Jesus Enters as a Warrior Behind Enemy Lines

“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

In our quest to bring writers from the broadest spectrum of Christianity, our devotional author today is Benedictine writer Fr. Becket Franks, who writes at Becketmonk. Click the title below to read this where it originated.

And Yet…

In the words of C.S. Lewis,

“Jesus entered the world so anonymously and clandestinely- as a baby born to insignificant parents in an out-of-the-way corner of the Roman Empire- because he was a warrior compelled to slip quietly behind enemy lines.”

Why would he say this?  It is because of mercy.  In the world of Caesar Augustus, God sends down his mercy behind in quiet and in secret.  And who is the first to receive such mercy?  Our Christmas cards and our Christmas creches depict cute scenes of shepherds and Magi adoring the new born babe.  In the words of Bishop Robert Barron,

“We ought not to be romantic about shepherds…they were considered rather shady characters, ne’er do wells unable to hold down a steady job, unreliable and dishonest.”

AND, YET, God the Almighty chooses these people to announce the birth of The One who will sit and eat with sinners, and, die between two criminals.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Tell the people whom God frequents, salvation is upon you.”  According to this prophet of comfort, God never forgets.  God never forsakes.  God always brings reward. However, how will anyone know of the abundant mercy of God unless one of us shares this message with a waiting world?  Or, better, maybe it is you and me that need that merciful word today, right now.

To illustrate, a few years ago in the New York Times, Doctor of New Testament at Wheaton College, Esau McCaulley, writes,

“Christmas is Weird…it never promises to soothe every pain or cure every ill.  Instead, [it] gives us enough hope to walk a little farther;  [it] suggests that God has not forgotten anyone. He came as a child, weak and vulnerable…so that the weak and broken things might feel comfortable approaching the divine…”

like the shepherds, the “common workers.”

Now, of course we are not shady shepherds on the fringe.  But we are people who are in pain, physically, or mentally, or psychologically, or even existentially.  Just last week two of our residents lost a daughter suddenly.  In the last two years, we lost friends to Covid.  Last year, one of my brothers told me that Christmas lacks joy because he has to take his wife to kidney dialysis.  The people of the Ukraine fear for their lives and in America we continue to witness attacks upon our democracy.

Not to be a Donny Downer…this is what the Gospel means when the angels announce news to the shepherds:  mercy given is mercy received.  This is why St. Titus says,

“when the kindness and generous love of God appeared…because of his mercy…he saved us and renewed us by the grace and words of the Holy Spirit.”

AND YET, in the middle of the quiet night, the angels of the Lord speak the Good News to the common workers.  These unexpected everyday people become the first evangelists of the Gospel. Why God decides to come to us this way, I don’t know.  What I do know is that the Spirit speaks all the time to common workers in times of unbearable pain, unrest, and injustice.  When Christ speaks that same word of glorifying hope to you…, share it…  Please.  I promise to do the same.

The Grinch that Stole Love (Consumerism)

by Clarke Dixon

We light the candle of love, snuff it out, go home and then it might seem like Christmas is not about love at all. Everything everywhere is designed to sell us stuff, to drive down our bank accounts or rack up our debt. Even charitable organizations get in on the act with a year end push. I know this because we do that too as a church!

It is not just the Grinch that can steal Christmas. We have already looked at how conflict can steal our peace, expectations can steal our hope, and grief can steal our joy. Today we are thinking through how the consumerism of Christmas can steal our vision of love.

We can’t escape it, there are signs everywhere; buy this, buy that. It can feel like Christmas is a celebration of consumerism rather than a celebration of God’s gift of love. Is Christmas really about love, or is it all about money? Consumerism can make us cynical about Christmas.

So what can we do when consumerism steals our vision of love?

Isaiah has a helpful word for us. As we go there, let’s actually go there, back to the days the prophet was originally addressing. Let us think of it as if we were the first people hearing it, long before Jesus was born:

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’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

Isaiah 7:14-16 (NLT emphasis added)

We Christians have a tendency of thinking everyone was waiting for a virgin to conceive, and when that happened, we would know the child was the Messiah. That is what we understand the sign to be. However, before the time of Jesus no one would really have thought that. Rather the sign in Isaiah’s prophecy was one that was fulfilled in the days the prophecy was given. The king of Judah could expect God would do something about the pressure he was under in his day. By the time a soon to be born child is old enough to eat solid food and make decisions, two kings putting pressure on King Ahaz to side with them against Assyria will be gone and their lands “deserted.”

But what about the virgin conceiving? While translations often go with “virgin,” the Hebrew word in this prophecy can be translated “young woman.”

But what about the child being “God with us”? That the child was to be called Emmanuel does not mean he would actually be “God with us,” Indeed I met a man name Emmanuel recently and I assumed he was not the incarnation of God, but rather that he had simply been given a meaningful name. The child was to be called Emmanuel as a reminder that God is indeed with the king and his people if they remained faithful.

So to summarize this prophecy as understood before Jesus was born, we could paraphrase; “King Ahaz, you don’t need to bow to pressure, instead know that God is with you and that God cares about your people.” No one was expecting a virgin-born-Messiah in Isaiah’s day, but a sign, that God cared, that God loved them and was watching out for them.

Now let’s go to the story of Jesus’ birth:

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, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous 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 (NLT emphasis added)

When a woman is pregnant, and her fiancé knows he is not the father, this is a sign of something going on, right? Mary’s pregnancy was indeed a sign, but not of what Joseph thought. This baby was a sign of the same thing the baby from Isaiah was a sign of, namely that God cares and is going to do something about the enemies threatening us. In this case there is a much bigger and badder enemy in mind than in Isaiah’s day; anything that disrupts harmonious relationship between God and God’s creation including humanity.

Early Christians saw in Isaiah 7 a prophecy that really fit the Messiah that came even though it originally was not about a coming Messiah at all. Jesus is God with us in a profound way that no one in the history of the world has ever been. Jesus is the biggest sign ever given that God cares. Not even the prophet Isaiah saw this coming.

When all the signs point to Christmas being about consumerism, let us remember the sign of Jesus’ birth. God is with us. God cares. When all the signs point to the commercialization of Christmas, we can put up our own signs of God’s love. We care, because God cares.

We Christians have been good at being known for what we are against rather than what we are for. We can be known for being against the commercialization of Christmas and the holidays being driven by consumerism. There is something to be said for that, but we may be sending the wrong signals, putting up the wrong signs. Some people’s livelihood depend on Christmas! If we are to be known for what we are for, let us be known for love. Let’s respond to the signs of the times with signs of our own. Let the signs not point to our disgust, but to God’s love.

I confess it; I can get really cynical about Christmas. However, instead of hammering away at what we don’t like about Christmas, let us live out what we do like, that love is what the season is all about, especially God’s love, but all love, even love for those who are trying hard to get us to spend more money.

