With One Voice Missing
25 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. 26 If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
27 You are Christ's body— that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.
1 Cor 12:25-27 (MSG)
In a lot of ways, yesterday was a great time of worship at New Hope. We focused on Jesus, and His love for us, and tried to give Him back our praise. We had a great group in the praise team, including two "big people" - Craig and Joe, who added some male voices among the girls' higher tones.
I had an offer from Ian Anderson, after his awesome presentation speech complete with bouquets of flowers to Ellen Fannon and Jewel Hughes, to step in and preach. If it had been last week's message on Hell, I might have taken him up on it.
We have such a great Savior, praised by a great group of people when we gather.
But when we got to the end of "Call Upon His Name", there was something just not right. For two years or more now, when we have arrived at the end of that great hymn of praise, after the booming verses ebb and the praise team and congregation have gone silent, we've heard the small but beautiful voice of Kira Stoy singing...
"Come and drink again
Be filled with living water
Call upon His name
He is the King of Glory"
Kira has come from a shy little girl who would barely speak to anyone, to someone you make an effort to seek out, just to see her smile. Of course you have to make sure she's not pulling a prank on you. She's especially fond of rubber snakes.
And she's come from not wanting to sing in front of anyone, to singing alone and as a part of the praise team. I don't know why Bunny decided that Kira should sing the end of "Call Upon His Name", but she always has. And every time she sings it, I think "and a little child will lead them." Yes, straight to the throne of Grace. Her child's voice is perfect for it.
But Kira was out of town on vacation Sunday, and we sort of hesitantly finished the song.
The one thing I know for certain about life in the smaller church was proven once again Sunday. Every single voice matters. No matter what age, no matter what gender. When we're not together, the Body of Christ is less than it could be.
Whether you sing, pray, preach, usher, serve in the nursery, do children's church, make coffee, buy donuts, change paper towels, unlock, lock up, fold bulletins, or teach - you have a place in God's work and worship.
With one voice missing, you can hear the difference.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Some things in this life just don't make sense
Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
How do snowplow drivers get to work in blizzards?
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
And when you transport something by car it's called a shipment, but transport it by ship it's called cargo??
Yeah, those are silly. But here's one that isn't.
Why do kids get spring break when it's the adults that really need the rest? :)
Twice this week I've seen kids Bunny teaches piano come into and out of the sanctuary here with all the energy in the world. When they reached their parent's car, they found them with the seat reclined - just trying to get a little rest. I guess we've always tried to do too much.
30 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. 31 Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. Mark 6:30-31 (MSG)
Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
How do snowplow drivers get to work in blizzards?
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
And when you transport something by car it's called a shipment, but transport it by ship it's called cargo??
Yeah, those are silly. But here's one that isn't.
Why do kids get spring break when it's the adults that really need the rest? :)
Twice this week I've seen kids Bunny teaches piano come into and out of the sanctuary here with all the energy in the world. When they reached their parent's car, they found them with the seat reclined - just trying to get a little rest. I guess we've always tried to do too much.
30 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. 31 Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. Mark 6:30-31 (MSG)
You know, there's a reason God set up the Sabbath and said "six days you should work, and then on the seventh you should rest." We cannot keep ignoring how God intended us to live without facing the consequences in frazzled nerves, worn bodies and restless souls. Take some time each day to encounter God in His shalom peace. Make sure you take time to make memories with your family.
But above all, vote for the candidates that will give adults spring break every year. ;)
Do you think recess would be asking too much?
Have a great weekend.
DavidFriday, March 14, 2008
Today is Pi day.
Remember? 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 etc etc etc?
That mathematical constant that defied your TI calculator's poor attempt to finally, once and for all, say what Pi was?
All these years since then, somehow you have managed to live a fairly normal life without ever resolving that question sufficiently. So I think that there's hope for you when I tell you that you can believe in Jesus.
Huh?
Yes. You can believe in Jesus.
I'm writing today to those among you who are struggling with the questions still unanswered about Jesus, the Bible, and God. If that's not you, then please forward this along to your sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, that guy in the next cubicle, your prof in psych class, that neighbor who'll change the subject - you know plenty of them.
There just seem to be a lot of people who will not give Jesus a chance because of some misguided idea that in order to do so, every question they have about Him, God, the Bible, the Church etc, has to be 100%, completely, nailed down. (Of course, those of us who follow Jesus consider something being 'nailed down' as certain, but I digress).
Jesus asked, as near as I can figure, 287 questions of the people around Him while he was here during His earthly ministry. Some people were baffled. Some people intrigued. And some gave incomplete answers at first, but were able to understand the answer later.
Like this man. His name was John, and he spent most of his adult life it seems trying to understand who Jesus was and how it was possible for God to love him. He kept referring to himself, this John, when he wrote everything out for us to read - in the third person, like some sort of Monty Python mode "we are not amused". Except he wasn't kidding. "the disciple that Jesus loved" is the way he'd describe himself.
So he got to the end of his life here, this John. The last few years. He was trying to make sense of it all. This is what he wrote.
1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in— we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. 3 We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
1 John 1:1-4 (MSG)
Look very carefully at that again. Do you see any explanation of why what he saw happen... happened? Do you detect any attempt to explain the intricacies of God? No.
Just an attempt to invite others to live the questions with him and experience the same joy.
I'm not saying that we can't learn the deeper truths about God, or that we shouldn't.
What I am saying is that we can live, laugh, cry and experience joy even though some parts of our understanding of God and His work through Jesus remain unresolved to us. Kind of like how we have lived with Pi all these years.
Come. Follow Jesus. Enjoy the journey. Live the questions until the Truth makes Himself known to you.
Grace and peace,
David
Remember? 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 etc etc etc?
That mathematical constant that defied your TI calculator's poor attempt to finally, once and for all, say what Pi was?
All these years since then, somehow you have managed to live a fairly normal life without ever resolving that question sufficiently. So I think that there's hope for you when I tell you that you can believe in Jesus.
Huh?
Yes. You can believe in Jesus.
I'm writing today to those among you who are struggling with the questions still unanswered about Jesus, the Bible, and God. If that's not you, then please forward this along to your sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, that guy in the next cubicle, your prof in psych class, that neighbor who'll change the subject - you know plenty of them.
There just seem to be a lot of people who will not give Jesus a chance because of some misguided idea that in order to do so, every question they have about Him, God, the Bible, the Church etc, has to be 100%, completely, nailed down. (Of course, those of us who follow Jesus consider something being 'nailed down' as certain, but I digress).
Jesus asked, as near as I can figure, 287 questions of the people around Him while he was here during His earthly ministry. Some people were baffled. Some people intrigued. And some gave incomplete answers at first, but were able to understand the answer later.
Like this man. His name was John, and he spent most of his adult life it seems trying to understand who Jesus was and how it was possible for God to love him. He kept referring to himself, this John, when he wrote everything out for us to read - in the third person, like some sort of Monty Python mode "we are not amused". Except he wasn't kidding. "the disciple that Jesus loved" is the way he'd describe himself.
So he got to the end of his life here, this John. The last few years. He was trying to make sense of it all. This is what he wrote.
1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in— we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. 3 We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
1 John 1:1-4 (MSG)
Look very carefully at that again. Do you see any explanation of why what he saw happen... happened? Do you detect any attempt to explain the intricacies of God? No.
Just an attempt to invite others to live the questions with him and experience the same joy.
I'm not saying that we can't learn the deeper truths about God, or that we shouldn't.
What I am saying is that we can live, laugh, cry and experience joy even though some parts of our understanding of God and His work through Jesus remain unresolved to us. Kind of like how we have lived with Pi all these years.
Come. Follow Jesus. Enjoy the journey. Live the questions until the Truth makes Himself known to you.
Grace and peace,
David
Monday, March 10, 2008
I Think I Heard Jesus Last Night
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.
Psalms 136:26 (NLT)
We've been meeting during the weeks leading up to Easter in a special time of worship on Sunday nights. The object is to grow closer to God and each other as we explore just what Easter cost God and just what it means for us. So I've planned each service with the aim to do as much as we can together. No sermon, more sharing.
Each week I've used certain symbols to remind us of what God has done. We had "veils" of paper that we tore as we contemplated what God did through Jesus' death on the cross in tearing the veil in the temple that separated the people from the presence of God. We had bread baking one night in the sanctuary as we celebrated communion. We wore name badges last night that proclaimed us "guilty" that we took off and affixed to the cross to testify that through Christ's death, we were made right with God.
And I've used many different videos - both music and drama, to help us grasp how wide, and how deep the love of God is for us.
My hope is that we have experienced the presence of God together these past few weeks.
But last night, I think I heard Jesus' voice.
I had passed out a sheet of paper which had on it a list of Scriptures that told of God's love for us. I began by reading the first verse, and then each person to my right read the next verse.
Sitting there in the stillness, hearing the voices of these people I've grown to love so much read the words of God's love letter... just took my breath away. Each person read. Some have strong and clear voices, and you could hear the conviction in them. Others spoke softly, but clearly in love. Our friend Allan uncharacteristically stayed to worship with us. He's developmentally disabled, but can read. With the help of his friend Joe Stoy, Allan became a part of our expression of love for God. Then the wavering voices of Robert and Virginia Hughes, aged saints among us were testimonies not just to the lives they have lived, but for Who they have lived them.
It was an experience with the Body of Christ I will never, ever forget.
At the end of the circle was Ian, the youngest among us. The number of verses ended with two repetitions of "His love endures forever." His mother and then his father read those. Ian looked at the paper and at his parents and then spoke "His love endures forever."
Yes it does. And through the voices of God's people, young and old, I think I heard Jesus.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.
Psalms 136:26 (NLT)
We've been meeting during the weeks leading up to Easter in a special time of worship on Sunday nights. The object is to grow closer to God and each other as we explore just what Easter cost God and just what it means for us. So I've planned each service with the aim to do as much as we can together. No sermon, more sharing.
