Archive for December, 2023
The Second Noel – Part Two
Audrey Mieir was absorbed in what was happening in her little church. They were having a Christmas presentation of the birth of Jesus. Mary was a teenage girl. The angels were young boys. The baby was a doll. Bathrobes revealed rolled up jeans under them. This simple setting provided for an electrifying moment. Audrey looked at the little children in the audience sitting open mouthed and expectant. Elderly friends wiped away tears remembering Christmases past. The pastor stood, raised his hands and said, “His name is Wonderful.” The words gripped Audrey. Immediately she began to write in the back of her Bible. She remembered that as she wrote it seemed to her God had something He wanted said. That night she sang the simple chorus around the piano with a group of youth. The words were simple and they picked it up right away.
“His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful…
Jesus my Lord.
He is the mighty king, Master of everything.
His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.
He’s the great Shepherd,
The Rock of all ages. Almighty God is He;
Bow down before Him, Love and adore Him,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.”
Though they said it, choirs and congregations have appropriately sung it through the years. There is victory in that pronouncement. In Latin it is “Gloria in Excelsus Deo!”
Under divine inspiration the Apostle Paul wrote: “All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
The angels said: “Glory to God.”
Jesus taught us to pray: “Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory…” He already has the glory. We are blessed to be vessels through which His glory is seen and by whom it is acknowledged.
Jesus’ coming focuses on the glory of God because in Him the attributes and attitudes of God are pleasantly revealed.
In the act of Jesus’ coming, God revealed a bit more of His glory which had been concealed.
The fundamental way we can accent the glory of God is by giving ourselves in trust to Him as our Savior and yielding to Him in service as our Lord. Giving is becoming.
“Go break to the hungry sweet charity’s bread,
For giving is living the angel said.
But must I keep giving again and again,
The weary worn question came.
No, said the angel, piercing me through.
Just stop giving when God stops giving to you.”
An old man on the city bus sat across from a little girl who was apparently from a poor family. As he sat holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers he noticed they had captured the attention of the little girl. Every time he looked at her she was looking admiringly at the flowers but quickly looked away.
When the bus stopped at his place of getting off he reached out and gave the flowers to her saying, “I bought these for my wife, but I know she would want you to have them.”
The bus stop was a bit longer than usual and the little girl watched as the old man got off the bus and entered through an old gate into a little cemetery.
Give yourself and your best to the Master before it is too late to give.
The Second Noel – Part One
Luke 2: 9 – 14
Jesus’ birth was attested to by citizens of Heaven and attended by citizens of earth. In it two worlds merged: the world of the natural and the world of the supernatural. For that reason His name was called Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”
Christmas, the celebration of His birth, does many things for all of society. One thing it does is rekindle HOPE. In a culture where there appears to be so little hope, rejoice over its being available to all.
The song writer Oscar Hammerstein in talking about his personal philosophy once said: “I cannot write anything without hope in it…when people point out that the world has evil and ugliness in it…I merely point out I know about all of those things, but I choose to align myself to the hope side of life.”
My heart sings with Mary Martin those lines given to her by Hammerstein: “I’m stuck like a dope in a thing called hope and I can’t get it out of my heart.”
Hope is more than just a feeling—it is a vision, a way of looking at our world, a way of understanding the things that happen to us.
The Christmas story does not deny the presence of darkness, it just proclaims the presence of light.
It doesn’t ignore the reality of bitterness and hate, it just declares the dominance of love. It shouts of hope.
Christmas is a pencil sharpener for the emotions making them sharper and more sensitive.
Imagine the hope that must have sprung to life in the hearts of those astonished shepherds just outside Bethlehem on that eventful night when the angels came to them proclaiming Messiah’s birth. There was a threefold exhortation by the angels. They said —
Glory to God. Peace. Good will.
A plethora of diversions tend to minimize the Christ whose birth we celebrate.
Long before this guiding light Zacharias prophesied of another who would offer guidance: “The rising sun (Jesus) will come to us from heaven… to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
We pragmatic people tend to think of there being no other state of being other than those we can see and prove. In doing so, we overlook the existence of the angelic band.
The Hebrew word for angel is the same as the name of the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. It literally means “my angel.” I have a malachi and so do you. They are at work today as in the day of Christ’s birth. They are also called “ministering spirits.”
The text says there was a “heavenly host.” The word host actually means “army.” There was a large force of angels involved.
Daniel (7:10) said of angels “ten thousand times ten thousand attend unto God.”
The writer of the Revelation (5:11) spoke of “a world of angels.”
Hebrews 12:22 lost count and referred to an “innumerable company of angels.” They are without number.
There are 108 references to angels in the Old Testament and 165 in the New Testament. They are referenced in the Garden of Eden and depicted as active in the Book of the Revelation.
Together this army of angels spoke in praise to God.
The angels were the heralds of the one of which it was said, “His name shall be called Wonderful…”
Join the angels in praise this Christmas.
The First Noel
Luke 1: 46 – 55
Jesus was the highest form of God and the ultimate form of man. In Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, yet He took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in our likeness.
He who spoke the universe into existence humbled Himself and became obedient — even unto death for us.
