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The Advent of Character

12/21/2018

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Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.  Heb 13:13-16


​Observation:


The author of the letter to the Hebrews is pointing out something very unique about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The altar was within the walls of Jerusalem, and the place of burial was outside the city gates. To go outside the city was to leave the holy sites and become unclean. In Christ the unholy becomes holy. It is outside the camp that Christ suffered and died and in his death, he sanctified that which the Jewish leaders would have condemned as unclean.

For the Jews the message was clear, for to identify with Christ was to break with Judaism. This meant leaving the “safety” of the holy places within the city walls and venturing out with Jesus into the unclean world where they would face those who would persecute them and ridicule them for their beliefs. This, however, was not supposed to become a factor in the lives of these believers because the place of Jesus’ death opened up an avenue to a new city and way of life for them. Now, they appear to be living in the world, but they are not of this world. Walking in and among the unclean, the people of God would bring the holiness of Christ with them.

The challenge is for the lives of the believers to be a continual sacrifice of praise, lips that confess the name of Christ. The character of Christ is revealed in his followers who do good, share their possessions and the good news and discover that in God’s kingdom, this is pleasing.

Application:

The advent of the Messiah into the world brought about the advent of a new kingdom. You and I are invited to become citizens of this new kingdom which exists within and among the kingdoms of this world. We are not supposed to run off and separate ourselves from the world, but we are to learn how we live in God’s kingdom in the midst of the world’s kingdoms. This is the example that Christ has provided for us. The very place of his death, outside the city gate, provides a roadmap for our Christian lives within the kingdom of God.

First of all, Jesus provides for our sanctification. It is God’s desire that we be sanctified wholly, each and every one of us. Entire sanctification is not an optional arrangement for the super-spiritual. Jesus’ death sanctified all that the Jewish law considered unholy. He made it possible for each and every one of us, ordinary people of the world, to be made holy through his death, resurrection and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ arrival was simply the advent of a whole new way of living for God’s people.

Once we begin to live within the kingdom of God, we shed the behaviors that we had in common with the world. We are no longer drawn to become as much like the world as we possibly can, but are continually pulled in the direction of Christ. I continue to be on an interesting journey with my mother who, at times, is able to share very coherently with me about her thoughts. On a morning where her mind was clear she wanted to hug me good-bye and she told me that the pull toward heaven was very strong. She apologized to me but had a big grin on her face saying, “I’m sorry because I’ll miss you, but I really want to go.” Now, while my mother may be nearing the end of her life, those who are new in their faith are just at the beginning of the spiritual journey. At the same time there ought to be this draw or pull toward the kingdom of God. It takes us from the unclean and moves us into a life that reflects the very character of God.

Participating in Advent means that we become active citizens in God’s kingdom, reflecting the very character of Christ. We move outside the safe comfort of the city walls (or the church walls), and we go into the unclean spaces of this world, carrying with us the very holiness of Christ. We are challenged to believe in the miraculous and powerful work of the Holy Spirit that can radically transform the unclean into the pure and holy. That’s why we must go and do good, sharing our possessions, but never forgetting to share the good news of Christ’s arrival. Why would we forget to tell people about the new kingdom which has the power to transform their lives? This is the best news of advent, and if we are engaged in doing good things, don’t forget to tell others about the way to transformation. It’s the best gift yet.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to live every day in the pull of advent. Amen.

This post was written by Rev Carla Sunberg.  You can find her original post here:  reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-advent-of-character.html

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Proclaiming Christ!

12/20/2018

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Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.  Phil 1:15-18


Observation:

After Paul was imprisoned there were those who chose to exacerbate his circumstances. Because they didn’t like Paul, they thought that they would preach the gospel to incite the anger of the Empire. By doing so, they hoped that Paul would be punished even more. While Paul recognized that some were sincere in their preaching, his honest recognition of the motivation of others is fascinating. However, he refused to allow this to get him down because the only thing that really mattered to Paul was that Christ was preached.

Application:

It’s Advent and this is a season where we should be compelled to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ. Paul’s concern was not even with the motivation of those who proclaimed Christ, he was simply rejoicing in the fact that Christ was proclaimed. We can rejoice in the proclamation of Jesus Christ to a world that is in desperate need of a Savior.

