I would like to think I would believe in Jesus a little better than the people of His time, but I have struggled just like they did. With all the events surrounding His birth, the words spoken by Anna and Simeon at His dedication at the temple, the voice from heaven at His baptism, and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, it would seem like a no brainer to believe. Still the people did not understand who He was…
In today’s reading Jesus goes to the synagogue. He is asked to read the reading of Scripture for that day. It just “so happens”that the reading for that day is from the prophet Isaiah, and it just “so happens” the words are a prophecy of Jesus, Himself. After reading it, He tells them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He wanted them to understand who He was and why He had come.
Jesus came to our world to “proclaim good news to the poor”-those who lack God’s riches in their life; “freedom for the prisoners” -caught in sin’s death, darkness, and destruction; “recovery of sight for the blind” -those who can’t see God’s goodness all around; “set the oppressed free”- those the enemy has beat up on all their lives. Jesus proclaimed “the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus wants us to understand who He is and why He came. He has given us His Word so we can KNOW Him! God’s favor is still towards us.
From the first Christmas until now, His favor goes on and on! The question is: Will we believe what He has said and receive Him as King of our lives?
John the Baptist went before Jesus proclaiming the “Good News.” Luke says, “the word of God came to John…in the wilderness.” He told the people to repent for the forgiveness of sins. John was the voice calling out, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” The people would not want to miss the one who was coming, the Messiah, Jesus Himself. Sin and selfishness would only entangle the ones who refused to repent, keeping them from truly seeing and experiencing Jesus, “God’s salvation.”
We have this command as well. “Prepare the way for the Lord.” We don’t want to miss what is coming! The baby born in a Bethlehem stable is now Jesus, our Savior, who longs to be born in our hearts. As we repent and turn from our sins, we offer our hearts to God. He comes with power to transform our hearts and our lives. He fills us with His hope, His peace, and His joy! We can experience Jesus, whom John “proclaimed” this Christmas season and forevermore!
Jesus came to earth in a time of deep spiritual darkness. The Jewish people were being ruled by the oppressive Romans, and they longed for someone to deliver them from their oppressors. The prophets, who used to speak to the nation the words of God, had not been heard from in hundreds of years. Death, darkness, and destruction ruled…
Then all of a sudden a glimmer of hope appears. Visits by angels announced miraculous pregnancies and births to occur: John the Baptist first- the one who would go before Jesus announcing His arrival, and then Jesus Himself.
Some reacted with unbelief, others with faith, joy, and praise. The stage is now set for the Hope of the World to enter.
May we react with the same faith, joy, and praise this Christmas season as we encounter Jesus as well through the book of Luke!
Today we read Luke 2, which contains the familiar passage about the birth of Jesus that is often quoted this time of year:
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.””
Luke records the words of Simeon spoken over Jesus at the temple after his circumcision; 12-year-old Jesus speaking with the religious leaders at the temple; finishing up with the summary of Jesus’ growing up years “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (verse 52)
He was truly “God with us” Emmanuel. Jesus took on our ordinary so He could bring God’s extraordinary to our world and into our lives! What a Savior!
I went to college at Mizzou. That seems like the appropriate thing to do for a Missouri Girl. Back in the 80’s MU was known as a party campus to the kids in my high school. As a young lover of Jesus, my motivation to go there was definitely not to party, I wanted to be a light and witness to my generation.
A.P. Green Chapel
One thing I loved about the campus at Mizzou was the A.P. Green Chapel, next to Memorial Union. It was like a small candle flickering light on a campus with so much darkness in it. I would go there frequently to pray and read my Bible. It was in that chapel during one of my times of prayer that I wrote this poem.
Chapel Prayer
Let me see the world as You see it. With the compassion of the Cross That's a heart of Love that breaks For the dying of the lost. Let me cry as You cried and Break me as You were broke Make my heart like Your heart And let me wear Your yoke.
Let me be as You are Full of love and kind, Gentle and compassionate, Sweet as the New Wine.
