Love In Action

Luke 2:15-20 

     When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

    They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

May the wonder that God came down from heaven to a be laid in a manger turn into the greater joy that God still, to this day, comes to us, abides with us as our Lord Emmanuel. Central United Methodist Church staff wishes you a very Merry Christmas. It has been a pleasure to serve you this year in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas. As Christians we can participate in this beloved season all year long, and we are called to do so.

The Light to Reveal God to the Nations

Luke 2:25-33

  At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,  Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,  “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
      as you have promised.
 I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.
 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
      and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.

Thought for the Day
In this day and time, what would a devout christian most want to see before they die? There are many answers to this question. Surely one of the most important would be to see the Holy Spirit upon family and friends and know that God's salvation through Christ is theirs. But, remember this, if you have recieved salvation, it is a gift to share with all people. Be the light that reveals Christ as the way to God's salvation.

Todays ADVENTure
Ask someone to tell you why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 2:1-5

  This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
      will be the highest of all—
      the most important place on earth.
   It will be raised above the other hills,
      and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
 People from many nations will come and say,
   “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
      to the house of Jacob’s God.
   There he will teach us his ways,
      and we will walk in his paths.”
   For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
      his word will go out from Jerusalem.
 The Lord will mediate between nations
      and will settle international disputes.
   They will hammer their swords into plowshares
      and their spears into pruning hooks.
   Nation will no longer fight against nation,

      nor train for war anymore.
 Come, descendants of Jacob,
      let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Thought for the Day
Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Wonderful, wistful words! The light of the Lord came to earth in Bethlehem on that silent night. The Prince of Peace came to show us the way to live together with war no longer a part of our vocabulary. Yet today so many many years later we see troops coming home from Iraq and we salute them for their bravery and service, and we watch the news of those remaining in Afghanistan in harms way. Our hearts cry out for peace, a world in which the spirit of the Prince of Peace will rein and" nation will no longer fight against nation".

Today's ADVENTure
Pray earnestly  that we may learn to "walk in the light of the Lord" and that weapons of war will become symbols of peace

The Light of God's Grace

Matthew 4:14-16

This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:  "In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
      beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
      in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
  the people who sat in darkness
      have seen a great light.
   And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
      a light has shined."

Thought for the Day
From the beginning of time there has been both physical and spiritual darkness.
Why is it that we are not afriad to walk the streets during the day, but have a fear of being out alone in the dark of night?
Why do problems seem so much worse during the dark of night?
Why do our mistakes of both the day and the past haunt the corners of our soul?
We have a need for the safe and calm that light brings into our lives.
God knows that about us...and sent us light...in the form of the sun...
in the form of electricity...but most of all, in the form of HIS Son...Thanks be to God...

Today's ADVENTure
Today release just one mistake that fills a dark spot within you.  Allow the light of God's grace and forgivness to fill that dark spot.

Sharing the Radiance of God's Glory

Luke 2:8-20

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
      and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

Thought for the Day

Wise men who study the skies record that El Nino winters have had a history of producing major snow or ice storms in the state of Mississippi and that snow or ice storms have been recorded in four out of the last five El Nino events.

Twelve years ago I tucked my family in bed two days before Christmas with no electricity, no way to leave, and no signs at all of a modern Christmas. That night I lay in bed listening to the creaking and snapping of the fragile pine branches outside my window as they broke under the weight of the ice. Around midnight, I heard the first crash as the trees had reached their limits and were now buckling under the weight of the ice like Popsicle sticks in the hands of an irate child. By morning tress throughout the state had fallen across roadways and power lines, leaving us stranded in one of the worst ice storms I could remember.

            Christmas Eve arrived and rather than watch our favorite Christmas specials or listen to the holiday cd’s that had become part of our family’s tradition we  celebrated the “old fashioned way” by reading the  Christmas Story from the Bible, popping corn in the fireplace, and singing carols and hymns.

