Joy and Loss

 ~ Christmas Eve ~

From Christmas to the cross

Such joy and such loss.

From the cross to the grave

Jesus died; Jesus saves.

From the grave to the skies

Jesus lives- He is alive.

I penned these words earlier today, as I thought about Jesus’ profound sacrifice – leaving heaven’s glory, stooping to become a baby in a virgin’s womb, and giving His life as a ransom for many. I thought about all the important questions surrounding His birth, and how they were all answered centuries before He came.

Who – God with us. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

What- a son. (Isaiah 7:14)

When - "Seventy weeks, (490 years), have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place." (Daniel 9:24)

Where - "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5;2)

Why - He shall save His people from their sins. “Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12)

How - By a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14)

I am ever so thankful that the Christ of Christmas is also the Christ of the cross. That cross may have slain Him but the grave could not hold Him. Perhaps you think it strange that I would believe in Jesus Christ; that I believe he is God. Mythology would have men becoming gods- instigating a glorious, self-indulgent rescue, only to be repeated again and again, cyclical and without hope. Religion would have men grovelling for the favour of a god they cannot know.

But it is not so with Christ. God became man. He humbled Himself and identified with us to the point of death. I, for one, cannot even imagine a more humbling act of love- selfless, powerful, and sufficient for the forgiveness of sin.

At our Christmas Eve church service, Pastor Pernell spoke about the paradox many of us encounter at Christmas time: the joys of celebrating Jesus’ birth and the poignant sorrows of remembering those who have died. I am grateful for his reminder that we have Jesus, the Light of the world; that we celebrate a constant, a certainty in a world full of change and uncertainty. “In Him was life and the life was the light of men,” (John 1:4).

The words of my little poem also came from a heart that knows loss. This Christmas, I have been thinking of so many of us who know Loss on a first-name basis. We can take heart, my friends. The God of heaven understands our grief. His loss, when Jesus died, was deeper than what we will ever know.  I am comforted by the knowledge that He knows the depth of our sorrow and the breadth of our pain. God knows. God cares. He will comfort, if you ask Him. And for those who come to know Him, there is not only “Christ in you the hope of glory,” for the rest of your days here on earth, there is also heaven waiting to welcome you home.

This God whom I know is worth knowing. This Saviour born is a Saviour worth worshiping. Our children sang this evening, to the tune of: ”O come let us adore Him.”

For he alone is worthy

For he alone is worthy

For he alone is worthy

Christ the Lord.

You can have MY room

It all seems so romantic and rustic and rather idyllic.  Images of a cozy stable, a new-born baby and sheep and shepherds all ‘round about the happy couple welcoming their first-born, Jesus.  

I’m more inclined to think of the young lad who was the innkeeper in a play about the Christmas story.  The practices all went very well and he would shout: “No room!” at Mary and Joseph, and then slam the door of his inn.  However, the night of the actual play, it ended rather differently.  For this little innkeeper, the story became so real that he had a change of heart.  After the shouting and slamming, he opened the door again and with tears in his eyes, he said: “Wait!  Please come back.  You can have MY room.” He got it right!  A King was to be born and he wanted the monarch to have the best place he could offer.  I wonder, this Christmas, is there room in your heart for this Saviour?  

One of my favourite Christmas carols: 

From the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable

From the squalor of a borrowed stable, by the Spirit and a virgin's faith;

To the anguish and the shame of scandal; came the Saviour of the human race.

But the skies were filled with the praise of heaven, shepherds listen as the angels tell

Of the Gift of God come down to man, at the dawning of Immanuel.

King of heaven now the Friend of sinners, humble servant in the Father's hands,

Filled with power and the Holy Spirit, filled with mercy for the broken man.

Yes, He walked my road and He felt my pain; joys and sorrows that I know so well;

Yet His righteous steps give me hope again - I will follow my Immanuel.

Through the kisses of a friend's betrayal, He was lifted on a cruel cross;

He was punished for a world's transgressions, He was suffering to save the lost.

He fights for breath, He fights for me, loosing sinners from the claims of hell;

And with a shout our souls are free - death defeated by Immanuel.

Now He's standing in the place of honour, crowned with glory on the highest throne,

Interceding for His own beloved, ‘til His Father calls to bring them home!

Then the skies will part as the trumpet sounds; hope of heaven or the fear of hell;

But the Bride will run to her Lover's arms, giving glory to Immanuel!

