Beating the Winter Blahs

The “winter blahs” may not be the best term. It’s a common expression but may not convey just how heavy our spirits can feel this time of year. The medical term for this condition is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the Mayo Clinic website, SAD symptoms typically start in the fall and continue on through the winter, sapping your energy and making you feel moody, discouraged, unmotivated, unproductive and worthless.

If you struggle with SADness, I want to give you gospel encouragement along with practical counsel and resources.

Gospel Encouragement

Recently we celebrated Christmas. When the angel announced Jesus’ birth, he said, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

This pronouncement is not just for Christmas, but for every day of our lives. Jesus came to die on the cross as our substitute in order to satisfy God’s righteous wrath against our sin (Rom. 5:6-10). Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, showing that he had conquered death for all who believe in him (1 Cor. 15:53-56).

Because of Christ, we believers are reconciled to God (Rom. 5:1), forgiven (Eph. 1:7-8), and have eternal life (Rom. 6:23). That is cause for great joy!

Practical Counsel

Nevertheless, we can still struggle with discouragement. That’s why Paul tells believers, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). He then gives good practical counsel on how to battle anxiety and fight for joy (see Phil. 4:5-9). After all, the fight for joy is part of “the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim. 6:12).

With that in mind, Mark Altrogge lists seven ways to fight for joy:

1. Realize that all lasting joy is found in Christ. Jeremiah 2:13 says “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” When we look to anything else but Jesus for lasting joy we’ll come up empty.

2. Abide in Christ. Seek him, walk with him, rest in him, trust him. In John 15:9-11 Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

3. Take in God’s Word. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” God’s word is a conduit of his joy to us. As we continue to take it in, believe and obey it, it becomes a joy and delight. His promises give us hope and make us glad.

4. Thank him and praise him for as much as you can. Thank him for spiritual blessings and material blessings. A thankful heart is a joyful heart.

5. Ask Jesus for joy. As David prayed in Psalm 51:12: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

6. Contemplate your salvation and heaven to come. In Luke 10:20 Jesus said, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

7. Tell yourself to hope in God. David took himself by the collar and shook himself in Psalm 42:5-6 and said, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Additional Resources

Maybe you’re looking at the above list and thinking, “Yeah, I know that’s right, but right now I just don’t desire God.” That may be hard to admit, but if it’s true, there’s a wonderful resource for you. Years ago John Piper wrote a book titled When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. I’ve read this book and highly recommend it.

One other musical resource is an album by Sovereign Grace Music titled Come Weary Saints. These songs have been composed for the purpose of soothing and strengthening your soul. My favorite song on the album is “Oh the Deep, Deep Love.” Why not take a moment to listen to it now?

Life is tough, but God’s joy is real. Fight for it, because it’s worth it.

All Glory Be to Christ

On New Year’s Eve I posted an article about Auld Lang Syne — the meaning of the words, the origin of the song, and its relevance to us. Upon reading the article, one of my Bible college professors texted me to express his appreciation for the “essay” (his term). He then proceeded to point out two bits of information about the (Scottish traditional) tune of Auld Lang Syne:

1. It is the tune of “The Good Ole Song,” which is the de facto song of the University of Virginia (my professor’s alma mater).

2. It is also the tune of “All Glory Be to Christ,” a hymn written by Dustin Kensrue, released in 2012.

My prof’s text jogged my memory. A few years ago, I joined 12,000 other Christians (mostly pastors) in singing this hymn at the Together for the Gospel conference. (That recording appears at the end of this article.)

All Glory Be to Christ. This should be the theme of our lives. Paul testified, “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Likewise, in Colossians 3:23-24, Paul wrote to his fellow believers,

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

This past Sunday, the first Lord’s Day of the new year, I began preaching through Hebrews 13, the final chapter of this New Testament book that extols the supremacy of Christ. Chapter 13 is filled with practical commands for doing “that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:21). In my Bible I wrote a heading over chapter 13: “Exalting Jesus in Everyday Life.” This should be our primary resolution that governs every other resolution we make in life.

Here are the lyrics to the hymn, “All Glory Be to Christ.” If you know the song Auld Lang Syne, then you’re already familiar with the tune. May its message ring loud and clear in our hearts, homes, and churches!

All Glory Be to Christ

Should nothing of our efforts stand,
no legacy survive;
Unless the Lord does raise the house,
in vain its builders strive.

To you who boast tomorrow’s gain,
tell me what is your life?
A mist that vanishes at dawn —
all glory be to Christ!

Chorus:
All glory be to Christ, our King.
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing,
All glory be to Christ!

His will be done, his kingdom come,
on earth as is above;
Who is Himself our daily bread,
praise Him, the Lord of love.

Let living water satisfy
the thirsty without price,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
all glory be to Christ!

Chorus:
All glory be to Christ, our King.
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing,
All glory be to Christ!

When on the day the great I AM,
the Faithful and the True,
the Lamb who was for sinners slain,
is making all things new —

Behold, our God shall live with us
and be our steadfast light,
and we shall e’er his people be.
All glory be to Christ!

Chorus:
All glory be to Christ, our King.
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing,
All glory be to Christ!

Ask Great Things of a Great God

When I was a kid, our church hosted a Bible conference. The guest preacher taught us a chorus that came straight from Scripture. The lyrics were based word-for-word on Jeremiah 33:3 in the King James Version (KJV):

Call unto me,
and I will answer thee,
and shew thee great & mighty things
which thou knowest not.

The Lord uttered these words to Jeremiah when he was in prison for preaching God’s Word to his wayward people. Jerusalem was under attack by the armies of Babylon, and Jeremiah prophesied that God was going to give the city into their hands. This made King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem upset, so the king put Jeremiah in jail (see Jer. 32:1-5).

Pretty dismal circumstances, right? Yet God promised Jeremiah that better days were coming! In fact, God had Jeremiah buy a field from his cousin to show that God intended to bring his people back to their own land after a specified time of captivity in Babylon.

After making this purchase, Jeremiah prayed for further understanding. He began by saying, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer. 32:17).

How many of our prayers start this way? Jeremiah went on to extol God’s steadfast love, his infinite power, his great counsel & wisdom. He recounted God’s mighty deeds in the past for his people, despite their disobedience and deserved punishment from God.

But now Jeremiah wanted to know more. Why did God have him purchase a field, and how exactly did this fit into God’s plan for his people?