            Part of the joy of our family gatherings is preparing the meal together so we had not cooked any of the dishes in advance which under these circumstances left us hungry and looking for food so when we heard early Christmas morning the Starkville Café on Main Street had power and would be serving meals as long as the food lasted we decided to bundle up and try our luck on the icy roads. We were no more than 200 yards from the café when the roads became impassable. Driven by hunger, we left the truck and began trudging through the still dark morning. At the top of main street I stopped to catch my breath in the cool icy air and looked over at my wife clutching our son to her breast, leaning over I could hear him snoring contently wrapped safely in her arms.  With that assurance I turned once again towards downtown with only the light of the café’s store front to guide our path.

            Moments later as we sat eating I thought back to the passage in Luke we had read and how the radiance associated with the appearance of the angel had in the end left them reassured and secure that God would provide for all mankind. I found it somewhat ironic that my family had also come in from the darkness led by the radiance of the only lights in town and how we would soon be leaving satisfied and taken care of by our Father in Heaven yet again on Christmas.

Jim Cain

Today's ADVENTure

            Take a moment before retiring this evening and look out your window at the houses in your neighborhood. Is there one with less decorations than the surrounding houses? Perhaps completely dark at this late hour. If so, take a moment to pray over the house and family that reside within asking the Lord to guide in you in ministering to them in some way. If nothing else leave an unlit candle on their doorstep, thus symbolically sharing the radiance of God’s glory with them.

God's Dreamers

Matthew 1:18-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
  "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
      She will give birth to a son,
   and they will call him Immanuel,
      which means 'God is with us.'"
  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Thought for the Day
There are similarities between this Joseph, the husband of Mary and Joseph the son of Jacob. Besides their name, both bring their families to Egypt. Jacob's son brings his brothers and father and their families to Egypt in order to survive the famine. Mary's husband brings his wife and child to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod. But, more significantly, both of these Josephs are dreamers. Jacob's son has dreams of his brothers bowing down to him. And he understands dreams. He correctly interprets the dreams of Pharoah that predict the coming years of plenty and years of famine. Mary's husband has the dream that we read about in this passage and also has the dream that warns him of the danger to his family. And both of these men named Joseph were not afraid to follow their dreams. Joseph means "(God) shall add," and because they were willing to follow the dreams God gave them God did add.

What is it you dream of. Are your dreams from God, or do your dreams involve you adding to yourself? Allow God to guide your dreams for the future and you will dream of helping the least, guiding the lost, healing the hopeless. Follow the dreams God has for you and He will add to you all that you need. You too, will become a dreamer - a Joseph.




Today's ADVENTure
Imagine today what God may be dreaming for your life.

God With Us

Zephaniah 3:14-17

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy.  And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you!  At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.  On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion!  Don't be afraid!  For the LORD your God is living among you.  He is a mighty savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.


Thought for the Day
In the season of Advent, there are unexpected moods and mood swings.  Advent begins in darkness with lament over our condition and our desire for God to act.  Advent then gives way to hope as we hear God's promise to come and live among us.  It is this promise - that God will be with us - that is the heart of Advent.  God's promise is also what makes all the difference between darkness and hope.


Today's ADVENTure
When you see people walking together, remember that God is with us!

No Fear

Isaiah 11:1-10

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
      yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
  And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
      the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the Spirit of counsel and might,
      the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
  He will delight in obeying the Lord.
      He will not judge by appearance
      nor make a decision based on hearsay.
  He will give justice to the poor
      and make fair decisions for the exploited.
   The earth will shake at the force of his word,
      and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
  He will wear righteousness like a belt
      and truth like an undergarment.
  In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
      the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
   The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
      and a little child will lead them all.
  The cow will graze near the bear.
      The cub and the calf will lie down together.
      The lion will eat hay like a cow.
  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
      Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
      for as the waters fill the sea,
      so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
  In that day the heir to David’s throne
      will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
   The nations will rally to him,
      and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.