Stuart TownendCopyright © 1999 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com

I love David Wesley’s rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYXFU8HugMY

The title is a reminder that God came to earth in a spirit of meekness, gentleness and humility, and yet people are still looking for a great king to rescue them, to pay a ransom for them to be forever free.  Our literature is full of sweeping sagas of great saviours, but do we not know that He has already come, has already paid the greatest ransom of all, by dying on a cross, and then rising again?                                                                                      His name is  Immanuel, “God with us”,(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).    

Merry Christmas!   Joyeux Noël!    Feliz Navidad!

Cupped Hands

Mom.

It’s one thing to get a child’s attention, by cupping their face in your hands.  It’s quite another when they cup your face in their hands and say: “I love you.”  Go ahead and feel your heart melting.  The seniors with whom I work understand.  They crave a gentle touch; these people who are well-fed and yet starving for joy and comfort.  “O tidings of comfort and joy,” is their heart’s cry.  A more wondrous Christmas present could not be given, if one was to offer a gentle touch.

You know, it takes time to be gentle.  It takes a spirit of humility to be gentle.  There is a grace found in a spirit of gentleness that you will not find anywhere else.  We’ve known it, when someone loves us well, and we can rejoice in the qualitative touch of a gentle spirit.  It is a great sadness, when we have left gentleness in the dust of our too-busy lives; anxiously reaching for the next empty apparition of more, more, more.

But we are not left without an example, nor are we left without any help.  If anyone exuded gentleness, it would have been Jesus; filled to overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. No wonder the people flocked to him; no wonder he carries the titles of Good Shepherd, (John 10:11); Great Shepherd, (Hebrews 13:20); and Chief Shepherd,(1 Peter 5:4).  It does seem a paradox, though, that Jesus was ushered into the world at the proclamation of lowly shepherds.  But isn’t that the way?  I mean, don’t we recognize true strength of character in meekness and gentleness?  I marvel at God’s seemingly “upside-down” way of looking at the world.  

Pastor Pernell’s message about leaving vengeance to God is so fitting, as he spoke about using a spirit of kindness and gentleness to respond to those who have hurt us deeply; to those upon whom we would rather wreak havoc and vengeance.  By responding with gentleness, we may well lead the very perpetrator to repentance and faith. 

Meek is might, if we can take any lessons from Moses, the meekest man in all the earth, and from Jesus Himself, who was “…gentle and riding on a donkey.” (Matthew 21:4).  A gentle answer turns away wrath, says Proverbs 15:1, and this same meek and gentle Jesus answers to the righteous wrath of God, by holding our faces in His nail-scarred hands, and whispering to us in words loud and clear: “I love you.  I died for you.  I rose from the dead for you.  I live for you.  There is nothing too hard for me.”  Jesus' words, in Matthew 11:29:

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart;

and you shall find rest for your souls.”

We may get a lot accomplished in this life, on our hurry-scurry treadmills.  We might even get even with someone for hurting us.  But the pile of ashes at our feet, at the end of the day, will be all that is left; unless this fruit of the Spirit, gentleness, has been evident.  This Christmas, may gentleness be my hallmark, bringing tidings of comfort and joy.  I can start by taking my mother’s face into my cupped hands and saying:  “I love you.”  At 92 years of age, there may not be much time left for me to do this.  A daily dose would be a good thing, bringing rest to my soul and to hers.  Today was a good day to start a new tradition.  My Mom’s response: “And I love you.”

Reflected Light

Reflected light, this full and bright moon.

Shining the sun’s rays to me at night.

Arced across the sky, moving east to west.

Watching a faithful and beautiful sight.

Reflective. Shining.  Faithful.

So it is for me, in Christ.  

        Shine on.

"Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: "I am the light of the world; 

he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

(John 8:12)

(Jesus said)  "You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

(Matthew 5:14) 

November 20, 2015.

From another mother

As we’ve been studying the book of Ruth together, at our ladies’ small group, I’ve been moved by the faithfulness of a faithful God.  Having lost her husband and her two sons, Naomi left three graves in Moab and returned to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law, Ruth.  Naomi says that she had left full but came back empty.  Not so, Naomi!  God has always been with you, faithful to the end; Ruth, whom you now call ‘daughter,’ has been ever-so-faithful to you.

