Christmas at the Crucifixion

As Jesus Christ died for us on the cross, the gospel of Matthew says, "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Matthew 27:51 KJV). The astute writer of Hebrews didn't want us to miss the point. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh...Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:19-20, 22 KJV).

Song writers of centuries past knew their Bibles and knew their theology. The next time you join to sing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," you'll know exactly what Charles Wesley meant when he penned the words:

"Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Diety!

Pleased as man with men to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel!"

When the flesh of Jesus Christ was "rent" for us, there was God. Rejoice in the Christ of Christmas, the Cross, and the Resurrection.

HALLELUJAH!

Have you seen and listened to some of these RANDOM ACTS OF CULTURE on YouTube? Marvelous renditions of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus have filled malls throughout the USA. We associate the Hallelujah Chorus with Christmas, but its place in the Messiah musical narrative comes at the celebration of Christ's resurrection, not at His birth in Bethlehem.

How appropriate that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Christmas. The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ makes Christmas worth celebrating.

"For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Revelation 19:6 KJV). Hallelujah!

From Telegraph to Texting to Neither

Do you remember Samuel Morse and his history-changing invention? On BING it says his invention, the telegraph, did a number of things, not the least of which was to make it easier for businessmen to operate more profitably.

Other than having to learn the Morse code, do you know what short-circuited the telegraph?

The telephone.

A person could call another person and TALK to him or her. Each knew not only what the other person said, but how she said it.

Now we have texting. We've forfeited voice contact to (again) let our fingers do the talking. Vocal inflection is lost and--BTW--have you checked the deterioration of spelling and grammatical skills? Our literacy skills have sunk to less than the standard 6th grade reading level. No offense to you sixth graders out there.

God has given us a written Word to know Him. He did us one better. He sent His Son--a living, talking person to communicate to us and with us. No dashes, no dots, no txt msg. That verbal, face to face thing will happen again. Ready to live without the telegraph, the telephone, or texting? The day is coming....

"The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout" (1 Thessalonians 4:16 KJV) and "every eye will see him" (Revelation 1:7 NIV).

ASSURANCE & TERROR

As November begins, most of the corn is harvested. There's one field nearby where we're sure some big bucks--and some does too--are eating well. We see deer on a regular basis now. Just so they see us--when we're in the car AT NIGHT and driving close to where they happen to be loitering. Deer have nothing to do with the topic at hand today. Just musing a bit.... Yesterday as we considered God in the affairs of men in the books of Joshua, Judges, and a bit in the Samuels, I was struck again by God's transcendence and His immanence. God alone is sovereign. He orders all things. That "the affairs of men" phrase is something of a misnomer. To say He's both transcendent and immanent makes it clear He's ordering it all, and we're "ordering" nothing at all. There's assurance in that knowledge--and terror. God is the only Sovereign. Thankfully, the only Sovereign is also good. And therein lies our hope.

TOP DOG

"Try something new every year after you turn 30." That's advice I heard waaaay back when I was 30. I did for a few years, but then I missed a couple years...or maybe a decade or so. This weekend I was able to do that "something new" for this year: TOOK A RIDE IN A COMBINE! I gotta tell you, it's a ride like no other. I sat perched in that Pexiglas-enclosed cab a good 10 feet above the corn that crumbled like crackers in the mouth of a toothy three-year-old. Corn stalks, huge weeds, and small trees that had sprung up over the summer were no match for that combine head as it effortlessly plowed and chewed its way through acres of harvestable maize. I peppered the poor farmer/neighbor, Ray, with as many questions as corn ears in a section row. (A "section," for you city slickers, is a square mile of field: 640 acres.) The combine might be easily heard inside our house, but riding in the thing seemed quieter somehow. Weird. Digital readouts kept Ray and his eager rider abreast of the corn yield, its moisture, and how many bushels were filling up the hopper behind us. When the time came, Ray's son, Dustin, rode alongside us in their tractor pulling another big hopper. Saves Ray (and all farmers who do this, who are many) the time it takes to stop and load a waiting truck, although he still has to do that too. There we were: two huge pieces of farming equipment navigating the fields in perfect tandem. Awesome driving! Makes those NASCAR drivers look like what they do is kid stuff. When Ray did stop to load corn into the waiting truck, I remarked, "Look at the chaff blowing away." "Red dog," Ray said. "I've always call it 'red dog.'" He corrected me gently; chaff is the "red dog," you might say, of wheat. It's nice to feel like a TOP DOG sometimes, but I know one thing better: I don't want to be "red dog" when it comes to Kingdom business: the Kingdom of God. My goal is to be the real thing, the corn or the wheat, not the red dog or the chaff, in the eyes of Jesus. How about you? October 8, 2010

