Let There Be...

 

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.  Genesis 1:1-2
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.  Hebrews 11:3

I can’t remember when I first heard it, but the old sermon illustration about the creation and God’s powerful hand has stuck in my mind for decades.  It is about an old-time country preacher attempting to tell his flock about what God did to bring about everything we can see.  Having stood with Bible opened to the first chapter of Genesis he read the first two verses of Scripture, and completed his sermon in three short sentences:

In da’ beginnin’ they weren’t nuthin’.

An’ God, He reached out his’n hand, an’ cotched him a bit o’ da’ nuthin.

An’ wit da’ bit o’ nuthin’ God made somethin’…ever’thin’!

I fail to see how you can improve on that kind of preaching.

There are certain Scripture verses that stand out in my mind as formative for sound Christian doctrine of how, and why God created the universe.  These not only answer the darkness of our beginnings, but the purpose for why we exist.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Colossians 1:15-17

In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God….So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.  John 1:1, 14

The debate on how the universe started, and how it came to be the kind of place it is, extends back generations…all of them.  The debate began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent cast doubt in Eve’s mind about whether God really said to leave the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil alone.  That question got to Eve.  She tried to defend God and said that the Lord had said to not even touch it.  This was going beyond what God had told them; God told them that in the day they ate of that tree’s fruit they would die.  With one simple question Satan muddied the waters of God’s clear teaching for humans on living a life of faith in God’s way.  And we have been stirring that mudhole ever since![1]

For Adam and Eve, and for every descendant of theirs, the whole issue has been one of faith.  We humans have a hard time taking things on faith, believing what we have not seen.  Yet, with a God whom no living person has ever seen, this is the chief requirement – that we take God’s word for our marching orders.  And, despite how small and insignificant each of us might appear, compared to, let’s say, the universe, taking God’s existence, sovereignty, and plans for us on faith is, to put it softly, putting every egg we have in this faith basket. 

And therefore we call it a leap of faith.  Believing in God is a choice which He has given us as one of those eggs in our basket.  You either believe-in, trust-in, and rely-on God…or you don’t.  The choice is entirely up to us.

For You Today

If you’ve never taken that “faith-leap” what you’ve been sensing as the missing piece in your life’s puzzle is the assurance that there is God, and He’s good, and He loves you.  That’s what’s on the other side of that nervous step of letting-go, and letting-God.  Today can be that one pivotal moment in your life. 

Trust in God.  Choose to place your faith in God’s only Son who died in your place.  He created you, and everything you can see, and everything beyond your sight.  Trust that he knows your every need.  You’ll find He’s waiting for you with open arms.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] Read this account in Genesis 3:1-13

When Destination Enters the Journey

Monday, March 23, 2020

In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.  John 1:14

Genesis tells us that when humans sinned in the Garden of Eden it broke the fellowship between man and God.  But it also broke the intended destination of mankind.  We are created for relationship and residence in our ultimate destination, the presence of God.  We are His family.

Jesus had that.  As the Word, Jesus was with God.  Jesus was always at the Father’s side in unbroken fellowship since before time began.  But it was interrupted by the cross of Calvary.  He came to dwell among us and die for us.  Fellowship with God was our intended destination.  When sin shut down man’s journey, Jesus came to enter and walk the journey with us. 

The Bible tells us that Jesus promised that:

“I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.”.  Hebrews 13.5b

Before September 2001 many Americans felt safe, like our borders were largely impenetrable.  Nowadays the word terrorist is a daily part of our vocabulary; it is an uncertain and anarchy-prone, tumultuous world in which we live. Our children walk their journey somewhat nervous and cynical about the future. 

And, who doesn’t get even a little concerned, (or full-blown manic) about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19?  I went into a store last week and intentionally stuck my left hand in my pocket, so I’d only use my right hand to touch things.  I did everything one-handed, and when I got back to my car, I used the left hand to drench/cleanse my right hand with sanitizer. 

Life is different than it used to be…and isn’t that the nature of a journey into the future?

Jesus came to walk this valley journey with us.  He is the destination for which our souls were created, and that for which we crave.  But Jesus does not make us wait to get there – Jesus, our destination, has entered the journey to run the race with us.  What a joy!

For You Today

The main issue here is one of faithfulness.  Jesus is eternal, and yet he walks this temporary journey with us.  When He says, I’ll never abandon you, He isn’t just talking about this week, or as long as you do everything right.  This is an eternal commitment from Jesus to each of us who follow Him. 

