What Did Jesus Do?
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17
Before she left for work this morning my wife informed me that she had decided on two New Year’s Resolutions for us. I suspect that we are not the only ones considering some changes for 2012. Of course, if I could somehow arrange to collect just a nickel from every American who makes and then fails to follow through on New Year’s Resolutions, I would be a wealthy man. It is good for us to examine our lives, and to resolve to make changes where needed. But if our heart is not committed to change, it doesn’t matter how much our head tries to keep us on track, especially if we are talking about a serious about face. If, however, the call to change, to make a 180 degree turnabout, comes from the Lord, we can be confident of success, because when Jesus turns lives around, he turns heads and hearts!
Matthew introduces the public ministry of Jesus with a summation of the Lord’s preaching (4:17). The message is a call to make a “180,” to turn one’s life in the totally opposite direction from that in which it is headed (This is the literal meaning of “repent”), and be reoriented away from the world and toward the kingdom of heaven. Trouble is, who among us is capable of so abruptly and so sharply turning our life around? Considering how many far less ambitious resolutions fall by the wayside every year, I daresay that none of us is capable of repenting, of so radically reorienting our lives on our own. We can resolve in our mind that change is necessary, but if our heart isn’t in it our head can only move us so far. In fact, if our heart doesn’t lead the way, our will head not long stay the course of turning towards the kingdom. Thankfully, Jesus turns heads and hearts.
Think about the calling of the first disciples, as Matthew reports it in 4:18-22. Two sets of brothers, all fishermen of Galilee, dropped their nets the instant Jesus called them to “Follow me.” There was no making up of the mind for Simon, Andrew, James, or John. Christ called to their hearts, and immediately their hearts responded, and they left all they had been doing, all that they had known, and followed the Lord. Considering what following Jesus would soon enough require of the disciples, they would have quickly fallen away if their heads alone considered the consequences. But when Jesus comes and calls, he turns heads and hearts.
With a little more than a day left until 2012 gets underway, many of us may well have a resolution or two in mind. Rather than a lot of us starting well, and failing fast, in making any changes or course corrections our minds may tell us are important, may I suggest that we first bring our hearts to the Lord, and ask him to begin there to make the changes in us that he desires, most especially to orient us more surely towards the kingdom of heaven in the new year? If Jesus turns our heart, then our mind will surely come about. With heads and hearts turned, and following Jesus wherever he leads us throughout the coming twelve months, we will assuredly head in a different direction, and arrive at a different place next December, from where any of our best intentioned resolutions can bring us, even if we could manage to stick to them. The plain truth is, lives change radically when Jesus turns heads and hearts.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Jesus Designed and Made All That the Father Willed and Spoke
What Did Jesus Do?
All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.
John 1:3
There are those who conceive, who desire, who dream, who give expression to vision. And then there are those who take others’ conceptions, desires, dreams, and visions, and then craft, design, and make them a reality. God the Father is one who, by the infinite creativity and wisdom of his mind and the unceasing love in his heart, expresses his conception, his desire, his dream for all that has existed, exists now, or ever will exist. Everything that was, is, or ever will be, results from the Father willing and saying, “Let there…” And, as I intimated above, there has always been another who has taken the Father’s concepts, desires, and dreams, and crafted, designed, and made them, well, “be.” The Bible makes it quite clear that it is the Son, Jesus, who designs and makes all that the Father willed and spoke, all that the Father wills and speaks, and all that the Father ever, well, will ever will and speak. For the Son, Jesus, is the Word, and the Word “was God” from the beginning (John 1:1).
Think about what happened in the beginning, when the Son, the Word, was with God, the Father (John 1:2). In the midst of utter, pervasive darkness, the Father said “Let there be light.” Light? What was light? All was darkness (Genesis 1:2). Yet, in an instant, “there was light.” How? The only possible explanation is that the Son, Jesus, heard what the Father willed and spoke, and so perfectly understood the heart and mind of the Father, that he crafted light. And the Father, upon seeing the light, immediately pronounced what the Son had made, “good” (Genesis 1:4). I won’t take the time here to review all of the first chapter of Genesis, but encourage you to do so at your leisure, picturing, if you can, the relationship between the Father and his conception and desire for what should be, and the Son and his crafting and making of all that is (John 1:3).
Then, later today, certainly by tomorrow, I hope you may have some time to head outdoors and look around. Gaze at some distant mountains, walk along a babbling stream, listen to the twittering of some birds, contemplate the stars in the night sky, knowing that each one of them was made by the Son precisely according to the Father’s conception. All exists, mountain, stream, bird song, star, in and through the Son exactly as the Father desires. If you will, conceiving and dreaming, crafting and making, is God’s family business. If there was a sign hung above the universe, which contains all that is, it would say: The Cosmos—Father, Son, AND Holy Spirit, Proprietors. Though I have not yet made mention of him, I must add that the Holy Spirit is, intimately and essentially, a part of God’s desiring and designing, of the Father’s conceiving and the Son’s making, of all things.
Two points I want to make about the creative work of the Trinity. One is that, it came about, in the fullness of time, according to his own desire, that the Father said, “Let there be ______” (fill in the blank with your name), even as, sometime in June of 1952, he said, “Let there be Jim,” and, in March, 1953 I, well, was. For, if nothing has ever been made except what the Son has made in response to the will of the Father, then you and I exist very much according to the desire and design of God, we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). And, while in and of ourselves none of us may claim to be “good,” the truth is that, by the desiring of the Father, the redeeming of the Son, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit, we are, “very good.”
The second point is that, having been “created in Christ Jesus,” we should understand ourselves, as daughters and sons, to be part of God’s family business. Even as Jesus, the Son, designed and made all that the Father willed and spoke, so we are to walk in and do the good works which God conceived, dreamed, and prepared beforehand, for us (Again, Ephesians 2:10). As Jesus, the Father’s Son, did, so we, the Father’s daughters and sons in and through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, are to do. Asking “What did Jesus do?" is no mere exercise in rhetoric, but rather the only way for us to know and do the Father’s will according to his Word.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.
John 1:3
There are those who conceive, who desire, who dream, who give expression to vision. And then there are those who take others’ conceptions, desires, dreams, and visions, and then craft, design, and make them a reality. God the Father is one who, by the infinite creativity and wisdom of his mind and the unceasing love in his heart, expresses his conception, his desire, his dream for all that has existed, exists now, or ever will exist. Everything that was, is, or ever will be, results from the Father willing and saying, “Let there…” And, as I intimated above, there has always been another who has taken the Father’s concepts, desires, and dreams, and crafted, designed, and made them, well, “be.” The Bible makes it quite clear that it is the Son, Jesus, who designs and makes all that the Father willed and spoke, all that the Father wills and speaks, and all that the Father ever, well, will ever will and speak. For the Son, Jesus, is the Word, and the Word “was God” from the beginning (John 1:1).
Think about what happened in the beginning, when the Son, the Word, was with God, the Father (John 1:2). In the midst of utter, pervasive darkness, the Father said “Let there be light.” Light? What was light? All was darkness (Genesis 1:2). Yet, in an instant, “there was light.” How? The only possible explanation is that the Son, Jesus, heard what the Father willed and spoke, and so perfectly understood the heart and mind of the Father, that he crafted light. And the Father, upon seeing the light, immediately pronounced what the Son had made, “good” (Genesis 1:4). I won’t take the time here to review all of the first chapter of Genesis, but encourage you to do so at your leisure, picturing, if you can, the relationship between the Father and his conception and desire for what should be, and the Son and his crafting and making of all that is (John 1:3).
Then, later today, certainly by tomorrow, I hope you may have some time to head outdoors and look around. Gaze at some distant mountains, walk along a babbling stream, listen to the twittering of some birds, contemplate the stars in the night sky, knowing that each one of them was made by the Son precisely according to the Father’s conception. All exists, mountain, stream, bird song, star, in and through the Son exactly as the Father desires. If you will, conceiving and dreaming, crafting and making, is God’s family business. If there was a sign hung above the universe, which contains all that is, it would say: The Cosmos—Father, Son, AND Holy Spirit, Proprietors. Though I have not yet made mention of him, I must add that the Holy Spirit is, intimately and essentially, a part of God’s desiring and designing, of the Father’s conceiving and the Son’s making, of all things.
Two points I want to make about the creative work of the Trinity. One is that, it came about, in the fullness of time, according to his own desire, that the Father said, “Let there be ______” (fill in the blank with your name), even as, sometime in June of 1952, he said, “Let there be Jim,” and, in March, 1953 I, well, was. For, if nothing has ever been made except what the Son has made in response to the will of the Father, then you and I exist very much according to the desire and design of God, we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). And, while in and of ourselves none of us may claim to be “good,” the truth is that, by the desiring of the Father, the redeeming of the Son, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit, we are, “very good.”
The second point is that, having been “created in Christ Jesus,” we should understand ourselves, as daughters and sons, to be part of God’s family business. Even as Jesus, the Son, designed and made all that the Father willed and spoke, so we are to walk in and do the good works which God conceived, dreamed, and prepared beforehand, for us (Again, Ephesians 2:10). As Jesus, the Father’s Son, did, so we, the Father’s daughters and sons in and through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, are to do. Asking “What did Jesus do?" is no mere exercise in rhetoric, but rather the only way for us to know and do the Father’s will according to his Word.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Jesus Waded Into War
What Did Jesus Do?
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized.
Matthew 3:13
If baptism is about, at least in part, cleansing from sin, then the Jordan had to have been a pretty dirty river during the time when John was doing a brisk business washing repentant sinners. Just think about how polluted with unrighteousness that water must have been! Then along came the Lord to “clean it up,” so to speak, for John and Jesus would be fulfilling all righteousness in and through Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:15). Little did John suspect, I’m sure, that when Jesus stepped down into the river, he waded into war.
Think about it, immediately after his baptism Jesus was led off to forty days of real wilderness survival boot camp (Matthew 4:1), at the end of which time came the first skirmish between Jesus and the devil (Matthew 4:3-11). After being stopped cold, Satan pulled back, while Jesus took the offensive, taking “ground” for the Father’s Kingdom soul by soul. It was war, war to the death, the death of Jesus on the cross. But by the Lord’s death, which, like his baptism, fulfilled all righteousness, came life everlasting.
I doubt many of us think of war when we see a baby being presented for baptism. Or, if your tradition is “believer’s baptism,” I suspect that you do not look upon the baptistery as an “induction center” for new recruits preparing for battle. But there should be no doubt that Jesus knew, the moment he stepped into the Jordan if not before, that he was in for a fight. Even so, Jesus was no “G.I. Joe.”
Christ’s armor was unconventional (see Ephesians 6:13-18). His humble, peaceful, obedient spirit was not that of your typical warrior. And his tactics were, well, different. From the moment Jesus surprised John by asking to be baptized, it was clear that Jesus would keep everyone, Satan most of all, off balance. His family thought he was mad. The priests believed he was possessed by a demon. Jesus’ radical ways alternately frightened and puzzled his own disciples. And it would ultimately be by surrendering himself into the hands of those who would take his life that Jesus would achieve victory.
As the United States government rapidly bankrupts the nation in order to fight the wrong wars the wrong way, I believe it might well be time for those of us who have been baptized to get serious about being the Lord’s Army, to mobilize and start to follow Christ’s example, and seek to advance the Kingdom as the Lord did, by fulfilling all righteousness, and wading into war.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized.
Matthew 3:13
If baptism is about, at least in part, cleansing from sin, then the Jordan had to have been a pretty dirty river during the time when John was doing a brisk business washing repentant sinners. Just think about how polluted with unrighteousness that water must have been! Then along came the Lord to “clean it up,” so to speak, for John and Jesus would be fulfilling all righteousness in and through Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:15). Little did John suspect, I’m sure, that when Jesus stepped down into the river, he waded into war.
Think about it, immediately after his baptism Jesus was led off to forty days of real wilderness survival boot camp (Matthew 4:1), at the end of which time came the first skirmish between Jesus and the devil (Matthew 4:3-11). After being stopped cold, Satan pulled back, while Jesus took the offensive, taking “ground” for the Father’s Kingdom soul by soul. It was war, war to the death, the death of Jesus on the cross. But by the Lord’s death, which, like his baptism, fulfilled all righteousness, came life everlasting.
I doubt many of us think of war when we see a baby being presented for baptism. Or, if your tradition is “believer’s baptism,” I suspect that you do not look upon the baptistery as an “induction center” for new recruits preparing for battle. But there should be no doubt that Jesus knew, the moment he stepped into the Jordan if not before, that he was in for a fight. Even so, Jesus was no “G.I. Joe.”
Christ’s armor was unconventional (see Ephesians 6:13-18). His humble, peaceful, obedient spirit was not that of your typical warrior. And his tactics were, well, different. From the moment Jesus surprised John by asking to be baptized, it was clear that Jesus would keep everyone, Satan most of all, off balance. His family thought he was mad. The priests believed he was possessed by a demon. Jesus’ radical ways alternately frightened and puzzled his own disciples. And it would ultimately be by surrendering himself into the hands of those who would take his life that Jesus would achieve victory.
As the United States government rapidly bankrupts the nation in order to fight the wrong wars the wrong way, I believe it might well be time for those of us who have been baptized to get serious about being the Lord’s Army, to mobilize and start to follow Christ’s example, and seek to advance the Kingdom as the Lord did, by fulfilling all righteousness, and wading into war.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Jesus Provided the Tipping Point of Time When He Came in Time to Redeem Time (Along with the lives of those who, in and through Him, would receive ado
What Did Jesus Do?
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…to redeem.
Galatians 4:4-5
It being again time to make a New Year’s Resolution, I believe the time is long overdue for me to resolve to follow the exhortation of Paul to the church in Ephesus to, “make the best use of the time.” (Ephesians 5:16) In a couple of months I’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and, anyway you measure it, 59 years offer considerable opportunities for one to make the best use of one’s time, or not. I fear I must confess I fall far short of having made the best use of the time God has thus far so graciously granted to me. In this I am not unlike the world itself, which had misspent year after year, century after century, until, "when the fullness of time had come," the Father resolved that the ultimate of Kairos moments had arrived, and sent forth his Son…to redeem, not just those who were to receive adoption, but the whole of creation that had been waiting to be set free from its bondage to corruption. (Romans 8:21) The groaning of the whole of creation had reached the ears of the Father, and he acted in grace and mercy to relieve the groaning by sending Jesus, Jesus who provided the tipping point of time, from bondage to corruption to the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For centuries, the pivotal place of Jesus Christ in the history of the entire world has been acknowledged in the way that the world has measured all time. All time up to the birth of Jesus, the time of the whole creation’s groaning, if you will, of the universal condition of bondage to corruption, was identified by the suffix “BC” (“Before Christ”). With the coming of the Lord, who had been sent by the Father to redeem from corruption, all time was henceforward prefixed with “AD” (“In the year of our Lord”; from the Latin, “Anno Domini”). For some 1500 years the BC-AD reckoning of time served quite well, until, in the closing decades of the 20th Century, secularizing publishers and revisionist academics began to popularize BCE-CE (“Before the Common Era”-“Common Era”), as the acceptable means of reckoning time, and effectively removed any acknowledgement that the life of Jesus was of any significance in the history of the world. What the growing use and popularity of BCE-CE reveals is this—much of the world remains in bondage to corruption, and continues to reject the One whom the Father sent two thousand years ago to redeem and to set free.
Here’s the question I ask myself, and share with you should you care to wrestle with it: “What does it mean, Jesus having been sent by the Father in the fullness of time to redeem my life and even time itself, for me to live in the freedom which Christ has obtained for me, if not but that I should make the best use of, “redeem,” the time I have in this world?” To do otherwise would be both careless and foolish, not to mention ungrateful, of me. (Ephesians 5:15) The task, as I believe and understand it, is to live redemptively, as befitting one who has been redeemed. And the only possible way to live redemptively is to live in, for, and with the Redeemer day in and day out, week by week, month after month, all the years of my life, in this world and in the world to come. You see, Jesus isn’t merely “The Reason for the (Christmas) Season,” he is The Man for ALL Seasons, the New Man, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), apart from whom the world, life, time itself, remain in bondage to corruption (read “sin and death”).
