Get Ready, 2025 Is Here

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Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

“Dear Santa, if you haven’t time to pick out things for me, just leave everything you’ve got.” I have my doubts this little girl got everything but you have to admit she made sure all her bases were covered. This was the first published letter to Santa Claus in the Tampa Bay Tribune in 1899. Though there is no exact number of letters sent to Santa, estimates range from half a million to eight million letters sent annually.

“Today, despite the advent of more modern communications like email and texting, hundreds of thousands of children, from all over the globe, continue to send their Christmas wish lists to Santa using old-fashioned snail mail.”  (Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Institute)

Letters have ranged in requests like the one from Ayden in Tennessee who says, “I’m 11 years old and I think I’ve been really good this year. My favorite things are dinosaurs and space” to those needing help like 14-year-old Maddison from Maryland, “Hello, how are you? Please if I can ask you to help me and my mom for the Christmas holiday…Mom pays the bills, she’s a great mom.”

Occasionally, letters include ones like Tenisha, a mother of two, “My wish is to bring a smile to my children’s faces this year. These past few years have been really challenging for us, financially. If there is any way for you to bless me with a gift card at a grocery store…to buy groceries to make them a memorable holiday dinner, I would appreciate it.” I hope Tenisha got what she asked for because there are a lot of great non-profits and churches meeting the practical needs of families.

Santa letters originally originated from parents before the focus changed to children asking for things. Mom and Dad would write to their children, normally focusing on their actions and behavior, on behalf of Santa Claus. J.R.R. Tolkien left his children elaborately illustrated updates on “Father Christmas and his life in the North Pole—filled with red gnomes, snow elves, and his chief assistant, the North Polar bear.” (Alex Palmer, Gundir agency)

Parents throughout the years have sought to help capture a bit of fantasy for their children yet not lose the reality of Christmas which is the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Corrie ten Boom said it well, “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”

This Christmas season is over and the New Year is fast approaching. As we enter this liminal space between Christmas and New Year, it is a time of mixed emotions. In many ways there is always a sense of relief, there are no more shopping lists, concerts, or events to attend and yet there is a sadness as we will miss all the activities, the hype, and the anticipation of Christmas. This liminal time finds many of us taking down the decorations, sending out thank you notes, and watching lots of bowl games. It is also a special time to reflect upon the old year and think about what is ahead in the coming year.

If we look at 2024 as unwrapped gifts lying all around us in a heap, they are just a memory now. We look at many of the 2024 days as ordinary, practical, simply get out of bed days, nothing spectacular kind of days but each so needed for life. We were also blessed with a few gifts that were amazing days such as the birth of a new baby, that promotion at work, a new friend that speaks into our soul, or those incredible sunrises we saw on vacation. Unfortunately, not every gift of 2024 was a day we really wanted such as the death of a family member, a close friend moving to another state, that terminal diagnosis, or the 30 days of continuous rain. Yet, in each of the 2024 days, we can see the hand of God moving in our lives. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV)

The gift of 2025 will come to us in a couple of days. There is always a bit of fear not knowing what lies ahead but there is also a lot of excitement on what the year will bring. If history holds true then the vast majority of days will be those ordinary, practical, simply get-out-of-bed days but we will get a few spectacular gifts that we will treasure because of their priceless value. Thomas Merton penned a beautiful prayer of guidance in his book, “Thoughts in Solitude.”

“My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

We do not know what 2025 will bring but we do know God’s love and presence will be with us daily. “So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb 13:6 NIV)

Wishing you a blessed and hope-filled New Year.

God is great!

Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Peace

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Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:9-11 CSB

What are you drawing son? The father watched as his son meticulously drew in his sketch pad.
The little boy looked up and said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” His dad looked at him and smiled, “Son, no one knows what God looks like.” The little boy looked up from his drawing and declared, “They will when I’m done!” (from Mark Batterson, A Million Little Miracles)

The little boy was extremely confident but God beat him to it. Christmas is God’s answer when we ask to see a picture of Him. “See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” (Matt 1:23)

“Good news from heaven the angels bring,

Glad tidings to the earth they sing;

To us this day a child is given,

To crown us with the joy of heaven.” (Martin Luther)

John tells the Christmas narrative a bit differently from Matthew or Luke. He simply begins his account of the story with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.” (John 1:1,14,18)

John didn’t capture any of the heartwarming events of the Savior’s birth, such as shepherds out in the field, angels singing, or wise men coming from a distant land. The popular little lapel buttons that many people wear at Christmas, saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” sum up nicely John’s beginning narrative and set the stage for Jesus’ work of redemption.

