Make a Choice

This time of year you are faced with more choices than any other time of year. What Christmas events will I attend, who in my family will I visit, what do I buy for presents for each member of my family, friends, co-workers? I need to choose will I travel. Will I spend a lot, will we need to be careful with spending this year. What Christmas cards will I send out? Who will I send them too? How will I keep myself from being too busy? How will I avoid stress? What will I do without power? How will I create focus for really enjoying the blessings that should be part of the holiday celebration?

We are faced with many choices. Some of these choices are very crucial and very hard to make. Since the beginning of mankind when Adam and Eve were asked to make a choice. There are incredible similarities to the choice that Adam and Eve were asked to make and the one Jesus is asked to make in the temptation we will be examining here in Luke.

Adam and Eve Tempted:

Gen 3: 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

The choice given to Adam and Eve goes beyond the fruit. The serpent makes it clear the choice is to listen to God or to listen to me. The serpent than makes a promise if you eat the fruit, you will not die and your eyes will be opened. And then he makes an incredible statement you will be like God. You will be independent of God. You will know good and evil. You will be able to make your own choices. This is a call to rebellion. This is the serpents story as of old.

Jesus Tempted:

Luke 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

It might not be obvious from the devil's statement what is being offered. What choice is the devil asking Jesus to make? We can see the choice in Jesus response. We can only worship either God or the devil. The devil is making a promise of authority and splendor. This promise is being given while Jesus is enduring the trials of the desert, hunger, loneliness and weariness. The devil is saying give up, leave service to God behind and I will give you all this. You will be free to live and worship me.

Ultimately this is the choice the devil always offers. Forget Christmas don't be bogged down by the Christian tradition. Live it up. Be your own person. Live for yourself. What has God done for you? Is He even relevant to these times? You can be like God yourself.

I hope you can see through the false hope that the Devil promises here. Remember that the devil did not say to Jesus don't worship God, he only said to worship him. He makes it sound like a choice to worship the devil or not worship the devil. But Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. We are to worship God and Him alone.

I don't have to really convince you. You know that walking away from God leaves an empty life, a hollow feeling, a desperation, a seeking of fulfillment, a searching. I really don't need to convince you that the devil's promises are empty. You wouldn't have read this far if that is the case. You would not have visited a site called Searching for the Savior.

There is a real hope for you in the promise of a savior. The reason we celebrate Christmas. To understand the gospel message see my first blog entry Simple Answers. In the mean time I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Pastor Keith

Is God Really There?

The foundations of our world are shaken.  It seems like we go from one shocking piece of news to another.  What is on everyone's minds these days?  Its not the Celtics 11 straight wins, its the economy.  Its not spoken of in alarming tones.  But if you spend any time with someone the question will come up "What do you think about the bailout of the auto industry?  Should we do it?" .  I am not going to enter an opinion here, but I think this question touches on a very subtle issue on everyone's mind.  If we don't bailout the auto industry will it really collapse?  Will this really effect multiple industries our whole economy?  If we do bail them out will it really help? What is next?  Are things really bad, are we entering a depression, what about my job, what about my friends, family and neighbors. 

Some of you reading this blog have already been effected by layoffs and are living your own personal economic crisis.  I hear a lot of comments about this isn't a depression, not like the one we had 80 years ago.  I think we will be all right.  These comments are made in response to the alarmist reporting in the media.  The list of concerns goes on with health care, a new president, the war in Iraq, the news of senseless killing and crime.  Where is America going?  Where is the world going?  Along with this is the personal challenges of our own lives with family strife, divorce, work situations, health, etc...

With many of these things bombarding us it is hard to find that quite focus where we spend time seeking the presence and assurance of God's love for us.  We find ourselves weak and confused.  We need a pick me up emotional spiritual experience to help us move forward.  We need a miracle to prove that God is really there. 

I am going to skip over the second temptation and discuss during my next post.  So we will jump down a couple of versus to the third temptation.  Where the devil is hoping that Jesus is at that point where He is weak and desperate for God's presence and assurance.

Luke 4:9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
      ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,
      To keep you,’
 11 and,
      ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
      Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”

At first glance this would seem like a silly temptation.  Why does the devil want Jesus to jump?  He doesn't just tell Jesus to jump, but quotes scripture in essence saying God will not let you come to harm.  We will have a genuine miracle here as the angels bear you up.  The devil is hoping that in the weakened state that Jesus is as a man (hungry, tired, in the desert with wild beasts, all alone) that He would be at the point of wanting to prove God's presence with a miracle. 

Again we have insight into the purpose of the Devil's motives by Jesus' response.  "You shall not tempt the Lord your God".   How is it tempting God to rely on His promises in His Word??  In His response Jesus is acknowledging that in His current circumstances doing what the Devil has asked would be only for the purposes of tempting God for a miracle.  A way to get a spiritual boost out of God by what He does, not who He is.  At the same time Satan starts with the same phrase he used in the other temptations "If You are the Son of God...".  Claim you divine nature, leave this foolishness behind, you don't have to live your life as a mere man.

But Jesus answer is basically I will live my life as a man, I will face the same temptations that they face and I will not tempt God.  But instead I will trust in Him no matter what.  He has led me into the desert by the Holy Spirit.  He wants me here to face these temptations as a man in order to be worthy of the sacrifice that I must make on the cross.

Are you able to face the challenges around you?  Do you find your self looking for God's assurance through miracles?  We have received miracles in the past, but they don't last in making our relationship real with God.  He is there, He really does love us, He is always faithful.  As you are seeking Him, He is seeking your trust.

So Much to be Thankful For

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.   It is so uncomplicated.  Sure we have our family together and a morning of food preparation but we don't create a lot of commitment.  Last year I think there was just 4 of us and this year there was 12.  My friend Bryan and his girlfriend Loise came up for a visit from Massachusetts, knowing that the kids would be around so that he could see them.  He didn't even hang around for dinner. When I say kids, that's 19 - 39 the age of my oldest son-in-law.

I used to call Bryan my best friend, but that is an odd term, like my friends are in a competition and one of them wins to become my best friend.  Especially since my real best friend is my wife of 32 years.  I think it is more accurate to say Bryan is one of my most significant friends.  We have known each other since we were about 7 or 8 years old. We were nearly inseparable during our high school years.  At that time I wouldn't say we hung out with the wrong crowd, I think by ourselves just the two of us, we were the wrong crowd.  However surprisingly we both accepted Jesus as our savior within a couple of months of each other through entirely separate circumstances.  We have both grown in our faith and life experiences in different ways, but I praise God that Bryan has persevered in his love for God.  As we talk on the phone he reminds me often to be thankful for what we have.  This is not an idle reminder since like myself Bryan lost his parents early in life and though challenged with disabilities makes the most of each day and sacrificing much for those whose lives he touches.