Have you heard the news this week? If you’re in the US, there’s rather sad news that the life expectancy is declining. Two areas of note, both suicide and unintentional injuries (half of which were drug overdoses) are on the rise. (To read more on this, click here) We have more and more people dying in their 20’s and 30’s. At the same time, the church seems to be more and more reluctant about proclaiming Christ. Why? I think it’s because the church is afraid of the backlash. At least in the United States, the church has received a lot of negative press. The church has even been oppressed for trying to proclaim the good news of Christ. But this is all happening at a time when the world needs to hear about Christ more than ever!

Paul’s words are an encouragement. Instead of backing off when preaching creates even greater threats, keep it up! He even says it again — keep doing this and rejoice! If there is a feeling of resistance to the gospel, don’t retreat. Instead, realize that there will be resistance to the good news that will help to set people free. Rejoice! Proclaim Christ!

How many of our churches are lamenting the fact that they have few people in their 20’s and 30’s attending? Most of them! Church, followers of Christ, (and I’m speaking to myself today) we need to find ways in which we can reach out and minister to those people who are feeling hopeless! The world is suggesting answers and hope, and yet the true hope is found in the advent of the Messiah. Why not embrace the season and proclaim Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for an opportunity today to share you and your love with someone. Amen.



This post was written by Rev Carla Sunberg.  You can find her original post here:  reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/12/proclaiming-christ.html


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Feeling Sadness During the Christmas Season

12/19/2018

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The Christmas holiday tends to affect some people in very negative ways -- ways which manifest in depression, loneliness, and lack of zest for living. Some people miss the innocence of their childhood; others long for a lost parent(s) or other loved one; still others lean more toward loneliness, when this holiday is meant to draw people closer together. Some in this latter category can feel lonely even with a lot of people around. Whether at family functions, shopping at the mall, or out with family or friends they tend to feel lonely just the same. 

Depressing, lonely seasons of our lives are inevitable: they seem to arrive whether or not we are ready, whether or not we welcome them. Even Jesus knew well these human experiences. (Heb. 2:14) The trick is not to allow these feelings to overpower and rule us. We can be touched by them; but we should not be controlled by them. We must protect ourselves from these experiences so that they do not debilitate our daily living. Our response to these issues will determine the outcome. 

Henri Nouwen writes: 
"One of life's great questions centers not on what happens to us, but rather, how we will live in and through whatever happens. We cannot change most circumstances in our lives. . . .  Our choice, then, often revolves around not what has happened or will happen to us, but how we will relate to life's turns and circumstances. Put another way: Will I relate to my life resentfully or gratefully?"  

Though difficult, I must make the effort to step back from my situation in order to view it as it really is: merely circumstantial. In other words, life situations are not etched in stone, unchangeable. The mighty Spirit of God maintains the power to change my circumstances. 

Again, Nouwen writes, "We are called time and again to discover God's Spirit at work within our lives, within us, amid even the dark moments. We are invited to choose life. A key in understanding suffering has to do with our not rebelling at the inconveniences and pains life presents to us." 

Whether I am reading this from a prison, an impoverished village, a lonely college dorm room, a mansion or the White House, the Lord is near and ready to see me through another situation. He loves me greatly, and He longs for me to rest in Him.

My location has nothing to do with me, on a personal level, and neither do my circumstances. As a matter of fact, what seem to be impossible situations are yet another way for God to appear and show Himself victorious. This does not mean that I will not have to endure any longer my present situation. But it does mean that God can change how I view that situation. From His perspective, I can walk through (not to) the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil because He is with me, His shepherd's rod and staff leading and guiding my path toward Him. (Psalm 23)

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Turn My Mourning Into Dancing: Finding Hope in Hard Times (Nashville: W Publishing Group)

This post was written by Anonymous.


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Have a Slappy Happy Christmas

12/18/2018

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Santa Claus had his origins in St. Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. Known for his generosity and his love of children, Nicholas is said to have saved a poor family's daughters from slavery by tossing into their window enough gold for a rich dowry, a present that landed in some shoes or, in some accounts, stockings that were hung up to dry. Thus arose the custom of hanging up stockings for St. Nicholas to fill. And somehow he transmogrified into Santa Claus, who has become for many people the secular Christmas alternative to Jesus Christ.

But there is more to the story of Nicholas of Myra. He was also a delegate to the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325, which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ. He was thus one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man. And unlike his later manifestation, Nicholas was particularly zealous in standing up for Christ.

During the Council of Nicea, jolly old St. Nicholas got so fed up with Arius, who taught that Jesus was just a man, that he walked up and slapped him! That unbishoplike behavior got him in trouble. The council almost stripped him of his office, but Nicholas said he was sorry, so he was forgiven.

