Turning Over a New Leaf?

Well, here we stand on the threshold of a new calendar.  You know what that means?  Resolutions.  Regrets.  It’s almost tax time again.  For virtually all of us, it means it’s time to turn over a new leaf.  What does that mean, anyway?  We all understand it means to start something over or change something from our past.  But the term itself has nothing to do with the leaves that grace our trees from May through October (you can tell I live in the north).  It has to do with books. 

Each piece of paper that is bound together to create the book is called a leaf.  As any printer knows, the “page” is what is printed on one side of the paper, with perhaps another page printed on the reverse side.  What you actually turn are the leaves of the book.  Or calendar.  Or sketch pad.  Or coloring book (for our sensitive millennials). 

You get the idea – by turning a leaf, we get a clean page upon which to write, sketch, draw, and formulate our new direction and attitude.  Many of us take the opportunity to delineate fresh hopes; to outline the behaviors that need modifying; to reallocate our priorities.  We try not to dwell too long on the failures of the past, but to refocus our efforts on the hopes of the future.

It seems we naturally share the thoughts of God as we focus more on what’s ahead than what lies behind.  Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi:

…But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 3:13-14

Any good preacher could make a whole sermon series from those two verses, but just zero in on the three ideas that are underlined.  This process Paul describes involves forgetting.  While the philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, I’m going with the Holy Spirit on this one.  Sure, we need to learn from past mistakes, but to move forward – to turn a new leaf – requires that we not keep the book open to our failed past. 

Paul’s second admonition is to reach out for what’s coming.  New days bring new opportunities, new challenges, and new relationships.  There are better days ahead, so seek after them!  If you anticipate only an undesirable future, guess what you’ll find?  See the good stuff that’s out there and go for it.

And finally, when Paul says to “press” toward the goal, it carries with it the idea of never quitting.  Like that fly that keeps pestering you, or the family dog that never can be petted enough.  That should be you as you pursue the honor of living a life that is pleasing to God.

Are you turning over a new leaf?  Are you at least a little excited about what tomorrow holds?  Then you can’t wallow in self-pity over whatever happened yesterday.  You can’t be intimidated by your failure last week.  And you can’t quit moving forward if you ever hope to get where you want to go!  That new leaf you turn has infinite possibilities – it’s a blank page just waiting for you to make something amazing and beautiful.  Happy New Leaf!

Jacob

Is It About Getting or Giving?

Tell me about the best gift you received this Christmas.  Perhaps you got a new iPhone or tablet?  Maybe something bigger, like a new car?  Or even diamonds?  Maybe not, because sometimes the best things don’t cost the most, but are the gifts chosen or made with love. 

Still, I wonder if the very best thing you got this Christmas was the look on the face of someone you blessed with a gift?  Perhaps the hug or tears that followed – either yours or theirs!  Why is it that we feel better when someone receives a gift FROM us than when they give a gift TO us?  Maturity may have a lot to do with it, but I remember the first Christmas gifts I bought for my grandmothers with my own money, so many years ago.  I can even still recall what they looked like, even though they would be considered mundane by gift-giving standards.  They were small metal trash cans!  But they were cherished trash cans, and a gift I’ve remembered for decades.

God designed us to want to give gifts to those we love.  Even those who don’t know or recognize God for who He is have the same desire.  Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount:

So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  Matthew 7:11

Not everything Jesus said about gift-giving is even recorded in the Gospel accounts.  But we can find this short, oft-repeated statement by Jesus recorded later, courtesy of the Apostle Paul:

I have shown you in every way…that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”   Acts 20:35

How many times have you heard that in your life?  Jesus wasn’t just encouraging us to give to others, He was telling us that we’re BUILT to give.  It does more for us than it does for them.  I know, you’ve heard that before, too.  But it’s true.  Giving makes you feel better in your spirit – that part of you that is connected to the all-time great Gift-Giver.

Do you recall that moment you trusted Jesus as your Savior?  The overwhelming sense of gratitude when you realized you had just opened the greatest gift ever given – forgiveness and eternal life, all wrapped in grace.  Did you smile or cry?  Your response is what made the Father’s sacrifice for you all worth it.  That’s what gift-giving with love is all about.

If you missed the boat this Christmas and worried more about what you were getting than about what you were giving, there’s still time.  Gift giving isn’t limited by the season.  Start tomorrow for next year!  But pause this one last time and imagine the look on the faces of the shepherds or magi as they gazed on the little face in the manger.  In your mind, are there tears or smiles?  Maybe both.  That’s what giving does.

Jacob  

Oh, What a Night!

