Christmas

All our Christmas services this year centered around trees: especially the Jesse Tree based upon this verse, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1). On the left is the original idea behind the Jess Tree. By the use of images the medieval church communicated the linage of Christ. In more modern times someone combined the idea of a Jesse Tree with our modern Christmas tree. The result is the picture on the right. It was great to have our children take part in our service on Sunday and decorate the Jesse Trees with the ornaments they had created. In fact, one of the things I enjoy most about our special services is that we allow a number of our more creative people to use their gifts of decorating, singing, drama, construction, etc. May we continue to encourage creativity and applaud those who use the gifts God has given them to serve others and glorify our Lord.

Candlelight

I am continually amazed at the creativity of David Layman. Each year he crafts the perfect Candlelight service. The highlight of this year's service for me was having the children of the SMOMS (Single mom's ministry) carry in the various ceramic characters for the nativity. The number of children growing up in homes without a father is increasing. Few would say this is an ideal environment for children, however, this is the reality of the world in which we live. My hope is that our church will be a welcoming environment for single moms and their children and that these children grow to know God as their Father who will never leave them nor forsake them. May we, as the people of God, work to this end. Thank you David, for one small step in that direction.

Priest

The extent to which God went so that we might understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Jesus is wonderful beyond comprehension. The establishment of the priesthood, the job of the High Priest, the requirements for sacrifices, the construction and design of the Tabernacle--all were done so that we might grasp how significant is the death of Christ on our behalf. The repetition of sacrifices and the magnitude of offerings given all lead up to the final, once for all sacrifice of Jesus. He is God's great High Priest who is vastly superior to all priests who preceded him. He is the perfect atoning sacrifice for sin that has brought full atonement so that we might never need to suffer under the guilt and condemnation of sin. May we all respond by trusting in the work of our faithful High Priest and being ever mindful of his constant intercession on our behalf, may we become more like him.

The Prophet

When Jesus came as "The Prophet" Moses had spoken about, his first sermon was, "repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." It is repentance that opens our heart to enter the kingdom and repentance that keeps us maturing and growing in Christ.

It is amazing that so wonderful a gift as repentance has come to be viewed so distastefully. It is such a blow to our pride to admit that we have been wrong. However, when we humble ourselves before God and freely confess our sins, we give the Holy Spirit the necessary room to bring about transformation of our true selves. It is then that "times of refreshing come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

The Relationships

I gain hope from how messed up the church in Corinth was. In fact, as I think about the New Testament churches, I don't see many (any?) that did not have major problems. The New Testament documents themselves were almost exclusively written to address the problems being experienced in the churches. In spite of that, the gospel was spreading and new congregations were springing up everywhere. How marvelous that God doesn't need us to get everything "fixed" for Him to work in wonderful ways. His grace is what saves us and his grace is what sustains us. Far from making us complacent, may God's grace have the same effect in our lives that it had in the life of the one who because of his former life, called himself, "the least of the apostles." In his own words, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

The Altar & The Table

It's no secret that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the idea of devoting a day for the purpose of giving God the appropriate thanks for all that he has done for us. Being able to spend the day with my family makes the day joyous indeed!

Our assembly seemed so alive this morning. Our all male praise team made such a beautiful noise to the Lord encouraging us all to participate. Having our children down front for a special lesson is always fun. Our pantry collection was sufficient to help many needy families in the coming months (well over $4,000). Having our family prayer time focus on thanksgiving brought tears to my eyes as people I have prayed with over the year came to "report" on how God has answered our prayers. Finally, taking the Lord's Supper together at the end of the service was especially joy filled.

For some reason the tradition of taking the Lord's Supper that we inherited is very solemn, reflective, and individualized. As we read in the Scriptures today, the original purpose of the Supper was that it be joyful, festive, and communal. My hope is that we will continue to move in this direction exploring more ways to observe the Communion that we assist our growth in expressing our gratitude to God for all that he has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Resurrection

Some of us remember the old songs that used to be popular in church:

• This World is not My Home ("My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue")

• Won't it be Wonderful There ("When with the Savior we enter the glory land")

• Mansions Over The Hilltop ("I'm satisfied with just a cottage below; a little silver and a little gold")

• By and By ("Trials dark on every hand and we cannot understand all the ways that God will lead us to that blessed promised land.")

Most of these songs were written when life was hard and people looked forward to a "land of rest" when all of God's promises would come to fulfillment. Among African-Americans the spirituals had a similar theme such as this once familiar song, "I am a poor wayfaring stranger, a traveling through the world of woe."

As life became easier we stopping writing and singing these songs. Instead of thinking about Jesus' return, the end of time, resurrection, judgment, and eternity; we began to talk more about the blessings God has for us in this life. Christian bookstores are full of guides teaching us how to enjoy all the blessings of God right now. The epitome of this emphasis has become what is called the "Prosperity Gospel" or the "Gospel of Health and Wealth" which teaches that God wants to bless all of his children with health and wealth in this life.

Reading 1 Corinthians 15 in light of this emphasis seems strange indeed. For Paul, this world is messed up and needs more than a make over. It needs a complete purging. The world is held captive to sin and is ruled by death. Jesus' resurrection truly was the beginning of the End. We are living in the "last days" and the earth as we know it is passing away. We must resist the temptation to live as though this is our home. We are all here on assignment but our home is somewhere else. Resurrection means we are to live this life in preparation for the life to come.