Years ago an orange juice company tried to convince us that “a day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.” I believe it is infinitely more important for us to know and to believe the certain truth that a day without Jesus is a day lived in absolute bondage to corruption. Not caring what the BCE-CE crowd has to say, not daring put if off another day, much less another year, I have to agree with the Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come!”
What do you say to our resolving to live today, and throughout the coming year, as those for whom time, even life itself, has been tipped from bondage to freedom by Jesus?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…to redeem.
Galatians 4:4-5
It being again time to make a New Year’s Resolution, I believe the time is long overdue for me to resolve to follow the exhortation of Paul to the church in Ephesus to, “make the best use of the time.” (Ephesians 5:16) In a couple of months I’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and, anyway you measure it, 59 years offer considerable opportunities for one to make the best use of one’s time, or not. I fear I must confess I fall far short of having made the best use of the time God has thus far so graciously granted to me. In this I am not unlike the world itself, which had misspent year after year, century after century, until, "when the fullness of time had come," the Father resolved that the ultimate of Kairos moments had arrived, and sent forth his Son…to redeem, not just those who were to receive adoption, but the whole of creation that had been waiting to be set free from its bondage to corruption. (Romans 8:21) The groaning of the whole of creation had reached the ears of the Father, and he acted in grace and mercy to relieve the groaning by sending Jesus, Jesus who provided the tipping point of time, from bondage to corruption to the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For centuries, the pivotal place of Jesus Christ in the history of the entire world has been acknowledged in the way that the world has measured all time. All time up to the birth of Jesus, the time of the whole creation’s groaning, if you will, of the universal condition of bondage to corruption, was identified by the suffix “BC” (“Before Christ”). With the coming of the Lord, who had been sent by the Father to redeem from corruption, all time was henceforward prefixed with “AD” (“In the year of our Lord”; from the Latin, “Anno Domini”). For some 1500 years the BC-AD reckoning of time served quite well, until, in the closing decades of the 20th Century, secularizing publishers and revisionist academics began to popularize BCE-CE (“Before the Common Era”-“Common Era”), as the acceptable means of reckoning time, and effectively removed any acknowledgement that the life of Jesus was of any significance in the history of the world. What the growing use and popularity of BCE-CE reveals is this—much of the world remains in bondage to corruption, and continues to reject the One whom the Father sent two thousand years ago to redeem and to set free.
Here’s the question I ask myself, and share with you should you care to wrestle with it: “What does it mean, Jesus having been sent by the Father in the fullness of time to redeem my life and even time itself, for me to live in the freedom which Christ has obtained for me, if not but that I should make the best use of, “redeem,” the time I have in this world?” To do otherwise would be both careless and foolish, not to mention ungrateful, of me. (Ephesians 5:15) The task, as I believe and understand it, is to live redemptively, as befitting one who has been redeemed. And the only possible way to live redemptively is to live in, for, and with the Redeemer day in and day out, week by week, month after month, all the years of my life, in this world and in the world to come. You see, Jesus isn’t merely “The Reason for the (Christmas) Season,” he is The Man for ALL Seasons, the New Man, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), apart from whom the world, life, time itself, remain in bondage to corruption (read “sin and death”).
Years ago an orange juice company tried to convince us that “a day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.” I believe it is infinitely more important for us to know and to believe the certain truth that a day without Jesus is a day lived in absolute bondage to corruption. Not caring what the BCE-CE crowd has to say, not daring put if off another day, much less another year, I have to agree with the Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come!”
What do you say to our resolving to live today, and throughout the coming year, as those for whom time, even life itself, has been tipped from bondage to freedom by Jesus?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, December 26, 2011
Jesus Kept CHRISTmas Every Day
What Did Jesus Do?
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Luke 2:52
O.K. it is December 26th, and an awful lot of Christmas Trees have already been kicked to the curb! I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering that many of those trees have been drying out in family rooms and living rooms for 5-6 weeks now. I wonder…All right, raise your hand if you have ever bemoaned the commercialization of Christmas, and how retailers have kept advancing the season until the line between Labor and Christmas has become blurred. Come on now, raise your hand (I just raised mine, trust me. You couldn’t see it because my computer is too old to have a webcam.).
I believe I saw quite a few of your hands raised. Hmm. This creates something of a tension for a lot of us, doesn’t it? I mean, here we all are, complaining about Christmas being thrust in our face by merchandisers for a couple of months, while, at the same time, many of us probably heard one or more messages in church recently about keeping Christmas every day throughout the year. Well, rather than take our own counsel, which really shouldn’t be trusted, I believe we ought to take a look at what Jesus did. Don’t you?
The simple truth is, Jesus kept Christmas every day of his life because, well, he was/is Christmas. In short, Jesus went about the business of being himself each and every day of his life. What was the result of Jesus keeping Christmas, of being himself, every day? Luke tells us at the end of the second chapter of his Gospel, “Jesus increased (daily) in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” You know, I believe that’s what we’re supposed to do as Christians, isn’t it? Increase, grow, daily in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. The only way I can imagine that we can so increase is by doing what Jesus did. Not by being ourselves, but, by the Holy Spirit, being our reborn selves in Him.
Another way to put it is that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus, or, as I like to put it, “Christ IS All!” There is more than one way to do this, but I’ve been thinking that, somehow, we might keep Jesus both front and center (“center” as in the core, the heart of who we are) in our lives every day if we would seriously keep Christmas every day, just as Jesus did.
So, here’s a proposal for you/me. Let’s all take the “Keep CHRISTmas every day” Pledge! I’m going to create a new facebook group. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Ugh! Not another facebook group. Aren’t there enough of them already?” Well, like churches, as long as there are people who aren’t being reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ, there is room for more places/ways to get the Word out. I see it working out like this. Once the facebook group is created, and I will be doing it shortly after I send out this WDJD, you can look it up and ask to join, or you can ask to join by replying to this email. But, in joining, each of us will pledge to keep CHRISTmas every day. That means every day we wish someone a “Merry CHRISTmas!” Or, we update our status every day with something that keeps CHRISTmas in front of all our facebook families/friend. Or we give someone a gift of love every day, just as the Father gave us the Son for CHRISTmas. What I’m thinking is, we outflank the merchandisers and all who would make Christmas just an excuse for hawking stuff for fully a third of the year and more, by taking CHRISTmas back and living it EVERY day of the year! What would happen if keeping CHRISTmas every day went “viral,” if hundreds, thousands, even millions of people committed to doing in and through the Holy Spirit what Jesus did by being himself, every day?
Guess this all sounds a little crazy. But, hey, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve made a nutty proposal to honor Jesus and glorify the Father. So, here goes, I know Christmas was yesterday, but I am proclaiming today CHRISTmas, and I want to be the first to wish you a “Merry CHRISTmas!”
Now, to go to facebook and create “Keeping CHRISTmas Every Day.” Hope I see you there soon!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Luke 2:52
O.K. it is December 26th, and an awful lot of Christmas Trees have already been kicked to the curb! I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering that many of those trees have been drying out in family rooms and living rooms for 5-6 weeks now. I wonder…All right, raise your hand if you have ever bemoaned the commercialization of Christmas, and how retailers have kept advancing the season until the line between Labor and Christmas has become blurred. Come on now, raise your hand (I just raised mine, trust me. You couldn’t see it because my computer is too old to have a webcam.).
I believe I saw quite a few of your hands raised. Hmm. This creates something of a tension for a lot of us, doesn’t it? I mean, here we all are, complaining about Christmas being thrust in our face by merchandisers for a couple of months, while, at the same time, many of us probably heard one or more messages in church recently about keeping Christmas every day throughout the year. Well, rather than take our own counsel, which really shouldn’t be trusted, I believe we ought to take a look at what Jesus did. Don’t you?
The simple truth is, Jesus kept Christmas every day of his life because, well, he was/is Christmas. In short, Jesus went about the business of being himself each and every day of his life. What was the result of Jesus keeping Christmas, of being himself, every day? Luke tells us at the end of the second chapter of his Gospel, “Jesus increased (daily) in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” You know, I believe that’s what we’re supposed to do as Christians, isn’t it? Increase, grow, daily in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. The only way I can imagine that we can so increase is by doing what Jesus did. Not by being ourselves, but, by the Holy Spirit, being our reborn selves in Him.
Another way to put it is that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus, or, as I like to put it, “Christ IS All!” There is more than one way to do this, but I’ve been thinking that, somehow, we might keep Jesus both front and center (“center” as in the core, the heart of who we are) in our lives every day if we would seriously keep Christmas every day, just as Jesus did.
So, here’s a proposal for you/me. Let’s all take the “Keep CHRISTmas every day” Pledge! I’m going to create a new facebook group. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Ugh! Not another facebook group. Aren’t there enough of them already?” Well, like churches, as long as there are people who aren’t being reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ, there is room for more places/ways to get the Word out. I see it working out like this. Once the facebook group is created, and I will be doing it shortly after I send out this WDJD, you can look it up and ask to join, or you can ask to join by replying to this email. But, in joining, each of us will pledge to keep CHRISTmas every day. That means every day we wish someone a “Merry CHRISTmas!” Or, we update our status every day with something that keeps CHRISTmas in front of all our facebook families/friend. Or we give someone a gift of love every day, just as the Father gave us the Son for CHRISTmas. What I’m thinking is, we outflank the merchandisers and all who would make Christmas just an excuse for hawking stuff for fully a third of the year and more, by taking CHRISTmas back and living it EVERY day of the year! What would happen if keeping CHRISTmas every day went “viral,” if hundreds, thousands, even millions of people committed to doing in and through the Holy Spirit what Jesus did by being himself, every day?
Guess this all sounds a little crazy. But, hey, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve made a nutty proposal to honor Jesus and glorify the Father. So, here goes, I know Christmas was yesterday, but I am proclaiming today CHRISTmas, and I want to be the first to wish you a “Merry CHRISTmas!”
Now, to go to facebook and create “Keeping CHRISTmas Every Day.” Hope I see you there soon!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Jesus Made the Father's Word Appear in the Flesh (Christmas Day, 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the just decrees of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:7-10
Do you know the first person to spend so much on Christmas that, after giving his gift, he had nothing at all left? God, the Father. Think about what the Father gave the world on Christmas. I believe that if someone had come to the Father the next day and asked him for something, the Father would have had to say, “I’m sorry, I just gave all I had to my beloved ones. I’ve got nothing left to give.” So, though I don’t recommend it, and know firsthand the pitfalls of overspending for Christmas, I believe that there is divine precedent for going “all out” to bless those we love by giving to the max at Christmas.
But, before we empty our bank accounts, and run up all our credit cards, we need to think about the gift that the Father gave. You see, for his gift to us God didn’t go to a mall, or order anything over the internet, which may be another divine precedent for Christmas which we should pay close attention to. When we take a careful, close look at what the Father gave the world at Christmas, we see that it was his Word, his Word come to life, made flesh so that the Word should come and dwell among us in order we might be blessed by all its grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Of course, years before Christmas, the Father had already spoken his Word, “at many times and in many ways” (Hebrews 1:1), to patriarchs, prophets, and psalmists. As the author of Psalm 19 beautifully expressed it long before the Word became flesh, the Word of the LORD is “perfect… sure… right… pure… clean… true” (Psalm 19:7-9)—to borrow from the folks at Master Card, God’s Word is “priceless”—more desirable than gold, sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). Yet, as matchless and wonderful as the Word of the Father was, his children didn’t truly get it, because they didn’t truly get him. So, the Father appointed the day when his Word would leap off the pages of Scripture and literally come alive!
The Word of God would no longer merely speak to us. From the moment that Mary delivered her firstborn son, the Word would forever reach out and touch us. The Word would touch our blind eyes so that we should truly see (John 9:6). The Word would touch our deaf ears so that we should truly hear (Mark 7:33). The Word would command all evil afflictions to leave us, and take us by the hand and lift us up so that we should be truly free (Mark 9:27). The Word would multiply what little we have so that many should be truly filled (Matthew 14:13-21). The Word would give eternal life to those doomed to die; the Word would be eternal life, to all who truly know him (John 6:68; John 17:3). The Word would truly be the way for all who are lost, the truth for all who are deceived, and the life for all who are perishing (John 14:6).
So, the Father having granted us all another Christmas to celebrate, there is one gift we can and must proclaim and give to the world today, and throughout the entire year: the matchless and sublime “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing”—Jesus Christ the Lord. If we would truly bless others, truly lavish love upon them, there is really only one possible gift to give. Share the gift of the Father’s only Son, Jesus, who made the Father’s Word come to life.
May the Father bless you and all those whom you love in and through Jesus; may the Father highly favor you in and through the knowledge and love of Christ; may the Father position you to prosper in and through the gift of his Word made Flesh.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the just decrees of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:7-10
Do you know the first person to spend so much on Christmas that, after giving his gift, he had nothing at all left? God, the Father. Think about what the Father gave the world on Christmas. I believe that if someone had come to the Father the next day and asked him for something, the Father would have had to say, “I’m sorry, I just gave all I had to my beloved ones. I’ve got nothing left to give.” So, though I don’t recommend it, and know firsthand the pitfalls of overspending for Christmas, I believe that there is divine precedent for going “all out” to bless those we love by giving to the max at Christmas.
But, before we empty our bank accounts, and run up all our credit cards, we need to think about the gift that the Father gave. You see, for his gift to us God didn’t go to a mall, or order anything over the internet, which may be another divine precedent for Christmas which we should pay close attention to. When we take a careful, close look at what the Father gave the world at Christmas, we see that it was his Word, his Word come to life, made flesh so that the Word should come and dwell among us in order we might be blessed by all its grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Of course, years before Christmas, the Father had already spoken his Word, “at many times and in many ways” (Hebrews 1:1), to patriarchs, prophets, and psalmists. As the author of Psalm 19 beautifully expressed it long before the Word became flesh, the Word of the LORD is “perfect… sure… right… pure… clean… true” (Psalm 19:7-9)—to borrow from the folks at Master Card, God’s Word is “priceless”—more desirable than gold, sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). Yet, as matchless and wonderful as the Word of the Father was, his children didn’t truly get it, because they didn’t truly get him. So, the Father appointed the day when his Word would leap off the pages of Scripture and literally come alive!
The Word of God would no longer merely speak to us. From the moment that Mary delivered her firstborn son, the Word would forever reach out and touch us. The Word would touch our blind eyes so that we should truly see (John 9:6). The Word would touch our deaf ears so that we should truly hear (Mark 7:33). The Word would command all evil afflictions to leave us, and take us by the hand and lift us up so that we should be truly free (Mark 9:27). The Word would multiply what little we have so that many should be truly filled (Matthew 14:13-21). The Word would give eternal life to those doomed to die; the Word would be eternal life, to all who truly know him (John 6:68; John 17:3). The Word would truly be the way for all who are lost, the truth for all who are deceived, and the life for all who are perishing (John 14:6).
So, the Father having granted us all another Christmas to celebrate, there is one gift we can and must proclaim and give to the world today, and throughout the entire year: the matchless and sublime “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing”—Jesus Christ the Lord. If we would truly bless others, truly lavish love upon them, there is really only one possible gift to give. Share the gift of the Father’s only Son, Jesus, who made the Father’s Word come to life.
May the Father bless you and all those whom you love in and through Jesus; may the Father highly favor you in and through the knowledge and love of Christ; may the Father position you to prosper in and through the gift of his Word made Flesh.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Jesus Ignored Santa's List (Saturday, Week 4 of Advent 2011--Christmas Eve)
What Did Jesus Do?
