"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"--Luke 1.46-47
This is one line out of the "praise song" Mary, Jesus' mother, proclaimed during her visit with her cousin, Elizabeth. The whole "praise song" is referred to in Christian Tradition as the "Magnificat." It is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible and is a part of the liturgies (order or worship) in many diverse Christian denominations. It's interesting that this famous prayer was not written by someone with their doctorate in theology or even a famous preacher like Billy Graham. It sprang from the heart of a lowly, uneducated peasant girl from Ancient Times in a remote outpost of the Roman Empire. How could such a common person speak such a beautiful prayer/praise song? Because she was filled with the Holy Spirit!
We sometimes may be tempted to think that we don't have the right words or phrases to offer in prayer and praise of God. But, if we truly open our hearts to the Lord, the words are always right! In fact, the Bible reminds us that, when we pray, the "Spirit of God Himself intercedes for us." (Romans 8.26) Mary proves to us that you don't have to have an advanced degree in religion from an ivy league school to offer a beautiful and truthful prayer of thanksgiving to God! Why not open your heart to God in prayer today?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth?
I recently received a Christmas card that proclaimed, “Peace on Earth.” This is a familiar and solidly Scriptural Christmas greeting. It was part of the angels’ praise chorus on that first Christmas evening, almost 2,000 years ago, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” (Luke 2:14)
However, it struck me a little odd in light of recent news. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when global wars continue to rage and when people are still losing their jobs and homes every day. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when 30,000 children starve to death every day and five year old girls are sold in prostitution rings and brutally murdered.
The contrast is stark: a peaceful, star-filled evening with angels singing the glory of God versus the smoggy, greenhouse gas-filled world of turmoil that we live in. I sometimes feel like Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, who described this in a song from a few years back entitled, Peace on Earth: "I'm sick of hearing again and again, that there's gonna be Peace on Earth . . . Hear it every Christmas time but hope and history won't rhyme. So what's it worth, this Peace on Earth?”
We could despair of ever realizing “Peace on Earth” in the face of ever present realities. But, on second glance, there was not complete “Peace on Earth” when Jesus was born either. Jesus’ homeland had been violently overthrown and occupied by a pagan Empire. Soon after Jesus’ birth, the brutal King Herod had all Jewish boys under two years old slaughtered in a vain attempt to snuff out the new Messiah (Savior) that had been born. There was no complete “Peace on Earth” that first Christmas either. So what, then, did the angels mean?
“Peace on Earth” is part of the Kingdom of God, which is “NOW” and “NOT YET.” There will be a day, when Christ returns, that all wars will cease, all violence will be over, when God “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” (Revelation 21:4) That is the “NOT YET” that we await. As followers of Jesus Christ, WE are called to enact the “NOW” of the Kingdom of God, even “Peace on Earth.” How? By doing what Jesus did: sharing the Good News of salvation through Him, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, reaching out to the outcasts, loving and including children, and enacting justice for the oppressed.
If we want to see “Peace on Earth” now, then we followers of Jesus are called to enact it today! We may not be able to end global wars or save people’s jobs or homes. We may not be able to save the 30,000 children that starve to death each day. BUT WE CAN HELP SOMEONE! Mother Teresa was once asked why she was not overwhelmed by the sea of humanity and its crushing needs. She answered that she could not save the sea of humanity, but she could help one person at a time. In each person, she saw Jesus. And as Jesus said, when you feed, or clothe, or visit, or heal the “least of these,” you are doing that for Him.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the needs of the world! Just look around and see the one or two people you can help today by sharing Jesus’ love. Try one of these ideas: Call or visit someone who is grieving, lonely, or troubled. Share the Christmas story with someone. Encourage a young person. Give food to Stanly County Christian Ministries for hunger relief in our own community. Sponsor a child through World Vision or one of the other great global relief agencies.
You cannot make “Peace on (the whole) Earth,” but you can make peace just where you are. And if all Christians on Earth did that, the “NOW” and the “NOT YET” of God’s “Peace on Earth” would come a whole lot closer together!
