A Savior Has Been Born

The message this week was focused on the responses of the "players" in the story of Christmas:

• The Innkeeper - He was preoccupied with his own business.
• The Shepherds - They were, at first, afraid but they ultimately listened to the angel and went to find baby Jesus.
• King Herod - He was also afraid, but took action to eliminate what he perceived to be a threat to his own agenda.
• The Religious Leaders - Their response was pride, maybe because they wanted to be the first ones to know about the Messiah's birth.
• The Wise Men - Their response was one of perception. They paid attention to the evidence of the star and realized that the Messiah had been born.

Today, my challenge to you is this. As we go into the new year, what will your response to Christ be? It is interesting how many times people that are Christians have responses, in terms of how they do their daily lives, that are not unlike some of the "players" in the Christmas story.

So how about you? What will your response be day in and day out? Will you be like the innkeeper and be preoccupied with your own plans? Will you be like King Herod and be afraid to really commit 100% because of a fear of what will have to change in your life? Will you be like the religious leaders and do life on your own, being too prideful to admit a need for God to be involved in the intimate details of your life?

Or will you be like the shepherds, initially nervous about what might happen if you really seek Him, but in the end taking the leap of faith and following Him with reckless abandon? Will you be like the wise men, paying close attention God's hand prints all around you reminding you of God's love and care and desire for intimacy?

My prayer for you is that you will, like the shepherds, take the leap of faith and, like the wise men, look for God's hand prints and listen to what He says to you.

As we enter the new year, my prayer is that you will know Him and follow Him in a deeper and more intimate way.

Thoughts? Post a comment!

Create a Christmas that Shapes Your Spirit

Jesus came to change the world, but He also came to change us. (I really suspect that the way He can change the world is through us, but that's another topic.) The important thing, for today's message, is that we are to be like Jesus. Seeing what He sees. Hearing what He hears. Doing what He does.

We talked this morning about what changes Jesus wants to make in us:

• He came to give us a spirit of compassion.
• He came to give us a spirit of generosity--generosity with things like time, talents, and treasures as well as wisdom and forgiveness.
• He came to give us a spirit of grace and truth.

Think for a moment about the God we serve. He cares for us and cared enough to buy our salvation and eternal life when we were helpless in our sin. He is generous with us, giving us everything we need (but not necessarily everything we want sometimes) and has gifted each of us with talents and spiritual gifts. He has grace that he freely bestows on us, and His truth has set us free!

We are supposed to be like Him. If we are letting Him change us to be more and more like Him, we will have an impact on this world. We are His hands and feet in this world. Consider these scriptures:

"The King [Jesus] will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:14

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new ishere! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
II Corinthians 5:17-20

It is a wonderful thing to have received the gift of salvation. That is, by far, the best Christmas present ever. The fact that God has also gifted us with a responsibility to "be Jesus" to those around us is amazing to me! When we reach out to others in a spirit of compassion and generosity, we are showing Jesus to those around us.

It doesn't matter if it is December or April or August. When we reach out we are reminding them in a big way or a small way of the gift that came to mankind on that first Christmas night 2,000 years ago. It's our way of saying Merry Christmas all year long.

Thoughts? Post a comment!

Create a Christmas that Serves Your Community

Let's not do "Christmas as usual" this year. Let's not do "life as usual" starting now.

Today we talked about the Christ of Christmas who came to serve, and how we as Christians should do no less.

This post will consist of the scriptures we used this morning, and links for some organizations we recommend.

We follow Jesus' lead by walking in His shoes.

"Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:44-45

We were born to serve.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

We were born to serve those around us.

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
Matthew 25:40

We were born to serve globally.

"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

The opportunities to give, to share, to help, and to bless are endless. I encourage each of you to ask God what He would have you do, not just during the Christmas holiday but throughout the year. (People are not just hungry, or thirsty, or homeless on December 25. Their needs are all year long.)

This morning we talked about a variety of opportunities. Here are some links to explore them further. Explore. Listen. Obey.

World Vision (U.S.)