How comforting is that thought!  It’s good to know you have something you can count on during this difficult and uncertain journey we call life. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on John 1 see Catch  or  And the Word Became Flesh

What Child Is This?

[i]

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.  And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.  God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.  The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.  When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.  This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.  Hebrews 1:1-4^(NLT)

So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.  John 1:14^(NLT)

Several years ago I got a fresh reminder of the fact that, despite the crush of Christmas shopping, crowds, hurry-up of extra meetings and worship services, it was the Word, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God who became flesh in that manger.  It was not an idea or doctrine, or a program that was born – it was God who became “with us”, incarnate; eternity entering time.  The Messiah was born, and nothing could ever be the same once the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

My reminder came in two segments. 

First, I happened to come across my friend Anne’s description of a worship service at her church; she is the organist/music director.  It’s a fairly large sanctuary, and the organ is located in the balcony.  She described a crisis:

“Crises in a church service happen in a split second, and you never see them coming.  I pick out offertories based on the service, knowing the time it takes the ushers to pass the plates is longer for Service 2 than Service 3.  Also, as a general rule, I play a shorter version for the early service because there are fewer people in attendance.  Timing wouldn’t matter so much if the ushers would wait until I finish a piece and begin the congregational hymn. However, they tend to start up the aisle when they’ve finished their job without waiting for me.  Over the years I learned it was better if I looked over my shoulder and began winding up when the usher on the right side of the church reached the last pew.

At the early service today I had it about right.  The only usher I could see was about to walk behind the last pew to be in position to go forward in the center aisle, and my music would end at just the right time.  John [Anne’s husband] was there in the choir loft, and all of a sudden he jumped up and began to flap his arms.  Sometimes he tells me when the men have finished, but this flapping denoted something much more urgent.  ‘They are not ready,’ he hissed.

I really don’t think people listen to filler music, but if anyone happened to be paying attention today they would have heard the music reaching a conclusion.  Then there was a slight pause, a fumble with a few notes and a resuming of the original piece somewhere in the middle.  Since I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know how much longer to play.  John told me later that someone sitting on the middle aisle was writing a check, and the usher stood there waiting for it. 

I’d like to tell the congregation once a year that I can’t see the middle aisle, so if anyone is going to mess up the timing of the offertory, please do it on the right side.^[1]

Anne wasn’t ready for this because didn’t see it coming.  And how could she?  From the balcony, facing the wrong way, her world is lopsided, and she can’t see the middle.  How frustrating – whoever designed organs facing the wrong way, anyway?  

The ushers weren’t ready because of the check-writer who wasn’t ready. 

We’ll come back to this in a moment.

My second reminder came the next evening. 

We went to the middle and high school combined chorus concert at my granddaughter’s school.  I saw and heard Christmas – the part where He came in a lowly place, an unexpected place – a very noisy place.  We got there early to get a good seat; and (wonder of wonders) we succeeded – right down front where we could see the dimples on my beautiful granddaughter as she sang a solo part, 

         

and my grandson in that red bowtie...priceless!

People were in a festive mood, and the kids sang the obligatory numbers that choirs have been singing for centuries. 

They also sang “The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas” (five gold rings that turned your fingers green, along with three French hens that were turned into chicken soup to cure a cold….well, it was a hoot!). 

But that wasn’t Christmas – not the word become flesh. 

The stage was decorated, the kids wore elf hats and antlers; but that wasn’t Christmas, either!

What made it Christmas for me was the rowdy crowd! 

Through all fifteen songs the parents and friends of these kids kept up chatter, trips to the bathroom complete with swinging, slamming doors.  They talked, laughed and made it impossible to hear the singing.

One group behind us must’ve had bladder problems; I counted eight trips to the facility in the hour and fifteen minute concert.  The young lady behind me was reclining on her seat, one leg draped over the arm of her chair, dangling in the aisle; she was texting, playing video games, bouncing her baby sister on her lap, talking to her boyfriend and singing (rather off key) from before the opening curtain, straight through to Silent Night.  It was like attending a combination football game and tractor-pull.  The crowd distracted everyone who was trying to sing, play, direct or hear.  Whew…talk about a “rowdy-crowdy”!

Back to our valiant organist in the balcony:  Anne was blind-sided by events she couldn’t see in a lop-sided world; she was blinded from the main event – she couldn’t see.  Our “concert rowdy-crowdy” was unknowing of the treasure those 7-9^th grade kids had practiced weeks to bring them. 

Two events – one Blind and one unknowing!