I recently received a Christmas card that proclaimed, “Peace on Earth.” This is a familiar and solidly Scriptural Christmas greeting. It was part of the angels’ praise chorus on that first Christmas evening, almost 2,000 years ago, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” (Luke 2:14)
However, it struck me a little odd in light of recent news. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when global wars continue to rage and when people are still losing their jobs and homes every day. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when 30,000 children starve to death every day and five year old girls are sold in prostitution rings and brutally murdered.
The contrast is stark: a peaceful, star-filled evening with angels singing the glory of God versus the smoggy, greenhouse gas-filled world of turmoil that we live in. I sometimes feel like Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, who described this in a song from a few years back entitled, Peace on Earth: "I'm sick of hearing again and again, that there's gonna be Peace on Earth . . . Hear it every Christmas time but hope and history won't rhyme. So what's it worth, this Peace on Earth?”
We could despair of ever realizing “Peace on Earth” in the face of ever present realities. But, on second glance, there was not complete “Peace on Earth” when Jesus was born either. Jesus’ homeland had been violently overthrown and occupied by a pagan Empire. Soon after Jesus’ birth, the brutal King Herod had all Jewish boys under two years old slaughtered in a vain attempt to snuff out the new Messiah (Savior) that had been born. There was no complete “Peace on Earth” that first Christmas either. So what, then, did the angels mean?
“Peace on Earth” is part of the Kingdom of God, which is “NOW” and “NOT YET.” There will be a day, when Christ returns, that all wars will cease, all violence will be over, when God “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” (Revelation 21:4) That is the “NOT YET” that we await. As followers of Jesus Christ, WE are called to enact the “NOW” of the Kingdom of God, even “Peace on Earth.” How? By doing what Jesus did: sharing the Good News of salvation through Him, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, reaching out to the outcasts, loving and including children, and enacting justice for the oppressed.
If we want to see “Peace on Earth” now, then we followers of Jesus are called to enact it today! We may not be able to end global wars or save people’s jobs or homes. We may not be able to save the 30,000 children that starve to death each day. BUT WE CAN HELP SOMEONE! Mother Teresa was once asked why she was not overwhelmed by the sea of humanity and its crushing needs. She answered that she could not save the sea of humanity, but she could help one person at a time. In each person, she saw Jesus. And as Jesus said, when you feed, or clothe, or visit, or heal the “least of these,” you are doing that for Him.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the needs of the world! Just look around and see the one or two people you can help today by sharing Jesus’ love. Try one of these ideas: Call or visit someone who is grieving, lonely, or troubled. Share the Christmas story with someone. Encourage a young person. Give food to Stanly County Christian Ministries for hunger relief in our own community. Sponsor a child through World Vision or one of the other great global relief agencies.
You cannot make “Peace on (the whole) Earth,” but you can make peace just where you are. And if all Christians on Earth did that, the “NOW” and the “NOT YET” of God’s “Peace on Earth” would come a whole lot closer together!
Peace on Earth?
Peace on Earth?
I recently received a Christmas card that proclaimed, “Peace on Earth.” This is a familiar and solidly Scriptural Christmas greeting. It was part of the angels’ praise chorus on that first Christmas evening, almost 2,000 years ago, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” (Luke 2:14)
However, it struck me a little odd in light of recent news. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when global wars continue to rage and when people are still losing their jobs and homes every day. That we would be proclaiming “Peace on Earth” when 30,000 children starve to death every day and five year old girls are sold in prostitution rings and brutally murdered. The contrast is stark: a peaceful, star-filled evening with angels singing the glory of God versus the smoggy, greenhouse gas-filled world of turmoil that we live in. I sometimes feel like Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, who described this in a song from a few years back entitled, Peace on Earth: "I'm sick of hearing again and again, that there's gonna be Peace on Earth . . . Hear it every Christmas time but hope and history won't rhyme. So what's it worth, this Peace on Earth?”