Let me see the world as You see it, Through the eyes of the cross. Willing to give my all for You So others won't be lost. (originally written January 21,1990)
Inside the Chapel
This morning as I started my time in prayer memories of that chapel and a young, wholly devoted heart that I had started to flow through my mind. I know that at that time if God would have told me to pack up my bags and head to the corners of the earth, I would have. I wanted to do whatever He wanted no matter what the cost. Over 30 years have went by since I sat in that chapel writing those words. I’ve had my times of living a life for God that I felt like I was red hot on fire and then lukewarm since then. I have often wondered If I heard God say, ” Pack up everything and go,” would I be willing to obey like my younger heart would have? Then I thought of the poem above that my younger heart wrote during a time of prayer.
Things haven’t really changed much since that day. The world I live in is still dark and full of death and destruction. Just this week two shootings have occurred in my country for no real reason except evil in the hearts of mankind. However, I know the remedy, Jesus. It seems like all that I can do is like a tiny band aid on a gaping wound.
In Isaiah 6 the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord. His way of going about life was wrecked by what He saw. He saw a God who was so holy, glorious, and awesome in power, that all he could think of is how sinfully human he was. But he also heard the voice of God asking, “Who will go for Us?” Sitting there realizing how unqualified he was he replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Sitting in the presence of Jesus has that effect on a person. Seeing what Isaiah saw, a God who is so much bigger than us and yet so loving and so kind, I also can hear His voice calling to me. “Who will go for Us?” Although I have no idea what that will mean for me, may my heart say as Isaiah’s did, “Here am I. Send me!”
As it usually does during my times of contemplation, I come across a song that stirs within me. The lyrics of this song are so powerful. May it be my prayer. May it be the prayer of all of us.
God has given us so much to be thankful for this season. Let us purpose in our hearts to not only give thanks, but give ourselves to Him fully! Taking the remedy to our brokenness to the world around us! Come Lord Jesus!
“If it’s bandaging the broken Or washing filthy feet Here I am, Lord, send me If it’s loving one another Even when we don’t agree Here I am, Lord, send me If I’m poor or if I’m wealthy I’ll serve You just the same Here I am, Lord, send me On the mountain or the valley I will choose to praise Here I am, Lord, send me If I’m known by how I love Let my life reflect how much I love You I love You And before You even ask Oh, my answer will be yes ‘ cause I love You I love You If the truth cuts like an arrow I will say it anyway ‘Cause here I am, Lord, send me And if it’s means that they’ll reject me Lord, I will still obey ‘Cause here I am, Lord, send me And if I’m known by how I love Let my life reflect how much I love You I love You And before You even ask Oh, my answer will be yes ’cause I love You Oh, I love You When I’m standing in Your glory I’ll be glad I chose to say “Here I am, Lord, send me” “Well done, good and faithful” I live to hear You say Here I am, Lord, send me”
“Therefore since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12
Our God is soooo good! I have been contemplating the goodness of God lately. Something that in my 40 years of walking with Him I have never done. I’m not sure why not, but here we are… I have been awed by a definition I heard of love in a class I am taking, “Living Life Live” at WOW- Women on Wednesday. “Love always wants the very best, the most excellent, and the most profitable for another to benefit them for their own sake.” In other words since God is love, He wants the most excellent, the most profitable, the most beneficial for me. Mind blown. Especially if for some reason you have lived your life with a distorted image of God, looking at Him as a taskmaster of sorts. One who demands work from us in exchange for His blessing that He occasionally doles out to keep us plodding along like a donkey following a carrot on a stick so it will pull a cart. Not so with our Loving Heavenly Father who has set His affections on us and gives so many rich gifts of love, joy, and peace to the heart who is open to receive.
This leads me to the verse above: “We have such a hope…” hope- the confident expectation of Good. Our God is the God of Hope- when we trust Him and believe Him He pours out a confident expectation of GOOD- Hope because all His ways are GOOD toward us, EVERY single one! He never acts as the false gods of ancient times did. They were known for manipulating their subjects, punishing harshly for any misstep or act that displeased them. Their ways were not able to be known because they simply cared only for themselves.
Our God is good! And He is our hope, confident expectation of Good, because Good is the essence of who He is. This goodness makes us “bold”- free from timidity, confident, brave! We are told in the word we can approach God boldly because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can be confident of His heart towards us, because it is filled with His great love. And Our God is always good!
I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with Boldness the past few months: Boldness to obey God fully, boldness to say whatever He places in my spirit to say, boldness to do whatever He asks.