Yesterday we had so much variety of food on the table.  As a matter of fact, even though I took just a little bit of everything I still didn't have everything.  I was making turkey sandwiches today, when I realized that I didn't have any stuffing.  I thought maybe we didn't serve any, until my son went into the fridge and pulled some out.

Can we even imagine being in the desert and fasting for 40 days. Sometimes its a challenge to fast 4 hours. Lets look specifically at the next 2 verses in Luke.

Luke 4:3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

Is this really a question?  Did Satan doubt that Jesus was the Son of God?  Did he think Jesus doubted it, after God the Father had declared after the baptism that "...this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased". The question that Satan is really asking is since you are the Son of God, act like it, use your powers, don't suffer in hunger like a human.  Claim the privilege due to you.  Don't let God the Father push you around.  Go ahead and turn these stones into bread. 

This is why Jesus turns it around and responds with a proclamation that says in essence, I am here as a man.   I am not here to live a life of privilege, but to do the will of God.  To obey God's Word.  To live by God's Word.  If Jesus was to function and invoke His divine nature then he would not be like us.  He would not have suffered temptation.  He would not be worthy as a sacrifice for our sins.  He would not be the last Adam. So it is important that he faced each challenge as a man, trusting in God the way we need to trust in God.

If you are a Christian, isn't this exactly the type of temptation that Satan lays before us.  If you are saved...?  If you are a Son of God...?  You deserve better... You do not have to sacrifice your time for others...  You can live your life anyway you want...  You are better than others...   This is the same tune Satan has been playing from the very beginning.  So we can look at the temptation of Jesus and see how Satan does the same to us. And like Jesus' response we need to read and live by the Word of God so that we can resist the devil and he will flee.

Not a Very Nice Place

In this post we will be looking at Luke 4:1,2 where Jesus goes into the desert and is tempted by the Devil. Many of us read this story and walk away with a "great Jesus showed him" and don't really understand why this story is in the Bible. We will take this passage a piece at a time, since it is rather long.

First of all remember a couple of weeks ago we looked at the circumstances of Adam and Eve when they were tempted by the serpent. Here is a reminder of that:

• All of their needs were met
• They had food
• They had shelter
• They had each other
• Animals were friendly
• They were in the Garden of Eden
  
• All the comforts
• A relationship with God
  

Now lets look at the beginning of Luke 4.

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

This takes place just after Jesus has been baptized, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and God the father has declared Him to be "my Son with whom I am well pleased". The setup here is just the opposite from Adam and Eve. Jesus is now in the wilderness. For the Jews this is not a very nice place. It is considered a hostile place. For us in America when we think of a large abandoned mansion on a hill at the end of a lane, we would project the idea that it is haunted and scary to visit late at night. The Jews viewed the wilderness the same way. It was considered scary and haunted by demons.

Also we have recorded in the Gospel of Mark 1:12 "... and was with the wild beasts". This is not an idle phrase entered by Mark. The idea is that the beasts in the wilderness were not friendly but were to be feared. So what the writers of the gospel are trying to portray is a hostile environment. In addition there isn't any food. Jesus is weak and hungry. He doesn't have shelter, and He is all alone.

I don't think it is coincidental that the story of Adam and Eve's temptation by the serpent takes place with circumstances that are just the opposite of the circumstances we find when Jesus is tempted by Satan. This demonstrates that we do not have the means to resist the Devil even in the most ideal circumstances. Yet Jesus as God's Son who does not take advantage of His devine nature, but instead relies on the strength of prayer and understanding of God's Word to put off the tempation of Satan for 40 days under the most hostile of circumstances.

The tempation and resistance to Satan is what makes Jesus worthy to be our substitutionary sacrifice on the cross. He is the unblemished lamb. He is worthy to bear our transgressions. He has felt our infliction and been faced with our temptations. He has known the weakness of the flesh and the trials that we face. He is worthy to be the Savior we are searching for.

The next time we will look closer at the three temptations recorded in Luke. In the mean time my hope and prayer for those reading this post that you have a very special and Happy Thanksgiving. May you be well aware of the blessings that God has bestowed on you.

Introducing Jesus

Hope all that are reading this are having a great fall. Around here all the leaves have pretty much fallen from the trees. Surprisingly this time of year when the leaves are all gone and before winter starts (some from away might say winter has already started) there is an special beauty to being outside. A lot of views open up as you ride around because the tree are bare. There is a exhilarating smell to the air of dampness, rotting leaves and a freshness from the cool breezes. I know many of many friends like hunting, just for the experience of being in the woods in November.

In my last posting we looked at the situation of Adam and Eve being in a wonderful place called the Garden of Eden. Next time we will be looking at a place that Jesus found himself after his temptation. What I want us to think about in both situations is how our surrounding can have an effect on us.

But before we look at the baptism of Jesus and His temptation in the wilderness, I would like to look back at what we know about Him so far. The real dividing line between Christianity and man made religions is the identity of Jesus.

It would be very tempting to spend time here exploring all the central characters of man made religions to point out that the central characters are mythical, part of pantheom of gods, died without resurrection, not the fulfillment of prophecy, possibly philosophers, possibly teachers etc...

Instead I would like to focus at this time on what we know about Jesus. This is only an introduction based on the verses we have read so far in the first three chapters of Luke. This is a simple list that would take years to explore each item in any meaningful depth, but lets just look at it as a whole to gain an understanding of the uniqueness of Jesus.

• God granted Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth a son who would "prepare the way for the Lord" v1:17 (Jesus was someone so important a major character John the Baptist was born just to prepare the way for Him).
  
• This is what the angel declared to Mary v1:32,33
• He will be great
• Son of the Highest
• God will give Him the throne of David
• He will reign over the house of Jacob
• There will be no end to His kingdom
• Conceived of the Holy Spirit v1:35 (born not of man, but of God)
  
• Called the Son of God v1:35
• His birth announced by angels v2:10, 11
  
• A Savior who is Christ the Lord v2:11
• The Lord's Christ v2:26
• God's Salvation v2:30
  
• A light for the Gentiles v2:32
  
• The Glory of Israel v2:32
• The redeemer (savior) v2:38
• Referred to God as His Father v2:49
• He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire v3:16
• God's beloved Son v3:22
• Descended from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David ... etc v3:23-38
  

For those who are not familiar with the term Christ as a title. It literally means God's anointed. In the Old Testament a king chosen by God was anointed with oil as a symbol of God choosing and blessing.

