Star of Wonder

 

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.  About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?  We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 
And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Matthew 2:1-2, 9b-11

Last night was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and darkest night of the year.  Ironically, it was also the time of the brightest guiding light since March of AD 1226, when planets Jupiter and Saturn visibly aligned to form a “Christmas Star”.  The scientific or astronomical name for this rare event is a planetary conjunction.[1]

According to some sources it was this event that led the wise men from the East to Bethlehem.  I shared some thoughts of this on Sunday with our churches.  In an informal discussion a friend suggested the star that led the wisemen was probably a one-time, God-created movement in the heavens.  I can’t say I disagree; whatever movement occurs in the heavens is a matter of God’s handiwork. 

Whether the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction is some sort of Godly-prelude to a special event, I cannot say.  But one thing is certain; this event gives us a marvelous opportunity to gather with others out under the dark solstice skies and contemplate God’s wonderful gift of reminders. 

As the crosses in our sanctuaries, or the ones we wear as jewelry are not the cross upon which Jesus died, and a hole you dig to plant a tree is not the borrowed tomb from which the Lord rose on Easter morning, and every cloud in the skies is not the one which the Lord said would accompany His next appearance, all of these, and everything in God’s creation, is most certainly an opportunity to remember and be thankful.

For You Today

I do hope you will not miss the opportunity between now and Christmas night to spend a few minutes seeing this bright planetary conjunction display.[2]  Read Matthew 2:1-11, and imagine you’re getting closer to the manger.  Have a moment of joy in remembering our Lord’s birth.  Sing “Joy to the World; the Lord has come”. 

And, as you do any (or all) of those suggestions, treasure the moments when the gifts you open, events you must attend, and decorations you hung are the farthest things from your mind.

Let’s let the Psalmist have the last word today:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.  The skies display his craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.  They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.  Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.  Psalm 19:1-4

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

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Title image via Pixabay.com  W  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on Christmas see:  The Kiss of Righteousness and Peace and The Fullness of Time  

 

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[1] The next near conjunction is 20 years away.  See here to learn more

[2] The best time is an hour after sunset (around 6pm) with an unobstructed view like a park or playground, looking Southwest.

 

DNA of Greatness

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Thursday, February 6, 2020

“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.  Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations.  When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’  For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?  And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?  “But watch out!  Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen.  Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live!  And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.  Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them.  Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’  Deuteronomy 4:5-10

Reverberating in my mind from the time I was old enough to walk is that I am blessed to live in a great country.  One of the laments we hear often these days is how far America has fallen from her greatness.  The theme that carried the day in this country’s last Presidential election was a call to Make America Great AGAIN.  That last word presupposes the fall, and hoped-for rise back to glory.

As DNA is that which is built-into a person’s life pattern and determines so much of what we know and experience every day, the Greatness Gene is what we imagine is our birthright and destiny.  Born American, we are blessed and destined to shine among the nations of the world, a beacon of light and freedom.

When Moses stood before all the tribes of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land, he rehearsed for them how God’s greatness had called them out of Egypt, and how God’s Providence guided, protected, and met every need in the wilderness wanderings.  And now they were to cross Jordan, possess the land, and be that great beacon of light to the Gentiles and all nations.

Sometimes we enjoy the light more than appreciate the light’s source.  Recently, Ken, our thoughtful son-in-law gave his mother-in-law a wonderful gift… kitchen lighting above and below the counter.  There is a motion sensor connected to the lights that detects us moving into the kitchen from any side and turns on the lights.  Early every morning when I walk to the place of coffee (elixir of life) the gift Ken installed is a blessing.  My choice is to enjoy the light; I cannot do that without remembering the hands that gave that gift.  (Or the old guy attached to those hands that climbed around in our attic to do the wiring right).

When Moses spoke to Israel, he reminded them of the gift of God’s commandments and how they were to learn them and also live them.  Any nation blessed like Israel or America ought to remember to pass that along to the next generation, to fear the God who made them. 

For You Today

The counsel of Moses to Israel was to not forget where their greatness originated.  They were to live-in and enjoy the land they possessed; just not ever lose sight of the fact that it was a gift and calling – a responsibility to share and spread the light.  And when God calls a nation or a person, God puts greatness and goodness in their DNA.  When nations or persons trample either they soil the DNA of God’s greatness and goodness. 

Perhaps the message of the next presidential election season should be slightly altered to Make America Great (and GODLY) again!

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

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

[2] For another post on this Deuteronomy 4:9-10 see NEVER FORGET

Why, Lord?