“We all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,
like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:3
If Jesus used Santa’s famous “Naughty and Nice” List, the best any of us could every hope for on Christmas would be coal in our stockings. The worst, which, apart from Jesus, we all could be certain of, is that we would end up no better than coal ourselves, fuel for the flames of Hell. Thankfully, Jesus ignored Santa’s list!
Think about it, Paul was right on target in Ephesians 2:3. At one time all of us have lived, and many of continue to live, not the Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous, but the Lifestyle of the Disobedient and Sinful. We are all, by nature, children of wrath. Fortunately, there’s something greater than nature at work in the world—“God’s great love for us, even when we were dead in our trespasses.” (Ephesians 2:4) So, according to his great love, the Father chose, before the foundations of the earth itself were laid, those who names would be on a very different list than Santa’s. On the Father’s list, which he wrote down even before “In the beginning,” are the names of all he will ever adopt as daughters and sons in and through the Son, Jesus Christ.
Where Santa gives gifts according to our deserving, nice gifts if we’ve been nice, coal if we’ve been naughty, the Father is motivated by grace alone, which is to say that he is pleased, according to the counsel of his own will, to give his love to those who definitely don’t deserve it. That’s what grace is all about, our getting what we don’t deserve for Christmas, because, for Christmas the Father gave us the Son, Jesus. And Jesus is careful and thorough to make certain that everyone who is on the Father’s list receives adoption, and that no one ever loses this greatest gift. (John 17:12)
You know, if we loved our children as much as God loves us, we would spare them the exquisite torture of worrying about whether they made it onto Santa’s Nice list, or will find coal in their stockings Christmas morning because they’ve been naughty. If we really loved our children, we would talk a lot less about Santa and his Naughty and Nice List, and a lot more about the Father’s Grace List, and his great gift of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be a truly joyful Christmas if the whole family celebrated and shared Jesus? Let’s try ignoring Santa’s list this year, and give the gift of grace to those we love , that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“We all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,
like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:3
If Jesus used Santa’s famous “Naughty and Nice” List, the best any of us could every hope for on Christmas would be coal in our stockings. The worst, which, apart from Jesus, we all could be certain of, is that we would end up no better than coal ourselves, fuel for the flames of Hell. Thankfully, Jesus ignored Santa’s list!
Think about it, Paul was right on target in Ephesians 2:3. At one time all of us have lived, and many of continue to live, not the Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous, but the Lifestyle of the Disobedient and Sinful. We are all, by nature, children of wrath. Fortunately, there’s something greater than nature at work in the world—“God’s great love for us, even when we were dead in our trespasses.” (Ephesians 2:4) So, according to his great love, the Father chose, before the foundations of the earth itself were laid, those who names would be on a very different list than Santa’s. On the Father’s list, which he wrote down even before “In the beginning,” are the names of all he will ever adopt as daughters and sons in and through the Son, Jesus Christ.
Where Santa gives gifts according to our deserving, nice gifts if we’ve been nice, coal if we’ve been naughty, the Father is motivated by grace alone, which is to say that he is pleased, according to the counsel of his own will, to give his love to those who definitely don’t deserve it. That’s what grace is all about, our getting what we don’t deserve for Christmas, because, for Christmas the Father gave us the Son, Jesus. And Jesus is careful and thorough to make certain that everyone who is on the Father’s list receives adoption, and that no one ever loses this greatest gift. (John 17:12)
You know, if we loved our children as much as God loves us, we would spare them the exquisite torture of worrying about whether they made it onto Santa’s Nice list, or will find coal in their stockings Christmas morning because they’ve been naughty. If we really loved our children, we would talk a lot less about Santa and his Naughty and Nice List, and a lot more about the Father’s Grace List, and his great gift of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be a truly joyful Christmas if the whole family celebrated and shared Jesus? Let’s try ignoring Santa’s list this year, and give the gift of grace to those we love , that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, December 23, 2011
Jesus Dressed Up for Christmas (Friday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
For God has done what the law could not do…
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.
Romans 8:3
If you read yesterday’s “What Did Jesus Do?” (WDJD for 12/22/11) you’re probably saying, “Can’t you make up your mind? First you tell us that Jesus “dressed down” for Christmas, now you’re telling us he dressed up! Which is it?” Well, I meant what I said yesterday about Jesus humbling himself to take on our flesh. But Christ became one of us in order that he should one day be the sin offering that would free us from the condemnation of the law of sin and death, to live in and through him by the law of the Spirit of life. (Romans 8:2) The thing is, sin offerings, well they have to be perfect, unblemished, as fine as fine can be. I mean, you simply cannot present any old thing to God as a sin offering. So, naturally, Jesus had to be “dressed up” for Christmas in order to become the acceptable and perfect offering for our sins years later on the cross.
Of course, Jesus really could not get dressed up, could he? He is, after all, God. His beauty, his glory, his majesty, well, that’s as dressed up as you can get! So, what do I mean when I say that Jesus “dressed up” for Christmas. Well, it is the other side of the coin of dressing down.
You see, Jesus “dressed down” his divinity, “made himself nothing” (Philippians 2:7), when he was born of Mary. But in putting on our flesh he dressed it “up,” don’t you see? By our fallen natures all of us have terribly blemished, sin-stained, downright ugg-leeeeee flesh. Flesh fit only for condemnation and death, death under God’s righteous Law.
Let me be clear. When I say that Jesus “dressed up” I don’t mean the kind of thing I used to do as a kid when I would slap a hat on my head, pull on some boots, and pick up my Fanner 50 cap gun and pretend I was a cowboy. Jesus was not pretending to be human. One of the earliest groups to fall away from the truth of Christian faith were the Docetists, so called because they believed that Jesus did not really take on human form, but only appeared or seemed to do so. Make no mistake, you and I would still be justly condemned by God’s Law if Jesus had only masqueraded as a man. If you point to “likeness” in Romans 8:3 and say that it suggests Jesus only put on something like our flesh, approximating human form without completely and truly becoming human, you are mistaken. The only difference between the humanity of Jesus and our humanity is that, where we all sin due to our fallen nature, Jesus, though tempted as we are because, after all, he was human, did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), because in him our human nature was perfected, dressed up, fitted for life in and of the Spirit.
This Christmas, when we come to the manger and behold the precious, and very human, son of Mary, we would do well to recall that he is also the very Son of God, as divine as divine can be, and that Jesus came to save us by becoming the sin offering which fulfilled the requirement of the law and set us free. Free from sin, free from sin’s condemnation. Now, that’s something to make us all “joyful and triumphant!”
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
For God has done what the law could not do…
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.
Romans 8:3
If you read yesterday’s “What Did Jesus Do?” (WDJD for 12/22/11) you’re probably saying, “Can’t you make up your mind? First you tell us that Jesus “dressed down” for Christmas, now you’re telling us he dressed up! Which is it?” Well, I meant what I said yesterday about Jesus humbling himself to take on our flesh. But Christ became one of us in order that he should one day be the sin offering that would free us from the condemnation of the law of sin and death, to live in and through him by the law of the Spirit of life. (Romans 8:2) The thing is, sin offerings, well they have to be perfect, unblemished, as fine as fine can be. I mean, you simply cannot present any old thing to God as a sin offering. So, naturally, Jesus had to be “dressed up” for Christmas in order to become the acceptable and perfect offering for our sins years later on the cross.
Of course, Jesus really could not get dressed up, could he? He is, after all, God. His beauty, his glory, his majesty, well, that’s as dressed up as you can get! So, what do I mean when I say that Jesus “dressed up” for Christmas. Well, it is the other side of the coin of dressing down.
You see, Jesus “dressed down” his divinity, “made himself nothing” (Philippians 2:7), when he was born of Mary. But in putting on our flesh he dressed it “up,” don’t you see? By our fallen natures all of us have terribly blemished, sin-stained, downright ugg-leeeeee flesh. Flesh fit only for condemnation and death, death under God’s righteous Law.
Let me be clear. When I say that Jesus “dressed up” I don’t mean the kind of thing I used to do as a kid when I would slap a hat on my head, pull on some boots, and pick up my Fanner 50 cap gun and pretend I was a cowboy. Jesus was not pretending to be human. One of the earliest groups to fall away from the truth of Christian faith were the Docetists, so called because they believed that Jesus did not really take on human form, but only appeared or seemed to do so. Make no mistake, you and I would still be justly condemned by God’s Law if Jesus had only masqueraded as a man. If you point to “likeness” in Romans 8:3 and say that it suggests Jesus only put on something like our flesh, approximating human form without completely and truly becoming human, you are mistaken. The only difference between the humanity of Jesus and our humanity is that, where we all sin due to our fallen nature, Jesus, though tempted as we are because, after all, he was human, did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), because in him our human nature was perfected, dressed up, fitted for life in and of the Spirit.
This Christmas, when we come to the manger and behold the precious, and very human, son of Mary, we would do well to recall that he is also the very Son of God, as divine as divine can be, and that Jesus came to save us by becoming the sin offering which fulfilled the requirement of the law and set us free. Free from sin, free from sin’s condemnation. Now, that’s something to make us all “joyful and triumphant!”
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Jesus Dressed Down for Christmas (Thursday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.
Philippians 2:6-7
How many times has this been heard in your house, “Okay, time to get ready for church”? Most every Sunday, right? And most of us dutifully head to our closet and put on, if not our “Sunday best,” then at least something better than what we’ve been wearing while we’ve hung around the house. I’m not entirely sure where this tradition of dressing up to go to church comes from. I mean, it wasn’t exactly what Jesus did. In fact, when Jesus left his home to attend the first ever Christmas Eve service, he “dressed down” to take on the role of being a servant, and a mighty humble servant at that.
Funny, isn’t it? While I suspect it might not be the case in most of the rest of the world, here in the U.S.A. the majority of people who attend church regularly are much more into dressing up as if they were masters, rather than dressing down to be servants. And there’s more of pride in evidence than humility in many churches. Again, I’m not sure where this all comes from. Well, that’s not true, I believe I have a pretty good idea what’s been going on. Sin.
Oops! Did I just suggest that there is an abundance of sin wrapped up in the attitudes and traditions of much of the Body of Christ in this nation? I think I did. What a thing to say! But hey, the Word tells us that we should have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and I just can’t seem to find anything to indicate that the mind of Jesus ever entertained proud thoughts, or that he even once sought to play the part of someone who should be served, rather than devote himself completely to being the servant of all. (Mark 10:45)
Now, I have to say that I don’t believe the Father cares all that much about our raiment. Whether we’re dressed in homespun, or haute couture, I am fairly certain that God is much more interested in how our hearts and minds are adorned. (See 1 Samuel 16:7) Picking something out of our closet, and then admiring ourselves in the mirror doesn’t seem to me to be the best way to “get ready for church.” I certainly don’t believe that’s what Jesus did on Christmas Eve.
I’m not saying we should grab some rags, or roll around in the mud, before we head to church Christmas Eve, or any other time. But it may well be worth pausing to read from the second chapter of Philippians what Jesus did, and check and see if we have more of pride, or of humility, showing. When we consider the attitude of Jesus, who set aside his exalted place of equality with the Father, and came down to Bethlehem, to be born in the most humble of circumstances so that, one day, we should through him be exalted, well, I tell you, it humbles me. And, I believe that, whatever we’re wearing, we’ll all be perfectly attired if we come humbly to the manger to worship the newborn King.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.
Philippians 2:6-7
How many times has this been heard in your house, “Okay, time to get ready for church”? Most every Sunday, right? And most of us dutifully head to our closet and put on, if not our “Sunday best,” then at least something better than what we’ve been wearing while we’ve hung around the house. I’m not entirely sure where this tradition of dressing up to go to church comes from. I mean, it wasn’t exactly what Jesus did. In fact, when Jesus left his home to attend the first ever Christmas Eve service, he “dressed down” to take on the role of being a servant, and a mighty humble servant at that.
Funny, isn’t it? While I suspect it might not be the case in most of the rest of the world, here in the U.S.A. the majority of people who attend church regularly are much more into dressing up as if they were masters, rather than dressing down to be servants. And there’s more of pride in evidence than humility in many churches. Again, I’m not sure where this all comes from. Well, that’s not true, I believe I have a pretty good idea what’s been going on. Sin.
Oops! Did I just suggest that there is an abundance of sin wrapped up in the attitudes and traditions of much of the Body of Christ in this nation? I think I did. What a thing to say! But hey, the Word tells us that we should have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and I just can’t seem to find anything to indicate that the mind of Jesus ever entertained proud thoughts, or that he even once sought to play the part of someone who should be served, rather than devote himself completely to being the servant of all. (Mark 10:45)
Now, I have to say that I don’t believe the Father cares all that much about our raiment. Whether we’re dressed in homespun, or haute couture, I am fairly certain that God is much more interested in how our hearts and minds are adorned. (See 1 Samuel 16:7) Picking something out of our closet, and then admiring ourselves in the mirror doesn’t seem to me to be the best way to “get ready for church.” I certainly don’t believe that’s what Jesus did on Christmas Eve.
I’m not saying we should grab some rags, or roll around in the mud, before we head to church Christmas Eve, or any other time. But it may well be worth pausing to read from the second chapter of Philippians what Jesus did, and check and see if we have more of pride, or of humility, showing. When we consider the attitude of Jesus, who set aside his exalted place of equality with the Father, and came down to Bethlehem, to be born in the most humble of circumstances so that, one day, we should through him be exalted, well, I tell you, it humbles me. And, I believe that, whatever we’re wearing, we’ll all be perfectly attired if we come humbly to the manger to worship the newborn King.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Jesus Spoke The Father's Last Words (Wednesday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
…But in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son.
Hebrews 1:2
Last words are important. A great deal of solemnity attends to one’s last words. There are Shakespeare’s “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” (Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene2), Lou Gehrig’s “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” (Yankee Stadium’s farewell to Gehrig, July 4, 1939), and Douglass MacArthur’s last address to the Corps of Cadets, “Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps. I bid you farewell.” (West Point, May 12, 1962). There’s even Groucho Marx’s “Hello, I must be going.” (Animal Crackers, 1930), of which no one but Groucho can be sure whether it was a greeting or a farewell! And, of course, one’s Last Will and Testament is typically opened and read with perhaps greater interest than anything else we say or write during our lifetime. Last words are important. After long years, and at many times and in many ways (Hebrews 1:1), the day arrived when God spoke his last words. While the prophets had well served God’s earlier purpose, the Father spoke his last words through the Son. Actually, it isn’t so much that Jesus spoke the Father’s last words, the truth of it is that Jesus IS the Father’s last word, spoken to the world in the last days. As such, I believe there are a couple of things we would do well to consider from Hebrews 1:1-4 over these last days of Advent 2011.
First of all, there’s no sense for anyone to be looking for God to send some new word of revelation. God has said all he is going to say to us. There will be no latter day prophets with anything to say by way of adding to, taking away, or changing in any way what the Father has already spoken to us in and through the Son. If anyone ever tries to convince you that they have a new word from God, stop your ears and run! While, long ago, prophet succeeded prophet, each one adding to God’s word, no one will ever succeed the Son. The imprisoned John the Baptist, having heard about the deeds done by the Lord, sent disciples to inquire, “Are you the one…or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3) Jesus sent John’s disciples back with instructions to report the testimony of their own ears and eyes—this was indeed the Christ (Matthew 11:4-6), do not look for another.
Another point to understand about the Father’s last word in the Son, is his superiority. No prophet who ever lived bore the exact imprint of God’s nature, but that is exactly who the Son is. While the face of Moses glowed with the reflection of God’s glory after each of his meetings with Yahweh, the Son was no reflection but the very radiance of the glory of God himself. (Hebrews 1:3) And, though even the greatest prophets were inferior to God’s divine messengers, the angels, the Son is as much superior to angels as his inherited name, I Am, is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:4)
Finally, this Christmas, as we ponder the birth of the Savior, his life, his death, and his resurrection, let us ask ourselves, “What more?” What more could the Father say to show his great love for us? What more could we possibly want to hear the Father say beyond what he has spoken to us through the Son—words of forgiveness, words of grace, words of life, words of love?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
…But in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son.