Thought for the Day
Isaiah presents for us a remarkable vision of the peaceable community that will be fulfilled by the heir to David's throne. It is incredible that the lion, the wolf and leopard will forego their violent ways and instead eat hay like a cow and present no signs of aggression towards those who they previously used to sate their voracious appetites. But even more unbelievable is that the lamb, the kid and the calf will accept their former enemies. They accept that their enemies will no longer pursue them, they do not demand muzzles for the wolves, they do not seek revenge for the generations of abuse by these former carnivores. What is amazing is that not only will the wolf not pursue the lamb but that the lamb will not run away from the wolf.

When we enter the kingdom will we be willing to accept the presence of those who have misused us? I pray for the grace to be so accepting.

Today's ADVENTure
When you encounter someone who you think is taking advantage of you today, forgive them even before they take advantage. Watch what a change that will make in you, in them, in the situation. Choose to live in God's kingdom today. 

Living a Sermon

Luke 3:1-6

  It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
   “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
   ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
      Clear the road for him!
  The valleys will be filled,
      and the mountains and hills made level.
   The curves will be straightened,
      and the rough places made smooth.
  And then all people will see
      the salvation sent from God.’”


Thought for the Day
Consider the significance of that one word preaching. Now consider the fact that your life could be the most significant sermon many people will ever experience. When people are dealing with the valleys and rough places of life your words and actions could prepare the way for the Lord. Everyday you are living a sermon, preach well my friend.

Today's ADVENTure
Call or talk with someone in such a way that they will experience God's salvation in you.

Blind!

John 9:1-7

  As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

  “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

  Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

Thought for the Day
How excited and amazed the blind man must have felt when Jesus restored his sight! Absolutely amazing! Life is now new and free of the things which had robbed him of joy and the ability to participate fully in life.
Those of us who have been blessed with eyesight cannot begin to understand all that was going on in this man's life. And how fortunate we are to have eyesight. However most of us have blind spots in our lives that are not caused by failing eyesight. For many years I lived as a member of our southern society not knowing the devistation and hurt that segregation was wreaking on those who were non-white. My how blind I was until I was forced to look at myself, my attitude, and the attitude of others around me. When my blindness was removed I felt a deep remorse and shame. Perhaps your blindness comes from another source, but most of us have blind spots. When Jesus washes our spiritual eyes we like the blind man come back seeing.


Today's ADVENTure
Dare to take a self inventory and see if there are blind spots in your life.

Like a Shepherd

Isaiah 40

 ¹ “Comfort, comfort my people,”
      says your God.
 ² “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
   Tell her that her sad days are gone
      and her sins are pardoned.
   Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
      for all her sins.”

 ³ Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
   “Clear the way through the wilderness
      for the Lord!
   Make a straight highway through the wasteland
      for our God!
 ⁴ Fill in the valleys,
      and level the mountains and hills.
   Straighten the curves,
      and smooth out the rough places.
 ⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
      and all people will see it together.
      The Lord has spoken!”

 ⁶ A voice said, “Shout!”
      I asked, “What should I shout?”

   “Shout that people are like the grass.
      Their beauty fades as quickly
      as the flowers in a field.
 ⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fade
      beneath the breath of the Lord.
      And so it is with people.
 ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fade,
      but the word of our God stands forever.”

 ⁹ O Zion, messenger of good news,
      shout from the mountaintops!
   Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.
      Shout, and do not be afraid.
   Tell the towns of Judah,
      “Your God is coming!”
 ¹⁰ Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
      He will rule with a powerful arm.
      See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
 ¹¹ He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
      He will carry the lambs in his arms,
   holding them close to his heart.
      He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.