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As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence!  Be still!”  Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.  Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”  Mark 4: 39

Quiet?  Be still?  The storm on the waters of that day may have listened to Jesus’ command.  For many of us our hearts have been anything but quiet and still since September 11^th eighteen years ago.  On that bright Tuesday morning in September enemies slipped aboard three planes gathering the storm clouds that would bring destruction to our shores. 

In 30 A.D. the Satanic storm that wanted to destroy Jesus and his disciples became a stretching of their faith, much like we all were tested with Satan’s fear-spreading on 9/11. 

Truth be known, I dread anniversaries like 9/11.  As the media barrages us with the impending memorials and commemorations I want to be quiet.  I feel the storm surge rise within me.  All the submerged feelings of grief, loss, and anger come to the surface:

   anger surfaces as I watch the television broadcasts

   the shadow of fear surfaces as I remember we live in a different, more dangerous world

   frustration wants to overwhelm me because of unanswered questions of why and when will this all be repaid and when will it ever stop. 

I ask in my inner need for justice, when will the hurt go away for Elizabeth’s cousin John who was working in the building down the street when the second plane zoomed overhead and plowed into the South Tower?

I want to know when will the nightmares cease for the children of diplomats my brother was teaching that day because they never got to say goodbye to their parents?

When will the grieving cease for the father and children who were only 2 and 1 years old, when their Flight Attendant mother, 38 year old Sandy Bradshaw, took part in the attempt to gain control from the terrorists on Flight 93 that day?

The questions renew every time there is a violent takeover, a mass-shooting, or new deployment.  Why, Lord?

There is a story in one of Elie Wiesel’s books of a man, a crazy little Jewish man.  He lived in Europe during the Second World War.  When the Nazis invaded he went into hiding in his little town.  When it was safe to come out he ran to the local synagogue, looked upward and shouted, You see, God, we are still here!  Throughout the occupation and holocaust sufferings this crazy little Jewish man is in hiding, emerging periodically to shout to God, You see, we are still here. 

Finally, the man finds himself alone, the last surviving Jew in his little village.  He enters the synagogue, looks up at the ceiling and whispers, You see, God, I’m still here.”  And then he adds, but, you, God, where are You?

Why, Lord usually turns into where ARE you, Lord?  The question we have is no different…Why, Lord…and Where Were You, Anyway?

The answer, our answer, is not the kind that takes the sting away from tragedy and loss.  Our answer is almost as perplexing as the evil deed.

Where was God on September 11, 2001?

God was in the same place He was when Job got clobbered.  Job would have made a wonderful capitalist American citizen.  He was God-fearing, rich, respected and well-loved in his community.  All the Methodist churches would have put Job on the Administrative Council and Trustee boards. 

He was also Satan’s target. 

And God, sitting on the sovereign throne of eternity, watched:

   as marauding Sabeans captured Job’s servants and possessions 

   as a lightning bolt took out his herds of sheep and shepherds

   as the Chaldeans killed his servants and stole his camels

   and as Job’s sons and daughters and their families were having a family meal together, and a twister demolished the house killing all of them.

God was in heaven, watching.

Where was God September 11, 2001?

God was in the same place watching His own son:

   when he hung on the cross,

   when he died,

   when he was taken down and buried in a borrowed grave.

God was in heaven, watching.

On September 11^th God was in heaven…watching.

Sooner or later tragedy brings us back to Ground Zero.  And God is watching. 

And we always ask, Why?  And the answer is always the same.

   God answered Job, He simply said, trust me.

   God answered Elijah, I have my remnant.

   God answered Paul, My grace is sufficient.

   And God answered Jesus on the cross when he uttered those awful words, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

God answered with sovereign silence.

None of us knows why God allows some things and prevents others.  We know He is God, and we trust Him because His ways and thoughts are higher.  Our trust is found in being His children.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8.28^(KJV)

Christine Wilson was painting the kitchen in her new home.  She was also upset.  She had accidentally stepped in the bucket of bright Country Orange paint.  She had no other shoes or socks, with her, so she had to go pick up her four children from the sitter in sloppy mode.  The children were napping, so the sitter suggested Christine do a little shopping and pick them up later.  Now, a mother of four young children will jump on an offer like that!  Christine made a beeline for the local housewares section of the department store.  There she found that all things do work together for good – she was able to perfectly match the new kitchen dish cloths and towels to her “Country Orange toe”.^[1]

September 11, 2001 was horribly worse than stepping in a bucket of orange paint.  And the cross outside of Jerusalem – a place called Golgotha was worse, infinitely worse than our loss 18 years ago. 

In the case of the cross, that orange toe proved to be our salvation, and God’s free offer of eternal life. 

Surely the God of the resurrection can use the bucket of Ground Zero to birth something of eternal value in our lives. 