The point is, the original Santa Claus was someone who flew off the handle when he heard someone minimizing Christ. Perhaps we can battle our culture's increasingly Christ-less Christmas by enlisting Santa in his original cause. The poor girls' stockings have become part of our Christmas imagery. So should the St. Nicholas slap.

Not a violent hit of the kind that got the good bishop in trouble, just a gentle, admonitory tap on the cheek. This should be reserved not for out-and-out nonbelievers, but for heretics (that is, people in the church who deny its teachings), Christians who forget about Jesus, and people who try to take Christ out of Christmas.

This will take a little tweaking of the mythology. Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean. On Christmas Eve, flying reindeer pull his sleigh full of gifts. And after he comes down the chimney, he will steal into the rooms of people dreaming of sugarplums who think they can do without Christ and slap them awake.

And we'll need new songs and TV specials ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap," "Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly," "Frosty the Gnostic," "How the Arian Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus").

Department store Santas should ask the children on their laps if they have been good, what they want for Christmas, and whether they understand the Two Natures of Christ. The Santas should also roam the shopping aisles, and if they hear any clerks wish their customers a mere "Happy Holiday," give them a slap.

This addition to his job description will keep Santa busy. Teachers who forbid the singing of religious Christmas carols-SLAP! Office managers who erect Holiday Trees-SLAP! Judges who outlaw manger displays-SLAP! People who give The Da Vinci Code as a Christmas present-SLAP! Ministers who cancel Sunday church services that fall on Christmas day-SLAP! SLAP!

Perhaps Santa Claus in his original role as a theological enforcer may not go over very well in our contemporary culture. People may then try to take both Christ and Santa Claus out of Christmas. And with that economic heresy, the retailers would start to do the slapping.

The original post was copied from:  http://www.worldmag.com/2005/12/slappy_holiday

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The Real St Nicholas - The Bishop of Myra

12/17/2018

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The little seaside town of Demre, in Turkey, isn’t exactly the North Pole. It rarely snows there. Palm trees and orange groves dot the landscape. You won’t hear sleigh bells here, just the sound of the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets of the town mosques. No reindeer live here, and elves are extremely rare. NORAD won’t paying much attention to Demre this Christmas Eve, and most folks wrapping presents to put under the tree won’t give it a thought, either. In fact, virtually no one living in Demre celebrates Christmas, and yet this little town is the second most important town in the world next to Bethlehem when it comes to Christmas

See, Demre is the hometown of the original Saint Nicholas, who was born near there sometime in the late third century AD. There’s an old 8th century Church of St. Nicholas there that once housed the saint’s bones, and even though it is only active as a church one day a year (St. Nicholas Day, December 6), tourists come from around the world to see the birthplace of the one most of them know as Santa Claus.

Of course, the town of Demre cashes in on these interested tourists. You can buy Santa Claus-themed merchandise here that’s as plentiful as any you’d find in, say, Santa Claus, Indiana—everything from key chains, to icons, to Santa earrings.

If you traveled to Demre between 1981 and 2000, you would have seen a statue of Saint Nicholas dressed as Father Christmas—a figure in a hooded robe carrying a sack of toys and surrounded by children. In 2000, Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky presented Demre with a bronze statue of an Eastern Orthodox Saint Nicholas, dressed in the vestments of a Christian bishop and standing atop a globe. The statue stood prominently right in the middle of the town square, which was unusual for a country that is nearly 100% Muslim.

Five years later, the town replaced this statue with one of an American style Santa Claus with a bell in his right hand, making him look like an overly zealous Salvation Army ringer. The plaster of Paris statue was designed to appeal to international tourists by making Santa more recognizable—more like the image of Santa developed by Coca Cola in the early 20th century—a Santa that’s less a religious figure and more the patron saint of consumerism.

So, which one of these is the real Saint Nicholas? What picture emerges when we cut through all the legend and commercialism? If Demre is confused, then we are certainly no less so. On Christmas Eve, millions of people will recite famous Clement Moore poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (aka The Night Before Christmas) as a bedtime story for anxious children all tucked in their beds, with visions of X-boxes and iPods dancing in their heads. Well, there’s a very different story that needs to be told—a story of a man whose whole life was focused on following the one born in a manger.

The story begins around the year 260AD in the little village of Patara, just a few miles from the town of Demre (which was called Myra at the time). The apostle Paul had passed through Myra 200 years before as a prisoner on his way to Rome  and he very likely preached there. A Christian church was planted in Myra sometime after Paul’s visit, and was still in place when Nicholas was born.