World Vision (International)

Hoops of Hope (Austin Gutwein)

Hands and Feet (Woodland)

Yolo Wayfarer Center

Pregnancy Support Group

Advent Conspiracy

Living Water International

Help San Bruno Fire Victims (Facebook link)


How will you serve others this Christmas and the coming year? Post a comment! I'll be so excited to hear what you are going to do!

Create a Christmas that Strengthens Your Family

Many of us are not going to have the kind of Christmas we're used to. Money is tight. We're unemployed or under-employed. Bank accounts are diminishing and our retirement accounts are dissipating.

The good thing about a year like this is that it gives us a great opportunity to stop and focus on what is important during this Christmas season. Here at The Sanctuary, we are taking kind of a different look at Christmas in the next few weeks.

I am encouraging all of us to focus in on what is important. We all know the story of Jesus coming to be born in a stable and being worshiped by shepherds and wise men. One of my hopes is that in this interlude of our study in Romans, we will look at the Christmas story against the backdrop of what we have learned in Romans.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." Romans 5:1-2

But I digress...

Since this is the season of giving, it may be a good thing to think about giving in a different way. The day after Christmas, the wrapping paper will be in the trash bin, the bows and ribbons may be packed away for re-use next year, and the boxes will be stowed as well. Some of the gifts will have already been returned by then, and there's a good chance that some of the toys will be put aside or even broken.

The gifts we typically give and receive are often enjoyed for the moment, but at some point later on they are forgotten or worn out or broken.

So what to give? How about a gift that has eternal value? We talked this morning about blessing your children and loved ones, not just on Christmas but throughout the year. Consider doing that! You'll be putting things into them that will last a lifetime.

But also, maybe this is the time to really establish what your Family Values are. I suggested some this morning and encourage you to sit down and talk about it as a family. Maybe you could even post them somewhere in the house for easy reference. During this Christmas season, having this kind of a "family meeting" could be a time of bonding and closeness that can bring satisfaction in a way that no purchased gift could.

This is gift you give to your children. It is wrapped in love, tied up with integrity, and presented with a promise. Try it! The rewards will be on-going.

So just to remind you of the Family Values that I suggested this morning, here they are. Revise them or use them as is.

Family Values

As a family...

• we love, follow, and obey God.
• we stand up for right against wrong and despise injustice.
• we have a sense of responsibility and we fulfill our obligations.
• we admit when we're wrong and accept the consequences.
• we respect others, including those in authority.
• we value family.
• we have a responsibility to save money, spend money wisely and give money away generously, all as God leads.
• we value the worth of each individual, including ourselves.
• we work hard and do our best.
• we believe that with God's help we can accomplish anything God calls us to do.

What if each and every family were to spend time this Christmas and in the year ahead talking about and reinforcing values such as these? How would it change your family? Your community? Your church?

Talk to me! Post a comment!

Practical Suggestions for Cultivating Thankfulness

• Thank God for others.

• Weigh a small gift according to what that person is in your life.

• Never lose appreciation for a gift.

• Let nothing extinguish thankfulness.

• Be sure to practice verbal thanks to God and man.

• Be grateful and thankful for the usual. Most of us appreciate the unusual until it’s lost.

(Somebody said "it hurts more to have your arm cut off than it feels good to have it on.") Instead of complaining that roses have thorns, try rejoicing that thorns have roses!

• Be thankful for the least. The more you appreciate the little the more you will enjoy the average.

Walking Daily the Path to Glory - Part Two

"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3

Today we will focus on three words: perseverance, character and hope.

The question is always asked, "Why would a loving God allow us to suffer so?" The answer, as I said last week, requires an eternal perspective. If we believe that this life is "all there is," then it would be easy to believe that there is no point to our suffering.

But let me as you this: Do you believe that God is using your present life and circumstances to change you and make you more like Jesus? Do you believe your suffering is an opportunity to learn and grow and become more like Him? If you really get that, then suffering makes sense and is worth the end result.

Think of other things we "endure" because we are aiming for an end result.