God responded to Jeremiah by giving him greater insight about what was to come. Things would get worse before they’d get better. But then they would be better than Jeremiah could have ever imagined. The Lord was going to institute a new, everlasting covenant for his people whereby he would “not turn away from doing good to them” (Jer. 32:40). God said, “I will rejoice in doing them good … with all my heart and all my soul” (Jer. 32:41).

That’s the note on which Jeremiah 33 begins. The “chorus” I quoted up top is prefaced with this statement:

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it — the Lord is his name . . .”

God had already showed Jeremiah wonderful things about what was to come, but God came to him again, wanting to show him even more!

God wants to do the same with us. In fact, Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that God saved us “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace & kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). But God also wants us to experience a measure of this now. So Paul says, “I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him” (Eph. 1:19).

Everything God wants us to know has already been written in the Scriptures (Deut. 29:29), but God wants us to know the reality of his greatness in an intensely personal, experiential way.

While most of us are not in prison with our city under attack, Jeremiah’s circumstances remind us that even when things are at their bleakest, God is always at his best.

When things are at their bleakest,
God is always at his best.

What problem weighs heavy on your heart? What situation seems hopeless to you? Whatever it is, bring it to God! Trust him to do what is best! It’s not a question of his power but his purpose. Remember, God has assured us as believers that he will rejoice in doing us good with all his heart and soul.

So let us pray accordingly! The other day I came across a bold prayer in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. I highlighted it and even took a picture of it with my iPhone so that I could keep it with me. May it encourage you and embolden your faith in God, who is much more eager to answer than we are to ask!

Nothing exceeds thy power,
Nothing is too great for thee to do,
Nothing is too great for thee to give.

Infinite is thy might,
Boundless thy love,
Limitless thy grace,
Glorious thy saving name.

Let angels sing for

sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.

I ask great things of a great God.

Abel's Better Offering

With the dawning of a new year, I have begun reading through my Bible again. Nothing nourishes the soul like “the eternal, living word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). When Scripture speaks, God speaks. When I read my Bible, it also reads me. Nobody “speaks the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) like God.

Even the most familiar stories convey fresh lessons for today. Such is the case with the offerings of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. Scripture says,

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:2b-7)

Despite their fall into sin, Adam and Eve passed on to their sons the importance of worshiping God. But the brothers did so in two different ways, with two different results. Whereas Cain “presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord,” Abel brought “the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.” See the difference? The text indicates that Cain gave God a bit of what he had, whereas Abel gave God the best.

But the main difference between these two brothers was the manner in which they presented their respective offerings to God. Hebrews 11:4 states,

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And though he died, he still speaks.

The book of Hebrews is all about the supremacy of the Son of God. He is “the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 11:9). All the Old Testament sacrifices provided a temporary covering for sin as they pointed to the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice of the promised Deliverer — “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The first mention of the gospel, often referred to as the protoevangelium (proto, “first” + evangelium, “gospel”) appears in Genesis 3:15, when God promised that the woman’s offspring would crush the serpent’s head. Then “the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). An innocent animal had to be killed in order to provide a covering for Adam and Eve.

So the first mention of the gospel was followed by the first animal sacrifice, which pointed to the eventual sacrifice of Christ for sinners.

Because Abel presented his gift to the Lord “by faith,” his offering was one of atonement, whereas Cain’s offering was one of attainment. That is to say, Abel trusted in the Lord and his work, whereas Cain trusted in himself and his work. As a result, God received Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s.

When God rejected Cain’s gift, he became angry. But the Lord spoke to Cain and assured him, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (Gen. 4:7). At the same time God also warned Cain that if he did not master sin, sin would master him.

Sadly, Cain did not listen to God and made the wrong choice. Sin became his master, and Cain murdered his brother. “And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:12).

Cain’s offering stands as a warning to us that it’s possible to go through the motions of worship while missing the entire point of it. But Abel stands out as a true worshiper, one whom God commended, and one whose testimony still speaks to us today — thousands of years after his death.

Incidentally, the name Abel means “breath.” His parents rejoiced as they saw him take his first breath, and they grieved greatly after he had breathed his last. Abel’s life was cut short by an act of cruel violence. But Abel’s godly legacy lives on.

May the same be true of us. Let us “by faith” give God our best, knowing that God gave us his.

Soli Deo Gloria

Today I’m pleased to have my brother-in-law, Pastor Tim Boger, as our guest blogger on “Family & Friends Friday.” Tim loves people, the Word of God, coffee, and baseball. His greatest joy is spending time with Wendy, his "sweetheart since junior high." They have two grown children: Seth and his wife Emily along with their son Levi live in Jerusalem, Israel. Sarah and her husband Ben live in Kansas with their two children, Denson and Noel.

Tim is presently the Senior Pastor at Big Woods Bible Church in Lock Haven, PA and is continuing further studies at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Etched in a piece of black walnut hanging on my office wall (pictured above) are three simple words Soli Deo Gloria, a Latin phrase that means “Glory to God Alone.” It emerged more than five hundred years ago from the Protestant Reformation as a summary statement for SALVATION, which is according to Scripture alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone … for the glory of God alone.

But in many ways it could also be a summary statement for ALL of life! The Bible teaches that God has offered salvation to mankind through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and paid the price for all of sin. When Jesus rose from the tomb three days later, He came to life so we too could “walk in the newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) when we put our faith in Him. But God also created each of us with a purpose and gives each of us a new day, every day. Therefore, we should live each day for the glory of God alone.

This means we are to wake up each morning for the glory of God. We are to go to work or school for the glory of God. We are to think, talk, write, study, learn, drive, play, exercise, rest, read and run … for the glory of God! You and I are to carefully maneuver our way through every day … for the glory of God. The Apostle Paul said it like this: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31)

At first glance, this seems logical and perhaps even doable because it, most certainly, is the right thing to do. But the problem comes with that little word “Soli,” or “alone”. It may seem easy to give all glory to God knowing that is what we were created for, but it is not as easy as you think. I have found that we love our own glory! We love to delight in our own fame. We love to center life around ourselves.

By pursuing our own glory, we are in essence trying to rob God of His glory. But God will not have this! We need to remember God does not share His glory with anyone. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory.” We are fallen, sinful beings. It would be inappropriate for us as human beings to receive all the glory but it is more than appropriate for God. We need to remember … “all things” bring glory to God. This means all the glory of creation–all the universe, all the solar systems, all the stars, the sun, the moon–belongs to God.

• All the academic glory in every library of every university belongs to God.

• All the glory of the military might belongs to God.

• All the glory of the weather systems — even with storms, hurricanes, winds and floods belongs to God.