FALLING INTO SEPTEMBER

Knee-high pine trees don't make much noise as the early September wind blows across our property, but the almost-harvestable corn surrounding us sings a song all its own. The ears, heavy with colorful kernals, will soon be spit with Gatling gun rapidity into waiting grain trucks. Last week we went to a high school football game (our team lost) and enjoyed hearing the telltale snare drums and trumpets of two talented high school bands. Mark's back driving the school bus--or trying to with all the ongoing road construction in Sylvania. I just signed two writing contracts with Barbour Publishing and anticipate the start-up of Tuesdays at the Chapel. But I'm not ready to let go of summer yet. We can hold onto the familiar. "I will remember the deeds of the LORD," declares the psalmist, "Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago" (Psalm 77:11). We can anticipate what lies ahead. "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off" (Proverbs 23:18). The LORD God is behind us, before us, and ever with us. He is, as a friend of ours says, "not only everywhere, but everywhen." No matter what's behind. No matter what's ahead. Jesus Christ is. 9-3-10

BRACE ROOTS

Brace roots.

I had never heard of them until our neighbor, a lifelong farmer, pointed them out to us. The corn surrounding us stands over 7 ft tall. Each skinny stalk with its long green leaves, flowing, yellow-white silk, and growing ear of corn barely bends in strong winds.

If you look at the bottom of each stalk, its main root is surrounded by brace roots that sprout out from the main stalk, lending added strength to the maize against toppling, even as the ears grow and easily outweigh the stalks.

Just as Jesus is the source root (Isaiah 53:2), so we in Christ serve as brace roots for one another. As siblings in Christ, the Word tells us to be devoted to one another, honor one another, love one another, accept one another, serve one another, forgive one another, encourage one another...well, you get the picture. (See the epistles of Paul for a complete listing.)

Our life comes from Him who is the Life Source. We can be glad for those brace roots too.

MUFFINS & MORE

You've all been waiting with baited breath to learn the final outcome of the half-baked muffins. Well, they might have made great hockey pucks. Not fit for man nor beast, they found their way to some landfill. Dare I make the quantum leap to the salt parable? Jesus said His followers are to be salt in the world. At its best salt acts as a preservative, a flavor enhancer, or a spoilage retardant. Salt without saltiness is "good neither for the soil nor for fertilizer" (Luke 14:35 NLT). The KJV reads a bit more straightforward: "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill." I.E., it's even useless in the landfill. Whether I'm sitting in the middle of well-fertilized corn that's as tall as LeBron James (which I am with fields of corn surrounding us on three sides), or driving past the Swanton water treatment plant (which SMELLS like a dunghill), I want to be good salt in my world. Pass the salt, please.

