Fear the Lord
I want to start by looking at Psalm 103:8-18. It says
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
This verse shows the depth of the love Christ has for us. But it also shows us something about God that can be confusing if read the wrong way. That is that we are supposed to “fear” God. Fear is something I have struggled with my whole life. From spiders, to murderers, to failing tests, you name it I have been afraid of it. The Bible says “do not fear” 365 times. That’s one verse for each day of the year! So if He commands us not to fear that many times, why does he tell us to fear Him?
When God says for us to fear him, he is talking about respect and reverence. A King can be “good” but if he is not feared then no one will do what he says. Since I am a teacher, I deal with this daily. I consider myself a “good” teacher but if I do not instill a respect and reverence for my teaching in my students, they will walk all over me. In the same way, God asks us to fear him. We read in the Bible what has happened to those who went against Him, and it is never good! The Israelites had to live in the desert for 40 years and they were constantly being captured by other nations. The Old Testament has several stories of people being struck dead on the spot for disobeying God. He uses these stories to show us that he means business. He is all powerful and being under his command is not to be taken lightly.
Lucky for us our God is also benevolent, loving and compassionate as the verse above says. He knows we are going to mess up. Fearing God does not mean we are perfect, it means when we mess up we know who to apologize to. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. In the story when the children see Aslan the Lion for the first time, Lucy asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe. Mr. Beaver replies “Safe?... Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King…”
Our God is good but he is not safe and he is to be feared as the King above all Kings. May we continue to fear Him and show our respect and reverence as we go about our lives this week.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
God Exists Outside our Comfort Zones
I am currently reading several works for my new semester at the Institute for Worship Studies and they are all about Multicultural worship. One of the books, entitled “Worship Together in Your Church as in Heaven,” talked several times about how God “exists outside our comfort zones.” I thought this would be a good topic to discuss as we are entering a new year.
I have a definite comfort zone. I know exactly what I can do easily and what will send me into a panic. Have you ever thought about your comfort zone when it comes to worship? I mean think about it, you most likely chose Valley Chapel because you felt comfortable here and you were comfortable with the flow of the service. This is absolutely not a bad thing! It is important to enjoy the church where you worship. The problem is sometimes we can get too comfortable where we are in our faith or church life and before we know it we have become stagnant. Not regressing, but not moving forward either. What is required here is a journey outside our comfort zone.
The book I previously mentioned says, “Many of the things we value in worship have to do with our own comfort. But a scriptural understanding of worship demands that we be uncomfortable at least some of the time.” Later on it says “If we stay in our comfort zones, our God becomes increasingly small.” There are many types of worship being used in Christian churches, that you might not be aware of, that can broaden your worship experience and further you in your faith journey. All you need to do is be willing to experience them. So as you start this new year, what can you do to get outside your comfort zone and experience God in a new way? It might be volunteering to read scripture during the service. It might be having a prayer meeting or worship service at your home (maybe with Christians of a different culture). Whatever it is, pray that when God gives you the opportunity to get outside your comfort zone that you would be willing to take that leap of faith and respond.
Monday, January 4, 2016
The Word is Alive
The Word is Alive
Hebrews 4: 12 says “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This is something I have heard for most of my life. “The word is alive.” God is continually moving and speaking through His word, even though it was written so long ago. The question is: How can we continue to view the word as “alive” when it is something that has become so commonplace in our lives?
Since I was born I have probably either heard or read the story of Noah’s ark a total of 1,000 times and that is true for most of the accounts in the Bible. Because of this, when I read the Word I can sometimes feel unenthused when I am reading it because I’ve read it so many times. This is not what God intended when He gave us his word. The Bible should bring new revelation and meaning to our lives with every reading. In this post today I will be discussing some ways to revitalize your Bible reading and make the Word come alive again. If your Bible time is lack-luster, here are some things you can do.
1. Find out the History
For me the Old Testament can sometimes be hard to read, especially those dense books like Numbers and Deuteronomy. What was helpful for me was reading about what was going on historically at the time these books were written. This can shed light at to why God is commanding the Israelites to do the things He asks them to do. By studying daily life in Israel, we can draw connections to scripture and gain a deeper understanding of what God is saying in the Word.
2. Word Study
A meaningful thing to do while you are reading is to identify particular words and ask “why did the author choose this word instead of another word.” For instance, in Genesis 1, the Bible refers to everything God did as “good.” Why not “fantastic” or “spectacular?” A great way to study this is to look at the original Hebrew translated word for word. http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Hebrew_Index.htm is a great website for this. It shows the Hebrew translated word for word next to today’s Bible. Also, looking at a concordance can be helpful. There is more meaning than you know in the Bible that is waiting to be discovered.