Everything Eagerly Expecting

Every once in awhile I encounter a blog or website which, although we linked to it often at Thinking Out Loud, never made it to Christianity 201 (or in this case, almost never, with the exception of May, 2017). Such is the case with Don’t Ask The Fish, written by Dr. Tommy Kiedis and today we remedy that.

Clicking the title which follows will take you to where this first appeared.

Are you standing on tiptoe?

The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.

— Romans 8:19 J.B. Phillips Translation

I have celebrated sixty-three birthdays, but only longed for one gift.

At twelve, I was adventuresome, tough, and ready to take on Everest. Can anything stop a boy in early adolescence?  I set my sights on the perfect gift to complement my venturesome spirit – a mountain tent.  Not a pup tent mind you, a “Mountain Tent!”  What is a mountain tent?  Perhaps just a pup tent with a little bravado, but for a boy in search of manhood it sounded rugged – and I wanted it!

I announced my desires to my mom and dad. I begged, pleaded, and pouted. Actually, I only pouted around Mom—Dad didn’t put up with whining.  By the time the big B-Day came my mom had me convinced that I would be sleeping tent-less under the open stars, but that was just her attempt to surprise me. I got the tent!

Waiting on that gift taught me the meaning of longing early in life. Today, that inward ache I call longing looks a little different. Now, I long for a day off after a difficult week of work. I long for a Dolphins Super Bowl victory (hey, even a playoff victory would be nice!). I long for bodies to be healed, health restored, and broken hearts mended, and . . . my latest hot rod project to get out of the garage and on the road.

God gives me another lesson on longing in Romans 8. He paints a picture and then points me toward it. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment that was mine. Through faith in Him, I have life. In fact, God adopts me! I am his. “And all that Christ claims as his will be ours as well.” Grace upon grace!

Right now, I am living between two worlds: earth and heaven. Because He has me, I’ve got it great. But oh what’s coming is literally “out of this world.” Right now, it will be tough here and there, but God has so much more in store for us then. I appreciate the way JB Phillips paraphrases these words of Paul:

In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God [and daughters!] coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because in God’s purpose it has been so limited—yet it has been given hope. And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God! Romans 8:18-21 J.B. Phillips Translation

God has been on a rescue mission from the beginning of time. He is going to set the world right! Paul pictures all of creation anxiously awaiting God’s final victory. J.B. Phillips’ translation of verse nineteen is picturesque, “The whole creation is on tiptoe.” 

That’s longing.

So let me ask you, “This Advent season, are you standing on tiptoe?” And if so, what are you longing for? For my part, there’s nothing wrong with putting that hot rod out on the street, but that pavement pounding longing is only pointing to a deeper longing that can only be satisfied with heaven’s Christ.

As we enter this season of advent, I am asking God to rekindle within me a holy sense of longing. I want him to renew the inward ache for the Messiah – God’s greatest gift – who alone will right every wrong. I invite you to pray this prayer with me . . .

“Father, help the affections of my heart to stand on tiptoe for Jesus the Messiah, who alone can right every wrong and satisfy every aching heart. 

Waiting for ‘The One’

This is our third time with Rev. John Partridge, the pastor at Christ United Methodist Church (UMC) in Alliance, Ohio. His website for sermon content and blog articles is PastorPartridge.com. If you’re reading this on December 11th, it appeared earlier today. Click the title which follows to read this where it first appeared.

Are You the One?

Isaiah 35:1-10                         Matthew 11:2-11                    James 5:7-10

In the blockbuster 1999 movie, The Matrix, Keanu Reeves, as the character Neo, is awakened from a pod and discovers that his entire life had been lived inside of a computer simulation. Over the course of the movie, Neo, and the audience, discover that he is the person known in their modern legend as “The One.” Although computers have taken over the universe, the computer program that makes the simulated world possible requires, as part of its vast program, an anomaly, a glitch, that is both necessary to making the whole thing work, and problematic to the machines that want to subjugate humanity.  That glitch, that anomaly, is that one randomly selected person, known as the Prime Program, or The One, carries a special piece of program code that gives them superhuman abilities in the matrix.  These abilities give that person the power to bend the rules of the matrix simulation, allowing them to ignore physics, gravity, and any other laws of nature.

In scripture, we also find a world that is waiting for the arrival of “the One.” In this case, we are dealing with the real world and with a spiritual world, and not a fictional computer simulation.  But the movies have borrowed from this scriptural tradition and have created parallels that we see in both the theater and in the stories of the Old and New Testaments.  What we find is that God, through his prophets, promised that one day he would send a messiah, a rescuer, and a redeemer, who would come to save Israel from their enemies and save the entire world from destruction, sin, and death.

But as the centuries passed, Israel asked the same question that the characters in the Matrix movie were asking.  Is the story real?  When will we see the One?  And whenever they met someone who impressed them, they might even ask themselves if he might be “The One.”  We begin this morning with Isaiah 35:1-10, as we hear God’s prophet tell of the things that the Messiah would do:

^35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come, he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there;it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

It was these words that were repeated, taught, and remembered, when people thought and dreamed about the coming of the messiah. And so, when John the Baptist sees that Jesus isn’t doing the things that he thought that he would do, he begins to wonder if Jesus is really “The One.”  And so, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus that very question, “Are you the One.”   Matthew 11:2-11 records Jesus’ reply.

² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

It was a fair question.  It’s always been a fair question. We have been reading the promises of God in the writings of the prophets for thousands of years.  Like many of Jesus’ own disciples, John thought that the Messiah should behave differently, and do things differently than Jesus was doing them. And Jesus’ reply was to echo Isaiah and say that the eyes of the blind were opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame are healed, the mute speak, the good news is proclaimed to the poor, and even the dead are raised.

But two thousand years later we are still asking the same question.  Was Jesus really “The One”?  If Jesus were really the Messiah, shouldn’t he have returned to do the rest of the things that Isaiah and the other prophets said that the Messiah would do?  It’s a fair question because two thousand years is a long time.  The people who had seen Jesus, even some of his disciples, were convinced that Jesus would return in their lifetimes.  And then they were sure that he would return before the Apostle John died.  And then they thought he would certainly return before the year 100, then the year 1000, then maybe it should be the year 2000.  But the calendar keeps turning and we keep asking the question, “Is he really “The One”?”  And that is exactly the question to which Jesus’ brother James was responding in James 5:7-11 when he said:

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

As in many other things, patience is the key.  Students of a foreign language do not learn to speak fluently overnight, nor do students learn to play a musical instrument well during their first lesson, or even during the first year. In Star Wars, Master Yoda repeatedly admonished Luke Skywalker to have patience, and that is something with which we all have struggled. Like all these things that I mentioned that make sense to us, James uses an agricultural illustration that made sense to his audience.  When we plant our gardens, or when a farmer plants an entire field, we cannot harvest until the appropriate time has come.  We wait for sunshine, warm nights, and the rains that water the earth because plants have needs that must be met just as we do, and they need time to grow to maturity. In the same way, James tells us that there will be an appropriate time, that Jesus will come, and that his coming is near.