Hebrews 1:2
Last words are important. A great deal of solemnity attends to one’s last words. There are Shakespeare’s “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” (Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene2), Lou Gehrig’s “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” (Yankee Stadium’s farewell to Gehrig, July 4, 1939), and Douglass MacArthur’s last address to the Corps of Cadets, “Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps. I bid you farewell.” (West Point, May 12, 1962). There’s even Groucho Marx’s “Hello, I must be going.” (Animal Crackers, 1930), of which no one but Groucho can be sure whether it was a greeting or a farewell! And, of course, one’s Last Will and Testament is typically opened and read with perhaps greater interest than anything else we say or write during our lifetime. Last words are important. After long years, and at many times and in many ways (Hebrews 1:1), the day arrived when God spoke his last words. While the prophets had well served God’s earlier purpose, the Father spoke his last words through the Son. Actually, it isn’t so much that Jesus spoke the Father’s last words, the truth of it is that Jesus IS the Father’s last word, spoken to the world in the last days. As such, I believe there are a couple of things we would do well to consider from Hebrews 1:1-4 over these last days of Advent 2011.
First of all, there’s no sense for anyone to be looking for God to send some new word of revelation. God has said all he is going to say to us. There will be no latter day prophets with anything to say by way of adding to, taking away, or changing in any way what the Father has already spoken to us in and through the Son. If anyone ever tries to convince you that they have a new word from God, stop your ears and run! While, long ago, prophet succeeded prophet, each one adding to God’s word, no one will ever succeed the Son. The imprisoned John the Baptist, having heard about the deeds done by the Lord, sent disciples to inquire, “Are you the one…or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3) Jesus sent John’s disciples back with instructions to report the testimony of their own ears and eyes—this was indeed the Christ (Matthew 11:4-6), do not look for another.
Another point to understand about the Father’s last word in the Son, is his superiority. No prophet who ever lived bore the exact imprint of God’s nature, but that is exactly who the Son is. While the face of Moses glowed with the reflection of God’s glory after each of his meetings with Yahweh, the Son was no reflection but the very radiance of the glory of God himself. (Hebrews 1:3) And, though even the greatest prophets were inferior to God’s divine messengers, the angels, the Son is as much superior to angels as his inherited name, I Am, is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:4)
Finally, this Christmas, as we ponder the birth of the Savior, his life, his death, and his resurrection, let us ask ourselves, “What more?” What more could the Father say to show his great love for us? What more could we possibly want to hear the Father say beyond what he has spoken to us through the Son—words of forgiveness, words of grace, words of life, words of love?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Jesus Bore the Fullness of the Father's Grace and Truth (Tuesday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 1:19
Scientists like to fantasize that there was a time when all the energy and matter of the universe was packed into an unbelievably tiny little speck of, well, who knows what to call this imagined speck? Then, something went “bang,” and the rest, as they say, is “history.” History of an extremely fictionalized sort. I suppose I really shouldn’t be so critical of scientists, they are, as their investment in the so-called “Big Bang Theory” makes clear, men and women of faith. Think about it, it takes whopping faith to believe in the Big Bang Theory when there is no empirical evidence whatsoever to support it. I too, am a man of faith. But my faith does not subscribe to science fiction, excuse me, theoretical science. Rather, my faith rests upon Scriptural and historical evidence.
The Big Bang is a big deal for some, but my hope and faith is rest in something far greater. You see, there was a time when something, actually someone, far bigger and greater than all the universe, packed all the fullness of his being into a tiny little baby. Seriously, think about it. God, who is so huge that the entire cosmos can fit easily in the palm of one of his hands, poured all of who he is into the flesh and blood of an infant who was born to a young woman who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago. All of the Father was pleased to dwell in the Son, who dwelt with us, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) And this was not in some unimaginably distant past of which there is no record, but well within the confines of documented history.
Science offers no reason or purpose for the Big Bang, it simply proclaims that it just happened, and that everything else has been just happening as purposelessly ever since. In stark contrast, my faith is in One who created all things in, through, and for himself, according to his own design and desire. (Colossians 1:16) And, far from being for no fathomable purpose, like the Big Bang and its accidental and random universe, there was a definite and stated purpose for the Incarnation (The fancy theological word for the dwelling of the fullness of God among us). Peace. God came, and took on our flesh and blood, so that in and through the Son he would reconcile all things to himself, and make peace. (Colossians 1:20)
This work of reconciliation was very costly for the Father. It was purchased by nothing less than the blood of the Son shed on the cross. But the peace thereby secured is absolute and everlasting, and freely offered to any and all who will receive it by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son in whom the fullness of the Father dwelt. Anything less than the fullness of God’s grace and truth could not have accomplished the reconciliation of alienated and hostile people, who perpetually stain ourselves with the evil of our deeds. (Colossians 1:21) Nothing but the offering of Christ’s body on the cross could transform sin-stained human beings into people holy and blameless, who can stand before God, above any and all reproach. (Colossians 1:22)
At one time, peace with God, which Christ achieved through his sacrificial work of reconciling all things in and through himself, was what the observance and celebration of Christmas was all about. Nowadays there are many who have not a clue what Christmas is truly about, and they can hardly be blamed, as it is getting harder to find places where the unadulterated truth of Christmas is proclaimed. Why, it has gotten so bad that it has all but become an act of civil disobedience to even wish one another a “Merry Christmas.”
With just four days left until Christmas many are scrambling to get it “right.” Folks desperately do their last minute shopping hoping to be able to put the “right” gifts under the Christmas Tree. People load up carts at the grocery store in hopes of being able to set out the “right” kind of rich and resplendent holiday banquets. Wine and spirits flow freely this time of year, as many believe it would simply be “wrong” to observe Christmas without many potent toasts to the Season. Merchandisers and sellers of pretty much everything under the sun will hold sales right through Christmas Eve, and beyond, in order to help us “do” Christmas “right.”
My hope is that we would use the four remaining days of Advent to rightly understand what it meant for the fullness of God to come and dwell in the baby who lay in the manger in Bethlehem all those years ago. Only if we get this “right,” can we celebrate and share the true meaning of Christmas with family and friends, and with the world. For this Christmas to truly be merry for us all, I pray that it will be filled with all the grace and truth of the Father, which dwelt in Jesus, the Son, that there would be peace forevermore.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 1:19
Scientists like to fantasize that there was a time when all the energy and matter of the universe was packed into an unbelievably tiny little speck of, well, who knows what to call this imagined speck? Then, something went “bang,” and the rest, as they say, is “history.” History of an extremely fictionalized sort. I suppose I really shouldn’t be so critical of scientists, they are, as their investment in the so-called “Big Bang Theory” makes clear, men and women of faith. Think about it, it takes whopping faith to believe in the Big Bang Theory when there is no empirical evidence whatsoever to support it. I too, am a man of faith. But my faith does not subscribe to science fiction, excuse me, theoretical science. Rather, my faith rests upon Scriptural and historical evidence.
The Big Bang is a big deal for some, but my hope and faith is rest in something far greater. You see, there was a time when something, actually someone, far bigger and greater than all the universe, packed all the fullness of his being into a tiny little baby. Seriously, think about it. God, who is so huge that the entire cosmos can fit easily in the palm of one of his hands, poured all of who he is into the flesh and blood of an infant who was born to a young woman who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago. All of the Father was pleased to dwell in the Son, who dwelt with us, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) And this was not in some unimaginably distant past of which there is no record, but well within the confines of documented history.
Science offers no reason or purpose for the Big Bang, it simply proclaims that it just happened, and that everything else has been just happening as purposelessly ever since. In stark contrast, my faith is in One who created all things in, through, and for himself, according to his own design and desire. (Colossians 1:16) And, far from being for no fathomable purpose, like the Big Bang and its accidental and random universe, there was a definite and stated purpose for the Incarnation (The fancy theological word for the dwelling of the fullness of God among us). Peace. God came, and took on our flesh and blood, so that in and through the Son he would reconcile all things to himself, and make peace. (Colossians 1:20)
This work of reconciliation was very costly for the Father. It was purchased by nothing less than the blood of the Son shed on the cross. But the peace thereby secured is absolute and everlasting, and freely offered to any and all who will receive it by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son in whom the fullness of the Father dwelt. Anything less than the fullness of God’s grace and truth could not have accomplished the reconciliation of alienated and hostile people, who perpetually stain ourselves with the evil of our deeds. (Colossians 1:21) Nothing but the offering of Christ’s body on the cross could transform sin-stained human beings into people holy and blameless, who can stand before God, above any and all reproach. (Colossians 1:22)
At one time, peace with God, which Christ achieved through his sacrificial work of reconciling all things in and through himself, was what the observance and celebration of Christmas was all about. Nowadays there are many who have not a clue what Christmas is truly about, and they can hardly be blamed, as it is getting harder to find places where the unadulterated truth of Christmas is proclaimed. Why, it has gotten so bad that it has all but become an act of civil disobedience to even wish one another a “Merry Christmas.”
With just four days left until Christmas many are scrambling to get it “right.” Folks desperately do their last minute shopping hoping to be able to put the “right” gifts under the Christmas Tree. People load up carts at the grocery store in hopes of being able to set out the “right” kind of rich and resplendent holiday banquets. Wine and spirits flow freely this time of year, as many believe it would simply be “wrong” to observe Christmas without many potent toasts to the Season. Merchandisers and sellers of pretty much everything under the sun will hold sales right through Christmas Eve, and beyond, in order to help us “do” Christmas “right.”
My hope is that we would use the four remaining days of Advent to rightly understand what it meant for the fullness of God to come and dwell in the baby who lay in the manger in Bethlehem all those years ago. Only if we get this “right,” can we celebrate and share the true meaning of Christmas with family and friends, and with the world. For this Christmas to truly be merry for us all, I pray that it will be filled with all the grace and truth of the Father, which dwelt in Jesus, the Son, that there would be peace forevermore.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, December 19, 2011
Jesus Stayed Home, But Not Alone (Monday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
All who heard Jesus were amazed…and his parents were astonished,
but Jesus said to them, “Did you not know that I had to attend to my Father’s business?”
Luke 2:48-49
“Home Alone” is the totally far-fetched tale of a boy, Kevin, who, for very selfish reasons, stays behind when his family goes off for a Christmas holiday in Paris. While Kevin is left to fend for himself against a couple of nincompoop bandits, Kevin’s mom desperately makes her way back from France to Chicago. The film closes with the family amazed at what Kevin has been up to during the time he has been alone, while Kevin ends up mighty pleased with himself. In the second chapter of Luke we read of a holiday when Joseph and Mary frantically had to rush back to Jerusalem after they discovered that Jesus was not with them on the road to Nazareth.
Like Kevin’s family, Joseph and Mary were amazed to learn that Jesus had “stayed home,” but not alone. Instead of hapless burglers, Jesus contended with teachers of the Law, who were confounded by his amazing answers and precocious understanding of Scripture. As it turned out, Jesus stayed home, not for selfish reasons, but to be about his Father’s business.
Christmas is, or should be, the time when we recall and celebrate the coming into the world of Jesus, God’s Son, for the work of redeeming us and securing our adoption as children of the Father by grace, through our faith in the Lord. Like Jesus, our home is with the Father, now and forever. Like Jesus, we are also to be about our Father’s business, now and forever. The birth of Jesus was and is the Father’s way of saying that our home is with him, even as he has, through the Son, made his home with us.
One of the saddest realities about holidays is how desperately, painfully alone so many people feel. Want to astonish and bless someone this Christmas? Invite a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or a neighbor to come with you, in and through Jesus, to the Father. They’ll never again be home alone.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
All who heard Jesus were amazed…and his parents were astonished,
but Jesus said to them, “Did you not know that I had to attend to my Father’s business?”
Luke 2:48-49
“Home Alone” is the totally far-fetched tale of a boy, Kevin, who, for very selfish reasons, stays behind when his family goes off for a Christmas holiday in Paris. While Kevin is left to fend for himself against a couple of nincompoop bandits, Kevin’s mom desperately makes her way back from France to Chicago. The film closes with the family amazed at what Kevin has been up to during the time he has been alone, while Kevin ends up mighty pleased with himself. In the second chapter of Luke we read of a holiday when Joseph and Mary frantically had to rush back to Jerusalem after they discovered that Jesus was not with them on the road to Nazareth.
Like Kevin’s family, Joseph and Mary were amazed to learn that Jesus had “stayed home,” but not alone. Instead of hapless burglers, Jesus contended with teachers of the Law, who were confounded by his amazing answers and precocious understanding of Scripture. As it turned out, Jesus stayed home, not for selfish reasons, but to be about his Father’s business.
Christmas is, or should be, the time when we recall and celebrate the coming into the world of Jesus, God’s Son, for the work of redeeming us and securing our adoption as children of the Father by grace, through our faith in the Lord. Like Jesus, our home is with the Father, now and forever. Like Jesus, we are also to be about our Father’s business, now and forever. The birth of Jesus was and is the Father’s way of saying that our home is with him, even as he has, through the Son, made his home with us.
One of the saddest realities about holidays is how desperately, painfully alone so many people feel. Want to astonish and bless someone this Christmas? Invite a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or a neighbor to come with you, in and through Jesus, to the Father. They’ll never again be home alone.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Grew Up in the Middle of Nowhere, Which Turned Out to be the Center of the Father's Will
What Did Jesus Do?
But when Joseph heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
Matthew 2:22
There is an old saying, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” Joseph had literally taken the infant Jesus out of the country, fleeing from Israel and the wrath of Herod to Egypt. (Matthew 2:14) But Jesus was not about to grow up to become in effect an Egyptian. The Father had sent the Son to be born of Mary, that he should grow up to become “the King of the Jews.” (Matthew 2:2) So, when Herod died, an angel of the Lord gave Joseph the “green light” to return to Israel. (Matthew 2:19) Actually, it was more of a yellow light, because Joseph needed to exercise caution on the return trip. Achelaus, the son of Herod, ruled in Jerusalem, and the city, along with the region of Judea, undoubtedly teemed with those who were still on the lookout for the child whom the wise men had once traveled afar to worship. So Joseph went on past Judea, up to the country, into rural Galilee.
Why Galilee? Well it was off the Jerusalem radar. Galilee was nowhere. And, if Galilee was nowhere, then Nazareth, nestled pretty much in the center of the district, was the “middle of nowhere.” Nazareth was the perfect place for Joseph and Mary to raise their son in total obscurity. Jesus, thank God, was a country boy. That the Christ would call Nazareth his home was also part of the prophetic word concerning the Messiah. (Matthew 2:23)
I am not about to launch into a sermon on the virtues of rural life versus the vices of urban existence. But it is clear that the Father desired that the Son should grow up far from Israel’s center of political and religious power. The Christ would be raised outside the influence of court intrigues, and far apart from the scheming of politicians and the posturing of Pharisees. Jesus grew up humbly, in the midst of God’s people, as one of God’s people. As far as anyone knew, Jesus was “the neighbor’s kid,” Joseph and Mary’s little boy. Funny thing, though. While, for all intents and purposes, it may have seemed as if Jesus grew up in the middle of nowhere, he was, in fact, precisely in the center of his Father’s will. The truth of the matter is, the Father would have all of his children grow up in the very same place as the Son. No, not in Nazareth, but in the center of his will for us.
And the center of the Father’s will for his daughters and sons is—Jesus. It doesn’t matter to the Father if we live in a tiny apartment downtown, or a spacious penthouse uptown. If we reside on a rundown ramshackle farm, or a prosperous sprawling ranch is of little significance to the Father. It is the Father’s desire, wherever we may be, whatever our circumstance, that we should live in, with, and for the Son. The Father went to great trouble to ensure that Jesus would grow up in the true midst of his people—Emmanuel—so that his people should live in the knowledge and power and presence of the Son, who is the center of the Father’s will.