We find Moses at a point where he was struggling with leading the people and in a tender, intimate moment asked God to see His glory. Did Moses make his request out of bold audacity or overwhelming love? Moses had already witnessed numerous acts of God in his life, talked with God “face to face” and lived with a holy expectation of what God would do, so maybe the request was a little of both. Moses was told though, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the LORD’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” (Ex 33:19-20)

“Jesus came as God, veiled in human flesh, with the full intensity of God’s glory hidden within Jesus. If Jesus had removed the veil of His flesh to reveal to the world His full glory, the light of that glory would have consumed every person on the planet.” (Robert Clifton Robinson)

Jesus would respond to a similar request when Philip asked him, “Show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” (John 14:8) John would have been sitting with the other disciples as Jesus responded to Philip. Jesus’ answer may have served to stimulate John’s opening narrative of his Christmas story. “Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” (John 14:9-11)

Christmas celebrates the transforming work that Jesus began that night and continues throughout the world through his disciples. St. Augustine said it well, “A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.”

Jim Denison, pastor and cultural theologian writes of celebrating Advent in four tenses. Denison suggests that Jesus’ ongoing engagement with our world should actually be understood in four “comings.”

At first, he entered the world for the purpose of purchasing our salvation by his death on the cross (I Peter2:24; I John 2:2; Rev 13:8)

At his second, he enters humans individually when he becomes our Savior (John 1:13) and his Spirit takes up residence in our lives (I Cor 3:16).

At his third, he comes for humans individually when he takes us to heaven (John 14:3).

At his fourth, he will return to the world as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16). (from the Daily Article Dec 5, 2024)

Advent traditions have been used within church history for contemplating and preparing for the coming of the Messiah. Advent season allows us a time to slow down in this busy time to simply focus on Jesus’ message of salvation and redemption. Advent opens our hearts to celebrate the birth of the Savior. We can sing the Christmas carols because of the hope we have in Jesus, remembering the true meaning of Christmas: Immanuel, God is with us.

May your Christmas this year be filled with the unbridled excitement of a child, the wonder of a shepherd, the perseverance of a magi, the serenity of Mary, the faithfulness of Joseph, and the peace that comes only through Jesus.

Wishing you a blessed and Merry Christmas,

God is great!

 

 

Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Joy

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When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 CSB

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” Oscar Wilde popularized this proverb years ago and there is probably a grain of truth in the saying when it comes to Christmas carols. Most better-known carols have been arranged and rearranged to sound almost like the original but with enough difference to sell as a new song. According to music licensing company Music Reports there are 137,315 recorded versions of “Silent Night.” Followed closely by “White Christmas” with 128,276 versions, “Jingle Bells” with 89,681 versions, and “The Christmas Song” with 80,064 versions.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” comes in at number 9 with 56,552 versions but most people who hear the song still think about Bing Crosby’s original version. Since 1943 the song has stirred the emotions of many who find themselves not able to get home for Christmas. First sung by Crosby during World War II, the song conveyed the longing and sentiment of military personnel stationed far from home, many for the very first time away from home.

Forty-one years ago, just before Christmas, Connie and I packed our crates and in a couple of weeks would leave for the country of Bophuthatswana to serve with the International Mission Board. It had taken months for us to get ready; resigning jobs, selling furniture and cars, buying things we thought we would need, and then fitting everything into wooden crates. We were now spending the last Christmas in the United States for five years and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” became a new reality for us.

If you have ever moved, even across town, you know the logistical challenges, the struggles to find your way around a new location, and the loss of closeness with friends, neighbors, and family. You can only imagine the struggle that a group of wise men or magi had in getting ready to leave home in search of a king, with nothing more than a star to guide them to the location.

Matthew captured the story of this band of travelers and their journey to Bethlehem. Matthew, normally very meticulous about details, left out a lot of information but what he did write adds to the beautiful story of Jesus’ birth. He felt like we did not need to know the number of wise men, the exact location from where they came, or even their names. We simply needed to know they came!

Luke gives us the story of the shepherds who were societal outcasts and Matthew describes the Wisemen who were ethnic and religious outcasts, but both groups came to worship the true King. You can only imagine the scene when this entourage from a faraway country arrived in Jerusalem, laden with gifts and treasures to honor the new king’s birth. They didn’t sneak in the back door but rode through the main gate of Jerusalem in all their pomp and glory. The political and religious leaders of Jerusalem were thrown into total confusion and panic with the simple question, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”

King Herod, the ever paranoid, political king was envious of anyone who could claim his title. His power was held through fear, intimation, and political maneuverings. When he was “deeply disturbed” then all of Jerusalem would be deeply disturbed. You can picture the fear and confusion on the faces of the priests and religious leaders when they were summoned to the court of King Herod as he demanded to know “where the Messiah would be born.”