3. Praying the Psalms
Most of the Psalms are actual prayers and in ancient times they were often chanted aloud. Praying through the Psalms is a very meaningful experience that can bring depth to you Bible reading. One way to do this is by switching up the pronouns. For instance, Psalm 105: 1-4 says
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
To pray this, add “I” before each line and change pronouns referring to God into “you”.
I will give praise to you LORD, I will proclaim your name
I will make known among the nations what you have done.
let my heart seek you and rejoice.
I will sing to you, sing praise to you;
tell of all your wonderful acts.
Glory in your holy name;
I look to you and your strength;
I will seek your face always.
This is just one example of how to pray a Psalm but it is very effective and turns the Psalms from a prayer written by David into a cry of our own hearts. It makes it more personal.
4. Get Creative
For all you artists out there, use your creativity to enhance your Bible experience. Compose songs when you are reading the Psalms or simply sing whatever tune comes to mind. Read dramatically aloud the passage as you feel the writer would have said it. Paint or draw a picture based on a passage of scripture. I have seen several posts lately of people turning their actual Bibles into works of art by drawing in the margins. This blog shows great examples of this: http://www.rebekahrjones.com/bible-art-journaling-challenge/ . Get creative and a guarantee your Bible will become more and more precious to you as you go.
I hope some of these suggestions are helpful and will revive a love for the Bible in you. The Word is Alive and God can make it alive again for you if you let Him!
Hebrews 4: 12 says “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This is something I have heard for most of my life. “The word is alive.” God is continually moving and speaking through His word, even though it was written so long ago. The question is: How can we continue to view the word as “alive” when it is something that has become so commonplace in our lives?
Since I was born I have probably either heard or read the story of Noah’s ark a total of 1,000 times and that is true for most of the accounts in the Bible. Because of this, when I read the Word I can sometimes feel unenthused when I am reading it because I’ve read it so many times. This is not what God intended when He gave us his word. The Bible should bring new revelation and meaning to our lives with every reading. In this post today I will be discussing some ways to revitalize your Bible reading and make the Word come alive again. If your Bible time is lack-luster, here are some things you can do.
1. Find out the History
For me the Old Testament can sometimes be hard to read, especially those dense books like Numbers and Deuteronomy. What was helpful for me was reading about what was going on historically at the time these books were written. This can shed light at to why God is commanding the Israelites to do the things He asks them to do. By studying daily life in Israel, we can draw connections to scripture and gain a deeper understanding of what God is saying in the Word.
2. Word Study
A meaningful thing to do while you are reading is to identify particular words and ask “why did the author choose this word instead of another word.” For instance, in Genesis 1, the Bible refers to everything God did as “good.” Why not “fantastic” or “spectacular?” A great way to study this is to look at the original Hebrew translated word for word. http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Hebrew_Index.htm is a great website for this. It shows the Hebrew translated word for word next to today’s Bible. Also, looking at a concordance can be helpful. There is more meaning than you know in the Bible that is waiting to be discovered.
3. Praying the Psalms
Most of the Psalms are actual prayers and in ancient times they were often chanted aloud. Praying through the Psalms is a very meaningful experience that can bring depth to you Bible reading. One way to do this is by switching up the pronouns. For instance, Psalm 105: 1-4 says
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
To pray this, add “I” before each line and change pronouns referring to God into “you”.
I will give praise to you LORD, I will proclaim your name
I will make known among the nations what you have done.
let my heart seek you and rejoice.
I will sing to you, sing praise to you;
tell of all your wonderful acts.
Glory in your holy name;
I look to you and your strength;
I will seek your face always.
This is just one example of how to pray a Psalm but it is very effective and turns the Psalms from a prayer written by David into a cry of our own hearts. It makes it more personal.
4. Get Creative
For all you artists out there, use your creativity to enhance your Bible experience. Compose songs when you are reading the Psalms or simply sing whatever tune comes to mind. Read dramatically aloud the passage as you feel the writer would have said it. Paint or draw a picture based on a passage of scripture. I have seen several posts lately of people turning their actual Bibles into works of art by drawing in the margins. This blog shows great examples of this: http://www.rebekahrjones.com/bible-art-journaling-challenge/ . Get creative and a guarantee your Bible will become more and more precious to you as you go.
I hope some of these suggestions are helpful and will revive a love for the Bible in you. The Word is Alive and God can make it alive again for you if you let Him!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The Meaning of Advent
The Meaning of Advent
Some would say this is the best time of the year! Christmas cookies and TV specials abound. But for Christians, Advent and Christmas means something more. Advent is the time in the Christian Calendar preceding Christmas. There are 4 weeks of Advent and then the 5th week is Christmas. The word “advent” literally means “the arrival of an important person, thing or event”, in this case, the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to Robert Webber, there are actually three advents we are celebrating: “the Advent of Christ's physical birth in Bethlehem, the Advent of Christ coming into our own lives, and the Advent of his second coming at the end of history.” We obviously know about the advent of Christ’s physical birth, but what about the other two?