Nicholas’ parents were Christians, and as a child he heard the stories of the Bible—he sang the Psalms in worship and heard the good news about Jesus—the stories of his birth in Bethlehem, his teaching and healing, his death on a cross and his resurrection from the dead. The church would have met in a large home and not a separate building, and Nicholas would have heard the Scriptures read by the elders and shared in holy communion there each week. Sometimes the church would meet in the town graveyard to remind themselves of the promise of Easter and the resurrection.

This is not church as we experience it tonight, however. Being a Christian in Nicholas’ day would have been a dangerous proposition. Just a few years before he was born, several members of the church in Myra were put to death by Roman authorities for refusing to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. Nicholas’ family would have reminded him of this danger, but they would also remind him that suffering persecution was, as Peter put it, a chance to “participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:13).

Nicholas’ name in Greek meant “victory for the people,” and from the very beginning he seemed to look and act like a saint. He had a strong moral compass and avoided all the usual temptations of young people in Roman society—temptations of money, sex, and grabbing for political power. According to his 8th century biographer, Michael the Archimandrite, “He never strayed far from the church and, like a nest to a dove the church was to him a refreshment and a comfort. His mind was illuminated by the teachings, and day by day he grew towards a pure and gentle compassion.”

When Nicholas was a teenager, tragedy struck when both his parents died in an epidemic of plague that swept through the region of Lycia in the mid-third century. Nicholas was left alone, but not without help. His parents had apparently been wealthy, probably merchants who plied their trade through the ships coming in and out of the port of Myra. So they left Nicholas with a large inheritance of money to do with as he pleased. Can you imagine being a teenager with that kind of cash?

Well, rather than take the usual route of squandering the money, Nicholas relied on the faith he had received and, according to Michael, “he asked God that he might dispose of his life and his assets in accordance with [God’s] will. He would have remembered the words of Jesus about wealth—about giving to those in need and holding money loosely. He would have certainly recalled Jesus words to a rich young man who was likely in Nicholas’ very situation: “Go sell your possessions and give to the poor,” Jesus had said to the rich man, “and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

It was customary in Roman society for people to take care of their own families, but not to worry about anyone else. The early Christians shocked Roman sensibilities when they insisted on caring for anyone in need—including societal outcasts like prisoners, widows, and orphans. Nicholas took Jesus’ call seriously, which led him to the first and most famous act of his life.

In Patara there was a once-wealthy man who had lost everything. People didn’t have savings accounts or retirement plans, so a lost ship of merchandise or a bad crop could completely ruin a small family. The man had three daughters, and he became so desperate that he resolved to sell each of them one by one into slavery, which, at the time, often meant sex slavery. The problem was that no one would marry these girls because of their poverty and the father’s inability to provide a dowry, so selling the daughters was the only option left—a common practice in the Roman world.

Nicholas heard of the family’s plight. One night, he took some of the gold his parents had left him, tied it in a small sack, and threw it through the open window of the family’s home. Some accounts say he actually threw the sack down the chimney and the gold landed in the girls’ stockings, which were hung by the fire to dry, though those are likely later additions. Michael describes what happened next:

“When daylight came, the man got up from bed and found in the middle of the house a pile of money. He could not hold back his tears…He gave thanks to God but also tried to understand the meaning of this good
fortune. Deciding to accept the gift as if it had been given by God, the father of the girls took the serendipitously found gold and noticed that the sum corresponded to the amount of money needed for a dowry. Without delay, he adorned the bridal chamber of his oldest daughter. And so his life once again became good, full of joy and peace of mind, thanks to the intervention of the holy Nicholas who had created a way for his daughter to marry.”


Seeing what an effect the gift had had on the family, Nicholas returned two more nights and tossed two more anonymous bags of gold through the open window for the other two daughters. The third time, the father of the girls was waiting in the dark to see who was committing these acts of lavish generosity. When the third bag of gold hit the floor, the man ran outside and found Nicholas and said to him, “If it were not for your goodness, which was stirred up by our Lord Jesus Christ, I have long since consigned my life to ruin and shame.” Nicholas swore the man to secrecy about what he had done, and yet, who could not tell this story eventually?

It’s difficult to express the uniqueness of this act in Nicholas’ time. In those days, in a culture of patronage, anonymous giving simply was not done. Usually, if a wealthy benefactor helped someone, the receiver would be obligated for life (kind of like the Godfather – someday you will do a service for me…). What Nicholas did was completely novel and it had a tremendous impact on the Christian communities who first heard the story. It became the story that identified Nicholas and made him one of the most popular saints in Christian history.