The religious leaders knew all the information about where the king would be born. They quickly quoted Micah’s prophecy. “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Micah 5:2) What they had failed to do was to keep watch for the birth like this group of wise men had done. These leaders had grown comfortable in their positions instead of hungering for the things of God.

This group of wise men had started following the star but at some point, I wonder if they quit following the star and simply headed to the logical place where a king would be born. Jerusalem was the political and religious center of the nation and without a doubt the only place a king would be born. What they didn’t know was that God routinely works outside the logical, the normal, and the expected to accomplish his plans.

God used a group of foreigners, who were attentive, to force the very leaders who should have been watching for the coming Messiah to remember God’s promise. Matthew doesn’t tell us if the priests and religious influencers were excited to hear the news but most likely they were not because of how they responded to Jesus in years ahead.

The wise men left the capital and headed for the politically insignificant, commercially unimportant, and geographically isolated Bethlehem. They had learned their lesson and started looking up again. “And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.”

These seekers from the East had found the King. Unlike the previous part of the story where they rode into the city with pomp and power, demanding answers, they now came before the true King “falling to their knees, they worshiped him.” Gifts worthy of a king were given – “gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

We are not told anything else about these men except they returned home but not the way they came. I’m thankful Matthew recorded the magi story because the full picture of God’s salvation story is being unveiled until the final chapter when “a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language” will stand before God.

God is great!

 

 

Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Faith

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A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the LORD will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mount of the LORD has spoken. Isiah 40:3-5 CSB

There is something extraordinary about international travel. There is the adventure and excitement, and then reality hits when you are sitting elbow to elbow with your knees at your chin in your 24-inch-wide seat (give or take a few inches). That is, unless as you are boarding you tell the flight attendant one of the magic numbers where you get to turn to the left. You get to head to paradise in the air with seats that recline into a bed, full-course dinners, and one-on-one attention. Now, I am not personally acquainted with first-class travel, but I do read a lot. Maybe someday!

My economy section seats were always much better than the woman who boarded a Delta flight last week at New York’s JFK on her way to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Though her ticket was free, she had to move between lavatories during the flight because she neglected to get a ticket for the flight. According to investigators, the woman got past multiple security checkpoints to board the plane, hiding in the aircraft’s bathrooms during the flight. Paris officials boarded the plane when it landed and arrested the stowaway who is now waiting for deportation back to the United States. Traveling is never easy, but I definitely do not recommend the way this woman traveled to Paris. (based on Nov 30 reports- CNN and USA Today)

The road to Bethlehem was not an easy journey for those on it but they knew of God’s promise of a Messiah. Advent allows us time to slow down and reflect upon the coming of Jesus. Advent allows us to travel the road to Bethlehem not as stowaways but as ones seeking again to walk in a renewed freshness of faith. Thomas Aquinas wrote of faith,  “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

Theologian and writer Henri Nouwen wrote about Advent, “I am struck by the fact that the prophets speaking about the future of Israel always kept reminding their people of God’s great works in the past. They could look forward with confidence because they could look backward with awe to Yahweh’s great deeds. I pray that Advent will offer me the opportunity to deepen my memory of God’s great deeds in time and will set me free to look forward to the fulfillment of time by him who came and is still to come.”

The road of faith is often found in times of waiting. Now a lot of us have an aversion to waiting which has probably not changed through the generations. Luke records one couple’s marathon waiting season for a baby. He writes about Zechariah and Elizabeth, “But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.” (Luke 1:7)

Waiting can test the very core of our faith, leading to doubt and even fear. Elizabeth and Zechariah could have grown bitter and angry at God because they had served well and most likely had prayed every day for a child. Luke even records that “both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord.” (1:6) Waiting is often one of the most difficult encounters on the road of faith.

Waiting has a way of making us insensitive when the answer does come. Zechariah was going about his priestly duties in the Temple when he was confronted by “An angel of the Lord.” Angels have a way of getting our attention but even more when they tell you your prayers have been answered. “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” Great news that got even better. “He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”

Waiting can cause you to lose sight of how God could choose to answer. You have one picture in mind, but God’s answers are totally different from what you expected. Maybe Zechariah was having a bad day, maybe someone didn’t show up for work that day, or maybe he was just tired, but his negative response did not sit well with God’s angel. “How can I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” This is probably not the thing to say when God is answering your prayer.