Christmas is more than just a celebration of Jesus being born, it is a realization that by being born he entered into our lives and is still entering people’s lives today! This is a true reason to celebrate.
The last Advent, the second coming, is not one I usually think about during Advent. But in fact, through the birth of Jesus, we were given hope a hope that in the end of time evil will be defeated and Christ will rule. Webber says “What the second coming says to us is that the evil of this world is doomed. It will be judged and burned by fire because God in Christ has already dealt a decisive blow to the powers of evil. God has dethroned these powers and taken away their ability to have ultimate control over history and over our lives (Col. 2:15).” So through the birth of Jesus, we have a hope for the future that cannot be shaken. This is especially helpful to the world now that is dealing with so much evil and death. We can celebrate in the midst of tragedy because God will come again.
So, during this season of Advent, concentrate on not just the physical birth of Christ, but also the wonderful fact that he came into our lives, is still working, and will come again to restore us to Him. The story of Christmas is more than just a babe in a manger, it is the continuing story of Christ and the world.
Some would say this is the best time of the year! Christmas cookies and TV specials abound. But for Christians, Advent and Christmas means something more. Advent is the time in the Christian Calendar preceding Christmas. There are 4 weeks of Advent and then the 5th week is Christmas. The word “advent” literally means “the arrival of an important person, thing or event”, in this case, the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to Robert Webber, there are actually three advents we are celebrating: “the Advent of Christ's physical birth in Bethlehem, the Advent of Christ coming into our own lives, and the Advent of his second coming at the end of history.” We obviously know about the advent of Christ’s physical birth, but what about the other two?
Christmas is more than just a celebration of Jesus being born, it is a realization that by being born he entered into our lives and is still entering people’s lives today! This is a true reason to celebrate.
The last Advent, the second coming, is not one I usually think about during Advent. But in fact, through the birth of Jesus, we were given hope a hope that in the end of time evil will be defeated and Christ will rule. Webber says “What the second coming says to us is that the evil of this world is doomed. It will be judged and burned by fire because God in Christ has already dealt a decisive blow to the powers of evil. God has dethroned these powers and taken away their ability to have ultimate control over history and over our lives (Col. 2:15).” So through the birth of Jesus, we have a hope for the future that cannot be shaken. This is especially helpful to the world now that is dealing with so much evil and death. We can celebrate in the midst of tragedy because God will come again.
So, during this season of Advent, concentrate on not just the physical birth of Christ, but also the wonderful fact that he came into our lives, is still working, and will come again to restore us to Him. The story of Christmas is more than just a babe in a manger, it is the continuing story of Christ and the world.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Innkeeper
The Innkeeper
The story of Christ’s birth is one we’ve heard a million times. There were shepherds, angels, wise men, and an innkeeper who said there was “no room.” The Innkeeper is what I want to focus on today.
This guy is running an inn and is filled to capacity so by the time Jesus needs a place to be born, there’s no space left. Mary and Joseph are sent to the stable. Now I know we glorify the stable and the manger and make it look like this super comfy place but in reality it probably stunk like crazy and it was not clean at all.
My point here is that when we allow our hearts and lives to become so cluttered with the things of this world, we are actually blocking him from our lives. We banish him to the stinky stable and ask him to stay there instead of having a prominent place in our lives. I’m sure if the Innkeeper had realized who he was talking to, he would not have turned them away. He probably would have thrown some people out just to make room.
Is there room in your life for Christ today? Does he have a room fitting for the King of Kings or are you asking him to stay in the background in the stinky stable. In order to be the followers of Christ we need to be, we need to empty our lives of the things that are keeping Christ from entering in. The things that cause us to have guilt and shame. The things that we willingly do knowing they are not of God or will not bring us closer to God. This week, think about those things that are taking space away from Christ in your life and empty yourself so that you can be re-filled with Him.
The story of Christ’s birth is one we’ve heard a million times. There were shepherds, angels, wise men, and an innkeeper who said there was “no room.” The Innkeeper is what I want to focus on today.
This guy is running an inn and is filled to capacity so by the time Jesus needs a place to be born, there’s no space left. Mary and Joseph are sent to the stable. Now I know we glorify the stable and the manger and make it look like this super comfy place but in reality it probably stunk like crazy and it was not clean at all.
My point here is that when we allow our hearts and lives to become so cluttered with the things of this world, we are actually blocking him from our lives. We banish him to the stinky stable and ask him to stay there instead of having a prominent place in our lives. I’m sure if the Innkeeper had realized who he was talking to, he would not have turned them away. He probably would have thrown some people out just to make room.
Is there room in your life for Christ today? Does he have a room fitting for the King of Kings or are you asking him to stay in the background in the stinky stable. In order to be the followers of Christ we need to be, we need to empty our lives of the things that are keeping Christ from entering in. The things that cause us to have guilt and shame. The things that we willingly do knowing they are not of God or will not bring us closer to God. This week, think about those things that are taking space away from Christ in your life and empty yourself so that you can be re-filled with Him.