So, what’s the connection with the word became flesh?

…God came to the rowdy and blind…and he did it on purpose!

Humanity without God is blind and unknowing.  Most of our manger scenes are quiet, very pastoral and serene.  But has farm life ever really been quiet?  With all due respect to Away in a Manger – when cattle are lowing they are loud.  They bellow because they’re ready for something to happen…very ready!  Goats, sheep and pigs add to the noise too. 

God chose to come to the middle of a rowdy mess, like an interrupted offering, a distracted choir.  That’s grace…we didn’t deserve it, but he came anyway.

God chose to die for us – it tells us the truth – we’re that messy!

He was full of grace and truth…we’re that messy, and he loves us anyway. 

He took our rowdy mess to the cross; that is the glory we celebrate this morning. 

He lived with us, died for us and rose that his grace would carry us all the way to where he is now.

He died for us blind, lopsided and rowdy all…

So what kind of child is this in the manger?  He’s the one who came to us and loved us, blind, lopsided, rowdy, warts and all!

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen

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Notes                               

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[1] Anne Maclin Mehrling

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[i] Title image:  Russell Brownworth

The Fullness of Time

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.      Galatians 4:4-5 (KJV)

One day years ago on the way home from church I spotted a bumper sticker that simply said, "I HATE YOU". 

Christmas was God, finding a way to give a gift with a whisper that simply says, "I love you." 

What kind of gift is this child of the manger?

A PRECISE GIFT

Paul said that it was “in the fullness of time" that Jesus came into this world.  That expression points more to our need than our progress.  At the PRECISE moment of our greatest need, according to God's plan, Jesus entered time and space to be our gift. 

From an historical view, all the conditions for the reception of the gospel were in place.  Several important circumstances show how God was working to move mankind into a "ready" position. 

The conquests of Alexander the Great had spread the Greek language throughout the known world.  Thus, the path was paved for the spread of God's written word. 

The Roman Empire and its "law and order" made travel between cities safe.  Evangelists like Paul could spread the good news quickly. 

Pagan religion was at its' height, leaving people empty and "thirsty" for something that satisfied.

There are times I do not understand what the Father is doing.  Things happen in my life which cause me to question His care; yet He is moving me in the course of His plan. 

In preparing to give my son a surprise for his birthday, we had to keep him in the dark for a while.  Then, on that precise moment, when the surprise would be most effective, and good for him, we turned on the light!  God is moving history towards His own conclusion.  He is precise, and so was the gift of Jesus. 

I would have done it differently.  Had I been God, I'd have shown-up in person, called a meeting and said, "Ok, everyone who wants to be in my family - step over here."  And those who didn't - ZAP! - gone forever!  But God didn't consult me....He gently broke into history, on a bed of straw.  He lived and died, and rose again, and He said I could too! 

God knew PRECISELY what gift we needed.

A PREPARED GIFT

God sent His Son.  A literal translation would expand the meaning of this verse:  "God sent forth FROM HIMSELF His son."  This points to the fact that Jesus existed in heaven long before He was born on earth.  The fact that God is Father presupposes the existence of a son.  God knew we would need a sacrifice to pay the price for our sin.  Jesus became that sacrificially-prepared gift. 

The Bible (Hebrews 1.1-2) says:

"IN THE PAST GOD SPOKE TO OUR FOREFATHERS THROUGH THE PROPHETS AT MANY TIMES AND IN VARIOUS WAYS, BUT IN THESE LAST DAYS HE HAS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON, WHOM HE APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS, AND THROUGH WHOM HE MADE THE UNIVERSE."

That speaks of a pre-incarnate Jesus.  Before He became Mary's son, he was the creator of this earth.  In Revelation (13.8) Jesus is described as the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth."  Isn't that something?  You and I prepare Christmas lists - God did too!

A PERFECT GIFT

A little boy was looking for the "perfect Christmas gift" for his mother.  He asked the sales clerk to see some cookie jars.  At a counter with a large selection of jars, he carefully lifted and replaced each lid.  When he came to the last one he seemed dejected, and asked the clerk, "Don't you have any that don't make noise when you lift the lid?"

Jesus didn't make a lot of noise when He came the first time.  He came in an ordinary way ("born of a woman, born under law").  He was just like you and me in that sense, fully human.  He had to go through childhood like I did; and struggle with young adulthood, like I did; and die like I must, so He could save me like I can't. 