Thought for the Day
The prophesy in Isaiah Chapter 40 is one of hope, which crosses over thousands of years.  Up to this point Isaiah had called for Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations to repent of their sins.  He warned them of God's judgment and punishment.  Then suddenly in Chapter 40 Isaiah begins to unfold God's promise of blessing and redemption as he prophesies the coming of the Sovereign Lord.  While this was written to the nation of Judah, it's message still holds truth for us today.
In the first part of this Chapter, Isaiah speaks of making the path straight in the wasteland, reminding the people that even through trial and suffering, faith is not to be hindered, but to find comfort in God's unending love and compassion.
In verses 8 and 9 we are reminded of our mortality.  We are like the flowers and grass...here for a short time and then gone.
Our grief and suffering, our mortality...all encompassed in the arms of a loving Shepherd who holds us close...protecting and loving us.
All of this done through the birth of a tiny baby come to earth...

Today's ADVENTure
Today as you drive through town and see the dead leaves along the street, think of your mortality...what legacy do you want to leave this world?  WHAT will be your legacy to God's Kingdom?

The Guide to a Perfect Gift

John 3:16-21

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁶ “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

 ¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Thought for the Day
Not long ago I sat in my car listening to a sermon on the  radio. The exact text escapes me now, but the  gist of the message was this, “ if we are in worship about to offer up a gift to God and suddenly remember a disagreement or argument that has not been settled with a friend, then we are to wait on giving God the gift until we have settled matters with our friend. It is only after we have made amends with our friend that God will accept our gift.”

Taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, these instructions form the “Perfect Guide to Gift Giving”.  It would seem Jesus was saying that it wasn’t the thing but the thought, or more specifically, relationships are more important than sales slips. This school of thought can be found all the way back to Old Testament, where gifts were given and received with a symbolic reverence.
Rebekah received gifts of clothing and jewelry to symbolize her receiving Isaac as her husband. The wily Jacob tried to bribe his brother Esau into forgiving him of all the wrongs he had committed on his brother in their youth. Bribes Esau flatly refused. Later on Jacob would again cause family turmoil when he gave his favorite son, Joseph, a flashy coat of many colors. The Magi are probably the most famous gift givers next to God, with the prophetic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

            When the relationship is right, how right the gift itself becomes. My mother has a storage locker in the town where she lives filled with things she no longer needs or never wanted. Once when sent to deposit something there for her I discovered sever framed prints and paintings that had never been hung on her walls. One of which was done by a sought after Mississippi artist, yet the door to Refrigerator is covered with finger paintings and scribbled drawings by her grandchildren, put there for all the world to see.

These gifts are an expression of unselfish love, given freely with nothing expected in return. But can we say the same for the gifts we give and receive at Christmas. How often do we use the cost of the gift as a substitute for time and attention that was not offered during the years past? Or sadder still, don’t we sometimes give a gift because we think it is expected or we know the recipient is planning on giving us one as well. Honestly, is there much time or thoughtfulness put into these gifts?

            Maybe this Christmas we should examine the names on our shopping list to see if any of them fall into this category. I’m not suggesting we take the whole list at once. But select just one person who has become nothing more than a name on a list, a meaningless obligation and apply Jesus’ instructions to the situation: spending some time together with the person, rekindling the friendship before buying or offering the person a gift.

            Once the person is selected, devote a few days to praying for them by name. Let us pray specifically about your relationship with them, how fulfilling it was in the past and why things have now gone astray. Ask God to soften the person’s heart towards us or if we are in the wrong we should ask God to give us strength and courage to admit our mistakes to the person we have offended. After we have done this for several days we should reach out to the person in the shape of a phone call, e-mail, or text. Perhaps we could offer to buy them lunch or set up a time to visit with them one on one. Whatever the steps of improvement we settle on, we should be certain through prayer that it is what God wants us to do and not of our own will and mind. Only after that is accomplished is it time to select a gift. The price of the gift, large or small, will not be of any consequence as our gift will do what all true gifts should, reflect our feelings of affection toward the person.