Each week I've used certain symbols to remind us of what God has done. We had "veils" of paper that we tore as we contemplated what God did through Jesus' death on the cross in tearing the veil in the temple that separated the people from the presence of God. We had bread baking one night in the sanctuary as we celebrated communion. We wore name badges last night that proclaimed us "guilty" that we took off and affixed to the cross to testify that through Christ's death, we were made right with God.
And I've used many different videos - both music and drama, to help us grasp how wide, and how deep the love of God is for us.
My hope is that we have experienced the presence of God together these past few weeks.
But last night, I think I heard Jesus' voice.
I had passed out a sheet of paper which had on it a list of Scriptures that told of God's love for us. I began by reading the first verse, and then each person to my right read the next verse.
Sitting there in the stillness, hearing the voices of these people I've grown to love so much read the words of God's love letter... just took my breath away. Each person read. Some have strong and clear voices, and you could hear the conviction in them. Others spoke softly, but clearly in love. Our friend Allan uncharacteristically stayed to worship with us. He's developmentally disabled, but can read. With the help of his friend Joe Stoy, Allan became a part of our expression of love for God. Then the wavering voices of Robert and Virginia Hughes, aged saints among us were testimonies not just to the lives they have lived, but for Who they have lived them.
It was an experience with the Body of Christ I will never, ever forget.
At the end of the circle was Ian, the youngest among us. The number of verses ended with two repetitions of "His love endures forever." His mother and then his father read those. Ian looked at the paper and at his parents and then spoke "His love endures forever."
Yes it does. And through the voices of God's people, young and old, I think I heard Jesus.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Dazed and Confused
My good friend Mr Ian Anderson had an event a couple of weeks ago. He
was supposed to be picked up by his aunt Blythe from Valparaiso
Elementary and ferried by her to his piano lesson across the street at
New Hope. Blythe was there at the appointed time and no Ian. She went
in and asked about him, and they exchanged looks that said "huh?"
followed by a "he already left."
She flew over to New Hope, where Ian had arrived minutes earlier and
begun his piano lesson. Immediately Blythe flew into him "Ian Thomas
Anderson" you were supposed to ride here with me today. You scared me
to death." (When they use your full name, it's never good. Don't ask
me how I know.)
Ian looked at her and said "I'm sorry. I must have been dazed and confused."
It happens.
My heart tells me that a lot of people are that way. They are dazed
and confused by the difference between what they have heard and
understood about the message of Jesus and what they see lived out by
the people who bear His name.
And the only way to change that is for those of us who follow Him to
love Jesus so fiercely that we change our actions to square with our
beliefs. To love God will all our heart and soul, and to love our
neighbors like Blythe loves Ian. She would have pursued him to the
ends of the earth and done anything to make sure he was safe.
We cannot do any less with those who don't know Jesus.
So don't just believe it - LIVE IT OUT LOUD!
Grace!,
David
My good friend Mr Ian Anderson had an event a couple of weeks ago. He
was supposed to be picked up by his aunt Blythe from Valparaiso
Elementary and ferried by her to his piano lesson across the street at
New Hope. Blythe was there at the appointed time and no Ian. She went
in and asked about him, and they exchanged looks that said "huh?"
followed by a "he already left."
She flew over to New Hope, where Ian had arrived minutes earlier and
begun his piano lesson. Immediately Blythe flew into him "Ian Thomas
Anderson" you were supposed to ride here with me today. You scared me
to death." (When they use your full name, it's never good. Don't ask
me how I know.)
Ian looked at her and said "I'm sorry. I must have been dazed and confused."
It happens.
My heart tells me that a lot of people are that way. They are dazed
and confused by the difference between what they have heard and
understood about the message of Jesus and what they see lived out by
the people who bear His name.
And the only way to change that is for those of us who follow Him to
love Jesus so fiercely that we change our actions to square with our
beliefs. To love God will all our heart and soul, and to love our
neighbors like Blythe loves Ian. She would have pursued him to the
ends of the earth and done anything to make sure he was safe.
We cannot do any less with those who don't know Jesus.
So don't just believe it - LIVE IT OUT LOUD!
Grace!,
David
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Practice
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Philippians 4:7-9
"People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball." Sandy Koufax, Hall of Famer
Across the street, there's a flurry of activity that I haven't seen in months. Little League baseball is back! A couple dozen little boys are working out by throwing the baseball around and going through some of those practice drills that Fred McGriff used to talk about in the "Dynamic Baseball Training" video infomercials.
It's the same every year. The coach stands at home plate and starts hitting the baseball to boys in position on the field. "Take one" he says, and strikes the ball. It skips to the shortstop who fields it and throws it on to the first baseman. "Take two" he calls, and the ball heads toward third. The third baseball scoops it and fires to the second baseman who turns and throws to first.
I've watched that sequence literally hundreds of times as a player, coach, and now fan.
Wouldn't you think they could come up with something new? Something relevant? This same old same old is just, well.. old.
No. There are skills and routines that are necessary to play the game well, and they can only be learned by practicing them.
Here on the church side of the street, it's very much the same.
We have the same Bible we've had for a long time. The words of Jesus are meant for us to read, to digest, and to put into... practice. It's only by doing that every single day, that we can grow mature in our faith.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Philippians 4:7-9
"People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball." Sandy Koufax, Hall of Famer
Across the street, there's a flurry of activity that I haven't seen in months. Little League baseball is back! A couple dozen little boys are working out by throwing the baseball around and going through some of those practice drills that Fred McGriff used to talk about in the "Dynamic Baseball Training" video infomercials.
It's the same every year. The coach stands at home plate and starts hitting the baseball to boys in position on the field. "Take one" he says, and strikes the ball. It skips to the shortstop who fields it and throws it on to the first baseman. "Take two" he calls, and the ball heads toward third. The third baseball scoops it and fires to the second baseman who turns and throws to first.
I've watched that sequence literally hundreds of times as a player, coach, and now fan.
Wouldn't you think they could come up with something new? Something relevant? This same old same old is just, well.. old.
No. There are skills and routines that are necessary to play the game well, and they can only be learned by practicing them.
Here on the church side of the street, it's very much the same.
We have the same Bible we've had for a long time. The words of Jesus are meant for us to read, to digest, and to put into... practice. It's only by doing that every single day, that we can grow mature in our faith.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Buzzard's Roost
Back in the day, I used to work at a place on the wrong side of the tracks in Macon, GA. How do you know you're on the wrong side of the tracks? Wait until one day when the train is in between you and lunch - then you'll get it.
Anyway, the area was light industrial, with added benefits like the city landfill and dog pound. On the way there, right before you'd pass under the railroad overpass, almost any day, you'd see a group of men waiting there, hoping to be hired as day laborers. Week in, week out, day in, day out they would be there. In the harsh summer, they'd be trying to find some shade, and in winter they'd be huddled around a fire in a 55 gallon trash drum. But they'd be there.
I never gave them much thought outside those extremes of temperature. Never wondered how they got there, or if they had families. Never really looked hard in their direction. Just remember someone telling me that you could stop by and says something like "I got 20 bucks I'll pay for some work today" and guys would climb in the back of your truck. I guess I suspected most were alcoholics or something. Back then it was hard for me to grasp what unemployment meant.
Then God allowed me to experience that, and also to get to know some folks like those as I worked in a ministry center that helped people in need with food, clothing, and some limited job placements.
So I'm reading Matthew's gospel today, getting ready for Sunday. We're focusing on the "red letter passages" of Jesus' words for now. But I always make sure we get the context - the setting might be in black type, but you need it too.
Jesus goes down to the lakeside - to what today would be the docks. It was an area back then much like the "Buzzard's Roost" was in Macon. Fishermen might need an extra hand or two some days, so men would congregate there hoping for a day's labor.
That is the absolute last place I would have gone to pick the men who would carry out the most important mission ever given to mankind.
I cannot separate that scene from the one in my memory. I think back at all the times I saw those men there, and there's just no way I would have looked to them for help in doing anything important.
No way.
None.
God, forgive me.
Pride's a funny thing. You can convince yourself that you are a good person, an ordinary guy. You can claim you'd never look down on anybody. Even cite your humble roots. I know I've written about being born in a mill village.
But just as soon as God's grace, His completely unmerited grace gives you what you need to "move up" in the eyes of society...
read this very carefully...
You also move away.
Away from your neighbor. Away from looking at people as Jesus did. Away from anything remotely resembling the good news. It's sin.
Man I hate it when the preacher becomes the preached to.
So I thought I'd share. :)
Grace!
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
26-31Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." 1 Cor 1 - The Message
Back in the day, I used to work at a place on the wrong side of the tracks in Macon, GA. How do you know you're on the wrong side of the tracks? Wait until one day when the train is in between you and lunch - then you'll get it.
Anyway, the area was light industrial, with added benefits like the city landfill and dog pound. On the way there, right before you'd pass under the railroad overpass, almost any day, you'd see a group of men waiting there, hoping to be hired as day laborers. Week in, week out, day in, day out they would be there. In the harsh summer, they'd be trying to find some shade, and in winter they'd be huddled around a fire in a 55 gallon trash drum. But they'd be there.
I never gave them much thought outside those extremes of temperature. Never wondered how they got there, or if they had families. Never really looked hard in their direction. Just remember someone telling me that you could stop by and says something like "I got 20 bucks I'll pay for some work today" and guys would climb in the back of your truck. I guess I suspected most were alcoholics or something. Back then it was hard for me to grasp what unemployment meant.
Then God allowed me to experience that, and also to get to know some folks like those as I worked in a ministry center that helped people in need with food, clothing, and some limited job placements.
So I'm reading Matthew's gospel today, getting ready for Sunday. We're focusing on the "red letter passages" of Jesus' words for now. But I always make sure we get the context - the setting might be in black type, but you need it too.
Jesus goes down to the lakeside - to what today would be the docks. It was an area back then much like the "Buzzard's Roost" was in Macon. Fishermen might need an extra hand or two some days, so men would congregate there hoping for a day's labor.
That is the absolute last place I would have gone to pick the men who would carry out the most important mission ever given to mankind.