May each of us open our hearts to let Him do so!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Amen!

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[1] Adapted, A Problem Becomes a Solution, Christine R. Wilson, Eureka, CA, Christian Reader, Lite Fare.

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[i] Title Images:  Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.    All Scripture quoted is from The New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) 

In God's Hand

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Thursday, November 1, 2018

When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.  “Where have you put him?” he asked them.  They told him, “Lord, come and see.”  Then Jesus wept.  The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”  But some said, “This man healed a blind man.  Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”  Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.  “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”  Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”  So they rolled the stone aside.  Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.  You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”  Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”  And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth.  Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”  John 11:32-44(NLT)

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.  In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.  For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.  Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-4(Apocrypha)

Jesus’ first command after the dead man, Lazarus, walked out of the grave was to get the shroud unwrapped.  Nowhere do any of the Gospel writers record that Jesus commanded them to draw a bath to get rid of death’s smell.  Like the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, walking around in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, who came out alive without a burn, or even the smell of smoke on them, Lazarus walked out of what should have been a cesspool (by all natural reasoning).  

The next time we hear Lazarus' name ^{(John 12)} he’s sitting with Jesus at the dinner table.  This should make the point that not even the smell – the memory – or even the thought of death can survive the life-giving power of the hand of God!

It is this life-giving promise that makes All-Saints Day such a comfort.  If you have ever been near a decomposing body, you understand there is a natural/physical reality to death … and it isn’t pretty.  But that is the contrast that makes Solomon’s wisdom so appropriate today.  This wise king of Israel says those who have passed into the hand of God only seemed to have died, when the truth is they are safe in the hand of God, and, as the hymn-writer has it, near to the heart of God.

For You Today

You don’t just think about your loved ones who have passed from this earthly existence on All-Saints Day; if you’re like me, there’s not a day that goes by that doesn’t include joy and sadness over not being able to see Mom and Dad, or bury my face in Grandma Carrie’s apron.  But, thanks be to God, I know where they are, and that’s not only good enough for now … it is sealed by the life-giving hand of God for eternity because of the resurrection of Jesus!

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

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Festival Fever

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Friday, October 6, 2017

“Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.  First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you.  Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.  No one may appear before me without an offering.  “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest.  “Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.  At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.   Exodus 23:14-17^(NLT)

Festivals in our state are plentiful, and they represent so many different issues, causes and just plain any-kind-of-reason-to-have-a-party theme you can imagine.  At random I picked a website[2] of the festivals in North Carolina; there are so many different types of festivals around the state this time of year…how can you choose?

·       Bluegrass

·       Latin American Culture

·       State & County fairs

·       Winston-Salem International LGBT Film Festival

·       Family Film Festival

·       Greensboro Barks & Brews (I assume that’s for beer-drinking dogs)

·       Art and Seafood Festivals galore

·       Chili Challenge Festival

·       Cross-Country Bicycling Festival

·       Hellbelly Hootenanny in Asheville (don’t ask)

·       Lest we leave somebody out, Thomasville has Everyone’s Day to kick-off October

And, for the all-time favorites there are going to be some tough choices or tough schedules for those who attempt being in two different parts of the state at the same time…Oktoberfest!  On October 14^th Durham will host the World Beer Festival.  And providing the tough choice of deep soul-searching for attending the event with the greatest social conscience, just 241.3 miles west of Durham, Hendersonville will have the Families Living Violence Free Shagging Pig Festival[3]. 

You just can’t make up some of this stuff!

Now, that’s a bit of fun at the expense of our state’s tourism ticket, but the concept of festival has a long history, and it is something we need.  We need celebration for numbers of reasons. 

In today’s Exodus reading God commanded Israel to celebrate three festivals annually.  The purpose is to pass along the faith, remembering not only Who we worship, but why we worship.  The Exodus was a historical divide for the Israelites, releasing them from Egyptian bondage.  As American independence from British tyranny is celebrated on July 4^th each year so we will never forget the meaning and cost of our freedom, God wanted all of His children to remember the grave cost of their freedom.

Festivals can lose momentum in time when the meaning gets drowned in the drinking, eating and just plain partying.  There is a festival, ongoing for the last two thousand years, which started when the tomb was discovered to be unoccupied.  The resurrection is celebrated every week in our communities of faith – and every moment in our hearts, if we keep our life’s focus balanced well. 

That is a festival well-worth keeping! 

For You Today

Whenever and whatever you’re about to celebrate, take a moment to re-focus on Who gave you the abundant life you’re going to invest in that time.

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

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[1] Title Image: CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

[2] North Carolina Festivals

[3] Actually there is a social issue at back of this festival…a focus on eradicating domestic violence