I think this list is important to help us realize that from verses it would be hard to dismiss Jesus as a good teacher, a man who taught peace, just someone special and Holy. Even before Jesus starts His ministry, many extraordinary things are said about Him. This knowledge of who Jesus is, is revealed by an angels and by the Holy Spirit (God Himself) revealing this to ordinary people. I think this is very important distinction about Jesus. The focus of a relationship to God is not based on rules, our actions, someones teaching, ceremony or tradition. It is based on the person of Jesus Christ.

If you are searching for the Savior, Jesus is it. In the coming months we will continue to explore what does this mean. How is he the Savior? What does it mean to have a Savior? Please give prayerful consideration to Jesus and what He can mean to you.

"Where are you?"

We are now in the middle of October at the height of fall weather.  The peak of autumn colors have passed in much of the state, but there are still brilliant displays as you drive around.  Maine is truly a beautiful state and this is the time that it is the best for living here.  Cold crisp morning, sunshine during the day, the air is fresh and you can smell wood smoke.   Its a time for walks, rides, hunting, hiking and just about any excuse you can think of for being outdoors.  It is a friendly environment with neighbors, family and the community around us.  We have been celebrating various birthday celebration the past couple of weekends.

With all these good things we can easily believe that we can be content to live our lives in harmony with nature and each other.  But there is a cold hard reality of the presence of evil.  That which would discourage, frighten, make us angry, make us arrogant, make us sad and selfish. 

Even in our own community this night someone lost their home to fire.  There are reports that violent crime has increased this year in Portland, just 45 minutes from home.  We know of families that are broken apart, kids abandoned, family members lost through tragedy and despair over the economy.

Before we look at the next passage in Luke chapter 4 where Jesus was in the dessert and tempted by the devil, I want to flip to the very beginning of the Bible to Genesis 3 and he temptation of Adam and Eve.

 Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 


As Adam and Eve face temptation we find them in the following condition:

1. Living in a Garden created by God.
2. They are healthy
3. They do not need to labor for anything
4. They have all that they need to eat
5. They have each other
6. A relationship with God

Its hard to imagine with all that they have, that they could be tempted.  But they were and they gave in to the temptation. Just as we will see from the temptation of Jesus, Satan will twist the words of God to bring doubt and deceit.

Even for us thier are times when the blessing we have are beyond belief.   We can think its a beautiful fall day, that we have food on the table and a roof over our head.  And then we are faced with Satan bringing his doubts and discouragement.  We have a nature like Adam and Eve that no matter what we have we want more.  We are not satisfied with God's blessings.   Like Adam and Eve we want to be like God and direct our own destiny.

When seeking our own we turn away from God and His Word.  We then begin to resent God's intrusion into our lives, but deep down inside we know He is still there calling us.  Can you hear Him calling you?  "Where are you?"  "Why are you hiding?" 

Will the Real Messiah Stand Up

Just over a week ago a friend of mine visited with his wife in the area. They stayed at a motel in the next town over. They were married on a Saturday, and then flew to Maine on Sunday for thier honeymoon. This was a friend from the Air Force that I haven't seen in person for almost 30 years. Him and his wife are both Christians, and it was evident in our time together that they love the Lord. Praise God for such a special visit. Shortly after returning to North Carolina, he sent me an e-mail with the following verse.

Colossians 1:10-12, "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (NIV)

What an encouraging and comforting passage of scripture. Praise the Lord.

Last time we looked at the beginning of John the Baptist ministry. We learned a little bit about sanctification and repentance. I promised that this time we would try to understand what John's baptism was all about.

"preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,"

Baptism was a means to demonstrate your membership or agreement in something. It is a public symbol of participation. When folks heard from John that the messiah was coming and they needed to prepare their hearts for change (repent). They demonstrated that repentance by joining others in baptism. So here is what is being demonstrated.

1. The messiah is coming
2. John is warning us to prepare
3. I repent. I turn from the direction I was heading and turn to God.
4. I am baptized to symbolize that I have laid my old selfish nature aside and show my membership and agreement with those awaiting salvation.
   
5. I change my actions to be more caring, generous and careful to be a ministry to others. These are the things we talked about last time.

After being baptized the people began to wonder if John was the messiah.

Lk 3:15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,

Why were they wondering that? First there wasn't a spiritual leader in Israel that could speak to the needs and hearts of the people. It can be imagined from John's statement and the statements of Jesus later that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were making the people feel bad, unable to meet the requirements of the law. They viewed themselves as unworthy. Which if they tried to make themselves worthy of the law would be the case. Also we already noted they were living with the Pax Roma (the peace of Rome). That is when you country does what it is told, pay taxes and you would be protected from other enemies. The people we waiting and anticipating a Messiah. Plus John had just told off the religious leaders and they that were smug about their ancestry to Abraham. Maybe he is the Messiah. But John corrected them.

Lk 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John is preparing the way, the Messiah is coming. John is uncomfortable with the idea of being worthy to tie the Messiah's sandal, let alone we mistaken for the Messiah. The messiah is coming and he will bring real judgment. He will clean house. The chaff are those who pretend to religious righteousness and the wheat are those who seek God with their hearts.

You can imagine that even today God is seeking those who are seeking Him. He is knocking at the door of your heart. He is looking for your willingness to let Him in. He is not interested in those living their lives serving themselves or religious leaders who are satisfied with their own self righteousness. He wants those that have repented. Turned from seeking their own self and instead have turned to seeking God.

Are you seeking God, are you searching for a Savior. That savior is Jesus Christ and no one comes to comes except through Him. If you are prepared to except Jesus or have made that decision and have questions please let me know.

U Turn Ahead

Before we look into our scripture passage, I would like to give you an update on what we have been up to.  On labor day weekend my wife and I returned from a trip to western New York state to drop off our youngest at Houghton College. Though we have done this first year college trip already 3 times, it wasn't any easier this time. We were graciously invited by another couple in our church who have also dropped off their daughter at college that same weekend to join them for a 2 day vacation at their time share in NH to just relax. It was just what we needed at the time.
Its interesting to think of our youngest starting his adult life of independence just as the passages we are looking at starting this week jump ahead to the time when John the Baptist starts his adult ministry. The message of the angel and the prophesy of Zacharias, John's father, has now come true. John has been called to preach and baptize to prepare the way for Jesus.

Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

As we have stated before Luke wants to create an accurate account and demonstrate that the events happened in a real places to real people. The rulers and priests mentioned put the events in a real time period. John in is the wilderness . Why is John in the wilderness? There is a sense of setting aside, being apart, preparing himself for the spiritual mission that God was calling him to.  This setting aside in the Bible is referred to as sanctification, to be set aside for use by God.  So after preparing himself for this mission, John has left the wilderness and has entered the region around the Jordan.

"preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins…"

What is this message all about? Well we know that repentance means to turn from one direction and head in the other direction.  Like going down the road to work and forgetting something at home, I immediately turn around and head toward home, instead of away from home. In this case John is referring to our relationship with God.  We are heading one way, doing our own thing, and we need to be going the other way seeking God.   We need to turn from going our way, to going God's way.  Now there is sometimes confusion by many preachers that repentance is all about stop sinning. They will say we are to repent of our sins in a sense that we stop sinning. Stop drinking, stop gossiping, stop cheating, stop whatever.  The idea conveyed by these preachers is we need to be pure before God will accept us.   However I think that misses the point.  In this passage of Luke we have more of a sense of repentance being to change our mind, our attitude and as a result our actions.

I am going to jump ahead to the examples in v10 - 14

The people were responding to John's call for repentance by asking what shall we do. Look at the positive instructions: If you have two tunics, give to some one who doesn't have one. Share your food. To the tax collectors who were resented because they cheated by collecting more than they should, they were told to just collect what they were supposed to. To the soldiers do not intimidate, accuse falsely and be content with your wages. All of these instructions effect your relationships with others, they take the focus off of our selfish desires and DIRECT THEM TO A DESIRE FOR GOD. Without a desire for God, we are lost.   So if this is about turning back to God, why are we serving others.  Because God cares for us and loves us.  We serve him when we serve others.

Next time we will look more closely at what was accomplished by John's baptism, how does this prepare us for Jesus coming.

My Father's Business

We are going to continue to look at the story of the trip to Jerusalem by Mary, Joseph and Jesus as found in Luke 2:41-52. Last time we looked at verses 41 - 47, lets look at the rest of the story.

Luke 2:48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

This story which is only found in the Gospel of Luke, has four distinct features.

1. The only inspired story of the youthful years of Christ. Luke must have thought this very important.
   
2. The first recorded words of Jesus.
   
3. The last time Joseph is mentioned. Its possible that he died before Jesus public ministry.
4. The actions of Jesus in the minds of His parents, Mary and Joseph appear to be wrong.

What is open to interpretation is the number of days that Jesus parents looked for Him. As I simply read this story it would appear they traveled a day, returned to Jerusalem (another day) and then searched for 3 days in Jerusalem for a total of 5 days. Jesus was trustworthy and without sin, their were miracles surrounding His birth and extraordinary proclamations at His dedication. However after 5 days of searching we can easily imagine all these things being forgotten as Mary and Joseph are overwhelmed by anxiety and frustration. Gently Jesus is rebuked by Mary and Joseph for what He has done.

But Jesus does not acknowledge the rebuke with repentance. He in turn gently rebukes them in kind for not remembering who He is. He is the Son of God and the temple is his Father's house and He is about His Father's business. Even with this reminder and all the incidents that Mary has stored in her heart it would appear there is no real resolution to this story since verse 50 states "they did not understand". Despite that Mary did remember this incident in her heart and was able to recall for the benefit of including in the Gospel.

Here are the possible options for this passage.

1. Just an anecdote. Just an incident in Jesus early childhood. Not acceptable given all the other incidents that could have been recorded about His life.
2. Jesus was wrong to stay without permission. This can't be right since Jesus is without sin.
3. Absent minded Messiah. Somehow Jesus got into a discussion at the temple and lost track of time. Doesn't seem to fit with the versus that Jesus had increased in wisdom.
4. Jesus parents were negligent in leaving without Him. This doesn't fit since it would appear that they made this trip each year without incident and had come to rely on Jesus responsibility.
5. Jesus was right and His Parent's were wrong in rebuking Him.

Jesus had a unique priviledge as the Son of God. This text is not to be taken as a example of when children should disobey their parents. Jesus needed to stay behind to:

• Learn of God
• Learn from the teachers of the temple those things His parents could not teach Him
• Probably would not be allowed to stay if He asked permission.
• He did not ask because He is God

Mary and Joseph were wrong because they forgot that as mere humans their authority was vastly outranked by the 12 year-old child God had temporarily placed in their custody. And though there was just this one incident reported in the childhood of our Lord when the authority and identity of Jesus were asserted (the text tells us that He returned with His parents and lived in submission to them after this, v. 51), He was fully God and thus could sovereignly act independently, if He chose to do so and if it were in accord with the Father’s will. Jesus reminded His parents that He was, first and foremost, the Son of God, in obedience to Him, and called to carry out “His Father’s business.” The time would come when Mary would probably not have permitted this “son” of hers to go to the cross, but this He must do, in obedience to His true Father.

So what are we to learn. We are to be obedient to those in authority over us (parents, government, church leaders) . But if God is our Father we are ultimately to be obedient to Him, when their is a conflict in that authority. We need to remember though that being obedient to Him is to respect and obey the authority of our parents, government and church leaders. We need to be careful that we don't manufacture conflict based on our own desires.

Jesus in the Midst of Teachers

Well I am back, and I thank you for your patience while I was gone.  I actually took a trip with a motorcycle group up to Prince Edward Island in Canada.   We were gone for a week, and during that time I did not have access to a computer.  It was great to take a break.   There were 22 of us in all that went with 13 motorcycles (3 with sidecars), a car, a SUV and a RV.  Though motorcycle groups are fairly common around here, we were the largest by double than any others we saw.  On Sunday night August 3rd some of the ladies in our group performed gospel music during the open mike time in the recreation center.  It was a big hit and several times over the next few days we ran into folks that said "Are you with that motorcycle group from Maine that sings gospel music?".  Word travels fast on Prince Edward Island.  One of our members did have an accident that totaled his motorcycle when he hit a loose patch in the road.  Praise God he had his helmet and gear on, so ended up bumped, bruised and some serious road rash but was eager all the rest of the week to be riding again.

Speaking of trips the passage we are going to look at is Luke 2:41- 47, where Joseph, Mary and Jesus take a trip to Jerusalem.   We will look at the rest of the story through verse 52 in the next posting.

