proeidopoíisi

Look out! Look up! Listen! Prepare! Beware! Be alert! Warning!

The Western church has really failed to make a kingdom difference in our world today. Do we integrate our faith into our everyday living or simply show up on Sunday service or watch a sermon on-line? Do Christians know more about what not to do than what should really be done? Are we just too comfortable with our lifestyles and don’t have the time or inclination to grow as a follower of Christ?

Jesus did send messages to the seven churches in Revelation, which are as revelant and applicable today as when they were written. The church of Ephesus have “forsaken their first love” while churches of Pergamum and Thyatira tolerated false teachers and teaching. Sardis and Laodicea were in danger of being lazy about the faith and the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches who endured persecution were told to hold on and overcome. Nonetheless, the message to all churches is the same when Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So, what to do?

Because Jesus knows every church, its struggles and triumphs, he also addresses each congregation differently. What we need to be doing is serving in and outside our churches for God’s glory, not our own personal agendas. He doesn’t care about what color our carpets in the meeting room are. He isn’t concerned about petty differences or the number of people on a Sunday morning service. The latest technology is the least of his concerns. What does Jesus care about?

First of all, he cares about us. So we need to be aware of the false teachers and false preaching. He cares about non-biblical connections and our spiritual health or lack of it. Jesus is the resurrected Lord of Glory, the Ancient of Days, the great “I Am,” “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”. He wants to be pleased with your witness, church, works, and your very life before God and men.

Jesus wouldn’t have written those warnings or messages if he didn’t want us to pay attention. What a thrilling challenge for us in 2024 to be a witness for Christ. Look inward and look up!

arrival

Christmas - ‘tis the season - festivities - celebration - the birth of Jesus. When my children were smaller, I would invite the neighborhood children for a birthday party for Jesus every year in December. The gathering, the joy, the party, the cake, the Christmas story, church pageant and songs of joy, love, peace and hope. Where has the wonder gone?

And so, this season - this blog - is my Christmas card for the month of December as we abide in Him. (based on Honest Advent - Scott Erickson)

May you rekindle the light - that “shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:5) May you praise the King of Kings because you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139: 14) May the truth of the gospel and grace from above be realities that we share with others. May your life be meaningful, serving the Lord as you grow in faith even when you aren’t clear what the outcome will be. You are loved by the Creator who is …”the Alpha and the Omega.. who is, and who was, and who is to come.” (Revelation 1:8)

May you awake your soul to the inseparable love of God by the breath only He can give. May you grow in relationship with Him with the gift of your life and eventually your death, and all your impossibles be the starting point of ever divine possibility. May you drink from the wellspring to never thirst again. Jesus became human “taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross” (Philippians 2: 6-8) to live in a complicated world, die and raised from the dead to return. God is with us.

May the stage of life you are in now, be mighty, holy ground for divinity as you live as an heir - a beloved offspring - of the Creator of all. May you know that you never have to “do life” alone. May your incarnation provide room as the heavenly hosts watch from above. May this Advent wonder be seen that it’s a story about a God who brings salvation with messy details into a world that so desperately needs a Savior. May you be given eyes to see messages of divine love today, paying attention to what this season illuminates to receive HIs gift of love to share with others.

“That’s the invitation in our lives today: to witness that same arrival of God-With-Us in all the unexpected and expected realities of our human lives. An honest Advent that leads to an honest hope.”

ISHIN

“Ishin-denshin” is a Japanese noun meaning heart to heart. It is the ability of two human beings to understand each other without the need to speak.

Have you ever known someone so well that only a look would suffice? Have you ever not needed to say a word, but were just there for that person? Have you ever felt the holy presence of God and were at peace within your soul?

There are times in life when the expanse of silence - no words needed - feels like it could swallow all that is contained within it. Sitting in that space and hearing, understanding and knowing that words would never be enough to express what you are feeling or going throught, is rare these busy, event-filled, demanding days - let along sharing that feeling with someone.

And yet, it’s not difficult to understand when we realized that we are souls in a physical body with a holy connection to the God of the universe. It’s not crystals or magic; it’s not unattainable or unreachable. It’s real. When we feel no one is listening, that no one cares; all we need to do is speak the name of Jesus and He’s there. Just ask him to show himself to you. He will.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 and in Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.”

Maybe this Christmas season, you are wondering about the bible, about Jesus who was God in flesh, about forgiveness and eternal life. Just ask Him any question you have and if you are truly seeking Him, he will give you an answer. It’s worth your eternal life.

Aliferous

The sound rousted me from my kitchen chair as I dashed to the window to see what all the racket was about. It ‘twas not the night before Christmas. As I shielded my eyes into the sunny sky, I took note of the hundreds of flapping, honking geese silhouetted against the blue sky. These winged birds - Canadian geese - fly in V formations, mate for life and will help each other if one is injured.