            When we give in this spirit, we are truly making ready for Christmas when love, in the form of a baby, came down to earth. It is then that we can join the Magi in kneeling at the crib and giving thanks for God giving us His Son, the greatest gift of all.

Today's ADVENTure

            Look around your home. Do you know where the decorations you are displaying came from? If you are like most people, you can remember some vividly while others have slipped into the warm hazy past. Select a spot of prominence in your home, whether it is on your tree or mantle and each day display an ornament there while remembering the circumstances or person who provided it. As you receive visitors on this day share with them the story behind it or something about the person who gave it to you. The next day do the same, moving a different ornament or decoration to the place of honor. Following this routine should lead to a warmer Christmas this year, if only in the heart.

           

God IS Light

1 John 1:4-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. ⁵ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Thought for the day!

One of the ways that we divide creatures in the animal kingdom is by whether they naturally function best in the night or in the day. I think it's mostly about how well they can see. Some animals can see things in the dark that you or I couldn't begin to see - like owls. We call those animals nocturnal. We human beings aren't nocturnal by nature but our eyes can adjust to the darkness enough that we can find a seat in a darkened movie theater if we just wait a few minutes.

In John's letter, he is addressing people who are trying to live as nocturnal Christians - those who have become so accustomed to living in the darkness that they may not even realize it. John wants his readers to know that it is absolutely impossible to call yourself a follower of Jesus while you're living in the darkness. "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). It calls to mind the opening to John's gospel where he introduced Jesus as the light that shines in the darkness, the light no darkness can overcome. But this time, when John introduces his theme of light and darkness, he's also applying it to those who are professing to be followers of Jesus.

When John wrote his letters near the end of the first century, he might well have been the last breathing apostle. He lived through a time when this new religion that came to be called Christianity was being formed. People were sorting it out as they went. Much of what we take for granted as basic Christianity 101 was still emerging: how to worship God, appropriate ways to support one another in community, the doctrine of the Trinity, the mystery of the incarnation, what, if anything, was required to gain admittance to the church. It all had to be hammered out by the Christian community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And often before orthodox theology was established, there were disagreements.

In the time of John there was a strong movement called gnosticism that presented a challenge to the Christians. The gnostics were people who had trouble accepting the humanity of Jesus. They couldn't figure out how it was possible for Jesus to be God and for him to die, so they rationalized it away. One explanation was that God's Spirit had temporarily taken over Jesus' body at the time of his baptism but it left again before he went to the cross. Other gnostics theorized that Jesus was never a real human being but only appeared as one. John was probably speaking directly to the gnostic influence on the early church when he began this letter by making it perfectly clear that he had seen Jesus with his own eyes and touched him with his own hands, and he was a real flesh and blood human being, yet fully God.

Today's ADVENture!

When you experience the light of the sun remember that you have been called to walk in the light of Christ!

Light in the Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe.  They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.  They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.  You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves.  We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness,", has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.


Thought for the Day
God's creative power is seen in many ways, but it is very evident each morning at sunrise: the darkness is dispelled, even on a cloudy day.  Advent declares that God's power is also seen in the coming of Jesus to the world.  According to the Apostle Paul, God gives light to the world through Jesus, which in turn reveals to us the glory of God.  The light Jesus gives shows us how to live in a dark world without stumbling.


Today's ADVENTure
As the sun goes down this evening and darkness returns, give thanks to God, who gives light to the world.

Here I Am, Send Me

Isaiah 6

 ¹ It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. ² Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³They were calling out to each other,

   “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
      The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

 ⁴ Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

 ⁵ Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

 ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷ He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

 ⁸ Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

   I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

 ⁹ And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,

   ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
      Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
 ¹⁰ Harden the hearts of these people.
      Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
   That way, they will not see with their eyes,
      nor hear with their ears,
   nor understand with their hearts
      and turn to me for healing.”

 ¹¹ Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?”