Luke 2:41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

Though Jesus through His death on the cross was due to usher in a new covenant where we would live according to God's Holy Spirit through Christ's redemption, at this time Mary and Joseph were still living in obedience to God's covenant with Israel, and did all according to the Law of Moses.  They were faithful servants of God and this was probably the reason they were chosen as the parents of Jesus.  They had Jesus circumcised, waited for the days of purification and brought Him to the temple for dedication (2:21-23).  Now Mary and Joseph along with all their relatives have traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  The Passover is a remembrance of how God delivered the people of Israel from the Egyptians (remember the movie the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston).

Just like our trip to Prince Edward Island they traveled as a group (obviously a much larger group) for protection and a chance to visit with family and friends along the way.  Now at age 12 in the Jewish culture Jesus would not be considered a helpless little boy, but nearing maturity and manhood.  But He would still be expected to be under His parents watch and care.  In this story Jesus remains behind while His parents join the company of folks heading home.  It was such a large group with many watching over each others family members, it is understandable that 3 days could go by before Joseph and Mary started to wonder where was Jesus.

They returned to look for Him and found him in the temple sitting with the teachers asking and answering questions.  This was a common practice among the teachers (rabbi) to discuss and understand God's Word better.  You did well for yourself if you were able to participate in the discussion.  Not only were the teachers listening to Jesus, but it appears they had been doing so for several days.  They were astonished at His answers.  It is probably safe to say they were astonished at His knowledge of the Old Testament and its meaning as they understood it.  But it is also possible that they were astonished at His perspective that truly revealed God's desire for a relationship with all of humanity and the need for a Messiah that would be a savior from sin.  Though Jesus statements might have been radical, they were probably difficult to refute, given that they were supported by the truth of scripture.

At that time it was felt that only the privileged could have understanding of God's Word and the common people would be dependent on them to tell them what to do to please God.  Granted Jesus was full of wisdom beyond His years as the incarnation of the Son of God.  But we also live in a time when many Christians do not trust their own understanding of the Bible and rely on privileged teachers to interpret its meaning.  Thousands of  Christian books are published each year that will explain "God's truth" on a topic.  Sometimes this argument is a house of cards with human wisdom supported by a sprinkling of verses from the Bible thrown in out of context.  Don't get me wrong I use many books in my study of God's Word as an aide to understanding, but I never take any author as an absolute authority.  Knowledge of God's Word insures that I am not led astray by weak teaching.

I hope that this blog is like a discussion in the temple where we look at God's Word together to gain understanding.  My hope and desire is that we have seen so far in Luke real stories that are easy to understand, written plainly and with lessons to be learned that are not mysterious.  Please continue to pray that what I represent is God's truth.  Your comments and questions can help insure that I am kept honest in what I present.  I have been told many times that people find it technically difficult to comment my posts.  At some point the ability to do that easier will be made available.   In the mean time at the end of each post is a line that looks like this:  " Posted by Pastor Keith at 6:04 AM 0 comments".   Click on the "0 Comments".  You will see a space to enter your comment, you can select anonymous if you like.  Then select the button "Publish Your Comment".  Looking forward to hearing from you.

Slow Down You Move Too Fast

This morning I was out having a cup of coffee with a close brother in Christ.  We had just finished an early morning ride on our motorcycles and were sharing a time of fellowship.  Which means we weren't just hanging around as buddies but discussing perspectives of our Christian walk.  The topic of being busy came up and I was asked to comment on what I thought that meant for us and ministry.  This is a very pertinent topic for those who have given their lives to Christ and especially here in the US where there are a lot of demands on our time.

Though I know it is a matter of balance to insure that I prioritize my time to insure that God is first, followed by my family and ministry.  I know that I still continue to over commit myself when faced with many opportunities for ministry, work and personal life.  As a matter of fact this blog is one of them. You might have noticed that my original intent was a weekly posting, preferably on Friday evening.  I have not been able to keep that commitment the past several weeks and I apologize for those who might have been waiting of looking in the mean time for an update.

Are there incidents in the Bible where someone becomes too busy, even doing God's work.

Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

Paul who is an Apostle for Christ is writing to the Roman's a letter to explain the Gospel message.  Here at the beginning he lets them know of his plans.  He has requested through prayer that God make it possible for him to visit the Romans.  Currently Paul is already involved with a ministry to the Gentiles  in Asia Minor, where he has also been collecting money to bring to the Christians in Jerusalem for relief from a famine there.  Even though Paul is not married and doesn't have kids he still has only limited time and availability.  He can only do so much.  He wanted to go to Rome, but he was hindered by all the work he was already doing.  Paul is saying I am ready, in my mind I desire to preach the Gospel to Greeks, and barbarians, wise and unwise.

Lets jump to the end of Romans:

Rom 15:22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. ...28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

I won't comment too much on this passage but to point out that Paul was currently ministering in Macedonia and Achaia, planned to travel to Jerusalem, visit the Saints in Roman and then go on to Spain.  After visiting Jerusalem Paul ended up in prison in Rome.  Paul was repeatedly overwhelmed by the opportunity to preach the Gospel.  Even Jesus during his three years of ministry found the work overwhelming and needed to set time to withdraw and renew His strength.

Mt 14:22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

I would encourage you to heed the warning made popular in a song from Simon and Garfunkel called "Feeling Groovy".  The song starts out with "Slow Down You Move Too Fast".  We need to set aside time to pray and renew our strength and allow God to empower you by His Holy Spirit.

Please keep me in prayer to insure that I am able to be faithful in providing encouragement through God's Word and that I don't take on more than is good for keeping my priorities straight. 

The Messiah has Come (the searching is over)

The short passage we are going to look at highlights the ongoing approach we have talked about in previous posts.  Luke was looking for the truth and reliable account of events.  Along with that we see that these are stories about real people.

  
Luke 2:36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years,^[i] who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord,^[j] and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Luke spends 2 verses giving us a biography of Anna, and then only one verse on what she did.  Luke does not elaborate, pontificate or add information that does not exist.  He lets what has been told and the Holy Spirit to provide understanding.

Anna was a real person, the daughter of Phannuel of the tribe of Asher.  I believe that when we read the Bible and we see us the many verses that cover genealogy and who is who's daughter, son, father, mother, etc., it helps us know that if the people were real people then the stories are real stories.  They are real history of events that took place.  They are not fanciful legends or myths created to make us spiritually aware, but real incidents that give us insight into God and His relationship to us.

Anna was a prophetess.  Like Simeon who was led by the Holy Spirit and proclaimed by His guidance, Anna is also recognized as one who speaks God's words.  It would not be necessary to think that Anna made proclamations of the future, she could have simply been known as someone who knew scripture and proclaimed it for the edification of others.  Her familiarity with scripture would have made her very aware of the sin of Israel and there need for the Messiah.  Anna in her devotion might have been inspired by Joel 2:1,2, 12,13.