• All the glory of art belongs to God.

• All the glory of athletics belongs to God.

• All the glory of science and medicine belongs to God.

• All the glory of governments — with kings, princes, presidents and prime ministers — belongs to God.

• All the glory of every life belongs to God — which means it does not belong to us.

In a world filled with so many people looking for identity, purpose and joy, I am reminded of Eric Liddell, the great Scottish runner and Gold Medalist from the 1924 Paris Olympics who said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel His pleasure.” Today, we need to be reminded God wants us to delight in all the joys, wonders and pleasures of life that He created for us, but this will only come when we learn not to live for our own glory but instead live Soli Deo Gloria.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?’ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

Auld Lang Syne

When I was in college, my wife Ruthie (my girlfriend at the time) got me to watch the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It’s been a Christmas tradition for us ever since. The movie ends with George Bailey’s family and friends singing Robert Burns’ classic song, Auld Lang Syne. The lyrics, as sung on the movie, are as follows:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of Auld Lang Syne?

For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
for Auld Lang Syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
for Auld Lang Syne.

Many people sing these words without knowing what the phrase “auld lang syne” means. It’s an old Scots phrase that literally means “old long since” and carries the idea of “old times” or “the olden days.”

Auld Lang Syne is sung in almost every English-speaking country across the world on New Year’s Eve. Burns didn’t write the song with New Year’s in mind, but the melody fits well with the occasion as we bid adieu to one year and welcome in the next.

Burns’ song celebrates the gift of friendship that has withstood the test of time. As Natalie Schuman points out in a recent CountryLiving.com article,

In Scotland, where the phrase [Auld Lang Syne] originated, New Year's celebrations are of unusual importance. The holiday is known as Hogmanay, and in some regions and households, it even holds more importance than Christmas. This cultural standard can be traced to the Scottish Reformation era, when early Puritans and Presbyterians looked down upon extravagant Christmas celebrations as superstitious and unnecessary. With Christmas celebrations restricted to the bare minimum, Hogmanay stole the spotlight as the main winter event.

The "Auld Lang Syne" lyrics we know (or pretend to know) today are derived from the original poem, and are typically sung at New Year's Eve celebrations to reflect upon and recognize old friendships that have stood the test of time as a new year begins. Traces of the original Scots language are still there, but today's lyrics are comparatively easy to decipher.

New Year’s Eve is a wonderful time to “celebrate God’s abundant goodness” (Psalm 145:7), including the gift of friendship and of days gone by. Yet, sadly, many spend the final night of the year getting drunk and acting stupidly. With their slurred speech and poor memory they’re not recounting much of anything. Plus they are dishonoring God, “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), including food and drink and friends (Eccl. 12:7; 1 Cor. 10:31).

We know from what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11 that drunkenness was a problem in the first-century church when believers feasted together in conjunction with the Lord’s Supper. Paul rebuked them, saying, “When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper…. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk” (1 Cor. 11:20-21 NLT). This sinful, self-centered behavior betrayed the very essence of the Lord’s Supper, which is to stimulate our remembrance of the person and work of Jesus, who called us his friends (John 15:15) and showed the greatness of his love by laying down his life for us (John 15:13). Jesus is the ultimate Friend who has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

So as we “take a cup of kindness” on New Year’s Eve, let us also remember the “cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16) by which we remember Jesus’ sacrifice and rejoice in our great salvation (Heb. 2:3). The Lord’s Supper is also called “communion” because it celebrates our fellowship as believers in Christ. Indeed, those who point us to Jesus are the best of friends.

The song Auld Lang Syne begins with two rhetorical questions:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of Auld Lang Syne?

The implied answer is no! Let’s be sure to celebrate old friends and precious days gone by.

Better yet, as believers let us look forward to the grandest reunion of all, when Christ returns in power and glory to gather us to himself. We along with all of God’s people from all the ages will sing and feast and laugh like never before in a glorious celebration that will never end.

Note: For your enjoyment I’ve included the above video of The Tenors singing Auld Lang Syne amidst the beautiful scenery of Newfoundland.

Happy New Year!

Let It Go Gray, Guys!

It has come to my attention that more than a few folks think I color my hair. Let me state for the record: I don’t! My hair is naturally brown and for now is staying that way (except for a trace of gray on my sideburns). I’m not sure why that’s the case. I told my wife, “It must be my stress-free life.” Ruthie retorted, “You mean your stress-free wife.” I’ll leave that one right there!

Considering that I’m 52 years old, I figure that I’ll go gray soon enough. Whenever that happens, I’m not going to hide it.

I would encourage my friends to do the same. To be clear, I’m speaking to men, not to women. (I wouldn’t dare tread on such dangerous ground!)

I think guys should let their go gray in light of what we read in Proverbs 16:31:

Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.

This doesn’t mean that every gray-haired man is a godly man. But gray hair is a crown of glory [splendor] for one who walks in the ways of the Lord. The beloved Puritan commentator Matthew Henry wrote,

Let old people be old disciples; let them persevere to the end in the way of righteousness, which they long since set out in, that they may be found in it. If old people be found in the way of righteousness, their age will be their honor.

Such honor engenders respect. Thus the Lord commanded his people, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 19:32)

With age comes wisdom, or at least that should be the case, especially for those who walk in the ways of God. And with wisdom comes honor and respect. Gray hair is supposed to be a sign of maturity.

A Surprising Trend

While older folks are trying to look younger, “more young people are starting to dye their hair gray.” The Considerable.com website (self-described as “a new media brand for people who are redefining what it means to grow older”), celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Ryan Lochte, Hillary Duff, Lady Gaga, and Lourdes have “taken the silver look for a spin.” Why? Because our culture knows that “gray has long signified experience and wisdom.” So now “youngsters have taken a shortcut to gray power.”

The only problem is, there is no such shortcut — and no amount of dye will change that.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Each stage of life has its own innate beauty and benefits. “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair” (Prov. 20:29).

Me with my four sons this past Thanksgiving
(from L to R: Timothy, Ethan, myself, Elijah, Matthew)

So enjoy the season you’re in. I’m in no rush to turn gray, but once I do, I’ll be happy to “take the silver look for a spin.”

Prompted to Pray

A weird thing happened to me last Sunday morning. I woke up, and the first thought that came to my mind was another pastor in the area. I had met him just a couple of times in a group with other pastors, and I probably hadn’t seen him for almost a year.

