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WHY GOD DID WHAT HE DID AT CHRISTMAS

12/27/2012

Ray Ellis, of Cornerstone Community Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, once preached a message about Christmas titled The Gifts Jesus Gives at Christmas. In it, he tells a wonderful story illustrating why God did what He did in clothing Himself in human form that first Christmas…

Several years ago a mother in Anderson, South Carolina, was very busy on Christmas Eve, wrapping packages and preparing to take her family to a Christmas Eve service that evening. Suddenly she realized that the shoes she planned to wear were scuffed up and badly needed a shine.

She said to her eight-year-old son, who was bubbling with excited energy, “Would you take an old newspaper out on the back porch and try to shine my shoes without making a mess?”

Every child is eager to please on Christmas Eve, so off he went. In a little while he brought the shoes back nicely shined. The mother was so impressed that she reached into her pocketbook and gave him a quarter along with a hug and a thank-you. Later that evening when she was getting dressed, she started to put on a shoe but realized that something was inside it.

She reached in and found a quarter wrapped in a piece of notebook paper. On the paper, written in a childish scrawl, was this message: “I done it for love.”

Why did God do what He did at Christmas? The answer is clear. As the most quoted verse in the Bible, John 3:16, tells us: “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.” In other words, Praise God, He done it for love!

THE PASTOR'S CAT

12/23/2012

This past Sunday, I shared an illustration involving my wife's cat. I have my suspicions that the fiend is actually taking presents meant for me out from under our tree and hiding them! Why else would there be plenty of presents for everyone else in the family under our tree, yet very few for me?! If you think about it, my friends, I have arrived at the only conceivable explanation! In any event, I got to wondering if other Pastors have cat problems like I do. So I did a little research. And here is what I found out.

It appears that I am not alone. Other Pastors have their share of cat problems as well. In fact, one story seemed to stand out above all others. So, here it is: the definitive story about a Pastor and his cat, posted here by another humble Pastor whose only real fault is that he does not care for the presumptuous and ungrateful feline dwelling in his own home (but which he nonetheless is forced to tolerate because the beast is under the protection of his very own wife). It seems as if…

A certain Pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his yard and was afraid to come down. The Pastor coaxed and offered warm milk, etc... The kitten would not come down, and the tree was not sturdy enough to climb; so he decided to tie a rope to his car and pull it until the tree bent down where he could reach for the kitten.

So that is exactly what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he did so, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!”; and the kitten sailed out of sight.

The Pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. Nobody had seen the kitten. So he prayed, “Lord I just commit this kitten to your keeping”, and went about his business.

A few days later he was grocery shopping and met one of his church members. He looked in her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this particular woman was a cat-hater and everyone knew it; so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”

She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and then told how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the mom finally told her, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”

She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really Pastor, you just won’t believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying right out of the clear blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.”*

I'm glad this little girl's prayers were answered, even if it was for a cat. All jokes aside, though, I am always thankful as Christmas day unfolds. The reason? Because when men and women desperately needed a gift from Heaven, God did not forget us. He heard our prayers and sent a gift to us - right down from Heaven! Of course, the essential story of Jesus' own coming to earth from Heaven is recorded in Luke 2:1-20.

But there is more to the story. In Luke 2:21-38, we learn that Joseph and Mary next took their new son to the Temple for the required religious rituals. And there, we find the story of two wonderful individuals: Simeon and Anna.

These two persons had each been desperately praying for a long time for the Messiah to come. And then, voila, one day, He was set down right in their very midst! And the best part is that they recognized this and knew that their prayers had been answered!

Of course, the same holds true for you and me. Jesus Christ did not come down out of Heaven for just a few select individuals, but for all men and women everywhere. And that includes you and me! For my part, I have joyfully recognized the coming of the Messiah. Have you? I hope so. Because if you have, then you too have reason to rejoice. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

*NOTE: Obviously, the cat story above, available widely and many forms on the internet, is a fictional piece intended for humorous and/or illustrative purposes. Cf.: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/kitten-from-heaven.htm.

This particular version is taken from Mark Magill, and can be found on his blog, which is located on his web page called “Minute Messages” at: http://wordforlife.com/b2e/blog1.php/2012/08/05/the-pastor-s-cat. And no, I would never dream of flinging my wife’s cat off into the wild blue yonder.

On second thought, if your child is really praying for a cat, maybe we can work something out here - sort of a win/win for both parties... Just kidding!!! (In case my beautiful wife, who we all know has a wonderful sense of humor, just happens to read this particular blog post.)

