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Blessing the New Year

Tue, Jan 3 2012 09:29 | Devotional | Permalink

A Blessing for the New Year

Wow! It’s hard to believe it’s 2012. I can still remember as a teenager I did the math once and determined I’d be 44 years old at the turn of the century. At the time that seemed so old; now, more than a decade later it seems so young. It’s all about perspective.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Such a great verse! But Jeremiah wasn’t telling God’s people something new—rather he was reminding them of God’s desire for His people. God wants the best for His people—that’s us.

Back when He first established the nation of Israel, God told Moses to tell Aaron the high priest to bless the people. He even told him what to say. This may sound familiar, you see we still use it. “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” (Num 6:24-26)

The last two or three years I’ve tried to start the year with a blessing for our congregation. This year I felt so bad that I just wasn’t up to it on Sunday so I thought I’d broadcast it.

The Lord bless you, and keep you, and draw you close to Himself; may His love be experienced by you and be seen in you throughout the year; may God’s grace be sufficient for everything you face in the new year; may the Lord grant you His joy and peace.

The clock is ticking, it won’t be long and you’ll grow accustomed to writing 2012 instead of 2011. (I’ve already made the mistake today.) But while we’re still wishing one another a Happy New Year, please know that God (and Pam and I) does want for you a great year, a year filled with love and joy and peace—the kind that comes from giving your life to Him.

Major Clay

Magnum Mysterium

Sun, Dec 25 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 25th

Mark 4:11, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God,”

One of the understated themes of the birth of Christ is the statement, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Can you imagine it really? Mary was on the inside, part of the inner circle, of the most remarkable events to ever happen on this planet. Mary wasn’t a spectator – she was a participant. And her response was wonder.

That is the mood that captured in the centuries old carol O Magnum Mysterium. It is a quiet song of deep inner joy. “O great mystery, and wondrous sacrament, that animals should see the newborn Lord, lying in their manger!” (emphasis mine)

It is Sunday and it is Christmas – what a blessed combination! And round the world over preachers are rehearsing the wonder of the Nativity. With such wondrous technology as we have today, all sorts of inspirational videos are being passed along rehearsing again the wonder of the Nativity. O thank God for the great mystery of the Nativity… oh stop and join Mary in wonder, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God,” it is Christmas and the mystery is solved, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9

…but never let the wonder go away.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;

Major Clay

O Holy Night!

Sat, Dec 24 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 24th

Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;”
Promised for thousands of years, the offspring of Eve, the one who would finally and completely defeat the enemy of godly living and living with god, has come. Over and over again the promise was reiterated throughout years. Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure captures the emotion of a weary world that has nearly given up on the promise of One who will deliver us.

It started out as a poem, written at the request of his parish priest in 1847, but it was Placide who decided it should be put to music. It was translated to English a few years later and soon the whole world (it seems) was singing, O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining…

This year Placide’s words again stir our weary souls. Christmas has come to mark the end of a busy season of parties and family gatherings and mall hopping and gift shopping and… and it marks the end of another year. Another year crammed with all the stuff of life. No wonder Placide’s words have stood the test of time.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

A “new and glorious morn”! Yes, and then fall on your knees. My friends what other response is as appropriate as the posture of the wise men who “fell to the ground and worshiped Him.” My great hope for you this Christmas is a thrill of hope and a heart of worship. May it be so. Amen.

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Major Clay

Beginnings & Endings

Fri, Dec 23 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 23rd.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."—Hebrews 12:2

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters respectively of the Greek alphabet. Just as in English we might say that something was covered from A-Z - wall-to-wall, or from the end to end; so in Greek it went from alpha to omega - from beginning to end.

Jesus Himself declared that He was Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and End of everything. (Rev 1:8)

He was there at the beginning of everything - John says that without Jesus "… nothing was made which was made". (John 1:3)
That's a bit of a mind-twister, but it succinctly says that Jesus was the originator of everything in our world.

He will be there at the end - something to remember as you listen to Handel's magnificent Hallelujah Chorus: "and He shall reign for ever and ever. Hallelujah!".

But that first Christmas He came as the end of the beginning, and the beginning of an end which would turn out very differently had He not come. God Himself rewrote the ending of the story of our lives. Instead of the original ending of eternal separation, he wrote a new ending of eternal joy and fellowship with Him. A new beginning where God and sinners were reconciled! And the little alpha-omega-baby in the manger was to be the author and finisher of our story!

Did I say "wow!"? Did you?

Jim Black

Mission Accomplished!

Thu, Dec 22 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 22nd.

Luke 2:6-7 "While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn".

He did it.

Maybe hanging a banner outside the stable that read “Mission Accomplished” might have been a bit premature, still He did it. Ever since the day He stepped foot in the Garden of Eden and found Adam and Eve playing hide and seek because they didn’t want God to know they had sinned, things had been different, distant.