Notice that there’s nothing really magical about this story—no reindeer, no toys, no taking into account who is naughty or nice. It’s simply an act of sacrificial kindness toward someone in need—quite a different story than the one we celebrate in our Christmas specials and shopping malls. Santa Claus, as we know him, is the product of retailers who use him to sell their wares to those who can afford to stack presents under the tree that most of us don’t really need. The real Saint Nicholas was the product of a relationship with Christ, who gave everything away for those who had nothing. No one can do what the magical Santa does. Everyone can do what Nicholas did.

The story doesn’t stop there, however. Nicholas went on to participate in some of the most important events in Christian history. While Nicholas was still a young man, a great persecution of Christians took place under the Roman emperor Diocletian, who needed a scapegoat for the Empire’s precarious economic situation. Nicholas may have been studying for the priesthood when a crisis occurred there in Myra—every bishop (or overseer) of the church there had been imprisoned or killed, one after the other. One night in the year 295, the senior bishops of the area gathered to pray through the night for God to lead them to the person they could ordain as the next bishop of Myra. One of the bishops received a vision, where God told him to go with the others to the house of God and wait there for the first person to walk through the door in the morning. His name will be Nicholas.

Sure enough, Nicholas was the first to cross the threshold of the church that morning. Nicholas became one of the youngest bishops ever in the church—about the same age as Jesus when he started his public ministry. The bishop was both a man of the people and a man of God, executing the ministries of the church in the example of Christ. Nicholas fit the bill perfectly, and while being ordained a bishop was a huge honor for someone so young, it would not be easy.

No sooner had Nicholas been ordained as bishop than he was arrested on religious charges, imprisoned without trial, and was beaten and tortured. A common torture dealt to Christian prisoners was to blind their right eyes and cut the sinews of their left ankles. Nicholas born the scars of holding to his faith, even though he escaped becoming a martyr. For the majority of his tenure as Bishop of Myra, Christians were a hated minority, a target for angry mobs and the whims of the emperor. Still, Nicholas was steadfast in his ministry with the people, despite the scars he carried in his
own body.

When the emperor Constantine took over in the early 4th century, Christianity went almost overnight from being a persecuted minority to the religion of the empire. He called together a great council to standardize the church’s doctrines and Nicholas was part of the 300 or so bishops who gathered for the discussion and debate. It must have been a sight—a gathering of old bishops, many of them missing eyes and limping, some missing limbs—looking more like a gathering of pirates than a collection of religious leaders. The debates were intense, the major question being whether Jesus was actually God in the flesh, the same substance as God, or only a being “like” God. Nicholas believed what John’s Gospel said about Jesus, that Jesus, the Word was with God and was God—the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.

He argued fiercely for this biblical position and, according to some sources, even slapped the heretic bishop Arius across the face in a fit of righteous rage. Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice! He apologized, of course, but his zeal for Christ was always evident.

The stories of Nicholas’ Christian deeds of justice and compassion are myriad. When back in Myra, he heard of some men who were falsely accused of a crime and were about to be beheaded. He advocated on their behalf and, acting as their advocate, got them acquitted because of his reputation as an honest bishop. For this reason, the saint who would be Santa Claus became the patron saint of prisoners.  In another instance, Nicholas went to the emperor to plead the case of his people who were under an undue burden of taxes, and got them lowered. There are lots of stories like this concerning Nicholas’ passion for his people. Every one of them reveals that he lived up to his name, “victory for the people.”

When Nicholas died some time in the 330s, he was buried in Myra, but relic seekers managed to take his bones to various places around the world, meaning only parts of Santa Claus actually made it all over the world! Today, most of his remains rest in Bari, Italy, where anthropologists recently constructed what his face might have looked like—not a bit like our Santa Claus, but the same kind of face as the people he served.

There are lots of stories about Saint Nicholas, some of which are true, most of which are the fanciful distortions of legend. Our version of Santa Claus is actually a Scandinavian legend loosely based on the real Saint Nicholas, but many generations removed from the real thing. I don’t know about you, but I find the real story to be the most compelling—the story of a Christmas life, one lived not just once a year, but all the time. A life that is willing to sacrifice, to suffer, to give oneself fully to the work of Christ. It’s a giving life more than a receiving life. It’s the kind of life that Jesus himself would live and invites us to follow him in living ourselves.