I don’t know why he came to mind. After I lay there perplexed for a moment (I was still in bed), it occurred to me that I should pray for the man. I didn’t know what his present needs or circumstances were, but I figured that maybe the Lord brought him to my mind for that very purpose. Frankly, I don’t even remember what I said. I certainly did not pray long, probably only a matter of seconds.

Then I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee and spent some time with the Lord, reading his Word and praying. My morning schedule was a bit more relaxed than usual, since I didn’t have to preach that morning. My worship service responsibilities included reading Scripture and leading the congregation in prayer.

So after the first hymn, I made my way to the pulpit. When I looked out over the congregation, I was shocked to see — sitting near the back of the sanctuary — the very pastor that I had prayed for the morning! This was the first time, to my knowledge, that he had ever attended our church.

I was so taken aback, that I almost forgot what I was going to say. After all, I had only met him twice, and it had been nearly a year since I had last seen him. Yet he had popped into my mind first thing that morning. Now here he was, sitting in our church service!

I made a beeline for him after the service and told him what happened. He too seemed a little perplexed but was glad that I had prayed for him.

I told my wife what happened, and she said, “Yeah, that’s weird.”

When we describe something as “weird,” we typically mean that it is strange, odd, or bizarre. But the primary definition of weird is “involving or suggesting the supernatural.” Such was surely the case in this instance!

Why am I sharing this with you? Because this whole episode got me thinking about the Lord’s leading in our lives. It made me think of a quote by Martyn Lloyd-Jones that I read years ago in his book Preaching and Preachers. He said, “always respond to every impulse to pray” (pp. 170-171).

Always respond to
every impulse to pray.

Lloyd-Jones went on to say,

I would make an absolute law of this — always obey such an impulse. Where does it come from? It is the work of the Holy Spirit; it is a part of the meaning of “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). … So never resist, never postpone it, never push it aside because you are busy. Give yourself to it, yield to it…. Such a call to prayer must never be regarded as a distraction; always respond to it immediately, and thank God if it happens to you frequently.

I don’t know what’s going on in the life of this pastor, or if anything came to his own mind as I shared what happened. But I realized afresh how awesome it is that the Holy Spirit of God lives in us and is at work in us. Oh, that we might increasingly be more tuned into him!

With that in mind, I would commend to you two sermons that I tapped into today from preachers who, though dead, still speak (Hebrews 11:4).

The first is an audio recording of a sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones titled “Praying in the Spirit.” It’s 43 minutes long and well worth your time. If you can’t listen to it right now, please consider carving out time later to do so. Think of how much of our time is consumed by social media, Netflix, and other superficial activities. Let this preacher of yesteryear feed your soul. To listen to his sermon, click here.

The second resource is a manuscript of a sermon also titled “Praying in the Spirit,” by John Bunyan (the author of Pilgrim’s Progress). To read Bunyan’s sermon, click here.

If you only have time to utilize one of these resources, choose the first one. Have your Bible handy, and block out all potential distractions. You will be richly blessed.

Divine Wordplay

For Christmas my wife got me a 2021 daily calendar of Dad Jokes. It’s a rip-off. Get it? I just made a joke by using the word ripoff as a pun. According to Dictionary.com, a pun is

the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning;
a play on words.

If you buy something and it’s a ripoff, that means what you bought isn’t worth what you paid for it. But I used the word ripoff in the literal sense, because each of my calendar sheets is perforated, so it can be ripped off to reveal the next joke for each new day.

Here’s another pun that appeared on the back of the calendar box:

I booked a hotel room for my vacation, but I’m not sure about it. I have reservations.

Haha, get it? To have “reservations” is to have doubts. But “reservations” also means to secure accommodations — like at a hotel. One word can have multiple meanings. You can use that to make people laugh or to make a point. That’s the essence of wordplay.

God does this in Scripture. Because the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, we don’t always pick up on the puns in English.

Speaking in reference to Adam and Eve, the Lords says in Genesis 2:25, “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” The very next verse, Genesis 3:1, says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other best of the field that the Lord God had made.”

The words “naked” and “crafty” both come from the Hebrew word ă·rūm, which means “smooth.” Someone who is naked with no clothes on is smooth (of skin). Someone who is crafty in speech is what we call a “smooth talker.” He says flattering things in order to deceive people — which is exactly what the serpent did to Adam and Eve in the Garden, when he tempted them to disobey God.

In these back-to-back sentences, God uses a pun to make a point. He uses language creatively — not so much to make us laugh as to make us learn.

Truth is often more memorable
when combined with some wit.

Jesus employed wit when rebuking the hypocritical religious leaders in Matthew 23:23-24:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Here Jesus rebukes the religious leaders for being obsessed over little things while ignoring the big things. That’s the comparison he makes.

But why compare a “gnat” with a “camel”? Why not compare a seed to a tree, or a humming bird to an ostrich? The reason is because Jesus used a pun to make a point. Jesus spoke in Aramaic. The word for “gnat” is galma, and the word for “camel” is gamla. So Jesus said, “You strain out a galma and swallow a gamla.”

Jesus’ remark packed a punch. He used a pun to make a point that the people would not soon forget! Perhaps Jesus’ play on words even evoked a few chuckles — not from the religious leaders, but from the “common folk” whom the leaders had oppressed.

God is to be taken seriously, but he also has a sense of humor. After all, he created us with a sense of humor, and we are made in his image (Gen. 1:27). Plus, Scripture says there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh” (Eccl. 3:4).

The fruit of the Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22), and Jesus had “the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34). Children were drawn to Jesus, and the crowds loved to hear him. No doubt he used humor wisely and well.

Sometimes our humor is sinful. We use words in a way that grieves God, while making others laugh. That’s no joke, which is why Scripture clearly states, “Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” (Eph. 5:4)

Both laughter and language are gifts from God. Let’s be thankful for them and enjoy both, together, for his glory.

A Christmas Day Poem

I’m thrilled to have my father, James Fletcher, as our guest blogger today on “Family & Friends Friday.”

My dad has a knack for writing poetry. Some of his poems are humorous, while others are more serious and thought-provoking. All of them convey a wonderful talent that Dad has put to good use over the years. Countless people have been stirred, challenged and uplifted by his writings.

Of all my father’s poems, “The Christ of the Cross” ranks near the top in terms of its wide impact. Dad employs rhyme to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas. While many folks are quick to say “Jesus is the reason for the season,” they fail to grasp the true implications of that statement. Dad provides a needed corrective to that by pointing us to the reality of who Jesus is and what he came to do.