As Advent is now nearly over, and with Christmas just a few days away, where are we? Whether we find ourselves where the action is, or in the middle of nowhere, the critical question is in truth where is Jesus in our life? Is Jesus at the center of our life? Or is he out on the periphery somewhere? Or, perhaps, looking at our life, must we acknowledge that we’ve really made no place at all for Jesus? As the story of the return to Nazareth shows, the Father cares very much where Jesus is, and where his daughters and sons are in relation to Christ. Advent is when we consider the meaning of Jesus coming to us. Christmas is when, the Father having made sure that the Son’s place is with us, we can discover, or rediscover, just how close Jesus is, and come to him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
But when Joseph heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
Matthew 2:22
There is an old saying, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” Joseph had literally taken the infant Jesus out of the country, fleeing from Israel and the wrath of Herod to Egypt. (Matthew 2:14) But Jesus was not about to grow up to become in effect an Egyptian. The Father had sent the Son to be born of Mary, that he should grow up to become “the King of the Jews.” (Matthew 2:2) So, when Herod died, an angel of the Lord gave Joseph the “green light” to return to Israel. (Matthew 2:19) Actually, it was more of a yellow light, because Joseph needed to exercise caution on the return trip. Achelaus, the son of Herod, ruled in Jerusalem, and the city, along with the region of Judea, undoubtedly teemed with those who were still on the lookout for the child whom the wise men had once traveled afar to worship. So Joseph went on past Judea, up to the country, into rural Galilee.
Why Galilee? Well it was off the Jerusalem radar. Galilee was nowhere. And, if Galilee was nowhere, then Nazareth, nestled pretty much in the center of the district, was the “middle of nowhere.” Nazareth was the perfect place for Joseph and Mary to raise their son in total obscurity. Jesus, thank God, was a country boy. That the Christ would call Nazareth his home was also part of the prophetic word concerning the Messiah. (Matthew 2:23)
I am not about to launch into a sermon on the virtues of rural life versus the vices of urban existence. But it is clear that the Father desired that the Son should grow up far from Israel’s center of political and religious power. The Christ would be raised outside the influence of court intrigues, and far apart from the scheming of politicians and the posturing of Pharisees. Jesus grew up humbly, in the midst of God’s people, as one of God’s people. As far as anyone knew, Jesus was “the neighbor’s kid,” Joseph and Mary’s little boy. Funny thing, though. While, for all intents and purposes, it may have seemed as if Jesus grew up in the middle of nowhere, he was, in fact, precisely in the center of his Father’s will. The truth of the matter is, the Father would have all of his children grow up in the very same place as the Son. No, not in Nazareth, but in the center of his will for us.
And the center of the Father’s will for his daughters and sons is—Jesus. It doesn’t matter to the Father if we live in a tiny apartment downtown, or a spacious penthouse uptown. If we reside on a rundown ramshackle farm, or a prosperous sprawling ranch is of little significance to the Father. It is the Father’s desire, wherever we may be, whatever our circumstance, that we should live in, with, and for the Son. The Father went to great trouble to ensure that Jesus would grow up in the true midst of his people—Emmanuel—so that his people should live in the knowledge and power and presence of the Son, who is the center of the Father’s will.
As Advent is now nearly over, and with Christmas just a few days away, where are we? Whether we find ourselves where the action is, or in the middle of nowhere, the critical question is in truth where is Jesus in our life? Is Jesus at the center of our life? Or is he out on the periphery somewhere? Or, perhaps, looking at our life, must we acknowledge that we’ve really made no place at all for Jesus? As the story of the return to Nazareth shows, the Father cares very much where Jesus is, and where his daughters and sons are in relation to Christ. Advent is when we consider the meaning of Jesus coming to us. Christmas is when, the Father having made sure that the Son’s place is with us, we can discover, or rediscover, just how close Jesus is, and come to him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Jesus Sojourned for the Sake of Salvation (Friday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.
Matthew 2:14
Traveling seems to have a way of cementing memories in the mind. For example, I can recall lying in the back seat of my parents’ car, in what must have been the middle of the night because is was dark as pitch, as our family headed off for a vacation at Lake George. That trip was more than fifty years ago, but I can still smell the skunk who perfumed the New York Thruway that night. What did I have for supper last night? Sorry, can’t tell you, I don’t remember. But travel makes for vivid memories.
Now, some travel, like our family vacation long ago, is for pleasure. Sometimes a trip is strictly business. And, in extreme situations, it might be a matter of life and death that prompts a father to pack up the family in the car, or on the back of the donkey, and head quickly out of town under cover of darkness. Such was the case when Joseph, at the urging of one of God’s angels, hustled his wife and infant son out of Bethlehem to Egypt; Jesus sojourned for the sake of salvation—both ours and his own!
The flight to Egypt was not leisurely. The rest stops were few and far between. There were no day-trips to take to see the sites along the way. And no one back in Nazareth, Joseph and Mary’s hometown, received a postcard of the pyramids from them saying, “Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!” Salvation demanded secrecy. For, you see, Herod did not at all like the idea of a regime change in Israel. He was in charge of the kingdom, at least as in charge as he could be given the fact of the Roman occupation of Palestine, and, though it would be wrong to say he enjoyed ruling his people because he was so fearful of an assassination plot or coup to ever sit comfortably on his throne, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
When word reached him that a new King of the Jews had been born, Herod instantly begin to plan for the elimination of the would-be usurper. (Matthew 2:3) But someone was looking out for the child and his family. The true ruler of Israel was not about to permit his Son to fall into the hands of a megalomaniac such as Herod. Israel’s God had long planned for the salvation of Israel, and for the Gentiles as well. And a sojourn for the sake of salvation wasn’t unheard of. More than a thousand years earlier the LORD had orchestrated the flight of Jacob and his family from famine and death in the land of promise. Though innocent infants fell victim to Herod’s insane rage, the voice of Rachel, weeping for her children, was heard. Salvation was coming, and would arrive from, of all places, Egypt. Yet, for the sake of salvation, the Savior had to sojourn, had to escape from death to life (It would not be the last time that he would do so!), had to fulfill the word’s Hosea prophesied, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)
It remains true that, for the sake of salvation, sojourning is necessary. No one who simply stays put in this life can avoid sin and death. Our “escape route” does not require flight to Egypt. In fact, it is not a place at all, but a person, whom we must flee to. Sadly, many search about vainly for a lifetime, and never come to the One who alone can save. But, the truth is, for the ones who are in fact being saved, the Lord himself undertakes to come to us. You see, the trip from Israel to Egypt was but one small step along the way for him who traveled from heaven to earth for the sake of salvation.
One of the best things about Advent is the opportunity it gives us to consider just where we are with respect to the matter of salvation. With barely a week remaining until Christmas, there is still time for us to fly from the one who seeks our destruction, and come to the One who sojourned for our salvation. Jesus sojourned an almost inconceivable distance for us. Christmas is a great time, if we have never before taken the step, to come to Jesus. For those of us who have already come to the Savior, this is the perfect time to ready ourselves for his return, for Jesus has yet one more trip to make from heaven to earth, and we would do well to be prepared to rise and go with him on the most memorable journey of all!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminitries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.
Matthew 2:14
Traveling seems to have a way of cementing memories in the mind. For example, I can recall lying in the back seat of my parents’ car, in what must have been the middle of the night because is was dark as pitch, as our family headed off for a vacation at Lake George. That trip was more than fifty years ago, but I can still smell the skunk who perfumed the New York Thruway that night. What did I have for supper last night? Sorry, can’t tell you, I don’t remember. But travel makes for vivid memories.
Now, some travel, like our family vacation long ago, is for pleasure. Sometimes a trip is strictly business. And, in extreme situations, it might be a matter of life and death that prompts a father to pack up the family in the car, or on the back of the donkey, and head quickly out of town under cover of darkness. Such was the case when Joseph, at the urging of one of God’s angels, hustled his wife and infant son out of Bethlehem to Egypt; Jesus sojourned for the sake of salvation—both ours and his own!
The flight to Egypt was not leisurely. The rest stops were few and far between. There were no day-trips to take to see the sites along the way. And no one back in Nazareth, Joseph and Mary’s hometown, received a postcard of the pyramids from them saying, “Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!” Salvation demanded secrecy. For, you see, Herod did not at all like the idea of a regime change in Israel. He was in charge of the kingdom, at least as in charge as he could be given the fact of the Roman occupation of Palestine, and, though it would be wrong to say he enjoyed ruling his people because he was so fearful of an assassination plot or coup to ever sit comfortably on his throne, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
When word reached him that a new King of the Jews had been born, Herod instantly begin to plan for the elimination of the would-be usurper. (Matthew 2:3) But someone was looking out for the child and his family. The true ruler of Israel was not about to permit his Son to fall into the hands of a megalomaniac such as Herod. Israel’s God had long planned for the salvation of Israel, and for the Gentiles as well. And a sojourn for the sake of salvation wasn’t unheard of. More than a thousand years earlier the LORD had orchestrated the flight of Jacob and his family from famine and death in the land of promise. Though innocent infants fell victim to Herod’s insane rage, the voice of Rachel, weeping for her children, was heard. Salvation was coming, and would arrive from, of all places, Egypt. Yet, for the sake of salvation, the Savior had to sojourn, had to escape from death to life (It would not be the last time that he would do so!), had to fulfill the word’s Hosea prophesied, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)
It remains true that, for the sake of salvation, sojourning is necessary. No one who simply stays put in this life can avoid sin and death. Our “escape route” does not require flight to Egypt. In fact, it is not a place at all, but a person, whom we must flee to. Sadly, many search about vainly for a lifetime, and never come to the One who alone can save. But, the truth is, for the ones who are in fact being saved, the Lord himself undertakes to come to us. You see, the trip from Israel to Egypt was but one small step along the way for him who traveled from heaven to earth for the sake of salvation.
One of the best things about Advent is the opportunity it gives us to consider just where we are with respect to the matter of salvation. With barely a week remaining until Christmas, there is still time for us to fly from the one who seeks our destruction, and come to the One who sojourned for our salvation. Jesus sojourned an almost inconceivable distance for us. Christmas is a great time, if we have never before taken the step, to come to Jesus. For those of us who have already come to the Savior, this is the perfect time to ready ourselves for his return, for Jesus has yet one more trip to make from heaven to earth, and we would do well to be prepared to rise and go with him on the most memorable journey of all!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminitries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Jesus Prompted Joy and Worship (Thursday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
Behold, the star went before them to the place where the child was.
When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Matthew 2:9-10
Travelers approaching the border of North and South Carolina on Interstate 95 follow garishly colored South of the Border billboards for seemingly hundreds of miles, whether we like it or not. I suppose the signs build up no little anticipation and excitement in those of us who actually want to stop off at Fort Pedro to pick up some fireworks. After all those miles, and all those ridiculous billboards, there is joy, or, at the very least, relief, to at last see the sign saying “South of the Border—NEXT Exit!” The overall effect of the countless signs is to jump-start the whole South of the Border experience even before we arrive. For the wise Men who followed a star to Jerusalem, there were no billboards telling them “Only 50 miles to go!” But the celestial sign which directed them to where Jesus, he who was born King of the Jews, was to be found, contributed to the build-up of their joy and worship even before they actually arrived at Bethlehem and saw the Christ Child.
Advent, the time of anticipation and preparation before Christmas, can and should prompt our joy and worship. Four weeks of Advent devotions point us in the direction of Bethlehem. The lighting of Advent Candles symbolically provides increasing light along our way to the manger. Worship each Lord’s Day during Advent reminds us that Jesus, and not Early-bird or Midnight Madness Sales, is the reason for the season, helping us to keep Christ in our Christmas. And the example of the Wise Men themselves, of giving gifts, impels us to seek opportunities to give more at this time of year, even as we rejoice with more and more exceedingly great joy as we get closer to Christmas. But there would be no devotions, no candles, certainly no worship for the Lord’s Day, and probably little giving now or ever, without Jesus to prompt it all.
Many of us do a lot of running around during the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. It can be difficult to determine to what good end all the rushing about lead us. Quite a few people wind up depressed and disappointed, rather than filled with joy, when Christmas finally arrives, and this is truly a shame. I believe the example of the Wise Men, who followed the star, who kept going mile after difficult and dusty mile, can help all of us, who can be easily distracted or discouraged along the way, to keep going, to follow in the direction the many Advent disciplines, practices, and traditions point us, to Jesus, who, now and forever, prompts joy and worship.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Behold, the star went before them to the place where the child was.
When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Matthew 2:9-10
Travelers approaching the border of North and South Carolina on Interstate 95 follow garishly colored South of the Border billboards for seemingly hundreds of miles, whether we like it or not. I suppose the signs build up no little anticipation and excitement in those of us who actually want to stop off at Fort Pedro to pick up some fireworks. After all those miles, and all those ridiculous billboards, there is joy, or, at the very least, relief, to at last see the sign saying “South of the Border—NEXT Exit!” The overall effect of the countless signs is to jump-start the whole South of the Border experience even before we arrive. For the wise Men who followed a star to Jerusalem, there were no billboards telling them “Only 50 miles to go!” But the celestial sign which directed them to where Jesus, he who was born King of the Jews, was to be found, contributed to the build-up of their joy and worship even before they actually arrived at Bethlehem and saw the Christ Child.
Advent, the time of anticipation and preparation before Christmas, can and should prompt our joy and worship. Four weeks of Advent devotions point us in the direction of Bethlehem. The lighting of Advent Candles symbolically provides increasing light along our way to the manger. Worship each Lord’s Day during Advent reminds us that Jesus, and not Early-bird or Midnight Madness Sales, is the reason for the season, helping us to keep Christ in our Christmas. And the example of the Wise Men themselves, of giving gifts, impels us to seek opportunities to give more at this time of year, even as we rejoice with more and more exceedingly great joy as we get closer to Christmas. But there would be no devotions, no candles, certainly no worship for the Lord’s Day, and probably little giving now or ever, without Jesus to prompt it all.
Many of us do a lot of running around during the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. It can be difficult to determine to what good end all the rushing about lead us. Quite a few people wind up depressed and disappointed, rather than filled with joy, when Christmas finally arrives, and this is truly a shame. I believe the example of the Wise Men, who followed the star, who kept going mile after difficult and dusty mile, can help all of us, who can be easily distracted or discouraged along the way, to keep going, to follow in the direction the many Advent disciplines, practices, and traditions point us, to Jesus, who, now and forever, prompts joy and worship.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Jesus Disturbed the Worldly But Drew the Wise (Wednesday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
Behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is his who has been born king of the Jews?”
When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:2-3
If you don’t know who “Coach K” is, you have absolutely no interest whatsoever in college basketball, and you are obviously not from Tobacco Road. Down here in the Old North State everyone knows Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, even if they don’t all like him. When Mad Dog Radio held a special live broadcast with Coach K on Sirius XM Radio, fans no doubt listened in from afar. But, just a few miles from Durham, in Chapel Hill, home of Duke’s bitter rival, the University of North Carolina, news of the Coach K show probably disturbed people more than it drew them to tune in. Long ago, and far away from Tobacco Road, news of the birth of Jesus disturbed the worldly who lived just a few miles up the road from Bethlehem, but drew the wise from afar.
Kings of the world, like Herod, and people invested and all wrapped up in the kingdoms of the world, such as most of the people who lived in Jerusalem long ago, typically find news of a new, rival king, and the establishment of a new, and rival kingdom, disturbing, even frightening. Since kingdoms usually have but one throne, the presence of more than one king presents, well, a problem for those who like the throne, and who have no intention whatsoever of sharing it with, much less vacating it for, another.
