"So This is Christmas"

Christmas is a time of peace, hope, giving and love, at least it should be. During the Christmas season there is a kind of peace but it is more of a cease fire, there is a kind of hope but it is a “hope so” kind of hope, there is giving but often it is done begrudgingly based on what was given to us, if anything ,last year. It is a time of love and good feelings toward all at least at the Christmas party or when people are watching. Christmas has had an impact on our society outwardly more so than inwardly. We sing the songs, talk of peace and joy, give the gifts but few really deep down experience true lasting peace or the joy of selfless giving. That’s because our society, as much as they like the economics of Christmas, despise the Christ of Christmas. The message of Christ is one of peace, hope, joy, love, forgiveness but it is not wrapped up in what we do but in what Jesus Christ did on the cross 2000 years ago. “The good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” , means He came to this earth to die on the cross in our place, not to condemn us. He came to bring Joy, peace, hope through the forgiveness of our sins. He says to us “all those who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. He came to bring us back to God. Jesus is truly the reason for the season. The peace and joy of Christmas is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to keep him in the pre-eminent place. We may have lost the battle for doing this in the malls, schools and street corners but he can be and needs to be pre-eminent in the most important place in this world, our hearts. If He is the world will take notice that we have been with Jesus. That’s what lost people really need to see.; people who have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Stop it, or Else..."

How many times have we said or overheard someone say, it started out so small, but now….! They are usually referring to a disagreement or an altercation with someone that has escalated from a simple disagreement to an all out war. Pride, anger, resentment, unforgiveness, are all things that escalate a minor incident into a major problem.
We all saw the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as the waters flowed over the levees  protecting the city. New Orleans is built below sea level so these levees are needed to keep the waters of the Gulf of Mexico from reaching places they would normally go if not held back. These levees are made of dirt. But all it takes is a little hole to open and then just a trickle of water flowing through that hole and you have the potential for disaster. There is tremendous pressure exerted by the water as it seeks to push against the dirt trying to get to its rightful place. One little prick and it begins to flow, as it flows it begins to eat away more dirt, making the hole bigger. As the whole gets bigger the water flow is increased, and it begins to build up momentum and before long what could have been stopped very easily has become a raging torrent that is unstoppable and devastating.
Proverbs 17:14 tells us “the beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”
The beginning of strife - that first disagreement or unkind word or deed etc. How many huge quarrels today started with a silly disagreement years ago - or a little thing that got blown way out of proportion and was never dealt with. Strife, like a dam bursting, almost always starts over a small thing. Families, churches, marriages, friendships divided by quarreling over issues that if you were to ask the parties involved could not even be remembered. Or if they could remember would be embarrassed at how insignificant a thing it really was at the time. How sad to see churches divide by great chasms between people because of quarrels that go back years and years. Strife has momentum. One thing leads to another, one person fires and the other fires back and before long you have a full blown war.
Solution - “quit before the quarrel breaks out.” Stop strife in it’s tracks. How? 15: 1 says “a soft answer turns away wrath,..” 17:9 says “whoever covers an offense seeks love…” When you are hurt, before you speak, pray. If something needs to be said, say it quietly, softly. When we choose to fight, get even, or shoot back we begin a process that begins to eat away at everything around us. And it will build momentum and become very difficult to stop the spreading devastation. In the beginning we have an opportunity to stop a quarrel from breaking out. The natural tendency of our sinful flesh is to strike back, get even, hold the grudge. We feel the pressure to do this. But we do not need to be controlled by our flesh. We need to ask God to help us respond to people and not just react to people. It only takes one person to stop strife. One person empowered by the Spirit of God, willing to love, willing to yield, willing to turn the other cheek, and what might have escalated into something huge has been stopped with the sandbags of forgiveness, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, patience, and self-control.
Proverbs 17:14 “the beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”

"Storm Warning"

Back in 1964 seven people set off in a small boat. Shortly after their trip began a storm came up and they found themselves deserted on a remote island. They ended up stuck there for three years. You May remember the story it was all over the television. There names were Gilligan, Skipper, professor, Mary-Ann, Ginger, and Mr.& Mrs, Howell the third. What began as a three hour tour becomes a three year struggle for survival all because of a storm. Or in this case a three year struggle to be funny. Gilligan’s island was a comedy (to some). But when real storms come up in real life few people go through them laughing.
There May be someone reading this who is in the midst of one of these storms. Things started great but shortly after you made a certain decision to obey Jesus Christ everything began to fall apart. Tribulation, persecution, disappointment, discouragement, a wayward or sick child, spouse, job, marriage problems, physical problems, the causes of the storms in life are endless. You say I did not ask for this and begin to wonder what is going on.
IN the Gospel of Mark chapter 4 there is a story about Jesus and his Disciples. It picks up after a hard day of ministry where we see Jesus saying to his disciples, “lets go to the other side”. Sounds like a great idea. So these men, with Jesus in the boat, set sail on a nice calm peaceful day. It was a great day for a boat ride but suddenly out of nowhere a fierce storm comes up and they begin to be fearful and panic. That is our natural reaction to storms. All of a sudden the storm becomes the center of the story, the storm becomes the center of our life - the storm becomes our focus - everything in our lives begins to revolve around the storm.
When this happens everything gets out of focus. If you had asked the disciples as they were getting into the boat to begin their trip if Jesus cared for them, they would have said absolutely. If you had asked them do you think you are going to die on this trip to the other side of the lake they would have said, no way we are safe, Jesus is here with us. But here they are in the middle of the storm waking Jesus up and and accusing him of not caring for them and afraid they are going to drown. What happened? The disciples did what so many do today, they allowed the storm to shape their theology. They allowed the storm to shape their understanding of God.
May I suggest to you today these storms are inevitable. We will all go through them. If you are not in one of these storms then one is coming but here is what we need to remember as we go through it. Instead of allowing the storm to shape our understanding of God, we need to allow our theology to shape our understanding of the storm.
God’s purposes have not changed. God’s care for you has not ended. God has a purpose in this storm.
Put your trust in God’s word. We all marvel in this story at Jesus power to calm the storm just by his words “peace be still”. But his words “lets go to the other side” were just as powerful, and just as true, but we forget them because the storm seems to be contrary to that purpose. But that was not the case. If you read the next verse after this story you see a great phrase, “when they reached the other side”.
God’s purpose was not for them to drown in the middle of the lake. God’s purpose for them was to go to the other side and they got there. God’s purpose for us is that we be conformed into the image of his Son, and that is going to happen. The storms do not mean he has changed his purpose. They are all part of the process. The storms are meant to deepen our faith and to drive us to deeper intimacy and knowledge of God and make us more like Christ. Unfortunately there are far more books being written today about storms than there are about theology. But may I encourage you today to pick up your Bible and get to know your God, hide God’s word in your heart. He is a refuge and strength a very present help in times of trouble/storms.
He does not change. He is the same yesterday today and forever. Christ is a solid foundation in a world or a life of ever changing circumstances. So keep rowing, keep trusting. Remember, sometimes he calms the storm, sometimes he gives his people the strength to keep rowing through the storm. What ever he chooses it is for your good and for his glory. You will get to the other side!