The Meaning Behind the Advent Candles
The Meaning Behind the Advent Candles
You may have noticed that around Christmas time, a wreath with candles appears on a stand in front of the church. Every Sunday during Advent there is a reading and a candle is lit. Unfortunately, this has become a tradition that is faithfully carried out but the meaning behind it is lost. Why do we light the candles at Advent?
The tradition of the wreath goes back to the 16th century when it was used by German Lutherans. The person credited with popularizing the wreath is Johann Hinrich Wichern who was a pastor in Germany in the 19th century. It remained a popular custom in Germany and began to be used in both Protestant and Catholic Services. The tradition is supposed not to have come to the United States until the 1930’s.
There is a lot of symbolism contained in the wreath. The wreath itself, being a perfect circle, represents God’s eternal reign. He is the Alpha and the Omega and a circle also has no beginning or end. Depending on what church you attend, you will slight variations in the color of the candles. Out church uses 3 purple candles and one pink candle. The pink candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday and represents joy.
The center candle (The Christ Candle) is white to represent the purity of Christ. Another symbol is that of light entering the world. We start advent with no candles lit and each week we add more and more light. This is to represent the light of the world coming down to earth and ending the darkness.
My hope is that now that you know the background, you will have a greater appreciation for this tradition. The Advent season is almost over now but this Sunday as you look at the wreath and hear the readings, this of God’s power as the Alpha and the Omega and how he chose to use that power to save us.
Sources:
http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/what-do-the-candles-in-our-advent-wreath-mean
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath
You may have noticed that around Christmas time, a wreath with candles appears on a stand in front of the church. Every Sunday during Advent there is a reading and a candle is lit. Unfortunately, this has become a tradition that is faithfully carried out but the meaning behind it is lost. Why do we light the candles at Advent?
The tradition of the wreath goes back to the 16th century when it was used by German Lutherans. The person credited with popularizing the wreath is Johann Hinrich Wichern who was a pastor in Germany in the 19th century. It remained a popular custom in Germany and began to be used in both Protestant and Catholic Services. The tradition is supposed not to have come to the United States until the 1930’s.
There is a lot of symbolism contained in the wreath. The wreath itself, being a perfect circle, represents God’s eternal reign. He is the Alpha and the Omega and a circle also has no beginning or end. Depending on what church you attend, you will slight variations in the color of the candles. Out church uses 3 purple candles and one pink candle. The pink candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday and represents joy.
The center candle (The Christ Candle) is white to represent the purity of Christ. Another symbol is that of light entering the world. We start advent with no candles lit and each week we add more and more light. This is to represent the light of the world coming down to earth and ending the darkness.
My hope is that now that you know the background, you will have a greater appreciation for this tradition. The Advent season is almost over now but this Sunday as you look at the wreath and hear the readings, this of God’s power as the Alpha and the Omega and how he chose to use that power to save us.
Sources:
http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/what-do-the-candles-in-our-advent-wreath-mean
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Stewardship
After Pastor Todd’s sermon on Stewardship, I decided to write one more blog on the subject.
Since I am a major nerd, Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movie series of all time. In the third movie, Return of the King, Gandalf the wizard goes to the city of Gondor to warn them that the evil army is heading their way and to convince them to call on the neighboring realm of Rohan for help. Gondor is currently being run by a Steward who is not a very nice guy and ultimately decides to stubbornly not call for help. So every time the sermon said something about being a “steward”, I thought about this movie. The Steward in the movie is the ultimate example of what not to do. He was resistant to help and to admit that he was not the true King. In a heated discussion, Gandalf says to the Steward “Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the king, Steward.” To which the steward replies “Rule of Gondor is mine! And no others!” He is clearly in denial and it ends up leading to his demise
“So Kendra”, you ask, “what on earth does this have to do with anything?” Well I’m glad you asked. God has made us stewards of the world around us. Though we may not see it, we have a great impact on the people and world around us. If we are resistant to our responsibilities and try to do things our own way, we will not be granted success. We have to realize that we are only a place holder, a representative of the one true King. Problems arise in our lives when we forget who is really in charge. The Steward in the movie was so blinded by his “power” and fear of that power being taken away that he was unable to listen to any wise council. We as stewards need to realize that we do have power but that that power is God given and has nothing to do with ourselves.
So! This week, let’s look at how we are doing as stewards. Are we acknowledging God’s authority in our lives or have we decided that we are the ones in charge? Are we being effective stewards or representatives of the Lord? Take time to evaluate this week. And thank you for sticking with me through this super geeky blog! If you want to watch the clip I was referring to, here is the link!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjIf0-8QyuM
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