But here He was, the Son of God wrapped up in the arms of a young peasant woman while her husband and a handful of shepherds stood gawking at the site.

And God the father looked on. The plan was working. What plan you ask? God’s plan to be with us.

A lot of people think that God expects too much from us, but in reality, all He really wants is to be with us. The Bible begins with Him creating us and visiting us, and it ends with the promise that He will dwell with us. And right in the middle (sort of) is the hinge of history; the INCARNATION, God became man and moved in with us.

So strike up the band!!

Christians, awake, salute the happy morn
Whereon the Savior of the world was born.
Rise to adore the mystery of love [what a great line!]

I invite you, Rise on Christmas morning and join us as we “adore [and explore] the mystery of love”
Major Clay

$3-worth of God?

Wed, Dec 21 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 21st.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! " 1 John 3:1 NIV

Over the last week or so, I’ve had the privilege of collecting thousands of toys from generous people in our community. Our Toy and Joy warehouse has been transformed from a bunch of empty tables, to overflowing tables, piled with new toys for children to enjoy on Christmas morning.

And today before I left, I looked at our tables filled with such an abundance of toys and thought, "how could a child, left to their own choosing, be satisfied with just one or even two toys?". They certainly would want to take as many toys as their little arms could carry.

It is with this picture in my mind that I wonder how it can be that we Christians are sometimes only too satisfied with what Wilbur Rees calls "$3 worth of God"?

“I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine… I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.”

God’s gift to us wasn’t something small and insignificant! His gift was His only Son! And how He wrapped that gift was as a baby born in a manger. His gift was for us to experience and receive His abundant love, freely given to each of us, all our little arms could carry and so much more.

Don’t be satisfied this Christmas with only $3 worth of God - go ahead and enjoy His abundant love - you won’t be disappointed!

Major Pam

Whad'ya get?

Tue, Dec 20 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 20th.

"Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matt. 2:11 NASB

In just a few more days we will all be answering that age-old question, “Whad'ya get for Christmas?” Gold? Frankincense? A Gift Card for Starbucks?

You know it happens every year; we all want to know what everyone got for Christmas. And I’m sure if you don’t get asked you might just offer that information freely; “Do you want to know what I got for Christmas this year?”

What if we were to change just one little word in that question; “What did you get for Christmas?” to “What did you get from Christmas?” What would your answer be?

What did you get from Christmas this year?

Maybe you discovered for the first time that this same Baby Jesus is the same Savior who said; "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Or maybe you realized where to find comfort amidst the struggles of life as Christ calls us to Him, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

What will your answer be when asked, “What did you get from Christmas this year?”

Major Pam

Ring a new bell

Mon, Dec 19 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 19th

Luke 2:1, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.”

The image of a thousand Christmas pageants flood my mind this time of year. Perhaps you’ve been to one; perhaps you’ll go to one. Or maybe it will be a Christmas Eve service. But as Christians we can’t escape familiar words of Luke as he sets the stage for the greatest story ever told. Some of us have heard it so many times we remember it as “And it came to pass…”

There is a warm, comfortable feeling that accompanies the story we know so well. And there are a host of carols that we sing every year, and we know at least the first verse of each one by heart. But I got to thinking about all those carols the band plays out at the kettle, carols I played by never sang. For instance, one we play is called, “Ding Dong Merrily on High” I thought it was a secular song, but I googled the words and they’re great. Do me a favor and don’t get too comfortable this Christmas, somewhere, somehow God might surprise you.

Ding dong merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Major Clay

Heavenly Peace

Sun, Dec 18 2011 12:01 | Devotional | Permalink

December 18th.

Every time I open my computer I see a picture of our son Jason, his wife Emily and myself taken on the day he was deployed to Afghanistan.

I remember waiting with all the other families to see their soldier/loved-ones just one more time before they left for a year. When I saw my son walk in I became overwhelmed by emotion - he was really headed off to war. He was going to a place where there was unrest; a place where life was different; a place where peace seemed so unattainable.

In this world of unrest, peace is a word that seems so empty. But during the Christmas season we are reminded of a host of angels proclaiming the announcement of the birth of a tiny baby that would change this world’s empty view of peace. Luke 2:14 shouts; "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (NASU) And in Isaiah 9:6 it was foretold; “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NKJV)

Yes, this world may have an empty view of peace - but because of Jesus’ birth we don’t!

Sleep in heav’nly peace.

Major Pam.

Rotary Bell Ringers

Sat, Dec 17 2011 11:21 | News | Permalink

Once again our friends from local Rotary clubs were out volunteering and ringing bells at our Red Kettles.
You can see photographs of the action here (or by clicking on the Santa-Biker above!)

Our heartfelt thanks to all those volunteers who share good cheer at Christmas!

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