I cannot separate that scene from the one in my memory. I think back at all the times I saw those men there, and there's just no way I would have looked to them for help in doing anything important.
No way.
None.
God, forgive me.
Pride's a funny thing. You can convince yourself that you are a good person, an ordinary guy. You can claim you'd never look down on anybody. Even cite your humble roots. I know I've written about being born in a mill village.
But just as soon as God's grace, His completely unmerited grace gives you what you need to "move up" in the eyes of society...
read this very carefully...
You also move away.
Away from your neighbor. Away from looking at people as Jesus did. Away from anything remotely resembling the good news. It's sin.
Man I hate it when the preacher becomes the preached to.
So I thought I'd share. :)
Grace!
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Saturday, January 12, 2008
It's a gray day.
A friend of ours said it was a day like many they experienced in the state of Washington. I reminded her that even if it was, you were still surrounded by those awesome mountains.
She pointed out that you had to know they were there, because when it was like this, you couldn't see them.
I know, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.
Today, a friend in the ministry is experiencing a crisis of faith as he and his family try to remain strong in the midst of a firestorm of sinful behavior on the part of some in his church.
Today, one young girl we've been praying for awaits a transplant to deal with her leukemia, and another (our niece) who just turned 10, tries to live with cancer and chemotherapy which has robbed her of energy, and caused the loss of her hair.
Today someone else is dealing with a multitude of trials, none of which were their fault.
It's a gray day.
When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, it was a day like this one. Not too far into the New Year. Georgia in winter. Cold, wet, gray. She never saw another summer. Toward the end, we moved her into what used to be the basement rec room and tried our best to make it a warm and comfy place. We would come over and hang out, watch TV with her, talk to her, play her music. We even planted her favorite flowers outside the windows so she'd be able to see them.
We'd also come down and read to her toward the end, when she was too weak to even do the crossword puzzle she had always devoured. One day she asked me to read her Bible to her. So I started reading. I read beginning with John, then Acts and Romans. At times the pages of her bible seemed to be dotted with something. Not anything that ruined the print, but there were noticeable spots where the paper looked different. No where more so than the eighth chapter of Romans.
When I got there I mentioned to her that it looked like something had been spilled on them. She looked at me and said "No, nothing was spilled there." Then she teared up.
I learned that day that when she was diagnosed, she spent days asking God "why? Why me? Why now?"
She read her Bible as she always had for help and inspiration. And that day I learned that nothing had helped her more than Romans Chapter 8.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
It was there she found her help, through her tears.
For those who are having a gray day, I hold out this hope - that you might see God's strength as the clouds clear, like a mountain towering over all your worries, fears, and trials.
Just because we can't see Him at work, doesn't mean He's not so very close. Nothing can separate us from His love.
Grace and peace,
David
A friend of ours said it was a day like many they experienced in the state of Washington. I reminded her that even if it was, you were still surrounded by those awesome mountains.
She pointed out that you had to know they were there, because when it was like this, you couldn't see them.
I know, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.
Today, a friend in the ministry is experiencing a crisis of faith as he and his family try to remain strong in the midst of a firestorm of sinful behavior on the part of some in his church.
Today, one young girl we've been praying for awaits a transplant to deal with her leukemia, and another (our niece) who just turned 10, tries to live with cancer and chemotherapy which has robbed her of energy, and caused the loss of her hair.
Today someone else is dealing with a multitude of trials, none of which were their fault.
It's a gray day.
When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, it was a day like this one. Not too far into the New Year. Georgia in winter. Cold, wet, gray. She never saw another summer. Toward the end, we moved her into what used to be the basement rec room and tried our best to make it a warm and comfy place. We would come over and hang out, watch TV with her, talk to her, play her music. We even planted her favorite flowers outside the windows so she'd be able to see them.
We'd also come down and read to her toward the end, when she was too weak to even do the crossword puzzle she had always devoured. One day she asked me to read her Bible to her. So I started reading. I read beginning with John, then Acts and Romans. At times the pages of her bible seemed to be dotted with something. Not anything that ruined the print, but there were noticeable spots where the paper looked different. No where more so than the eighth chapter of Romans.
When I got there I mentioned to her that it looked like something had been spilled on them. She looked at me and said "No, nothing was spilled there." Then she teared up.
I learned that day that when she was diagnosed, she spent days asking God "why? Why me? Why now?"
She read her Bible as she always had for help and inspiration. And that day I learned that nothing had helped her more than Romans Chapter 8.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
It was there she found her help, through her tears.
For those who are having a gray day, I hold out this hope - that you might see God's strength as the clouds clear, like a mountain towering over all your worries, fears, and trials.
Just because we can't see Him at work, doesn't mean He's not so very close. Nothing can separate us from His love.
Grace and peace,
David
Monday, December 24, 2007
He Came Into Our Neighborhood
They had known this day was coming. For months now Joseph and Mary had talked about "when the baby is born..." and how life would be different then. So different. Every couple wonders how they will transform from husband and wife to father and mother. But knowing that this baby was the Son of God made every conversation even more of a wonder.
Mary was just so small, and the baby had grown so.
Joseph would have never chosen here for the baby's birth. So far from home, so far from help. But he believed. And he put everything he had - all his attention, all his energy - into helping Mary do whatever it was she need to do. They had just arrived in Bethlehem and found a place to stay. It wasn't much, but it would do. It would have to.
When the first contraction came, it straightened her up for a moment. The weight of pregnancy had changed her posture somewhat, from a young and lithe girl, to a woman "great with child." Her arms wrapped around her belly as she felt the wave wash over her and the pain swell and then subside.
Joseph's face went through several phases almost within seconds - surprise - concern - worry and now determination. What could he do? In his culture, men weren't present at birth. Women entrusted that secret to midwives while the fathers waited anxiously outside. Everyone knew that the birth of a baby could bring great joy or great heartache. This one would bring both in due time.
There! Again! But stronger. And followed quickly by another. Joseph held Mary tightly, seeking in vain to transfer some of his strength to her but knowing that this was her battle to win. How long would this go on? She couldn't take much more.
Suddenly she sat straight up and gasped out loud. A strange look crossed her face and he couldn't tell what she was feeling. Was it pain, or was it... joy? Her forehead grew slick with perspiration and she clutched his hand tightly. She was focused on something in the distance, and then she grew rigid and seemed to stare at - or into the ground at her feet. A quick breath - then none - only a guttural cry - a moan and she seemed to stiffen, then expend herself into...
And then, quicker than he ever thought - a soft fall into the clean straw and there he was - covered with the fluids from His mother's womb and flushed from the battle to be born. Mary collapsed, exhausted. Joseph picked up the baby and wiped his face as he lifted him from the straw. Then Jesus, Son of God and son of man breathed the air of the world he had created and began to cry.
At that, Mary raised herself on her elbows and smiled.
But she wasn't through yet.
Joseph cut the cord that tied mother to Son, and Mary groaned again as she delivered the after birth. Joseph laid the baby in her arms and replaced the soiled cloths with fresh ones, and then put more fresh straw and blankets beneath Mary. She wrapped the baby in the strips of cloth and kissed him. And kissed him. And kissed him.
Joseph stroked Mary's hair and marveled at what she and God have done. He took a finger and placed it in Jesus' hand. So small. So very small. And yet one day the scepter of the King of Kings would rest there. Amazing!
He was here! Messiah had come!
So many questions. So much they didn't understand.
But they knew.
God was with them.
He took the baby and placed him in the manger beside where Mary lay. She was so exhausted, that she gave him a smile and fell asleep. The mother of God became a teenager again. Joseph watched them sleep and marveled again at what had happened.
The Prince of Shalom had come.
--
God bless you and keep you. May you have the Spirit of Christmas tonight and all through your life. And may you always remember, God is with us.
David
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
They had known this day was coming. For months now Joseph and Mary had talked about "when the baby is born..." and how life would be different then. So different. Every couple wonders how they will transform from husband and wife to father and mother. But knowing that this baby was the Son of God made every conversation even more of a wonder.
Mary was just so small, and the baby had grown so.
Joseph would have never chosen here for the baby's birth. So far from home, so far from help. But he believed. And he put everything he had - all his attention, all his energy - into helping Mary do whatever it was she need to do. They had just arrived in Bethlehem and found a place to stay. It wasn't much, but it would do. It would have to.
When the first contraction came, it straightened her up for a moment. The weight of pregnancy had changed her posture somewhat, from a young and lithe girl, to a woman "great with child." Her arms wrapped around her belly as she felt the wave wash over her and the pain swell and then subside.
Joseph's face went through several phases almost within seconds - surprise - concern - worry and now determination. What could he do? In his culture, men weren't present at birth. Women entrusted that secret to midwives while the fathers waited anxiously outside. Everyone knew that the birth of a baby could bring great joy or great heartache. This one would bring both in due time.
There! Again! But stronger. And followed quickly by another. Joseph held Mary tightly, seeking in vain to transfer some of his strength to her but knowing that this was her battle to win. How long would this go on? She couldn't take much more.
Suddenly she sat straight up and gasped out loud. A strange look crossed her face and he couldn't tell what she was feeling. Was it pain, or was it... joy? Her forehead grew slick with perspiration and she clutched his hand tightly. She was focused on something in the distance, and then she grew rigid and seemed to stare at - or into the ground at her feet. A quick breath - then none - only a guttural cry - a moan and she seemed to stiffen, then expend herself into...
And then, quicker than he ever thought - a soft fall into the clean straw and there he was - covered with the fluids from His mother's womb and flushed from the battle to be born. Mary collapsed, exhausted. Joseph picked up the baby and wiped his face as he lifted him from the straw. Then Jesus, Son of God and son of man breathed the air of the world he had created and began to cry.
At that, Mary raised herself on her elbows and smiled.
But she wasn't through yet.
Joseph cut the cord that tied mother to Son, and Mary groaned again as she delivered the after birth. Joseph laid the baby in her arms and replaced the soiled cloths with fresh ones, and then put more fresh straw and blankets beneath Mary. She wrapped the baby in the strips of cloth and kissed him. And kissed him. And kissed him.