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS STORY

12/20/2012

These days, most of the illustrations I use in my preaching are drawn either from the headlines I read or else from my experiences in life itself. For one thing, I have learned the value of relevance in illustration. But I have also learned that, while the majority of people from will invariably forget most everything I say from the pulpit, they will nonetheless usually remember my stories much longer than the other things else I say.

Illustrations can be powerful tools when conveying profound truths. Most of the memories I have from the sermons of the Pastors whose preaching I sat under in my own formative years are the stories they told. As a child, I heard one story in particular from a Pastor at Christmastime; and I have never forgotten it. It was about a little child which was tragically overlooked and forgotten at an event planned in its own honor.

Years later, as a young pastor myself, with little life experience and just beginning a lifetime of communicating, I tended to draw a lot of stories from books. Indeed, I collected up numerous books of stories designed to help me communicate. One of my favorite books was (and still is) one titled Illustrations Unlimited by James S. Hewett. It was published by Tyndale House Publishers in Wheaton, Illinois back in 1988.

Dr. Hewett was for years the Senior Pastor of Presbyterian churches in Walnut Creek, California, and Saratoga, California. He was also formerly the editor and publisher of Parables Etc. and The Pastors Story File, two monthly newsletters of illustrations for speakers.

I soon discovered that his book of illustrations contained that same story that I had heard so many years earlier and that had so impacted me. It has remained my favorite all-time Christmas story. It is titled simply “The Christening”. I wanted to post it here today.

The story is told of a Christening that was to be held many years ago by a very wealthy European family. Many guests were invited to the home for the occasion and came in the very latest fashionable garb. Their wraps and coats were carried to a bedroom and laid upon the beds.

After the usual lot of conversation and commotion, they were ready for the christening ceremony and someone asked, "Where is the baby?" The nurse was sent upstairs to look and returned in alarmed distress. The baby was nowhere to be found!

After several minutes search, someone remembered that the child had last been seen lying on one of the beds; and after a frantic search, the little child was found smothered under the wraps of the guests. The chief reason why they had come had been forgotten, neglected, and destroyed!

Dr. Hewett’s concluding admonition is especially poignant. He states:

This Christmas, many will forget, neglect, and even destroy the Christ child! He is smothered by the tinsel, wrapping paper, ribbon, and make-believe that surround the festive occasion reminding us of the words of Luke, "There was no room for them in the inn." Let's not crowd Christ out of Christmas.

And may I offer a hardy “Amen”!

NOTE: As is so often the custom, the merits of this story are discussed at length in sites that specialize in the investigation of purported e-mail glurge. See, for instance, http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/coats.asp. Here, the concluding commentary provided is not exactly favorable, calling this story a “rather gruesome communication” of the purpose of Christmas because it uses “vivid mental images of a grieving mother clutching to her bosom the lifeless body of her adored child” to make its point about losing the Christ child amidst the business of Christmas. The authors are certainly entitled to their opinions.

Nonetheless, my copy of the story above is taken directly from Dr. Hewett’s published book; and it contains no such vivid imagery, stating only that the child had smothered. Now the Bible does affirm that, some 33 years after His birth, the little Child named Jesus would one day grow up and be put to death by the gruesome means of crucifixion. He was smothered underneath the sin of mankind as He hung on that cross. It is probable that, after that event, His mother did indeed clutch to her bosom His lifeless body. Of course, three days later, she would also have kneeled at His feet as He came forth from the grave as the victorious Risen Lord and Savior!

It may be that a relatively recent set of headlines about a blatantly irresponsible mother allowing her own infant child to suffocate while she was next door on a drinking binge is what drives some of the modern reticence toward Dr. Hewett’s otherwise timeless illustration of losing Christ amidst the festivities of Christmas. (Cf.: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11
/baby-suffocates-in-pile-of-clothes-while-mom-allegedly-got-drunk.html.)

What is the origin of Dr. Hewett's story? It is hard to say for sure. It begins with wording that indicates it may never have been intended to be taken literally. Stories do not have to be true literally in order to convey great meaning. Witness the parables of Jesus.

Famed French author Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) once wrote a fictional short story called The Christening. He was a member of a group of writers which called themselves “naturalists”, and whose aim was to show the life, suffering, and exploitation of ordinary people. Maupassant’s is a sad tale involving the death of a small child due to exposure on the cold winter night of his Christening, all due to the flagrant irresponsibility of his family and the attending clergy. (Cf.: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/christening.html.)

Perhaps Maupassant’s story is ultimately the origin of the similar one eventually collected and published by Dr. Hewett. One can never know for sure. While Maupassant’s tale is set in the context of the approach of Christmas, it technically has a different purpose in that it attempts to addresses the devastating tragedy of alcoholism so prominent in the lives of the hopeless peasants of his day, many of which were often driven to drink by despair as a result of oppression, ignorance, and superstition.