Oh, what a night!  The shepherds tending flocks in the nearby fields didn’t hear the faint jingle of bells as they watched, but they were serenaded by an angelic choir.[1]  Wise men travelling from the Far East didn’t look up to the sky in the hope they might spot a sleigh, but instead to follow a star.[2]  And the focus of the night wasn’t the old face with rosy cheeks of a bearded gift-giver, but the cherubic face of the newly delivered Life-giver who had been laid in a manger in the only place His family could find shelter.[3]

Oh, holy night!  The shepherds left the hills where they watched a flock of sacrificial sheep so they might behold the Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world.[4]  Wise men left the comfort of their palace homes to bring comfort and gifts to the One who left His glorious home to offer them the greatest gift of all – eternal life.[5]  This Child lay sheltered from the night and the stars He created, tended to by those He came to serve and to save.[6]

This Christmas, may you know the Hope and Peace that Jesus came to offer.  May your holiday reflect the Joy that eternal life through Christ can bring.  May you live in a way that honors the gift that began in a manger, but ended with a cross and an empty tomb.  That gift of eternal life is always available to those who believe.[7] 

Joy to you this Christmas!

Jacob

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[1] Luke 2:8-17

[2] Matthew 2:1-12

[3] Luke 2:1-7

[4] John 1:29-34

[5] Philippians 2:5-11

[6] Colossians 1:13-17; Matthew 20:28

[7] Romans 10:9-13

The Forgotten Story of Christmas

God has a way of using lasting images to make a point – Isaac saved from the blade of Abraham; 5,000 people fed by the gift of a young boy; the Gift of Heaven hanging on a cross for you and me.  Christmas is certainly filled with those awe-inspiring images we know and love.  Lowly shepherds pointed to the manger by an angelic messenger; wise men following a star to offer gifts for the newly-born Priest-King; and that Little Baby Boy napping in a place made for animals instead of the King of Glory.[i]

While we sing tales of that night in Bethlehem, there is a little-known prophecy that makes the realities of Jesus’ birth that much more amazing.  The prophet, Micah, foretold the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in this passage:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”  (Micah 5:2)

Yet a few verses earlier, Micah shared a truth that I doubt you’ve ever heard:

…So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.  And you, O tower of the flock (Migdal Eder) [זה מגדל in Hebrew], the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”  (Micah 4:7-8)

Bethlehem was a special place because the lambs raised in the hills north of there were destined for sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem.  Migdal Eder was a watchtower just north of Bethlehem that allowed the shepherds to keep an eye out for threats to the flock.  When lambs were to be born, the ewes were brought in from the fields and kept in the cave at the tower’s base, which essentially became a birthing station for sacrificial lambs.  After inspecting the lambs to assure they were unblemished and fit for sacrifice, shepherds, like those in our Christmas story, would bind the newborn lambs with rags, or swaddling cloths, and place them in a manger to keep them calm and free from harm. 

If you re-read Luke 2, you’ll notice the angel only instructed the shepherds: “You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  God offered the magi a star; He only gave the shepherds a general location!  While they likely wondered WHY Jesus would be born in a place and manner reserved for sacrificial lambs, they didn’t have to think very hard about WHERE to find Him.  Because there was only one manger where sacrificial lambs were laid – the cave under the Tower of Eder.

Those blessed shepherds found the Baby where they expected, and discovered more than they had ever hoped.  They beheld the Lamb of God who would take away their sin.[ii]  They were awed by the Star of Jacob.[iii]  That’s what happens when we seek after Jesus.  We encounter all the love and light and hope and life we could ever imagine.  All found in the lovely face of that precious Child.  The One is the manger at Migdal Eder.

May you find what you really seek this Christmas.

Jacob

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[i] Psalm 24

[ii] John 1:29

[iii] Numbers 24:17

The Misfits of Bethlehem

Are you a camper?  You know, one of those folks who likes to go into the woods, find a spot by the lake, pitch your tent, build a fire, eat some S’mores and watch the stars come out at night?  I am not.  (Though I do like S’mores.)  My only real tent-camping experience came one rainy night in a pup tent with my best friend as a young boy.  The clouds opened and we were drenched.  Welcome to the world of the outdoors!  Maybe that’s why I never did it again?

Not everyone has a choice about sleeping under the stars.  In the days surrounding the birth of Jesus, a mini-industry had been created that supplied sheep for sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem.  Since Bethlehem was only about 6 miles away and the area supported the grazing flocks, it made sense to locate the shepherds and their charges in that region.  Unfortunately, the nature of the job required that the shepherds were ruled unfit to worship because they couldn’t meet the Rabbinic standards for cleanliness.  They couldn’t wash properly; they would enclose their flocks in make-shift stone enclosures at night; and then lay across the entrance to the sheep pen to protect these would-be sacrifices.  That life made it impossible to meet the strict standards to be “religiously acceptable”.

