was an ordinary human that we have over ascribed as divine.  Two thousand years later, I believe we can see that Jesus was not just an ordinary man- but a man whose simple life changed the world for the better.  He was really born in a manger and walked our sod and breathed our air, drank our water.  But He taught as no one else taught and rose from the dead as no one else could.  Jesus has come down. He came in the flesh.  If we acknowledge this, we will begin to experience the true spirit of Christmas.

Prayer:  let me acknowledge you, Lord Jesus, as fully human and fully divine.  You have come down for me and suffered true suffering for me.  Let my heart well up with gratitude.

Application:  Let the love of Christ inside of you become visible to others today.  Look for an opportunity to identify yourself as a believer today.  Look for an opportunity to help someone in need- maybe put a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket. 

12/21/14- Jesus the Bread

12/21     John 6:35             I am the Bread

34Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Thoughts: Bethlehem means "House of Bread."  Bethlehem was the place that the Bread of Life was born.  Once people were looking for Jesus because he had given them free bread (feeding of the 5,000).  Many a ruler over the years fed the poor to keep them happy and loyal.  When they came to make Him king, he refused, for he knew it was temporary loyalty.  The popularity of rulers waxes and wanes.  

They even tried (vs. 30-31) to trick Jesus into giving them more bread like Moses gave the Israelites in the wilderness. Jesus was trying to get them to look to the eternal and not the temporary bread.  They sought only what would satisfy their immediate needs.  Jesus knew He could satisfy their deep inner needs for eternity (vs. 35).  Let us look to Jesus, and keep our eyes on Him- without distraction. 
       This time of year people are thinking a lot about presents.  Who did I leave out, what did I get everyone, and will I have enough “bread” to pay my bills.  This passage reminds us that if we have little physical bread we may still be blessed and have satisfaction from God. 

Prayer: Bread of Heaven, come down to me as you came that first Christmas.  Make my life more whole and satisfy me with you- the true satisfaction.

Application: Make a gift to We Care, Goodworks, or Snackpack to help those who are physically hungry in the name of the One who can satisfy their spiritual hunger. 

12/20/14- God and the Faithful

Dec. 20, 2014

Scripture: And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.  And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).

Thoughts: Anna, a prophetess, had been waiting for “the consolation of Israel” like Simeon for a long time.  Neither Simeon nor Anna was particularly important as far as the world was concerned.  Neither is depicted as having led a particularly exciting, successful, or eventful life.  Nor are they said to have achieved great accomplishments or accomplished anything at all.  In fact, today many would probably describe the life of Simeon and Anna as boring and insignificant, especially Anna’s life, which, having been widowed after only seven years of marriage, revolved around the temple and consisted of “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”  Yet she too, like Simeon, lived a life of gratitude (“she gave thanks to God”) and was privileged not only to see the world’s redemption in Jesus Christ before her death, but also to bear witness to it as she “spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”  God honored the humble, patient, faithful service of Simeon and Anna’s lives and he honors the humble, patient, faithful service of all who call upon and bear witness to him today.  For thus says the Lord: “those who wait for me shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 49:23).

Prayer: Faithful and Ever-loving Father, sustain me in the humble, patient, faithful service I seek to render today and help me to serve you and others with joyful gratitude.  In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.  Amen.

Application: Forget performing a random act of kindness (especially if it is a matter of mere tokenism or motivated primarily to make you feel better about yourself) and receive God’s redemption in Jesus Christ and do your assigned tasks faithfully this day, however difficult, with humility, patience, and joy, out of gratitude to God.

12/19/14- God and the Pain

Dec. 19, 2014

Scripture: And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:33-35).

Thoughts: Even with the accounts of Christ’s birth there are signs that point to his death.  In calling our attention to these signs, the New Testament does not seek to cast a pall or shadow over “the good news of a great joy” we celebrate at Christmas.  On the contrary, it depicts the birth of Christ as the most joyous event in all of history.  But no honest reader of the Bible can deny that there is pain mixed in with the joy as when King Herod, in attempting to kill the baby Jesus, slayed all the male babies who were under two years old in Bethlehem.  Thus, there was great joy at Christ’s birth, but also great pain.   There was great joy, but it was not a joy that ignored or floated blithely above the pain and suffering of this world.  No, Jesus Christ entered into it.  He entered into the real pain and real suffering of life in the real world.  And he overcame it, but not without a price, the price of his own suffering and death on the cross. Simeon was was waiting for “the consolation of Israel” and he received it.  But he was compelled to tell Mary, “and a sword will pierce through you own soul also.”  What is so striking about this passage is that it makes clear that our true consolation does not come cheap.  It does not come without a price, the price of the blood of God’s only begotten Son.   