Alcoholism is indeed tragic, as are despair and hopelessness. But for most Evangelical Christians today, the far bigger tempatation at this time of the year is simply to lose sight of the Christ child in the midst of the celebration of His own birth. May we ever be on guard against that subtle trap.

TRUSTING GOD IN DIFFICULT TIMES

12/17/2012

Yesterday, during our special time of prayer for the victims of the recent terrible tragedy in Connecticut, I referenced these lines from the song, Trust His Heart, by Babbie Mason:

God is too wise to be mistaken,
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
When you don't see His plan ,
When you can't trace His hand ,
Trust His heart.
Trust His heart.

Ms. Mason is an award winning gospel recording artist, songwriter, writer, and adjunct professor of songwriting at Point University (formerly Atlanta Christian College) in Atlanta, Georgia, and also at Lee University, just down the road in Cleveland, Tennessee.

We continue to remember the victims and their families in this difficult period, even as we struggle with why such things happen. As we do, the words of Babbie' song seem especially fitting at such a time as this. I thought I would post them here today in their entirety .

TRUST HIS HEART – by Babbie Mason

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't see how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hand
So don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry
He's weaving you and me
To someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

When you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart

Source: I received this idea from a Facebook post by a pastor friend of mine down in Georgia named John Jenkins. Babbie Mason’s web site is: http://www.babbie.com/. For those who desire to hear the song itself, her music is available for purchase on iTunes and similar music sites.

THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS

12/13/2012

In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ... fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (In case you are wondering, that is exactly one hundred quadrillion!)

Stoner then suggests that if "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly...   Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up (that one marked silver dollar.) What chance would he have of getting the right one?"

Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man ... providing they wrote them in their own wisdom."   Wow! Talk about incredible! Better yet, talk about miraculous!

In Galatians 4:4-7, the Bible says, 4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

This “fullness of time” culminated at that point in history when Jesus Christ was born. Today, we call that Christmas. And that single event represents the greatest miracle ever, not only of all time, but of all eternity. For in that moment, the eternal God of creation chose to clothe Himself in human flesh and to step into His creation and become a part of it.

And according to John 3:16, He did this for one reason: “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.”

Thank God for the miracle of Christmas! Thank Him above all for what that miracle means to you and me!

NOTE: Dr. Stoner’s book is out of print today; but can still be purchased through Amazon.com or similar web sites. However, it is a bit scarce and therefore expensive. For those interested in knowing more, a very detailed breakdown of Dr. Stoner’s work can be found in an article titled Applying the Science of Probability to the Scriptures: Do Statistics Prove the Bible's Supernatural Origin? by Dr. David R. Reagan, which can be found at http://lamblion.com/articles/articles_bible6.php.

WHAT MATTERS MOST

12/10/2012

Yesterday, in my morning message, I mentioned that my wife and I have reached the stage in our lives where the joy of Christmas is felt much more in giving to others than in getting things ourselves. This especially applies to our relationship with our parents. Over the last several years, therefore, we have been joyfully introducing them to everything from their very first laptop computers and iPods to treadmills and exercise machines.

Pastor Clifford S. Stewart, Senior Pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church of Abilene, Texas, can obviously relate to our situation. He tells the following story. Years ago, when he was pastoring in Louisville, Kentucky, he and his wife gave his parents their very first microwave oven for Christmas. Here's how he recalls the experience.

"They were excited that now they, too, could be a part of the instant generation... (But) when Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frowns! Even after reading the directions, they couldn't make it work.

"Two days later, my mother was playing bridge with a friend and confessed her inability to get that microwave oven even to boil water: 'To get this crazy thing to work,' she exclaimed, 'I really don't need better directions; I just needed my son to come along with the gift!'"

His closing observation is particularly insightful: “When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn't send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out; He sent His Son.” And all of God’s people say, “AMEN!” Christmas is nothing less than God giving us the gift of His very own Son! And that is certainly the Gift that matters most of all!

SOURCE: http://www.lcbc-wv.org/index.php?option=com_co
ntent&view=article&id=108%3Adec-10&Itemid=78.
Dr. Stewart’s web site is: http://www.fcpc.net/home.asp.

GETTING TO CHURCH

12/6/2012

A few years back, Dennis J. DeHaan wrote an article for Our Daily Bread titled “Why Go to Church”. Not surprisingly, it was about the importance of going to church on a regular and consistent basis. I am posting it here.

In a letter to the editor of a British newspaper, a man complained that he saw no sense in going to church every Sunday. “I have been attending services quite regularly for the past 30 years,” he wrote, “and during that time, I have listened to no less than 3,000 sermons. But, to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister’s time might be more profitably spent on something else.”