He was the Light of the World yet, He came in darkness.
He was the Fountain of Life, yet upon the Cross He cried, “I thirst.”
He was the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, yet He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.
He was the Ancient of Days, yet in one day He became the babe of Bethlehem’s manger.
He did all of this that you might have a MERRY CHRISTMAS — and much more.
Christmas in reality is all about Jesus’ birth. In the person of Jesus Christ, God left footprints in the sand of the Judean desert. He cast a shadow on the streets of Jerusalem. He stained the gray stones of Calvary with His blood as a demonstration of His love for you. He was a real person who did an actual thing.
Little wonder that the adoring apostle Paul bowed his head and wrote of Him: “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
Who is our great God and Savior —- Jesus Christ?
Who is Jesus Christ —- our great God and Savior?
Who is He to you?
Edward Vincent Benet in his classic work, “A Child is Born” challenges us.
“God pity us indeed, for we are but human
and do not always see the vision when it comes, the shining change.
Or if we see it we do not follow it because it is too hard, too strange, too new, too unbelievably difficult,
warring too much with the common easy ways….
You who love money, you who love yourselves,
you who love bitterness, and I who loved and lost
thought I could not love again
and all the people of this little town rise up….
The loves we had were not enough.
Something is loosed to change the shaken world
and with it we must change.”
The “shining change” of which he wrote is Jesus. On His natal morn He was loosed to change the shaken world one soul at the time. That change brings stability. His love exceeds the bitterness that seeks to tarnish the shining change He can make in a life. The change is called being born again. It is so radical.
Ready for Christmas
Some people spend so much time and money getting ready for Christmas they loose the spirit of the season and overlook its real meaning. It is a season like no other. The biblical story of the birth of Jesus gave rise to the original celebration of the season. Soon commercialism took advantage and commerce encroached. Such is good if it is not allowed to overshadow the reason for the season. The slogan “Jesus is the Reason for the Season,” helps keep the main thing the main thing. There are other aids in doing this.
In the decoration of your residence include figures and decorations that include Jesus. At one time we had nearly 100 nativities on display at Christmas. At least one should be on display. If there is a child or children in the home have one with which they can play.
Play music centered on the Christian Christmas theme to aid your focus.
Attend the special Christmas music and drama at a church.
Read and reflect on the Luke account of Jesus’ birth.
Such things help keep the focus clear.
Now, are you ready for Christmas? Consider your response in light of this.
READY FOR CHRISTMAS
“Ready for Christmas,” she said with a sigh
As she gave a last thought to the gifts piled high.
Then wearily she sat for a moment and read
Till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.
Then softly spoke a voice in her dream,
“Ready for Christmas, what do you mean?”
Ready for Christmas when only last week
You wouldn’t acknowledge a friend on the street?
Ready for Christmas while holding a grudge?
Perhaps you had let God be the judge.
She awoke with a start and a cry of despair.
“There’s so little time and I’ve yet to prepare.
Oh, Father! Forgive me, I see what you mean!
To be ready means more than a house swept clean.
Yes, more than the giving of gifts and a tree.
It’s the heart swept clean that you want to see,
A heart that is free from bitterness and sin.
So to be ready for Christmas is to be ready for Him.”
A Gift You Will Never Regret Giving
“…they first gave themselves to the Lord…. II Corinthians 8: 5
Daily appeals are made asking individuals for money. Rare is the person who can say no to all of them. That speaks well of the temperament of Americans.
Jesus noted the blessings afforded persons who give: “Give and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6: 38).
All giving is reciprocal giving. That is, inherent in giving is getting, if we give with the right motive.
We are told what kind of giver our Lord loves: “So let every one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9: 8).
The Greek word translated “cheerful” is “hilaros.” You can hear in it our English word “hilarious.” It means a joyful willingness to do what is done. This is normally admirably applied to giving to the cause of Jesus, but it relates to all giving.
Here is a plan. Plan what you are going to give to the cause of Jesus and set it aside. Then plan what else you are going to give and study causes to determine what you will give further. Not all appeals are worthy. Study their record of how gifts are used.
In a society that stimulates our appetites for getting, few people associate joy with giving.
An American teenager would translate the Greek text: “Giggle as you give with holy hilarity as unto the Lord.”
A cultural cloud cover hovers over Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Observe how II Corinthians 9: 7 neatly unfolds to produce a cheerful giver. Cheerful giving involves:
A sacrifice without casualness – – – “as he purposes.” This expression in Greek is a middle voice verb referring to a set plan.
A sacrifice without complaint – – – “not grudgingly.”
A sacrifice without compulsion – – – “or of necessity.”
Suppose you are in possession of something God wants you to give. What would motivate you to give it? Nothing less than the energizing and motivating power of the Holy Spirit. If you become aware a certain thing is the will of God you should out of love do it cheerfully.
One might conclude Jesus was the ultimate materialist. Of His 18 parables related to material goods. He spoke more about money than about heaven and hell combined. He had twice as much to say about it as about prayer.
However, the opening text notes what the first offering should be yourself.
“…they first gave themselves to the Lord…” II Corinthians 8: 5.