Zechariah’s doubting response did not change God’s plan. They were going to have a baby! What Zechariah got was nine months of not being able to talk. Was it a punishment or God’s grace? It was perhaps a little of both. In those nine months, Zechariah lost the most important tool he had as a priest: his voice. His voice was the main tool that he used daily to teach, counsel, and perform his priestly duties. His focus was no longer on doing things for God but on being with God.

Waiting changed everything for Zechariah. When tradition would call for the baby to be named after himself, Zechariah chose to listen to God’s voice. “He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” In his time of speechlessness, he came to see it as a blessing, no longer was the focus on what Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted but on what God was going to do through this child.

Waiting gave Zechariah a new voice. “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.” (Luke 1:64-65)
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s stories were only given a few short lines but what we do know is that they found their way to Bethlehem. Zechariah’s new voice “was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.” We know very little of their final chapter of life except the results of having parented John, God’s prophet to the nation. “The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (v80).

Waiting, especially when you are on the road to Bethlehem, can be spiritually challenging and often physically exhausting. Yet waiting can be God’s gift of grace giving us courage, strength, and a new voice to our faith.

God is great!

Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Hope

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The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness…For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Armies will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 2,6-7 CSB

Science fiction has a way of becoming reality. NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are currently stuck in space on the International Space Station due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft which returned to Earth without them. In June, they arrived at the space station for a week’s assignment but are now lost in space. Technically they are not lost since NASA communicates daily with them but they are still unable to return home.

“Darling, very little on this planet makes sense, by Earth’s standard.” These words of wisdom were spoken by John Robinson, the leader of the Robinson family who found themselves lost in space. One of my favorite shows growing up was Lost in Space. For those who are not familiar with this great TV series, it featured the Robinson family who became lost due to the evil actions of Dr. Zachary Smith, an agent for an enemy government who sabotaged the mission. Unfortunately, in reprogramming the ship’s robot he became trapped on board and became hopelessly lost, joining the fight for survival with the others as they tried to find their way back home.

Very little made sense on earth after evil reprogrammed God’s plan at creation. Yet God wasn’t lost in what to do and began His work to correct the problem. Written on the pages of the Old Testament is God doing only what He can do, redeeming a broken world. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:28-31a NIV)

The ultimate story of salvation found its way to Bethlehem as our ultimate story of salvation still finds its way to Bethlehem. As we enter this season of Advent our hearts and minds turn toward Bethlehem where hope is found in fullness. This week’s candle lights the candle of hope.

The world defines hope as something to desire with anticipation, to want something to happen or to be true. Hope’s synonyms include words such as wish, aspire, consider, dream, try, ponder, and endeavor. These are all words with a maybe mindset.

As we light the hope candle, it is not with a maybe mindset but with a mindset that is based upon the rock-solid promise of God. Hope is a confident expectation that supernaturally stems from faith. As we find our way to Bethlehem we encounter a hope that carries no doubt. The Advent season is a time to slow down and refocus on finding our way to Bethlehem. Finding hope because of what God did for us.

What Advent doesn’t let us do is simply hold a baby Jesus in our arms and go about our daily lives without addressing our need for a Savior. Advent allows us a time for waiting, expectation, and preparation for what God wants to do in our lives. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5 NLT)

J.B. Phillips wrote a small book over 70 years ago titled Your God Is Too Small. He writes in his introductory remarks, “Many men and women today are living, often with inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all. This is not because they are particularly wicked or selfish or, as the old-fashioned would say, “godless,” but because they have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to “account for” life, big enough to “fit in with” the new scientific age, big enough to command their highest admiration and respect, and consequently their willing cooperation.”

The Robinson family never found their way back to Earth and the TV series ended with them lost in space. NASA astronauts Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth sometime in 2025. The question for all of us is, will we find our way back to Bethlehem? Will we stop somewhere during this busy season to simply reflect upon the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus?

Traveling with small children means every parent has been bombarded with the words, “Are we almost there”? Over and over we answer the question with, “We are almost there”. Christmas is the answer God gives to all of us when we ask, “Are we almost there”?

Michael Smith wrote a beautiful song, Almost There. The song ends with the words,

“You’re almost where your journey ends

Where death will die and life begins

The answered prayer, Emmanuel

You’re almost there.”

I trust you find in this Advent season special times as you find your way to Bethlehem.

God is great!