Joseph stroked Mary's hair and marveled at what she and God have done. He took a finger and placed it in Jesus' hand. So small. So very small. And yet one day the scepter of the King of Kings would rest there. Amazing!
He was here! Messiah had come!
So many questions. So much they didn't understand.
But they knew.
God was with them.
He took the baby and placed him in the manger beside where Mary lay. She was so exhausted, that she gave him a smile and fell asleep. The mother of God became a teenager again. Joseph watched them sleep and marveled again at what had happened.
The Prince of Shalom had come.
--
God bless you and keep you. May you have the Spirit of Christmas tonight and all through your life. And may you always remember, God is with us.
David
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Growing Up Into Christmas
78 Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
79 Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace."
Luke 1:78-79 (MSG)
If there's a season that is more sentimental than Christmas, I haven't experienced it. I find myself time-traveling between remembering what it was like as a child, remembering what it was like when we had young children, and thinking about the kids we know from New Hope and how their Christmases will be.
Funny isn't it, how I can't remember how my parents struggled to provide their boys some Christmas toys. I really cannot even remember much of what I got, or what we've given our kids. I just remember the feeling of Christmas.
When our oldest left here the other day, he left with a CD on which I had burned 27 minutes and 11 seconds of his Christmas morning experience in 1982. On that recording (transferred from cassette), you can hear my aunt Louise, uncle William, and my brother, father and mother as they got to see Adam come into the living room and see what he got.
The tape starts with us trying to wake a very sleepy boy. As I recall, telling him that Christmas was here and his presents were waiting had no where near the impact than "Grandmother is here". She loved Adam and later Sean with the same fierceness she had first loved my brother Bruce and me.
Waking up to find his Grandmother there was Christmas enough for Adam. Everything else was just icing on the cake.
I've really been thinking and praying through Christmas this year. There have been some major changes as we've lost family in the last couple of years that have pretty much severed my childhood from today. All those links are gone now. I'm blessed with an awesome wife and her wonderful parents - my "in-loves" who are like parents to me and have been for almost 34 years. Obviously my sons Adam and Sean give me great, great joy. And I have an awesome New Hope family here from the littlest to the eldest.
But there's been a "blueness" to this Christmas for me. So many memories of those who are gone. So many events that can never be repeated.
And yet...
When I listened to Adam's reaction the other night, something clicked in my soul.
It was as if God was telling me to grow up - into the real Christmas.
Not the one I remembered, that was centered on people - memories.
But the one that brought me Someone Who will never leave me. Someone who gave His very life for mine. Someone Who constantly is working in my life for my good. Someone who loves me more fiercely than anyone ever has or could.
It was as if God was telling me, isn't Jesus enough?
I'm embracing His peace today. I'm trusting in His mercy and grace for today and praying He'll give enough tomorrow. It took a four year olds little voice on a 25 year old recording to help me grow up into Christmas and realize that all I ever really wanted for Christmas is wrapped up in a person. And that person can sweep all my blues away into clouds of bright and beautiful joy.
He's what I hope you'll receive and treasure too.
Jesus.
Merry Christmas,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
78 Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
79 Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace."
Luke 1:78-79 (MSG)
If there's a season that is more sentimental than Christmas, I haven't experienced it. I find myself time-traveling between remembering what it was like as a child, remembering what it was like when we had young children, and thinking about the kids we know from New Hope and how their Christmases will be.
Funny isn't it, how I can't remember how my parents struggled to provide their boys some Christmas toys. I really cannot even remember much of what I got, or what we've given our kids. I just remember the feeling of Christmas.
When our oldest left here the other day, he left with a CD on which I had burned 27 minutes and 11 seconds of his Christmas morning experience in 1982. On that recording (transferred from cassette), you can hear my aunt Louise, uncle William, and my brother, father and mother as they got to see Adam come into the living room and see what he got.
The tape starts with us trying to wake a very sleepy boy. As I recall, telling him that Christmas was here and his presents were waiting had no where near the impact than "Grandmother is here". She loved Adam and later Sean with the same fierceness she had first loved my brother Bruce and me.
Waking up to find his Grandmother there was Christmas enough for Adam. Everything else was just icing on the cake.
I've really been thinking and praying through Christmas this year. There have been some major changes as we've lost family in the last couple of years that have pretty much severed my childhood from today. All those links are gone now. I'm blessed with an awesome wife and her wonderful parents - my "in-loves" who are like parents to me and have been for almost 34 years. Obviously my sons Adam and Sean give me great, great joy. And I have an awesome New Hope family here from the littlest to the eldest.
But there's been a "blueness" to this Christmas for me. So many memories of those who are gone. So many events that can never be repeated.
And yet...
When I listened to Adam's reaction the other night, something clicked in my soul.
It was as if God was telling me to grow up - into the real Christmas.
Not the one I remembered, that was centered on people - memories.
But the one that brought me Someone Who will never leave me. Someone who gave His very life for mine. Someone Who constantly is working in my life for my good. Someone who loves me more fiercely than anyone ever has or could.
It was as if God was telling me, isn't Jesus enough?
I'm embracing His peace today. I'm trusting in His mercy and grace for today and praying He'll give enough tomorrow. It took a four year olds little voice on a 25 year old recording to help me grow up into Christmas and realize that all I ever really wanted for Christmas is wrapped up in a person. And that person can sweep all my blues away into clouds of bright and beautiful joy.
He's what I hope you'll receive and treasure too.
Jesus.
Merry Christmas,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Friday, December 21, 2007
Christmas - weakly
While rereading the accounts of Christmas again, it occurred to me - God's powerful act of Incarnation couldn't have come to a more unlikely group of people. His mighty actions and revealed plans to change everything elicited a very weak response from those who received the news.
Zachariah doubted God and couldn't even believe when an angel showed up.
Joseph searched for another way to explain what Mary had told him.
Even Mary, a model of faith asked "How can this be...?"
Each and every one of them had a moment or moments when the situation they were presented with was just too much to believe.
Have you ever been there?
I sure have.
There have been times where, despite years of trying to live a live of faith and devotion to Jesus, something will happen and I'll silently ask the question "How can this be...?" Or really, how in the world am I going to make it through this?
To that question, God answers - "wait."
Uh, not really helpful - see we have this situation here and I need to get it fixed. And to that you say - "wait?"
I realized when I typed it that "wait" is not a word we would ever associate with Christmas, unless we add the obligatory "I can't.." as a prefix.
And yet, waiting is exactly what God required of each of the people involved in Christmas.
Zachariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son all their married lives.
Joseph and Mary agreed in their betrothal to wait a year before consummating their marriage.
Even after the angel's announcements to them, there was the usual nine month wait for the babies that were promised to appear.
How long have you been waiting for your Christmas miracle to come? I'm not talking about that long promised pony or motorcycle.
I'm thinking of that moment when the faith you have...
...expands to fill your whole life.
When this verse becomes reality... to you.
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Heb 11:1 (NLT)
You know what?
I'm encouraged that Zachariah wouldn't take an angel's word for it.
Likewise by Joseph's worries and Mary's concerns.
Because I am no weaker than they were, when they failed to grasp Christmas.
But then it's not about us, in our weakness.
It's about God, and His unfailing love.
We can have the faith they had when we, like Mary, say to God, "let it be to me exactly as you wish. I trust you."
May we all be given the grace to do just that.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
While rereading the accounts of Christmas again, it occurred to me - God's powerful act of Incarnation couldn't have come to a more unlikely group of people. His mighty actions and revealed plans to change everything elicited a very weak response from those who received the news.
Zachariah doubted God and couldn't even believe when an angel showed up.
Joseph searched for another way to explain what Mary had told him.
Even Mary, a model of faith asked "How can this be...?"
Each and every one of them had a moment or moments when the situation they were presented with was just too much to believe.
Have you ever been there?
I sure have.
There have been times where, despite years of trying to live a live of faith and devotion to Jesus, something will happen and I'll silently ask the question "How can this be...?" Or really, how in the world am I going to make it through this?
To that question, God answers - "wait."
Uh, not really helpful - see we have this situation here and I need to get it fixed. And to that you say - "wait?"
I realized when I typed it that "wait" is not a word we would ever associate with Christmas, unless we add the obligatory "I can't.." as a prefix.
And yet, waiting is exactly what God required of each of the people involved in Christmas.
Zachariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son all their married lives.
Joseph and Mary agreed in their betrothal to wait a year before consummating their marriage.
Even after the angel's announcements to them, there was the usual nine month wait for the babies that were promised to appear.
How long have you been waiting for your Christmas miracle to come? I'm not talking about that long promised pony or motorcycle.
I'm thinking of that moment when the faith you have...
...expands to fill your whole life.
When this verse becomes reality... to you.
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Heb 11:1 (NLT)
You know what?
I'm encouraged that Zachariah wouldn't take an angel's word for it.
Likewise by Joseph's worries and Mary's concerns.
Because I am no weaker than they were, when they failed to grasp Christmas.
But then it's not about us, in our weakness.
It's about God, and His unfailing love.
We can have the faith they had when we, like Mary, say to God, "let it be to me exactly as you wish. I trust you."
May we all be given the grace to do just that.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Friday, December 14, 2007
"The Visited Planet" by J.B. Phillips
Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and blazing suns, infinite distances in the deathly cold of inter-stellar space, and to his mind there seemed to be an awful lot of it all. Finally he was shown the galaxy of which our planetary system is but a small part. As the two of them drew near to the star which we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel pointed to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning very slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a dirty tennis-ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had seen.
"I want you to watch that one particularly," said the senior angel, pointing with his finger.
"Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me," said the little angel. "What's special about that one?"
"That," replied his senior solemnly, "is the Visited Planet."
"Visited?" said the little one. "you don't mean visited by --------?
"Indeed I do. That ball, which I have no doubt looks to you small and insignificant and not perhaps overclean, has been visited by our young Prince of Glory." And at these words he bowed his head reverently.