HALF BAKED

A historic insult used to use the words "half baked." Today I stepped back in history not to use those words to insult someone--though a case might be made to apply those words to me this morning--but to describe the muffins I started to bake. I spooned the last of the 1-point Weight Watchers muffin batter into their baking cups and popped those puppies in the oven. That's when our excavator decided to detach our propane tank so he could excavate. And BTW, it wasn't like I didn't know he was going to do that. The muffins weren't even half baked. Our neighbors, who are always home, weren't. So much for popping my secret weapon in the weight loss war into Evelyn's oven. So at Mark's suggestion, I put them in the freezer. We'll see what happens later today when the gas is back on and I put the half bakes back into the oven. Should prove interesting, if not edible. Sometimes we come up with half baked schemes to live in obedience to the Lord Christ. He tells us to love God wholeheartedly and to love others with the same kind of self-love we lavish on ourselves. Those are tall orders. I'm praying for the grace to live them--even as my half baked muffins sit in the freezer. How about you? June 29, 2010

Twisters and Twisting the Truth

June 7, 2010 Savage winds and a tornado cut paths of destruction and death through NW Ohio over the weekend. Warning sirens were too late for some, and grief stands among those who thought they would be standing yesterday to receive their diplomas at Lake High School. Twisters: one more reminder that we live in a world spoiled by sin and marred by death. The Bible speaks of twisting truth. "Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom" James wrote in his short letter (James 3:13, The Message). When truth is twisted, both speakers and hearers are damaged, not unlike the buildings and lives left in the wake of a tornado. No comparison? People have been deceived by themselves and others through twisted truth. That deception can take men and women straight to the grand deceiver's pit--from where lies originate. Seek Him who stated it plainly: "I'm the truth" (Jesus Christ in John 14:6). Only He can deliver from the devastation of both twisted truth and tornadic winds.

Faith Made Sight

June 1, 2010 Today we received the news that our friend and adult Sunday School teacher, Dick Hopkins, has experienced the wonder of his faith made sight. We've known Dick for about 30 years; we just reconnected with him and his wife, Deb, a few short years back. It has been a blessing and a journey in rethinking some of our theology. Now, however, we grieve our collective loss, especially for Debbie, his wife and true soul mate. How grateful I am today that we have a hope that transcends this life! We look forward to seeing our dear brother again. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of eternal life. Thank you, Dick, for your faithful teaching. We'll see you soon, brother. Mark & Kathy

Movers and Shakers

A back hoe and a bulldozer are making mincemeat of our front yard--a good thing. It's been full of piles of dirt (alternating with mud) for weeks. The guys running the two big earth movers make the house shake a bit when they get close enough. When God created the world he moved the water to make way for earth. "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear," was how He spoke earth into existence (Genesis 1:8). The author of Hebrews reminds us that the Lord promises, "Once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens" (Haggai 2: 6 & Hebrews 12:27). "Why?" "So that what cannot be shaken may remain," (Hebrews 12:27). Christ alone gives unshakable faith. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it [the faith] is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

HEAVENLY HUMOR FOR THE DOG LOVER'S SOUL

MAY 21, 2010 Here it is, canine companions! If you want to have some laughs while reading about some super dogs, this is the book for you. Eight authors tell true stories of dogs that will have you wanting more. Available on line, in stores (after June 1), and from the contributing authors, including yours truly. Okay, so I don't have a dog. But some of my best friends do. I even have a story in this book about a friend who doesn't own a dog, yet won a barking dog contest. No, she didn't do the barking; the neighbor's dog did it for her. Put down that remote, pick up a copy of Heavenly Humor..., and get ready for some savvy dogs who share more than wags and the best seat in the house with us.

Word Warfare

King David, son of Jesse, son of God, and "Israel's singer of songs" (2 Samuel 23:1), used his hands and fingers in more than one kind of warfare. Both writer and warrior, David could pen such words as, "you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13). Yet he was praised as a man who had slain "his tens of thousands" (1 Samuel 18:7)--starting with a lion, a bear, and then a mouthy giant of a man who stood over 9 feet tall. Some of us couldn't hold our own in any kind of physical battle. None of us can stand against a WMD. Yet God may fit us in word warfare. We can speak or write to the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and the unchanging character of "Jesus Christ...the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Posted 5-18-10

May 5, 2010

New Blog This blog is under construction, as they say, starting today. Stay tuned.