Paul’s letter to Titus describes that kind of Christmas life. “For the grace of God has appeared,” says Paul. The Word of God became flesh in the form of a baby in a manger, the one who came to save us all. This grace, this gift of God is about “training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright and godly.” We don’t merely celebrate the gift of God at Christmas. Like Nicholas, we go out and make that gift a reality. We renounce dependence on the collection of stuff, the indulgence of ourselves and, instead, live lives that are worthy of Christ. Paul goes on to say that Christ will return again—a second Advent—and when he returns, what will he find us doing? Will we be sitting on piles of presents, or will we be silently and secretly changing the lives of people who are in desperate need?

Indeed, says Paul, that’s what the gift of Jesus is all about. “He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” We are not simply to “be good for goodness sake,” but for the sake of Christ, whose goodness changes the world.

Zealous for good deeds! You want the spirit of Christmas? That’s it. It’s not about us. Christmas is not your birthday. It’s about being zealous to do what Christ has done—not just during the holiday season, but every day. Can we retrain ourselves to move away from consumption and toward generosity? Can we sacrifice a few more toys so that someone who is desperate can survive? Can we stand up for those who are broken, imprisoned, poor, and marginalized? Can we focus on “victory for the people” over poverty, sin, and death? Rather than teaching your kids to be good because Santa is coming or there’s some “elf on the shelf” watching their every move (a holiday version of extortion? But I digress…), teach them the way of Jesus and the example of the real St. Nicholas—to be good for the sake of Christ. That’s a real Christmas life, my friends. Anything else is just a caricature.

What if we made it a goal to represent this Saint Nicholas with our giving to Christ? What if, instead of entering the fray at the mall, we all decided to try and help lift one family out of poverty? What if instead of spending all our time visiting relatives we chose instead to visit someone in prison, or spent time talking to that homeless man on the street? I’m guessing that Christmas would start to feel a lot different—and maybe even honor the Christ child more than any sale or full stocking ever could.

In 2008, the town of Myra replaced the Coca Cola Santa with yet another statue—this one of a Saint Nicholas with Turkish features—a trimmed beard, a patterned jacket, a round Seljuk styled cap or boerk, and he carries on his shoulders not a sack of goodies, but a young child—children were the beneficiaries of many of his acts of kindness. Behind him appears a slightly older boy dressed in a simple tunic. He looks like a common man—someone just like us, someone who could be fully devoted to Christ. We can do extraordinary things if we devote our lives to the manger born King. On Christmas, we just don’t celebrate a holiday, we remember the invitation of Christ, who wants to be born in us—to change us so that we can join him in changing the world for the sake of his kingdom. 


Will you follow him?

As you get ready for bed on Christmas Eve, I hope you will remember the story of this Saint Nicholas—the story of one who gave his life completely to Christ. And then, may you begin living his style of Christmas life every day!

This post was written by Bob Kaylor.  For his original post, go to:  
http://bobkaylor.com/a-christmas-life-the-real-saint-nicholas-a-sermon-for-christmas-eve/

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B.T. Roberts:  All in All

12/16/2018

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Christ is God. "They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." There has always been a longing in men for a manifestation of God among them. To this feeling, idolatry owes its origin and prevalence. In Christ we have God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).

Granted that it is a mystery; we are surrounded by mysteries -- the human mind loves mysteries, When it can not find them it strives to make them. But he meets all the longings of our hearts. "Thou, O Christ, art all I want." There is no longer any demand for sacred animals, or for idolatrous images. He who has found Christ will not seek further. He is happy and contented. He has a present help in every time of need; one whose resources and whose power never fail. To every soul in which he dwells, Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Roberts, B.T. Pungent Truths (Kindle Locations 1771-1779). Unknown. Kindle Edition. 



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Uncle Buddy:  Skimmings

12/15/2018

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"My friend, if the devil can succeed in skimming the cream off of your religious experience, he will leave you with a bowl of clabber on your hands; and, as you rattle your bowl and eat clabber with a brass spoon, you will imagine, because nobody wants your clabber, that you are the only fellow in all this land of ours that has the real thing. Well, old boy, I don’t propose to eat clabber and drink skimmed milk when I can get cream at the same price. My, my! neighbor, why should I put clabber or skimmed milk on my strawberries when the waiter is standing by with a smile on his face and a pitcher of cream in his hand, saying, “Help yourself, there is plenty more.”

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson (Kindle Locations 8805-8810). Jawbone Digital. Kindle Edition. 