"But how?" queried the younger one. "Do you mean that our great and glorious Prince, with all these wonders and splendours of His Creation, and millions more that I'm sure I haven't seen yet, went down in Person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should He do a thing like that?"
"It isn't for us," said his senior a little stiffly, "to question His 'why's', except that I must point out to you that He is not impressed by size and numbers, as you seem to be. But that He really went I know, and all of us in Heaven who know anything know that. As to why He became one of them - how else do you suppose could He visit them?"
The little angels face wrinkled in disgust.
"Do you mean to tell me," he said, "that He stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures of that floating ball?"
"I do, and I don't think He would like you to call them 'creeping, crawling creatures' in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like Him."
The little angel looked blank. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension.
"Close your eyes for a moment," said the senior angel, "and we will go back in what they call Time."
While the little angels eyes were closed and the two of them moved nearer to the spinning ball, it stopped its spinning, spun backwards quite fast for a while, and then slowly resumed its usual rotation.
"Now look!" And as the little angel did as he was told, there appeared here and there on the dull surface of the globe little flashes of light, some merely momentary and some persisting for quite a time.
"Well, what am I seeing now?" queried the little angel.
"You are watching this little world as it was some thousands of years ago," returned his companion. "Every flash and glow of light that you see is something of the Father's knowledge and wisdom breaking into the minds and hearts of people who live upon the earth. Not many people, you see, can hear His Voice or understand what He says, even though He is speaking gently and quietly to them all the time."
"Why are they so blind and deaf and stupid?" asked the junior angel rather crossly.
"It is not for us to judge them. We who live in the Splendour have no idea what it is like to live in the dark. We hear the music and the Voice like the sound of many waters every day of over lives, but to them - well, there is much darkness and much noise and much distraction upon the earth. Only a few who are quiet and humble and wise hear His Voice. But watch, for in a moment you will see something truly wonderful."
The Earth went on turning and circling round the sun, and then quite suddenly, in the upper half of the globe, there appeared a light, tiny but so bright in its intensity that both the angels hid their eyes.
"I think I can guess," said the little angel in a low voice. "That was the Visit, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that was the Visit. The Light Himself went down there and lived among them; but in a moment, and you will be able to tell that even with your eyes closed, the light will go out."
"But why? Could He not bear their darkness and stupidity? Did He have to return here?"
"No, it wasn't that" returned the senior angel. His voice was stern and sad. "They failed to recognise Him for Who He was - or at least only a handful knew Him. For the most part they preferred their darkness to His Light, and in the end they killed Him."
"The fools, the crazy fools! They don't deserve ----"
"Neither you nor I, nor any other angel, knows why they were so foolish and so wicked. Nor can we say what they deserve or don't deserve. But the fact remains, they killed our Prince of Glory while He was Man amongst them."
"And that I suppose was the end? I see the whole Earth has gone black and dark. All right, I won't judge them, but surely that is all they could expect?"
"Wait, we are still far from the end of the story of the Visited Planet. Watch now, but be ready to cover your eyes again."
In utter blackness the earth turned round three times, and then there blazed with unbearable radiance a point of light.
"What now?" asked the little angel, shielding his eyes.
"They killed Him all right, but He conquered death. The thing most of them dread and fear all their lives He broke and conquered. He rose again, and a few of them saw Him and from then on became His utterly devoted slaves."
"Thank God for that," said the little angel.
"Amen. Open your eyes now, the dazzling light has gone. The Prince has returned to His Home of Light. But watch the Earth now."
As they looked, in place of the dazzling light there was a bright glow which throbbed and pulsated. And then as the Earth turned many times little points of light spread out. A few flickered and died; but for the most part the lights burned steadily, and as they continued to watch, in many parts of the globe there was a glow over many areas.
"You see what is happening?" asked the senior angel. "The bright glow is the company of loyal men and women He left behind, and with His help they spread the glow and now lights begin to shine all over the Earth."
"Yes, yes," said the little angel impatiently, "but how does it end? Will the little lights join up with each other? Will it all be light, as it is in Heaven?"
His senior shook his head. "We simply do not know," he replied. "It is in the Father's hands. Sometimes it is agony to watch and sometimes it is joy unspeakable. The end is not yet. But now I am sure you can see why this little ball is so important. He has visited it; He is working out His Plan upon it."
"Yes, I see, though I don't understand. I shall never forget that this is the Visited Planet." - by J.B. Phillips
Some times we get so wrapped up in the "why" we forget the focus is on the Who.
14 The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
John 1:14 (MSG)
Jesus. God's gift to us.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and blazing suns, infinite distances in the deathly cold of inter-stellar space, and to his mind there seemed to be an awful lot of it all. Finally he was shown the galaxy of which our planetary system is but a small part. As the two of them drew near to the star which we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel pointed to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning very slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a dirty tennis-ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had seen.
"I want you to watch that one particularly," said the senior angel, pointing with his finger.
"Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me," said the little angel. "What's special about that one?"
"That," replied his senior solemnly, "is the Visited Planet."
"Visited?" said the little one. "you don't mean visited by --------?
"Indeed I do. That ball, which I have no doubt looks to you small and insignificant and not perhaps overclean, has been visited by our young Prince of Glory." And at these words he bowed his head reverently.
"But how?" queried the younger one. "Do you mean that our great and glorious Prince, with all these wonders and splendours of His Creation, and millions more that I'm sure I haven't seen yet, went down in Person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should He do a thing like that?"
"It isn't for us," said his senior a little stiffly, "to question His 'why's', except that I must point out to you that He is not impressed by size and numbers, as you seem to be. But that He really went I know, and all of us in Heaven who know anything know that. As to why He became one of them - how else do you suppose could He visit them?"
The little angels face wrinkled in disgust.
"Do you mean to tell me," he said, "that He stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures of that floating ball?"
"I do, and I don't think He would like you to call them 'creeping, crawling creatures' in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like Him."
The little angel looked blank. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension.
"Close your eyes for a moment," said the senior angel, "and we will go back in what they call Time."
While the little angels eyes were closed and the two of them moved nearer to the spinning ball, it stopped its spinning, spun backwards quite fast for a while, and then slowly resumed its usual rotation.
"Now look!" And as the little angel did as he was told, there appeared here and there on the dull surface of the globe little flashes of light, some merely momentary and some persisting for quite a time.
"Well, what am I seeing now?" queried the little angel.
"You are watching this little world as it was some thousands of years ago," returned his companion. "Every flash and glow of light that you see is something of the Father's knowledge and wisdom breaking into the minds and hearts of people who live upon the earth. Not many people, you see, can hear His Voice or understand what He says, even though He is speaking gently and quietly to them all the time."
"Why are they so blind and deaf and stupid?" asked the junior angel rather crossly.
"It is not for us to judge them. We who live in the Splendour have no idea what it is like to live in the dark. We hear the music and the Voice like the sound of many waters every day of over lives, but to them - well, there is much darkness and much noise and much distraction upon the earth. Only a few who are quiet and humble and wise hear His Voice. But watch, for in a moment you will see something truly wonderful."
The Earth went on turning and circling round the sun, and then quite suddenly, in the upper half of the globe, there appeared a light, tiny but so bright in its intensity that both the angels hid their eyes.
"I think I can guess," said the little angel in a low voice. "That was the Visit, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that was the Visit. The Light Himself went down there and lived among them; but in a moment, and you will be able to tell that even with your eyes closed, the light will go out."
"But why? Could He not bear their darkness and stupidity? Did He have to return here?"
"No, it wasn't that" returned the senior angel. His voice was stern and sad. "They failed to recognise Him for Who He was - or at least only a handful knew Him. For the most part they preferred their darkness to His Light, and in the end they killed Him."
"The fools, the crazy fools! They don't deserve ----"
"Neither you nor I, nor any other angel, knows why they were so foolish and so wicked. Nor can we say what they deserve or don't deserve. But the fact remains, they killed our Prince of Glory while He was Man amongst them."
"And that I suppose was the end? I see the whole Earth has gone black and dark. All right, I won't judge them, but surely that is all they could expect?"
"Wait, we are still far from the end of the story of the Visited Planet. Watch now, but be ready to cover your eyes again."
In utter blackness the earth turned round three times, and then there blazed with unbearable radiance a point of light.
"What now?" asked the little angel, shielding his eyes.
"They killed Him all right, but He conquered death. The thing most of them dread and fear all their lives He broke and conquered. He rose again, and a few of them saw Him and from then on became His utterly devoted slaves."
"Thank God for that," said the little angel.
"Amen. Open your eyes now, the dazzling light has gone. The Prince has returned to His Home of Light. But watch the Earth now."
As they looked, in place of the dazzling light there was a bright glow which throbbed and pulsated. And then as the Earth turned many times little points of light spread out. A few flickered and died; but for the most part the lights burned steadily, and as they continued to watch, in many parts of the globe there was a glow over many areas.
"You see what is happening?" asked the senior angel. "The bright glow is the company of loyal men and women He left behind, and with His help they spread the glow and now lights begin to shine all over the Earth."
"Yes, yes," said the little angel impatiently, "but how does it end? Will the little lights join up with each other? Will it all be light, as it is in Heaven?"
His senior shook his head. "We simply do not know," he replied. "It is in the Father's hands. Sometimes it is agony to watch and sometimes it is joy unspeakable. The end is not yet. But now I am sure you can see why this little ball is so important. He has visited it; He is working out His Plan upon it."
"Yes, I see, though I don't understand. I shall never forget that this is the Visited Planet." - by J.B. Phillips
Some times we get so wrapped up in the "why" we forget the focus is on the Who.
14 The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
John 1:14 (MSG)
Jesus. God's gift to us.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Friday, December 07, 2007
Nazareth's Gone Country
Hi friends, just sitting here rereading everything I've collected in the past few weeks about Joseph of Nazareth in preparation for Sunday's sermon. It's pretty clear to me that Joseph lived a life that only a country music lover could appreciate.
Think about it.