Many folks have liked the evangelical thrust of this poem so much, that they have placed miniature copies of it in their Christmas cards. My wife Ruthie and I have done this. In fact, we have a framed copy of it in our living room

I think you’ll enjoy the poem. But more importantly I pray that you will worship and exalt Jesus Christ the Lord.

The Christ of the Cross
by James W. Fletcher

Amidst all the tinsel and trappings,
The holiday glitter and gloss,
God help us to see past the wrappings,
Remembering Christ and the cross.

While many grow teary and tender
When scenes of the stable they see,
To little Lord Jesus they'll render their thanks
But not the Christ of the tree.

Now marvel we must at the manger,
The Babe, and the Bethlehem birth.
But, oh, let us stay not a stranger
To why Jesus entered this earth.

For Christ in the cradle could never
Have saved us from infinite loss;
But praise Him forever and ever -
He's also the Christ of the cross!

My father, James William Fletcher

A Bishop Visits Bethlehem

One of the many Christmas carols we sing at church or hear on the radio during the holiday season is O Little Town of Bethlehem. Most people know the song but not the story behind it.

This popular Christmas hymn was written by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) while he was pastoring the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. In 1865 he took time off to travel abroad.

Can you guess where Phillips Brooks was on Christmas Eve of that year? Bethlehem! Before nightfall, he rode a horse from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. He went to the field where, according to tradition, the angel appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of the Savior (Luke 2:8-14). Imagine what it was like for Rev. Brooks to celebrate Christmas at the birthplace of Jesus!

The late Gospel musician and hymn historian Albert Smith described the scene, saying,

As [Rev. Brooks] looked toward the little town of Bethlehem, with the … stars shining in the sky, he witnessed a scene much the same as the shepherds had witnessed almost 2000 years before.

Except for the absence of the great light and the shepherds, nothing had changed very much. Instead of a candle to light their way, some who were traveling through the quiet streets were using lamps. There also were no angels present, yet the aura of the occasion lent a holy hush to the surroundings.

From 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m., Phillips Brooks worshiped the Lord in the Church of the Nativity. Soon thereafter he wrote a letter to the children in his Sunday school class, telling them about his experience. In part he said,

I remember on Christmas Eve, when I was standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with the splendid hymns of praise to God, how again & again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the ‘Wonderful Night’ of the Savior’s birth, as I had heard them a year before.

Yes, Phillips Brooks loved the children in his church, and it was almost as if he could hear them singing in the church at Bethlehem those same songs that he had sung with them back home in Philadelphia the previous year.

But now words to a new Christmas carol began stirring in his heart! Yet it wasn’t until two years later, when he was 32, that the preacher wrote them down. He was hoping to have the song in place by Christmas. So he asked his organist, Lewis H. Redner, who was also the superintendent of the Sunday school, to write the tune.

Even though Rev. Brooks had given Mr. Redner plenty of time to compose the tune, the organist kept waiting in vain for a “moment of inspiration” — right up until Christmas Eve when he fell asleep without having written a single note. But several hours later he woke up with a melody ringing in his ears! He quickly jotted down the musical notes on a piece of paper by his bed. The following morning he completed his composition by writing out all the harmony parts for the tune.

The hymn was sung for the first time on the Sunday after Christmas — December 27, 1868. (This coming Sunday falls on December 27 too!)

Now that we know the history of this Christmas carol — especially the fact that the words began formulating in Phillips Brooks’ mind as he stood in the field near Bethlehem — we can appreciate the lyrics all the more. Below are the four published stanzas, followed by a video of the lyrics to stanzas 1, 2, and 4, sung by children. (This seemed most appropriate, since Rev. Brooks had the children of his Sunday school class in mind on that Christmas Eve when these words first stirred in his heart.)

Why not take a moment to sing this song as part of your Christmas Eve reflection and celebration?

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wond’ring love,
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.

When Christmas Loses Its Sparkle

It can happen to any one of us. The “glad tidings of great joy” can become yesterday’s news. Of course we would never say that. But we feel it. The tree is up, the lights are on, but the sparkle is gone. The holiday has lost its luster. There’s no jolly with the holly.

We know the meaning of Christmas. We know who Jesus is and what he came to do (see Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:11). We know we should be joyful, but we’re not. So what’s the problem?

Is it the pandemic? Should we chalk it up to being the “Covid Christmas of 2020”? Perhaps other circumstances have stolen our joy: financial hardship, the loss of a loved one, marital conflict, a bad breakup.

As difficult as these issues may be, they shouldn’t be able to steal our joy. After all, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Plus, for many of us, our circumstances aren’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. Truth is, we’ve simply grown accustomed to Christmas, and it just doesn’t feel all that special anymore.

The Real Problem

When Christmas loses its luster, when it no longer excites us, it’s because we have fallen into the rut of familiarity. We’ve lost our awe of God.

I preached on this theme a few weeks ago in a sermon on Hebrews 12:18-29. Verse 28 says, “let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” The greatness of our God should never cease to amaze us.

But, sadly, the sacred can become all too familiar and commonplace to us. The distinguished Princeton professor and theologian B. B. Warfield warned his students,

As the average man breathes the air and basks in the sunshine without ever a thought that it is God in his goodness who makes his sun to rise on him, … [so] the words which tell you of God’s terrible majesty or of his glorious goodness may come to be mere words to you….

It is your great danger. But it is your great danger only because it is your great privilege.

The very atmosphere of your life is these things; you breathe them in at every pore: they surround you, encompass you, press in upon you from every side. It is all in danger of becoming common to you! God forgive you, you are in danger of becoming weary of God!

Paul Tripp included this quote in chapter 8 of his book, Dangerous Calling. Its geared to pastors, but applies to all believers — especially those who know their Bibles well.

Tripp then provides a helpful analogy:

Artists talk of the dynamic of visual lethargy, which means that the more you see something, the less you actually see it. On that drive to work the first day, you are conscious of all the sights and sounds…. But by your twentieth trip, you’ve quit noticing…. The beauty that once attracted you is still there to see, but you don’t see it, and you cannot celebrate what you fail to see.

You cannot celebrate
what you fail to see.

To make matters worse, we turn our eyes to that which we most naturally and sinfully see: Ourselves. Things.

Yet Jesus came so that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who loved us and gave himself for us (see 2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:20). As Paul Tripp points out, “any glorious thing in creation was given that glory by God so it would function as a finger pointing you to the one glory that should rule your heart — him.”