Rather than grumble and fight, we must be patient with one another, love, nurture, and support one another, and persevere through whatever this life throws at us. Rather than impatiently questioning whether Jesus is “The One,” we should remember the perseverance of Job and many others that we know from scripture, people who patiently endured and persevered through their trials and through their lives so that we could look back and see what God accomplished through them.

As we wait for the return of “The One” let us be patient in our waiting, patient with one another in our struggling, and remember the examples of scripture of those who struggled like us, but who endured so that God could demonstrate what could be accomplished with his help.

The Grinch that Stole Hope

by Clarke Dixon

What are you hoping for this Christmas? To prepare the perfect Christmas dinner? To find the perfect gift? To experience the perfect Christmas family gathering? To ensure loved ones experience the perfect Christmas? The word “perfect” is showing up there a lot, how about we try one without it: world peace?

Whatever you are hoping for this Christmas, when these things fail to happen our hope can turn to cynicism, disappointment, and even despair. We light the candle of hope during church on Sunday morning but then we snuff it out and head home to the real world where our hope gets snuffed out, sometimes as fast as the candle.

It is not just the Grinch that can steal Christmas. Our expectations for the future can steal our hope for the future. Our hopes can fade to disappointment when the hope of Christmas is stolen by unmet expectations. In fact our disappointment at Christmas may be a symptom of a bigger problem; disappointment with ourselves, others, or with God.

So what are we to do?

We ask if our expectations are wise expectations. If they are not, they will steal our hope, replacing it with disappointment. Do we have wise expectations of ourselves, others, and of God?

Let’s turn to a hope filled passage of the Bible, specifically, Isaiah 11:1-9, and ask if Isaiah’s expectations were wise.

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Isaiah 11:1 (NRSV)

David’s family is described as a “stump” in a way that signifies that God’s people will face tough times, even destruction, interpreted by the prophet as being the judgement of God. By speaking of new growth from this stump Isaiah expressed hope that what could be perceived as the end would give way to a new beginning. This new beginning would come about with a “shoot” that represents remarkable new leadership, a great new king:

2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Isaiah 11:2-5 (NRSV)

Isaiah had hope that there would be good governance, marked by the presence of God, taking direction from God, and in good relationship with God. The new king would be righteous, helping the disadvantaged and bringing justice to those who are evil.

Those who first heard Isaiah’s hope would hardly be thinking of Jesus, but looking back, we who are Christians can not help but see Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God.

Isaiah continues with the theme of hope:

6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9 (NRSV)

With animals getting along together who normally would not and children playing safely among violent creatures, Isaiah is expressing the hope that in this new beginning there would be a great sense of security. Some take these verses literally and look forward to a day in which such animals really will live together without bloodshed, but others take this as symbolic of the sense of security, peace, and safety that the hoped for new king would bring. Either way, Isaiah has great hope for the future.

But are Isaiah’s expectations wise?

Does Isaiah have a reasonable hope, or is he setting himself up for disappointment by having crazy expectations for the future?

Isaiah had great expectations for the future, but they are expectations of God and what God can do. God is the Creator, it is no trouble for God to be a Re-Creator. God can send a new king and establish a new kingdom. Our hope for the future as Christians may seem like “pie in the sky after I die” to some, but this is God we are talking about. God can do it. It is wise to have great expectations of God.

This brings us to our first word of caution as we consider wise expectations. God can fulfill sky high expectations, we cannot. We can expect God to be God. We cannot expect ourselves, or others, to be God. Might we need to lighten up a bit with regard to our expectations of others, and what we expect of ourselves? Our expectations may be unwise.

And now a second caution, our expectations of God are only wise when we expect God to do what God wants to do. If God has promised to do something, then our expectations are wise and we can have great hope. Sometimes, however, we expect God to do what we want God to do, or what we think God should want to do. We can make assumptions about what God wants to do. This can lead us to unwise expectations.

I might expect that God wants me to be pain free. Recently I have been overly active, plus doing things that I don’t normally do, like installing flooring, and moving appliances which lack handles for proper lifting technique. Add in a lack of good stretching and needless to say my muscles are not happy with me. This led to a sleepless night and a repeated prayer for relief from the pain. Should I expect the Lord to answer such a prayer like some kind of divine pharmacy? Perhaps I should learn to take better care of myself.

While I could not sleep due to a physical plain, there are those who cannot sleep because of emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain. Expecting God to simply lift such pain in the immediate future may be unwise, for God has not promised to do that. Expecting that God will simply lift all pain may just leave us disappointed with God and cynical about faith. Expecting God to journey with us in the pain, however, and to release us from all pain in the resurrection, is wise. We can have great hope. God has promised a King and a Kingdom. To have great expectations about that King and that Kingdom is wise.

We come to church and light the candle of hope, then go on our way and pin all our hopes on people who can’t meet our expectations, including, and especially, ourselves. Or we go on our way and pin all our hopes on unwise expectations of God. Hope gives way to cynicism, disappointment, and even despair when our hope is based on unwise expectations of ourselves, others, and God. Let us have wise expectations, and let us be hopeful!

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Before appearing here, Clarke Dixon’s condensed sermons appear at his blog, Thinking Through Scripture.

Something Different is About to Happen

Today we’re featuring a writer for the first time. Rev. Dan Balsdon gives leadership to three Methodist communities in West Sussex, which is the south-central coastal area of England. For this Advent (Christmas) season, he’s focused on the theme “There is No Room…” and by clicking the title below you can read today’s thoughts where they first appeared or click on this blog link.

Prepare the way: There is Room for Difference

In my first year of secondary school, there was a woodland behind the school, and in the woodland lived ‘Knocker’. Knocker got the nickname because, as the story goes, he hid in the woods and knocked on the trees to scare people away.

He was different, lived differently, and was shunned, gossiped about and avoided. but looking back, I have no idea what sort of person he actually was. All I knew about him was based on the bias I’d unconsciously built up through stories others had told, regardless of what the truth actually is.

John the Baptist is one who may well have stimulated similar reactions.

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John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 

Matthew 3:4

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The point Matthew is making is that John the Baptist was different. In his lifestyle. In his appearance. And in his message.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

Matt 3:2-3

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For 400 years – the period between the Old and New testaments, there had been a perceived silence from God. No prophets, no message. Then from the wilderness comes – the literal wilderness John lived in, and the metaphorical wilderness of this silence, comes a voice saying:

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“Prepare the Way!
The Promised One is coming.
Something is about to happen. To change. To transform.
Are you ready?“

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John the Baptist, in his difference and diversity, is a trailer for the God who is about to do something different. Radical. Revolutionary. To come and dwell with us, as Immanuel, a baby who changes everything.