We could despair of ever realizing “Peace on Earth” in the face of ever present realities. But, on second glance, there was not complete “Peace on Earth” when Jesus was born either. Jesus’ homeland had been violently overthrown and occupied by a pagan Empire. Soon after Jesus’ birth, the brutal King Herod had all Jewish boys under two years old slaughtered in a vain attempt to snuff out the new Messiah (Savior) that had been born. There was no complete “Peace on Earth” that first Christmas either. So what, then, did the angels mean? “Peace on Earth” is part of the Kingdom of God, which is “NOW” and “NOT YET.” There will be a day, when Christ returns, that all wars will cease, all violence will be over, when God “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” (Revelation 21:4) That is the “NOT YET” that we await. As followers of Jesus Christ, WE are called to enact the “NOW” of the Kingdom of God, even “Peace on Earth.” How? By doing what Jesus did: sharing the Good News of salvation through Him, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, reaching out to the outcasts, loving and including children, and enacting justice for the oppressed. If we want to see “Peace on Earth” now, then we followers of Jesus are called to enact it today! We may not be able to end global wars or save people’s jobs or homes. We may not be able to save the 30,000 children that starve to death each day. BUT WE CAN HELP SOMEONE! Mother Teresa was once asked why she was not overwhelmed by the sea of humanity and its crushing needs. She answered that she could not save the sea of humanity, but she could help one person at a time. In each person, she saw Jesus. And as Jesus said, when you feed, or clothe, or visit, or heal the “least of these,” you are doing that for Him.Don’t be overwhelmed by the needs of the world! Just look around and see the one or two people you can help today by sharing Jesus’ love. Try one of these ideas: Call or visit someone who is grieving, lonely, or troubled. Share the Christmas story with someone. Encourage a young person. Give food to Stanly County Christian Ministries for hunger relief in our own community. Sponsor a child through World Vision or one of the other great global relief agencies. You cannot make “Peace on (the whole) Earth,” but you can make peace just where you are. And if all Christians on Earth did that, the “NOW” and the “NOT YET” of God’s “Peace on Earth” would come a whole lot closer together!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Prepare
"As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."--Luke 3.4
There are so many preparations to be made in this busy season of the year! In the midst of all this how can we prepare our hearts for the birthday of the King of kings and Lord of lords? Somewhere in the midst of black Friday sales of 300 inch plasma t.v.'s, Rudolph's animated movie, and jingle bells, the still small voice of God is speaking. God could completely overwhelm all the secular holiday noise and come in with all His power and majesty and with one breath, blow it all away. But God chooses NOT to do that. Why?
Because God chooses to remain just hidden enough from view that we must seek Him. In the seeking, we show our true hunger for Him, we appreciate Him that much more, and we grow spiritually in the process.
How do you prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas season? Exactly what you're doing right now! Take just a few minutes to reflect on God's Word to us in the Bible each day. Turn off the frantic jingle bell mania music and listen to the stillness. There you will hear the voice of God. "Prepare the way of the Lord!"
P.S. By the way, the term "Black Friday" really belongs to the church, not the merchants! The original meaning of "Black Friday" is the Friday before Easter, when Jesus died on the cross for us and for our salvation. Church, let's take that term back to its true meaning!
There are so many preparations to be made in this busy season of the year! In the midst of all this how can we prepare our hearts for the birthday of the King of kings and Lord of lords? Somewhere in the midst of black Friday sales of 300 inch plasma t.v.'s, Rudolph's animated movie, and jingle bells, the still small voice of God is speaking. God could completely overwhelm all the secular holiday noise and come in with all His power and majesty and with one breath, blow it all away. But God chooses NOT to do that. Why?
Because God chooses to remain just hidden enough from view that we must seek Him. In the seeking, we show our true hunger for Him, we appreciate Him that much more, and we grow spiritually in the process.
How do you prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas season? Exactly what you're doing right now! Take just a few minutes to reflect on God's Word to us in the Bible each day. Turn off the frantic jingle bell mania music and listen to the stillness. There you will hear the voice of God. "Prepare the way of the Lord!"
P.S. By the way, the term "Black Friday" really belongs to the church, not the merchants! The original meaning of "Black Friday" is the Friday before Easter, when Jesus died on the cross for us and for our salvation. Church, let's take that term back to its true meaning!
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