So how do we get our awe of God back? How do we put the sparkle back in Christmas? How do we get to the place where we once again “stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene”? Tripp writes,

I don’t have a set of strategies for you here. My counsel is to run now, run quickly, to your Father of awesome glory. Confess the offense of your boredom. Plead for eyes that are open to the 360-degree, 24/7 display of glory to which you have been blind. Determine to spend a certain portion of every day in meditating on his glory. Cry out for the help of others. And remind yourself to be thankful for Jesus, who offers you his grace even at those moments when that grace isn’t nearly as valuable to you as it should be.

Note: Just hours after I published this article, Erik Raymond wrote a terrific piece on The Gospel Coalition website that serves as a perfect “sequel” to my devotional. Plus he shares some great insight on what could otherwise be a confusing Christmas carol. So I joyfully commend to you Erik’s article, What If I’m Not a Merry Gentleman?

Merry Christmas from the White House

As a general rule, I try to keep my blog articles brief enough to be read in a few minutes. Since that’s the case, I thought I would “yield my time” to the President of the United States, who recently delivered his Christmas message to all Americans.

The President’s message was brief and to the point. At the heart of his message were these words:

As Christians everywhere know, the birth of our Lord and Savior changed history forever. At Christmas we give thanks to God, and that God sent His only Son to die for us and to offer everlasting peace to all humanity.

Amen, Mr. President.

The ceremony ended with a regal call to worship, with the orchestra playing and ensemble singing:

O come, let us adore Him!
O come, let us adore Him!
O come, let us adore Him —
Christ the Lord!

Mistletoe Musings

Hanging from an archway or lintel in many homes is a sprig of mistletoe. Kissing beneath it has been a long-standing holiday tradition. But why?

To answer that, we must first answer the question: What is mistletoe? Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that comes from bird droppings and grows on various trees. Mistletoe attaches itself to the “host” tree, sucking water and nutrients from it. The name “mistletoe” is derived from two Anglo Saxon words: Mistel which means “dung,” and Tan which means “stick or branch.” (Middle English speakers apparently confused tan as the plural of ta, “toe,” which is how we ultimately get mistletoe). So mistletoe is basically a “dung-twig” or “poo-stick.”

Not very appealing, is it? So how did mistletoe become a popular Christmas decoration and occasion for kissing? Zack Sterkenberg provides a succinct answer in his article, “The KISStory of Mistletoe”:

The consensus among experts is that the use of Mistletoe in ritual form started with the Celtic Druids. This ancient civilization of people lived on the British Isles in what is now Ireland and Scotland. The Mistletoe became a sacred symbol of vivacity and fertility to the Druids after they saw it blooming in the trees during the harsh winters.

As noted on the History.com website,

Another famous chapter in mistletoe folklore comes from Norse mythology. As the story goes, when the god Odin’s son Baldur was prophesied to die, his mother Frigg, the goddess of love, went to all the animals and plants of the natural world to secure an oath that they would not harm him. But Frigg neglected to consult with the unassuming mistletoe, so the scheming god Loki made an arrow from the plant and saw that it was used to kill the otherwise invincible Baldur.

Mistletoe’s associations with fertility and vitality continued through the Middle Ages, and by the 18th century it had become widely incorporated into Christmas celebrations. Just how it made the jump from sacred herb to holiday decoration remains up for debate, but the kissing tradition appears to have first caught on among servants in England before spreading to the middle classes. As part of the early custom, men were allowed to steal a kiss from any woman caught standing under the mistletoe, and refusing was viewed as bad luck. Yet another tradition instructed the merrymakers to pluck a single berry from the mistletoe with each kiss, and to stop smooching once they were all gone.

In light of mistletoe’s origin and history, Zack Sterkenberg ends his article on a humorous note, saying, “So next time you find yourself puckering up under the Mistletoe, remember that it all started with bird droppings, a parasite, barbarians, and a Norse goddess. Cheers!”

That’s pretty funny, and the sarcasm is certainly warranted, but I think we can end this article on a more positive note. To do that, we have to look no further than the cross. It too has an unsavory past — far worse than Mistletoe, because the cross was an instrument of torture and death, slowly sucking the life out of its victims.

But because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross — forgiveness of sin and the free gift of eternal life for all who believe in him — the cross has become an object of delight rather than disgust. This is the theme of George Bennard’s classic hymn, The Old Rugged Cross. The lyrics are familiar to us, but I would encourage you to read over them slowly and reflectively once again:

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.

To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

Even the practice of kissing under the Mistletoe has a parallel to the significance of the cross. Psalm 85:10 says, “righteousness and peace kiss each other.” A kiss was a common form of greeting in ancient times and is still practiced in many cultures today. So this verse pictures two friends who have been separated for a long time, but now they are coming together again. That’s what happened at the cross of Christ. Up until that point, the righteousness of God was opposed to peace on earth on account of humanity’s sin. But Jesus came to bring reconciliation between heaven and earth. That’s why, when the angel announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, a multitude of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)

At the cross, righteousness and peace kissed each other, because Jesus reconciled the world to God. Through faith in him, we experience peace with God and the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 5:1). Because of Jesus’ substitutionary work on our behalf, God declares us to be righteous — not because of what we’ve done but because of who He is (Eph. 2:8-9).

The “kiss” of righteousness and peace took place at the cross. That’s why this “emblem of suffering and shame” has become a symbol of love to us.

Think about that the next time you kiss a loved one under the mistletoe.

Family Heirlooms, Traditions, and Truth

Today on “Family & Friends Friday,” we’re blessed to have my friend Noble Armstrong as our guest blogger. He and his wife Heather have been members of Webster Bible Church for 15 years, joining shortly after they were married. Noble is currently an elder at WBC and previously served on our deacon board. He also helps to lead our Tuesday men’s Bible study, Journeymen. Noble and Heather have five children, ages 7 to 13. He is a middle school technology teacher in the Webster School district and enjoys woodworking, trapping and, as you will see, hunting.

————————————-

I love hunting season. Deer hunting has been a tradition in my family from as long as I can remember, and long before that. I grew up listening to stories from both my grandfathers, telling about the pursuit and harvest of whitetails. When I got older, I joined these activities and have many fond memories of being in the woods, waiting for a deer to appear. I love the cool of the morning, the sounds of the forest as it wakes up and watching various birds and animals. I love the challenge of matching wits with a wiley and crafty buck. And of course, I love the taste of venison!

For the past few years, I have enjoyed sharing this experience with my kids. Passing on this tradition to them is yet another reason I love hunting.