In doing something different God doesn’t thrown the past out with the bathwater, but takes the story into a new chapter, where prophecy is fulfilled, when the promises of God are made known differently, where the message of love and grace is repacked and transformed – into a living, walking, breathing human being.

In Christ, God did something different.
And still today, God is at work, moving among us many ways.
Known and unknown.
Expected and unexpected.
Making Room for diversity and difference.
Because in God’s story,
When God reigns,
There is room – for difference.

God makes room for you. For me. For us. for all.
Those like us,
Those different to us.

Those like John the Baptist. Those like ‘knocker’ who are different to us, seem strange, unpredictable or unusual.

So In our story,
Will we let God reign?
Will we prepare the way to make room for the difference of God?
The difference of one another?
The transformation that comes from embracing the radical and unexpected of God and God’s kingdom.
Will we make room for difference?

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C201 contributors live in different parts of the world. Do you have someone whose writing you’d like to see shared here? Use the Submissions and Questions and Contact (Oh, my!) tab.

The Grinch that Stole Peace

by Clarke Dixon

Do you feel peaceful yet? Every year we bring out the Advent candle of peace and every year it stays lit for about an hour or so, depending on the length of my sermon. Then we get back into the real world which is full of conflict, wars and rumors of wars.

This year it is Ukraine. Who will it be next year? Then for some some people heading into the impending family Christmas gatherings can feel like heading into a war zone. Conflict can make you cynical about candles and prayers for peace.

You’ve heard of how the Grinch stole Christmas. Today we begin looking at other things that can steal Christmas starting with how wars and rumors of wars, plus conflicts closer to home, can steal our peace at Christmas.

So what are we to do?

Watch for the peace God will bring.

Like Isaiah when God’s people were in a terrible state:

This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
3 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
4 The LORD will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.

Isaiah 2:1-4 (NLT)

Though the peace of God’s people was threatened and seemed far off, Isaiah looked forward with great hope. He looked forward to a new day when God’s people would experience peace, no longer fearing empires like the conquering Assyrian empire, the war-mongering Babylonian empire, or the powerful empires to come, of the Greek and Romans. All of these empires trained for war, using force and the threat of war to conquer and keep peace. God’s people might have hoped that the day would come when it would be their turn to be a mighty empire. But Isaiah had hope for a much better day, a new day, not of empire, but of the Kingdom of God.

They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4 (NLT)

When we are tempted to be cynical and think that peace will never come, we can take the long view, like Isaiah, and watch for the new day of peace God will bring. It might be 20 years from now, 2000 years from now, or 20 minutes from now, but there will be peace.

While watching for God to bring peace, don’t wait to pursue peace.

While we wait for God to bring a new day, we don’t need to wait to step into a new day. We may not feel like we can have an impact on wars around the globe, but we can have an impact on the conflicts closer to home. Some of the things we can do are….

Pursue humility, having the same kind of humility of Jesus (see Philippians 2). People who are humble tend to start fewer conflicts. While we can hold on to what we think is right in a dispute, simply thinking of the possibility, and saying “maybe you could be right” can change the tone from conflict to conversation. People who are humble tend to have fewer conflicts and experience greater peace in their relationships.

Pursue love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (See Gal 5:22,23). Even people who have important disagreements with us will find it hard to be vicious with us if our character and posture is marked by what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit. People whose lives are marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control tend to have fewer conflicts and experience greater peace.

Pursue wisdom. “Remaining calm is the best way to take the wind out of an angry man’s sails” is one of my favourite proverbs and is fitting for an occasion of conflict. You will not find that one in the Bible, but it is wise. The Bible, as well as containing wisdom, pushes us toward wisdom, for acting well in each and every circumstance. People who are wise tend to have fewer conflicts and experience greater peace.

Pursue reconciliation, like God does. God came to us in Jesus, that is what Christmas is about, the incarnation where “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God came to us, like us, in Jesus. We killed him. God loves us anyway and offers forgiveness. In Jesus we see God’s grace, mercy, and a love that is marked by fierce forgiveness. If we, in our relationships with others, are like God in the divine relationship with us, there will be fewer conflicts and greater peace.

When I was thirteen I joined the Air Cadets where I learned how to polish my boots, iron my uniform, teach classes, and fly airplanes. When I turned 18 I left Air Cadets and joined the Army Reserves where I leaned how to kill people. There is a lot to learn in waging wars. This is one reason Ukraine has been doing as well as it has against as formidable a foe as Russia. There is a lot of training that goes into waging a war and we Canadians, among others, have been there training them for war. There is also a lot to learn in waging peace. While we thank the service members of the Canadian Armed Forces for serving us by training for and being ready for war, let us commit to being peacemakers.

There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”….
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.

Isaiah 5:3,4 (selected NLT)

When wars, rumors of wars, and conflicts closer to home steal our peace, let us watch for God to bring peace, but let’s not wait to pursue peace.

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Clarke Dixon is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Cobourg, Ontario. Devotionals here first appear on his blog, Thinking Through Scripture.

Looking Past the Second Coming

A year ago we introduced you to “Come and See” daily devotions. “Evangelical Ministries International is a London (UK) ministry with a Vision to ensure the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached throughout the world.” Although the page isn’t presently active, they’ve left a number of interesting topics for us to discover, most of which are presented in multiple parts; so there are two links in today’s reading.

Something to Look Forward to (I)

  “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13).

One of the greatest sources of strength to the weak is the ability to envision or imagine what lies ahead. Even our Lord Jesus Christ was encouraged by the glimpse of what should come after his suffering. In the Bible we read: “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, New King James Version).

The Book of Acts 1:11 (New King James Version) also recorded the hopeful message an angel of the Lord delivered to more than four hundred witnesses after Jesus was taken up to heaven from this earthly realm. He says: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

The purpose of this devotional is to look at what lies ahead even after the much-awaited Second Coming of Jesus. These are events that nobody would want to miss. For example, the Bible states: “do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (1st Corinthians 6:3, New King James Version).

This is a remarkable statement and it follows that no pleasure derived from sin should ever be worth the risk of missing the experience described. Thus, how would you determine how well an angel has performed?  This scenario illustrates your supremacy over all spirits: either evil or good. If the good ones shall be appraised by the saints of God, then binding the evil ones should not be an issue for you here on earth: “…. whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven” (Matthew 18:18a, New King James Version).

Sitting down as a judge to appraise and evaluate the angels of God, based on the performance of their duties, is an exceptional privilege that is not to be missed. One could imagine, for example,  rating angels based on their ability to provide songs of worship to the King of Kings or rating them during their rehearsal or audition. No wonder Jesus asked: “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, New King James Version).