Instead, these dedicated servants watched the sun set and the stars come out each night, committed to the well-being of each member of the flock.  I’m sure they swapped stories around the fire after dinner and slept in shifts so someone was always awake to “man the watch”.  But on one special night, these misfits of Bethlehem became the chosen audience for a once-in-eternity event:

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you…When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough.  After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.   Luke 2:8-18

These shepherds didn’t feel very religious, but the God of Creation thought them special enough to send His special angelic messenger to share the breaking news of the Messiah’s arrival with THEM.  Think about how significant that was!  Outcasts from their own religion who were told they were saved by this Child, not by some complicated system.  And then they shared that truth with others who were equally amazed!  While not everyone is cut out to be a camper or a shepherd, we who believe in the One who came that starry night to save a band of misfits are also called to share the same Good News.  This Christmas, share the truth – and share a gift – that will take that amazing story to lives you may never touch yourself.  I’ve included some links to help you share the wonderful story of Christ.  It’s great news!  Pass it on!

Jacob

https://www.imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/gift-catalog

https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=national_donation_form

The Star of Heaven, Shadow of His Glory

We all understand how shadows work.  If there is a light source, you cast a shadow.  But what if you ARE the light source?  Of course, I’m not speaking about you specifically being a light, but about Jesus.  And not really the Jesus in a manger, because He certainly cast a shadow as a human being.  But what about before that?  Before He left heaven to come to earth?  The Jesus spoken of by the apostle John:

Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it…The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.    John 1:4-5, 9

Jesus, before He came to earth as a man, was the light of life for all of creation.  He was filled with all the glory of God Himself, according to Hebrews 1:3:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature…

A few of the disciples got a glimpse of the brightness of His glory just once in Jesus’ life with them:

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light.

Why wasn’t Jesus glowing ALL the time?  Because He willingly left His glory along with His other God-like attributes when He stepped out of heaven to offer Himself for you and me.  The book of Philippians records this reverse-metamorphosis:

Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.  Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave (servant), taking on the likeness of men.  Philippians 2:5-7

Read that last underlined portion again.  He “emptied Himself”.  Of what?  He never stopped being God, but He had to peel off the glory and majesty that were His already so He could be just like us – a human being.  A poor parallel would be that of a beautiful butterfly choosing to lay aside its gossamer wings so it could crawl around with the other insects.  This One who left heaven was, and is, “…the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”  (Revelation 22:16)

Which brings me to the hillside just north of the village of Bethlehem where an angel appeared to the shepherds on the night Mary gave birth:

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…    Luke 2:9

The Glory of the Lord lit up the night around them.  The same brightness that filled the tabernacle when God was present.  The same brilliance that radiated from Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and again in the throne room of heaven when John shared “His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength”.[i]  Though I can’t be certain, isn’t it possible that the glory that couldn’t be contained in the infant Son in the manger just had to point the shepherds and magi to His side?  May the Glory of God point you to the King of Righteousness this Christmas.

Jacob

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[i] Revelation 1:16

Six Miles From Christmas

Sometimes the things that bother me remind me I’m getting older.  One of those things is the crazy reliance on GPS navigation systems to get somewhere.  Not long ago I phoned someone traveling to my home to ask, “Where are you?”  The response?  “I don’t know – I’m just following the directions on the GPS.”  Whatever happened to maps?  How can someone head out on a journey with absolutely no knowledge of how to get there except for their reliance on some often-fallible electronic device?

Over two millennia ago some wise men, or magi, took off on a long trip with no knowledge of their destination, but were guided by something a bit better than a GPS system.  They were, of course, being directed by the Star appointed by the Creator God to guide them to His Only-Begotten Son.  What was the star?  That’s not critical to the story.  But there are certainly lessons to be learned from the journey of these travelers from the East.  The story is only recorded in the gospel of Matthew:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”…and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  (Matthew 2:1-2;9-11)

You know the story as you’ve seen it portrayed in countless Christmas pageants.  Three young guys dressed in bathrobes and paper crowns presenting gifts to the baby in the manger, surrounded by shepherds, angels, and anthropomorphic animals.  Though the scene doesn’t jive with the actual account, it all fuses into an amazing story of worship.

So were there three wise men?  The Scripture doesn’t say.  Three gifts mentioned gave rise to that idea.  Some middle-eastern church traditions say there were twelve.  Did they have names?  I’m sure they did, but we don’t know them.  Where were they from?  The word in the Bible literally says “from the rising of the sun”.  Somewhere in the east, most likely Persia or Babylon or even Yemen.  Their knowledge about the coming King was no doubt influenced by the Jews who were held captive in the region 500 years before.

But getting back to the stellar GPS they followed, I must ask, “Why did the magi stop in Jerusalem?”  They had followed the star for nearly 1,000 miles, yet they stopped in Jerusalem instead of following it all the way to Bethlehem where the Child was born.  After traveling that far, they stopped SIX MILES short of their destination!  How does that happen?  By taking your eye off the star.  They had “seen His star” but there they were, asking directions from the wicked king, Herod. When they looked again, there was the Star to guide them to Jesus.

This Christmas, make sure YOUR spiritual GPS is fully functioning.  Your focus should be on the Star of Christmas, the Bright and Morning Star[i].  Don’t stop short in your search for Christ this holiday season.  It would be a terrible shame if you, like the wise men, stopped short just six miles from Christmas.

Jacob

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[i] Revelation 22:16