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
      And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
      Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
      For the day of the LORD is coming,
      For it is at hand:
       2 A day of darkness and gloominess,
      A day of clouds and thick darkness,
      Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
      A people come, great and strong,
      The like of whom has never been;
      Nor will there ever be any such after them,
      Even for many successive generations.
     12 “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD,

      “ Turn to Me with all your heart,
      With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
       13 So rend your heart, and not your garments;
      Return to the LORD your God,
      For He is gracious and merciful,
      Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
      And He relents from doing harm.

Anna was old.  I can only guess from these verses, but if she married at 15, was married 7 years and a widow  84 years, that would make her about 106 years old.  I imagine that one reason her age is mentioned is that in the Jewish culture of the time, there was much respect to those who were older and wiser. 


Anna was dedicated to God.  Since loosing her husband in her early 20's she dedicated her life to worshiping God through fasting and prayer.   We are again given a picture of someone who can wait, who has patience and is satisfied with what the Lord has given her.


It would appear that at the instant that Simeon proclaimed who Jesus was, Anna heard, believed and began sharing with others.  Her actions on hearing were to not only proclaim who Jesus was, but to bring assurance to all the others who were seeking and waiting.  Anna's audience is just like mine.  My hope for this blog is to bring hope and assurance to those Searching for the Savior.  If you are searching, He is real, He has come, He has given His life for you.  Praise God, He has fulfilled his promises.

Waiting for Godot

This past Friday as I was leaving work a thunderstorm arrived as I went out to get on my motorcycle. I rode into the shelter of the parking garage to put on all my rain gear for the ride home. I had already ridden my motorcycle home several times in the rain so I felt prepared. However as I got about 2 miles from work and was crossing an intersection the sky opened up, thunder and lightning was raging and I was pummeled by 35 MPH cross winds which threatened to knock my motorcycle over. The road was soon inundated with about 2 - 4 inches of water. I crawled along at 20 miles an hour seeking a safe place to pull over. After about 300 yards I sought shelter near a farm, that runs a dairy store at one end. I sat on my motorcycle and waited. After the wind died down a little I drove another 3/4 of a mile to a Dunkin Donuts parked my motorcycle and went inside to wait for about another 35 minutes again for an opportunity to continue my ride home. After a while it did slow down to a steady rain and I continued home with the sky eventually clearing for the last 1/2 hour.

Many times in our life we have to wait. If we had foreknowledge and could determine what could be done to avoid it we would never wait. We are impatience, especially in our modern society. There is a very famous play by Samuel Becket called waiting for Godot. The play follows two consecutive days in the lives of a pair of men who divert themselves while they wait expectantly (and, we find, endlessly) for someone named Godot. They claim Godot to be an acquaintance but in fact hardly know him, admitting they wouldn’t recognize him if they saw him. To occupy themselves they eat, sleep, talk, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide - anything “to hold the terrible silence at bay”. There are many possible interpretations of this play, even that Godot is God, though the author denies that was his intent.

During my post this week we are just going to look at a couple of verses from someone waiting, what they are waiting for and how does that person wait.

Luke 2:25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother^[h] marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

First of all who was waiting? All we know that there was a man named Simeon. He was just and devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a sense that this man was old and holding on to life until he could see what he was waiting for. Chances are this man was long since dead by the time Luke investigated and wrote this gospel. Which means that what we know of his character was based on witnesses. It would be a testimony to any of us to be able to be known as just, devout and filled with the Holy Spirit.

What was Simeon waiting for? "The consolation of Israel". He knew that Israel needed a Messiah, and God had revealed to him that the time was near, so near that Simeon would not die before he had seen the "Lord's Christ". Who is the Christ that was revealed to Simeon?

• Jesus the baby born to Mary
• The Consolation of Israel
• God's salvation
• A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles (that's us)
• To bring about the fall and rise of many
• To bring about the revelation of the thoughts of our hearts

There is a real sense here that Simeon waiting patiently all his life. What characterized his waiting that allowed him to wait so patiently, when we find it a challenge to wait a couple of years, months, weeks, days and sometime 1/2 hour. I believe that Simeon knew that the time would come, he trusted God that no matter how long it took, he would fulfill his promises. Plus the end of the waiting would be a event unparalleled in glory and expectation. The arrival of the Lord's Christ.

You might find yourself even now waiting for the evening to pass, for tomorrow to arrive, for a new job, a new home, healing from hurts, for a better life to arrive and even for simple answers to questions that you might have about what God has revealed to us about a savior. My hope, prayer and desire is that this blog may be a means to help you trust in God's promises to bring comfort and patience to your waiting. Please let me know by posting a comment.

An Incredible Annoucement

This past week has certainly been exciting for me personally. Let me first set aside the trivial by mentioning the incredible job the Celtics did winning the NBA finals. It is probably not wise to share about my personal elation over my favorite sports team winning the championship, but I am sure there is a way of weaving this into a Bible truth later on. Though it won't be this week, I just wanted you to be forewarned.

The more significant news has to do with the arrival of my grandson who was born this past Thursday. I am a new grandfather and had the privilege of holding him for quite awhile on Friday. Since we are looking at Luke chapter 2 with the birth of Jesus and the proclamation to the shepherds, it will be fairly easy to relate this particular event to the discussion this week.

Luke 2:15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely^[d] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Our verses pick up after the angels that appeared in the sky and proclaiming the birth of Jesus returning to heaven. The shepherds now discuss with themselves what to do. It is decided that this momentous announcement must be checked out. God has communicated to the shepherds. This visit by the angels brings a spotlight on the shepherds being important to God. As we discussed last time the shepherds were not members of acceptable society. As a matter of fact they were on the fringes of society and tended to group among themselves. They are amazed at the privilege God has given to them by making this news known to them. It appears they did not wait to the end of their shift or the next time they were in town. Luke records that they came in haste, and found the Baby Jesus just as they heard from the angel. This is certainly not a contrived story, since this is certainly not the way we as humans would have written the script. We wouldn't have picked Mary or Joseph as parents. And the shepherds would not be the first to hear from angels what was going on. But this is God's approach and with 20/20 hindsight we can see the effectiveness of making the arrival of Jesus centered on our relationship to God, His love for all people, His desire to exalt the poor in spirit and the way in which he touches each of the lives involved in a very personal way.