So it was that, when the news of the birth of a rival reached Herod, who was about as despicably and destructively worldly a king as we could ever imagine, it upset him something terrible, and pretty much all of his capital city of Jerusalem along with him. Herod was one upon whose brow the crown did not rest easy. Paranoid to the extreme, Herod suspected coups and conspiracies all around him throughout his long and bloody reign. No one was safe from the sword when even the slightest rumor, or hint of a rumor, of a rival for the throne, reached the ears of Herod, as Herod’s wife and sons could attest. Well they could have attested, except that Herod had them executed because he feared they planned to remove him from the throne and take his place as ruler of Israel. The extermination of even imagined rivals was almost an everyday occurrence when Herod was king. With all the bloodshed and violence around him, it is no small wonder that all of Jerusalem was disturbed at the news of another rival to Herod, for, surely, the sword would once again be unsheathed against any and all who dared to threaten Herod’s rule.
Of course, the news of the royal birth of a rival might not have reached and disturbed Herod at all, if not for the arrival at his court of some wise men from the distant east. (Matthew 2:1) Drawn by a celestial sign which announced that a new and great king was born to the Jews, the wise men had been irresistibly drawn west until they came to Jerusalem, and to Herod. For, who better to know of the birth of a future king than the one who currently occupied the throne? But, when the wise men inquired as to where the new-born king could be found, it was news, disturbing, fearful news, to Herod.
The worldly and the wise still have different reactions to news of the birth of Jesus. Just today, I read on the internet about atheists in California who are so disturbed by the celebration of the birth of Jesus that they have gone to great lengths to try and stamp out Christmas. (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/13/atheist-messages-displace-california-park-nativity-scenes/?test=latestnews) But those atheists will be no more successful in killing the true celebration of Christmas than Herod was in killing the new-born King whose birth is what Christmas is truly all about.
Here, in the middle of the third week of Advent 2011, is the perfect place for all of us to contemplate what the news of the birth of the King of the Jews means to us. Are we disturbed to know of the One who was born to save us from our sins, or are we drawn to him? Regardless of how far we might imagine ourselves from the Lord, true wisdom is still found in seeking him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is his who has been born king of the Jews?”
When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:2-3
If you don’t know who “Coach K” is, you have absolutely no interest whatsoever in college basketball, and you are obviously not from Tobacco Road. Down here in the Old North State everyone knows Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, even if they don’t all like him. When Mad Dog Radio held a special live broadcast with Coach K on Sirius XM Radio, fans no doubt listened in from afar. But, just a few miles from Durham, in Chapel Hill, home of Duke’s bitter rival, the University of North Carolina, news of the Coach K show probably disturbed people more than it drew them to tune in. Long ago, and far away from Tobacco Road, news of the birth of Jesus disturbed the worldly who lived just a few miles up the road from Bethlehem, but drew the wise from afar.
Kings of the world, like Herod, and people invested and all wrapped up in the kingdoms of the world, such as most of the people who lived in Jerusalem long ago, typically find news of a new, rival king, and the establishment of a new, and rival kingdom, disturbing, even frightening. Since kingdoms usually have but one throne, the presence of more than one king presents, well, a problem for those who like the throne, and who have no intention whatsoever of sharing it with, much less vacating it for, another.
So it was that, when the news of the birth of a rival reached Herod, who was about as despicably and destructively worldly a king as we could ever imagine, it upset him something terrible, and pretty much all of his capital city of Jerusalem along with him. Herod was one upon whose brow the crown did not rest easy. Paranoid to the extreme, Herod suspected coups and conspiracies all around him throughout his long and bloody reign. No one was safe from the sword when even the slightest rumor, or hint of a rumor, of a rival for the throne, reached the ears of Herod, as Herod’s wife and sons could attest. Well they could have attested, except that Herod had them executed because he feared they planned to remove him from the throne and take his place as ruler of Israel. The extermination of even imagined rivals was almost an everyday occurrence when Herod was king. With all the bloodshed and violence around him, it is no small wonder that all of Jerusalem was disturbed at the news of another rival to Herod, for, surely, the sword would once again be unsheathed against any and all who dared to threaten Herod’s rule.
Of course, the news of the royal birth of a rival might not have reached and disturbed Herod at all, if not for the arrival at his court of some wise men from the distant east. (Matthew 2:1) Drawn by a celestial sign which announced that a new and great king was born to the Jews, the wise men had been irresistibly drawn west until they came to Jerusalem, and to Herod. For, who better to know of the birth of a future king than the one who currently occupied the throne? But, when the wise men inquired as to where the new-born king could be found, it was news, disturbing, fearful news, to Herod.
The worldly and the wise still have different reactions to news of the birth of Jesus. Just today, I read on the internet about atheists in California who are so disturbed by the celebration of the birth of Jesus that they have gone to great lengths to try and stamp out Christmas. (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/13/atheist-messages-displace-california-park-nativity-scenes/?test=latestnews) But those atheists will be no more successful in killing the true celebration of Christmas than Herod was in killing the new-born King whose birth is what Christmas is truly all about.
Here, in the middle of the third week of Advent 2011, is the perfect place for all of us to contemplate what the news of the birth of the King of the Jews means to us. Are we disturbed to know of the One who was born to save us from our sins, or are we drawn to him? Regardless of how far we might imagine ourselves from the Lord, true wisdom is still found in seeking him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Triggered Thanks to God (Tuesday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
“She began to give thanks to God and to speak of Jesus to all
who were waiting of the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Luke 2:38
Waiting is all about the future, of course. Yesterday is come and gone. Today has arrived, no need to wait for it, it’s already here. But the future, well, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, we’ll just have to wait for it to get here, won’t we? Advent is a time when we, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, wait for Christmas to come. Two thousand years ago there were many in Israel who had been waiting, who had been looking to the future, for quite some time. One long-cherished hope was that, with the coming of the Christ, Jerusalem might be set free from the yoke of foreign occupation and oppression, that she would be redeemed. For Anna, the birth of Jesus, and his presentation in the Temple according to the custom of the Law (Luke 2:27), triggered thanks to God because in Jesus the aged prophetess perceived that the time for Jerusalem’s redemption had come.
With twelve days remaining before Christmas 2011, what are we waiting for, hoping for, praying for? Do our future hopes, both short-term and long, have more to do with what might or might not be unwrapped this Christmas morning, or with the gift wrapped in swaddling cloths which Father gave the world on the first Christmas? If our hopes are tied to the former, we may well hold our thanks until the 25th gets here. But, if our hope is directly connected to the child who was born in a stable in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, then we have every reason to join with Anna this very hour, and give thanks to God for Jerusalem’s redemption, and ours! We can, and should, give thanks today, and all the remaining days of this Advent season, because our celebration of Christmas is not about a redemption we must yet wait for, but rather the redemption which Christ has already accomplished on the cross. The greatest thing about our celebration of Christmas is that it is with the knowledge that Jesus has completed the work which Anna and the world had to yet await, for it remained in their future.
But our Christmases are richer still, because we do not simply recall the birth of Jesus, we look forward to his return. Our Advent should involve our preparing to celebrate the birth of the Lord who has come, and who is coming again. You see, Anna celebrated when she encountered Jesus, even though Israel’s past was a long and bitter one, even though Jerusalem’s present was far from happy and free, because it had been revealed to her that in Jesus was the assurance of all the hopes of God’s people—Anna’s thanks to God was all about faith. Regardless of how bad our yesterday may have been, and over and above any and all adversity and affliction which may befall us today, it is faith, faith in Jesus that triggers our thanks to God on Christmas, and every day.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“She began to give thanks to God and to speak of Jesus to all
who were waiting of the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Luke 2:38
Waiting is all about the future, of course. Yesterday is come and gone. Today has arrived, no need to wait for it, it’s already here. But the future, well, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, we’ll just have to wait for it to get here, won’t we? Advent is a time when we, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, wait for Christmas to come. Two thousand years ago there were many in Israel who had been waiting, who had been looking to the future, for quite some time. One long-cherished hope was that, with the coming of the Christ, Jerusalem might be set free from the yoke of foreign occupation and oppression, that she would be redeemed. For Anna, the birth of Jesus, and his presentation in the Temple according to the custom of the Law (Luke 2:27), triggered thanks to God because in Jesus the aged prophetess perceived that the time for Jerusalem’s redemption had come.
With twelve days remaining before Christmas 2011, what are we waiting for, hoping for, praying for? Do our future hopes, both short-term and long, have more to do with what might or might not be unwrapped this Christmas morning, or with the gift wrapped in swaddling cloths which Father gave the world on the first Christmas? If our hopes are tied to the former, we may well hold our thanks until the 25th gets here. But, if our hope is directly connected to the child who was born in a stable in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, then we have every reason to join with Anna this very hour, and give thanks to God for Jerusalem’s redemption, and ours! We can, and should, give thanks today, and all the remaining days of this Advent season, because our celebration of Christmas is not about a redemption we must yet wait for, but rather the redemption which Christ has already accomplished on the cross. The greatest thing about our celebration of Christmas is that it is with the knowledge that Jesus has completed the work which Anna and the world had to yet await, for it remained in their future.
But our Christmases are richer still, because we do not simply recall the birth of Jesus, we look forward to his return. Our Advent should involve our preparing to celebrate the birth of the Lord who has come, and who is coming again. You see, Anna celebrated when she encountered Jesus, even though Israel’s past was a long and bitter one, even though Jerusalem’s present was far from happy and free, because it had been revealed to her that in Jesus was the assurance of all the hopes of God’s people—Anna’s thanks to God was all about faith. Regardless of how bad our yesterday may have been, and over and above any and all adversity and affliction which may befall us today, it is faith, faith in Jesus that triggers our thanks to God on Christmas, and every day.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, December 12, 2011
Jesus Delivered All That The Father Promised (Monday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your promise.”
Luke 2:29
I think the most heartsick fans in all of Major League Baseball call Wrigley Field home. The Red Sox having finally overcome the Curse of the Bambino, I can’t think of anyone who’s been waiting longer for a World Series win than Cubs fans. Others, I’m thinking of Cleveland, Seattle, Washington, might be disappointed, frustrated, even resigned. But long deferred hope in Chicago has broken countless hearts for over a century now, with no end in sight. And, you know, there have been many, what have always turned out to be, empty promises, made to Cub World. Managers, players, and owners have assured fans time and again that the fortunes of their favorite team were about to be turned around. Yep, hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12), and few hopes have been deferred longer than the World Series hopes of the Chicago Cubs. Unlike the Cubs perpetual failure to fulfill hopes and expectations, Jesus delivered all that the Father promised, and to a man whose hopes had been deferred for a lifetime it was worth waiting for.
The man was Simeon, and he had spent his entire life waiting for, as Luke put it, “the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25) But a lifetime of deferred hope had not made Simeon angry, bitter, frustrated, or resigned to disappointment. No, throughout his long life Simeon had remained righteous and devout. What kept the heart of Simeon faithful and strong was a promise, a promise that death would not come for him before he would see with his own eyes the Messiah. Many generations had come and gone in Israel, while their Messianic hope remained deferred. But the promise to Simeon meant that either he would become as old as Methuselah, or the fulfillment of the promise, the coming of the Christ, was imminent.
The promise of the Christ was no small thing, for it represented, so to speak, “the hopes and fears of all the years.” Everything the Father had covenanted, had promised, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to David, was to be fulfilled in and through the Son, the Messiah. So it was that, when he took the baby Jesus up in his arms, Simeon blessed and thanked God, not just for keeping the promise to him, but for all the Father’s promises kept—the advent of peace, the coming of salvation, for the light given to the Gentiles, and the glory given to Israel. (Luke 2:29-32) The answer to Cubs fans, and to all of us who are heartsick from hopes deferred, is Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the Son, is truly a tree of life, the fulfillment of every desire, if we would but receive him with joy as Simeon did.
With two weeks left in Advent there is still time to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Many will continue to hang their heart’s hopes on what they expect, or a least wish, they will find underneath the Christmas Tree on the 25th. But the stuff found in gaily wrapped boxes, or sitting in a driveway with a big red bow on top, or tucked inside a stocking hung by a fire, can never fulfill all our desires. The sun won’t even set on Christmas Day before many will be longing for something more, perhaps even planning major Day-after-Christmas expeditions to the malls in search of bargains. Yet, if we would but take the time over the next thirteen days to put all our hopes in the promise of the Christ, I can guarantee that our desires will be as completely satisfied as those of Simeon were when Jesus delivered to him all that the Father promised.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your promise.”
Luke 2:29
I think the most heartsick fans in all of Major League Baseball call Wrigley Field home. The Red Sox having finally overcome the Curse of the Bambino, I can’t think of anyone who’s been waiting longer for a World Series win than Cubs fans. Others, I’m thinking of Cleveland, Seattle, Washington, might be disappointed, frustrated, even resigned. But long deferred hope in Chicago has broken countless hearts for over a century now, with no end in sight. And, you know, there have been many, what have always turned out to be, empty promises, made to Cub World. Managers, players, and owners have assured fans time and again that the fortunes of their favorite team were about to be turned around. Yep, hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12), and few hopes have been deferred longer than the World Series hopes of the Chicago Cubs. Unlike the Cubs perpetual failure to fulfill hopes and expectations, Jesus delivered all that the Father promised, and to a man whose hopes had been deferred for a lifetime it was worth waiting for.
The man was Simeon, and he had spent his entire life waiting for, as Luke put it, “the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25) But a lifetime of deferred hope had not made Simeon angry, bitter, frustrated, or resigned to disappointment. No, throughout his long life Simeon had remained righteous and devout. What kept the heart of Simeon faithful and strong was a promise, a promise that death would not come for him before he would see with his own eyes the Messiah. Many generations had come and gone in Israel, while their Messianic hope remained deferred. But the promise to Simeon meant that either he would become as old as Methuselah, or the fulfillment of the promise, the coming of the Christ, was imminent.
The promise of the Christ was no small thing, for it represented, so to speak, “the hopes and fears of all the years.” Everything the Father had covenanted, had promised, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to David, was to be fulfilled in and through the Son, the Messiah. So it was that, when he took the baby Jesus up in his arms, Simeon blessed and thanked God, not just for keeping the promise to him, but for all the Father’s promises kept—the advent of peace, the coming of salvation, for the light given to the Gentiles, and the glory given to Israel. (Luke 2:29-32) The answer to Cubs fans, and to all of us who are heartsick from hopes deferred, is Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the Son, is truly a tree of life, the fulfillment of every desire, if we would but receive him with joy as Simeon did.
With two weeks left in Advent there is still time to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Many will continue to hang their heart’s hopes on what they expect, or a least wish, they will find underneath the Christmas Tree on the 25th. But the stuff found in gaily wrapped boxes, or sitting in a driveway with a big red bow on top, or tucked inside a stocking hung by a fire, can never fulfill all our desires. The sun won’t even set on Christmas Day before many will be longing for something more, perhaps even planning major Day-after-Christmas expeditions to the malls in search of bargains. Yet, if we would but take the time over the next thirteen days to put all our hopes in the promise of the Christ, I can guarantee that our desires will be as completely satisfied as those of Simeon were when Jesus delivered to him all that the Father promised.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jesus Magnified the Place of the Marginalized (Saturday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
All who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds told them
concerning the newborn Christ child.
