Our family enjoyed the whole film from Mason Jar Films and Josh Garrels this evening. Beautiful. Delightful. Encouraging. Right in our living room.
May Jesus infuse your life with His beauty.
Another Amen!
Happy New Year!
Author: Craig
Let’s Be Bold!
10And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16And they went with haste… Luke 2:10-16
God’s bold bid.
God has made a bid for relationship. The angel announced it to the shepherds: Christ the Lord has been born! In response the shepherds were bold to go and find Him.
Let’s be bold!
“Let’s be bold!” In my family that’s a request for doughnuts! But its also a bid for relationship. Its a bonding experience.
This holiday “let’s be bold!” I don’t mean to suggest we must all have doughnuts. But I do mean we could do something to bond in our significant relationships.
God has created us for relationships with Him, with ourselves, with people, and with the stuff of earth. During Christmas we celebrate and reflect on the birth of Jesus. According to the Scriptures, He came from the Communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, entering into the relationships of humanity. He entered our relationships to show us who the Father is and to accomplish all that was required for us to enter into the communion of God. Jesus came to seek us, to save us, and to serve us by giving Himself for our forgiveness.
That was bold!
He got close to us in order to lift us up and include us in our Heavenly Father’s love.
Be Bold: Bond with Jesus.
In these holy-days I pray that you get closer to Jesus. You could:
Read the whole Gospel of Luke.
Read an inspiring book. (Here’s a list of free e-books.)
Attend a worship service with friends and family.
Gathering in a 3+ just for the holiday time with people you don’t usually see.
Have a home worship and prayer time with family members who also follow Jesus.
Find a way to serve or share a meal with those who could use a hand-up, the gift of presence and an encouraging word.
Go on a walk with a family member and thank them for all the “gifts” and grace you have enjoy by being in relationship to them.
Be generous.
Hey, “Let’s be bold!”
What if we were not afraid?
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” John 11:25-27
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” …53So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. John 11:45-50, 53
Identity Issues
After Jesus made this extraordinary admission of his identity he proceeded to the tomb of Lazarus and called him out. Jesus radiates His glory in word and deed:
The Resurrection: Whoever believes in me, though he dies, shall live.
The Life: Whoever believes in me shall never die.
The body will fail us. Jesus will not.
The spirit of a person made alive in Christ will live though the body dies.
A Threat to the Status Quo
The healing of Lazarus solidified the opinion of some people that Jesus was a threat. Can you imagine? What if the followers of Jesus were not afraid of death? For those authorities who rely on violence to retain their honour, their position and their influence a people who do not fear death is intolerable. So these authorities take a posture against Jesus and His people.
So, what if we were not afraid?
“You can kill the body, but the Lord will raise me up.” “To be absent from the body is to be with the Lord.” “You decide, is it better for us to obey people, or the Lord?” “Jesus is Lord.”
Where would we go? Who would we love? What convictions would remain? What trivial pursuits would we abandon?
So, what if you were not afraid?
What if heaven, our Lord, and His call loomed larger than death itself?
Anticipating Gloom or Glory?
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
John 11:1-4
Anticipation
The Gospel of Jesus changes the way we enter into each day. Jesus moves us to see all things through the perspective of the cross. When we do so, we will see glimpses of God’s glory.
Jesus returned to Bethany anticipating God’s glory. His disciples returned to Bethany with dread. They likely dreaded the grief of Lazarus’ death. They definitely dreaded the looming conflict with Jerusalem’s authorities. Thomas and the disciples admired Jesus so much they could not imagine life without their leader. (Read the rest of John 11)
But in it all, Jesus wanted them to anticipate seeing God’s glory.
Your Outlook for Today
What are you anticipating today?
Some days our expectations are light and joy. Some days our morning begins with darkness and gloom. Through it all, the Spirit of God would condition us to anticipate the Kingdom of God breaking in so we can get a glimpse of the glory of Jesus.
A Prayer to See God’s Glory
Here’s my prayer for you as I join with the Apostle Paul in his prayer:
14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
Liberate us from our anxieties so we can…
That was the prayer of a student in my 3+ group yesterday. The cry of those simple words resonated in my heart and mind. I immediately sensed God’s presence and the promise of His Word for this desire.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1
“It is I; do not be afraid.” John 6:20
“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life… Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:24, 25, 32, 33.
As I reflected further on this “karios moment,” I have become aware that often my liberation from anxiety is found in process; is not a static condition; and must be renewed. In fact the stirred up or troubled mind could be the very work of the Spirit of God leading me into deeper trust and reliance on Him, healing of my wounds, new connections with my community, and participation in Jesus’ mission.
The anxious mind is definitely preoccupied with worries of the past, present, and future. But it is not purposeful. It paralyses me.
This is why the prayer affected me so profoundly. “Liberate us from our anxieties so we can…” You fill in the blank. You know what the Lord has put before you as responsibilities and opportunities to grow, learn, lead, and love. I hope this will become your prayer too. “Oh Heavenly Father, liberate me from my anxieties so I can ________________.”
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