The season of song

During this Advent season as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child one is surrounded by the sounds of music.  The traditional Christmas carols and old standards such as "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" can be heard 24/7 throughout the malls and shops as we go about the task of buying gifts and making prepartions for holiday parties.

Listening to the music often takes me back to different times and places. On more then one occasion I have sat back and reflected upon a song that has caused images of those distant times and places to flood back into my mind. 

My father couldn't carry a tune in the proverbial "bushel basket" but oh how he loved to sing "Oh come all ye faithful" at the candle light Christmas Eve service.  He' get up on his toes, fingers tapping and let it rip; the rest of the family would move a little further down the pew.  I'm sure you have your own memories good, bad or indifferent with the songs that are being played and sung this holiday season. 

There are two songs that I especially love to hear, one old and one relatively new.  The old one is "What Child is This" to the tune of Greensleaves and the new one is a song written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene.  It's entitled "Mary did you know" and it can be found on You Tube.  Give it a try and I think you'll add it to your list of holiday favorites.  As the late great Burl Ives sang and I echo "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" y'all.

Advent

This coming Sunday will mark the 3rd Sunday in Advent.  On the church calendar Advent begins with the 4th Sunday before Christmas day and ends on Christmas eve.  The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival" and I am reminded of the words to a song by Brian Doerksen:

Come now is the time to worship
Come now is the time to give your heart
Come just as you are to worship
Come just as you are before your God
Come.

Christmas is a time to make preparations to celebrate the first Advent of the Christ child and to hope and pray for the second advent, when Chirst will return again with His heavenly kingdom.  Come let us make preparations in ourselves and our churches; let us turn away from the extravagence that has become Christmas and turn instead towards God. 

Ask yourself are we truly celebrating the birth of God's own son on earth or are we celebrating a holiday some might still refer to as Christmas. Come.

Goodbye

Recently the community in which I served for the past two and one half years suffered from the loss of one of it's own. The funeral was held this past Thursday and though I was not in attendance I'm sure many were saddened by this passing.

I've shared this passage with the one most affected by this death and I think it bears repeating. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy, "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness...

Go in peace my sister in Christ. You did indeed fight the good fight, all the while keeping your faith.  Now you've finished the race and you're wearing the crown in your heavenly home. We know that one day we'll all be together again in a world without end - Amen.

Thanks-Giving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day set aside to commerate a moment in history when the Pilgrims celebrated that first meal in Plymouth colony.  It's a day that we celebrate with food, football and family (usually in that order).

Thanksgiving, is actually two words isn't it; thanks, and giving.  The pilgrims gave thanks that in their new land they were free from religious persecution.  What do you have to be thankful for this day?  Think about that for just a moment won't you?  I know that times are tough economically, maybe you've just lost a loved one, and you're thinking there's not a whole lot to be thankful for this year.  Wrong, you still have a God that loves you and will care for you even when you think that He's not listening or has abandoned you. Remember always Matthew 6:25-34, do not worry.

But what about the second part of that word; giving.  Jesus said "I did not come to be served but to serve."  Tomorrow is an excellent day to give in service to others.  Invite a friend for dinner that has no where else to go, serve food at a shelter, turn off the TV and talk with those around you, its not like there won't be another FB game.

 Let us GIVE THANKS tomorrow for the blessings of each and everyday God has given us.  Let us GIVE THANKS for His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who came to us, suffered with us and died for us so that our sins, yours and mine would be forgiven and the prophecy of eternal life would be fulfilled.  Let us GIVE THANKS to the men and women who have fought to give us what the Pilgrims sought so long ago - the freedom to worship God.

Penn State

The events of this past week at Penn State serve to remind us, once again, that we are worshipping things other than God. In this case it was a "legendary coach," or an esteemed university or America's favorite pastime, football, or maybe all three; but in any case all have been smudged, tarnished and dirtied because of selfish pride, lies and greed.

Last week the house of cards came tumbling down as the "alledged acts" of one man, compounded by other men could no longer be swept under the sod of Happy Valley's vaunted footbal field.

People will ask, why did God let this happen? Do you really think God's hand was upon those who were alledgedly involved in this whole sordid affair? This is a world filled with evil people who prey upon the old and the weak; in this case the victims were young boys.  What was it that Jesus said about those who prey upon children: "and whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these who believe in me to sin it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

Let us pray as Paul says without ceasing for the children who's lives have been changed, and who's love and trust have been damaged possibly forever. Let us pray for their parents and family, grant them patience and understanding and help them replace their anger with love and compassion. Let us pray for the prosecuters and defenders of the alleged perpetrator and last but not least let us pray for the alleged perpetrator himself.

Remember this passage from Romans 12:9, "Do not take revenge my friends but leave room for God's wrath for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay" says the Lord.

Which God is yours?

In my last blog I asked you to identify your God; was He the God of the OT or the God of the New?  Again the reason for this task came from a newspaper article written by Mr. William McKenzie in the Dallas Morning News, Tuesday, November 1, 2011.  In the article Mr. McKenzie sums up a report filed in the Baylor Religion Survey.  It showed that "believers" in a judgmental God (OT) have more, not fewer anxieties than "believers" in an engaged, loving God (NT).

According to the research those raised in an environment that preached "hellfire and brimstone" have 45% more concerns related to social anxiety, and 33% more concerns related to compulsions.

If on the other hand you were taught about God's love for His children and His concern for the "down and out", well you have 31% fewer mental issues.

So are these two one in the same God of course they are, but like any loving parent they must exercise their love according to needs of their children.  If the child has been disobedient then there are consequences for their actions.  If the child on the other hand needs loving attention and guidance, well God is there for us as well.

All we need to say about God is found in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  OT + NT = Salvation (enough said).

Question and answer time

Much of what I read in the electronic media is of two sorts: someone trying to sell you something or someone trying to tell you something. This blog would fall into the second category most of the time, but those of you who have followed me know that every once in a while I like to "change it up."  Today is one of those blogs.  The thought behind this blog comes from an article in the Dallas Morning News, a "fishwrap" to which I subscribe.

I would like to ask you a question then I would like you to think and reflect upon your answer.  Do you see God as an Old Testament God full of anger, wrath and vengeance or do you see the God of the New Testament, one filled with love and a desire for a warm relationship with you?  I said I would only ask you one question but while typing this I came up with another;  Are they both the same God?

Now sit and think about what I've just asked (to be cont.)