Luke 2:18
Quite a few years ago a Wall Street firm that liked to think of itself as sagacious tried to convince the rest of us of its wisdom by telling us that, when “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” I have not interviewed any of Hutton’s clients, but I cannot but wonder if some of them might be wishing they hadn’t listened, given the current state of their portfolios. The intent of Hutton’s advertising was to get the public to believe that Hutton’s financial advice was reliable and sound, worth paying attention to. Hutton was conservative and mainstream, holding a fairly central place in the world of financial advising and investment counseling. So it really wasn’t difficult for them to attract an audience. If we were to go back to First Century Palestine, and change the topic from financial advice to spiritual, we might imagine the Pharisees as the E. F. Huttons of the day. I mean, if someone, God for instance, wanted to speak and get people to listen, the Pharisees would have been the obvious choice. But God didn’t see it that way at all, and instead kicked off Christian evangelism, which is now in its third millennium, in a totally unexpected way. Rather than utilize the prominent and powerful Pharisees, Jesus magnified the place of the marginalized by employing lowly shepherds to first share the good news of his birth. And the people who heard it were amazed. (Luke 2:18)
Think about it. Shepherds were just about as low as you could go on the socio-economic ladder of ancient Israel. Shepherds were at best one small step above beggars. And, considering that shepherds had a reputation for being less than honest and trustworthy, one might have put more stock in what a beggar had to say. Shepherds were stuck out in their pastures with their flocks, beyond the boundaries of villages and towns, pretty much out of sight, and all but out of mind. Marginalized. What was God thinking? Who would listen, much less give credence to, anything a shepherd had to say? But shepherds were the ones God chose to first receive, and immediately begin to spread, the news of the Savior’s birth. And, almost incredibly, people listened, and were amazed at what the shepherds said.
Oh, no doubt there were plenty who ignored the shepherds, as, no doubt, the Father knew there would be. But we know that some listened to, and believed, the words of the shepherds, and in turn took up and spread the word. In fact, much the same amazing, unbelievable good news about the Savior has been reported and repeated for two thousand years now. Why, there are still some who will celebrate the good news of that birth, rather than all the Black Friday bargains and other stuff under the tree, when Christmas comes. And, a few will even take up the shepherd’s role, and make known the saying that has been told them concerning this child. (Luke 2:17)
Each of us still have the opportunity to decide what we are going to do with what we’ve heard, if not from the first shepherds, than from those “shepherds” who have shared the good news with us. Will we believe it? Will we share it ? Will we celebrate it this Christmas, glorifying and praising God, as the shepherds did? One thing I believe is certain for those who follow the example of the evangelist-shepherds, Jesus will magnify our place, guaranteeing that when we speak about Him, there will always be people who will listen.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
All who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds told them
concerning the newborn Christ child.
Luke 2:18
Quite a few years ago a Wall Street firm that liked to think of itself as sagacious tried to convince the rest of us of its wisdom by telling us that, when “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” I have not interviewed any of Hutton’s clients, but I cannot but wonder if some of them might be wishing they hadn’t listened, given the current state of their portfolios. The intent of Hutton’s advertising was to get the public to believe that Hutton’s financial advice was reliable and sound, worth paying attention to. Hutton was conservative and mainstream, holding a fairly central place in the world of financial advising and investment counseling. So it really wasn’t difficult for them to attract an audience. If we were to go back to First Century Palestine, and change the topic from financial advice to spiritual, we might imagine the Pharisees as the E. F. Huttons of the day. I mean, if someone, God for instance, wanted to speak and get people to listen, the Pharisees would have been the obvious choice. But God didn’t see it that way at all, and instead kicked off Christian evangelism, which is now in its third millennium, in a totally unexpected way. Rather than utilize the prominent and powerful Pharisees, Jesus magnified the place of the marginalized by employing lowly shepherds to first share the good news of his birth. And the people who heard it were amazed. (Luke 2:18)
Think about it. Shepherds were just about as low as you could go on the socio-economic ladder of ancient Israel. Shepherds were at best one small step above beggars. And, considering that shepherds had a reputation for being less than honest and trustworthy, one might have put more stock in what a beggar had to say. Shepherds were stuck out in their pastures with their flocks, beyond the boundaries of villages and towns, pretty much out of sight, and all but out of mind. Marginalized. What was God thinking? Who would listen, much less give credence to, anything a shepherd had to say? But shepherds were the ones God chose to first receive, and immediately begin to spread, the news of the Savior’s birth. And, almost incredibly, people listened, and were amazed at what the shepherds said.
Oh, no doubt there were plenty who ignored the shepherds, as, no doubt, the Father knew there would be. But we know that some listened to, and believed, the words of the shepherds, and in turn took up and spread the word. In fact, much the same amazing, unbelievable good news about the Savior has been reported and repeated for two thousand years now. Why, there are still some who will celebrate the good news of that birth, rather than all the Black Friday bargains and other stuff under the tree, when Christmas comes. And, a few will even take up the shepherd’s role, and make known the saying that has been told them concerning this child. (Luke 2:17)
Each of us still have the opportunity to decide what we are going to do with what we’ve heard, if not from the first shepherds, than from those “shepherds” who have shared the good news with us. Will we believe it? Will we share it ? Will we celebrate it this Christmas, glorifying and praising God, as the shepherds did? One thing I believe is certain for those who follow the example of the evangelist-shepherds, Jesus will magnify our place, guaranteeing that when we speak about Him, there will always be people who will listen.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, December 9, 2011
Jesus Gave Praise Teams Their Big Break (Friday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host PRAISING God.
Luke 2:13
Most folks point to the charismatic movement in the 1960s as the time when the first praise teams (Or, if you prefer, praise band, worship band, worship team, worship group, music group) appeared. In the last fifty years mainline churches, along with their choirs and organs, have been in serious decline, while praise teams, and the charismatic and neo-liturgical churches that employ them, have been springing up like mushrooms in most communities. But it would be a big mistake to say that praise music is a phenomena of the latter part of the 20th Century. Praise music has in fact been part of Christian worship from, well, the beginning of Christian worship, when, on the day he was born, Jesus gave praise teams their big break.
There was nothing historical or traditional about the chorus that filled the sky above Bethlehem, it was music just about as contemporary as contemporary can get! The words expressed timeless theology in a totally fresh and new way:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace…”
Luke 2:14
And, it wasn’t “one and done” with the refrain. The angelic host that made up the first praise team undoubtedly repeated the chorus many times, until the congregation, which was made up of a group of shepherds, took ownership of the worship and itself started glorifying and praising God. (Luke 2:20) It was worship unlike anything anyone had ever heard or seen before.
Funny, but what we consider contemporary and new is actually the oldest and most traditional of Christian worship styles. Choirs and organs were much later additions to the worship scene than “contemporary” praise music. But, it really doesn’t matter which came first, the traditional which we call contemporary, or the contemporary which we call traditional. And it certainly should never be a source of acrimonious debate, much less division (to the extent that it is sometime referred to as worship wars). If the music and the words express heartfelt praise to the Father and glory to the Son, it doesn’t matter if the sounds come from an organ or an electric guitar, or the words are sung by a robed choir or a less formally attired team. What it comes down to is not right or wrong styles, but right or wrong identity.
If the music, whatever its style, is inspired by knowledge of the Son, born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and by faith in him that we are the Father’s family by grace, now and forever, then it is the sound of Christian worship. Whether it is a Gregorian Chant, one of Isaac Watts’ hymns, or the latest from tobyMac, I believe all glory and praise to God in the highest got its big break thanks to Jesus, who inspired the first praise team, better known as the heavenly host.
Advent is a season for preparing, and, since our eternal vocation will consist exclusively in glorifying and praising God, and enjoying him forever, this is the perfect time to start rehearsing our joy and our songs of praise to God and his Savior!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host PRAISING God.
Luke 2:13
Most folks point to the charismatic movement in the 1960s as the time when the first praise teams (Or, if you prefer, praise band, worship band, worship team, worship group, music group) appeared. In the last fifty years mainline churches, along with their choirs and organs, have been in serious decline, while praise teams, and the charismatic and neo-liturgical churches that employ them, have been springing up like mushrooms in most communities. But it would be a big mistake to say that praise music is a phenomena of the latter part of the 20th Century. Praise music has in fact been part of Christian worship from, well, the beginning of Christian worship, when, on the day he was born, Jesus gave praise teams their big break.
There was nothing historical or traditional about the chorus that filled the sky above Bethlehem, it was music just about as contemporary as contemporary can get! The words expressed timeless theology in a totally fresh and new way:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace…”
Luke 2:14
And, it wasn’t “one and done” with the refrain. The angelic host that made up the first praise team undoubtedly repeated the chorus many times, until the congregation, which was made up of a group of shepherds, took ownership of the worship and itself started glorifying and praising God. (Luke 2:20) It was worship unlike anything anyone had ever heard or seen before.
Funny, but what we consider contemporary and new is actually the oldest and most traditional of Christian worship styles. Choirs and organs were much later additions to the worship scene than “contemporary” praise music. But, it really doesn’t matter which came first, the traditional which we call contemporary, or the contemporary which we call traditional. And it certainly should never be a source of acrimonious debate, much less division (to the extent that it is sometime referred to as worship wars). If the music and the words express heartfelt praise to the Father and glory to the Son, it doesn’t matter if the sounds come from an organ or an electric guitar, or the words are sung by a robed choir or a less formally attired team. What it comes down to is not right or wrong styles, but right or wrong identity.
If the music, whatever its style, is inspired by knowledge of the Son, born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and by faith in him that we are the Father’s family by grace, now and forever, then it is the sound of Christian worship. Whether it is a Gregorian Chant, one of Isaac Watts’ hymns, or the latest from tobyMac, I believe all glory and praise to God in the highest got its big break thanks to Jesus, who inspired the first praise team, better known as the heavenly host.
Advent is a season for preparing, and, since our eternal vocation will consist exclusively in glorifying and praising God, and enjoying him forever, this is the perfect time to start rehearsing our joy and our songs of praise to God and his Savior!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Jesus Filled Up the Breadbox for Us (Thursday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and laid him in a manger.
Luke 2.7
Bread is just about as basic and essential a food as you can find. Think about it. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he instructed them to ask the Father for daily bread. Not milk, or wine, or even water. Not fruit, or nuts, or vegetables. Not cheese, or fish, or meat. Daily bread. When the breadbox is empty we have a real problem. And what are we supposed to do when we have a problem? Bring it to the Father in prayer. In response to prayers from those who hungered, hungered for food, for justice, for righteousness, for peace, and for just about every human need we can think of, the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to fill up the “breadbox” for us. Literally.
You see, that’s what a manger is, a breadbox shared by all who come to it to feed. And that’s just what Jesus came to do, to feed the world, or at least feed all who believe and who come to him. Jesus was, and is, the Bread of Life. (See John 6:35-40) And where else would we go to look for bread but the breadbox? It may not have been a very likely place to expect to find a newborn king, but it was the only fitting place for the One who promised that whoever came to him would never be hungry, and whoever believed in him would never be thirsty. (John 6:35)
If we had a map of ancient Israel in front of us, where is the one place we would be confident to find a full manger? Why, Bethlehem, of course! You see, Bethlehem is from the Hebrew beth lehem, which mean “house of bread.” The manger that held the Bread of Life which would feed not only Israel, but the world, had to be found in beth lehem, the “house of bread.” For the manger to have been located anywhere else not only would not have made any sense, it would not have fulfilled the prophecy about the One who filled up the breadbox. (Micah 5:2)
For most people Christmastime involves a lot of hurrying around. So many places we have to be, so much we have to do. For many of us, several of our destinations will likely involve gobbling down more rich food and drink than is good for us, certainly more than our body needs. Here’s the thing, we could all pack on quite a few holiday pounds by the end of December, and yet end up hungrier than when we tasted our first bite of Christmastime fare. If all our packed Christmas itineraries omit a visit to Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” and a trip to the manger, the breadbox filled with the Bread of Life, we can’t help but be malnourished, no matter how much other food we eat.
So, this Second Week of Advent, while there’s still time before Christmas, why don’t we all make plans to get ourselves, and our families and friends, to the manger, there to greet and to worship the Son, Jesus, whom the Father sent to fill up the breadbox for us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and laid him in a manger.
Luke 2.7
Bread is just about as basic and essential a food as you can find. Think about it. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he instructed them to ask the Father for daily bread. Not milk, or wine, or even water. Not fruit, or nuts, or vegetables. Not cheese, or fish, or meat. Daily bread. When the breadbox is empty we have a real problem. And what are we supposed to do when we have a problem? Bring it to the Father in prayer. In response to prayers from those who hungered, hungered for food, for justice, for righteousness, for peace, and for just about every human need we can think of, the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to fill up the “breadbox” for us. Literally.
You see, that’s what a manger is, a breadbox shared by all who come to it to feed. And that’s just what Jesus came to do, to feed the world, or at least feed all who believe and who come to him. Jesus was, and is, the Bread of Life. (See John 6:35-40) And where else would we go to look for bread but the breadbox? It may not have been a very likely place to expect to find a newborn king, but it was the only fitting place for the One who promised that whoever came to him would never be hungry, and whoever believed in him would never be thirsty. (John 6:35)
If we had a map of ancient Israel in front of us, where is the one place we would be confident to find a full manger? Why, Bethlehem, of course! You see, Bethlehem is from the Hebrew beth lehem, which mean “house of bread.” The manger that held the Bread of Life which would feed not only Israel, but the world, had to be found in beth lehem, the “house of bread.” For the manger to have been located anywhere else not only would not have made any sense, it would not have fulfilled the prophecy about the One who filled up the breadbox. (Micah 5:2)
For most people Christmastime involves a lot of hurrying around. So many places we have to be, so much we have to do. For many of us, several of our destinations will likely involve gobbling down more rich food and drink than is good for us, certainly more than our body needs. Here’s the thing, we could all pack on quite a few holiday pounds by the end of December, and yet end up hungrier than when we tasted our first bite of Christmastime fare. If all our packed Christmas itineraries omit a visit to Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” and a trip to the manger, the breadbox filled with the Bread of Life, we can’t help but be malnourished, no matter how much other food we eat.
So, this Second Week of Advent, while there’s still time before Christmas, why don’t we all make plans to get ourselves, and our families and friends, to the manger, there to greet and to worship the Son, Jesus, whom the Father sent to fill up the breadbox for us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Jesus Spurred Spontaneous Reactions of Joy (Wednesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
…the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth exclaimed,
“Blessed are you among women!”
Luke 1:41-42
We can anticipate that women will get all excited and giddy over the news that a friend or relative is expecting. I’m pretty sure that God made them that way. But when have you ever heard of an unborn child kicking up his heals in the womb at the news that he was going to have a cousin? I can only think of one, when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to share the news about her pregnancy, and Elizabeth’s child John began to cavort inside her. The truth is, Jesus always has, and always will, spur reactions of spontaneous joy when the Holy Spirit fills those who hear the Good News!
We should hardly be surprised at the reactions of Elizabeth and the unborn John the Baptist, Israel had only been anxiously awaiting the news of the Advent of the Messiah for the better part of a thousand years. Now, here they were, the first (not counting Mary or Joseph) to know that the Christ would be born in just a few short months, a mere matter of weeks. How could anyone expect the reaction to be anything but unrestrained joy?
Think of how many times we still sing of joy at Christmastime. Jesus is the joy of every longing heart. Captive Israel rejoices to learn that Emmanuel is come to ransom her. All ye faithful come, joyfully and triumphantly, to adore the new born King of angels. We proclaim joy to the world because the Lord has come. An angel brought shepherds watching their flocks glad tidings of great joy. And those shepherds would not shut up, their joyous strains were loud and prolonged. To this day good Christian men, and women and children too, rejoice with heart and soul and voice at the news, the news! All nations arise joyful as they harken to what the Herald angels sing. With a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoiced the holy night when Christ was born, and the Holy Spirit still fills with joy all who call Jesus their Savior and Lord.
Most of us can think of a time, if we have been fortunate many times, when we have reacted with spontaneous joy to some good news for ourselves or someone we love. Here’s a way we can experience special joy this Christmas—we can use this time of Advent to pray for God to prepare the heart of someone to accept the gift of Jesus this year, and then ask God to work in and through us to bring the gift to a neighbor, friend, or relative, even as Mary bore the gift, first to Elizabeth and John, and then to and for the world. We can be sure that Jesus will spur a reaction of spontaneous joy again this Christmas in all who receive him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
…the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth exclaimed,
“Blessed are you among women!”