Prayer: Lord, deliver me from cheap comfort and false hope wherever I am tempted to look for them and make me satisfied with nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else than fellowship with your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray.  Amen.

Application: Try to comfort and encourage someone who is hurting or struggling today by bearing witness to the true hope and consolation of the world, Jesus Christ.

12/18/14- God and the Waiting

Dec. 18, 2014

Scripture: And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.  And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord), "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."  Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel" (Luke 2:21-32).

[Simeon and Anna – Rembrandt]

Thoughts: Simeon’s waiting was not like the waiting of others.  His waiting made him active not passive, alert not dull, watchful not inattentive.  The reason is because Simeon was waiting on the Lord.  It was not the waiting as such that made Simeon “righteous and devout,” obedient rather disobedient.  It was the Lord!  Simeon waited in hope and expected to see “the Lord’s Christ” and the consolation he would bring.  But Simeon had waited not only for his own personal or private consolation.  He had waited for the consolation of Israel.  Yet when Israel’s Messiah finally appeared and Simeon held “him up in his arms,” he recognized that what he had been waiting on was greater than he had expected.  The consolation he had been waiting for meant “salvation” and its significance extended not only to Israel but also to the whole world: “for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.”   What sort of consolation are you looking for?  Will it bring only a little comfort or salvation for you and for those you love?  Simeon’s long awaited consolation allowed him not only to die in peace, but also to live in hope.  And such peace and such hope are ours in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to wait patiently in hope on you and you alone for my comfort and salvation.  In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.  Amen.

Application: Ask someone you have never or rarely talked with about “spiritual things” what sort of peace and comfort they hope for.  Wait for them to tell you.  After you have listened to them carefully, tell them in whatever words the Holy Spirit gives you (however inadequate they may seem or you may feel) about your hope in Jesus Christ and the peace and comfort you have in this life and the life to come.

12-17-14 God and the Shepherds

Dec. 17, 2014

Scripture: When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."  And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Luke 2:15-20).

Thoughts: The shepherds not only heard the angel speak but they believed the angel’s words to be the Word of the Lord, that is, a message “which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they not only heard but they obeyed the Word of the Lord with single-minded obedience, which is indicated by both their words, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,” and their actions, “And they went with haste.”  This is a picture of the life of faith: we hear and believe the Word of the Lord and immediately act in single-minded obedience.   This is faith.  To hear the Word of God is to believe and to believe the Word of God is to obey.  To live a life of faith does not mean one will always be understood (“all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them”) nor does it mean a change in one’s status or vocation (“the shepherds returned,” which means they remained shepherds).  But it does mean a joyful and purposeful life, a life of “glorifying and praising God” in both word and deed. 

Prayer: Eternal Father, help us to hear, to believe, and to obey your Word with single-minded obedience as the shepherds did and to glorify and praise you in our words and deeds.  In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray.  Amen.

Application: Hear, believe, and obey the Word of God today in an act of single-minded obedience, regardless of what anyone else thinks or says, to the glory and praise of God.

12/16/14- God and the Search

Dec. 16, 2014

Scripture: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:13-14).

Thoughts: What does “Glory to God in the highest” mean?  It means God stands above our highest thoughts and most sincere quests for meaning or purpose in the universe.   It means God stands above our highest hopes, dreams, longings, and aspirations.  It means He stands above our deepest feelings and intuitions about how the world should be.  It means God stands above all realms of human thought, wisdom, conjecture, and speculation, including all religious or philosophical speculation.  It means God stands above the entire world of human possibility and above our highest expectations as to who God is or should be.  “Glory to God in the highest” means God is not the fulfillment, even the last, supreme fulfillment, of what you and I were looking for all along.  Luther wrote: “Man would have never found God, even had he looked for him in the heights.”  “Glory to God in the Highest” means Christmas is not about man’s search for God.  It’s about God’s search for man and God finding us in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.  Christmas is about God condescending from the greatest heights to the lowest depths, even the depths of Hell, for our sake.  This is not only the true meaning but also the great joy of Christmas!

(Shepherd's Field- Bethlehem)

Prayer: O Lord, humble us who have been so high-minded that we have failed to see who it is who came to us in such humble ways so long ago in Bethlehem.  Teach us that your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that your ways are higher than our ways so that we may know you, love you, and follow you.  In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray.  Amen.

Application: Think about ways in which you have tried to fit God into your hopes, dreams, and aspirations instead of fitting into his purposes and ask him to forgive you and renew a right spirit within you!