Yesterday I was in a break out session at the Inspire Women’s Retreat and this verse was one of a section of scriptures being discussed. It stood out in my heart as I heard it read: God’s hope- my understanding of just how GOOD He is and expectation of that GOODNESS to be poured out in my life moves me. It makes me free, free from timidity and fear. It makes me BOLD! It makes me willing to go wherever God leads me, to do whatever He asks. Because I am living a life close to Him, basking in His goodness. I am anticipating with hope His love has gone before me, goes behind me, and is in me. It makes me unable to fail! That Hope truly does make me bold!
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God”….. Brother Lawrence
This morning I was reminicing about how my life has been since having 4 kids and homeschooling them. “Busy”, is the best word to describe my days. Usually it is an early morning cooking, teaching, cleaning, driving, refereeing fights, trying to spend one on one time with each of the kids, grocery shopping… the list could go on and on. I was reflecting on how life was pre kids and then pre marriage, how I had time.
In all this, there has been a gift given to me.Something I did not recognize as a gift at first.It has been how my relationship with God has changed. Out of necessity I have found myself praying at all times of the day in all situations. I find myself praying while doing dishes, cooking supper, waiting for my kids to finish their assignments, cleaning toilets… It is the “continual converstation” that Brother Lawrence was talking about, and it is the most sweet and delightful thing in this world.
Here lately, I have been trying to pray for people if I think about them. If I find myself thinking about situations that a loved one or friend is in I breathe a short prayer for them. I’ve also placed a list of people on my refrigerator that I feel particularly impressed on to pray for. I figured that with my job, that is the place I will see the list the most.
In all this God has shown me that spending time with Him is not complicated. He is there waiting all I have to do is speak and recognize His presence with me.
This gift is not for me alone, but for anyone. God loves it when we reach for Him. His promise is to fill us if we hunger and thirst for Him.
In saying all of this, I am reminded of a funny story about a time of prayer that I had…One time, while I was driving, I began to pray under my breath for something. One of my daughters was pretty little and asked me what I was doing. I replied, ” I’m praying. ” She then asked me, ” You do have your eyes open right?”
So remember if God draws you into this ongoing blessing of a life of prayer to always pray with your eyes open while driving : )
“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:38-39 NIV
The cross was well known in Jesus’ day. Not as a decoration we hang on the wall of our home or set upon the top of a church steeple, but an instrument of execution and torture used by the Romans. It was used to punish the most hardened criminals. Jesus had not yet been to the cross when these words were spoken, but it was understood that a prisoner sentenced to death must first carry their own cross to their site of execution. It was a way of showing total submission to the ruling authority, Rome.
Jesus speaks of His followers being willing to follow Him in His act of total submission, not to Rome because at any time in His own execution He could have called a legion of angels to rescue Him from the cross, but to God and God’s will. Jesus knew what it would cost for Him to fulfill His purpose for which He came, a humiliating and horrendous death. He did so for the “joy set before Him”- you and me.
He requires no less in wholehearted devotion and commitment from us. All we are, submitted to God and God’s will- For all He is Life, Joy, Peace, wholeness. That is a life lived “taking up our cross and following Him”. Living in submission to Jesus and His will for us. With the promise that if we “die with Him (spiritually) we shall surely live with Him and reign. (2 Timothy 2:11-12).
“Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.”
Matthew 12:9-13 NIV
It amazes me the heart of the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders of Jesus time. First of all, they were looking for a reason to arrest Jesus so they could stop Him. He didn’t fit their religious mode. They could see the miracles Jesus did, but did they really see? In this miracle they watched a man’s hand that was “shriveled” be “completely restored, just as sound as the other.” I can’t imagine watching in an instant a hand that was obviously messed up restored right before my eyes. But what blows me away even more is how the Pharisees didn’t stand there with their mouths agape saying “WOW!!!” Instead, they watched, they saw, and they “plotted how they might kill Jesus”. That is unbelief!!
Now before I get all self-righteous saying, “I would NEVER do that!” The question that I am dwelling on today is “Would I NEVER do that?” Would I NEVER see the hand of God in circumstances around me and still refuse to believe? Would I NEVER try to discredit God’s miraculous in my own life?
Here’s what the Pharisees and me have in common: the desire to be in charge/ rule me.
Your Love 