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Preparation

12/14/2018

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“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” —Isaiah 40:3

It is customary for many, at the first signs of spring, to begin a time when preparations are made for a thorough cleaning of every room in the house. The phrase “Spring Cleaning” is popular for a reason! I suppose there is something about the signs of new life all around—new flowers blooming, grass growing, and increasing sunshine—that motivate many of us to give everything a fresh, new look.


No matter where we live and no matter the traditions of each season, the Bible reminds us that any season can be the right time to “prepare the way for the Lord.” Traditionally, the Advent Season is a time of focused preparation, examining our readiness for the coming of the Lord.

Of course, that is something all Christians are called to do all the time. Advent gives us a focused time to do this together as the people of God.

How are we preparing for His return? This involves more than updating our Christmas shopping lists and putting up decorations. That is not the kind of preparation Scripture calls us to. Our preparations also involve confessing any sins that have interfered with our worship and service to God and others.

We also prepare by taking stock of our priorities in regard to serving those in need and reaching out to others who also need to prepare to meet the coming Messiah. This is the true focus of Advent, a season of preparing.

Prayer:

Merciful God, who sent Your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (from The Book of Common Prayer)


This post was written by Charles W. Christian the managing editor of Holiness Today.  You can find the original post here:  holinesstoday.org/preparing



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Outpoured Grace

12/13/2018

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For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:15-16



Observation:

The image of a stern, unforgiving God is wiped away in this description of Jesus, our high priest. Because Jesus has lived in the flesh, he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus fully comprehends what it’s like to live in a physical body and all of the accompanying temptations. He lived victoriously, refusing to succumb to the temptations of life. 

This same Jesus is our high priest, the one who intercedes for us to the Father. His sympathy for us can be seen in the grace which flows to all of humanity. We don’t need to live in fear of approaching the throne of God, because of Christ’s compassion and grace. In our lowest moment, grace is outpoured and we are invited to come into God’s holy presence with boldness, leaving our fears behind. 

Application:

Probably the most frightening moments in my life were to be experienced in Russia. Being invited to meet with people of power can be very intimidating. This was especially true in the 1990’s, shortly after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Everyone in a position of leadership seemed to be in the midst of a power grab. Trying to wrestle control of a business or enterprise was a way of forging a future for yourself and your family. At the same time, it came with great risk, because the greater the success, the more the exposure to danger and threat. Therefore, even someone who suddenly became the chief of a medical facility was an individual having more power than they had ever experienced before and the intimidation was great. 

I remember sitting across the desk from the Chief Warden of the famous prison in St. Petersburg known as the Cross. I was there to discuss a shipment of humanitarian aid that would be coming through an organization known as Heart to Heart. Through the church we would be able to deliver much needed medical supplies to the prison infirmary. The Chief Warden stared at me with cold, disinterested eyes. He didn’t seem at all interested in supplies that might be helpful to his cause. Taking my business card, he opened his desk drawer and filed it away. This was my preliminary conversation, about six months before the shipment was to arrive. I wanted to be of help, and plan for ways in which to minister to the needs I saw there. He did invite me to come back closer to the date, but his facade never cracked. I left, nearly trembling from the experience within the fortress of a prison. 

A week before the shipment was to arrive I returned to the Cross. Again, not knowing what to expect, I was fearing my conversation with the Chief Warden. I was ushered into his office, but this time his demeanor had changed. I wondered if this was the same man who had been so intimidating just a few months previous. Before I could get into the conversation he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a stack of business cards. I assume that mine was somewhere in the pile, but then he said to me, “All of these have come and offered to help. You are the only one who returned. Come, bring your supplies, but also tell our prisoners about your Jesus.” In that moment, grace was extended and I was able to approach the Chief Warden in a brand new way. My fear was gone because he was a different man. 

Most of us tend to think about God as the gruff warden, who has expectations for us. We think that God will only love us if we do something for our Father in return. The problem may be that we have experienced far too many earthly leaders who have not reflected the very nature of God. God’s love flows to us and draws us back in the direction of fellowship with the Triune God. Jesus knows our fears, he’s been in our shoes, he understands our timidity in approaching the throne of God. At the same time, he knows how the Father will respond. That’s why Jesus is our intermediary — he’s the one who has already arranged everything with the Father. Jesus invites us into the throne room, shows us where to stand and sit, (he knows all the protocol) and he will never leave us hanging. Instead, he knows exactly how to help us find the sweet spot where grace is outpoured in abundance. 

Living in fear and trembling will result in avoidance tactics. Trust Jesus and his experiences. Jesus will lead you to the throne where grace and love overflow. You don’t have to get yourself perfect to come to the Father — you can come, just as you are. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the gentle reminder that I’m the one who erects the barriers in our relationship. Amen. 