There is nothing worth gaining in this world at the expense of your soul. You must never lose your salvation or get tired of serving the Lord. There are many good things to look forward to in heaven even after the second coming of Jesus Christ. We read in the Bible: “… eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, New King James Version).

Let us pray: “Father, by your unfailing mercy and power, let me not miss eternity with you in heaven,” in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

Something to Look Forward to (II)

As we continue to walk diligently with God, we should be aware that whatever lies ahead of us is beyond our imagination. In the Bible we read: “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2^nd Corinthians 4:18, New King James Version).

God does not do anything without a purpose. The strange encounters of John the beloved in the Island of Patmos did not just happen by chance. The Book of Revelations was essentially intended to give us something extraordinary to look forward to, especially after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Book gives many vivid descriptions of happenings in heaven.

For instance, concerning the beauty of God’s throne, we read: “and He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald” (Revelation 4:3, New King James Version). Surely, nobody reading this account would want to miss seeing it.

In addition to the comfort and splendour of God’s presence, there are many events we would not want to miss. The most crucial one is the final judgment of Satan and death. The Bible states: “and the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10, New International Version).

Without any doubt, the devil is a very proud being and will make constant efforts to lure us all to his side through sin. He would not want anyone to witness his final irreversible fall, judgment and destruction. The happiness we feel when judges or panel of juries on earth deliver deserved judgments against the wicked is nothing compared to the happiness we will feel in witnessing the ultimate end of Satan and his fallen angels.

Lastly, there is no wise earthly being who would want to be left out of the eternal pleasure available in God’s Majestic Palace. King David said: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11, New King James Version). He also said:  “ … for a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10). There is more to look forward to in the presence of the Almighty God.

Let us pray: “Father, by your unfailing mercy and power, let me not miss eternity with you in heaven,” in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

 

Behold! He Comes with Clouds

Today another new author to introduce to you. Lisa Berg writes at Professing Christians. She goes in-depth on various topics, and in the last few months has been writing much about the Book of Revelation. Today’s devotional study first appeared in March. Clicking the title header below will take you to where we found her writing. [Note: Lisa uses the KJV. You can look these up on BibleHub.com or BibleGateway.com in a version that reads better for you.]

The Clouds of Heaven

When I was growing up, we were taught in science class that there are three types of clouds: cirrus (short, detached hair-like), cumulus (cauliflower shaped), and stratus (low-level layers). Somewhere along the line nimbus was added.

According to metoffice.gov.uk, “Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers of cloud, thick enough to block out the sun. Producing persistent rain, these clouds are often associated with frontal systems provided by mid-latitude cyclones.”

These seem to be the clouds that are often associated with the clouds of heaven on the Day of the Lord. Look at Joel 2:1-2a –

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains…”

“a day of clouds and of thick darkness…” When you look at the Strong’s for “clouds” in this verse it is H6051 – “עָנָן ʻânân, aw-nawn’; from H6049; a cloud (as covering the sky), i.e. the nimbus or thunder–cloud:—cloud(-y).” It’s a THUNDER CLOUD.

The first use of this “thunder–cloud” is in Genesis 9:13 where the Lord set His rainbow in the cloud as a covenant after the flood. That would have been a storm cloud, right? That’s where rainbows come out after a storm is over.

In Exodus, this cloud was the cloud by day that led the Israelites through the desert. This is also the incense cloud that He appeared in above the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place. It also describes the clouds (with thick darkness) that was on the mount when He gave Moses the Law. And David says H6051 thunder–clouds surround Him at His throne (Psalm 97:2).

The prophets, however, take a different note on these thunder–cloud structures. They liken them to what Joel saw: storm clouds in the Day of the Lord:

• Jeremiah 4:13 – He comes as clouds with chariots as a whirlwind and horses as eagles;
• Ezekiel (various) – a whirlwind out of a great cloud with fire infolding itself; as the appearance of a rainbow in a rain cloud; with the brightness of the glory of the Lord; as the Day of the Lord is near; blotting out the sun…
• Nahum 1:3 – The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, clouds are the dust of His feet;
• Zephaniah 1:15 – The Day of His wrath is a day of darkness, gloominess, clouds, and thick darkness…

I think we get the picture. But (as usual) I think there is more to this than His coming in a mere thunderstorm.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

This is right after Jesus describes a scenario in which the sun is darkened, the moon does not give her light, and the stars fall from heaven. These things are described by the prophets as well in Joel ch. 2&3, Isaiah 13, Amos 8, Ezekiel 32, Mark 13, Acts 2, which all describe the 6th Seal in Revelation! That’s a lot of witnesses! In fact, is that part of the “Cloud of Witnesses”?? (Just another thought.)

Back to these nimbus thunder clouds… As we know, thunder clouds come in storms. God euphemistically uses storms to describe how He is going to wipe out the wicked in the Day of the Lord. I ran across these:

Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

Isaiah 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Isaiah 30:30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

Ezekiel 38:9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

These are verses that sound like He is coming WITH these storm clouds. Oh wait:

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

So here’s my last thought on this: Jesus comes back in and with “clouds”. Out of the throne comes lightnings, thunderings, and voices (Rev. 4:5). Only the elders and the beasts (living creatures from Ezekiel 1) are allowed at the throne. This is when, in Revelation 5, the Lamb (Jesus) is handed the scroll with the seven seals.

When Jesus opened the first seal, what do we hear? The noise of thunder and one of the four beasts (living creatures with four faces) saying, “come and see.” (Okay, was THAT his voice that sounded like thunder?)

Now in Revelation 6:12 we see what all those prophets were talking about – the sun darkened, the moon blood red, the stars falling, and an earthquake. Then we have the last seal in Revelation 8… and what happens at the throne? Voices, thunderings, lightnings, and another earthquake.

We know that when God speaks all these things happen. But He is a God that includes His sons (and daughters) in what He purposes in the earth. These are written about in His Word and include judgment and ruling and reigning with Him. I believe when God has had enough (which I think is in this generation) and enough of His people are ready to go to war with Him (He IS the Lord of “hosts”, this doesn’t mean stars), He will take His army with Him and they will descend with a great shout as in the days of Jericho.

I think the enemy doesn’t even know what is about to come upon them. I think they have greatly underestimated God’s army and the power of His tempest, storm, whirlwind, thunder, and lightning of us, His outstretched arm. But that’s just me.

Godless World Leaders

Today we’re back with Arnold Reimer, who is a former pastor of one of the Christian and Missionary Alliance’s flagship churches, Bayview Glen Church in Toronto. His blog is called Finishing Well. Click the title which appears next to read this where it first appeared, along with other articles.