He's a tradesman/builder. If he were alive today, he'd be driving a pickup with a toolbox in the bed. He'd probably be wearing jeans and work boots with a T shirt advertising something that he got for free. Oh and the T shirt and jeans would be holy - well, hole-ly. He'd have one of those cellphones that let's you beep the other job sites, and wouldn't have shaved today.
Yeah, he'd probably have a friend or two he called Bubba.
He'd have a reputation too. "Measure twice, cut once", would be his stock in trade, along with "a man's word is his bond." Yeah, he might be a poor ordinary working man, but he would do an honest days work for an honest day's pay. Nobody would beat him to the job site, or catch him sneaking off fishing when he should be working. There was plenty of time for that after the job was done.
And crazy as it seems, he'd be a guy looking to settle down with one woman for life. Not that he hadn't had chances for a fling here and there - he was a young, strong guy in a culture that valued all that. Oh and I expect he knew how to laugh at life - even laugh at himself. Most carpenters I've ever known can do that. They understand that a piece of wood, like a life, has to be shaped and shaved into something on purpose - that it's pretty rare to get that perfect piece of wood, and that you have to learn to work around and through the rough spots. Laughter really helps with that.
He found a girl he loved, made the proposal and came away a winner. Got started on a house and was prepping his mind around the whole husband and yeah, father deal. But then his fiancee told him she was pregnant - and Joseph knew it wasn't by him.
I wonder if George Jones ever wrote a song about Joseph?
So what would Joseph do?
Well, here's the thing. Carpenter's and brick layers - really anybody that works to build things, know that there are times when you can just "eyeball" the job and know what to do next, and then there are times when you have to go back to the architect and ask him "what the heck were you thinking?"
The Bible says that Joseph was a "just" or "righteous" man.
Those kind of guys know who to ask when the plans don't square with reality on the ground, or when it just isn't going to work. So when Joseph went to sleep that night after Mary dropped her bombshell. I have no doubt that Joseph had looked at what happened from every angle he could think of. He would have done his best to make it all go away without costing anyone more than it had to. He'd try to do the right thing. But what was the right thing?
He went to sleep tossing and turning, and then God showed up.
And God showed Joseph a new set of plans.
20 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. 21 She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus— 'God saves'— because he will save his people from their sins." Matt 1:20-21 (MSG)
Armed with that change in plans from the Master Builder...
24 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. 25 But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus. Matt 1:24-25 (MSG)
The working man done good. Nazareth's gone country, folks.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org
Hi friends, just sitting here rereading everything I've collected in the past few weeks about Joseph of Nazareth in preparation for Sunday's sermon. It's pretty clear to me that Joseph lived a life that only a country music lover could appreciate.
Think about it.
He's a tradesman/builder. If he were alive today, he'd be driving a pickup with a toolbox in the bed. He'd probably be wearing jeans and work boots with a T shirt advertising something that he got for free. Oh and the T shirt and jeans would be holy - well, hole-ly. He'd have one of those cellphones that let's you beep the other job sites, and wouldn't have shaved today.
Yeah, he'd probably have a friend or two he called Bubba.
He'd have a reputation too. "Measure twice, cut once", would be his stock in trade, along with "a man's word is his bond." Yeah, he might be a poor ordinary working man, but he would do an honest days work for an honest day's pay. Nobody would beat him to the job site, or catch him sneaking off fishing when he should be working. There was plenty of time for that after the job was done.
And crazy as it seems, he'd be a guy looking to settle down with one woman for life. Not that he hadn't had chances for a fling here and there - he was a young, strong guy in a culture that valued all that. Oh and I expect he knew how to laugh at life - even laugh at himself. Most carpenters I've ever known can do that. They understand that a piece of wood, like a life, has to be shaped and shaved into something on purpose - that it's pretty rare to get that perfect piece of wood, and that you have to learn to work around and through the rough spots. Laughter really helps with that.
He found a girl he loved, made the proposal and came away a winner. Got started on a house and was prepping his mind around the whole husband and yeah, father deal. But then his fiancee told him she was pregnant - and Joseph knew it wasn't by him.
I wonder if George Jones ever wrote a song about Joseph?
So what would Joseph do?
Well, here's the thing. Carpenter's and brick layers - really anybody that works to build things, know that there are times when you can just "eyeball" the job and know what to do next, and then there are times when you have to go back to the architect and ask him "what the heck were you thinking?"
The Bible says that Joseph was a "just" or "righteous" man.
Those kind of guys know who to ask when the plans don't square with reality on the ground, or when it just isn't going to work. So when Joseph went to sleep that night after Mary dropped her bombshell. I have no doubt that Joseph had looked at what happened from every angle he could think of. He would have done his best to make it all go away without costing anyone more than it had to. He'd try to do the right thing. But what was the right thing?
He went to sleep tossing and turning, and then God showed up.
And God showed Joseph a new set of plans.
20 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. 21 She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus— 'God saves'— because he will save his people from their sins." Matt 1:20-21 (MSG)
Armed with that change in plans from the Master Builder...
24 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. 25 But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus. Matt 1:24-25 (MSG)
The working man done good. Nazareth's gone country, folks.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
No socks, no shoes, no problems
I was reading an obit today from a guy I never knew who lived and died in South Carolina. When he found out he was dying of cancer, he decided to take care of the arrangements for his funeral personally. He did it to spare his family the trouble, and to share his love for them - his wife and daughters, and for Jesus.
Marcus McDonald described himself as a "simple man that did not like change (or socks) very much."
His daughter described him this way, "He was the greatest man in the world. To know him was to love him. Period." His good friend Heather Hill, who had known him for 30 years, explained that he was vivacious, bold and matter-of-fact. He enjoyed skiing, water-skiing, playing horseshoes and family vacations to the beach. His family members and friends used to enjoy watching him walk up to people he never met at stores and restaurants and leave them laughing hysterically. "There was no stranger to him, period," Mandy McDonald said.
Central to his life was Christianity, Hill said. "Bottom line is he wants the world to know who Jesus is," Hill said. So he prepared Bibles for each of his daughters with notes jotted throughout specifically written for each of them. Toward the end of his obituary he wrote: "For those of you that read this and come to my funeral, I thank you on behalf of my family because that's who you are doing it for; I ain't gone be there ... I'm in heaven, thank God!
"If you can't make the funeral, visitation will be at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home on Bush River Road from 5-7 p.m. (today) ... so drop by but don't dress up for me. See, my invitation is like Jesus' invitation to salvation to you. ... Come as you are (and a smiley face goes right there)!"
Marcus Macdonald's gifts reflected what he treasured. He loved His Savior. He loved his family. And he loved the opportunity God had given him to live life to the full.
Now he's in heaven, and from Marcus Macdonald's corner I expect you'd hear the sound of laughter underneath a big sign that says "No socks, no shoes, no problems!"
While you're out searching for the perfect gift to give your loved ones, think about this.
What can you give them that will last... forever?
17 The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out— but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
1 John 2:17 (MSG)
Grace and peace,
David
Lead Pastor - New Hope!
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
I was reading an obit today from a guy I never knew who lived and died in South Carolina. When he found out he was dying of cancer, he decided to take care of the arrangements for his funeral personally. He did it to spare his family the trouble, and to share his love for them - his wife and daughters, and for Jesus.
Marcus McDonald described himself as a "simple man that did not like change (or socks) very much."
His daughter described him this way, "He was the greatest man in the world. To know him was to love him. Period." His good friend Heather Hill, who had known him for 30 years, explained that he was vivacious, bold and matter-of-fact. He enjoyed skiing, water-skiing, playing horseshoes and family vacations to the beach. His family members and friends used to enjoy watching him walk up to people he never met at stores and restaurants and leave them laughing hysterically. "There was no stranger to him, period," Mandy McDonald said.
Central to his life was Christianity, Hill said. "Bottom line is he wants the world to know who Jesus is," Hill said. So he prepared Bibles for each of his daughters with notes jotted throughout specifically written for each of them. Toward the end of his obituary he wrote: "For those of you that read this and come to my funeral, I thank you on behalf of my family because that's who you are doing it for; I ain't gone be there ... I'm in heaven, thank God!
"If you can't make the funeral, visitation will be at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home on Bush River Road from 5-7 p.m. (today) ... so drop by but don't dress up for me. See, my invitation is like Jesus' invitation to salvation to you. ... Come as you are (and a smiley face goes right there)!"
Marcus Macdonald's gifts reflected what he treasured. He loved His Savior. He loved his family. And he loved the opportunity God had given him to live life to the full.
Now he's in heaven, and from Marcus Macdonald's corner I expect you'd hear the sound of laughter underneath a big sign that says "No socks, no shoes, no problems!"
While you're out searching for the perfect gift to give your loved ones, think about this.
What can you give them that will last... forever?
17 The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out— but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
1 John 2:17 (MSG)
Grace and peace,
David
Lead Pastor - New Hope!
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Seeing the End From the Beginning
They are called "spoilers" - when someone tells you how a movie or book is going to turn out before you see it or read it for yourself. Last year, when I found that the last few pages and explanations of the Harry Potter series' last book were available, of course I read them.
Then I tried to tell some of my friends at church that I knew loved Harry Potter. That didn't go very well - Jessica covered her ears, Emily and EJ said "nooooooooooooooooooo don't tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".
But boy I sure wanted to.
That's the fun of knowing, don't you know.
When I think about Christmas, maybe the story told most often of all time, sometimes I wonder - because we know the ending already, do we forget how AWESOME it really was?
In that story, there were so many people involved that lived and died and never knew how it was going to completely turn out. And yet they longed to see Messiah come.
Take Isaiah for example.
Every Christmas season, we take a peek into the book that bears his name, picking and choosing those scriptures that fit our Christmas story. He delivers some powerful glimpses into the character Messiah will have, but do we rush by this?
14 All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel—`God is with us.' Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
In the passage that comes from, God asks Isaiah to tell Israel's King Ahaz to test Him. That's right. God says through the prophet Isaiah, "ask me for proof I'll come through and make it as hard as you can - ridiculous if you want to."
The King, in a rare burst of humility, declines to test God, even after being told to.
So God Himself chooses the most ridiculous example He can think of.