One might ask: “What does it mean that God is faithful?”  He is faithful in His written word:

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”.(Matthew 25:34),

and in His Living Word, found in Jesus Christ,

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, 

Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

Your refuge, my refuge, is found in this faithful God who calls believers in Christ to be faithful.  Really, all of us are refugees, looking for a safe haven.  Whether it is a teenager who is pregnant and needing care, comfort and courage to carry her baby to term or a senior who longs for a smile, a helping hand and conversation, there is an innate longing for faithful friends.  And no wonder, since we are made in the image of God.  This triune God is a God of fellowship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  This triune God, in whose image we are made, has created us for fellowship, for intimacy, for joy and as a refuge for others.

Are we so selfish, that we will not allow others from another mother, to come into our country?  Will we really close the airports and the gates and the ports and the borders, so that fleeing refugees will be turned away?  Don’t we realize that Canada has its own version of evil: abortion-on-demand and the legalization of euthanasia?  Haven’t we killed enough of our own blood to staunch the flow of death?  Are we so self-righteous that we claim an excellent human rights tradition while our indigenous communities have no running water and cardboard houses in which to live?

Where is the faithfulness that the fruit of Spirit speaks about, in Galatians 5:22?  Are we so deaf to the cries of the needy that we can say, with alacrity and insouciance: NIMBY- Not In My Backyard?  Oh please, please- let us be a people who love the Lord our God and who love our neighbours, whomsoever they may be. 

Women, children, one-month-old babies are escaping the horrors of a war that has been none of their making.  The politics of generations has gone into these awful developments, and an organization like ISIS has deftly made their way into a vacuum where mercy does not reign, but terror tightens its grip on hearts and minds.  If we are in Christ, why do we feel paralyzed with fear?  Can we not provide a drop of mercy in these oceans of heartache and despair?

The violent takeover of lands and peoples is not new to Islam.  Such was the way of the prophet Mohammed; such is the way of those who follow him to the letter.  They are bent on creating a caliphate where women are objects to be used, where fear prevails and nary a drop of mercy can be found.  Are all Muslims to be painted with the brush of such extremists?  No.  Would some of them make it to Canada?  I wouldn’t doubt it.  But to think this is comparable to the myth of the Trojan horse that was sent into the heart of Troy and filled with the enemies’ soldiers is pretty far-fetched, Donald Trump notwithstanding.

   

Faithfulness to our God, faithfulness to our spouse, to our children, to our world- this fruit of the Spirit can only be played out in the day-to-day decisions that we make; in the places where perhaps no one sees us; in the interactions we have with our neighbours.  Being faithful is only a platitude unless we have a godly attitude- pointing people to our faithful God.  I am grateful for Samaritan’s Purse, who has boots on the ground at the point where these fleeing refugees are at their weakest- getting off rubber dinghies and landing on the shores of an island where they cannot be sure if someone will turn their boat around,sending them back across the lonely, salty waters; back to certain death.

(See here:  https://www.facebook.com/SamaritansPurse/videos/10153016512126809/). May it not be so here in Canada; may it not be said of believers that WE are more important than THEM.  ISIS longs for this; they want these fleeing refugees to think that ISIS is their refuge and as they watch and wait, we might well be playing right into their bloody hands.  Let it not be so, oh faithful God, let it not be so.

While Good News is putting her boots on...

“While good news is putting her boots on, bad news is already down the road.”  I’m afraid this old saying still rings true.  We just can’t wait to pass on a juicy bit of gossip and what my Mom calls facebook is sadly à propos:  “the porte-patchet,” which means “the gossip-column.”  I wonder, is that how you use facebook?  Doesn’t good news deserve a hearing?  In the book of Ruth, the sweet fruit of the Spirit-goodness- still counts!

It was around 1250 B.C. when Ruth, the Moabitess, went to draw water for her and her mother-in-law, Naomi, at the well in Bethlehem.  I can almost hear the other women: 

“There’s that woman from Moab!” 

“How dare she come to our land?  She is our enemy!”

“Her husband was Naomi’s son, and he died. She cursed the entire family!”

“She’s barren- it’s because God judged her!”