Godless

It is not always easy for us to understand the fierce judgment of God upon others, or upon an entire nation, even nations. But both Old and New Testaments have some strong things to say about the harsh dealings of the God upon those who perpetrate evil – the godless. Much of it has to do with protecting or punishing His people for disobedience, but sometimes it goes beyond that, due to the godlessness of a person or nation. There are numerous incidents of judgment in Scripture. Some Psalms especially speak to this, as do Peter’s letters and, most starkly, John’s The Revelation. In dangerous times like these it behooves us to think, pray, expect and act with understanding and wisdom.

Not since Hitler has there been a world leader as evil and heartless as is Russia’s Putin and his counselors. Under Stalin, many of the Russian people accepted atheism, the denial of God’s existence and rule. Millions of people died under his wicked regime. Now Putin is walking in Stalin’s shoes and the Ukraine people, and even some Russian people, are suffering unimaginable devastation and death. Putin is not the Anti-Christ we shall one day encounter, but he may well be the one who sets the stage for this winsome, but evil, peace-maker. He will first bring order out of chaos, and political solutions to global problems. But, once accepted and in power he will show his ugly side, and, as bad as Putin is, it will be even worse!

As followers of Christ Jesus how do we think, pray and act in times like these. Psalm 94 gives us some clear and important guidance:

“O Lord , God of vengeance; God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render recompense to the proud. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans. And they have said, ‘The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.’

Pay heed, you senseless among the people; and when will you understand, stupid ones? He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, even He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath. Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law; You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. . .

(Read the rest of Psalm 94, and with it, Psalm 46.)

We are right to pray for the elimination of Putin, for an end to the destruction of the Ukraine, protection and provision for the displaced, and for peace in Europe. … We are right to examine our own political leaders, their rules and behavior, in the light of Scripture. They, too, for the common good need to be held accountable to the laws of a holy and righteous God, ruler of heaven and earth. “Righteousness exalts a nation, sin is a reproach to any people.”

It has been a long time since world affairs have been so troubled and uncertain. The voice of the Church must be heard with the clarity of truth, in humble repentance, and in exemplary talk and walk in righteousness. We must prepare ourselves to withstand the wrath of the ungodly. We must learn what it means to shine as lights in a dark world where pressure to be silent abounds. Increasingly evil reigns and, temporarily, seems to be winning. But, study again Ephesians 6 and put on the whole armor of God. Stand firm, dear saints, and remain standing! Fill your heart and mind with that blessed hope that encourages when all seems lost: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

 

 

Fashioning Weapons into Agricultural Tools

Today we have another new author to introduce to you, although he has been writing online for a long time. Chuck Larsen is a U.S. pastor, and we discovered him when looking at search results for the phrase “they will beat their swords into ploughshares.” It seemed like a timely search in view of the grassroots desire for gun reform in that country, and I couldn’t help but think of social activist Shane Claiborne, who literally takes guns and fashions them into garden tools.

Chuck’s articles are shorter than some we run here, so there is also a bonus devotional for you as well. Clicking the headers (titles) below will take you to where they first appeared. The first is from 2011, the second is from last week and is part of a series in Genesis. If you’re reading this June 2022, simply visit the blog and read through.

Beat Their Swords Into Ploughshares

God has not only given us His absolute truth to guide our life by, but also has promised us a king who will one day apply that truth across the board for all mankind. This King and judge of all will be recognized by the entire world. He will come! He will establish His Kingdom and we will finally have peace. Micah 4:3-4 is a famous passage. Every soldier that’s ever walked a rice patty or stormed a beach, or pointed a rifle, or pushed a button longs for the fulfillment of this passage. Every mother who lost a son, every wife, every child whose husband or father didn’t return from battle gets goose bumps when they read this.

It says,

“He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.”

This passage is also found in Isaiah Chapter two. It is inscribed on a stone wall facing the United Nations building in New York. Khrushchev saw a figurative fulfillment of the prophecy when he visited the John Deere factory near Des Moines, Iowa: The plant was built early in World War II for manufacture of machine-gun bullets. Today it produces farm implements.

Micah 5:2-4 is another famous passage. We often sing about it at Christmas time. It tells us about the Prince of Peace who will end war for all time.

It says,

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, …And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

The next time I sing, “O little town of Bethlehem,” I’ll sing it with more meaning. “The Hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight!”

Chuck

“…his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Dust Thou Art!

In Genesis 2:7 we see more detail in God’s creation of our first ancestors. It says, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Picking up on what Wenham said in his commentary that I quoted earlier, he adds to his comments on verses 5 and 6 and says more, “The writer flashes back to the situation before mankind was created on the sixth day (1:26–28) and describes a typical middle-eastern desert, which requires human effort to irrigate and make it bloom. It was from the clay of such an area that God, the great Potter, moulded the first man and breathed into him the breath of life. Through this traditional image Genesis implies that people are by nature more than material; they have a spiritual, God-breathed, element too.”^[1]

Referring to the material aspect of man, “clay” or “earth” or more often “the ground,” Adam, the man, and Adamah the ground have an intimate relationship. Mangun says, “The word for man is adam, while ground is adamah, so the verse says that God formed adam from the dust of adamah.”^[2] He then points out that other commentators insist that both Akkadian and Egyptian texts depict God forming man from clay like a potter. This is a familiar comparison in the Bible as well. One commentator even argues that this relationship is intentional. “God forming man here is intentionally evoking the image of a potter and clay.” Then he points out “The Hebrew word used three times in Gen 2 for ‘formed’ is the same word that describes the potter and his activity in Isa 29:16.”^[3]

I love that verse. The English Standard Version follows the traditional translation and says, “Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’”? I like the New Living Translation better. It says, “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, ‘He didn’t make me’? Does a jar ever say, ‘The potter who made me is stupid’’?

It was a common practice for man, in repenting, to cover themselves with dust and ashes. I think the “dust” was symbolic of the acknowledgement of being the clay who has not right to question the potter. It took Job 40 chapters to wrestle with why bad things happen in the world to good people. After he and his friends exhausted all their puny ideas, God confronts them with questions they cannot answer. Job finally gets the point in Job 42:2-6 and says, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak.” Sometimes it’s good to remember that we are but dust.

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^[1] Wenham, Gordon J. 1994. “Genesis.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 62. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

^[2] Mangum, Douglas, Miles Custis, and Wendy Widder. 2012. Genesis 1–11. Lexham Research Commentaries. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[3] Mangum, Douglas, Miles Custis, and Wendy Widder. 2012. Genesis 1–11. Lexham Research Commentaries. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

When Relationships Get Ugly

Thinking Through Luke 4:14-21

by Clarke Dixon

Relationships can get very ugly very quickly. Whether between people groups or among family and friends, things can turn sour fast. I’m sure I don’t need to give examples as you probably have first-hand experience. Don’t we all!?

We have an example of relationships getting ugly fast when Jesus made a positive first impression on his hometown crowd and then that same crowd attempted to throw him off a cliff! Digging into this event will help us with our ugly relationships.