Next the shepherds share what the angel has told them, not only with Mary and Joseph but with all who were there. Just like today, people want to gather and celebrate with parents when a child is born. Most of the time it is just to recognize the miracle of a new birth. But imagine the amazement and shock to hear the shepherds sharing what was told them by the angels. Wow!! Really? Did the angels really appear in a cloud?? Did the angels really say that?? Is this really the savior? Is this really Christ the Lord??

As Mary heard these things she didn't just shrug them off. But she remembered and thought about what did this mean. Because of this verse, I believe the account we have of Jesus birth was possibly given by Mary herself as a witness to these events to Luke or by someone very close to her.

The shepherds heard the angels proclamation, they checked it out and it was even as they were told by the angels. So they returned to work with praises and glorifying God for what he has already done. They believed that what the angel shared about Jesus the savior.

So last Friday as I held my grandson and looked into his face, I prayed that God would use him to bring joy to the hearts of those around him, as he grows in the fullness of his relationship to Jesus his Savior. I have been struck by how much a birth brings us together as a family, as I waited with my son-in-laws family in the waiting room we were drawn closer together and then bonded together by this shared experience. So it is as we share in the joy of Jesus birth we are bonded together with God and the family of believers.

If anything you have read in this blog has caused you to wonder, and ask questions please feel free to leave comments. I don't care how challenging the questions, I believe the answers to all that can be asked lays in the words of scripture.

To All People

Well this week we will be starting a new chapter in Luke. We have basically spent 2 months on chapter 1 the introduction, and even with that barely scratched the surface of all that we could learn from that chapter. The first 20 verses of chapter 2 is the very familiar story read at Christmas about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Why is it so important to know who ordered the census and who was governor of Syria? Remember Luke is writing “an orderly account… that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed”. The reference to the rulers gives an account of what time this census took place. Luke wants to show that the birth of Jesus is not a rumor or a myth. It is not a legend about something that might have taken place. It is a historically grounded fact. This is a very common practice in scripture and even more so in the Old Testament. For God’s desire is to make His message clear and not to be obscured as a collection of vague stories with people who might or might not be real. The Old Testament is filled with genealogies, used to establish the real identities of the persons who God interacts with.

Last time we discussed the “Pax Romana” or the peace of Rome. This is the idea that a single empire comprised of multiple cultures could live in peace and security as long as they obeyed the will of Rome. Here we have an example of the will of Rome. In order to optimize the tax that would be collected for Rome, the Romans needed to identify everyone to avoid someone from telling officials from one town that they paid taxes already in another town. So everyone was required to go to the town of their ancestry. This was a massive inconvenience for an entire culture.

Though Mary was close to her time, there appears to be no excuse to obeying the requirements of the census. Being very pregnant the travel might have been slow and thus they arrived in Bethlehem after the inns were full from all the other people who also needed to be there for the census.

Then Jesus is born, just as prophesied in the Old Testament. Praise God!!

Luke 2:8 – 12 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manager”

The angel did not want the shepherds to be afraid, despite the sudden appearance of the angel and the presence of God’s glory. The angel has come to announce the most significant event in the history of the world ever. The birth of a savior, who is Christ the Lord. With these verses we are given a choice, to truly believe or to deny who Jesus is. Here are the choices put forth by human wisdom.

• There are many religions and they all are valid ways to know God
• Jesus came and died on the cross for those who were already predestined to be chosen by God for salvation.
• Jesus was a good man, who had teachings we should all listen to.
• Jesus was a myth

In this passage we hear the angels proclaim that the birth of Jesus is great joy for all people. The way that this is used in scripture is to mean all nations, people groups and tribes. This isn’t just good news for Israel or western civilization but for the whole world. Not only is Jesus a Savior, He is “Christ the Lord”. The one and only savior! The expected Messiah!

This appearance was to shepherds out in their fields attending their flocks. Shepherds were not a revered class of people. Just the opposite they were essentially tolerated, isolated and yet a great example of God’s compassion by being chosen as the first to hear the wondrous news of a miraculous birth.

I want you to know that you are included in the proclamation, that there are good tidings to you and great joy for your savior has been born. He is Christ Jesus the Lord.

All We Are Asking is Give Peace a Chance

In the early 70s while I was still in high school their was a planned peace March which I think was national, though it could have been regional, to protest the war in Vietnam. Of course my friends were going, we got a ride over to a meeting place in a nearby town and then marched (walked) carrying candles and singing peace songs the only one I remember of course is “All We Are Asking is Give Peace a Chance”. The news cameras caught my friends and I marching, though I didn’t see it myself, many adults in my life commented on it. That was at a time when to end up on the news was a big deal. Anyway we arrived at the local High School where local ministers made speeches on how we needed to end the war in Vietnam and then we would have peace. Well the war ended, but the cold war went on, the cold war ended, and then we had terrorist attacks which eventually let up to 911 and the war on terror, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq. Of course this is only an American perspective. There have been numerous wars in Africa over the past several decades. We have again begun to see small groups in America calling for peace and the old song has been revived “Give Peace a Chance”.

Well what does this have to do with this blog?? Isn’t this a blog about searching for a Savior? Well let’s look at the culture of Israel at the time we have been reading about in the first chapter of Luke. The nation of Israel was occupied by the Romans. What was this occupation like? The Roman’s allowed the Israelites to worship as they liked, they could have their own king, they were free to travel and live normal lives. They were required to pay taxes to Rome, their were Roman soldiers occupying the country and the citizens were subject to Roman law. During the 1st and 2nd century AD is the period of the “Pax Romana”. When the interior of the Roman Empire remained largely untouched by warfare, the Pax Romana was an era of relative tranquility in which Rome endured neither major civil wars, such as the perpetual bloodshed of the third century AD, nor serious invasions, such as those of the Second Punic War three centuries prior. During this time, Roman commerce thrived, unhampered by piracy or marauding enemy troops.

Yet the nation of Israel was one of the most troubled of the countries under Roman rule. The Israelites resented the Roman occupation, and their small rebellions. The people looked for God to provide the Messiah that would deliver them from the Roman’s and set their country free to live in true peace, protected by the forces of other countries. We all are desiring to live in freedom, with peace from conflict. We are all looking for a savior to save us from our enemies. So now lets look at a couple of verses again in Luke in light of this desire for peace.

Luke 1:47 And my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior

This is part of the song that Mary sang that we studied several weeks ago. God is viewed as the Savior providing the promise to the people of Israel of a Messiah.