• We go on a diet because we want to look better. The diet isn't pleasant, but we "endure" it because we want the end result.
• We spend time at the gym because we want to be healthier. We'd rather be doing other things, but our physical health, flexibility, stamina, and strength is worth the hard work.
• We want to buy a new car (or refrigerator or game system or whatever) and so we make sacrifices and scrimp and save because our eye is on the prize so to speak.
• We want to get a college degree, so we give up our social life and spend hours studying and writing papers and attending classes because the goal is worth all of that.

Now those things may not qualify, exactly, as "suffering," but my point here is that unpleasant things are often necessary to reach good goals. Our "good goal" is that we become more like Christ.

Okay, so with all of that said, let's talk about the three words:

1) Perseverance - Perseverance is an important part of the journey. If I want to be like Jesus and some day live with Him in eternity, then I must persevere. I have to hang in there.

How does suffering produce perseverance? I'm not exactly sure, but I do think that each time we endure suffering with a right attitude and we see that it changes us in positive ways, it may give us more ability to persevere. It gives us short term results while we're on the journey towards the long term prize.

It's kind of like when you're dieting and you reach your first goal of losing five pounds. It encourages you to keep going (or persevere). Just like that, when I see myself being more like Jesus than I was a month ago or a year ago, it encourages me to go on--to persevere.

2) Character - When we suffer and we persevere through suffering, it produces character. We become more like Christ and we glorify Him more and more with our lives. We will eventually find that our responses to life stressors is changing to a more God-like response, and it becomes a way of life for us.

When we begin to see those character changes in ourselves, as I said before, it encourages us to persevere which then, in turn, produces more character changes. And so it goes.

3) Hope - When we walk our journey, and we endure suffering and observe the changes we see in ourselves, it gives us hope that we'll make it!

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

The more we persevere, the more we change. The more we change, the more we have hope. The more we have hope, the more we develop the ability to endure suffering and persevere. We also develop more of an ability to see the purpose in suffering, and what we get from the suffering. It becomes more and more worth it.

Tell me what you think. Post a comment!

Walking Daily the Path to Glory - Part One

On Sunday we focused on Romans 5:2-8, but in this post I want to focus on verses 3 through 5:

"We boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also boast in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." NIV

Now sometimes I like to look at passages in more than one version. Here it is from The Message:

"There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"

So we've talked about the benefits of justification, and now we move to the benefits of suffering. We touched on it yesterday, but I want to expand it just a little bit. We asked, "How can we rejoice in suffering?" The answer was three-fold:

1) Rejoicing in suffering has to do with renewal of our thinking. Paul talks about renewing the mind in Romans 12:2:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

To rejoice in suffering takes a major shift in our thinking. We can only do that through the power of the Holy Spirit. We now see things differently than before. The Holy Spirit has affected our thinking and changed our worldview, as well as our priorities.

2) Rejoicing in suffering also has to do with knowing the truth. It starts with knowing where we came from (being hopelessly lost and ruined) and knowing what He's brought us to (justified children of God). We almost could stop there. Coming from hopelessness alone is reason to rejoice.

We must learn to focus on the truth of God's word and not the lies of the enemy. We must believe the truth of God's word and not be led astray by our emotions. We must cling to the truth of God's word, and not buy in to the world's way of thinking. Remember this:

"Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
John 8:31-32

Paul's writing to the Philippians (yes, I know I refer to this passage a lot) tells us a lot about how to respond to suffering. In fact, the entire book of Philippians is a good read on rejoicing in suffering, given the fact that Paul wrote it while in prison. But consider this:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

If you are suffering, focus on the truth of what you have to be thankful for!

3) Rejoicing in suffering has to do with having a new perspective on life. It is only when we see it as something good, or producing something good that we can truly rejoice in suffering. We need to see suffering producing things of eternal value. Suffering, when experienced and responded to in a Christlike way, produces the qualities of Christ in us. Isn't that, after all, what we want?

"A. Parnell Bailey visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. 'These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,' he said. 'You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.'"

Our suffering gives us an opportunity to send our roots deep down into God's word and His strength. It is one way that we learn to live in the presence of God which further gives us an opportunity to understand that we need to do that ALL the time, even when we aren't suffering!

What are your thoughts? Post a comment!