His whole purpose was to "redeem" us.  That word is from the marketplace, meaning to buy back something that was lost to another.  Jesus was the perfect gift, in that, He accomplished exactly that which was His purpose.     

A PERSONALIZED GIFT

Those who've accepted the gift have been redeemed, adopted.  Paul calls it "full rights of sons."  This points out the grisly fact that there is something wrong with each of us.  We are not natural sons of God.  We may be of His creation, but because of sin, we are not God's children. 

It takes adoption for a stranger to be part of the family.  Dr. Richard Selzer wrote a book entitled, "Mortal Lessons, Notes on the Art of Surgery."  He shares an experience that speaks so powerfully of how God has personalized the gift of Christ toward each of us...

I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face post-operative, her mouth twisted in palsy, clownish.  The tiny twig of a facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth has been severed. 

She will be thus from now on.  The surgeon had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh, I promise you that!  Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek I had to cut the little nerve. 

Her young husband is in the room; he stands on the opposite side of the bed.  And together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private.

“Who are they?”  I ask myself, “he and this wry-mouth I have made” gaze at and touch each other so generously. 

The young woman speaks, “Will my mouth always be like this?” she asks.”  “Yes,” I say, “it will; it’s because the nerve’s been cut.”

She nods, and is silent.  But the young man smiles, “I kind of like it,” he says; “It’s kind of cute.”

All at once I know who he is.  I understand; and I lower my gaze.  One is not bold in an encounter with God.  Unmindful, he bends to kiss the crooked mouth, and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show that the kiss still works.

The kiss does still work, beloved. 

Sin twisted everything we are.  It has mangled what God created.  Yet, in Christ, God has reached down to where we are - twisted homes, marriages severed like cut nerves.  He has reached down to touch lives that are crooked with the emptiness of life in darkness.  Like the husband accommodating his own lips to the scars of his wife, the Lord came to a twisted world. 

And He loved us. 

What shall we do?  Say thank you! 

That's all He's waiting for.   

Catch

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.    John 1:1, 14 (NLT)

“Logos” is the Greek word we translate as “word”.  Logos is how God translates Himself for a world that doesn’t understand Him.  “God in Christ” is so we could know God; it is the Word of gracious condescension for people who can’t speak heaven’s language.  We are far from His level, so He came down to ours!

In the first few verses of John’s Gospel, there is symmetry of thought which expresses critical truth about the incarnation of Jesus.  An old saying is what’s in a name?  The answer:  Everything if it is your name, and it describes who you are, your nature, and your character. 

To the ancients, and even modern Easterners, a name is not simply a word, spoken aloud, so perhaps you won’t miss dinner.  The name/word is seen as an active event – inherently powerful; a word is the same as a deed. 

And when that word is your name, your entire character, actions, desires, hopes, dreams, plans and countenance are on display for everyone to know.

In that way, Jesus, the Christ, described as the Word of God, is expressing that He is indeed God.  Jesus describes – displays – the very character (logos) of God.  Men didn’t really know what to think of God – and so God explained himself.  As G. Campbell Morgan put it, In Christ, the long, long silence became speech.

On a human level my Uncle Marlen knew how to do that.  When he was explaining something, he frequently asked a one-word question; he would say, Catch?   He wanted to know if we were catching-on to his idea. 

At pick-up football games he always knew what to do.  In the huddle he’d describe some elaborate play.  The instructions included things like running to the oak tree, and cutting over to the old Chevy awaiting overhaul in the back yard.  Be sure you fake left, he’d warn – Don’t let Tommy get in front of you.  I’ll throw you the ball when you zig right – CATCH?  

Catch?  Catch what?  Sure I’ll catch the ball – just – what’s a fake left and a zig right? 

Uncle Marlen would look at those blank doe-in-the-headlight stares in our faces.  Then he would say, I’ll do it one time so you can see it.  Just throw me the ball when I holler ‘NOW!’  He would run some intricate pass pattern, gliding along with that Jamaica shuffle of his – first left, right, stop, go, turn, whirl, jump and suddenly yell, Now!  C’mon, hit me!  The plans seldom worked – but we saw with our own eyes the best left fakes and zigs…ever!

That is the way with logos; Jesus was God’s way of saying “catch?” 

Jesus showed us The Father.

For You, Today…

Jesus is the very character of God.

And when He lives in you, others see God; they catch what God is like by watching your moves.  Not “fakes” and “zigs” but compassion and joy.

Let it be full in you today!

Catch?

Title Picture:  [1] By Keith Allison (Flickr: Brett Gardner):   Via Wikimedia