A virgin will conceive - God. And that God-man will live among men.
Think about it.
Maybe it's time to slow down, maybe even back up, and take another look at just what Christmas IS.
Amazing love. AWESOME GOD. With us. WOW! TELL SOMEBODY!!!!!!!!!!!
Grace and peace,
David
lead pastor, New Hope
They are called "spoilers" - when someone tells you how a movie or book is going to turn out before you see it or read it for yourself. Last year, when I found that the last few pages and explanations of the Harry Potter series' last book were available, of course I read them.
Then I tried to tell some of my friends at church that I knew loved Harry Potter. That didn't go very well - Jessica covered her ears, Emily and EJ said "nooooooooooooooooooo don't tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".
But boy I sure wanted to.
That's the fun of knowing, don't you know.
When I think about Christmas, maybe the story told most often of all time, sometimes I wonder - because we know the ending already, do we forget how AWESOME it really was?
In that story, there were so many people involved that lived and died and never knew how it was going to completely turn out. And yet they longed to see Messiah come.
Take Isaiah for example.
Every Christmas season, we take a peek into the book that bears his name, picking and choosing those scriptures that fit our Christmas story. He delivers some powerful glimpses into the character Messiah will have, but do we rush by this?
14 All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel—`God is with us.' Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
In the passage that comes from, God asks Isaiah to tell Israel's King Ahaz to test Him. That's right. God says through the prophet Isaiah, "ask me for proof I'll come through and make it as hard as you can - ridiculous if you want to."
The King, in a rare burst of humility, declines to test God, even after being told to.
So God Himself chooses the most ridiculous example He can think of.
A virgin will conceive - God. And that God-man will live among men.
Think about it.
Maybe it's time to slow down, maybe even back up, and take another look at just what Christmas IS.
Amazing love. AWESOME GOD. With us. WOW! TELL SOMEBODY!!!!!!!!!!!
Grace and peace,
David
lead pastor, New Hope
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
How Long?
I've got one eye on the calendar already. Just dragging the paper in last Thursday took a lot out of me. Then the collective energy used on Black Friday shopping, even though I did not participate, made me weary for those who did. I can feel the pressure building to get the lights on outside the house and the tree up inside, even though my adorable bride hasn't said a word.
But every now and then, I get a feeling like that lady did in the opening credits of Jaws.
Da -dum
Da-dum
da da da dum....
Christmas IS COMING!
When Allan, our friend from one street over, made his visit to our house today, after getting the usual small talk out of the way, (Gators won, Niceville lost, Georgia Tech lost, how's your dog, where's Bunny, tell Sean he's out...) he asked the dreaded question.
"How long until Christmas, David? How many days?"
"Well Allan, it isn't even December yet," I replied.
"But how long, David?"
"28 days"
Allan hasn't yet learned what most adults have about Christmas. Silly him, he still is amazed and in awe.
You know what? I'm going to do everything I can to find that sense of wonder again too.
How long until Christmas... for you?
Grace and peace,
David Wilson
I've got one eye on the calendar already. Just dragging the paper in last Thursday took a lot out of me. Then the collective energy used on Black Friday shopping, even though I did not participate, made me weary for those who did. I can feel the pressure building to get the lights on outside the house and the tree up inside, even though my adorable bride hasn't said a word.
But every now and then, I get a feeling like that lady did in the opening credits of Jaws.
Da -dum
Da-dum
da da da dum....
Christmas IS COMING!
When Allan, our friend from one street over, made his visit to our house today, after getting the usual small talk out of the way, (Gators won, Niceville lost, Georgia Tech lost, how's your dog, where's Bunny, tell Sean he's out...) he asked the dreaded question.
"How long until Christmas, David? How many days?"
"Well Allan, it isn't even December yet," I replied.
"But how long, David?"
"28 days"
Allan hasn't yet learned what most adults have about Christmas. Silly him, he still is amazed and in awe.
You know what? I'm going to do everything I can to find that sense of wonder again too.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Lk 2:8
How long until Christmas... for you?
Grace and peace,
David Wilson
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thankful
When I get to Thanksgiving, I always think of those years as a little kid in Macon Georgia. We'd all pile in the car and head over to my Aunt Geneva's house, just up from the cotton mill on Roff Avenue. All of my cousins would be there too, and so we'd get every opportunity to get into trouble.
There was Uncle Ben's bomb shelter, conveniently located under the house, to explore. There were the train tracks to put a penny on, and the post office a block away to visit and see the scary faces of the most wanted. And just down the street was my Uncle Will's store, where barefoot little boys could convince their uncle that his cookies needed to be tested for freshness.
Good times.
Oh there were amazing meals. Collard Greens, pecan pies (no one cooks pecan pies like people with pecan trees in their backyard), my Aunt Geneva's best in the world corn bread, turkey and dressing, and every cake known to mankind. For a kid whose parents both worked, and our normal meal would be a 30 minute wonder - it was a staggeringly impressive feast - every year.
And yes, there was football - inside and outside. We'd play outside until lunch, then take some time to properly recover from said lunch by watching the Bears and the Lions or later the Cowboys and whoever they were beating on TV.
I was amazed when I sat down to write this, just how much of the little details of events that happened 40 years ago I did remember. The cars they drove, the year my cousin came home from the Army in uniform, the colors and fall chill - all come leaping back to my memory.
But you know, what I remember most is the laughter. When my Mother's family got together, there was always laughter. That didn't mean that life for them was wonderful - this was the mill village, and like most families, they had troubles. Money troubles, alcohol troubles, kid troubles, and health troubles.
When they were together, something incredible happened - none of those seemed so large. When I think about it now, I'm convinced that happened because when they came together, they were conscious of just how much they loved each other, and just how powerful that love could be, and was.
And when they prayed, it wasn't the 20 second version of grace, it was the recitation of what God had done in the past year for them, how grateful they were for His grace, and how thankful they were that God put them together as a family.
Grace was tangible - abundant - real. And people didn't take it for granted - they built their lives on that foundational truth. It wasn't "lucky" that they were together, it was God's grace. And in that grace they dealt with adversity and with blessings - in their fierce love for one another.
I always came away impressed that if I was a part of that family, I would never lack for love. No matter what I grew up to be, no matter what I was to make of my life, I could always come back home and run right into the arms of love. Several pairs of them. :)
In a way, it's what I believe church should be.
We love, because He first loved us. And out of that love, we live lives that testify to the grace we have received. We grow our "family" by opening our arms to those outside and setting another place at the table. Just as no one ever was a stranger on Thanksgiving at the Bowden family's meal, no one should ever be turned away.
And come blessings or trials, you have a home filled with love.
Lots of those people who fill my memories have passed away now. But they helped make me who I am. And last night when I read this passage again, I could smell collard greens cooking and hear the laughter.
18 I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, "Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; 19 I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand." ' 20 He got right up and went home to his father.
"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here— given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!'
Luke 15:18-24 (MSG)
I'm very thankful to be a part of the family called New Hope, and wherever you are I pray that you are a part of such a loving group of people. May all who read this know that God loves you with a love fiercer than any family could ever muster. And He's eagerly waiting for the reunion to come.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God's richest blessings be yours.
Grace and peace,
David
Lead Pastor, New Hope
When I get to Thanksgiving, I always think of those years as a little kid in Macon Georgia. We'd all pile in the car and head over to my Aunt Geneva's house, just up from the cotton mill on Roff Avenue. All of my cousins would be there too, and so we'd get every opportunity to get into trouble.
There was Uncle Ben's bomb shelter, conveniently located under the house, to explore. There were the train tracks to put a penny on, and the post office a block away to visit and see the scary faces of the most wanted. And just down the street was my Uncle Will's store, where barefoot little boys could convince their uncle that his cookies needed to be tested for freshness.
Good times.
Oh there were amazing meals. Collard Greens, pecan pies (no one cooks pecan pies like people with pecan trees in their backyard), my Aunt Geneva's best in the world corn bread, turkey and dressing, and every cake known to mankind. For a kid whose parents both worked, and our normal meal would be a 30 minute wonder - it was a staggeringly impressive feast - every year.
And yes, there was football - inside and outside. We'd play outside until lunch, then take some time to properly recover from said lunch by watching the Bears and the Lions or later the Cowboys and whoever they were beating on TV.
I was amazed when I sat down to write this, just how much of the little details of events that happened 40 years ago I did remember. The cars they drove, the year my cousin came home from the Army in uniform, the colors and fall chill - all come leaping back to my memory.
But you know, what I remember most is the laughter. When my Mother's family got together, there was always laughter. That didn't mean that life for them was wonderful - this was the mill village, and like most families, they had troubles. Money troubles, alcohol troubles, kid troubles, and health troubles.
When they were together, something incredible happened - none of those seemed so large. When I think about it now, I'm convinced that happened because when they came together, they were conscious of just how much they loved each other, and just how powerful that love could be, and was.
And when they prayed, it wasn't the 20 second version of grace, it was the recitation of what God had done in the past year for them, how grateful they were for His grace, and how thankful they were that God put them together as a family.
Grace was tangible - abundant - real. And people didn't take it for granted - they built their lives on that foundational truth. It wasn't "lucky" that they were together, it was God's grace. And in that grace they dealt with adversity and with blessings - in their fierce love for one another.
I always came away impressed that if I was a part of that family, I would never lack for love. No matter what I grew up to be, no matter what I was to make of my life, I could always come back home and run right into the arms of love. Several pairs of them. :)
In a way, it's what I believe church should be.
We love, because He first loved us. And out of that love, we live lives that testify to the grace we have received. We grow our "family" by opening our arms to those outside and setting another place at the table. Just as no one ever was a stranger on Thanksgiving at the Bowden family's meal, no one should ever be turned away.
And come blessings or trials, you have a home filled with love.
Lots of those people who fill my memories have passed away now. But they helped make me who I am. And last night when I read this passage again, I could smell collard greens cooking and hear the laughter.
18 I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, "Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; 19 I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand." ' 20 He got right up and went home to his father.
"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here— given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!'