Ah, but there was someone who offered Ruth life-giving water and his name was Boaz.   Later on, out in the field where Ruth was gleaning, he said to her:

“When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”  

(Ruth 2:9)

Oh, the goodness of this man, Boaz!  He need not have offered Ruth water- she was, after all, a foreigner and far worse, someone from a land where their enemies dwelt.  He knew her history- it had been reported to him.  But he gleaned the wonderful parts of her story- she had honoured her mother-in-law, left her own mother and father and her country, and had come to a people whom she did not know.  Boaz knew she had left all behind to stay with Naomi and follow Naomi’s God, the God of Israel. 

He didn’t tell her to go back to town and fetch water for herself at the well, nor did he tell her to go and fetch water for the others; he told her to drink, and to drink the water drawn by his own servants.  What dignity Boaz bestowed on Ruth that day!  Such goodness he showed this young widow, who knew only one person in the entire country, namely Naomi. 

Goodness means you don’t just offer help; give a date, a time, a suggestion and follow through.

Goodness means you put yourself out to meet someone’s need.

Goodness means you humble yourself before God, remembering that you are a sinner saved by grace, and you do the unimaginable: tell a prostitute that God deeply cares about them, bring food to a home where conditions are less-than-ideal, put an ad in your local newspaper saying you are available to mow a senior’s lawn for free, take a Bible to someone in prison, sit with a drunkard or an addict while they go through the horrors of withdrawal or…

Boaz was a Kinsman-Redeemer for Naomi and Ruth; a close relative whose role was to care for these two widows.  He could have chosen not to do so; not to demonstrate goodness towards them.  Unbeknownst to him, he was pointing to someone far greater than himself, when he offered water to Ruth.  He was pointing to Jesus Christ, the epitome of goodness,  and the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer who gave up His life; so that we might have a well of water springing up to eternal life,(John 4:14).   

Ah, may Paul’s words to the church at Rome be true of us today:

"I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,

                     filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another."               

(Romans 15:14)

Mercy Finds Us

Naomi - a woman of courage, a woman of honesty, a woman of joy; a widow bereft of her husband and two sons.  She, along with her husband Elimelech and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, had travelled to Moab to escape the famine in Bethlehem, the town whose name means ‘House of Bread.’   (You can read their story here).  Ten years later, she returns to Bethlehem without her husband, without her two sons and with her daughter-in-law, Ruth.  It was a less-than-glorious return, for the famine had followed her to Moab – a famine of spiritual proportions that she had not expected.

Two widows, one of whom was barren, were making their way back home. It was a journey fraught with painful memories; but somehow the longed-for comfort of being home and the companionship of a God who never forsook them made the odyssey bearable.  After seven to ten days of travel, they finally entered through the gate of the town of Bethlehem.  Did she remark to Ruth, on that long journey home, that she and her family had slept at such-and-such a place, or had gotten food at that particular town?  Was there weeping as they walked, remembering the graves left behind in Moab?  Regret, perhaps; regrets about leaving Bethlehem and turmoil about a return that would only cause questions and pronouncements of “I told you so?”  Never mind the raised eyebrows over bringing a Moabite into the land of Israel.  Would Ruth be safe- this foreigner who had pledged her allegiance to Naomi and to her God?  Would she even be allowed to get water at the well?  

Famine is such a huge metaphor for the spiritual drift that can happen when we ‘do what is right in our own eyes.’  Such was the time of the Judges; such was the setting for this story of Naomi - there was a famine in the land, which served to highlight the profoundly deeper spiritual famine that was starving the people of God.  It is a sad irony indeed that they took a never-forgotten journey to what I call ‘the land of dread,’(Moab), from ‘the house of Bread,(Bethlehem).’  And while we do not have all the details, it would appear that going to Moab was not the wisest choice this little family had made.  In the Book of Ruth, Naomi states it this way:  “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”(1:13)  “ Do not call me Naomi,(which means pleasantness); call me Mara, (which means bitterness), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”(1:20)  “…the Almighty has afflicted me.”(1:22b)  These are difficult and terse words but Naomi has not denied God’s right to judge, nor has she rejected Him as her God; she is identifying His sovereign hand at work.

Sin takes us on a journey that is longer, more difficult and more turbulent than we had ever planned, but mercy finds us there and repentance brings us home.  Naomi has come home.

My prayer:   “Lord, may my journey home be shorter!  Thank you for the cross.”

My paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 7:9,10

Godly sorrow is a groaning that leads to true repentance and life, while worldly sorrow only moans over being caught and leads to spiritual death.”