The following is a terrific story on the meaning of Christmas
Did you ever read Bret Harte's story The Luck of Roaring Camp? Roaring Camp was supposed to be, according tot he story, the meanest, toughest mining town in all of the West. More murders, more thefts--it was a terrible place inhabited entirely by men, and one woman who tried to serve them all. Her name was Cherokee Sal. She died while giving birth to a baby.
Well, the men took the baby, and they put her in a box with some old rags under her. When they looked at her, they decided that didn't look right, so they sent one of the men eighty miles to buy a rosewood cradle. He brought it back, and they put the rags and the baby in the rosewood cradle. And the rags didn't look right there. So they sent another of their number to Sacramento, and he came back with some beautiful silk and lace blankets. And they put the baby, wrapped around with those blankets, in the rosewood cradle.
It looked fine until someone happened to notice that the floor was so filthy. So these hardened, tough men got down on their hands and knees, and with their hardened and horny hands they scrubbed that floor until it was very clean. Of course, what that did was to make the walls and the ceiling and the dirty windows without curtains look absolutely terrible. So they washed down the walls and the ceiling, and they put curtains at the windows. And now things were beginning to look as they thought they should look. But of course, they had to give up a lot of their fighting, because the baby slept a lot, and babies can't sleep during a brawl.
So the whole temperature of Roaring Camp seemed to go down. They used to take her out and set her by the entrance to the mine in her rosewood cradle so they could see her when they came up. Then somebody noticed what a dirty place that was, so they planted flowers, and they made a very nice garden there. It looked quite beautiful. And they would bring her, oh, shiny little stones and things that they would find in the mine. But when they would put their hands down next to hers, their hands looked so dirty. Pretty soon the general store was all sold out of soap and shaving gear and perfume and those kinds ... the baby changed everything.
That's the way it is for those of good will. That's the way it is for those who please God. The baby enters into their lives, and he slips into every crevice of their experience, until they say "Hark! Listen, the herald angels sing! God is for us. And Christmas is forever."
-- Bruce W. Thielemann, "Hark! The Herald Angels," Preaching Today, Tape No. 63.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Worship - Who? -What? -When? -How? -Why? - Where?
Who do we
worship?
We are to worship the Lord.
What is worship?
Worship
is our positive response to the presence and work of God.
When do we
worship?
Everyday
can contain times of worship.
How do we
worship?
Externals
and type are not the issue. We are worship God from a sincere heart.
Why do we
worship?
We, as
His children through faith in Christ, were made to worship God.
Where do we
worship?
Anywhere,
but uniquely gathered with other believers in corporate worship.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
“What is truth?”
“What is truth?” That questioned has been asked by asked by
many people in various circumstances. Many people have asked it. Philosophers
have asked it. Theologians have asked it. Evaluating another person's sincerity
can be difficult. But when someone does not want or accept the answer, then their
sincerity can be called into question.
While reading
this passage consider the sincerity of Pilate’s question.
John 18:37-38
37 Then
Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a
king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the
world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my
voice.”
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.
Pilate seemed to be looking for "wiggle room" concerning his response to Jesus and the issue of truth. He knew Jesus was innocent and was trying to let him go. But under fear of loosing his position and power, he eventually gave in and turned Jesus over to be crucified.
Jesus claimed to be the truth and to bear witness to the truth. In the above passage he said, "Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” In facing this statement, Pilate also wilted. How we respond to Jesus, reveals our commitment and understanding of the truth.
Friday, January 4, 2013
What is friendship?
Friendship is not using
someone to get what you want. If you only hear from somebody when they want
something, they are an acquaintance, not a friend. Genuine friendship is not mutual
encouragement to do the wrong thing. It is not promoting co-dependence or any
other unhealthy behavior. The Bible speaks about friendship in the book of
Proverbs.
Proverbs 27:6, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an
enemy multiplies kisses.” A friend will tell you the truth and confront you
even if it hurts, because he or she wants what is ultimately best for you. I
have a few friends who will tell me when they think I am wrong and they are
very valuable to me. When you don’t share your concerns about someone’s
direction because of fear of offending them you aren’t being a friend. A few
years ago someone told me that her friend was making a terrible mistake by
marrying this certain man. I asked her if she had expressed her concern to her
friend. She said she hadn’t because she did not want to hurt their friendship
or her feelings. Unfortunately, her friend went through a messy divorce after a
short disastrous marriage.
Proverbs 17:9, “He
who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter
separates close friends.” A friend
loves and accepts you and does not gossip about your private matters. The thoughts and feedback from people who
love you are very helpful. The ability to feel completely secure in a
relationship is a marvelous gift to give and to receive.
Proverbs 18:24,
“A man of many companions may come
to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” The first
part of this verse describes the danger of too many indiscriminate
relationships. The second part describes the value of a true friend. When my father passed away I made several
trips in the following months to Portland to settle his affairs. The presence
of an old friend at key moments made a difficult job a little easier.
A number of years ago I attended my niece’s high
school graduation party. She had a book for people to write notes to her as she faces adult life and starting college.
In her book I wrote,
“A true friend is someone who
wants what is best for you. Seek to have those kinds of friends and seek to be
that kind of friend to other people.”
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