This year I rattled in bucks with a pair of antlers from a deer my dad’s dad, Papa Phil, shot. I use a buck knife that my mom’s dad, Grampee Leigh, gave me to field dress the animals after harvest. Although I have a lot of new, modern equipment, these activities with these particular tools link me to the past.

I know that by these activities I am keeping alive traditions that have been in our family for generations. We took the beautiful 8-point buck that we harvested this year to the taxidermist. For years to come, when my boys look at the mounted head of that magnificent animal we shot together, they will reflect back on the events of that morning in the woods.

This also makes me think of other, more important activities, that need to be passed along and remembered.

The Bible is full of examples of people who commemorated important events. After God caused the Jordan River to part, allowing the Israelites to cross, Joshua realized that moment needed to be memorialized. He had the men bring 12 stones from the dry river bed, to set up a memorial to the miracle that God performed there that day (see Joshua 4:4-7). Joshua said,

Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, “What do these stones mean to you?” then you shall say to them, “Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord….” So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.

In addition to remembering the Lord’s goodness, we are also to teach our children to love the Lord and obey his commands. Joshua’s predecessor, Moses, told the people of Israel,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deut. 6:5-9)

The apostle Paul reminds the believers at Thessalonica to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thess. 2:15). He praises the church at Corinth for “holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you” (1 Cor. 11:2).

Even our Savior himself reminds us of the importance of remembrance and reflection as it concerns his atoning sacrifice for our sins. Jesus did so the night before he died on the cross. Scripture says,

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor. 11:24-27)

We are in that time of year that is filled with remembrance and wonderful traditions. Let’s use that as an opportunity to remember the amazing gift that Jesus gave us, through His work on the cross.

I earnestly pray that the family prayers, Bible readings, devotions and missionary stories we read as a family will last in our children’s minds. As a family, I want to recommit to making church a high priority, serving the body of Christ, and shining God’s light to the world around us.

What about you? Are there traditions you carry on individually or as a family that bring you closer to God? If so, great! if not, why not start some new ones?

Christmas Quiz

Yesterday a member of our church gave my wife a quiz of random “hard questions” (so called). Here are a few of them:

1. Is there a Fourth of July in England?

2. How many outs are there in one inning of a baseball game?

3. How many animals did Moses take on the ark?

Hopefully you found that these weren’t such “hard questions” after all. Here are the answers, in order:

1. Yes.

2. Six.

3. None.

Let’s consider that little round a warm-up. Now it’s time for a slightly more challenging quiz on Christmas — specifically the Nativity Story. It gets told repeatedly this time of year. But how much of what we hear and pass on to others is an accurate reflection of the biblical record?

There’s a really fun way to find out! Evangelical blogger Tim Challies has put together a list of 25 questions to test our biblical knowledge of the true Christmas story. I had fun taking this quiz and would encourage you to take it yourself, along with your family. You’ll really like it, because after you answer each question, Tim reveals the correct response from Scripture. Have fun, and feel free to post your score in the comments section below (if you dare!).

Link to the Christmas Quiz

Abraham and Mary

No, I’m not talking about our 16th president and his wife, but about the mother of our Lord and her ancestor, “Abraham, the man of faith” (Gal. 3:9).

In his book, Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp makes an interesting point about Abraham’s faith, based on what is said of Abraham in Romans 4. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, as the sand on the seashore.

God made that promise to Abraham when he was 75 years old and childless. But the promise didn’t come to pass until 25 years later. Sarah got pregnant when she was 90 years old and Abraham was about 100. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the apostle Paul, states in Romans 4:19-21,

Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

In citing this passage, Paul Tripp shows its application to us, saying,

Think about it: when you and I are called by God to wait for an extended period as Abraham was, often for us our story of waiting is a chronicle of ever-weakening faith. … But not so with Abraham. We’re told in this passage that during his time of protracted waiting, his faith actually grew stronger, and the passage tells us why. Rather than meditating on the possibility of his situation, Abraham meditated on the power and the character of the One who had made the promise. The more Abraham let his heart bask in the glory of God, the more convinced he became that the was in good hands. Rather than a cycle of discouragement and hopelessness, Abraham’s story was one of encouragement and hope. Why? Because he meditated on the right thing. [Dangerous Calling, pp. 65-66]

So did Mary. When the angel Gabriel appeared to this young virgin and said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31), Mary inquired concerning the manner of the birth but not the certainty of it. Mary responded, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Like Abraham her forefather, Mary focused not on the impossibility of the situation, but on the power and character of the God who had made the promise.

Mary began her song of praise by exclaiming, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (Luke 1:46-47). Throughout the rest of the song, Mary celebrates who God is and what he has done.

Mary meditated on the right things.

I wonder what difference such a focus might make in our own lives. We don’t have to guess because Scripture tells us in Philippians 4:8-9:

Finally, brothers,
whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things …
practice these things,
and the God of peace
will be with you.

That’s what Abraham and Mary did. Consequently, their faith didn’t waver as they waited for God to make good on his promise. And he did. That’s why we celebrate Christmas.

As 2020 draws to a close, we find ourselves waiting. We’re waiting for this pandemic to end. We’re waiting to see how the political process plays out. We’re waiting to discover what the new year will bring. We’re waiting for any number of things.

What are you waiting for?

Perhaps the better question is:
Who are you waiting for?

They who wait for the Lord
will renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings
like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40:31 -

The Candy Cane Controversy

I don’t like the taste of candy canes, but many people do. Approximately 1.76 billion candy canes are produced in the U.S. each year, with 90% fo them being sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas. December 26 has even been designated as National Candy Cane Day!

Most of us have heard “the history of the candy cane” story. If you haven’t, you should. If you have, it’s worth hearing again. It goes like this:

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols from the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane — a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who “have eyes to see and ears to hear.” Every time you see a Candy Cane, remember the Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came down at Christmas, and that His Love remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.

Despite the popularity of this story, it has been debunked by Snopes. In response to the question, “Did candy canes originate as religious symbols?”, David Mikkelson (founder of Snopes) wrote, “Despite modern religious legends, candy canes were not created as Christian symbols, representing the blood and purity of Jesus.”

Based on historical “candy cane sightings,” the candy cane probably originated in the 1600s as an all-white straight stick, rather than the curved, red-and-white version of the candy that hangs so nicely on Christmas trees and stockings today.

Still, the question posed to Snopes is quite specific. While candy canes may not have been created as Christian symbols, they certainly have become a simple, convenient way to share the good news of Jesus.