   And he replied,

   “Until their towns are empty,
      their houses are deserted,
      and the whole country is a wasteland;
 ¹² until the Lord has sent everyone away,
      and the entire land of Israel lies deserted.
 ¹³ If even a tenth—a remnant—survive,
      it will be invaded again and burned.
   But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down,
      so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.”

Thought for the Day
And we know that the stump referred to here is Jesus himself. It is from Him that the new Israel, the church, grows again.

But first note the model of worship Isaiah experiences in the beginning of the passage. He enters God's presence and sees Him in His Holiness. He finds himself among the seraphim who are engaged in worshiping the Lord. They are calling out - singing - to one another of the wonders of the Lord. Having experienced God's holiness he recognizes his own unworthiness and realizes he is sure to face his doom. He does all that any one of us can do. He confesses his sin and the sins of the people he lives among. Immediately upon his confession he is given a sign of God's forgiveness. Then having experienced all of this he is ready and willing to take God's message to others.

And what a message it is. And it is a message that though Isaiah spoke it to the land of Israel many centuries ago, it is also relevant for us in our land today. My prayer is that we would understand and turn to God for healing before we are brought to the destruction that Israel faced. I pray that you have eyes and do see. Ears and do hear.

Today's ADVENTure
As you leave worship today think; what is the message God is sending me to deliver. To whom am I to bring it. How best can I convey that message so that they and I will understand it and be healed by it. 

Living Stones: Stumbling Blocks and Cornerstones

1 Peter 2:5-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. ⁶ As the Scriptures say,
   “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
      chosen for great honor,
   and anyone who trusts in him
      will never be disgraced.”
 ⁷ Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,
   “The stone that the builders rejected
      has now become the cornerstone.”
 ⁸ And,
   “He is the stone that makes people stumble,
      the rock that makes them fall.”
   They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
 ⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.


Thought for the Day
It is a bit of a shame that in the translations of Simon Peter's name from Aramaic to Greek to Latin and ultimately English, his name became in entrenched in the Greek - Petros, from which is derived the Latin "Petrus", the French "Pierre", the Italian "Pietro", the Spanish and Portuguese "Pedro", the Russian "Piotr", and the English "Peter."

"Petros" in Greek means rock. You will remember from the gospels that it is Jesus who changes Simon's name to "Rock" and then immediately turns it into a pun saying "It is upon this rock that I will build my church." So if along the way Peter's name had been translated into the English "Rocky" or "Stone", we might more quickly grasp what this man named Rocky is saying in the passage above.


In this letter Rocky (Peter) is intent on quoting the scriptures about rocks and stones. Indeed the three quotes he mentions are from the Old Testament Scriptures. Two from Isaiah and one from the Psalms. They are also all three scriptures that Jesus quoted in his teachings. Jesus is the fulfillment of these three Old Testament prophecies. And now Peter is allowing Christ to live through him. The scriptures continue to be fulfilled in Peter. He, too, is now a stumbling block, and a stone rejected by the builders. He is selected to be the cornerstone of God's church on earth.


And we, also, are living stones being built by God into His spiritual temple, and His holy Church; fulfilling His will in this world.


Today's ADVENTure
Pick up a rock as you begin today. Take it with you throughout the day. Each time it gets in your way, remember that God takes what seems to us to be stumbling stones, and uses them as building blocks for our spiritual lives.

Christ Will Give You Light

Ephesians 5:6-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁶ Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. ⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do. ⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
 ¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. ¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, ¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
   "Awake, O sleeper,
      rise up from the dead,
      and Christ will give you light."

Thought for Today
How easy it is for us to become spiritually dead. We become caught up in the secular which seems so real and the spiritual becomes secondary. That is especially true during Advent and Christmas as we are bombarded with commercials telling us that the latest item on the market is the thing that we need in order to find true happiness. The new item is soon surpassed by the next invention and the process starts all over again. The happiness it brought is soon faded.
The light that Christ brings to our lives is eternal, it helps us put people, places and things in their proper perspective.