That letter sparked many responses. One, however, was the clincher: “I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals, mostly of my wife’s cooking. Suddenly, I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them I would have starved to death long ago.”

The Bible assumes the importance of going to church, and the only admonition to do so appears in the context of the danger of forsaking the practice (Hebrews 10:25). We need help to keep our faith and hope from wavering (v.23), and to love and do good works (v.24). Just as physical food keeps us alive and strong, so also the spiritual nourishment of teaching and fellowship are necessary for our survival.

I love to worship with others, to read the Bible and pray.
To sing the songs about Jesus, and learn to walk in His way. (Hess)

To keep growing in Christ, keep going to church.*

It strikes me that, most every year, church attendance spikes at two particular times: around Christmas and Easter. Now don’t get me wrong. As a Pastor, I am thankful for every single person who comes to church on any given Sunday. By the same token, surely Jesus matters to us more than just twice a year!

Surely there is more to celebrate in our Savior than just the commemoration of His birth and of His crucifixion and resurrection. If not, why do the Gospels spend so much more time on His earthly life than either the beginning or ending of that earthly life? (In point of fact, only Matthew and Luke dwell at any length on the circumstances of His birth.)

And just as there is more to the Gospel story of Jesus than just the two miracles of His birth and His resurrection, so is there more to the Christian life than just attending worship twice in a year. For my part, I plan to include the worship of Jesus Christ in my Christmas plans. And I commend all others who plan to do the same. At the same time, I do not plan to abandon Him or His church after the holiday season has passed.

My faith has more meaning than that. It is not a commodity to be shelved until protocol requires its retrieval. Likewise, my commitment to Christ is not intermittent; nor is my walk with Him seasonal. Rather, it is daily, as it must be. For the Christ Child of Christmas and the Risen Lord of Easter also said (in Luke 9:23): “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

In light of this, may we each be faithful in the coming year to pursue a daily walk with the Master, and to be committed to regular and consistent attendance in the House of God as a result. After all, if we were to go for weeks on end without a meal, we would pay the physical price in our health. By the same token, skipping church for weeks and months at a time is certainly not good for one's spiritual health.

*SOURCE: http://odb.org/2003/12/16/why-go-to-church-2/

CHRISTMAS TRUCE

12/3/2012

This past Sunday morning, I began a series of Christmas messages titled “Seasoning the Season”. I talked about Peter’s declaration that God has given us grace and peace, to which we must respond in faith. Thereafter, we are to add certain things to our faith, which include goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally, love (2 Peter 1:1-11).

Christmas begins with the grace of God. And with God’s grace comes God’s peace. As an illustration of the power of peace in the midst of a world full of strife and turmoil, I quoted the words to Garth Brooks’ song titled Belleau Wood. It can be found on his album titled Sevens. It recounts the now famous impromptu “Christmas Truce” of December 24-25, 1916 in the trenches surrounding “No Man’s Land” of World War One. Here are the lyrics.

Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence,
Over Belleau Wood that night.
For a Christmas truce had been declared,
By both sides of the fight.

As we lay there in our trenches,
The silence broke in two.
By a German soldier singing,
A song that we all knew.

Though I did not know the language,
The song was "Silent Night".
Then I heard my buddy whisper,
"All is calm and all is bright".

Then the fear and doubt surrounded me,
'Cause I'd die if I was wrong.
But I stood up in my trench,
And I began to sing along.

Then across the frozen battlefield,
Another's voice joined in.
Until one by one each man became,
A singer of the hymn.

Then I thought that I was dreaming,
For right there in my sight.
Stood the German soldier,
'Neath the falling flakes of white.

And he raised his hand and smiled at me,
As if he seemed to say:
“Here's hoping we both live,
To see us find a better way.”

Then the devil's clock struck midnight,
And the skies lit up again.
And the battlefield where heaven stood,
Was blown to hell again.

But for just one fleeting moment,
The answer seemed so clear.
Heaven's not beyond the clouds,
It's just beyond the fear.

What this song illustrates is the power of peace in the midst of a world full of turmoil and strife. Whether that turmoil and strife be between nations, between persons, or within a given individual, the point is the same. We all long for peace. Thank God that this is what He provides us through Christmas.

For the Angels themselves declared that first Christmas, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14 KJV). And no wonder; as they knew this child would one day grow up and declare: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).

And to make certain we understood what He was saying, later on in that same discourse, He repeated His promise when He said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). Amen!

NOTE: You can read about the spontaneous ceasefires that broke out all along the line of battle on the internet. Wikipedia has a reasonably good article, as do several other web pages. Numerous books, documentaries, and even a movie have all been devoted to this sponaneous and fascinating occurance.