So what happened? Let’s see where it begins:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:16-21 (NRSV)

We will see why things got ugly when we compare what Jesus went on to say, and not say, with what Isaiah went on to say in Isaiah 61 had Jesus just kept reading.

The first thing we notice is that Jesus stopped quoting Isaiah at a significant moment. He stopped mid-sentence. Had he gone on to read further, he would have read:

…to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,

Isaiah 61:2 (NIV emphasis added)

Jesus stopped short of talking about vengeance. Maybe that is our first clue on handling ugly relationships?

To understand what is going on here more fully, it will help us to realize that Isaiah had prophesied to God’s people about the Babylonian invasion of the promised land, the exile of many to Babylon, and then here in the passage quoted by Jesus, their subsequent return. Isaiah was looking forward to the day God’s people would be set free from the Babylonians, a day of “release to the captives” when “the oppressed go free.”

According to Isaiah, not only could God’s people look forward to freedom from these foreign oppressors, the tables would be turned on the enemy. For example,

Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;
but you shall be called priests of the LORD,
you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and in their riches you shall glory.

Isaiah 61:5-6 (NRSV)

According to Isaiah’s prophecy God’s people would no longer be slave-laborers for the Babylonians but instead the foreign enemies would be laborers in the promised land. Also, the wealth of God’s people would no longer belong to Babylon, but instead the wealth of nations would be brought to God’s people. This is a reversal of fortunes.

Those in Jesus’ day would have latched onto this reversal of fortunes, especially when Jesus said “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” What those listening to Jesus would have been thinking is, “great, just as we needed rescue from Babylon, we now need rescue from these Romans who have invaded our land! This miracle worker may just be the one who will lead the rebellion!”

However, Jesus neither went on to read that part of Isaiah 61 nor to apply it to the current situation, making no insinuation that the tables would be turned and the Romans would become subject to the Jews. As much as the crowd would have loved to have heard that, he said this instead:

Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.

Luke 4:24-27 (NRSV)

Instead of speaking about the tables being turned against the foreigners, Jesus gave two examples from the Old Testament of foreigners receiving a greater blessing from God than God’s people. This is not what the crowd wanted to hear, and this is the point things got ugly and they took Jesus out to throw him off a cliff. This is also the point that helps us with ugly relationships.

Jesus did indeed come to set the prisoners free, but God’s people had bigger enemies than the Romans to worry about. Sin was the greater enemy. The Romans themselves were captive to that same enemy, and in fact, without Christ, so are we. The Romans, though being the oppressors, were themselves prisoners. They were captive to sin, captive to thinking that brute force was the way toward a better world, captive to life without God.

Indeed the brute force of Rome combined with the ignorance of the Jewish religious leaders in the execution of Jesus. Here again, Jesus stopped short of vengeance. Rising from the dead Jesus did not call for immediate destruction of his enemies, but instead sent out his disciples to tell people the good news of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that is entered through the receiving of God’s forgiveness and grace. That forgiveness was, and is still, offered to all God’s enemies.

Our Ugly Relationships

Do you have ugly relationships with others? We have bigger enemies to worry about, enemies that all humans face, like hatred, grudges, gossip, and dangerous ideologies or theologies. Let us seek release from these enemies. Perhaps we should put more of our focus and energy on battling these sins than on doing battle with the people we have ugly relationships with. That battle may begin with our own hearts.

When relationships get ugly let us begin by stopping short of seeking vengeance. We might need to learn the art of stopping our thoughts and words mid-sentence, before things go too far. The thought of justice comes naturally to us. The jump from justice to vengeance is a short hop that comes naturally to us. The way of the cross does not. We have God’s Spirit to help!

When our relationships get ugly, let us be like Jesus and remember love first.

Our relationships, our world, could be different if we become enthused by the grace of God, whose first response to His enemies, and ours, is love.

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• To watch a 20-minute sermon on which today’s devotional is based, click this link.

To Make Up His Jewels

When I was a kid in Sunday School, we sang a little chorus, complete with King James era lyrics:

When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own:

Like the stars of the morning,
His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

I had forgotten all about this song until I found the devotional which appears below. It’s based on older versions (KJV and NKJV) of Malachi 3:17a. Here’s the NASB:

“‘And they will be Mine,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man has compassion for his own son who serves him.'”

I went to BibleRef.com for some commentary, but was especially struck by this summary statement of chapters 3 and 4:

The final message, completed in chapter 4, is an appeal for God’s chosen people to return. God would prefer to see them redeemed, than to be destroyed, when the end finally comes. (emphasis added)

Remember that, as I believe verse 17 is a microcosm of both chapters, as fleshed out in today’s devotional.

We periodically pay a visit to the devotional page at the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s website. Click the title below to read at source. The author of this piece is Martin Wiles.

Junking For Jewels

Romans 8:29 – For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (NLT)

Jewels can sometimes be found among the junk.

My wife calls it “junking”, and she does it quite often. When possible, I usually tag along. We don’t actually visit junkyards or stores, but we call what we do junking because we do it among a lot of discarded stuff — stuff that many term junk. However, we adhere to the old cliché, “One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.”

Our junking takes place occasionally at yard sales, but more often in thrift stores. Any time when we go to a conference or on vacation, she searches for thrift stores, maps them out, and visits each one. Once our jewels are discovered, we take them home and make them look more like the treasures they once were. We place them in the dishwasher or washing machine, splatter them with lemon oil, or tighten their loose joints with a screwdriver or hammer.

Once our jewels are cleaned and repaired, we decide. Some we choose to keep in our home. Most we resell, sometimes for a handsome profit. One person’s junk has helped us to make ends meet.

When God gazes down from heaven, He sees discarded people littering the shelves of the earth — people whom others have rejected, abused, and scorned. These are people whom He created and loves, but many of them have rejected Him. Sin has duped them, causing them to think that they no longer need God in their lives. Sin has led them in directions that are slowly killing them emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But God keeps junking.

Those who allow God to purchase them through repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, He cleans up. The blood of Christ washes them, the grace of God changes their perceived purpose, and the strength of God allows them to enjoy life once again. As God molds them into the likeness of His Son, they are transformed from junk into jewels.

Malachi 3:17a – “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels.” (NKJV)

God is in the business of making jewels of what many consider junk. Are you one of the ones whom He’s cleaning up and restoring?

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your amazing grace that makes us more than we could ever be in and of ourselves. Amen.

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Here’s the second of the three verses of When He Cometh at Hymnary.org.

He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning,
His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

Simeon Scanning the Horizon

Today we’re back again with Rev. Kevin Rogers, a pastor in Western Ontario, Canada whose writing appears at The Orphan Age. This week Pastor Kevin was still in one concluding scene from the Christmas story in the two blog posts which follow. Click the headers below to read each one.