Luke 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This is the proclamation by Zachariah at the birth of John the Baptist. We again see the desire for salvation that leads to peace. Now lets look ahead at a couple of more verses in Luke

Luke 2:29 Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to your word: 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.

These are the words of Simeon as he took the baby Jesus into his arms. He was a man that spent every day waiting for the promise of God’s Messiah. His use of the word peace is not the kind of peace that comes from lack of war and armed conflict. But a peace from knowing the fulfillment of God’s promises. Of knowing God’s salvation.

As Israel looked for peace from Rome, the same as we look for peace from those who hate America. We both run the risk of missing the true peace from God. The peace of being right with Him, by accepting Jesus as our Savior.

Finally Jesus promised to His disciples.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

It is clear that we through our human endeavors can not ever achieve the kind of peace we imagine where all the nations get along together. This is a false hope embodied in the Paul McCartney song “Imagine”. This will not happen with a world in the midst of spiritual warfare, in rebellion to God, where in a sense every man is pursuing his own desires.

I would ask you to give peace a chance, by not running away from God, but running to God for salvation and accepting Jesus death on the cross for your sins. If you have any questions please post as comments and I will do my best to lead you to see the truth as revealed in God’s Word.

Why is it so dark in here?

Remember when you were a teenager hanging around your friends bedroom listening to music, and their Mom would walk in and turn on the big overhead light and say “Why is it so dark in here?”. There would be a little night light on the dresser or maybe it was just after twilight with mostly shadows in the room. Your friend would answer “Mom! It’s not dark we could see fine, we were just talking anyway”. We can sometimes be oblivious to the darkness, to the state of our being. We think the fading twilight or the night light on the dresser is enough to live our lives with.

I am going to ask you a favor this week. Find a Bible in your home, if you don’t have one go out and get one. If you want me to send you one for free, send me your address in the comments and I will be sure you get one. I am going to trust that each of you will read through the first chapter of Luke.

In Luke 1:57- 80 we hear the circumstances of John the Baptist birth. There is much celebration by family and friends, and then confusion when they ask Elizabeth what will be the child’s name. “He shall be called John”. This is almost a humorous passage, I can almost hear the exclamations “John, John what kind of name is John”, “We don’t have any relatives named John”, “Do you know a relative named John”, “Maybe Elizabeth is confused”, “Let’s ask Zacharias”. Much to their surprise Zacharias writes down on a tablet the same thing: “His name is John” and immediately he is able to speak. They recognized the miracle and knew the child would be special.

Now the Holy Spirit filled Zacharias and he began to prophecy. I just want to look at these verses:

Luke1:76 “ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

John the Baptist will have a special mission to prepare the people for Christ coming. How was he to prepare them? By giving them knowledge of salvation. Salvation granted by God’s tender mercy, by the remission of sins. Oh, oh there is one of those weird religious words remission. I thought remission was when someone has their cancer stop, but it might come back later. Well in a sense, sin is a sickness, it confuses us, we walk in darkness because of it. The remission spoken of here has to do with getting rid of sin, specifically through forgiveness. As we are forgiven the consequences of sin is removed.

I want you to think about the last verse. What does it mean to “sit in darkness”? It means we are going about our daily lives, sometimes unaware of the growing darkness. And just like Mom walking into your bedroom and turning on the big overhead light and proclaiming “Why is it so dark in here”. We will see John walking into the lives of many, to prepare them for the coming of Jesus by calling people to repent (turn back from) and accept God’s forgiveness for the remission of sins. John will shed a great light, that will guide our feet to peace with God.

His Mercy is on Those Who Fear Him

I want to thank the readers of this blog for their faithfulness in reading this each week and praying that the things I write about are true to the revelation given to us in God’s Word. As we look at each passage I am struck over and over again about the relevance of the lives in these passages, to who we are as a society.

How do we view ourselves, is God real, does He care, what is his view about how we live, how we relate to each other, who does He bless, what is required to get His attention, does He answer prayers, what about family values, marriage, men, women, terrorists, war, peace, teenagers, drugs, domestic violence? I believe as we continue to study God’s Word we will see more and more of these answers.

Remember last week we saw Mary visiting Elizabeth because the angel had told her she would have a son, who would be the Son of God. This was incredible news that she wanted to share with her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a son in her old age that would become John the Baptist. After hearing Elizabeth’s praise to God for what he had done in Mary’s life, we now are going to look at Mary’s response.

Luke 1:46 “ My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

First of all I am going to remind you once again about these two women.

· Both were of low social status. Basically Mary was a peasant woman, and Elizabeth lived in the hill country and was the wife of a lowly priest.

· Mary was very young and was betrothed to Joseph

· Elizabeth was old and had carried the stigma of not having had children

· They knew that God had performed a miracle through their pregnancy.

· The both viewed their pregnancies as a personal blessing from God and a fulfillment of the promises of God for his people.

This is a song of praise to God, not composed to be song in a worship service but a very personal testimony to how Mary feels. The first two lines are an expression of trying to put pure emotion into words. God is great, He has made me happy, I am busting out of the seams with joy, my spirit is soaring!

Why is Mary so elated?? She is acknowledging God as her savior. This is why several weeks ago I asked you to have an open mind about who Mary is. We see here that Mary is someone who needs a savior. She acknowledges her position is not worthy as a lowly maidservant. But God has revealed to her through these circumstances that our wisdom of who is worthy and important is just the opposite of God’s wisdom. Look at the contrast between these two statements.

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

We can clearly see what is revealed to Mary is that God cares about you no matter who you are. What is significant that we are seeking Him, that we recognize we have a need for God, that we recognize that we are not worthy. Who has been put down by God? The proud, the mighty. These could even be religious leaders who used there power in Jesus day to oppress the people. Just like there are religious leaders today who use their position to control, manipulate and abuse those who have trust in them.

It is clear from the story of these two women that God’s favor isn’t because of things they have done, not because they do religious things, but because they seek and desire to know him.

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.

Lets be clear about what this verse means. We see the word fear and might think it is a fear that creates doubt and a relationship where I need to look over my shoulder to be sure God does not get me. Remember this is included in the same song of Mary’s where she rejoices for God’s blessing on her who did not deserve it. From this verse we see the fear of God is an acknowledgment that He is God, who is the creator and sustainer of all things. He shows mercy of those who seek Him.

I want to be sure that you know that His promises are true. He is ready for you. You don’t have to wonder if you are worthy. Your seeking and accepting Him is what is needed. Praise God that we have so many lives blessed already in just this first chapter of Luke, as we prepare to see the Son of God be born and come into the world to bring us all salvation.