Although the history of the candy cane may be questionable, the historical reality of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection is true and therefore completely credible. As Christian apologist William Lane Craig notes,

The gospels are not only trustworthy documents in general, but as we look at some of the most important aspects of Jesus in the gospels, like his radical personal claims, his miracles, his trial and crucifixion, and his resurrection, their historical veracity shines through. God has acted in history, and we can know it.

The candy cane can be a helpful tool in telling others about Jesus. So use it without getting hung up on its history.

Christmas Tree Skirt

This past weekend my wife Ruthie and I ventured out to a local farm to select a Christmas tree. After we had walked around a bit, we found a tree we liked, cut it down, and hauled it home. We brought it inside, plopped it in our tree stand, and tightened the screws until the tree stood firmly in place. Then we swept up the fallen needles and put water in the tree stand.

Afterwards my wife did what she does every year at that point. She wrapped our beautiful tree skirt around the stand at the base of the tree. At that point she said to me, “You should take a picture and send it to Cathy. She would probably love that.”

So that’s what I did. Before we hung any decorations on the tree, I took a picture of it with the skirt that Cathy Milner had given to us 25 years ago in Nova Scotia. Ruthie and I had moved there in 1994, when I accepted the call to pastor Wittenburg Baptist Church. Cathy was an Area Supervisor for the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, which hosted the annual Musquodoboit Valley Christmas Festival of Trees & Crafts. Every year, right after the festival was over, Cathy would give us one of the trees to use for our own Christmas tree, which was a real blessing.

But Cathy went beyond that and made us a Christmas tree skirt to go around the base of the tree. Up until that point my wife had used old curtains to wrap our Christmas tree stand. But we have used Cathy’s gift ever since.

A quarter-century is a long time. All five of our children are now in their twenties and out of our home. Yet throughout all their childhood years, Cathy’s gift graced the base of our tree. And it still does today.

Our Christmas tree skirt reminds me of a key principle we should remember:

A gift of kindness goes a long way.

I was reminded of this principle again earlier last week. One of my sons got a message out of the blue from a young man that now serves in the military, is married, and just had his second child. He’s a few years younger than my son, and they hadn’t talked for some time. But he sent my son a message saying,

You prob won’t remember this, but about ten years ago you … picked me up at school … to show me — quote: “the greatest combo known to mankind.” You drove me to dunks [Dunkin’ Donuts], got me a breakfast sandwich, then Cumbies [Cumberland Farms] to buy a Monster. Then you handed me both and you said “try it.” You’re right. It’s been a staple ever since. Haha.

He was right: my son didn’t remember this incident from a decade ago. But apparently it made quite an impact on this young man! Time would fail me to tell of other similar incidents. But here are two takeaways for us:

1. Never underestimate the long-standing impact of a simple gift.

2. Express gratitude to others for their past gifts to you.

You probably thanked them at the time. But a fresh word of appreciation might greatly encourage them. Paul wrote to his friends, “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Phil. 1:3). I’ll bet Paul’s note really encouraged them. If someone has been a blessing to you, let them know! You can be a blessing to them by letting them know how they have been a blessing to you.

A Minor Character of Christmas

Today on “Family & Friends Friday,” we’re blessed to have my friend, David Welker, as our guest blogger. Dave has been a member of Webster Bible Church since 1973 and serves with me on our elder leadership team. A retired public school teacher, Dave enjoys teaching elementary students in Olympians (a Word of Life program) and middle school students in the church's Sunday morning Truth Tracks (Sunday school) ministry. You will be able to tell from the article that Dave also enjoys crossword puzzles.

I have always been impressed by the faith of Simeon as seen in Luke’s account of the Christmas story (Luke 2:25-35). But to be truthful, I have seen him as a minor character in the narrative. When I studied this passage in depth back in October to prepare for my middle school Sunday school class, I realized that Simeon was not so minor after all.

Do the math. The shepherds get 13 verses in Luke. The wise men are allotted 12 verses in Matthew. Yet Simeon’s story spans 11 verses — and includes his own solo!

Here is the Scripture that recounts this remarkable man — Luke 2:25-35::

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Simeon is described as righteous and devout. He was at peace with God and with his fellow man. He has been waiting for the “Consolation of Israel,” a common term at that time for the Messiah (see Isaiah 12:1). This man had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died. Remember that God had been silent for 400 years. That makes Simeon’s faith all the more remarkable. He looked forward to the Messiah with eager anticipation.

The Holy Spirit brought Simeon to the Temple on the day that Jesus’ parents brought him to be presented there as required by the Law. It had to be the Spirit’s power that showed Simeon who the Messiah was, because I’m pretty sure that he was not looking for a six-week-old baby. He tenderly holds Jesus in his arms and blesses God! “My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.” (vv. 30-31)

This verse reveals two vital truths:

1. Salvation is a person. It is not ritual you perform or some set of laws you obey. Salvation is a person and that person is Jesus Christ. Do you have Him in your life today?

2. Salvation is for all people. There were not many world travelers in Israel at this time. It is my guess that Simeon was very limited in his geography. Yet he saw Jesus as the Savior of the world!

It is no surprise that the Gentile writer of this gospel, Luke, picked up on this point. Jesus was a Light to the Gentiles. Simon praises God that this tiny baby is also the long-awaited Savior of the Jewish nation.

The final section of Simeon’s part in the Christmas story is his foretelling of Mary’s “sword in her soul” (v. 35). Mary paid a steep price to be our Savior’s mother. She was shunned for being an “unwed mother.” She heard what others said about her son as He went about His ministry. And she stood at the cross to watch her son die a horrible death. Mary’s love of her son brought great suffering, a fact that Simeon foretold through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I am a person with a great amount of life experience. (That’s my tender way of saying that I’m in my seventies.) If you are in that age bracket, let me remind you that so was Simeon. God still has tasks for people our age to do for His Kingdom. Notice that Simeon was looking forward, not to the past.

Historians estimate that about 40,000 people lived in Jerusalem at this time. Only two of those people (the other is Anna, whose story is recounted in Luke 2:36-38) recognized the coming of the Savior of the world. You don’t have to be a great mathematician to see that the percentages are pretty small.

Be on the lookout this Christmas
for a chance to make a difference
in the life of someone around you.

I am a retired elementary school teacher. My background tells me that we need to encourage the young people around us. We do not want to be like the huge majority of people in Jerusalem who missed the chance to see an extraordinary child. A special child might be riding on the bus with you, living down the street, or residing right in your own home! Be watching. The Lord is at work!