Today's ADVENTure
Evaluate the next commercial you see or hear and ask yourself what lasting joy it can bring, especially in comparison to the light Christ gives.

Walk In the Light

John 12:35-36

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ³⁵ Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.³⁶ Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

   After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

Thought for the Day
Several months ago there was a television special on Lighthouses and the preservation of the deteriorating ones around the world. The special told that the earliest lighthouses were simply bonfires built on hillsides to guide ships. The first light served the old world city of Alexandria in 285 B.C. The first American light came to life in 1716 at Boston Harbor. Lighthouses still scatter the shoreline of the great lakes, harbors and shores of our country.
You often find Christmas cards with lighthouses in the background. After all, Jesus was prophesied as the Light of the World.  The lighthouse serves as a metaphor of Jesus being the light in the darkness and evil of the world, keeping us safe, guiding our path.
The words Jesus spoke to his disciples in today's reading, serves still as a reminder to us to place our trust in Him, follow the path of light He has placed before us, lightingthe dark areas in our lives.  No strings attached...a calm, quiet, safe light in a dark fearful world...guiding our path, allowing us to become "children of the light."

Today's ADVENTure
Close your eyes for a moment.  Imagine yourself on dark, rough, waters. In the distance you see the calm rotating motion of a beam of light.  You can suddenly the shoreline. You are no longer adrift...safety is in sight.
Eyes still closed, imagine the dark corners, the sadness, loneliness, or grief you may feel. Look for the calm Light in the darkness...the light, the warmth, the safety of the Light of the World. After a moment, open your eyes, knowing that you are indeed a Child of THE LIGHT...nothing is too dark for His Light.  Go in peace and love through this day of Advent!

A Lamp to Guide My Feet

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Psalm 119:105-106

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
      and a light for my path.
 ¹⁰⁶ I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:
      I will obey your righteous regulations.

Thought for the Day

Lights have always played a dominate role in our celebrations and holidays. Whether it is the candles and cakes that mark our birthdays, the fireworks that declare our independence, or the twinkling lights that herald the coming of our Savior.  

Evergreen trees and fresh cut wreaths are lavishly adorned with lights as we prepare for the coming of Christmas.  Brightly colored lights fill the windows of the houses and shops in the surrounding towns and cities. The connection between our God and bright, decorative lights can best be seen in a story once passed down from generation to generation amongst God’s chosen people.

It was in the time that Syria ruled over the nation of Israel when King Antiochus Epiphanes declared that all those under his control would adopt the Greek lifestyle; worshipping their gods and living by their customs. One man, a Jewish shepherd named Judas Maccabeus, refused to do so. Judas and his brothers led the Israelites under Syria’s control to revolt. When their cries reached the heavens, God showered them with His grace and they were soon victorious and allowed to worship once again in Jerusalem.

          These events soon led to the reformation of the nation of Judah. As the people began to worship in Jerusalem once again they purified the Temple removing all traces of idolatry. One of the first things they restored was the large candelabrum or Menorah that was traditionally found in the court but had been removed by the Syrians. When the time came to relight the Perpetual Light, they  discovered much to their dismay that all but one container of holy oil had been defiled. This container or cruet contained only enough oil for one day. Not knowing what else to do, it was lit and the people began to pray for God to provide the needed oil. Miraculously, the oil burned for the full eight days that was required.

          Witnessing this miracle, Judas Maccabeus established an eight day festival of lights called Chanukah or “dedication”. The very name of the festival reflects that it wasn’t the battle that was important but the realization that God is always a few steps ahead of us in our journey illuminating our path and making safe the way of our journey.

Today's ADVENTure

Take a moment  at the end of your day and light a candle. As the flame sputters and flickers to gain life think for a moment on how our own spiritual journey is reflected in this. How starting out our faith is a flickering wavering thing and how each time our faith is rewarded it gains strength and energy to carry us through the trials of this world.