Psalm 37

The Triumph of the Man of Faith

Fret not thyself because of evildoers,

neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:

yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth;

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, t

o cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs:

they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth;

and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lordupholdeth him with his hand.

I have been young, and now am old;

yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints;

they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:

when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them:

he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Marva J. Dawn says that we as Christians “live in the in-between times.”

The time between when we surrendered self to God and the time when Jesus returns or we die and go to be with the LORD forever.

These are not easy times. Because of sin evil abounds, yet we are at peace, trusting in God. As Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians:

We are troubled on every side, yet dot distressed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken;

cast down, but not destroyed.

 

CHRIST IS THE WAY.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John 1: 1-28

 

 

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:68-79

When Zacharias heard the his wife would bear him a son he doubted the angel’s promise and was struck dumb because of his unbelief, unable to speak until the child was born. When it came time to name the baby everyone thought that he would be named for his father but Elizabeth said no, that he was to be called John. When they turned to Zacharias he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately he was able to speak and was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied speaking the words contained in this passage.

John came

to give knowledge of salvation

to call the people to repentance

to give light

to point the way to Jesus Christ

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

     “A voice of one calling in the desert,

     ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

      Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.

     The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.

     And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”

Luke 3:1-6

Words written a long time ago

To a people living a long time ago

But what if we read:

In the second year of the reign of Donald Trump—

when Mike Parson was governor of Missouri,—

and Bishop Robert Farr was the presiding Bishop

of the Missouri Area of the United Methodist Church,

the word of God came to the people of  fill in the name of your church  .

And the people of the congregation went into all the country,

preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

That changes the message doesn’t it?

It becomes up close and personal.

It is no longer about what God is telling them.

It becomes about what God is telling us.

We are the ones calling in the desert.

John was not only preaching to his church . . .

But to his government officials

He stood up to the powers that were – In his church – In his community – In his world

He called for repentance. He called SIN – SIN !

Are we as willing to stand up – to stand out – to go against the prevailing culture – for the sake of the Gospel?

I’m not just talking to you. I’m talking to me because I don’t like confrontation and strife.

But when we allow things to go on that we know are wrong because we don’t want to make waves we are sending a message that it really doesn’t matter.

That what we say in church on Sunday and what we do at work on Monday are not really connected.

Is it any wonder our children grow up and leave the church when we’ve taught them by example that the Scriptures don’t really apply to us today.

NEWS FLASH –  YES THEY DO!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: 

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

 

We claim the name of Christ. We should proclaim the name of Christ.

That doesn’t mean getting up in someone’s face and screaming at them.

It does mean living every day for Jesus. It means doing what God says even when others mock and ridicule us for doing it. It means turning the other cheek. It means loving the unlovable. And it means spending time with God, developing a relationship so that every moment of every day is guided by the Holy Spirit.

Christ is the Way.

 

We light this candle as a symbol of Christ the Way.

May the Word sent from God through the prophets lead us to the way of salvation.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

 

 

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

 

Appropriate words for this last day of the first week of the Advent Season. We are to be a light in this world. The light is not our own but Jesus in us, shining through us.

Marva J. Dawn writes in her book The Unnecessary Pastor,

If we are the lamp in this parable, let’s be consistent.

We don’t light ourselves, do we?

Nor do we set ourselves on the lampstand.

Nor do we invite the people into the house.

God sets us on fire by grace,

appoints us to our places of ministry by grace,

and by grace liberates us simply to shine!

When we clean out the ashes in our woodstove we also clean the glass on the door and the side panels because watching the blazing logs seems to warm us as much as burning the logs. But we must keep the glass clean.

In the same way, we must keep the glass in our lives free from the soot of sin so that others may see the light of Christ in us.

Where has God placed you this day?

Who needs to see your light?

The world needs to know of Christ our Hope – let your light shine this day!

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

 

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:25-28

We live in a time of great fear. This nation that was founded on the debate of ideas has become fearful of even listening to a different opinion.

Why?

What has happened to us?

Do our schools no longer host “Debate Clubs” – it seems that our educational focus has shifted. Where we once challenged students we now insulate them from any idea that might make them uncomfortable. How will they be able to stand when real troubles come?

Jesus said “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

In today’s passage from Luke Jesus speaks of the fear and confusion that will come but he offers us the assurance that all is not lost –

Look Up!

Lift Up Your Heads!

Your Redemption Draweth Nigh!

 

This Advent Season reminds us that it is God who will have the final say. Keep your focus on your relationship with Him. Keep your light shining brightly that others might see and believe!

