Treasuring the Mystery

The Christmas season is slipping away from us. I hope you’ve had time to quietly ponder the mystery of the Christmas story. When the shepherds told Joseph and Mary that angels had announced the birth of her son to them in the fields, Luke says, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NIV). Just think of what has happened. Mary is in a strange place not her own home; she has given birth to a son who was conceived by a miracle through the Holy Spirit; angels have visited; shepherds have visited; the people around her are in wonder; this little baby is called Christ, Savior, Lord; and He will bring God’s peace and favor to us! Mary must have wondered, How! How can this be? What does this all mean?

During World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower was in Europe, directing the planning for the D-Day invasion. During the intense moments of preparation word came of the death of his father. What do you do at such a moment? It was impossible for Eisenhower to leave his command. He couldn’t possibly return home, nor was it possible for him to take time off to grieve and process his sorrow. But, as he wrote in his book, it also was not possible to go ahead with business-as-usual. What did he do? He sent everyone out of his office and he set aside thirty minutes to think about his dad, and to write out his thoughts in a diary. After half an hour, he forced himself to get back to work; but he left his office early that evening thinking about his dad and putting his feelings to paper. That’s all he could do.

As we leave the Christmas season this year, think of this. If General Eisenhower, in the midst of planning for the invasion of Europe, could shut the door and spend half an hour thinking about the death of his earthly father, should we not find a way to shut the door, open our Bibles, and think again about the birth of our earthly Savior? Friends, it is good to take time to ponder, as did Mary, these wonderful things in our hearts. In these last few days before the new year, I invite you to take time to sit at your desk or your kitchen table in the soft glow of a single lamp or candle, and read through the Christmas story once again, contemplating and praising and worshiping Almighty God. Like Simeon, hold Jesus in your thoughts and bless God; then ask God to be with you in 2014.

Trust God Always

The psalmist speaks rather matter-of-factly when he says, “Trust God at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts in his presence. God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). He doesn’t say we should consider trusting God, or weigh the value of it. He doesn’t tell us to give it a lot of thought. He just says do it. Trust God at all times. We may complain that’s not always easy, but he still says just do it, because he’s convinced God is near to those who trust him.

Today I want to share a poem from Susan W. N. Ruach. It’s called A New Way of Struggling.

To struggle used to be

To grab with both hands

and shake

and twist

and turn

and push

and shove and not give in

But wrest an answer from it all

As Jacob did a blessing.

But there is another way

To struggle with an issue, a question –

Simply to jump

off

into the abyss

and find ourselves

floating

falling

tumbling

being led

slowly and gently

but surely

to the answers God has for us –

to watch the answers unfold

before our eyes and still

to be a part of the unfolding.

But, oh! the trust

necessary for this new way!

Not to be always reaching out

For the old hand-holds.

Being Like Jesus

A word about Jesus. I hear some Christians say, "I want to be like Jesus," which is good, but I’m not sure we always understand how Jesus felt and acted, and what he said and did. There’s a portrait of Jesus in Matthew 9:35-38. Matthew writes, "Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The size of the harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest."

Everywhere Jesus went, huge crowds of people followed him. In the portrait above we learn that Jesus saw these people not as a hindrance, but as an opportunity for witness and ministry. First, he saw their needs. America is filled with people in need: the homeless, jobless, and hopeless. If you want to be like Jesus, you will have to really sense a person’s needs. Second, Jesus saw them as people needing God. In verse 36 Matthew says he saw them as ‘sheep without a shepherd.’ He wanted them to acknowledge God’s authority over life. Being like Jesus means wanting this for all people. And third, Jesus saw their potential. To him, every one of them was a precious soul with unlimited potential. Being like Jesus is having this kind of regard for humanity.

A key verse in this portrait is verse 36: "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." The phrase, had compassion for them, literally means that Jesus became sick inside. His love for people was so sincere, he wept for people needing his help. If you really want to be like Jesus, you’ll have to let your love for people break your heart and make you vulnerable time and again.