Luke 15:18-24 (MSG)
I'm very thankful to be a part of the family called New Hope, and wherever you are I pray that you are a part of such a loving group of people. May all who read this know that God loves you with a love fiercer than any family could ever muster. And He's eagerly waiting for the reunion to come.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God's richest blessings be yours.
Grace and peace,
David
Lead Pastor, New Hope
Friday, November 09, 2007
The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round Is A Worship Song
It's 12:40 Thursday afternoon, and the kids are ready to go to music. Each person grabs a wheelchair's arms and begin pushing one of the children down the ramp on the way to music. When we get there, the kids will all be in a semicircle, and we'll kneel down to get to eye level.
The goal is to get a reaction - any reaction. For these kids are profoundly disabled and confined to their wheelchairs. To get them to react, the music teacher uses simple songs, percussion instruments, bells, and other objects like scarves and cardboard bees on Popsicle sticks.
New Hope has an amazing group of people who have adopted these kids and spend some time two days a week reading to the kids and doing the music time with them. We do it in order to live out Christ's love in our neighborhood. We do it out of a love for Jesus and what He's done for us. I don't know about the rest of our team from New Hope, but Bunny and I come away happy but drained. We give it everything we have for those minutes with the kids, and if we get a reaction, our hearts leap for joy.
So we laugh when we sing about fat turkeys, we ring the bells, tap the tambourines and rap the percussion tubes. And every time we go, we sing "The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round."
And Alli rings her bell and grins. And Logan scratches the tambourine's top. And Brendan shouts with joy.
And I thank God.
I'm very aware that people are funny about their worship music. Some prefer the hymns they grew up with. Others want the contemporary sound. The division over musical preference can drive people away from each other, from Christ's church, and from as close a relationship with God as they could have. That's a shame.
If only they could see Alex smile when we ring the bus's bell, and feel the joy we feel from being used to God to tell these kids just how much he loves them.
Then maybe there'd be room on the power point or in the hymnal for just one song more.
Yes, The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round Is A Worship song. To me. Because through it, I draw closer to God.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
16 Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship— a different kind of "sacrifice"— that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. Heb 13:16 (MSG)
It's 12:40 Thursday afternoon, and the kids are ready to go to music. Each person grabs a wheelchair's arms and begin pushing one of the children down the ramp on the way to music. When we get there, the kids will all be in a semicircle, and we'll kneel down to get to eye level.
The goal is to get a reaction - any reaction. For these kids are profoundly disabled and confined to their wheelchairs. To get them to react, the music teacher uses simple songs, percussion instruments, bells, and other objects like scarves and cardboard bees on Popsicle sticks.
New Hope has an amazing group of people who have adopted these kids and spend some time two days a week reading to the kids and doing the music time with them. We do it in order to live out Christ's love in our neighborhood. We do it out of a love for Jesus and what He's done for us. I don't know about the rest of our team from New Hope, but Bunny and I come away happy but drained. We give it everything we have for those minutes with the kids, and if we get a reaction, our hearts leap for joy.
So we laugh when we sing about fat turkeys, we ring the bells, tap the tambourines and rap the percussion tubes. And every time we go, we sing "The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round."
And Alli rings her bell and grins. And Logan scratches the tambourine's top. And Brendan shouts with joy.
And I thank God.
I'm very aware that people are funny about their worship music. Some prefer the hymns they grew up with. Others want the contemporary sound. The division over musical preference can drive people away from each other, from Christ's church, and from as close a relationship with God as they could have. That's a shame.
If only they could see Alex smile when we ring the bus's bell, and feel the joy we feel from being used to God to tell these kids just how much he loves them.
Then maybe there'd be room on the power point or in the hymnal for just one song more.
Yes, The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round Is A Worship song. To me. Because through it, I draw closer to God.
Grace and peace,
David
--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
And So, Here I Am...
Like Paul, I know I am in way over my head. But I also know that God loves me and has chosen me to do this work of telling His story. So I watch and listen.
I was rearranging my office today and picked up a wooden plaque dated 1981. On it rested a hand print of one Adam Wilson, my first born son. It was so small. The writing on the plaque was some of that sentimental stuff about looking back at kids when they grow up.
Uh yeah. Wouldn't want to do that. I'd be one of those saps, huh.
When Adam came into this world, I had no clue what being his daddy would mean. I wasn't just in over my head, I was clueless. All I could do is look at him and wonder what in the world am I supposed to do now?
I thought back to a baby lying in a yellow inflatable "tub" so we could bathe him. To a little boy who followed his daddy around. To a young man who I played basketball with. And today I thought about the man who closed on his first home yesterday and is moving in tonight.
Then I thought about times when we worried over him - when he was sick, when those first days of school came, when we left to come down here and he didn't come with us. There were times of great joy - he was an awesome boy, and there have been times of sadness.
Yet looking at that hand print today made me think of God's grace - His love, and His mercy.
For through it all, even before Adam was born, God knew him, and He knew Bunny and me. We'll never know the extent of how God blessed us with His providential care. A lot of things could have gone wrong. An awful lot of things went right. In that boy, now a man, I got to watch God's work and have a part in it.
"And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ."
Well, sometimes they aren't over your head. I've got a hand print on a plaque to prove it.
Grace and peace,
David
And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ.
9 My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Gal 3:8-9 (MSG)
Like Paul, I know I am in way over my head. But I also know that God loves me and has chosen me to do this work of telling His story. So I watch and listen.
I was rearranging my office today and picked up a wooden plaque dated 1981. On it rested a hand print of one Adam Wilson, my first born son. It was so small. The writing on the plaque was some of that sentimental stuff about looking back at kids when they grow up.
Uh yeah. Wouldn't want to do that. I'd be one of those saps, huh.
When Adam came into this world, I had no clue what being his daddy would mean. I wasn't just in over my head, I was clueless. All I could do is look at him and wonder what in the world am I supposed to do now?
I thought back to a baby lying in a yellow inflatable "tub" so we could bathe him. To a little boy who followed his daddy around. To a young man who I played basketball with. And today I thought about the man who closed on his first home yesterday and is moving in tonight.
Then I thought about times when we worried over him - when he was sick, when those first days of school came, when we left to come down here and he didn't come with us. There were times of great joy - he was an awesome boy, and there have been times of sadness.
Yet looking at that hand print today made me think of God's grace - His love, and His mercy.
For through it all, even before Adam was born, God knew him, and He knew Bunny and me. We'll never know the extent of how God blessed us with His providential care. A lot of things could have gone wrong. An awful lot of things went right. In that boy, now a man, I got to watch God's work and have a part in it.
"And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ."
Well, sometimes they aren't over your head. I've got a hand print on a plaque to prove it.
Grace and peace,
David
Saturday, November 03, 2007
And There's More
This morning I was trying to find the right quote from Abraham Lincoln to use in a paper I'm writing for a seminary class. So I googled. Through the richness of the materials available on the Internet, I found the quote I was looking for in an electronic version of a child's biography of Lincoln. As I was scanning the pages looking for the quote I knew was there, I got caught up in the amazing life of Lincoln. Ten minutes later, I had finished the book and was amazed at what I had learned.
Stories have always drawn me in.
Sunday one of our kids at church, the irrepressible and painfully cute Madeline, tugged at my sleeve and, when she had my attention, proceeded to tell me about halloween and what she was going to do and how she had done it last year and when she was little and how she couldn't wait until Wednesday night and all the fun she was going to have as she came to New Hope and had more fun and she could hardly wait....
Yes, that's the way she delivered it. Past, present, and future all wrapped up in exceeding joy. She'd tell me something, take a breath, I'd think she was through... but there was more. :)
There's no way I can think about it today as I type this and not grin, knowing what Madeline will experience tomorrow night.
Just a few minutes ago, I was reading a story that left me feeling the same way. When I think about it now, I am filled with hope, with peace, and yes, with joy. See I was digging in the Bible trying to help our small group understand some pretty hefty theology. Words like propitiation (say what?), justification (huh?), and sanctification (aw come on now David) have their place friends, and we need to understand them and their underpinnings in Bible Truth.
But while I was in there looking for that Truth, I found this one.
Gal 5:1-2 (MSG)
God loves us! Not grudgingly, not sparingly but extravagantly! He's not worried about loving us too much, so why are we so prone to try to write another ending to His story?
In God - we WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love that.
And I love you all in Christ Jesus.
Grace!
David
This morning I was trying to find the right quote from Abraham Lincoln to use in a paper I'm writing for a seminary class. So I googled. Through the richness of the materials available on the Internet, I found the quote I was looking for in an electronic version of a child's biography of Lincoln. As I was scanning the pages looking for the quote I knew was there, I got caught up in the amazing life of Lincoln. Ten minutes later, I had finished the book and was amazed at what I had learned.
Stories have always drawn me in.
Sunday one of our kids at church, the irrepressible and painfully cute Madeline, tugged at my sleeve and, when she had my attention, proceeded to tell me about halloween and what she was going to do and how she had done it last year and when she was little and how she couldn't wait until Wednesday night and all the fun she was going to have as she came to New Hope and had more fun and she could hardly wait....
Yes, that's the way she delivered it. Past, present, and future all wrapped up in exceeding joy. She'd tell me something, take a breath, I'd think she was through... but there was more. :)
There's no way I can think about it today as I type this and not grin, knowing what Madeline will experience tomorrow night.
Just a few minutes ago, I was reading a story that left me feeling the same way. When I think about it now, I am filled with hope, with peace, and yes, with joy. See I was digging in the Bible trying to help our small group understand some pretty hefty theology. Words like propitiation (say what?), justification (huh?), and sanctification (aw come on now David) have their place friends, and we need to understand them and their underpinnings in Bible Truth.
But while I was in there looking for that Truth, I found this one.
1 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. 2 Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Gal 5:1-2 (MSG)
God loves us! Not grudgingly, not sparingly but extravagantly! He's not worried about loving us too much, so why are we so prone to try to write another ending to His story?
In God - we WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love that.
And I love you all in Christ Jesus.
Grace!
David
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