The Advantage of Old Age

We may have our personal thrill bucket list, but what about the fulfillment of a dream that will reshape the world as we know it? Part of the Christmas story involves an aged man who was given something that would be accomplished before his departure.

Luke 2:25-26

In Jerusalem There Was A Man Named Simeon. He Was A Good And Godly Man. He Was Waiting For God’s Promise To Israel To Come True. The Holy Spirit Was With Him. The Spirit Had Told Simeon That He Would Not Die Before He Had Seen The Lord’s Messiah.

Simeon is a reminder to us that God speaks to individuals, not just nations, churches, or tribes. The promise to Israel is personalized for Simeon. You will see the Messiah in your lifetime. It’s noteworthy here that Simeon was a devout man that longed for God to break into the world and restore hope.

There is something to be said for older men and women that live in devotion to God. When you are younger you may be pulled in many directions, but the godly saint has resigned to prioritizing intimacy with God. Joel prophesied that old people would dream dreams. What dream has God put into your heart as you get older?

Whereas the shepherds symbolized the average person on the street, Simeon represents the testimony of a wise elder who has walked with God. Part of his wisdom is seen in that he is looking for the hope of the nation, the consummation of God’s promise — “the consolation of Israel”. Saints in touch with God’s heart often await expectantly the completion of God’s promises. This revered saint is led to see what the arrival of this child means.[1]

What dream or vision has God put into your heart? Perhaps the voice of the Spirit is most heard when we pay attention to what God has promised to do.

Simeon’s raison d’être

What do people mean when they say they are being led by the Spirit or following the Spirit’s leading?

The concept of walking in the Spirit is all about God helping you to be in the right place at the right time. This was certainly a factor in Simeon’s encounter with the infant child Jesus. For a long arc of time, Simeon had been awaiting the consolation of Israel. Isaiah chapter 40 prophesied that God would comfort his people and now it had been personalized for Simeon. Sometimes the voice of the Spirit speaks and the message hangs in the air for centuries before a promise is fulfilled.

We must learn to be patient in waiting on the things that God plans and promises. But then,  there are times when something happens spontaneously, and you recognize that this is what God had promised.

For Simeon, God’s promise was linked to his own raison d’être – reason for being.

Luke 2:27-29

The Spirit Led Him Into The Temple Courtyard. Then Jesus’ Parents Brought The Child In. They Came To Do For Him What The Law Required. Simeon Took Jesus In His Arms And Praised God. He Said,
“Lord, You Are The King Over All.
Now Let Me, Your Servant, Go In Peace.
That Is What You Promised…”

The old man likens himself to a slave whose duty it has been to scan the horizon for a long-awaited visitor. Now he reports to the slave-master that his trust has been fulfilled, and he claims the privilege, his long watch being over, of going off duty.^[1]

God’s salvation was not an impersonal idea, but a person. How intimate that Simeon would hold Jesus literally in his arms. That’s the thing about God’s promises—they are tangible, personal and physical.

What needs to be fulfilled in your lifetime before you can tell God that you are ready to go home?

In the Latin liturgies, verse twenty-nine is the beginning of Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittis. The Latin words mean, ‘Now let your servant depart’.

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[1] Zondervan Bible Commentary

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Read more: 4+ years ago we shared another devotional about Simeon by Gordon Rumford.

Delta and Omicron: An Opportunity to Consider Alpha and Omega

A year ago at this time we introduced you to Alec Zacaroli, a former lawyer and former journalist, who was writing at the website Burke Missions, which is now at Burke Community. Often, I tend to dismiss articles which I think will become dated over time, but this one was so good on so many levels I decided to share it. Click through using the heading which follows to read this where we sourced it.

Delta? Omicron? How about Alpha and Omega?

Once again, our world has been thrown into turmoil by a tiny virus.  The emergence of Omicron, the latest variant of the COVID-19 virus, has resulted in renewed fears of illness and death, closed borders, financial turmoil, and new rounds of restrictions intended to curb its spread.

This is the second “variant of concern” on the Center for Disease Control’s list, the first being the Delta variant.  But CDC also is tracking “variants being monitored” by the names of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, Eta, Iota, Kappa, Mu and Zeta.

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

Right about now, what we really need is the Alpha and Omega!

I am not joking.  The timing of Omicron and Advent is more than a coincidence, at least in my view. It’s an opportunity (likely intended).

The latest iteration of the COVID-19 pandemic, once again, serves as a reminder that the world in which we live is out of our control and can inflict destruction at will, regardless of our human attempts to prevent it. And yet, the latest wave comes at a time when we also are reminded we have nothing to fear if we accept a few truths. Let’s revisit some of those:

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains…”– Psalm 24:1

“For by Him all things were created, both in heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him. For He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” – Col. 1:16-17.

“I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.” – Isaiah 45:6-7

We could proof text God’s power over creation all day long, but I’ll spare you. Except for just this one more:

“‘I am the Alpha and Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” – Rev. 1:8

Depending on where you stand in relation to God, this truth of this verse is either the absolute greatest comfort you currently have or the greatest terror you may one day experience.  Either way, it renders Omicron yet another temporary minor disturbance. The only question is when you will come to terms with that reality.

Five verses before this one, the apostle John shares this: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it, for the time is near.” – Rev. 1:3.  In other words, blessed is he who believes!

The prophecy, of course, is spelled out in overwhelming detail in the remainder of the book. (It’s a critical prophecy for every Christian to understand – I invite you to view Dr. Marty Baker’s series on Revelation, which you can find HERE.)  Ultimately, however, the prophecy is about one truth – the return of Jesus Christ.

He is coming… again!

He is coming to judge and destroy wickedness in the world (Rev. 17-18). He is coming to bind Satan and his followers, before casting them into an eternity of torment (Rev. 20:1-10). He is coming to judge the living and the dead (Rev. 20:11-15).

But He is also coming to redeem the faithful (Rev. 7), and to usher in a new heaven and earth – where He will dwell with His believers in peace, love and joy (Rev. 21).  Take a moment and reflect on the words from heaven that John so faithfully recorded:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’” – Rev. 21:3-4

As I write this, the day is Dec. 1, 2021.  We are just 24 days from the day in which we remember, reflect upon and celebrate the moment Jesus first came into the world to save us.  But if you believe in Him, do you also believe in the totality of His salvific work? Do you believe not only in your personal salvation, but also in the fact that Jesus is “making all things new”, as He Himself told us? (Rev. 21:5)

I truly pray that the sheer joy of that truth will reside deeply in your heart this season, and every day beyond – because that is the true gift we’ve been given.

If you happened upon this post and have not accepted – or even thought about – the fact that Jesus is God, I hope you might.  The gift He offers is to redeem you to Himself and free you from the bondage of sin and the brokenness of this world.  When the Alpha and Omega reigns in your heart, the Delta and Omicron have no lasting consequence. I pray you will accept this gift even this very day…