The earth is the Lord‘s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lordmighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.           

Psalm 24

 

Before I ever began reading the Bible I learned scripture from the hymnal. I just didn’t realize it at the time. God’s grace! He used my desire to play the piano to get His Word into me. There was an old upright piano on our back porch and an old Methodist hymnal was the only music available to me. So as I was picking out the notes I absorbed the words written by Charles Wesley,  Isaac Watts, John Newton, Fanny Crosby, and many others.

When I began to study the scriptures I found familiar words that spoke to me anew. God had been preparing my heart long before I consciously began to seek Him.

The words from Psalm 24 are found in the hymn Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates written by George Weissel.

 

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; Behold, the King of glory waits; 

The King of kings is drawing near; The Savior of the world is here!

Fling wide the portals of your heart; Make it a temple, set apart

From earthly use for heaven’s employ,

Adorned with prayer and love and joy.

Redeemer, come, with us abide;

Our hearts to Thee we open wide;

Let us thy inner presence feel; 

Thy grace and love in us reveal.

 

 

 

Ought I not to do what I can for the Lord Jesus while he tarries, and to rouse a slumbering church?

George Mueller

 

The Psalm and the song remind us to always be ready – not just for the return of Christ – but for God to show up in our daily lives. We should be ready to share our faith with everyone we meet.

Is your light shining brightly this day?

Sunrise is at 7:15 this morning. As I write this it is still dark.

The sun will set at 4:44 this evening.

The shorter days of winter can bring on the blahs. Add in the effects of gray skies, cold winds, with ice and snow and it makes for a long winter.

Instead of focusing on the negative I choose to see the positive.

 

The beauty in a snow covered landscape, the pure joy the dogs find in a romp in the snow, the beauty of the Christmas Season, the warmth of the fire, the candlelight that brightens the dark days, and so much more!

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD,

that I will perform that good thing which I have promised . . .

Even in the darkest days of winter, we can hold fast to the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ.

Keep your light burning!

Photo by Juhasz Imre on Pexels.com

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.    Genesis 1:1-2

 

The devotional reading for December 2nd from Living The Message by Eugene H. Peterson reads:

Those first verses of Genesis are paradigmatic for pastoral work, especially in the area of spiritual formation. The wonderful phrase “formless and void,” is a mess – and then in that mess, that chaos, the Spirit of God begins working and slowly creation and covenant begin to arise out of it: light, form, vegetation, animals, humans, love, virtue, hope, Christ. I once told a group of seminarians that the thing I like most about being a pastor is the mess. i do not mean I like messes as such, but I like that sense of being in a mess, held there by hope, knowing how God’s creativity works, slowly, slowly, slowly, but always with surprises. Creation, creative work, never ends up the way we thought it would. It is always a surprise.

Peterson’s words are not just for pastors. I believe his words are true for each and every person who claims the name of Christ. When we accept Christ as our Savior God does not immediately transport us to heaven. He does not take us out of this “mess” called life. No, He uses us where we are. Right in the middle of the mess. He works in us and through us to show others that He is still in the creation business.

Yes, we are in a “mess.”

Held there by HOPE.

Knowing that God is still working – SLOWLY – at least according to our timetable, but not according to God’s timetable. For God is always right on time and gives us exactly what we need. Even when we didn’t know we needed it!

This Advent Season, this time of waiting, is a chance to slow down, to be aware of God working all around you, everyday.

Stop! Look!  Listen!

Where is God wanting to use you this day?

Lord, You never cease to amaze me. What a journey You have led me on these past sixty-seven years, eight months, and five days! Thank You, Lord, for this new day. I can’t wait to see what You have in store for me this day.

This is the third day of this Advent Season and I have been reflecting on the message our pastor brought to us in the worship service yesterday. She read these passages from the Book of Habakkuk, 1:1-4; 2:2-4; 3:17-19.

The first candle on the Advent wreath represents Christ our HOPE and as the pastor read the words of the prophet we were reminded of others who have struggled throughout history and yet kept their faith.

The prophet cries out.

The prophet waits.

The prophet hopes.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

To make it more personal – if the summer is dry and the fall is wet and my garden does not produce as it should; if the roof leaks and the cellar floods; if my body seems to be failing me . . . I will trust in the LORD!

The answer may not come

when we want

how we want

the way we want

but we must remember

God always answers

Pastor challenged us to

have faith in the faithfulness of God

and to share this vision of hope

Jesus Christ

Be a light in someone’s darkness this day.