This post was written by Rev Carla Sunberg.  You can find her original post here:  reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/10/grace-outpoured.html?

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Intellectual Diversity Includes Males

12/12/2018

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Disappointed with a corporate culture that provides special opportunities and programming for some select groups of people, James Damore, an engineer who, until recently, was employed by Google, sent around a memo expressing his concerns - and providing some suggestions on how they might be addressed. In short, his ideas were apparently not sufficiently aligned with the dominant political views held by the corporation writ large. And he was, as a result, fired. Yes, this is a true story - in the United States in 2017.

As someone who has chaired a university’s free speech task force, I have worked closely on the broader issues connected with this kind of case. This said, I have to say that I still find myself shaking my head whenever I learn of a new case like this one. When it comes to truly embracing diversity, we have a long way to go.

Intellectual Diversity is a Form of Diversity
For the management at Google - and at corporations and institutions worldwide, I have news for you: Intellectual diversity is a genuine form of diversity! The irony of Damore’s case is simply palpable. He got himself reprimanded by Danielle Brown, the Vice President of Diversity, Integrity and  Governance for the organization. Her memo, sent to the entire community, indicated that his memo “ … advanced incorrect assumptions about gender.”  And essentially implied that the expression of such assumptions would not be tolerated within their organization.

This memo from Ms. Brown explicitly takes a stand that there are “correct” and “incorrect” assumptions about gender. With all due respect, the scientific literature on this topic is, to put it lightly, fraught with controversies and a plurality of perspectives (see Buss & Malamuth, 1996; Schmitt, 2105; Fisher, Garcia, & Chang, 2013). If there is any scientific field in which the “reality” is nuanced and is still being figured out, it is the science of sex and gender. Even the scientists with the very strongest of opinions in this field would absolutely have to admit that there are multiple perspectives among scholars in the community.

As such, dismissing someone for raising ideas that connect with this scholarly area - but for explicitly connecting with the “incorrect” ideas and scholarship within the broader area of gender studies is nothing short of outrageous.

Further, when you read Mr. Damore’s memo, you find that his tone is professional and his approach in presenting his ideas is both organized and conciliatory. The fact that he was fired for sending these ideas around is appalling - and, to my mind, it raises foundational issues that are creating fissures in our broader society on a daily basis.

Intellectual diversity is a form of diversity. Period. For the chief diversity officer to fail to embrace this fact in this case goes well beyond irony.

On our campus, I have been an advocate of having intellectual diversity be considered as a basic form of diversity that needs to be protected within the academy. The Google Memo case makes it clear that this issue applies well beyond the boundaries of the Ivory Tower.

Special Programs for Women in the University
To some extent, the basic premise of Damore’s memo is that special programming for women in the Google corporate culture has been at least partly misguided and problematic.
I don’t work for Google so I don’t know what kinds of programs they have got there, but let me tell you about some data from SUNY New Paltz where I do work. And I’ll throw in an anecdote to make it interesting.

A few months ago, I was at a high-power meeting with several academic administrators. At this particular meeting, someone gave a presentation about an upcoming event - it was going to include a panel of highly successful female alumni from the university. And we were being asked to encourage our female students to attend. Sure, that sounds great, I figure. I support my female students with everything I have. I also happen to support my male students with this approach.

I asked a question and I will never forget the response. I essentially said this: 

That sounds great! Thanks for your work on this important initiative. Hey, is there any effort being made to hold a similar event for males?

I have to say, I’m usually known as being pretty diplomatic in these kinds of meetings. Generally speaking, I’m good at putting things just so, etc. Well apparently I had said something blasphemous because all eyes looked at me - and the implicit message, from pretty much all 20 people in the room, was this:

Did Glenn really just say that? Out loud??? (insert pin-drop here)

Well I have news for you: Yes I did! I said that and I said it out loud!
​

Feeling slightly confused, I went and looked at some data regarding gender among our students. I looked at data going back several years, to make sure that anything I found was legitimate and generalizeable. Here is what I found - unequivocally:
  • Females are admitted at much higher rates than are males.
  • Females have higher GPAs than do males, on average, at each and every step (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, and Senior year).
  • Females are much more likely than are males to graduate within four years.
  • Conversely, males are much more likely to fail out than are females.
Remind me again why it’s a ridiculous idea to have special programming for males in college?

This article can be found at Psychology Today:  www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201708/diversity-includes-intellectual-diversity




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