“Aliferous” is having wings. And then I got to thinking about Icarus who flew too close to the sun and lost his wings. The wings of the dawn as the heavens open arms to the morning sky. In the fourth century, an image of a winged angel - like a human being with wings - appeared and that is the image we have become familiar with.

There are two types of angels that have wings that are mentioned in the bible. Exodus 25:20, Ezekiel 10 and Isaiah 6 describe the cheribim and seraphim. These spiritual beings are of the highest orders of angels and are next to the throne of God. Red-winged angels and angels with six wings - two for flying, two cover the face and the third pair cover the feet.

The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover. Exodus 37:9

We eat chicken wings. We “wing it'“ when we don’t know what we are doing without instructions. We also understand that eagle’s wings represent strength and in Exodus and Deuteronomy, eagle wings demonstrate the loving-kindness of God delivering His covenant people. (Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy 32:11) Wings are associated with birds, but they may also be images of fairy-like creatures, spirits and even demons. I like to make reference to God’s wingspan and his promises.

Know that God is faithful and He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

BEEDAHBUN

The blackness of nightmares are cut sharply away and the colors of the sky melt like wax crayons mixing together to create an artist’s palette. The sky is changing and moving like our experiences; like the migration of the geese to signal winter is coming. The discomfort, the darkness, and disappointments are needed as much as the jubilant and joyful times.

“Beedahbun” is Ojibway for “first light.” As Richard Wagamese would say, “the blueness that sears darkness and claims the sky as its own” is that light in the morning to separate darkness from light. God spoke that light into existence.  

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1:3-5

In John 8:12, Jesus talked to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

There was once a dark cave, deep down in the ground, underneath the earth and hidden away from view.  Because it was so deep in the earth, the light had never been there.  The cave had never seen light.  The word “light” meant nothing to the cave, who couldn’t imagine what “light” might be.   Then one day, the sun sent an invitation to the cave, inviting it to come up and visit. When the cave came up to visit the sun it was amazed and delighted, because the cave had never seen light before, and it was dazzled by the wonder of the experience. Feeling so grateful to the sun for inviting it to visit, the cave wanted to return the kindness, and so it invited the sun to come down to visit it sometime, because the sun had never seen darkness. So the day came, and the sun entered the cave, it looked around with great interest, wondering what “darkness” would be like.  Then it became puzzled, and asked the cave, “Where is the darkness?” (Source Unknown)

Darkness - whether it’s a bad relationship or attitude, a bitter wound or even a misunderstanding - can cloud over the light in our lives, but how reassuring to know that darkness can cease to exist in the presence of light. When we have Jesus, he has overcome even death and darkness. Walk in the light, overcome the darkness and marvel at the beauty of a morning sunrise.

UNALOME

Our path isn’t always straight, perfect or even “in the right direction” but the believer’s walk - our journey - has God’s blueprint of our life. Unalome is a Buddhist word, but unalone is my word for walking with the Lord. Yes, I will have struggles, will and do mess up, but I have the hope of Jesus living in me.

Elisa Morgan wrote a book entitled You are Not Alone. She shares six reminders about God: as a person, His plan, presence, provision, promise and purpose. It’s interesting to think that the television hit series “Alone” is a survival competition that follows the daily, self-documented struggles of 10 different people “alone in the wilderness”. As much as they are “alone”, they really are not.

It’s also interesting to note that 10 biblical characters also spent time “alone.” First of all, in the beginning, Adam was alone in the garden of Eden before God created his helper, Eve. Joseph, with the coat of many colors, was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery and was falsely imprisoned for fourteen years. Moses grew up in a palace, but fled Egypt to become a reclusive shepherd. He experienced 40 days on the mountain where he received the 10 commandments from God. Elijah spent 40 days and nights on a mountain after fleeing into the wilderness because of Jezebel’s death threats. Both the apostle John and John the Baptist spent time alone. Jesus’ disciple was banished to the island of Patmos to write the book of Revelation and John was put into prison by King Herod.

The woman who experienced social isolation was considered “unclean” because she had been bleeding for 12 years. (Leviticus 15:25-27) She was desperate but Jesus healed her. Another “unclean” person was the man with leprosy from Matthew 8 who was also healed by Jesus. Jesus was alone in the desert for 40 days being tempted by Satan. When the crowds followed him, he would go off to be alone with His Father. Jeremiah had no family, was hated by society, and was in a thankless position as a prophet. Paul, the great evangelist, spent years in prison and was even under house arrest. Many moments of “alonenes.”

And yet, all of them experienced a touch from God. Psalm 73: 23-26 tells us that:

Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

And so, we can go into our day knowing that we are never alone - He is always with us. That’s comforting.