Luke 1:41-42
We can anticipate that women will get all excited and giddy over the news that a friend or relative is expecting. I’m pretty sure that God made them that way. But when have you ever heard of an unborn child kicking up his heals in the womb at the news that he was going to have a cousin? I can only think of one, when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to share the news about her pregnancy, and Elizabeth’s child John began to cavort inside her. The truth is, Jesus always has, and always will, spur reactions of spontaneous joy when the Holy Spirit fills those who hear the Good News!
We should hardly be surprised at the reactions of Elizabeth and the unborn John the Baptist, Israel had only been anxiously awaiting the news of the Advent of the Messiah for the better part of a thousand years. Now, here they were, the first (not counting Mary or Joseph) to know that the Christ would be born in just a few short months, a mere matter of weeks. How could anyone expect the reaction to be anything but unrestrained joy?
Think of how many times we still sing of joy at Christmastime. Jesus is the joy of every longing heart. Captive Israel rejoices to learn that Emmanuel is come to ransom her. All ye faithful come, joyfully and triumphantly, to adore the new born King of angels. We proclaim joy to the world because the Lord has come. An angel brought shepherds watching their flocks glad tidings of great joy. And those shepherds would not shut up, their joyous strains were loud and prolonged. To this day good Christian men, and women and children too, rejoice with heart and soul and voice at the news, the news! All nations arise joyful as they harken to what the Herald angels sing. With a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoiced the holy night when Christ was born, and the Holy Spirit still fills with joy all who call Jesus their Savior and Lord.
Most of us can think of a time, if we have been fortunate many times, when we have reacted with spontaneous joy to some good news for ourselves or someone we love. Here’s a way we can experience special joy this Christmas—we can use this time of Advent to pray for God to prepare the heart of someone to accept the gift of Jesus this year, and then ask God to work in and through us to bring the gift to a neighbor, friend, or relative, even as Mary bore the gift, first to Elizabeth and John, and then to and for the world. We can be sure that Jesus will spur a reaction of spontaneous joy again this Christmas in all who receive him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Gave Seekers All They Ever Sought
What Did Jesus Do?
…and they shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23
How would you complete this sentence, “All I want for Christmas is _____________”? The children’s song says “my two front teeth,” but what do you say? Do the internet ads from Land’s End, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart, or other retailers supply your answer? Or, perhaps, it’s on the television, where it’s Lexus, or Zales, or some other purveyor of high-end merchandise who has what you want to fill out your Christmas list? If it came down to one thing, and one thing only, that you could have for Christmas, what would it be? Just over two thousand years ago, on the first Christmas, God gave himself to the world in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Sadly, the gift wasn’t what many people wanted, even though it was what they needed. But, for a few, for those seekers who sought God with all their heart, Jesus was the perfect gift—Immanuel, God in the midst of us, God with us.
Here’s the real question, and the answer is only found in our heart, “Is God, and God alone, enough for us?” If that’s hard for us to deal with, perhaps we could work our way up to this most important question. Let’s start with something else shall we? How about this, “Husbands, is your wife enough for you?” Not your wife’s cooking. Not her housekeeping. Not her looks. “Husbands, do you simply delight in and love your wife?” Now, ladies, “Wives, is your husband enough?” Not your husband’s career. Not his strength. Not his BMW. “Wives, do you simply delight in and love your husband?” And children, it’s your turn. “Boys and girls, are your parents enough for you?" Not the designer clothes they give you. Not the video game system they buy you. Not the allowance they put in your wallet. “Children, do you delight in and love your parents?” Ok, maybe we’re ready now. Everyone, “Is God enough for us? Do we delight in and love God? Or is it the gifts that we truly desire, and not the giver?”
You see, all the shepherds found when they got to Bethlehem was a baby. Same thing for the wise men who had traveled many miles following a star. No fine palace. No stately king. No sign whatsoever of any material wealth or power. Just a baby. But for wholehearted seekers of God, that baby, Immanuel, was everything they had ever sought.
The question for us remains, in 2011, what one thing, or person, fills in the blank in that sentence? What, or who, is all we want for Christmas? Is God, in the person of Jesus, enough for us? In Jesus, in Immanuel, the Father has given his children all we need, now and forever. But each of us must search our own heart to determine whether or not Jesus is all we want. If it is truly God alone whom we desire, then the gift of the Son is enough. If not, then it is certain that, regardless of whatever else we may ever get for Christmas, it will never be enough for us, we will never be satisfied, we will always want more.
It is beyond all doubt that, if we seek God with all our heart, the Father will lead us to Immanuel, and we will discover, in Jesus, all we’ve ever sought.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
…and they shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23
How would you complete this sentence, “All I want for Christmas is _____________”? The children’s song says “my two front teeth,” but what do you say? Do the internet ads from Land’s End, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart, or other retailers supply your answer? Or, perhaps, it’s on the television, where it’s Lexus, or Zales, or some other purveyor of high-end merchandise who has what you want to fill out your Christmas list? If it came down to one thing, and one thing only, that you could have for Christmas, what would it be? Just over two thousand years ago, on the first Christmas, God gave himself to the world in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Sadly, the gift wasn’t what many people wanted, even though it was what they needed. But, for a few, for those seekers who sought God with all their heart, Jesus was the perfect gift—Immanuel, God in the midst of us, God with us.
Here’s the real question, and the answer is only found in our heart, “Is God, and God alone, enough for us?” If that’s hard for us to deal with, perhaps we could work our way up to this most important question. Let’s start with something else shall we? How about this, “Husbands, is your wife enough for you?” Not your wife’s cooking. Not her housekeeping. Not her looks. “Husbands, do you simply delight in and love your wife?” Now, ladies, “Wives, is your husband enough?” Not your husband’s career. Not his strength. Not his BMW. “Wives, do you simply delight in and love your husband?” And children, it’s your turn. “Boys and girls, are your parents enough for you?" Not the designer clothes they give you. Not the video game system they buy you. Not the allowance they put in your wallet. “Children, do you delight in and love your parents?” Ok, maybe we’re ready now. Everyone, “Is God enough for us? Do we delight in and love God? Or is it the gifts that we truly desire, and not the giver?”
You see, all the shepherds found when they got to Bethlehem was a baby. Same thing for the wise men who had traveled many miles following a star. No fine palace. No stately king. No sign whatsoever of any material wealth or power. Just a baby. But for wholehearted seekers of God, that baby, Immanuel, was everything they had ever sought.
The question for us remains, in 2011, what one thing, or person, fills in the blank in that sentence? What, or who, is all we want for Christmas? Is God, in the person of Jesus, enough for us? In Jesus, in Immanuel, the Father has given his children all we need, now and forever. But each of us must search our own heart to determine whether or not Jesus is all we want. If it is truly God alone whom we desire, then the gift of the Son is enough. If not, then it is certain that, regardless of whatever else we may ever get for Christmas, it will never be enough for us, we will never be satisfied, we will always want more.
It is beyond all doubt that, if we seek God with all our heart, the Father will lead us to Immanuel, and we will discover, in Jesus, all we’ve ever sought.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement (Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement
(Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary…
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31
Our youngest turned twenty-five last month, which tells you a couple of things about us. First, it’s been a long time since we’ve sent out a birth announcement. The second thing you can tell about us is that we are way too old to have had the opportunity to use email, social media, and other cool electronic “bells and whistles” to send out word about the birth of our children. I confess that I have not actually researched this, but I believe the earliest birth announcements can be found in Scripture.
There was the announcement to Abraham, you know the one that made Sarah laugh. (Genesis 18:9-15) How about Hannah, who, in the anxiety and fervor of her prayers acted as one intoxicated (At least that’s what Eli thought.)? The announcement made to her started off in the form of an old-fashioned scolding. (1 Samuel 1.12-18) Then, of course, there was Zechariah. When he received the announcement that he would have a son Zechariah cried out, “Why, shut my mouth!” or he would have cried out if that angel hadn’t already silenced him. (Luke 1:8-25) Did you notice something about all these birth announcements? They were made to the fathers and/or mothers to be. We think of the announcements sent out by parents, but God’s ways are not our ways. Now, the most important birth announcement ever was the one made to Mary, the angel Gabriel. Angels being in the exclusive employ of God we can actually say that Jesus supplied his own birth announcement. Actually, I guess I should say that the Lord supplied his own birth announcer.
How did these folks respond to the news? Sarah, some 90 years old, laughed. Hannah, the target of Peninnah’s mockery and scorn, and, who had gone about for years her face downcast because she had no children, went away beaming. Zechariah was, as I said, speechless, while his wife Elizabeth felt quietly vindicated. What of Mary?
Well, the poor girl was terrified at first, then confused, and, finally, resigned, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Eventually, Mary’s resignation would be transformed into a hymn of praise and rejoicing in God her Savior. (The Magnificat; Luke 1.46-55)
The Father, not the fathers, knew, and knows, his plan and purpose for every life. So it was that, the announcements of these births could reveal that Isaac would be the Promise, Samuel was the Prophet, John was the Herald, and Jesus was, just as his name proclaimed, the Savior. While all of us dream and wonder about who and what are children will become, we can be sure that, whatever else may be part of God’s plan and purpose for us and for our children, Christmas affirms just how important to the Father is our identity and life in Christ, because he sent the Son to us as a gift.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement
(Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary…
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31
Our youngest turned twenty-five last month, which tells you a couple of things about us. First, it’s been a long time since we’ve sent out a birth announcement. The second thing you can tell about us is that we are way too old to have had the opportunity to use email, social media, and other cool electronic “bells and whistles” to send out word about the birth of our children. I confess that I have not actually researched this, but I believe the earliest birth announcements can be found in Scripture.
There was the announcement to Abraham, you know the one that made Sarah laugh. (Genesis 18:9-15) How about Hannah, who, in the anxiety and fervor of her prayers acted as one intoxicated (At least that’s what Eli thought.)? The announcement made to her started off in the form of an old-fashioned scolding. (1 Samuel 1.12-18) Then, of course, there was Zechariah. When he received the announcement that he would have a son Zechariah cried out, “Why, shut my mouth!” or he would have cried out if that angel hadn’t already silenced him. (Luke 1:8-25) Did you notice something about all these birth announcements? They were made to the fathers and/or mothers to be. We think of the announcements sent out by parents, but God’s ways are not our ways. Now, the most important birth announcement ever was the one made to Mary, the angel Gabriel. Angels being in the exclusive employ of God we can actually say that Jesus supplied his own birth announcement. Actually, I guess I should say that the Lord supplied his own birth announcer.
How did these folks respond to the news? Sarah, some 90 years old, laughed. Hannah, the target of Peninnah’s mockery and scorn, and, who had gone about for years her face downcast because she had no children, went away beaming. Zechariah was, as I said, speechless, while his wife Elizabeth felt quietly vindicated. What of Mary?
Well, the poor girl was terrified at first, then confused, and, finally, resigned, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Eventually, Mary’s resignation would be transformed into a hymn of praise and rejoicing in God her Savior. (The Magnificat; Luke 1.46-55)
The Father, not the fathers, knew, and knows, his plan and purpose for every life. So it was that, the announcements of these births could reveal that Isaac would be the Promise, Samuel was the Prophet, John was the Herald, and Jesus was, just as his name proclaimed, the Savior. While all of us dream and wonder about who and what are children will become, we can be sure that, whatever else may be part of God’s plan and purpose for us and for our children, Christmas affirms just how important to the Father is our identity and life in Christ, because he sent the Son to us as a gift.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Supplied His
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement
(Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary…
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31
Our youngest turned twenty-five last month, which tells you a couple of things about us. First, it’s been a long time since we’ve sent out a birth announcement. The second thing you can tell about us is that we are way too old to have had the opportunity to use email, social media, and other cool electronic “bells and whistles” to send out word about the birth of our children. I confess that I have not actually researched this, but I believe the earliest birth announcements can be found in Scripture.
There was the announcement to Abraham, you know the one that made Sarah laugh. (Genesis 18:9-15) How about Hannah, who, in the anxiety and fervor of her prayers acted as one intoxicated (At least that’s what Eli thought.)? The announcement made to her started off in the form of an old-fashioned scolding. (1 Samuel 1.12-18) Then, of course, there was Zechariah. When he received the announcement that he would have a son Zechariah cried out, “Why, shut my mouth!” or he would have cried out if that angel hadn’t already silenced him. (Luke 1:8-25) Did you notice something about all these birth announcements? They were made to the fathers and/or mothers to be. We think of the announcements sent out by parents, but God’s ways are not our ways. Now, the most important birth announcement ever was the one made to Mary, the angel Gabriel. Angels being in the exclusive employ of God we can actually say that Jesus supplied his own birth announcement. Actually, I guess I should say that the Lord supplied his own birth announcer.
How did these folks respond to the news? Sarah, some 90 years old, laughed. Hannah, the target of Peninnah’s mockery and scorn, and, who had gone about for years her face downcast because she had no children, went away beaming. Zechariah was, as I said, speechless, while his wife Elizabeth felt quietly vindicated. What of Mary?
Well, the poor girl was terrified at first, then confused, and, finally, resigned, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Eventually, Mary’s resignation would be transformed into a hymn of praise and rejoicing in God her Savior. (The Magnificat; Luke 1.46-55)
The Father, not the fathers, knew, and knows, his plan and purpose for every life. So it was that, the announcements of these births could reveal that Isaac would be the Promise, Samuel was the Prophet, John was the Herald, and Jesus was, just as his name proclaimed, the Savior. While all of us dream and wonder about who and what are children will become, we can be sure that, whatever else may be part of God’s plan and purpose for us and for our children, Christmas affirms just how important to the Father is our identity and life in Christ, because he sent the Son to us as a gift.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement
(Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)
And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary…
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31
Our youngest turned twenty-five last month, which tells you a couple of things about us. First, it’s been a long time since we’ve sent out a birth announcement. The second thing you can tell about us is that we are way too old to have had the opportunity to use email, social media, and other cool electronic “bells and whistles” to send out word about the birth of our children. I confess that I have not actually researched this, but I believe the earliest birth announcements can be found in Scripture.
There was the announcement to Abraham, you know the one that made Sarah laugh. (Genesis 18:9-15) How about Hannah, who, in the anxiety and fervor of her prayers acted as one intoxicated (At least that’s what Eli thought.)? The announcement made to her started off in the form of an old-fashioned scolding. (1 Samuel 1.12-18) Then, of course, there was Zechariah. When he received the announcement that he would have a son Zechariah cried out, “Why, shut my mouth!” or he would have cried out if that angel hadn’t already silenced him. (Luke 1:8-25) Did you notice something about all these birth announcements? They were made to the fathers and/or mothers to be. We think of the announcements sent out by parents, but God’s ways are not our ways. Now, the most important birth announcement ever was the one made to Mary, the angel Gabriel. Angels being in the exclusive employ of God we can actually say that Jesus supplied his own birth announcement. Actually, I guess I should say that the Lord supplied his own birth announcer.
How did these folks respond to the news? Sarah, some 90 years old, laughed. Hannah, the target of Peninnah’s mockery and scorn, and, who had gone about for years her face downcast because she had no children, went away beaming. Zechariah was, as I said, speechless, while his wife Elizabeth felt quietly vindicated. What of Mary?
Well, the poor girl was terrified at first, then confused, and, finally, resigned, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Eventually, Mary’s resignation would be transformed into a hymn of praise and rejoicing in God her Savior. (The Magnificat; Luke 1.46-55)
The Father, not the fathers, knew, and knows, his plan and purpose for every life. So it was that, the announcements of these births could reveal that Isaac would be the Promise, Samuel was the Prophet, John was the Herald, and Jesus was, just as his name proclaimed, the Savior. While all of us dream and wonder about who and what are children will become, we can be sure that, whatever else may be part of God’s plan and purpose for us and for our children, Christmas affirms just how important to the Father is our identity and life in Christ, because he sent the Son to us as a gift.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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