Tag: gospel of luke

What Does God Want For You This Christmas?

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Do a web search or open any study Bible and it is pretty clear what Christians believe God wants from you, but what is it that God wants for you? Jesus provides an answer in his parable of the good shepherd: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” That Jesus is speaking of spiritual rather than material realities should be clear when we consider the evidence of his own life.

nativity

Gerard van Honthorst, “Adoration of the Shepherds”

For the One born in a manger, abundant life “does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Neither does it consist of a multitude of friends, social prominence or freedom from affliction. From birth, our Savior was intended to be “a suffering servant,” a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Just eight days into Jesus’ life the “righteous and devout” Simeon revealed to Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

So what then is this “abundant life” of which Jesus speaks? Abundant life is authentic life; it is living into the promise of God’s creation of humanity in God’s own image. It is sharing in the copious blessings of God’s own life. God became human so that those who follow Christ “… may become participants of the divine nature.” In his writings on 2 Peter Irenaeus (c. AD 130-220) wrote: God “became what we are in order to make us what God is.” Abundant life, authentic life, eternal life is ours when we accept God’s “…precious and very great promises …” embodied in the birth of our Savior.

That is what God wants for each of us – not only at Christmas – but every day of our lives.

The great Advent and Christmas hymns of Western Christian tradition celebrate the birth of Jesus by focusing on that from which Christ saves us. “He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free.” He brings the light of redemption into the world, releasing us “from our fears and sins” that “the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.” Few of our familiar hymns meditate on that destiny for which God saves us.

Will you accept God’s Christmas gift to you?

Will you embrace God’s desire for your life in the coming year?

-Pastor Derek French

Bible quotes referenced from John 10:10; Luke 12:15; Isaiah 53; Luke 2:35; Genesis 1:27; 2 Peter 1:4.

Fresh Starts

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“See, I am making all things new … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 5:5-6)

For many persons the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions is an incentive to change some aspect of their lives or achieve some goal – an opportunity for a fresh start. Perhaps now is the time for you to consider growing in your relationship with God – to open yourself to God’s offer to drink deeply from the spring of the water of life and allow God to include you in Christ’s new creation.

What does a life in Christ look like? You may wish to consider the following:

  • How willing are you to provide God with the space and time needed for transformation?
  • As you read or hear the Christmas story from the second chapter of Luke, you might reflect on whether there is “room in the inn” of your life for Jesus.
  • Mary offered God her whole self so that Christ might come into the world. At baptism each of us shares in her privilege of bearing/carrying Christ into the world. Are you allowing Christ to live in you?
  • How do others encounter Christ in you?
  • What does God most desire for you, God’s beloved child?
  • What in your life brings God joy? This is your gift to God, more precious than the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the wise men.

We do well to remember that God is continually in the process of “making all things new.” Every moment of every day is a potential new beginning. We need not succumb to discouragement or resign ourselves to the status quo if we become distracted or find the going tough. God will work through us and through all who have open and willing hearts.

When it comes to resolutions in general, some persons will obtain their objectives in the coming year; many more will not. Commitment and will-power play their part but the outcome often depends upon whether one continues to believe the resolution is achievable.
What do you believe is possible with God?

  • Pastor Derek French

Being Disciples of Jesus – Together

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“Going to church doesn’t make a person anymore a Christian than going to a barn makes a person a cow.” So said Phil as we loaded gallons of floor wax and cleaning supplies into boxes, weighed them and prepared them for shipping in the cleaning supply warehouse where we both worked. By “Christian”, Phil meant one who was a sincere follower of Jesus’ teachings; in other words, a disciple. I had to agree with him.

Phil was not arguing that the church was unnecessary for those seeking to follow Jesus. He regularly attended worship, financially supported his congregation, and assisted at its annual pulled pork, pit BBQ. Yet these activities would have fallen short of the mark had they not been grounded in Phil’s relationship with Christ. It was that relationship and the effort to follow Christ’s commandments which Phil believed identified persons as Jesus’ disciples. It’s easy to get so caught up in “doing church” that we forget to “be church”.

In Luke’s Gospel is a story of Jesus’ visit to the home of sisters Martha and Mary. Martha, the typical “worker bee”, focused on the many tasks needed to prepare for the visit of a distinguished guest while Mary spent her time listening intently to the charismatic Rabbi identified by many as the Messiah. Scripture tells us that Martha, “distracted by her many tasks”, came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Jesus answered: “Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing …”

Jesus is not advocating sloth. He is not dismissing the industry of Martha. Home, church and society all need persons willing to complete the tasks necessary for their continuation. What Jesus is saying is that we cannot let activity, work, programs, upkeep, and the business of life and the church distract us from the one needful thing – knowing God through Jesus Christ and making that God known to others. A vibrant relationship with God is not only the key to discipleship but also the definition of eternal life. (Jn 17:3)

This summer may you find those precious moments to spend with Jesus to refresh your spirit. May you grow in relationship with God and commitment to be Jesus’ disciple. May a deeper communion with the Holy One guide your efforts so that your industrious labor on behalf of family, community and church will be not a distraction, but a witness to one thing which is needed.

A Question: How does this program, this fundraiser, this worship service, this time of fellowship, this committee meeting help those who attend know Christ and make him known?

– Pastor Derek French

The Status Of Christianity

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Recently a billboard near the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey made national news. The sign, sponsored by the group American Atheists, read: “You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason.” It’s the most recent in a series of incidents revealing that Christianity no longer holds the same status in our society it enjoyed as recently as a generation long ago. Sociologists predict that the Church’s influence and privilege will continue to shrink in the future as America becomes more pluralistic and secular. Some even foresee the day whey religious organizations, including churches, are no longer tax exempt unless they can prove the worth of the services they offer to the community. While this is an unwelcome development for 21st century American congregations, it does provide an opportunity to reconsider how Christian faith shapes our interactions with the rest of society.

Here are two questions I think about as I consider the current cultural environment:

1. What is the best way to nurture Christian faith in a culture which is apathetic or hostile to what we believe?

2. Do my actions and priorities differentiate me from non-believers or believers in other religions?

And here’s one more that most Americans have not had to consider since the Pilgrims came here looking for freedom from religious persecution:

What would I be willing to give up/sacrifice for the sake of my faith?  Extra sleep on Sunday morning, free-time, respect of others, sports, wealth, family … life itself?

In the Gospel of Luke we read:

Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9: 23-26)

As we enter the second decade of the 21st century those words seem more relevant than they have been in a long time. Christ and our culture have parted ways. We can’t take both roads; we have to chose.